40th anniversary | The Sleepless Critic

Know before you go: fun facts and behind the scenes interview at ‘Cirque du Soleil: OVO’

Posted on July 24, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

Insects can be elegant and extraordinary…and it all starts with an egg.

The Foreigner (Blue Fly) with a mysterious OVO (Egg). Photo credit Vlad Lorenzo courtesy of Cirque Du Soleil: OVO

Cirque du Soleil: OVO continues live and in person at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 28 before continuing in at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island August 1 through 4 and then at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire August 8 through 11. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Going behind the scenes at Cirque du Soleil: OVO, some intriguing facts were unveiled about how this tremendous production comes together. From the preparation to the performers which includes two Olympians to Liz Vandal’s kaleidoscopic costumes from Montreal, this unique production is brought to life in distinctive venues all over the world. The following are some amazing facts from Senior Publicist Janie Mallet of OVO:

Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its 40^th anniversary! OVO’s cast and crew is a multi-cultural group that has been traveling around the world since 2009. A quick paced touring production, OVO has spent fifteen years on the road changing city or country every single week. The show did break during the pandemic before returning in 2022 with a revamped production featuring new acts and new music.
‘Ovo’ is Portuguese for ‘egg’. The production starts when The Foreigner arrives at this new colony of insects with an egg on his back. The show explores how we interact with one another and learn to accept and celebrate our differences. There is a love story, curiosities, and a bit of a confrontation in a world likened to a Brazilian rainforest.
Not only does the production travel with a full gym backstage, but with a full time coach, access to nutritionists, two performance therapists, doctors and an artistic team of 100 people with 52 performing onstage.
The artists and athletes do their own cardio, strength training, and flexibility before attending meetings and trainings for the show. The performers expend so much energy and do not follow a diet. They eat what is best for them at their own discretion, but if they want to work on a specialized thing, they have three chefs and a catering team on hand.
The production has a lot of moving parts and the size and how the trucks are packed for the tours are different, especially if they fly across the ocean. Everything is meticulously labeled and the teams need to be ready to adapt to any last minute changes.
The production has over 1000 costumes. These costumes are built for the function of each performer and there are four full time technicians on tour to take care of the costumes. All the costumes require some training in order to wear them comfortably. The clowns have larger costumes while the crickets’ costumes are light and contain a lot of stretch for performing flips and jumps. The aerial acts also have lighter costumes as they fly from one platform to the next.
The production has six washers and three dryers that travel with them all over the world. Delicate costumes and wardrobes are dried with the fans and 60 loads of laundry are completed prior to each performance.

Gary portrays Master Flipo, the chief of the insect colony. Alongside Canadian poles artist acrobat David, they deliver some insight into their history in the circus, their favorite insects, and anticipating OVO’s opening night in Boston. In real life, Gary is from Austria and lives in Spain.

Gary: When I was 12, I decided I wanted to be a clown. I told my mom and never lost this dream. I ended up in a mime and circus school and then started to work in the circus before I joined Cirque de Soleil. They said, ‘We like your stupid face’ in 1992. I moved and did a show in Las Vegas and then back to Europe and then I’ve been here almost 7 years.

David: I started in the circus quite late at the age of 20. Usually acrobats start at a much younger age with gymnastics but at 20, I started from nothing. I saw a circus show and said that I want to do that and found out there were circus schools. I didn’t know they existed in Quebec City so I trained really hard for two years to get in because I found out that there are people all over the world who are trying to enter these professional schools. You need to already be good at something to get in and then somehow I got in. I did my three years of circus school for like 40 hours a week of training. Ever since, I’ve been in the circus and working with different circuses. I’ve been with OVO since the re-launch in 2022 with new artists and music. I’m part of the new acts.

We are very excited about the show and don’t know how the public is going to react yet, but we’re all feeling super rested because we just came back from three weeks of tour break from home. We’re very happy to be in Boston with the beautiful summer weather. We’ve met Bostonians on the street and they seem very nice.

Gary: Especially for us clowns it is very interesting in Boston to find out where they laugh and where they don’t laugh. We have to adjust the timing and are already having butterflies.

David: We toured with the show everywhere in the world. Depending on the different cultures, finding out how the audience will react is always our biggest concern.

Gary: What I anticipate sharing with the audience the most is always taking people onstage. Sometimes I have to improvise which I love and it challenges me. Generally, the whole show is a big festival of happiness. I don’t have favorites.

David: I am excited about my act just because in the living arts and in the circus there is always a bit of modification. It is never one stable show. It is thousands of versions of the show, even though it’s the same show for the public. For us, it has little changes and our act has new music, so we work on it frequently and make little changes in the choreography. It’s going to be fresh, new and exciting.

Gary: I love the jeweled beetle so I love my colors.

Gary as Jeweled Beetle Master Flipo Photo credit Vlad Lorenzo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil: OVO

David: It’s a very beautiful insect.

Gary: But at the same time, I love the ladybug.

The Foreigner and The Ladybug Photo credit Pat Beaudry and courtesy of Cirque Du Soleil: OVO

David: I really like the laced fly. The lace fly is the hair extension act and I think her costume is just brilliant and so colorful. It’s a beautiful act.

Gary: I like the crickets for the costumes. How they have an engineered costume where I always think, ‘How is it possible to move in that?’

The Crickets Wall Act Photo credit Vlad Lorenzo and courtesy of Cirque Du Soleil: OVO

David: Shout out to the Red Queen.

The Red Queen with cast of ‘Cirque Du Soleil: OVO’ Photo courtesy of Cirque Du Soleil: OVO

Gary: …and the clowns and the musicians.

David: OVO is really about inclusion. It’s about accepting our differences and celebrating the whole of the colony, even the cockroaches. They are all our friends. It’s sort of hard to choose one specific insect because they are all amazing.

David: The show takes years to train, but for this particular show, usually the creation of a Cirque de Soleil show is a few months. Like six months maybe and because the acrobats have been thinking about the show for a year or two, the physical preparation to get to this level takes years and years of training. Then we adapt the skills we have to the specific number and choreography that we need for the show, but it’s not like I train physically for years to be an insect. I train physically to be a circus acrobat and artist and then transfer the skills in a few months.

Gary: It’s the same thing with us…the clowns. We are being cast for that because our profile fits in it. The clown has his own profile for performing and stupidity. So I was cast because I am stupid and smart.

David: (laughs) Maybe that is also why I was cast.

Gary: (laughs) Bingo!

The insects of ‘Cirque du Soleil: OVO’ Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil OVO

Cirque de Soleil: OVO continues live and in person at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 28 before continuing in at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island August 1 through 4 and then at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire August 8 through 11. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Umbrella Stage Company unveils riveting musical, ‘The Color Purple’

Posted on May 31, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

How does one find faith when everything falls apart?

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple is a powerful and thought provoking historical drama that examines life’s true meaning, redemption, transformation, and the search for faith and love when all seems lost.

With stirring direction by BW Gonzalez, Nathanael Wilkerson’s lively music direction, and instinctively choreographed by Najee A. Brown, Umbrella Stage Company continues the Tony award-winning musical, The Color Purple by Marsha Norman through Sunday, June 4 live and in person at the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. The show has two acts with one intermission and contains some mature themes. Some package shows also offer walking tours. Click here for more information and tickets.

Shy’Kira Allen as Celie and cast Photo by Jim Sabitus

Umbrella Stage Company could not have chosen a better time to bring this particular musical to the stage this year. The Color Purple celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the acclaimed novel last year and the 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg featured an all star cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey. It garnered several Oscar nominations including Best Picture. This December, a musical film adaptation of The Color Purple will premiere featuring a multitalented cast including Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, and H.E.R.

Having never read the book or seen the film, The Color Purple was an eye opening experience. It holds turmoil, peril, and cruelty, but it is also an extraordinary tale of miracles, transformation, humor, and unyielding hope exclaimed by a mesmerizing cast of powerful voices each with their own challenges to overcome. Walker’s dynamic characters possess a wealth of depth and complexity that deliver some astonishing twists and turns. The Color Purple features a powerful and Grammy award-winning score that infuses gospel, ragtime, jazz, and blues. The uplifting Our Prayer is gripping right from the start and the tapestry of moving numbers that follow makes the musical all the more enthralling.

‘Our Prayer’ from The Color Purple Photo by Jim Sabitus

SeifAllah Salotto-Crisobal’s impactful lighting design meticulously sets the tone in creative and multicolored pastels transforming Janie E. Howland’s modest wooden set equipped with whips and a silver barrel. Covering a 40 year range, costume designer Danielle Dominigue Sumi navigates various eras with finesse including culturally appropriate attire from muted to kaleidoscopic colors.

Shy’Kira Allen as Celie and Kayla Leacock as Nettie Photo by Jim Sabitus

In 1909 rural Georgia, Celie at 14 is about to give birth. She finds solace in her buoyant and discerning sister Nettie in a beautiful depiction by Kayla Leacock. Their genuine camaraderie is sheer joy to witness as Celie navigates her own unmerited suffering. Nettie is one of many spiritually strong and often challenged women surrounding inquisitive, naïve, obedient, and shy Celie depicted remarkably by Shy’kira Allen, that teach her about resilience and fortitude. Kai Clifton is a powerful force as daring Sofia with a trailblazing attitude and demeanor rare of a woman in the early 1900’s as demonstrated in a sage and commanding rendition of Hell No! Crystin Gilmore holds her own power as captivating and liberated performer Shug Avery who breezes into Georgia on a whim bringing excitement, scandal, and humor to the town as demonstrated in an alluring rendition of Push the Button. However, Gilmore truly shines in quieter moments with her tender rendition of Too Beautiful for Words as well as the show’s heartfelt title track.

Crystin Gilmore as Shug Avery and cast Photo by Jim Sabitus

Shy’Kira Allen rises to the challenge as complicated Celie and though Allen has many memorable scenes with the cast, her most powerful scenes are the ones she must stand on her own such as in Lily of the Field, Dear God, and a brilliant rendition of I’m Here. Brian Demar Jones is impressive and deceptively charismatic as short sighted and egocentric Mister while Jordan Aaron Hall is likable as compassionate yet impressionable Harpo. Rural Georgia is an area not without its gossip and keeping the mood light in the midst of the show’s most difficult moments are the humorous and ever knowing Church Ladies, their clever vocal styling slick for Shug Avery Coming to Town and Uh Oh.

Kai Clifton as Sofia and cast Photo by Jim Sabitus

Umbrella Stage Company delivers Alice Walker’s message with such collective fervor, make time to witness this Color Purple.

Umbrella Stage Company continues the Tony award-winning musical, The Color Purple though Sunday, June 4 live and in person at the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. The show has two acts with one intermission and contains some mature themes. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: Company Theatre’s ‘Evita’ is a touch of star quality

Posted on March 30, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

She was a mystery, but everyone thought they knew her. From a sassy, excitable teenager to rising political figure, Eva (Evita) Peron knew she belonged at the top before she ever knew how to get there. Having recently celebrated its 40^th Anniversary like the Company Theatre, The Company Theatre proudly presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony award-winning musical, Evita through March 31 at The Company Theatre in Norwell, Massachusetts. This production is currently sold out. Click here for more information on the Company Theatre’s upcoming productions and more.

Evita, with music, book and lyrics by award-winning collaborators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is a rock opera set in Argentina. Part of what makes Evita such a captivating work is its vibrant pacing, handled beautifully by Sally Ashton Forrest. Based on the life of Maria Eva Peron, Evita’s life moves much like the soundtrack’s quick rhythms. The audience is taken through song from night club to city street to porch step with barely a pause for applause, its sweeping sets divulge Eva’s life in its sheer magnitude.

Company Theatre Evita Kristen Huberdeau as Evita with cast

Kristen Huberdeau as Evita with cast Photo courtesy of The Company Theatre

This version of Evita features real footage from Eva Peron’s life and includes songs not featured in the latest 1996 film. The Art of the Possible, a cryptic number not in the film and featuring five officers, is particularly engaging. Evita is a young woman taking Argentina by storm…until she locks eyes with Peron, portrayed with regal like mindedness by Dan Kelly.

The Company Theatre Evita Dan Kelly as Peron

Dan Kelly as Peron Photo courtesy of The Company Theatre

Kristen Huberdeau exudes excitable sass and a bright, wide smile when she first appears as a teenager. However, Huberdeau’s Evita, behind her feigned naivete, is shrewd as soon as her feet hit the ground for the catchy, effervescent number, Buenos Aires. Huberdeau takes Evita from a vivacious teenager onward and excels at her developing influence and maturity through the years. She hits her stride with Buenos Aires, a joyous, catchy number about her instant love for the city and keeps up the brisk pace for this demanding role throughout, though some notes were a bit strained. She delivered an impressive version of Evita’s signature number, Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, glowing in a pristine gown.

No one succeeds without opposition. Che, portrayed with charisma and sardonic wit by Ken Bayliss, is part keen observer, part narrator, and represents the working class. In a beret and military fatigues, he occasionally engages the crowd, but his primary focus is on Evita. Bayliss captures the essence of Che and makes the role uniquely his own, leaving no trace of previous versions I have seen. From his observations in Oh What a Circus, his humorous duet in Good Night and Thank You with Huberdeau, and the reflective ballad, High Flying Adored, you’ll be glad to be taking this musical journey with Bayliss.

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With rich, charming vocals for his signature song. On This Night of a Thousand Stars, Ryan Barrow blends sensitivity, melodrama, and humor to night club singer, Magaldi and was a hit with the audience. A couple of other notable numbers include a sweet rendition of Another Suitcase in Another Hall by Sydney Palmer and a stirring, candlelit rendition of Santa Evita.

The Company Theatre proudly presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony award-winning musical, Evita through March 31 at the Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, Massachusetts. This production is currently sold out. Click here for more information and and how to support Company Theatre’s future. Follow Company Theatre on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more on their upcoming events.

Company Theatre’s co-founder Zoe Bradford talks 40th anniversary, ‘Ragtime’, and the theatre’s exciting future

Posted on July 13, 2018 by The Sleepless Critic

Underneath a tent on a bright summer day, Company Theatre’s co-founder Zoe Bradford, enthusiastic and smiling, has a lot to celebrate. The award-winning Company Theatre is as busy as ever as they prepare to open their 40^th season with beloved musical, Ragtime July 27. Click here for more information and tickets.

Zoe reflects on how Company Theatre has evolved over the years and her extraordinary vision for the future which goes well beyond their 2.3 acres in Norwell, Massachusetts.

A.C.T. Summer Workshop, 2014 Photo courtesy of The Company Theatre

A glimpse at the Academy of the Company Theatre Photo courtesy of Jeanne Denizard

Company Theatre co-founders Jordie Saucerman and Zoe Bradford, courtesy of Company Theatre

Sleepless Critic: Congratulations on Company Theatre’s 40^th anniversary. Even in the last five years, so much has happened from the upgraded, painted theatre with new seating to new, original productions. Please tell me more about that.

Zoe Bradford: Now that the theatre is beautiful, we’re envisioning the potential of our outdoor property. We’ve done a lot with Academy of the Company Theatre (A.C.T.) having an expanded outdoor stage and new pavilion. Our growing summer program is currently at capacity with 200 kids. Not only do we need more space and with everybody addicted to their screens, I believe in getting kids outside. We now have a path to the pond front and we’re holding classes there for water coloring and creative writing.

Freedom for creative expression has been the key for me, so I know it is the key for them. It’s why I desperately wanted my own theatre and thank God it happened. It’s not stimulating to work in the confines of another person’s building or organization. That’s one of the draws here.

The 2012 ‘Paragon Park’ cast, photo courtesy of Company Theatre

SC: The original musical Paragon Park took place in 2012. Are there any original shows you are working on?

ZB: Michael Hammond and I loved working on Paragon Park together and we want to do another one. We’re bookending our 40^th anniversary with the start of Ragtime and ending summer to summer with a revival of Paragon Park in 2019 as opposed to the season running January to December.

Paragon Park will be the pinnacle of our 40^th celebration with a wonderful night of dinner and dancing at Nantasket Beach Resort in Hull. Preceding that will be a VIP cocktail reception where guests can go on the Carousel and ride the ponies if they wish. Then we’ll trolley to the hotel for celebration and fundraising.

Company Theatre's original production, 'Paragon Park'

TV personality Scott Wahle with ‘Paragon Park’ cast The Company Theatre’s will reprise its original production of Paragon Park the Musical, which premiered in 2012, image by Zoe Bradford

We’ll also have an outdoor VIP cocktail reception before opening Ragtime and featuring the Model T Ford, which is integral to Ragtime’s story. It looks like the real thing, built exactly to scale. Bob Grazioso, who has since retired from technical director but is still active at Company Theatre, built the Model T Ford when we did the show in 2003. The Ford Motor Company wanted to buy it from us, but we kept it because we wanted to do the show again.

Ragtime's Booker T. Washington with the Statue of Liberty

Todd McNeel Jr. of Boston as Booker T. Washington in ‘Ragtime’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

SC: When you revive a show like Ragtime, what kind of changes do you make?

ZB: Life happens. My thinking has evolved from 2003 to 2018 just from life experience and I have approached Ragtime differently than I did then. We have three actors reprising their roles and 40 cast members who all feel it is a different experience than last time.

We did Ragtime in 2003 because there are strong, underlying themes of racism in the early 1900s and our attitude was thank God this is all behind us. Now this show has never been needed more. Shockingly, things have gone backwards and we have to speak out. Being a huge sympathizer of Black Lives Matter and having a black adopted daughter puts a lot of things into perspective.

Back then, immigration was sort of in the forefront of the news, but not like it is today. The show is about immigrants, which is about America and coming to America.

My passion lies in great storytelling. Ragtime is a prevalent, uplifting show with three beautiful, intertwining stories involving a Jewish immigrant and his daughter, a New Rochelle family, and jazz musician Colehouse Walker Jr. who buys the Model T. It’s a moving, relatable show about family, choosing family, and acceptance. It also has a brilliant score and we have a fifteen piece live orchestra. In my long theatre career, Ragtime is one of my top three shows. People will leave feeling good.

(L to R) Finn Clougherty, Jillian Griffin, Cristian Sack, Hannah Dwyer as Little Girl, Michael Hammond as Tateh, Barbara Baumgarten, Brenna Kenney, Melissa Carubia as Emma Goldman (on soapbox), Hilary Goodnow Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

SC: Period pieces can be difficult from costuming to the fine details and Ragtime must be a monster to put together.

ZB: It’s challenging, but we have our costumer Bree Plummer. We would love to have her as a resident, but she is also a teacher so we get her when we can. I work with a great team of designers including Ryan Barrow and James Valentin to make the most beautiful show possible. We love period pieces because we can make it interesting.

I’m trying to let others set design because people have to carry the legacy on just in case. I probably won’t ever retire, but will let people take over certain aspects. As I let some things go, I plan to write more.

(L to R) Hannah Dwyer of Scituate as Little Girl with Michael Hammond of Holbrook as her father Tateh Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

SC: Spring Awakening also took place in the last five years, another daring show.

ZB: I didn’t cut it, though it was handled carefully. Though it happened in a different era, the themes are also relevant today and people need things they can relate to. I also love a good score. Steve Bass came on in 2016 and we’ve made him our resident Music Director and may keep him on indefinitely. He’s a young, brilliant pianist and has his PhD from the Conservatory.

Company Theatre's musical, Spring Awakening

Company Theatre’s 2014 musical, ‘Spring Awakening’ Photo courtesy of The Company Theatre

SC: You once said you chose popular shows that sell, but in the last few years, The Company Theatre has been delving into unchartered waters a bit. Last year was haunted with Carrie the Musical and Lizzie Borden.

ZB: It’s financially difficult to do that, but we are trying to give the young people what they want. Lizzie Borden went well because people love local history and some said they have been to her house. A gruesome tale, but it was also a nice psychological thriller.

We changed a little how we choose our shows, but we still have to please our general audience and offer something for the family, something mature, and our team knows their demographic well and what will be successful.

I’m passionate about big musicals and there’s nothing like the thrill of a live orchestra. People in the professional theatre world, mentors, and colleagues say they will put eight pieces in here and do a lot of synthetic and prerecord. You can make a lot of money that way, but we can’t do that. Michael Joseph said that is standard while he was here and we’ve maintained it.

SC: What shows do you still dream of doing?

ZB: I’d love to do Wicked, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and I’m also waiting to do Mamma Mia! We’ll get to it. It’s all about rights and I’m sure there are new shows coming out that I’d love to get my hands on.

As a non-profit, whatever comes in has to support what we are doing and help us be self-sustaining. Grants, gifts, and tax deductible donations are the key. We have better opportunities for community support such as new packages for corporate sponsorship due to having higher end computer capabilities, a better website, and a brand new ticketing service that allows people who wish to support us to advertise.

SC: What has been your most challenging musical?

ZB: The Wizard of Oz because the movie is a masterpiece and any derivation from the film would be a disappointment for those who truly love it. People would fight me on that, but if you take on The Wiz, you can do what you want because no one has a preset notion of it. The Wiz was recently in Boston and the star of Ragtime portrayed the Wizard.

SC: What advice would you give someone taking on a business in theatre or similar?

ZB: It’s highly competitive. Know your vision, don’t give up, and try to think of something that someone else hasn’t already thought of. Be fresh and original when you can and make sure people know of your existence without being obnoxious about it. We still struggle with it. Some people say they didn’t know a theatre is here.

Company Theatre’s logo, a design Zoe Bradford hand drew 40 years ago

SC: What do you envision for the Company Theatre’s future?

ZB: We have to keep growing and in our 40^th year, we are finally setting up the Legacy Fund. Our money rolls in and out with the tide as any non-profit would, but we’re actively fundraising to ensure another 40 years and beyond.

For the last ten years, I’ve wanted to design a new logo. I remember sitting at a little drafting table back in the 70s and hand drew it when we didn’t have any money or resources.

With art being cut in classrooms and attending theatre in Boston can be so expensive, we’re looking to keep this going so it’s accessible for everyone and expand. I can see us taking on more property and A.C.T. quadrupling over the next ten years. We’re not a community theatre anymore, but a year round professional and we’ll evolve again. We provide many jobs for people, but the other part of my vision is to create more jobs for artisans in the area. The more people that are working and inspiring people, the better.

Click here for tickets or call the box office at 781-871-2787. Located at 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, Massachusetts, click here on how to support the Company Theatre and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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