The Louder We Get tackles a number of topical issues that are sure to get audiences talking, if not singing.
The latest offering by Theatre Calgary is based on the true story of Canadian teen Marc Hall who fought for the right to bring his boyfriend to his Catholic high school prom. It is being told as a musical.
“I think it’s kind of the perfect medium for this story because I’m sure it’s one that will divide people in all kinds of ways, you know? The gay issue and the church issue,” said actor Thom Allison.
“But it gets you in the door because the music’s going to be fun and then it brings you to this beautiful, emotional world and then you feel the people inside. I think it’s a beautiful way to express the story.”
Allison plays the role of Lonnie Wynn, an attorney who takes up Hall’s case free of charge. Though the character’s name is different from Hall’s real-life lawyer, there are many elements that remain true to the actual battle Hall fought in 2002, including eventually winning a court order that enabled him to bring his boyfriend to prom.
“I love an unlikely hero, someone who doesn’t mean to be a hero but ends up standing up for something so much bigger than himself,” said Allison.
The Louder We Get officially opens at Max Bell Theatre on Friday.