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Think about the “magic of Disney” and what’s sure to come to mind is the music.
Oh sure, the stories are great, and there’s been no shortage of memorable characters brought to life in the more than 130 Disney movies we’ve grown to love. We all have our favourites, but whether your particular most beloved character is Snow White’s Dopey or Stich from Lilo and Stich, the throughline for all the greatest films has been the music.
Of course, Walt Disney was a great believer in the use of music to convey his stories. He believed that the best way to learn about a character was through music and lyrics. He applied that belief to his films and the results have made the catalogue of songs some of the most relatable and inspiring music of the age.
That’s why, when Sound the Alarm: Music Theatre presents it’s latest production A Whole New World to the public, it’s certain to leave audiences smiling and humming their favourite tunes long after the final note has been sung.
This all-Canadian production brings Disney’s most iconic musical hits together in shows that will visit Vancouver Island for performances kicking off in Duncan May 20. Following are performances in Campbell River on May 21, Sidney on May 22, Victoria on May 23, and Nanaimo on June 15.
The show’s cast includes the same four amazing vocalists that presented Sound the Alarm’s previous production, Music of the Night – Aaron Hastelow, Adam Fisher, Tainui Kuru and Georgia Bennett. This time out, however, they’ll be joined by Ruth Acheampong, Kryslyne-Mai Ancheta, Kaleigh Gorka and Aaron Durand. The expanded cast allows for the option of alternating cast members to allow for some rest between the performances.
“There are some huge vocal challenges in these songs,” says vocalist Gorgia Bennett. “There is also a lot of emotional energy required. The creators of the show have been mindful of that fact and have allowed for the expanded cast.
“The most challenging part is that, when you’re putting together a show like this, so many of (the songs) are showstoppers. We start at the beginning of Disney and take the audience right to the modern day. Some songs are just perfect, and you can’t touch them, and others allow us to put our own interpretation on the melody.”
The show is arranged in two acts, with the first being a tribute to Disney studios’ productions that include Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and more.
The second act showcases hits from iconic musicals like The Sound of Music, Les Misérables, Grease, Mamma Mia, Wicked, The Greatest Showman and others.
The amazingly talented vocalists are accompanied by an equally gifted band made up of Evan Berndt, Arielle Ballance, Dean McKey, Carol Colpitts, David Usselman and Cole Friesen.
“The band members are all such incredible musicians and they’re right there beside you. I’ve never worked with a band that can bring you to a different world the way these people can,” Bennett says.
And, naturally, the show has a backdrop that includes stunning lighting effects, courtesy of Jason Hand as Lighting Designer. Hand brings a wealth of experience in his work with Disney’s global immersive events.
Walt Disney once said that the magic of his productions was “as wide as a smile and as narrow as a wink, loud as laughter and quiet as a tear, tall as a tale and deep as emotion. So strong, it can lift the spirit. So gentle, it can touch the heart. It is the magic that begins the happily ever after.”
That spirit and that philosophy comes through in Sound the Alarm’s production of A Whole New World and it is a must see for anyone who has ever carried a bit of that magic away from a Disney movie.
“Our goal is to bring people what they know and love…to bring it to them in a neatly wrapped package of joy,” Bennet says. “It’s music that you can take away with you when the curtain falls.”
For tickets and more information on A Whole New World, visit soundthealarm.ca/a-whole-new-world.
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