Fredericton theatre company brings inclusive — and magical — musical to the stage
Show runs July 13, 14 at the Fredericton Playhouse
When most people hear the words "magic beans," they probably think of beanstalks, giants and a cow named Milky White.
But a new Fredericton musical has no such things.
"There's always a trope in a musical," said director Lisa Anne Ross.
"And our trope is that, in Beanopia, if you wish really, really hard on a shooting star, you may wake up in the morning with a can of magic beans under your pillow."
Magic Beans, a musical from Solo Chicken Productions, involves the artists from something called the Spirit Project.
The Spirit Project, a group for people with and without intellectual or physical disabilities, or autism, started in 2019 and is a collaboration with L'Arche Fredericton and the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. Ross said it originally began as a series of workshops, but after the first year, they created a show together.
In 2023, they put on an even bigger show.
From there, the Solo Chicken Productions staff asked the artists what they wanted to do next. And now, after over two years of work, they'll be producing a musical at the Fredericton Playhouse.
"When I mentioned to our artists, like, 'Would you like to do that,' for them, they were like, 'Whoa, OK,' because in Fredericton, the Playhouse is the big stage," said Ross.
Ross said because the Spirit Project includes people with different needs, the company has worked closely with the Fredericton Playhouse to ensure there's wheelchair access and close proximity to bathrooms, for instance.
The show also worked with blind and deaf consultants and American Sign Language interpreters. The show will include deaf interpretation for the July 13 show at the Playhouse.
Alex Klepic, who plays Taco, one of the ballroom-dancing dogs in the show, said he thinks performing at the Playhouse will be fun, but that doesn't take away from the nerves he feels.
"When we're actually doing the actual play, I just get nervous or scared that I might mess ... up the words a little bit."
Unique creation process
And while most musicals are written by just a few people, Magic Beans is different. All of the Spirit Project artists had a hand in the musical's creation.
Ross said each week, the artists would come up with ideas for scenes, songs and sets by doing improv and writing prompts. The ideas for the songs would go to Kylie Fox, a singer/songwriter and the group's in-house composer. The artists would also draw pictures of what they pictured the set to look like and that went to set designer Andrea Evans.
"Every word, every prop, every line, every bit of music, every single thing that audiences will see comes directly from the minds and hearts of our artists," said Ross.
"It really shows you when you really listen to the impulses, the artistic impulses of people ... the magic that comes out of that far exceeds anything that could ever come out of my own brain."
Parts of the show includes drawings and videography by Strike Pictures on a screen in the background, showcasing animated sequences that help tie the story together.
Jeffrey Saunders plays Kevin the Pirate, the lead in Magic Beans.
The show's band of pirates are party animals, living on the pirate ship called "The Margaritaville."
Saunders only joined the Spirit Project a year and a half ago when he moved to New Brunswick from Ontario, but he's no stranger to musicals.
"I did Grease," he said. "I did High School Musical, I did the Polar Express. And then … I was also almost in Mamma Mia before COVID shut us down."
His character in Magic Beans has a sidekick — Oreo Jr. — a duck that only talks backwards.
And Oreo Jr. isn't the only unexpected character. Veronica Grondin, a longtime member of the Spirit Project, plays Princess Rose — one of the castle-dwelling selfish princesses.
Grondin said her character is tasked with finding a prince, but truthfully, all they want to do is eat hot dogs all day.
The quirky elements of the show, such as the talking duck, came as surprises to Kaylee MacNeil, the assistant director and narrator of the show.
MacNeil knew most of the Spirit Project artists before they even began Magic Beans, besides a few new participants.
She said the show's development was kind of like a big game of Mad Libs, where each sentence has something you wouldn't expect.
The music, she said, was also more dynamic than she expected.
"We will have country music for the princesses, we have a disco song, we have a sea shanty, we have a tango, we have classic musical theater," said MacNeil.
"It's really a delicious stew made of unexpected ingredients that somehow work."
Building community
MacNeil, who has worked with the Spirit Project since the beginning, said the project is unique because it isn't limited to people with disabilities — it's open to those without as well.
"It really fosters community between folks with intellectual or physical disabilities and neurotypical people, because a lot of times these programs can be very isolated," said MacNeil.
Ross agrees, saying that it's so important to have a space for people with and without disabilities to be together as one community.
And as a theatre company, Ross said it's special to be able to create something within that space that can then be showcased to the public.
"I think it really demonstrates how important inclusion is, and what real inclusion can look like when you are really working together, when you are in community — when you're not just doing things for people, but you're doing things together."
Magic Beans has two performances at the Fredericton Playhouse on July 13 (interpretation available) at 5 p.m. and on July 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be reserved online but paid for at the Playhouse, as all shows are pay-what-you can. Another performance, that doesn't require reservation, will take place on July 17 at Festival by the Marsh in Sackville, N.B.
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