Rehearsals for Shout! The Mod Musical continue at the Grand Marais Playhouse with an energetic cast of North Shore women practicing British accents for this musical about the liberating days of 1960s England.
The cast of Shout! is Hilja Iverson, Kerri Bilben, Molly Hicken, Karen Blackburn, and Karina Roth, joined by Kay Costello on keyboard. We caught up with two cast members this week to learn a little bit more about this play.
The play documents the lives of five women, each designated a color reflecting her personality. Molly Hicken plays the red girl, who is described as “curious, but frightened; naïve but knowing.”
Hicken said the role is difficult to explain and her castmate, Hilja Iverson added, “She’s a contradiction.”
Complicated or not, Hicken said the role is “definitely fun to play.”
Asked about her character, Iverson giggles. The green girl is not hard to describe. The character is “promiscuous and brash.”
Hicken cheerfully clarified, “She’s a tart!”
“It’s really fun for me,” said Iverson. “It’s a bit of a stretch.”
Also a stretch for the women is the fact that they were not born yet in the ’60s— in fact, they were not born for decades later. “We’re channeling our mothers,” said Hicken and Iverson in unison, laughing.
Also tough is the choreography. The cast is learning new (to them) dances such as the Pony, the Swim, and of course, the ’60s classic, Frugging. And to add to the challenge, they have to do the dances in go-go boots!
Hicken and Iverson don’t seem to mind, in fact it is obvious they are having a terrific time. The News-Herald caught up with Sue Hennessy and asked her if she, the director, was also having fun.
“I don’t know if fun is the right word right now,” she chuckled. “I’ll have fun when it opens. It is going to be a very fun play!”
Hicken said the same. “Come prepared to laugh— and don’t be afraid to sing along.”
For those of us who were around in the ’60s, the revue will likely bring back fond memories with tunes such as To Sir With Love, Downtown, Georgie Girl, Son of A Preacher Man and of course, Shout!
In addition to learning dances and lyrics, the cast and Director Hennessy are looking for a few more costumes. Go-go boots and some Union Jack outfits have been found, but still needed are several other ’60s dresses and raincoats— one for each character— red, orange, blue, green and yellow.
Hennessy added a caution that the play is intended for audiences aged 12 and over. “It is about the ’60s, you know,” she said.
Mark your calendar for Shout! Show dates are March 4 – 6 and July 15, 17, 21, 23, 29, 31 Aug. 4, 6, 12, 14.
This month’s Backstage Buzz, a behind the scenes look at the Grand Marais Playhouse, was written by News-Herald Editor Rhonda Silence, who greatly enjoys attending Grand Marais Playhouse productions.
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