They say you should never mess with the classics—they’re called classics for a reason. However, J.P. Chartier’s new take on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale might suggest otherwise. Just Say the Word is a contemporary musical retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes that premiers at the Gladstone Theatre on Jan. 31. With an all-local cast and 18 original songs, this production is bound to get audiences in the groove and on their feet.
Rehearsing for Just Say the Word. Photo provided.
“This story growing up—although it’s really, really short and really simple—always grabbed me,” says Chartier. “I always knew I wanted to do something with it.”
The Emperor’s New Clothes tells the story of a lavish emperor who ultimately gets fooled by two con men posing as weavers. They tell the emperor that they will make him the most beautiful garments using cloth that only the most intelligent people can see—obviously in an attempt to play on his ego. The emperor agrees to the con men’s proposition and eventually ends up strutting through town completely naked.
Instead of focusing on the story of the greedy king, Chartier chose to put the spotlight on his daughter, happy to turn the attention away from this stereotypical narrative.
“It’s easy to write up a typical story where the male lead is the best of everything, and there’s two [or] three male leads and then there’s the wives, or the sisters, or the girlfriends,” he says. “We focus on girl power, we focus on the strength of the princess, the strength of the Queen, and that’s kind of how it all came together.”
Rehearsing for Just Say the Word. Photo provided.
This show is Chartier’s fourth musical. He started writing musicals about 20 years ago, and says that his love for the medium stems from being able to fully realize a story through song. Just Say the Word features a variety of original music–everything from sea shanties to techno swing can be found in this production.
“[Watching a play is] like going out to Dairy Queen and getting one of those nice cones with the chocolate dip on it. You go see a musical, it’s like getting a banana split with cherries on top—[it has] all of the layers that you need to express everything you need to express,” says Thompson on why musicals make theatre so special.
Just Say the Word originally premiered in Québec City, Chartier’s hometown, and is now in Ottawa for its second run with new actors. Always looking to learn from each performance, he made the decision to cast local actors for each version of the show wherever it goes next, and says this particular cast brings a new energy to the space.
“We’re learning together, we’re failing together, we’re getting up together, and we’re pushing it together. And that’s the kind of attitude that people are bringing to every rehearsal,” says Chartier. “So it’s cool to be able to really get arm-in-arm with the fine folks here in Ottawa.”
Rehearsing for Just Say the Word. Photo provided.
Chartier hopes audiences take away the message that you can get inspired to pursue your passions, no matter your age.
“It really does focus on the young people, these lovely relationships that they all have, their goals and what they’re being asked to do with their lives,” says Mike Thompson, one of the actors in Just Say the Word.
“Because we have younger people in our cast, and older people in our cast, we are showing not just the people on stage but the people in the audience that it doesn’t matter how old you are, how tall you are, or how good you think you are,” Chartier says. “We are putting something together that we are so proud of and we get to share that with people.”
Just Say the Word premiers at the Gladstone Theatre on Jan. 31 and runs until Feb. 3. You can catch the show Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, or Saturdays at 2:30pm. For ticket information, reach out to the box office at (613-233-4523) or email them at boxoffice@thegladstone.ca. The Gladstone Theatre has barrier-free entry and accessible washrooms, but no automatic doors. They offer designated accessible seating, and are a scent-free space.
