Several months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Trites, the Bookwriter and Director of the upcoming world premiere in July of In The Key of Blue, featuring the music of Canadian band Blue Rodeo.
Here’s the link to the first article: https://ourtheatrevoice.com/member/mike-trites-director-and-book-writer-of-the-upcoming-in-the-key-of-blue-featuring-music-from-canadas-blue-rodeo/
When we first spoke via Zoom, there was a sense of restrained and contained excitement in Mike’s voice about the work ahead.
Fast forward six months, and he’s now in the ‘theatrical’ Lamaze classes. Is there that same sense of contained excitement?
Trites paused, laughed aloud for a moment, and then said that, for his well-being, his excitement is still contained and restrained. If he contains his excitement, he contains his emotions and blood pressure because he can’t allow himself to get too much on a high.
On the other hand, he clarified:
“We just had a rehearsal the other night that took place at a beautiful resort that offered the team a free rehearsal space, as Picton’s Regent Theatre couldn’t house us as yet. The beautiful lighting and weather we had [at the resort] in the semi-open barn were heavenly. Rehearsal was completed at 9:30 pm, but nobody wanted to leave as it was so beautiful outside.”
And the other rehearsal process nights have been good:
“Just like a maternity situation, there have been a few scares and bumps. As the gestation period continues, you realize that not everything will go smoothly. Every little sniffle and bump just might be something over which you’ll need to consult someone. Yes, there’s a bit of trepidation and sometimes everyone present can sense it. But it’s for the fact that we want the shows to turn out well.”
Trites believes in the people he can trust. They’re delivering as best they can because the theatre isn’t in a major centre like Toronto. It’s always a challenge to find people who have adequate experience or the willingness to do something because…(and this next fact made me smile because it’s the truth):
“It’s farming season, so a lot of people are out there on the fields rather than being in a rehearsal.”
Trites clarified the above statement. Before our conversation, he had just gotten off the phone with a lighting consultant who is a dairy farmer. She is highly knowledgeable about lighting and great for advice. She’s running to an abattoir to pick up some beef and then get home in time to milk the cows.
Knowledgeable theatre people outside of Toronto do other things in their lives that are also important.
There have been no book revisions since Trites and I spoke last. Up to that earlier interview, he was proud of the revisions to the book. He calls the current rehearsal script Version 4.3. That gives an impression of how many major and minor revisions the text has gone through:
“There have been no fewer than eleven revisions over the course of time, no complete rewrites.”
The cast is all in place. Nobody has left during the show’s year and a half of development. Everyone has remained in place and is committed. If there have been crises, the cast has made things happen to remain with the show.
Mike is still in contact with Blue Rodeo during the rehearsal process, not so much for revisions as to let the band know how everything is going. The band had one small request that fit in perfectly. Now, since that change has been made, Mike says, “I kinda like the story better since we’ve made that change.”
Blue Rodeo was in PEC a few Saturdays ago for a show at Base3. Mike got to go into the dressing room and found the experience surreal, sitting on a couch with rock royalty. The band signed some of the show merchandise. They did want some of the merchandise to take with them.
Will the band attend any performances of In the Key of Blue?
“While it’s the summer and touring season, the band can’t commit to anything. However, the band did say to send the dates to Starfish, who will then give direction that we need to go in.”
Mike is humble enough to say that if he were Blue Rodeo, he’d be careful about hitching his wagon to anything that is kind of ‘undone’ so far. In the Key of Blue has not had its first tour, so Mike gets how the band wants the brand name to stay safe in case Blue veers off in an unexpected direction.
Trites has every faith that’s not going to happen.
He’s had calls from other theatres saying they would like In the Key of Blue to come, but he can’t commit, as Blue Rodeo has given Mike and the show a finite number of performances. If the show winds up being something popular at the end of the run, that’s when he’ll have to sit down with Starfish again and talk about what might be changed. At this time, Mike isn’t looking that far ahead because one never knows how audiences will react.
So looking forward to attending the premiere next month in Picton.
The world premiere of In The Key of Blue runs July 3, 4, 5 at Picton’s Regent Theatre. It will then play at Kingston’s Isabel Bader Theatre July 10, 11 and 12. It will then play July 17 (one night) at Peterborough’s Showplace Theatre.
For tickets and more information: https://inthekeyofblue.ca/. Show merchandise is also available for purchase here.
