The cast of Bound! The Musical (In Concert), a quirky, character-based show, the story of which is a vehicle for the characters’ journeys and personal growth. (photo by Joelle Wyminga)
For two nights only, Nov. 19-20, Metro Theatre and Bound Musical Theatre Society are presenting the world première of the feel-good comedy Bound! The Musical (In Concert).
Written by longtime friends Wayne Morris and Glen Freedman, their collaboration on Bound! – music and lyrics by Morris, book by Freedman and Morris – began in 2015. Morris had been working on the concept for several months.
The show is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Four Olympic-bound male athletes “are tricked into abstaining from vices and ‘romance’ 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,” reads the synopsis. “What follows is a hilarious battle of wills as their desires and the binds of their stringent guidelines battle for the win.”
“Glen and I were hanging out at Kits Beach, and I started telling him about the show,” Morris recalled. “Glen peppered me with all kinds of questions about the characters and the story. It turned into a two-hour conversation, after which I said, ‘Glen, you have to write this with me.’”
“To which, without any hesitation, I said, ‘yes,’” Freedman told the Independent. “The idea of working with Wayne on a creative project again (yes, we’ve been down this road before, though many years ago) carried a sentimental nostalgia for me.”
“When we first met, we started writing and performing songs together,” said Morris. “Together, we joined an ’80s band led by one of Glen’s friends. It was the ’80s after all!”
“It was a blast, even though they wouldn’t let me sing,” quipped Freedman.
The pair has lived in Metro Vancouver for more than 25 years, Morris in Maple Ridge, Freedman in Yaletown.
“We met at Marianopolis College in Montreal in our late teens, and became great friends. After university, we backpacked through Europe together,” said Morris.
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’s University in Quebec, where he performed in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
Morris and Freedman formed the Bound Musical Theatre Society earlier this year “as the vehicle for this and future productions,” said Morris. “Our lawyer recommended a not-for-profit society as the type of entity the local theatre industry is used to working with.”
The Metro Theatre production of Bound! is directed by Hailey Fowler, with musical direction by Kylie Fonacier. It features a diverse ensemble cast in what Morris describes as “a character-based show, and the story is a vehicle for the characters’ journeys and personal growth.
“For me,” he said, “this focus on character was challenging at first as a lyricist, in that the lyrics needed to reflect 10 distinct voices. As 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.”
“As our show is about resilience and the possibility of change at times of challenge,” said Freedman, “it was my view that we had to create characters, each with their own unique personality quirk that was getting in their way – ‘bounding’ them up, you might say. Each character would then get their own story arc, in which they would overcome these constraints, to a realistic degree. The goal was to induce the audience to see themselves in these characters, such that they would walk away from the show with a feeling of hope and a bounce in their step.”
No doubt the musical’s 16 original songs will contribute to that bounce. Morris said his biggest musical influence is the Beatles, “and 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.”
In a similar vein, Morris based the story on Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost because, he said, “I wanted to have the best possible source material, and what better source than Shakespeare? Using Shakespeare ensured a solid story structure. Love’s Labour’s Lost is a very fun story, with silliness and great wordplay. That’s the type of show I wanted to write. Also, in Love’s Labour’s Lost, 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!”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Freedman, whose day job has helped him in the creation process.
“Due to the nature of my work as a psychiatrist, I have, over time, developed an understanding of the nature of suffering – a human experience that ties us all together – and how personality informs how we suffer,” he said. “I 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.”
And which will leave audiences feeling positive, though Morris and Freedman differ slightly in their outlook.
The press material describes Morris as a “glass half-full person.”
“It’s part of my nature to look for the good in everyone, and I’ve discovered that almost everyone means well deep down,” he said, acknowledging, “I’ve 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.”
As for Freedman, optimism comes a little harder.
“Through my adult life (and with lots of therapy), I’ve gradually moved to a place of being able to recognize what’s in and out of my control, of what I have agency over and what I have to accept, of understanding that, just because I accept something does not mean I have to like it, and of letting go of expectations of how I wish things should go,” he said. “This mindset has fostered within me a capacity to face the events of life, sometimes tumultuous, with curiosity, a sense of humour and presence.”
While neither Morris nor Freedman are religious, Judaism does impact their lives.
“Judaism has shown me the value of a strong sense of community and connection,” said Morris. “The importance of these is a huge theme of the show.”
“I would add,” said Freedman, “that feeling oneself to be part of a community helps to add meaning to our lives.”
For more information and tickets to Bound!, go to boundthemusical.com/in-concert.