The Devil is coming to the Capitol Theatre, and he’s offering one hell of a deal.
Fastlane to Paradise, an original rock musical, hits the stage Thursday for a four-show run through Saturday. In the play, struggling musician Edward is granted rock ‘n’ roll glory by Morris Phist (spoiler: Phist is the Devil) in exchange for his soul.
Director Avi Phillips said Fastlane will be an adventure for the audience.
“They should expect to be taken on an interesting journey through different musical styles and different styles of theatre,” he said. “It’s like a choir and a dance show and a rock concert, a drama, all merged into one show. It’s a fun experience for the audience.”
The production is entirely made-in-Nelson, and represents a showcase of the city’s theatre talent. It began in March with the establishment of the Kootenay Musical Theatre Society, created by Doug Jamieson and Stelio Calagias to fund and produce either original work or Canadian shows.
Fastlane, the society’s first production, was composed and written by Jamieson. Calagias, who also runs Front Street Dance Studio and is the frontman for Baker Street Blues, stars as Phist.
Michael Calladine plays Edward, while the show also includes Lindsay Clague as music journalist Gretchen. Fifteen actors are in the cast, which also features a live band that performs on stage as well as in the orchestra pit.
Phillips, who is directing his second Capitol show after previously helming Alice in Nelsonland in 2017, said it won’t take long for audiences to understand just how ambitious Fastlane is.
“There are so many technical requirements for audio and lights and sets,” said Phillips. “It turns out locally we have these individuals who can make this happen, who can create these worlds that otherwise you would [only] expect a larger city centre to fulfill.
“But we were able to pull it off.”
Fastlane to Paradise runs tonight at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30, and has shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 on Saturday. Tickets can be bought at either the Capitol Theatre box office or online at capitoltheatre.ca.
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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