Marie West really wasn’t sure what to expect when she decided to make a return to the stage.
She’d been on a hiatus from performing, raising her two young children – now aged three-and-a-half and 15 months – and she knew how fast things can change when you’re not in the game.
So when she decided to throw caution to the wind and audition for this summer’s Theatre Under the Stars, she didn’t know how it would all turn out.
“I thought I’d give it a shot,” she says simply.
It worked out, as West landed the plum role of Nancy in Oliver!, which is alternating with Hairspray over the summer at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl.
West, who’s lived in New West for the past six years, was no stranger to the stage before her adventures in motherhood began. She’s a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and has appeared in a number of Vancouver-area productions, including starring roles in both The Music Man and Carousel with Royal City Musical Theatre. She also previously appeared with Theatre Under the Stars in Crazy for You back in 2004.
Chatting by phone with the sound of small voices in the background, West laughs a little about the fact that 10 years have gone by that quickly.
“I’m really excited to be back,” she says, noting she hit that point when she was ready to pursue her love of musical theatre once again.
“There just comes that time when, as a mom, I started to feel like my head was coming out of the sand,” she says. “I was needing and wanting a creative outlet again.”
It wasn’t an easy decision, she admits, especially since her partner works in the film industry and that means that scheduling life around the needs of two small children isn’t always the easiest. But she has her mother-in-law lined up to help out with caring for the kids once technical rehearsals begin – and the rewards of being back have been many.
“It’s amazing. I’ve been loving every minute of it,” she says.
As with most TUTS performances, the cast runs the gamut of experience levels – from first-time performers (including newcomer Carly Ronning of Burnaby in the title role) to veteran professionals.
But West says that, across the board, it’s a hands-down talented cast.
“It would be hard to separate who are the professionals and who are the newbies, so to speak, the up-and-comers,” she says. “There’s really no divide as far as professionalism and talent.”
West is particularly excited with director Shel Piercy’s vision for Lionel Bart’s classic musical, with some reimagining of the way the show – which first premiered on Broadway in 1960 – unfolds.
“Our director has brought some really amazing ideas to give Oliver a new life, and it’s really exciting to be part of the show,” she says.
But she adds that fans of the musical, and of the 1968 movie version, won’t be disappointed.
“The great things are there, the good things are even better,” she promises.
Audience members will also be treated to some off-stage extras – upon arrival, audience members will enter into an 1840s-era village fair, with sing-alongs, food stalls, foot races, a market and more, with specialized “shillings” for payment.
Oliver! also stars Stephen Aberle as Fagin/Mr. Brownlow, Damon Calderwood as Bill Sykes/Mr. Bumble, Nolan Fahey as Charley Bates and Nathan Piasecki as the Artful Dodger.
Oliver! And Hairspray run July 10 to Aug. 22 at Malkin Bowl. Shows start at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on fireworks nights) and tickets run from $30 to $45. Call 1-877-840-0457 or see www.tuts.ca.
