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La Cage aux
Folles has brought Manitoban Erik Markewich east for his first time.
The
19-year-old dancer makes his debut at Neptune Theatre in a black wig, a dress
and heels and, as Hanna, he’s holding a whip.
Hanna cracks
it to snap the other five Cagelle dancers into line at a Saint-Tropez nightclub
in the Broadway hit. She also has a fling with the stage manager (Cliff
LeJeune).
“I’m more the
shy type of guy in normal life,” says Markewich, who is the “baby” in the cast.
“To put on the
heels and makeup and to be a woman it’s been challenging. I feel I’m getting
into Hanna’s heels.”
However, “it’s
always great to be someone completely different.”
The dancing is
difficult.
“The Cagelles
are mostly in Act 1 and it’s very high energy, a lot of endurance. We’re out of
breath every number and the flexibility, you need it, especially with the
can-can, you have to kick to the gods.”
Markewich, in
his third professional production, was initially worried about audience reaction
to men dressed as women.
“I’ve been
surprised,” he says. “The audiences absolutely love the show.
“It takes a
while to warm up if you haven’t seen men in heels but, along with the other
story, the audience warms up to it and they leap to their feet. It doesn’t feel
as intimidating to walk out in heels and have everyone staring at you.”
Markewich saw
La Cage aux Folles on Broadway with Kelsey Grammar.
“I fell in
love with it and when I heard Neptune was doing it I thought, ‘I have to do
this show!’
“The dancing
is phenomenal and I heard many good things about choreographer Mike Jackson. I
knew he’d be able to pull off something remarkable with his choreography and he
has.”
Markewich grew
up in Brandon, Man. He started dancing at the age of nine when a friend brought
him to the bring-a-friend day at his dance studio.
“I got
hooked,” he says. “I started in jazz and tap and I fell into the ballet world
around 10 or 11. I trained for Grade 8 at the National Ballet School in Toronto
and I came home for grades 9 to 12. I’ve been dancing for 10 years now and I’ve
never stopped.”
He appeared in
Cats and Hairspray at the Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg last summer. In October, he
moved to Toronto.
“Auditions
were kind of slow in Toronto until January when this was on. I felt everything
was falling into place.
“I had heard
of this theatre through word of mouth and friends. I knew it had a big name and
I was excited to come. I think it’s very professional, a loving team. I don’t
feel astray.”
Since this is
his first time in Nova Scotia, he and his parents will do the “touristy stuff”
when they come to see him on stage at the end of the month.
Markewich is
happy to leave the ballet world for the world of musical theatre.
"It's not easier," he says. "It's more rewarding for me. I feel there is a lot more fun to be had in musical theatre.
“The enjoyment
I have being on stage and the reaction I get, . . . in the ballet world they
don’t have those reactions. I love going to the ballet but it’s not the same
experience. With musical theatre I can feel the audience, I can see the
audience.”
Markewich,
going to Winnipeg in July to do Annie at the Rainbow Stage, has studied ballet
and theatre dance for two summers on Long Island.
“I love New
York. I will go very soon just to take it all in again. I miss it.”
His ideal job
is to work in musical theatre in New York and he’d love to be in the musicals
Chicago and Cats again.
“I’m dancing my
heart out and I will do any show that comes my way,” he says. “Broadway is
absolutely my end dream.”
Republished from thechronicleherald.ca on May 2, 2012
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