Musical finds its groove

Choreographer Jason Hardwick still remembers the early days when the cast of BoyGroove ran up and down an echoing stairwell yelling, “I hate you, Jason.”

“It warmed my heart to hear them say that,” says a tongue-in-cheek Hardwick, also a three-term summer drama instructor at St. Albert Children’s Theatre (SACT).

He had been tapped to choreograph the intense dance routines for BoyGroove. In trying to build the cast’s stamina, he had the foursome run up and down stairs and forced them to do push-ups, abdominal workouts and weightlifting.

“It was brutal for them and for me,” Hardwick adds. However, he knew Edmonton playwright Chris Craddock’s script demanded they be on stage from start to finish with no breaks. “Those boys are working. They never leave the stage, so they can’t even get a drink of water.”

Craddock first premiered BoyGroove in 2005 and the musical toured across Canada. It chronicles the lives of a rising boy band through the initial gritty auditions to a spectacular rise on the pop scene, a secret revelation and an ego explosion the eventually propels them into a downward spiral.

“For people of my generation, it’s a throwback to the boy bands we loved when we were growing up — ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys. It was feel-good music. It wasn’t brilliant music but it made me get up and dance. There’s so much stuff going on, it’s great to listen to this feel-good music.

This !mpulse Theatre Production opens on April 21 for a 10-day run at Catalyst Theatre. Flexing triple-threat muscles are Timothy Cooper (Kevin), Matthew Bittroff (Andrew) and two former SACT drama instructors Eric Wigston (Lance) and Byron Martin (Jon).

There are about 10 songs in the entire show and each song is paired with a high-voltage dance style that combines the sleek, super athleticism of jazz and hip hop with a Fosse-esque look.

Director Trevor Schmidt breaks the fourth wall and introduces each song with the flamboyance of an arena concert. “Every time we take a break from the story and do a song, it shows where the band is at this point in time,” Wigston explains. “We perform like we’re shooting a video in front of screaming fans.”

In keeping with the show’s energetic signature, Hardwick has taken the cast’s strengths and incorporated them into choreography.

“Byron is this incredible break dancer. He has some amazing tricks and I’ve featured them in the show.

“Eric, he’s a great dancer. He’s very specific and picks up every nuance. I’ve made him my unofficial dance captain.

“Matt is one of the hardest working people I know. He was struggling and I’m blown away by how flawless his dancing has become. And Tim practices until he’s sick of it and then practices some more.”

In the end, it’s all about nostalgia. As Wigston says, “If you like Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and New Kids on the Block, this show’s for you.”