by Erinn Nelson
Special to the Sounder
More than 90 performers from ages six to 93 will share the spotlight in an original family friendly adaptation of the box office hit movie “Moulin Rouge.”
Music director Grace McCune and theater director Jake Perrine say it will be “Spectacular! Spectacular!”
“An Evening at the Moulin Rouge” can be seen at Orcas Center, Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for a dinner at the New Leaf Café at 5 p.m. on Friday, including a ticket to the show, for $50 online at www.orcascenter.org. Tickets for only the show can also be found on their website and are $5 for students or $10 for non-students.
The show is a fundraiser for Orcas Center and will include a raffle and a silent auction. There will be “Moulin Rogue” themed art by high school students on display in the Orcas Center lobby to be viewed before and after the show. The show will also be followed by live jazz by “Triple Play” in the Madrona Room.
Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie production of the story, on which McCune’s and Perrine’s production is based, is set in the famous “Moulin Rouge” in Paris. The story follows two young lovers who cannot be together for numerous reasons. In the end, love prevails, but not without a high cost.
“There are no leads,” McCune said of the casted roles. The lead characters are played by different members of the cast as the scenes change, giving more cast members an opportunity to show their abilities.
There will be limited dialogue with choreographed scenes of vivacious dance, song, and poetry accompanied by some live music including McCune playing the piano.
McCune’s private voice students, Youth Troupe choir and adult choir Rock on the Rock have teamed up with island dance students and artists in the community to collaborate this unique performance.
“It is inspiring to create a safe space for people and watch them take the risk,” said Perrine.
He recalled his first theater performance in “Hello Dolly,” at the age of 14, as “inadvertent.”
But after his first taste of performing, Perrine found his calling, attended college for theater and has since lived in many big cities, including Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Now Perrine prefers small towns.
Both McCune and Perrine agreed that Orcas is where they want to be.
“The moment I drove off the boat I knew I wanted to live here,” Perrine said.
McCune agreed with that statement and added, “I knew I had found home.”
McCune got a life education touring the U.S. and can’t remember a time in her life that did not involve music and performance. Both McCune and Perrine agreed that to have happiness takes enjoying life with the people you know, making a difference and having a sense of community.
They first began working together as lead roles in “Enchanted Forest,” and have since collaborated on many performances including last year’s “Les Miserables.”
McCune and Perrine both avidly promote island arts and invite everyone to join their mission. Their goal is to get the community involved and give back to the community, the resident artists and the Orcas Center.
“We want the community to remember that this is a special place, and we need to cherish and promote it as we use it and give back to it,” Perrine said.
He added that the community might think that it will not be appropriate for all ages, but in fact everything on stage will be PG-rated.
McCune and Perrine want to see the community come together to laugh, smile and love their latest production, and agree that the overall message of the performances will be “Love conquers all!”
