This curtain is made for murder

Arielle Ballance is right back where she started – at MacEwan University musical theatre program.

But this time, instead of singing and acting, the St. Albert Children’s Theatre alumna is the musical director for Curtains.

“The faster songs are more difficult, but when you have a talented seven-piece band and when you put it all together, it’s challenging but fun,” said Ballance.

This musical comedy whodunit is from legendary composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb of Cabaret and Chicago, and it opens tonight at the John L. Haar Theatre.

Set as a play-within-a-play, it goes backstage to the creation of new musical that could be a Broadway hit if it wasn’t for the leading lady, a diva with a big attitude and lackluster talent. When the unlucky star dies opening night during a curtain call, the dashing Lt. Frank Cioffi arrives to conduct the investigation.

He loves theatre and before long, the allure of the stage tempts with an unexpected romance. But as the bodies pile up, the once-hardcore detective becomes more attracted to making a show than solving a crime.

“With people dying it sounds grim, but it’s really bouncy. The script is sprinkled with humour and our director, Dave Horak, worked hard to sprinkle in funny bits and comedic nuances in the show. You just sit back and enjoy it.”

In addition to the chief sleuth, there’s a bunch of stock characters we are all familiar with – the hard-edged lady producer, her manipulative husband, the recently divorced writing team, the sweet ingĂ©nue and the provocative dancer to name a few.

As they solve the crime, the cast must sing and hoof through a series of showstoppers such as Kansasland and a dream sequence A Tough Act to Follow that tests the performers paces.

As for Maureen Tigner’s choreography, Ballance describes it as “incredible. It’s fun. It’s a bit sassy. It’s challenging, but it looks incredible. There’s also some acrobatics which is really cool.”

And to make things even cooler, Ballance has a three-line acting cameo as Sasha, a very abrasive Russian musical director.

“It’s fun for me. I get to go back to my roots.”

“But I really love musical directing. It’s something I want to pursue. I love immersing myself in it. I love seeing actors improve and get better. I love tearing up the score and putting my spin on music that’s been around a long time.”