Dave Malloy Ryan deSouza
Dave Malloy Ryan deSouza Would you say that Malloy does something similar with Octet? It seems very different from Comet or Ghost Quartet before that. I guess different in what they are about - but how he approaches them musically is not. For me his music is really complex, for example Octet has big harmonies and really busy complex musical ideas telling the story, and then he balances that with utter simplicity, like the last song in Comet sung by Pierre and Natasha where it’s like Grade Two piano playing running triads, but so effective and actually so difficult. It’s the same with Octet. There’s a song at the end of the show where it’s just one person singing a cappella, a beautiful simple melody; and after you’ve spent an hour and a half with these really complex thick rich harmonies, to strip down to just one voice with nothing else going on - it’s like you earn it from Malloy. He takes his audience on a journey which earns this moment of simplicity to land a really heartfelt thesis at the end of the show as he drops in this beautiful song. I think it’s part of his brilliance, I think he really finds a way to connect with his audience not only through complexity but also through simplicity and all in one show. So how would you describe Octet for someone who hasn’t seen it? On the surface it is so different from Comet. Comet followed a story with characters whereas here we’re meeting people together for only a short time. It doesn’t have as much of a story arc. You’re not following somebody who might have a sound that goes through the show. Instead, each song is one person’s journey and you get a little window into their life. And then they become a supporting character as you meet the next person. And the music? Malloy also uses so many musical styles in this show, for example he drops in doowop and there is a clear homage to the style of the jazzy a cappella group the Swingle Singers who used vocables as well as words to create worlds with only their voices. Here the cast is taking on not only the role of the cast but the role of the orchestra - the soundtrack to a movie - it’s all encompassed in these eight people. It’s truly one of the most virtuosic things I have ever been part of. We learned this music, which is incredibly difficult, and then they’re left on their own. They get a pitch pipe, they hear a note, and then they sing a seven-minute song that is just their voices. No “I’m going to take a break now there’s going to be a drum solo, or let’s throw a little guitar in there.” They have to provide the story all the way - but only with their voices. It must be terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. For them, and for us. There’s no time to think. As soon as you stop to think you’ve lost the rhythm of the piece; you’ve lost the communication between yourself and the others. At the same time you have the director [Chris Abraham] asking “what are we trying to say here? Can we get it faster so we really stay in the conversation and not drop it and [have the audience] think ‘oh, Chris Abraham we’re listening to a song?’” I think that for me as the music director, that is the fun of this kind of a show. To say “we have to sing a song but I don’t want the audience to remember ‘here’s a song about internet addiction,’ but ‘here’s a scene.’” Chris is great at that. What we love about Chris is that he doesn’t think that a musical is a lesser art form or in its storytelling any different from a play. Exactly. I know he loves musicals and actually started out directing them. Yes he loves them and is always saying “This is a scene. We have to get to the bottom of it. What is the intention? That has to be the driving force of the song.” That’s why Comet worked so well [and] I think that’s why Octet is going to be great, because you really feel for these people, you understand what they’re going through and you see yourself in some of these stories. I can’t wait to see it, I’ve been hearing bits and pieces along the way. Everybody’s brought their own personal journey to the piece and as a result you get these eight people who are from slightly different worlds but are the perfect eight people for our version of the show. Their pitch is amazing, they’re nailing Malloy’s harmonies and really doing justice to what Malloy intended this piece to be. It’s a great concept: “We are so isolated by the internet but to battle this we’re going to sing eight-part harmony which is the most connected thing you can possibly do.” You have to trust the people around you. Intensely collaborative. Was there a special process to choosing who would be in it? It was a bit of a back and forth. We had to find the right mix of people, ages, sounds, and “colours” of voices to make sure the blend would be there; and you still don’t really know until you hear them sing the first song. Until we had everybody in the room we couldn’t hear the full chords - not until our first full sing through on our first day of rehearsals in August on a Tuesday afternoon when we had a Comet that night. At one point I looked over at Chris and we 16 | September & October 2025 thewholenote.com
smiled: “We got the right people.” There’s always an element of the unknown when you cast any musical, and this one was so specific because there is nothing to hide behind. And for you? It’s funny because it’s the first show I’ve done ever where they don’t need me to play the piano, so I feel a bit helpless. They have to create the whole world by themselves: entries, tempos, cut offs. Everything is built into the show. Dave Malloy was so specific about that: there is no one boss. It’s a show about eight people; no single one of them is in charge of the music. Make sure that everybody has agency for their own songs. It’s been great watching them try to find that kind of muscle. There’ll be a bit of hesitancy in diving into a song, but as soon as they start singing the magic happens.” Amazing, and a good note to finish on … giving the audience a sense of the magic - beyond just saying “It’s about internet addiction and it’s a cappella.” It’s so much more. It really is. It’s ultimately more about a discovery of your own association with the internet. Malloy talks about how inescapable the internet is for all of us, and he just uses a really clever way to remind us. I think it is the cleverest thing he has done. He doesn’t use just words. Sometimes a simple “oo and ah” and a vocal painting of the world gives you a different interpretation of what the internet is to these people and to all of us. It’s eclectic, it’s kind of weird, it’s not for everyone, but it is really beautiful theatre. Octet with its all Canadian (or Canada-based) cast of excellent singer/actors plays at Crow’s Theatre from September 9 - October 12. www.crowstheatre.com Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fight director and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich mix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays. MUSIC THEATRE QUICK PICKS Ahmed Moneka, and members of the King Gilgamesh band King Gilgamesh (and the Man of the Wild) By Jesse Lavercombe, Seth Bockley, & Ahmed Moneka. Directed by Seth Bockley. A raucous Dora-winning production weaving together the world's oldest epic with a modern Toronto bromance between an American Jew and Iraqi Muslim… all scored by Ahmed Moneka’s 2025 Juno-nominated six-piece Arabic-jazz band. It’s a lot of fun and unexpectedly profound with excellent performances from the leads amplified and supported by the band. Till October 5, at Soulpepper’s Michael Young Theatre www.soulpepper.ca SOULPEPPER ANDRÉ GRÉTRY Richard Cœurde-Lion NOVEMBER 15, 2025 3 PM SUZY SMITH Music Director & Pianist VINCENZO BELLINI La Sonnambula FEBRUARY 14, 2026 3 PM NARMINA AFANDIYEVA Music Director & Pianist KURT WEILL Lost in The Stars MARCH 21, 2026 3 PM JOEL GOODFELLOW Music Director & Pianist “ ” —TORONTO STAR MOZART THE MAGIC FLUTE OCTOBER 15-19 ELGIN THEATRE ON SALE NOW! Season 2025-2026 Box Office Services provided by RCM Tickets 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance/ concerts-presented-by-others Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church 427 Bloor St W (Bloor x Spadina) Experience the full drama and passion of the 2025/2026 Season Subscribe today and Save! Step into Mozart’s dazzling world of dragons, spirits, and soaring arias in a production brimming with comedy, fantasy, and glorious music. Internationally acclaimed coloratura soprano Rainelle Krause makes her Opera Atelier debut as the Queen of the Night, alongside Canadian favourites and Artists of Atelier Ballet. TICKETS: operaatelier.com thewholenote.com September & October 2025 | 17
