Red, Hot Cole! director and creator Darcy Evans says that the artistic madness of directing plays and the rehearsal hiccups are all well worth it when the rush of opening night hits. A graduate of Victoria’s Canadian College of Performing Arts, Evans loves the teamwork and creative camaraderie of working with everyone involved in this play.
“We’re really excited about how the songs are fitting together, and how we’re using the existing songs to tell a new story,” says Evans.
Evans and his creative team have rearranged the songs, originally written by American composer Cole Porter, in the style of a musical revue to coincide with Evans’ storyline.
“It’s a compilation of all of his songs from different shows. I’ve created a very loose plotline about two theatrical couples who are working in the Roxy Lounge—which is a cabaret nightclub theatre-type venue—using the existing Cole Porter love songs to tell the story of one night on stage,” says Evans, adding that the show centres on the characters’ relationships and interactions with one another on that night.
Evans says he conveys the story by letting Porter’s music and lyrics speak for themselves.
“They’re very evocative and also very open to interpretation; he writes a brilliant love song, so it lends itself very well to crafting a little love story,” says Evans.
Evans says the storyline itself will appeal to many different viewers, as will the calibre of the singers he has procured for the show.
“Whether you’re in for a light little night of romance or not, you’re going to get an amazing vocal night of incredible music,” he says.
The Roxy Theatre will be transformed for the show into something resembling more of a cabaret space than a theatre. Evans says a couple of rows of seats will be taken out and small tables will be put in, where audience members will be able to sit and watch the show as if participating in it, which, says Evans, will make for a more immersive experience.
“It’s going to be a real different kind of experience at The Roxy,” he says, “because we are really going to try to blur the lines between audience and performer to make it feel like they’re getting an intimate concert.”
Red, Hot Cole!
Tuesday, August 1 to Sunday, August 13
Various times and prices, The Roxy Theatre
bluebridgetheatre.ca