Blame it all on Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, Neverland and the magic of local theatre.
That’s what got Richmond’s David Cohen interested in the glow of the footlights when he was just a toddler.
He was watching his older brother, Andrew, in a holiday production of Peter Pan at the Gateway Theatre and knew right there and then that’s what he wanted to do.
“How could I not love that,” says Cohen. “It was this great fantasy world where people were on stage ‘flying’ and fighting pirates.”
Seventeen years later, Cohen, now 20, is well familiar with the stage at Gateway Theatre, especially during the holiday season after appearing in numerous productions over the years.
This time out he’s part of the cast of Crazy For You, a musical that taps into the feel good, toe-tapping musical genius of George and Ira Gershwin that opens Dec. 4 and runs until Dec. 31.
The stage comes to life with 1930s New York with a story about bachelor Bobby Child — a theatre lover whose day job is in the family bank — who finds his true love in the middle of nowhere after he’s forced to foreclose on a property.
Cohen, a grad of McMath secondary, plays Mingo, one third of the Cowboy Trio in the show, plus he is the understudy to the lead character Bobby, played by Gaelan Beatty.
“It’s a very demanding show athletically and vocally, said Cohen. “But it’s great to be challenged.”
As part of the Cowboy Trio, Cohen said he has plenty of dancing and climbing to do.
“I counted the other day, and I have seven lifts,” he quips.
“That means I have to lift someone seven times during the course of the show. And we’re up and down ladders, tapping and dancing with brooms.”
Aside from that, Cohen says as an understudy he also has to be ready to step into the lead role if required.
“Those are pretty big shoes to fill. And that’s always in the back of your mind,” he says. “I can be nerve-wracking, but it’s all part of being involved with the theatre.”
And the demands are well worth the experience performers get from the audience, especially during the holiday season when most community theatres up the ante of their productions to stage a musical.
“Musicals almost always have a much greater scope than other productions during the rest of the year,” Cohen says. “There’s a bigger cast, lots of music, more elaborate lighting, flashier costumes and plenty of choreography.”
And the audiences often match the feel-good vibe of the shows.
“It’s the holidays, a time when people are thinking more about coming out to the theatre to see some great entertainment,” Cohen says, reeling off a list of other Gateway shows he’s been part of at this time of year.
“I’ve been in the King and I (2003 production), The Secret Garden and Thoroughly Modern Millie,” he says.
Cohen has also taken to the stage in a variety of local productions for Theatre Under the Stars and performed at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival.
When not performing he manages to find time to continue his studies in political science at UBC.
Crazy For You runs Dec. 4-31 at Gateway Theatre. For tickets, more information, and a run down of this season’s productions visit gateway theatre.com.
