BWW Interviews: Canada's 'Broadway Star' Louise Pitre talks Stratford, AVENGER & More!

Canada's Broadway Star Louise Pitre is set to perform a special concert for one night only with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra on April 10th, 2010. Ms. Pitre has had a long and accomplished career in musical theatre, and is currently hot off the heels of finishing a successful run in the Toronto Production of The Toxic Avenger.

In the past, Ms. Pitre has performed in Les Miserables in Toronto, Montreal and Paris, as well as in the NYC and Toronto productions of Mamma Mia and in the title role in Edith Piaf. She made her Carnegie Hall debut last year in the concert version of the musical Kristina by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. She will reprise that role this month in London at the Royal Albert Hall.

Before heading to London, Ms. Pitre will be performing a special concert in Stratford with Jerome Summers conducting. She is the headliner in what promises to be a very entertaining evening filled with both Broadway hits and also French classics. Ms. Pitre took a few minutes to sit down and talk with BWW about this upcoming event, as well as her history with Broadway musicals and her plans for the future:

You are about to do a special concert with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra - what can we expect to hear?

It's a mixture of Broadway songs and French songs. I'm doing a few Piaf songs and something from Les Miserables which I might do in French.

Speaking of Les Miserables, could you tell us a bit about your history with the show?

I did the first year with the Toronto cast. Then a year later I did it in Montreal where we did it in both languages, and then I did it in Paris where we did it only in French.

What was it like to perform Les Miserables in Paris?

It was pretty amazing, I have to tell you. We were at a theatre called Theatre Mogadore where Piaf used to do concerts. So it was pretty wonderful to be on that stage.

How did the Stratford Performance come to fruition?

They wrote to me and asked if I would consider doing a concert with them and I thought that it would be great. I love doing Symphony concerts and it's a wonderful feeling. The conductor is Jerome Summers and he was the conductor at Western University when I was going to Western. Because of that history I thought it would be really neat to be able to do a concert with him at the Podium.

You just finished starring in the Toronto production of The Toxic Avenger which was a very different piece of theatre compared to what we are used to seeing you in - what was that experience like for you?

I did it for one reason only and that was that John Rando was coming from New York to direct it. And I love him, I think he's fantastic and I've always wanted to work for him. But the piece itself is not necessarily something I would normally want to do *laughs* And I think I can safely say that I am not doing any more rock and roll musicals! Let the young people do that! I'm done!

But the rehearsal process was fantastic; I had a great time rehearsing that show. It was totally positive and wonderful - the way it should be. I had fun being funny and nasty and it was a real riot to rehearse it, no doubt about that. It's a bit fun to be totally silly for a change and have no "tearing your heart out" songs. Just to be silly and over the top is really freeing and exhilarating.

You have a long and illustrious history with Mamma Mia, which was recently adapted into a movie musical. Did you get to see the film and do you have any thoughts on it?

They invited me to the premiere in New York which I attended and it was a really surreal experience to be honest. I met Meryl Streep which was very cool, but I sat there watching that movie and it had been a long time since I had done the show. Yet as I was watching the movie I found myself remembering everything, and it was so close to the show, therefore I found it hard to really judge what kind of a film it was since it was so familiar to me.

It was also very nostalgic, especially since I was sitting next to Tina Maddigan who played my daughter the whole time I did Mamma Mia. I had seen her The Day Before and she had just had her baby and I had held her baby and then we sat next to each other for the whole film and it was just a very surreal experience.

Do you have a dream role on Broadway (either past or present)?

Definitely Gypsy - I think that is the ultimate musical for me and I feel like I was born to play that part. Also Mame and Applause are shows I would like to do. The Piaf show I did was one of my favourites and also one of the hardest.

What do you plan to do next?

On April 14th I'm performing in Benny and Bjorn's Kristina at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It will be a full concert with four soloists and a 25 person choir. I previously performed in Kristina at Carnegie Hall in New York and it was an amazing experience. I remember thinking about Judy Garland Live at Carnegie Hall, and to be performing on that same stage was really a dream come true.

After that I also have the second season of Bravo's Star Portraits which will keep me busy for awhile!

If you could give one piece of advice to Canadians looking to break into musical theatre, what would it be?

Try and think of it as a business, not just fun. It's hard work - they don't call it show business for nothing!

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When and Where?
Louise Pitre with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra
Saturday April 10th at 7:30PM

Knox Presbyterian Church

142 Ontario St, Stratford, ON

Tickets can be purchased via phone at 519-271-0990 or online here: http://tickets.ticketwindow.ca/eventperformances.asp?evt=920

For more information on the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, please visit their website: http://www.stratfordcivicorchestra.ca/index.html

For more information on Louise Pitre's Second Season of Bravo's Star Portraits, please visit the official site for the show: http://www.starportraits.ca/

For more information on Kristina at the Royal Albert Hall, please visit the website: http://icethesite.com/default.aspx?ArticleID=414

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