When Alessandro Juliani bowed out of the lead role in Onegin — an Arts Club Theatre musical that won 10 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for its 2016 performances — the Vancouver company turned to a familiar actor to fill in his shoes for its touring production.
After all, Jonathan Winsby had appeared in numerous Arts Club shows (the latest as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast) and he suited the part of Evgeni Onegin.
Next month, Winsby will show off his triple-threat chops as the romantic Russian swooner when the musical is staged at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre six times.
Officially, Winsby took over the touring role from Juliani in Cranbook on Feb. 6 after the father-of-three wound-down his role following stops in Calgary, Edmonton and Whitehorse.
Winsby only had a short time to rehearse with Juliani, in Whitehorse, “which means that we’re still flexing it out,” he said.
Still, audiences in the western Canada tour have been receptive to the newcomer.
“With the smaller towns around the Lower Mainland and on the island, it’s very welcome because entertainment is an event,” he said. “For most of the small cities, we’re just there for one night and we’re treated like rock stars in a band. It gives the audience — and us — a lot of joy to perform.”
Winsby admitted his knowledge of Onegin was sketchy at first. He knew the basic storyline but he’d never seen the Tchaikovsky opera, which is set in the 1820s in rural Russia. To research the part, he watched Juliani in action at the Granville Island Stage as well as a couple of other fill-ins, who he said gave him the confidence and freedom to make Onegin his own.
Winsby also went back to the Alexander Pushkin novel and studied the text, music and lyrics by Amiel Gladstone and Veda Hille. “I wanted to know how that would translate to my performance as opposed using Alessandro as a benchmark.”
As for after the tour, which ends with an extended run in Saskatoon on April 9, Winsby said he hopes to catch a break in Vancouver’s bustling TV and film industry. “It’ll be a good transition given how much work is happening here,” he said.
• Onegin runs March 6 to 10 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Tickets are $42/$34/$15 via the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
