Stalking the stars
Musician Melanie Doane lends tunes to ATP’s Still Desire You
October 18, 2007 byMelissa Berry in FFWeekly
Photo: Murray Mitchell
Celebrity obsessed — ATP’s Still Desire You runs until Nov. 3
Still Desire You by ATP
Martha Cohen Theatre
Tuesday, October 16 - Saturday, November 3
Our culture is one that is, undeniably, celebrity obsessed. This is, by no means, a new phenomenon — people have been hanging posters of, snapping photos of, and collecting chunks of hair from those they admire for decades. Television interviews, chance sightings and saleable EBay memorabilia give the impression that we are closer to these “stars” than we actually are. Alberta Theatre Projects’ latest venture, Still Desire You, is more than timely and offers several perspectives on the average Joe’s popstar fixation.
David Stuart is a likable guy in all respects. He is articulate, intelligent and lonely, but he finds comfort in the music of Rose McKay, a rising pop superstar. As his life’s circumstances change, a harmless crush morphs into an attachment requiring a restraining order that he violates. Stuart is put on trial for this, which is where the audience catches up with him. As he defends his actions in front of judge, jury and audience, his progression to obsession is laid out for consideration.
This play, co-written by Paul Ledoux and David Young, is actually a reworking of a play they had scripted in the ’80s entitled Love is Strange. The overall themes have remained the same, but the characters and the music have been modernized. In fact, the writers and directors of the play enlisted Juno Award-winner Melanie Doane to lend her sound and songs to Rose McKay. Love is Strange was originally based on a late-’80s stalker incident that involved legendary Canadian songstress Anne Murray. Ledoux sees the singer in this version of the play as a composite Canadian singer drawn from figures like Shania Twain and Celine Dion. Doane’s music aptly follows the character’s career, as well as the progression of the play, as it starts out with very Celtic and folksy sounds and gradually transforms into something more generically mainstream.
This transformation is a significant undercurrent in the show. Stuart started his life humbly, and learned conservative morals at an early age. Unfortunately, as he grew older and challenges arose, these ideals clashed violently with the media-based world surrounding him. Throughout his downward spiral, different incidences, coupled with stress and loneliness, pushed him further and further away from what may or may not have been reality.
Often, when we hear a celebrity has a stalker, we think that we must be dealing with a violent nutcase or Unabomber-type pervert. However, this is not what is presented in court during Stuart’s trial. He has not been violent, he has not mailed Rose his ear, so how should he be dealt with, and is he entirely to blame? The justice system’s inability to properly serve the mentally unstable is yet another well-timed theme.
In spite of the extremism of the main character, he carries with him an obvious humanity, which allows the audience to relate to him. The pain of unrequited love has touched most of us in one way or another: admiration from afar that goes unnoticed, a miscommunication that leaves two people with very different feelings — even, perhaps, a window that is driven by too often just to see if anyone is at home. And, as Stuart finds out, when we see our love up close, after all that effort, rarely is he or she what we imagined.
Still Desire You is produced in conjunction with Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops and finished its inaugural run there at the beginning of this month. The kinks have been ironed out, and the cast and crew are ready to bring this funny, touching and musical show to Calgary.