KPLU Local News
(2009-10-16)
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Tanesha Ross as Nicolette, Nick DeSantis as Valere and Matthew John Kacergis as Aucassin in "Chasing Nicolette" at Issaqua's Village Theatre.
Village Theatre Photo
"Chasing Nicolette" continues at the Village Theatre in Issaquah through October 25th. Then it moves to Everett, where it plays through November 22nd.
Village Theatre web site
Notes on Iambic Pentameter
Video from "Chasing Nicolette"
Reporter's Transcript:
ISSAQUAH LIES 20 MINUTES EAST OF SEATTLE IN THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS. MILK TRUCKS RUMBLE BY AND THE AIR SMELLS SWEET NEAR THE VILLAGE THEATER. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ROBB HUNT WAS PART OF THE FOUNDING TEAM THAT STARTED BRINGING NEW SHOWS HERE 25 YEARS AGO. HE SAYS IT'S DIFFERENT THAN SEATTLE THEATERS THAT HAVE RECENTLY MADE HEADLINES FOR BIG SHOWS WITH CASTS AND STAFF IMPORTED FROM NEW YORK. THE VILLAGE THEATER JUST BRINGS IN THE WRITERS.
"We're actually taking the shows from their inception and really working at the beginnings of them, working with the writers on the writing itself and on the rewrites to get the show up and then move it step by step through this process of readings and workshops and productions."
THE LATEST EXAMPLE IS A SHOW CALLED "CHASING NICOLETTE." BILLED AS A MEDIEVAL ROMANTIC ESCAPADE, IT'S WRITTEN ENTIRELY IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER - THAT'S RHYMING VERSE WITH FIVE DOMINANT SYLLABLES PER LINE. HERE'S A TASTE FROM THE CURRENT PRODUCTION. LOCAL ACTOR NICK DESANTIS PLAYS THE SERVANT VALERE, WHO'S TRYING TO AVOID TORTURE BY CONVINCING HIS YOUNG MASTER HOW TO BEHAVE.
"You have to lie. (what?) You have to lie. Truth can be so painful and I hate to see people getting hurt, especially when it's me. You have to lie. (I'd never!) Give it a try. Everyone resorts to lying when he must. Anyone who says he doesn't I don't trust."
THE SHOW'S CREATORS SPENT SEVERAL MONTHS HERE THIS SUMMER. PETER KELLOGG WROTE ALL THE RHYMING WORDS. HE SAYS IT'S BASED ON A PLAY FROM THE MIDDLE AGES CALLED "AUCASSIN AND NICOLETTE."
"And apparently people who study French in college always read it, but I had never heard of it. A friend suggested it to me. And it's actually a story in the Middle Ages about a Christian and a Muslim falling in love, in a time of war and prejudice. And it's amazing, because all of the themes that are there in the actual original work are still there today."
EVEN THOUGH THESE UNIVERSAL THEMES ARE HEAVY, THE SHOW IS HILARIOUS. IT'S THE PRODUCT OF MORE THAN A DECADE OF TEAMWORK BETWEEN KELLOGG AND HIS CREATIVE PARTNER. COMPOSER DAVID FRIEDMAN SAYS HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SENTIMENTAL PARTS.
"It's very interesting when you collaborate, it's sort of like a marriage. You learn over the years that if the other person says something, no matter how ridiculous it seems to you, they must have a point.
HE SAYS EVERYTHING THEY PUT IN THEIR SHOWS IS ENDORSED BY BOTH OF THEM - AND SOMETIMES GETTING THERE TAKES MONTHS AND MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF ONE SONG. A NUMBER THEY'RE BOTH VERY FOND OF AT THE MOMENT IS CALLED "IF YOU WERE IN LOVE." IT'S SUNG BY THE SHOW'S TWO LEADING LADIES, NICOLETTE AND GWENDOLYN - BOTH OF WHOM ARE SET UP TO MARRY MEN THEY DON'T LOVE.
"Life without longing is empty and hollow. Why exist? Why go on? Hold out for love till you find it, then follow, into the dawn."
THE HILARITY OF THE NUMBER COMES BECAUSE, TRUE TO THE SHOW'S MEDIEVAL ROOTS, NICOLETTE HAS CROSS-DRESSED IN THIS SCENE AND GWENDOLYN IS FALLING FOR THE MAN NICOLETTE APPEARS TO BE. (Music fades under)
"Yeah, it's really fun to sing and it gets a really great response every night."
JESSICA SKERRITT PLAYS GWENDOLYN, THE DAUGHTER OF A COUNT. SHE'S THE NIECE OF MOVIE-ACTOR TOM SKERRIT; 24 YEARS OLD -- A TALL, BLONDE, BLUE-EYED SOPRANO -- THE TYPICAL INGENUE IN MOST OLDER MUSICALS. SHE STARTED TAKING CLASSES AND PERFORMING AT THE VILLAGE THEATER WHEN SHE WAS 9 YEARS OLD. LAST SEASON, SHE PLAYED A VILLAIN IN "STUNT GIRL" - A MUSICAL CREATED BY THE SAME ARTISTIC TEAM THAT'S BEHIND "CHASING NICOLETTE." SHE SAYS PETER KELLOGG AND DAVID FRIEDMAN ARE EXPANDING THE REPERTOIRE FOR ACTORS OF HER TYPE.
"It's so much more fun than the ingenue stuff. I love making people laugh, it's just - it's wonderful."
NEW MUSICALS HAVE BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROGRAMMING AT THE VILLAGE THEATRE: FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS SEASON, THERE ARE TWO NEW SHOWS IN THE LINE UP. THIS SUMMER, ONE THAT WAS INCUBATED IN ISSAQUAH MADE BIG-TIME SUCCESS ON BROADWAY: "NEXT TO NORMAL," BY LOCAL LYRICIST BRIAN YORKEY WON THREE TONY AWARDS. SKERRITT SAYS EVEN IF IT SOMETIMES MEANS MEMORIZING A LOT OF REWRITES, IT'S EXCITING TO CONTRIBUTE TO SHOWS THAT MIGHT HAVE BIG FUTURES AHEAD OF THEM.
"Because you don't get to do that with a show like The Sound of Music that's been done a b-jillion times, and you're compared to Julie Andrews if you're playing Maria. You know, you don't have anyone to be compared to if you're working on a new work and that's really, really special."
THE CREATORS OF "CHASING NICOLETTE" HAVE HIGH PRAISE FOR THE ALL THE ACTORS WHO HELP WORKSHOP NEW WORKS AT THE VILLAGE THEATRE'S FESTIVAL EVERY SUMMER. AND WRITER PETER KELLOGG SAYS THE ARTISTIC STAFF IN ISSAQUAH BRINGS A HIGHER LEVEL OF WORK TO THE TABLE THAN THEY'VE SEEN IN SOLID PRODUCTIONS OF THEIR SHOW ON THE EAST COAST.
" that got very nice reviews, with very good directors. But they basically took the piece we gave them and put it on the stage. And what they do here is they go: 'well, why? Why does this person do this? Why shouldn't we hear from this person there?' And then you have to question and rewrite and - you know, it's a great process."
COMPOSER DAVID FRIEDMAN ADDS THAT, AFTER MORE THAN TWO DECADES PRESENTING NEW WORKS, THE VILLAGE THEATRE ALSO GIVES THEM SAVVY AUDIENCES WHO'S FEEDBACK MAKES THEIR SHOWS BETTER. HE WANTS TO SEE THAT SPIRIT SPREAD. HE'S HOPING TO CREATE A REGIONAL NETWORK OF PLAYHOUSES, SO THAT SHOWS PERFORMED IN ISSAQUAH FIRST WOULD TRAVEL TO OTHER THEATERS AROUND THE COUNTRY. BELLAMY PAILTHORP, KPLU NEWS, SEATTLE.
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