Page 15 - 2018 Festival Edition

“When Eric was here last September to receive the Stratford Festival Legacy Award, we discussed the idea of tackling The Fantasticks, which he had done in Los Angeles in 2009 under the direction of Jason Alexander,” he said.“He knew the show, loved it and was on board. We talked about the mechanics of put- ting this together for a one-night concert. The ideas took over, but an announcement had to wait so we could work out the timing. Later in the season, there are fewer performances so we could lean on those who appeared in musicals like The Rocky Horror Show.”
Ouzounian, who has written, directed or acted in more than 275 productions and was Harold Prince’s assistant for the original Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, last appeared at the Stratford Festival in 1999, directing Dracula: A Chamber Musi- cal, for which he wrote the book and lyrics.
The Fantasticks in Concert – slated for Oct. 30 at the Avon – focuses on a young couple, their bickering parents, a pair of very veteran thespians and
THE FANTASTICKS
McCormack’s bandit and narrator, El Gallo. With Harvey Schmidt’s music and Tom Jones’
lyrics, the 1960 musical is loosely based on Edmund Rostand’s The Romancers (Les Romanesques). Some of the most memorable tunes include Try to Remem- ber and Soon It’s Gonna Rain.
“Eric has always been so gracious,” Ouzounian said. “When he was in The Music Man on Broadway, he invited the family – my children, who were young at the time, backstage. The cast was still in costume and they signed autographs for them.
“Seeing him again, well it’s just like old times again. He is still so friendly and funny and, of course, just adores the theatre. We’re looking forward to a fun evening.”
Celebrating legendary composer Stanley Silver- man’s 80th birthday, Ouzounian is doing double- duty at this year’s Festival, directing Arthur Miller’s only musical Up From Paradise – Monday, July 23, at the Studio Theatre – an o eat retelling of God’s battle with Lucifer for the control of Adam and Eve.
“It’s quite a funny look at the Old Testament with great music by Stanley,” he said. “With the Festival already doing Erin Shield’s theatrical adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Antoni approached me about also directing this work.
“I love Stanley’s sophisticated music and Arthur’s writing. The production takes on sort of a Jewish Fiddler On The Roof comic approach. It’s a great way to mark Stanley’s birthday with humour and music.”
Another musical treat being staged at the Festival this year takes place July 13 when Steven Page, the versatile former lead singer and co-founder of the Barenaked Ladies, teams up with the virtuosic Art of Time Ensemble at the Avon Theatre.
The Ensemble and Page, the writer of scores for Shakespeare plays at the Festival, will feature works by Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Radiohead, Barenaked Ladies, Elvis Costello and many others.
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THE BEACON HERALD | 2018 FESTIVAL EDITION
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