When veteran Winnipeg Fringe Festival fans see Joseph Aragon’s name attached to a project, they know they can expect something special.
The Maples playwright and musician has twice had musicals named Best of Fest, and he’s looking for the hat trick in 2009 with Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare.
The 90-minute musical tells the true story of William Burke and William Hare, two Irishmen who went on a murder spree in 19th century Edinburgh, Scotland, selling their victims’ bodies to be used as specimens for the study of anatomy.
When Aragon set out to write a musical about the notorious duo, he originally intended it to be purely “nasty fun,” but as he continued to research the story, the musical’s tone changed.
“There’s still plenty of tongue-in-cheek, but it definitely got a little more serious,” said the Garden City Collegiate graduate. “When I start to get to know the character of historical people better, I kind of want to do that justice.”
Bloodless, which is scheduled for seven showings from July 17 to 25 at Manitoba Theatre for Young People at the Forks, features an all-local cast of 16, enormous by Fringe standards.
“I just really like working with lots of really talented people in one space,” said Aragon, who first heard about Burke and Hare five years ago while attending the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada.
Derek Leenhouts, the St. Vital resident who stars as Hare, sees his character as more of a sidekick than a ringleader.
“I think Burke is a bit more of the brains behind the operation,” he said. “I’m more of a tag-along, but with a few of my own ideas. I’m not really much of a schemer.”
Leenhouts said he was interested in joining the production as soon as he heard that Aragon was involved.
“I didn’t know anything except that Joseph had written it,” said the veteran of five Fringe productions. “He writes amazing stuff, and I just jumped at the opportunity.
“This is absolutely top-notch — a really professional production, an awesome set. For the Fringe, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Leenhouts said his role has a number of difficult challenges, including mastering an Irish accent — “I’m not particularly fond of dialects” — and becoming comfortable with Aragon’s unconventional music.
“Such interesting things happen musically that you don’t usually see in a musical,” said Leenhouts, whose first star turn came in the title role of Oliver at Dakota Collegiate.
Not all of Aragon’s works feature breaks in the dialogue for song and dance, but he was certain from the beginning that Bloodless would benefit from a musical treatment.
“It depends on the story you want to tell,” he said. “The best treatment for stories like this with huge emotional stakes is a musical.
“Plus, it’s the most fun. Musicals let me use the full force of my expression.”