 "Photo: Mary K. Bryant-Likens | The Spectator")
The scene is a typical night out at the theater, a play with an 18th-century look. It seems almost Shakespearean until, mid-soliloquy, an actor whips an electric guitar from his back and begins rocking out to a song about vengeance.
Seattle University’s winter theater production “The Island of Slaves” is the first musical in the Lee Center, adapted by director Ki Gottberg and composer Casey James.
Gottberg says the music “brings the play into the 21st century.”
The script and the music maintain a modern sound that ranges all across the board of music genres, from Latin and jazz to opera and rock.
Gottberg had the idea to turn the play into a musical last year, and after working with him previously, she brought on James for the project. Though all the songs have the modern sound, two of them maintain the old-style lyrical text of the original playwright, Pierre Marivaux.
“Some of Pierre Marivaux’s words were very lyrical so I just took them and set it to music,” James said.
James wrote about three-fourths of the music before auditions, but Gottberg had ideas about songs for specific singers.
“I’ve done two previous projects with Ki, and when she came to me with this she said she had some great singers that she wanted solid parts for,” James said. “She had me listen to Robert Keene and Anne Marie Jones, and when I heard them, I knew I had to write them a song.”
Keene, a sophomore theater major, has been working closely with James and Gottberg to take full advantage of this opportunity.
“Working with Casey is amazing,” Keene said. “I have been playing more with dynamics, especially quiet dynamics, since it is such a small space.”
Gottberg is also excited for the learning experience it gives students as they come to understand their own abilities.
“It’s exciting for the students because they get a feel for their range,” Gottberg said. “It’s a furthering art form.”
The black box theater in the Lee Center is not normally considered the ideal setting for a big musical production, but the cast and crew all seem to be curious and excited to work in the space.
“It’d be nice if SU had a space for music, but we are making do with what we have,” Gottberg said. “It takes a lot of work.”
The cast and crew are making constant last-minute adjustments.
“Each night is a little different, but we have a constant [sound board] operator managing the balance so we put out a live organic sound,” said Brendan Hogan, the musical’s sound technician.
According to James, musicals usually take about two years just to put together. “Considering the time they have had for this production, it has come together amazingly well. In terms of size and sound, sometimes good things come from limitations,” James said.
The musical is a new experience for Seattle U, but the hard work and challenges involved in the production will offer just as much for the audience as it has for the cast and crew.
Aubrey first name may be reached at aeyre@su-spectator.com.
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