Ursuline College Chatham’s musical theatre team is about to bring Disney’s “Descendants” to life in their auditorium.
The Chatham Voice tracked down five members of the cast to talk about the work that’s gone into the show, which begins a four-night run April 9.
The play revolves around the offspring of classic Disney villains, including Maleficent, Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil and their quest to acquire the wand of the Fairy Godmother to free their imprisoned parents.
It’s based upon the Disney TV movies of the same name.
Cast member Shelby Markovich, who plays Maleficent, said cast and crew have been hard at it since October. The cast has been rehearsing three times a week.
The performers said they are but one element of the performance, and wanted to shine a light on all the behind-the-scenes work that takes place to bring a show such as Descendents to life.
“In productions like this, I think it’s always the cast that gets a whole bunch of recognition, but the orchestra, the stage crew, the props, set design – they are honestly the heart of the show,” Markovich said. “It would not be possible without them.
Connor Rivard, who plays Prince Ben, echoed her thoughts.
“We have to give a lot of credit to set design, painters, makeup crew, the orchestra,” he said.
“They’re all great people. We’re just really lucky to have them,” Charlie Taylor (Carlos) said.
Cast member Georgia Magliaro, who plays Evie, said the songs are what really drives the show.
“I think all the musical numbers are great. I have an appreciation for some of the slower numbers. I think they create a lot of the emotion that’s such a big part of the show,” she said. “It’s very heartfelt. It makes it a really beautiful thing.”
Markovich said the performance of “Space Between” is particularly moving.
“It sounds so awesome!” she said. “Get excited for it.”
Several cast members said they had to overcome fears and physical injury to perform.
For Markovich, it was an unrelated foot injury. But she said she’s good to go for the dancing elements.
Rivard said he had to overcome a fear of singing in front of others.
“For me, the most terrifying part was the singing,” he said. “But our cast is just such a comfortable group. No one is judging. Everyone is just helping each other. That’s why I love everyone here.”
For some, it’s their first foray into theatre, and for others, it’s a shift to the forefront.
Matthew Cartier (Jay) said seeing live musicals in the past prompted him to want to take part.
Rivard said he moved out of the pit.
“I was in the orchestra last year. Seeing everyone crying on the last night…this is a big, happy family. I wanted to be part of that. And now I have that. I couldn’t be more honoured and grateful for this opportunity,” he said.
Getting into their respective roles has been rewarding.
“Chasing everyone on stage (as Maleficent). That’s literally so much fun,” Markovich said.
“There are a lot of scenes where I just push people over. It’s going to catch people off guard,” Cartier said. “In real life, I’m really a gentle person…except for hockey.”
For Taylor, he said he felt a connection with his role as Carlos.
“At the very start of the show, he’s very unsure and out of his element,” Taylor explained. “Towards the end, he really finds himself. I think that’s something a lot of people can relate to, especially me.”
The performances take place April 9-12, in the UCC Theatre at the school on Grand Avenue West in Chatham. Showtimes are at 7 p.m. each evening.
For tickets, visit ucctheatre.sccdsb.net.
