Just Enjoy

I got a call from my friend Melanie Michaud yesterday.

Mel’s a wonderful designer I’ve come to know through our work on Persephone Production’s “Far From the Madding Crowd”. I played William Boldwood in that great play and Melanie costumed everyone with brilliant skill, to beautiful effect, and on a tiny budget that most designers would find impossible to manage. But Melanie is a rare and wonderful person who always goes the extra mile (and then some), so she borrowed clothes from several sources, and the most beautiful dresses were carefully hand-sewn original pieces. Melanie is an Artist in her field.

We became good friends during the run of the show, and I was so flattered to learn that teenaged Melanie had a crush on my Marius in “Les Miserables” so many years ago. She watched my significant transition from young romantic leading man to much older romantic madman, and noted, with a smile, that she could still see a hint of Marius on stage. And as I prepared to audition for the role of Javert in the upcoming revival of “Les Miserables” in Toronto, she listened to me sing “Stars” and “The Suicide” over and over, and always offered encouraging compliments. We were both huge fans of that great musical and of musical theatre in general, and on this basis our friendship was solidified.

When Mel found out I was fortunate enough to be associated with Music Theatre Montreal, and that a workshop of my own show, “The Virgin Courtesan”, written with composer Blair Thomson, would be coming up in the fall, she emphatically told me that she wanted to be involved. At that time, though, I told her that I didn’t imagine we’d need a designer. But Melanie is persuasive, and so wonderfully enthusiastic, and after a couple of mini-pitches she won me over completely to seeing the difference a unified visual presentation could make on the workshop.

Melanie was volunteering her time, her talent, her Art, to help make her friend’s show the best it could be. And she told me that she could work miracles with the cheapest cloth. I already knew that. So I pitched Mel’s participation as part of the Creative Team to the producers at Music Theatre Montreal, and I was so glad when they agreed to work some modest design costs into the budget of the workshop. They’re pleased to have Melanie aboard too.

So Melanie called me yesterday. Her slate is clean for a little while, and she’s ready to start working on “The Virgin Courtesan”. We agreed to have a little creative meeting on Thursday, to toss around a few ideas. Again, I thanked her for her participation, and she reminded me that it’s worthwhile to her that the presentation looks as beautiful as it can. “You never know what can happen with this show”, she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

It reminded me of my other musical love-child, “AutoPortrait” which was commissioned and workshopped by the National Arts Centre of Canada. With a cast of 20 of Canada’s best musical theatre performers, the workshop was thrilling. I finally saw that the show, which I wrote with composer Daniel Boulerice, worked well on stage. The non-linear story-telling, the multi-generational actor changes, the music all worked beautifully in front of an audience… and I was so sure that a full N.A.C. production was the next logical step. But, as effusively complimentary as the powers-that-be were at the time, a production of our show just wasn’t in the cards…due to Federal Budget concerns, you understand.

We shopped “AutoPortrait” around as much as we could, but a new musical by an unknown Canadian writing team just wasn’t getting anyone’s attention. That wonderful show is collecting dust on a shelf.

“You’re right, Mel. It should be beautiful. This could be the only time we ever see it on its feet!” I said with glass-half-empty realization.

But that wasn’t at all what Melanie meant though, and I knew it, and so we happily talked about how this workshop, with its fantastic cast of dedicated performers, could be the discovery of an exciting new show. My glass refilled with enthusiasm. “You never know what can happen with this show”, means that the stars often do align, and the right people can be sitting in the house. A professional producer might fall in love with our “Virgin Courtesan” and court her favour!

“Whatever happens, just enjoy” Melanie said, and again I could hear the assuring smile in her voice.

“That should be the motto for our workshop: Just Enjoy” I replied.

With wonderful people like Melanie on our Creative Team, I’m already enjoying myself.