The Road of Brimstone and Treacle and Spoonfuls of Sugar - an interview with Director Natalie Witte and Musical Director Bruce Cable
Can anything happen if you let it? That seems to be the case for Director and Choreographer Natalie Witte and Musical Director Bruce Cable. For the past two months, musical theatre students at Victoria School have been preparing their rendition of Mary Poppins. Everyone in the cast and crew has been working hard to make sure it’s practically perfect when it goes up in the Eva O. Howard on November 25th. Even though I’m a part of the show and got to work for the two first hand, I still had several questions. So I decided to sit down with the two myself to get my burning questions answered.
My first interview was with Mr. Cable on Wednesday after Concert Choir. I sat patiently while admiring all the Disney figurines and nick-knacks that surround his desk. As he walked out of the choral library he looked as if he had a sense of wonder. I don’t think he knew what he was about to get into, but he was ready for whatever was about to come his way. As he sat down he definitely felt the pressure when my finger hit the record button on my phone.
You are the music director for Mary Poppins. What has the process been like so far?
The process has been good. It has been challenging because our timeline is short. Because we had fall break, it just meant that I had to front-load a lot of the music earlier on and make sure that I was able to feel like the foundation of music was there earlier than normal. Knowing that the break was coming up.
It has been challenging because there is a lot of material with a lot of singing and its a dense script. With the fall break, it’s just been challenging to make sure its all comes together.
Is this the shortest time we’ve had for a musical?
Yes, because we’ve never done a December musical or end of November musical with a fall break. It’s never happened before. The last winter show we did was Beauty and The Beast, but we had that extra week of classes.
Do you think the process might have been different due to ages and material? Last year we did In The Heights which was grades 10-12 only with very different music, but now we have a two and a half hour long show with students in grades 7-12, and you also have people going into their first mainstage. Do you think any of that plays a role?
Yes. it’s not the largest role, because it often deals with how familiar students are with the music. So with In the Heights, even though it was really complicated music, everyone knew it really well going in. The music in Mary Poppins is a little more challenging but it was a lot easier to teach because people knew it very well. The learning curb for junior highs is “oh! I need to be able to learn this quickly” as opposed to not being able to learn the music. So I don't think its slower because they take longer to learn the music. It's just the process for them is really intense.
How does this show stand out compared to all the other shows like Once on This Island or Shrek. Do you think it has something to do Mr. DC leaving?
It's interesting because I have only worked with DC and Witte. I've worked with them separately and together. For me there is no difference. They work so well as a team that they do have similar skill sets and similar approaches. I don’t notice a difference when i'm working them alone. Ms. Witte is a little more organized.
I like show for two reasons: it’ s Disney, and it's so different from the movie. People might come expecting to see the movie, but they might flush out the characters like Mrs. Banks. In the movie she doesn’t really have a journey but in the show she does. I like how it's a really nice flushed out version of a very good movie.
Do you think this show was long awaited?
It's interesting because we pick the right shows, for the right time for the right group of music. Every year we see what the needs are for the group. For example junior highs got a shorter musical opportunity, so this year we knew we wanted a 7-12 opportunity. We might do a 4-12 that we did a few years back and then have a 10-12 show or a seasonal Christmas show since we haven't done that in a while. The overall outlook is we want to give the opportunity to mix it up a little bit every year so students get different experiences. Last year we had a lot of hip hop and rap and this year we wanted something more traditional so the students can have more artistic experiences.
Yes it was needed, but we didn't know we needed it. When we started having those conversations last year, we all asked each other what shows were needed.
Mr. DC would always say to his students that he would learn more from them than he could ever teach them. What is something that the students have taught you in the process?
The ability they have to solidify things in such a short period of time. Over the last two weeks, we went through some numbers that were a little shaky and not solid. But then all of a sudden it all gelled together. It always amazes me how people can focus and make anything happen. I'm also amazed at how students in grades 7 to 12 are able to work together as a unit. When I see people interacting I don’t see high school and secondary. I see everyone all together being supportive.
With the show coming closer, what do you expect of your students?
More refinement, more energy and that nervous excitement for when they get on stage!
Last but not least, what are shows that you might want to do in the future and shows that you might want to stay away from?
I do not enjoy Andrew Lloyd Webber (he says with confidence while my heart sinks to the ground). I wouldn't be anxious to include anything by him. That includes CATS for sure. Number one on my list to never do. Aspects of love, Jesus Christ superstar, Evita, phantom. All of those are Andrew Lloyd Webber shows. I do not enjoy any of them.
I really enjoy Stephen Sondheim musicals like Into the Woods. I also really enjoy a lot of contemporary musicals that are really hip and popular now like Dear Evan Hansen and Wicked. Things that are astounding and neat.
The next morning I made a little trip to Ms. Witte’s room. I was shocked that this lady had a main stage musical going up in a week and yet she always remained calm. I don’t know how she does it. Luckily I was able to talk to her.
Ms. Witte you are directing the musical Mary Poppins. What has the process been so far?
The process started all the way back in February or March when we were in search for shows. Mr. Cable and I wanted a show for 7 to 12 performers because we haven’t done a 7 to 12 musical since Beauty and the Beast which was in 2013. Disney is always a good go for that particular age group. Once we knew what the show was my main focus was on the set design. The show has a lot of tricky bits that need to be incorporated. We needed to get that down pretty early. When the cast is selected that’s when all the fun stuff begins.
When did you know we had to make Mary fly?
*sigh* I told myself when we decided to do Mary Poppins that I would be okay if she couldn’t fly. I would’ve had to find a way to still make it magical. I knew I was just kidding myself because I would be very disappointed if she couldn’t because Mary’s magic is really iconic. Mrs. DC was very supportive in the process and tried her absolute hardest to make sure it was a reality.
The flying was stressful for me until we had Johnny Picket. There were a lot of companies that we talked about for flying and most of them are based out of the United states. Flying by Foy has done it the longest, but they mostly deal with professionals. I wasn’t sure how they would be with kids but he was so delightful to work with. He was a really good teacher. He didn’t just make sure it was safe, he made sure everyone knew what they were doing. He also taught us about the physics behind it. Mr. Juchli came in and watched one of the workshops.
He also taught us how much the flying contributed to the story. If the flying is just there as a trick then it's not enough. There has to be a reason. Mary has to know why she flies.
How does show stand from to other shows?
When we choose our shows we try to make sure we are giving our students different opportunities. In terms of the story and the music. We like to look at it in 3 to 6-year cycles. If you arrive as a new student in grade 10 or grade 7, you have the opportunity over the course of 3 to 6 years to experience different things and have a balance in our musical and non-musical production.
In the Heights was so contemporary, we wanted to choose something that wasn't. Last year for junior highs we did Crazy For You which was set in the 1930’s. It was a period piece but it was a different style. So we wanted to choose something that would give kids a different style.
Do you think this show was awaited?
I don’t know if the specific title was. I think people have been waiting for another family feel good. There's something about Disney, Mary Poppins specifically that draws in the audience. It's about building the audience and making sure they come back.
How would you describe your experiences with the DC’s?
My journey with them is very unique since Mrs. DC was my high school acting teacher. My journey with her starts way back. She was the reason I became a teacher. When I went to grade 12, education was not my plan, but after my senior acting I thought not only do I love theatre and I want to do theatre, I want to create it with other people. Watching her process of building the shows was really inspiring to me. What i discovered that i liked about theatre is that it's not just me as a performer, it's the creator within a team. Over the course of the last twenty years, Mr. DC and I worked on about twenty shows together. Either as him as the director and me as a choreographer or co-directors. It is lovely to me that they came back to watch the process. I really appreciate that the DC’s have vision and forethought. I know they were really intentional with what they taught me. I know I feel confident that the vision for the theatre is on the right track.
What do you expect out of your students?
Students are working hard on their scene study so everything just falls into place. The show is like a puzzle. When you do a jigsaw puzzle you start with the edge pieces and then you build a frame. You start to find all the pieces with the flat edges and then that’s your frame. Once you have the frame in place, you’re able to go into the puzzle much faster. Our frame has been built for the last eight weeks. As we go into the last couple of days we’re starting to find the last couple of pieces and everyone kind of knows what they have to do. The closer you come to the end the faster all the pieces come.
Finally, what would be shows that you might want to do?
Mr. Cable and I have joked about doing CATS because its a show neither of us wants to do. We don’t like to share our bucket list because kids start to think about what's going to happen. I would love to do Wicked but the rights aren't released and they're not coming soon. Possibly Come from Away. Before I retire I would like to do a Sondheim. Maybe Sunday in the Park with George, maybe Sweeney. We need to do another 4-12 one soon because we haven't done that in a while.
Doing this interview really allowed me to understand the process from the directors. As actors, we usually see the directors as our superiors. With this interview I was able to see them as artists. Art is a self fulfilling prophecy that doesn't end at a certain age or time in our lives. It's an ongoing cycle of teaching and learning.
Cheerio!
Negede Kaffa - Arts Writer
