22 women, 3 children, and a single man perform ‘Nine’

Beguiling songs drifted out the theatre doors and entranced those who walked by. Inside, the lights were dimmed except for those reflecting off the main stage, where the actors moved with grace, switching with ease from dialogue to song, and from song to dialogue.

It was yet another rehearsal for the cast of Nine, the latest musical put on by the Scarborough Music Theatre.

It’s been two months since the large cast has been hard at work, perfecting their acting and singing skills.

An audio clip from a recording of the Nine, put on by the Scarborough Music Theatre.

[audio:http://torontoobserver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/rr_nine_110309.mp3]

The musical is based on the book written by Arthur Kopit and centers around Guido Contini, a film director struggling to come up with a brilliant idea for his next project. Adding to the pressures, he also attempts to juggle his wife and their crumbling marriage, his mistress Carla, the women associated with his latest film project, and his numerous female fans.

A look into his past and his childhood hold the key that will guide him in solving his troubles.

Nine is a musical that has rather unique characteristics, such as its large cast totaling 26 actors. There are 22 women, three children, and only a single man.

“The competition for this show was impressive,” said co-producer Mike Scott. “We had about 80 women come out for the 22 roles, and six men for the single male role.”

Since Nine is a musical, all the actors know how to belt it out to the beautiful sounds of a live pianist in the theatre.

“For their initial audition, all of the actors were asked to prepare two songs and a monologue”, said Scott. “Having two prepared gives them the chance to choose the one they best feel demonstrates their voice but also gives the music director a chance to hear something different if he doesn’t feel that the one they chose best demonstrates what he needs to hear.”

Nine presents its first performance to the public on Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. at the Scarborough Village Theatre, located at the corner of Kingston and Markham roads.

For more information visit theatrescarborough.com.

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By: Rima Ramoul
Posted: Nov 2 2009 4:49 am
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Filed under: Arts & Life
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1 Comment on "22 women, 3 children, and a single man perform ‘Nine’"

  1. Audience response to the first two nights of performances has been fantastic!

    Just to clarify, Nine is based on the movie 8 1/2 and the book of the musical is by Arthur Kopit – music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.

    There are still tickets available during the run – call 416-267-9292 for tickets, or order online at http://www.theatrescarborough.com/SMT_home.html!

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