Jun. 09, 2010 - Issue #764: Hot Summer Guide 2010

Prevue

Illuminating ladies

Ladies in Lights pays tribute to musical theatre's finest females

Michele Miller, artistic director of Edmonton Musical Theatre, has noticed something odd happen with the gender mix in the classes that her organization runs.

"In the little kids' classes, there are a lot of boys," she notes. "There are still many boys in the teen group. But something happens in their 20s—maybe they've moved on to study acting or professional work?"

Though the ratio of men to women isn't hugely disproportionate, Miller found herself running out of great roles for female performers in past shows.

"We had so many women singers and performers who were not given the chance to shine. Not everyone would be able to have a solo. I thought, 'I'm gonna do something about that!'"

Ladies in Lights, the latest production from EMT, does exactly that, putting together a trans-historical dream team of women singers, framed by the memories of an old stagehand.

"He narrates the show," says Miller. "It spans a century of famous women: Fanny Brice, Julie Andrews, Mary Martin, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand. We go back to vaudeville, right up to Kristen Chenoweth. But these are not impersonations, but we're going for the flavour of their characters." Surely a treat for diehard fans of musical theatre, but there's something there for novices as well, thanks to the research of playwright Colin MacLean.

"You will learn something about musical theatre whether you want to or not. It's geared to enlighten you about the history, and show you who made a difference in its evolution. Colin MacLean has done an exceptional job. He pretty much nailed it."

Women, though making up a majority in theatre today, haven't always had the respect they deserve. In fact, women were barred from walking the stage in Shakespeare's time, and were often presented as buffoons or sexual objects during the vaudeville era.

Even today, it's still a stretch to find material that features women. Put them all the great characters together in a room, however, and you'll see personalities and styles that showcase many aspects of women's experiences reflected in Ladies in Lights.

"What if the Dorothy Judy Garland met the Carnegie Hall Judy Garland, and she accepted her past and future? It's got pathos like that. But we also have 'Make 'Em Laugh,' which is hilarious, and 'Gotta Get a Gimmick' from Gypsy which has some surprises up our sleeves. And something I've always wanted to do: 'Keep it Gay' from The Producers. We're gonna have to scrape people off the floor!"

There are some men in the show, too: as lovers worshipful and downtrodden, as gay best friends. But, for once, they are secondary to womankind, in all her incarnations. But throughout the evening, there is one thing that is obvious about the portrayal of women in musical theatre.

"We're indispensable. Our role is to do anything and more than a man. We are able to bring our unique gifts to the forefront, now that we have the freedom to do that. I'm not trying to make a statement, but present in a great big bundle my favourite female performers that shaped, and continue to shape, American musical theatre." V vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus