The cast of Bound! The Musical (In Concert), a quirky, character-based show, the story of which is a vehicle for the characters\u2019 journeys and personal growth. <\/i>(photo by Joelle Wyminga)<\/i><\/p>\n
For two nights only, Nov. 19-20, Metro Theatre and Bound Musical Theatre Society are presenting the world premi\u00e8re of the feel-good comedy Bound! The Musical (In Concert)<\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Written by longtime friends Wayne Morris and Glen Freedman, their collaboration on Bound!<\/i> \u2013 music and lyrics by Morris, book by Freedman and Morris \u2013 began in 2015. Morris had been working on the concept for several months.<\/p>\n The show is a reimagining of Shakespeare\u2019s Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost<\/i>. Four Olympic-bound male athletes \u201care tricked into abstaining from vices and \u2018romance\u2019 during their high-intensive training, only to find themselves suddenly at the centre of a research study run by a group of attractive, brilliant and highly driven women,\u201d reads the synopsis. \u201cWhat follows is a hilarious battle of wills as their desires and the binds of their stringent guidelines battle for the win.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGlen and I were hanging out at Kits Beach, and I started telling him about the show,\u201d Morris recalled. \u201cGlen peppered me with all kinds of questions about the characters and the story.\u00a0It turned into a two-hour conversation, after which I said, \u2018Glen, you have to write this with me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo which, without any hesitation, I said, \u2018yes,\u2019\u201d Freedman told the Independent<\/i>. \u201cThe idea of working with Wayne on a creative project again (yes, we\u2019ve been down this road before, though many years ago) carried a sentimental nostalgia for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first met, we started writing and performing songs together,\u201d said Morris.\u00a0\u201cTogether, we joined an \u201980s band led by one of Glen\u2019s friends.\u00a0It was the \u201980s after all!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a blast, even though they wouldn\u2019t let me sing,\u201d quipped Freedman.<\/p>\n The pair has lived in Metro Vancouver for more than 25 years, Morris in Maple Ridge, Freedman in Yaletown.<\/p>\n \u201cWe met at Marianopolis College in Montreal in our late teens, and became great friends. After university, we backpacked through Europe together,\u201d said Morris.<\/p>\n Morris was an actor before becoming a singer-songwriter and then music producer as well. Freedman, while a keyboardist, took a less musical route and became a psychiatrist. Along the way, he also completed a creative writing program at Simon Fraser University and attended Bishop\u2019s University in Quebec, where he performed in Chekhov\u2019s The Cherry Orchard<\/i>.<\/p>\n Morris and Freedman formed the Bound Musical Theatre Society earlier this year \u201cas the vehicle for\u00a0<\/span>this and future productions,\u201d said Morris.\u00a0\u201cOur lawyer recommended a not-for-profit society as the type of entity the local theatre industry is used to working with.\u201d<\/p>\n The Metro Theatre production of Bound!<\/i> is directed by Hailey Fowler, with musical direction by Kylie Fonacier. It features a diverse ensemble cast in what Morris describes as \u201ca character-based show, and the story is a vehicle for the characters\u2019 journeys and personal growth.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me,\u201d he said, \u201cthis focus on character was challenging at first as a lyricist, in that the lyrics needed to reflect 10 distinct voices.\u00a0As the show and characters continued to develop, and the songs were continually rewritten and refined, this process became easier, as both the characters and the lyric-writing process became more familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs our show is about resilience and the possibility of change at times of challenge,\u201d said Freedman, \u201cit was my view that we had to create characters, each with their own unique personality quirk that was getting in their way \u2013\u00a0\u2018bounding\u2019 them up, you might say. Each character would then get their own story arc, in which they would\u00a0overcome these constraints,\u00a0to a realistic degree. The goal was to induce\u00a0the audience to see\u00a0themselves in these characters, such that they would walk away from the show with a feeling of hope and a bounce in their step.\u201d<\/p>\n No doubt the musical\u2019s 16 original songs will contribute to that bounce. Morris said his biggest musical influence is the Beatles, \u201cand so that is a big musical influence for the show, including having a wide variety of musical styles across the show, in the same way the Beatles do.\u201d<\/p>\n In a similar vein, Morris based the story on Shakespeare\u2019s Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost <\/i>because, he said, \u201cI wanted to have the best possible source material, and what better source than Shakespeare?\u00a0Using Shakespeare ensured a solid story structure.\u00a0Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost<\/i> is a very fun story, with silliness and great wordplay.\u00a0That\u2019s the type of show I wanted to write.\u00a0Also, in Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost<\/i>, I loved the fact that the women in the story consistently have the upper hand over the men; very progressive then, and seems to fit our world today!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t agree more,\u201d said Freedman, whose day job has helped him in the creation process.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to the nature of my work as a psychiatrist, I have, over time, developed an understanding of the nature of suffering \u2013 a human experience that ties us all together \u2013 and how personality informs how we suffer,\u201d he said. \u201cI have also had the privilege of having seen firsthand how change in how we think can manifest. This, I feel, has helped in our creating characters that are true to life, and who undergo change for the better, in a manner that we hope will be experienced by the audience as believable and relatable.\u201d<\/p>\n And which will leave audiences feeling positive, though Morris and Freedman differ slightly in their outlook.<\/p>\n The press material describes Morris as a \u201cglass half-full person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part of my nature to look for the good in everyone, and I\u2019ve discovered that almost everyone means well deep down,\u201d he said, acknowledging, \u201cI\u2019ve also been very fortunate that hard work and some good life decisions have led to things working out for the most part in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Freedman, optimism comes a little harder.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough my adult life (and with lots of therapy), I\u2019ve gradually moved to a place of being able to recognize what\u2019s in and out of my control, of what I have agency over and what I have to accept, of understanding\u00a0that, just because I accept something does not mean I have to like it, and of letting\u00a0go of expectations of how I wish things should go,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThis mindset has fostered within me a capacity to face the events of life, sometimes tumultuous, with curiosity, a sense of humour and presence.\u201d<\/p>\n While neither Morris nor Freedman are religious, Judaism does impact their lives.<\/p>\n \u201cJudaism has shown me the value of a strong sense of community and connection,\u201d said Morris.\u00a0\u201cThe importance of these is a huge theme of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would add,\u201d said Freedman, \u201cthat feeling oneself to be part of a community helps to add meaning to our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n