The ocean first called to the creative team behind the performing arts department at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School at the end of the last school year.
What began as ripples of excitement as students learned they would be staging the empowering story of their childhood heroine burst into waves of applause over the weekend, as the cast and crew of Moana set sail and found their way to a massive hit.
Inspired by the Disney film, Moana the musical opens with the legend of Maui (Nathaniel Coallier), a demigod who stole the heart of Te Fiti (Finnley Roy), which brings life to the Pacific islands. This act unleashes Te Ka (Justin Genero), a vengeful fire demon whose darkness spreads across the ocean. The story then focuses on strong-willed Moana (Kacey Patenaude), the future chief of Motunui, who was chosen by the ocean to find Maui, return Te Fiti’s heart, and save her island home.
As Moana sets sail on her epic journey, audiences are introduced to a sea of eccentric, hilarious, and very shiny characters, including Gramma Tala (Zoe Hebert), her son Chief Tui (Joshua Johnston) and his wife Sina (Peyton Caza), their daughter Simea (Mieke Nieuwenhof) and friends Pua (Myah Dauphinais) and Hei Hei (Elena Collum), as well as a gold-obsessed giant crab named Tamatoa (Maryjane Whyte) and the mysterious demigoddess Matangi (Vanessa Cintu).
CVR’s retelling is powered by the vibrant music of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina, which blends traditional Polynesian sounds and chants featuring Tokelauan and Samoan languages with superbly performed anthems and uplifting character-driven numbers like How Far I’ll Go, You’re Welcome, and Beyond.
With a cast of around 40 actors and dancers as well as the backstage and technical crews, directors Lynn Harper, Dawna Babin, and Erika Rosenbaum worked to ensure the production remained rooted in the rich cultures and traditions of the Pacific Islands, while allowing the students to add their unique touch and shape the show.
“Moana does not exist yet as a full-size musical,” said Harper, who wrote several additional scenes, incorporated characters from Disney’s sequel, Moana 2, and added other songs. The directors also gave a voice to the ocean, which became an integral character brilliantly portrayed by an ensemble of eight dancers with shimmering blue capes that carried the show.
“There is a lot of choreography,” said Rosenbaum, who explained that she worked with dance instructor Kim Guerin to choreograph many of the intricate dance sequences, which included elements taken from hula and haka dance traditions while integrating other types of movement. “And then the dance girls stepped up,” she said, referring to students Niamh McGrath and Katarina Karabinis-Guy who were part of the ocean ensemble (as well as Tamatoa’s right and left claw) and are credited as assistant choreographers.
“We wanted to hold true to the Polynesian flavour, and to honour the culture without appropriation,” said Harper, who admits the language was challenging to learn. “There were a couple of students that really took ownership early in the process, and they served as coaches and they got curious about translation,” she explained, suggesting this was one way the cast came together. “Just the ability to collaborate is difficult. There are a lot of personalities, but they really learned to think as a whole,” said Harper.
“And that’s when they start to shine,” remarked Babin, who was especially impressed with the students’ leadership style. “There was no boss. They were open to everyone’s ideas and were just very supportive.”
The students certainly felt the pressure of bringing such beloved characters to life. “I was like, ‘How are we going to figure out how to do the waves?’” said Nieuwenhof. “We can’t have literal water on stage. So, figuring out things like that was kind of freaking me out, like the giant crab, but I think it worked really well, and we came up with some good ideas,” she added.
“The show grew on us as we got into our roles. We started appreciating each other more for what we did on stage. It really built a bond and solidified us as an acting class,” explained Genero.
“It was just so fun,” added Patenaude. “We didn’t know each other all that well, but we have created so many memories and experiences together. It is for sure something we will never forget.”