BWW Preview: EVANGELINE at Theatre Baton Rouge

A look into French-Acadian history starts off Theatre Baton Rouge's 2016-2017 season during their staging of the local, classic musical, "EVANGELINE." This musical, written by local Louisiana natives, is based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem of the same name, written in 1847.

The musical premiered in the early 2000s in Baton Rouge, and now, Theatre Baton Rouge is bringing the production home once again with regular performances running through October 2. The show is a part of the theater's Capital Series, which has presented several large musical productions, including "Mary Poppins" and "Annie."

The musical sees the return of Paige Gagliano at the helm as its director. Gagliano has taught and directed professional, community, and educational theatre for the past 25 years with over 50 productions. She is currently the Director of Fine Arts at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge where she teaches and directs. This show first came to Gagliano 18 years ago when she was a very young director. Evangeline's composer Paul Taranto, a fellow coworker of Gagliano's, had an idea to write a musical and approached her to ask if her husband at the time, an actor, would write with him.

"My husband declined, but a dear friend and the drama teacher at our school Danny Tiberghein took up the task," Gagliano said. "Danny was killed two months after starting the project. At his funeral, my husband at the time, Jamie Wax, decided he would write the show in Danny's honor alongside Paul Taranto. Evangeline, the musical was born." Gagliano has directed the show more than a dozen times and explains that each time she finds something new and fascinating about

Evangeline's constancy and faith. Her vision for this musical comes from the idea of "community from brokenness." "The set is in pieces that configure in different ways to represent that when the pieces are separated (broken), they do not lose their purpose," Gagliano said. "In fact, they are waiting to be used in a different manner mirroring the characters' journey." The story focuses on Evangeline Bellefontaine and Gabriel Lajeunesse, lovers born on the same mid-18th century day in the Acadian village of Grand-Pré in Nova Scotia. The two forge a bond that strengthens as they grow older, and they eventually become engaged. Their lives are disrupted when they are separated by British soldiers who invade the community and disperse the residents among the American colonies.

Evangeline's search for her fiancé takes her on a long journey from the New England seacoast to the Louisiana bayous, where she settles in St. Martin and faithfully waits for the arrival of her beloved. Years later she joins local priest Father Felician to assist him in his ministrations to the still-homeless Acadians roaming along the Atlantic seaboard, a decisive move that unexpectedly brings her closer to her destiny. "Evangeline and Gabriel were separated on the eve of their wedding during the Expulsion, and Evangeline spent her life waiting and searching for her Gabriel only to find him as he lay dying," Gagliano said. "She remained faithful and constant to him. Longfellow was drawn to this story because he had never heard a story that showed a woman's faithfulness and constancy as this one."

Gagliano has described the music and storyline of "EVANGELINE" as "epic and beautiful," with the melodies staying with you well past the final curtain. As a director, Gagliano is inquisitive and methodical. While she considers the text to be relevant, she enjoys digging to find the gems and subtleties in the script and lyrics. "I enter each production with a clear vision and invite the actors to join me in my pursuit of answers to the why behind every word and moment," Gagliano said. "The actors and I collaborate on the path we take in telling the story."

According to Gagliano, this musical is important for a Louisianan audience due to the history of the Cajun people and the story of the Acadians, as well as finding one's way back and rebuilding. "I've lived it this summer in Baton Rouge after the death of Alton Sterling and the brutal ambush of law enforcement officers we were drenched in a 1,000-year flood that left 60,000 of our community homeless," Gagliano said. "Each of us has our flood story and instead of being knocked down, the flood elevated our community, and we served each other. Through this horrific three months I am proud to say that Baton Rouge, Louisiana has emergEd Stronger and united. I like to think this is an instinct in us from our Acadian ancestors did when they were brutally driven from their homes in the Expulsion of 1755."

One of the memories of the rehearsal process that had resonated with Gagliano was the first night the cast rehearsed after the flood. There were homes still submerged, streets still flooded and the entire city was under curfew. "I wasn't sure we should even have rehearsal or who would come," Gagliano said. "Everyone that could came. The blocking we were doing that night happened to be the start of the 2nd act. It's a song called 'Starting Again.' It shows the Acadians rebuilding and reconnecting after their world being blown apart. In the chaos that was that time, it was a respite to come together share and create and learn from our ancestors through this beautiful musical."

With the story of the Acadian people's strength as inspiration, and having personally lived through the August flooding, Gagliano says the cast has really come together to tell "EVANGELINE." "We have come together and formed a truly loving community, and that shows on and off the stage," Gagliano said. "We are a family telling our story."

EVANGELINE will run from September 16 - October 2, 2016. Performances will be Thursday - Saturday night (7:30 PM) and Sunday afternoons (2:00 PM), with an additional matinee on Saturday, September 24. General Admission tickets are $29, and are on sale now! Evangeline, The Musical is rated "PG." To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact the box office at (225) 924-6496 or visit theatrebr.org.