BRIAN HILL
When Dr. Seuss created his clever character Bartholomew Cubbins, the man
of 500 hats, he could have had Brian Hill in mind. The prolific and
polished Mr. Hill wears many hats, including but not limited to actor,
singer, playwright, book writer, choreographer,
director and artistic director. He has more irons in the fire than a
blacksmith and seems to thrive on the responsibility- laden deadlines
they entail.
A little over two decades ago, in his home country of Canada, Hill was in a cult driven musical called "Forever Plaid," about a group of high school nerds who want to be a successful singing group. He and fellow actor Neil Bartram received a phone call that would ultimately change their lives: a commission to write a show for the Toronto Festival.
Out of the blue (or rather plaid), Hill was invited to do something he had never done before, while Bartram had dabbled in the world of pop and jazz. Together they produced "Somewhere in the World" and they never looked back. To this day, they "don't know the angel who recommended us but we believe that if a door opens, walk through."
A lot of doors have opened since 1993 and the team has steamed ahead. They have worked, in tandem or separately, on projects for Disney like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King," "The Adventures of Pinocchio," Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes," a revival of "Brigadoon," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Sunset Boulevard," to name a few, as well as another little show that got its start at Goodspeed Opera House "The Story of My Life" that landed on Broadway.
Today the pair are putting the finishing touches, a nip here a tuck there, on another Canadian commission that Sheridan College requested be for and about college kids. "The Theory of Relativity" is set to open today, May 7 and run until May 31 on the stage of the little Goodspeed, Chester's Norma Terris Theatre. Hill describes the piece as a chamber musical about thirteen characters, all young and anxious and searching, who in song and skits and monologues, explore and discover how their lives intersect.
Hill advises that "this show is like no other. It is unique. Audiences will be moved." 2015 happens to be the 110th anniversary of Albert Einstein's theory E=mc2 and the 60th anniversary of his death. These are not coincidences. The play acknowledges Einstein's belief that "only a life lived for others is worth living."
"The Theory of Relativity" is based on "little connections." For ideas, Hill and Bartram met with students from the University of Oklahoma and asked them "to tell us your stories." Their answers became the inspiration for the show as the pair "wove them together," tales about twenty year olds who are finding their way through life. An ensemble of "incredible actors will all be on stage at the same time and tell their profound stories about leaving home and one family to find another family."
The actors identify completely with the message because they are all going through it. For Hill, "I love being that immersed. Their talent is unbelievable. They are thirteen unique souls and we are having the time of our lives. These thirteen strangers have bonded into a family, a community and made human connections."
For tickets ($46), call Goodspeed at 860-873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org Performances are at the Norma Terris Theatre, 33 North Main Street, Chester on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Come see Brian wearing just two of Bartholomew Cubbins' hats when he acts as both book writer and director of his newest work with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram. Come hear how joys and sorrows, loves and losses and reaching out and touching someone all propel our interconnected worlds.
A little over two decades ago, in his home country of Canada, Hill was in a cult driven musical called "Forever Plaid," about a group of high school nerds who want to be a successful singing group. He and fellow actor Neil Bartram received a phone call that would ultimately change their lives: a commission to write a show for the Toronto Festival.
Out of the blue (or rather plaid), Hill was invited to do something he had never done before, while Bartram had dabbled in the world of pop and jazz. Together they produced "Somewhere in the World" and they never looked back. To this day, they "don't know the angel who recommended us but we believe that if a door opens, walk through."
A lot of doors have opened since 1993 and the team has steamed ahead. They have worked, in tandem or separately, on projects for Disney like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King," "The Adventures of Pinocchio," Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes," a revival of "Brigadoon," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Sunset Boulevard," to name a few, as well as another little show that got its start at Goodspeed Opera House "The Story of My Life" that landed on Broadway.
Today the pair are putting the finishing touches, a nip here a tuck there, on another Canadian commission that Sheridan College requested be for and about college kids. "The Theory of Relativity" is set to open today, May 7 and run until May 31 on the stage of the little Goodspeed, Chester's Norma Terris Theatre. Hill describes the piece as a chamber musical about thirteen characters, all young and anxious and searching, who in song and skits and monologues, explore and discover how their lives intersect.
Hill advises that "this show is like no other. It is unique. Audiences will be moved." 2015 happens to be the 110th anniversary of Albert Einstein's theory E=mc2 and the 60th anniversary of his death. These are not coincidences. The play acknowledges Einstein's belief that "only a life lived for others is worth living."
"The Theory of Relativity" is based on "little connections." For ideas, Hill and Bartram met with students from the University of Oklahoma and asked them "to tell us your stories." Their answers became the inspiration for the show as the pair "wove them together," tales about twenty year olds who are finding their way through life. An ensemble of "incredible actors will all be on stage at the same time and tell their profound stories about leaving home and one family to find another family."
The actors identify completely with the message because they are all going through it. For Hill, "I love being that immersed. Their talent is unbelievable. They are thirteen unique souls and we are having the time of our lives. These thirteen strangers have bonded into a family, a community and made human connections."
For tickets ($46), call Goodspeed at 860-873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org Performances are at the Norma Terris Theatre, 33 North Main Street, Chester on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Come see Brian wearing just two of Bartholomew Cubbins' hats when he acts as both book writer and director of his newest work with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram. Come hear how joys and sorrows, loves and losses and reaching out and touching someone all propel our interconnected worlds.
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