A flubbed line here, a missed cue there, a slightly off-key instrument. It’s those little human errors that give theatre the real-life quality Jay Brazeau finds so endearing.
“I always say that the best kind of theatre I’ve ever seen is when mistakes happen,” says the seasoned actor.
So, he won’t be kicking himself if he stumbles over a word — or a microphone cord — while hosting this year’s family-friendly Christmas show at North Van’s Presentation House Theatre, A Few of My Favourite Things. Brazeau will be joined on stage by five recent graduates of Capilano University’s musical theatre program and together they will share stories, sing songs — both holiday favourites and Broadway hits — engage the audience in a sing-along and take crowd requests. The participatory nature of the show means the performers will need to think on their feet and work their improvisational skills.
“You have to see what kind of crowd you have and which way it’s going to go,” Brazeau says. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
Presentation House Theatre mounted A Few of My Favourite Things once before, in 2012, with Brazeau as a special guest. He came up with the concept for the show after considering a few of his favourite things to do during the holiday season: get together with friends, enjoy a drink or two, share stories, sing songs and have some laughs. He says he hopes patrons leave the theatre feeling as though they’ve just been to “a really good party.”
Meanwhile, he’s also excited to be home for the holidays this year and participating in a show in his own backyard.
“I do a lot of performing all over North America, but it’s nice to be able to come back to your neighbourhood and have a place to do theatre and share it with your neighbours.” When deciding on this year’s holiday offering, Presentation House Theatre’s artistic director Kim Selody says he wanted to capture the spirit of the season in a positive way without getting bogged down by tradition.
“One thing we wanted to do was something that was a little bit broader, more secular and more fun, and more inclusive within the community,” he explains. “We basically are opening up the theatre and making it like a giant living room and inviting the audience to come in and join us and be entertained for about 90 minutes.”
When it comes to the song lineup, Selody is fairly tight-lipped, not wanting to give away any surprises.
“Obviously we’re going to do something from Mame because that’s a musical that takes place at Christmas,” he reveals. And it’s a good bet The Sound of Music number that inspired the variety show’s title will also be heard. But it’s important to keep the evening open, Selody says, leaving room for spontaneity.
“[The show)] really changes each night depending on who’s in the audience, depending on what they’re interested in seeing and hearing.”
With pianist Joseph Seserko accompanying on the baby grand, Selody is confident the cast will be able to handle any song request thrown their way.
“Joseph is one of those amazing brains who can pretty much play anything that’s requested just off the top. He’s got an amazing repertoire.”
Fortunately, those in the audience don’t need to have as extensive a repertoire if they want to sing along. Unlike the 2012 edition of A Few of My Favourite Things, this year’s production will feature the lyrics on a large screen, complete with a karaoke-style bouncing ball, so everyone can join in.
A Few of My Favourite Things runs Dec. 11-14 and 18-21 at Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Ave., North Vancouver. For tickets and details, go to phtheatre.org or call 604-990-3474.
