The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The curtain will soon rise on Follies, the latest highly anticipated musical from the Flin Flon Community Choir. The performers have spent the past several months rehearsing the broadway hit to ensure everything is perfect come show time on May 7, 8, and 9 at the R.H Channing Auditorium. "It's just going to be an amazing, amazing show," said producer and music director Crystal Kolt. "It's going to be an all-round phenomenal performance. The direction is above anything we've done before, and the dancing is going to be spectacular." Though Follies has never come to Flin Flon, the choir will benefit from the talents of a man who is very familiar with the musical Ñ director Brad McDougall. A local resident, McDougall oversaw the dancing for a production of Follies in London in the 1980s. McDougall's willingness to be involved was a key rationale behind the choice of Follies as the choir's major 2004 production. Another reason was that the choir wanted to provide more of a showcase its female performers, as male solos dominated previous productions. See 'It' P.# Con't from P.# "It was too good to let pass," said Kolt. Follies (the name is a term for a group of showgirls) focuses on a beloved though archaic theatre about to be torn down. On the eve of demolition, a group of follies gather at their old stomping grounds to reminisce about the theatre and reflect on their lives. Through flashback sequences, the audience will see life inside the once vibrant theatre, complete with dance numbers and songs. Filling out the cast are a number of familiar local performers, including Cindy Fahie, Michelle Belfry, Tom Heine, Tim Spencer, Susan Lethbridge, and John Taylor. Younger performers will also take the the stage, portraying the adults as they once were. Julian Kolt, Andrew Taylor, Stefani Mitchell, and Megan Lewis have the lead roles in the flashback sequences, and a dozen young women are on board to play the younger follies. As an added treat, three former members of the Flin Flon Glee Club, which delighted audiences with popular productions decades ago, have joined the cast Ñ Dorothy Liss, Joyce Bongfeldt, and Mary Lou Spooner. "It's just such a treat to hear those beautiful voices again," commented Kolt. "They're such beloved members of our community and bring back great memories. They bring all of their performing knowledge, too, and they share the spirit of the past." Complementing the show will be musicians from the Brandon School of Music, who will join local musicians to form a pit orchestra. Kolt is enthusiastic about every aspect of the production, from the acting and dancing right down to the detailed costumes. "The costumes are above and beyond anything we've ever done before," she commented. Prior to choosing Follies for this year's production, the choir had also considered the broadway hit Chicago, which has gained new notoriety courtesy of 2002's big budget film starring Richard Gere and Rene Zellweger. They have also been trying to secure the rights to Les Miserables. The Flin Flon Community Choir is well known and respected for popular productions such as Bombertown and Titanic: The Musical.
