Interview: Lisa Stevens, ‘Who Do YA Love? The KC & The Sunshine Band Musical’
Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with award-winning director and choreographer Lisa Stevens about Who Do Ya Love? The KC & The Sunshine Band Musical.
1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far.
I’m originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, and thanks to my parents I had an early introduction to the arts. I watched many theatre, orchestral, and concert events at a very young age, as my mother was an avid fan of Entertainment. I performed in school musicals while taking dance, voice and piano lessons.
In my early 20’s, to solve my lack of pocket money, I opened a dance school and started teaching dance. Over the next five years, the school grew to nearly 300 students, 6 employees, and was home to "Body Electric", a teen dance company that performed at various events across Vancouver. It was then that I knew two things 1) If I stayed in Vancouver and developed the school, I would postpone a career of my own, and 2) I enjoyed creating movement for various levels of ability and ages. For both these reasons I decided to pack it up, leave Vancouver, and try my luck in England, where my father was a citizen.
Over the next 8 years, my goals were exceeded. I was fortunate to work with some of the most creative and talented people in the business, and because London did not pigeonhole the performer, I worked across several mediums of the arts, including television, film, theatre, concert dance, and industrials. I appeared in both Chicago and Bombay Dreams in the West End, in the films Phantom of The Opera and Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, both filmed at Pinewood Studios; performed in pantos, tours, commercials, and television series, and most memorable - four consecutive years at the Royal Variety Performance for Her Majesty the Queen.
During this time, I was teaching dance at Italia Conti, Urdang School, and Pineapple at Covent Garden. I was choreographing full-time for the pop singer Kavana, with many of his singles appearing on Top of The Pops, The Ant and Dec Show, The Breakfast Show, and the Smash Hit Awards. My time in England was probably the best chapter for friendship and performances.
When the producers of Bombay Dreams decided to mount a production on Broadway, I was transplanted to New York to help cast and set the choreography. After the closing, I choreographed the National Tour. Following its run, the same producers hired me to choreograph the musical called Disney’s High School Musical, which took off globally. The UK, Australia, Japan, and Spain, all had their own companies. Next came Disney’s High School Musical 2, then Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical, produced by ATG, which toured the UK, and landed in the West End.
As much as I enjoy choreographing, I am partial to directing narratives. For the past 6 years, I’ve worn both hats and I don’t think I could ever go back. The two are seamless when expressing a narrative, and it’s a powerful medium to teach an audience how to feel.
2. What is your show about?
Who Do You Love? is a coming-of-age story about four friends navigating life, love, and friendship during the counter-culture era, into the 70’s. It’s filled with KC and The Sunshine Band’s Hit Songs like Shake Shake Shake, Get Down Tonight, Rock Your Baby, Please Don’t Go, and Boogie Shoes.
3. What was the inspiration for Who Do Ya Love? and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?
The inspiration for WDYL was primarily the music. KC’s sound preceded Motown, leading the way for recording artists to embrace Latin and African-American beats, and incorporating them into their sound. He truly was the pioneer of dance-music which evolved into Disco.
KC was interested in creating a musical for a long while and was looking for a fresh way to create it. He wanted to convey his personal life in a way that expressed the inspiration for the music. JF Lawton (Pretty Woman), came on board and wrote a treatment, with the support of ATG was flushed out into a two-act musical. It had a reading in L.A., whose recording was passed on to me. Through many conversations and versions of the narrative, we landed upon a 90-minute version which we workshopped in Toronto last May, then managed to whittle it down to an action-packed 60-minute version in London. That’s where we are today.
4. What made you want to take Who Do Ya Love? to the Fringe?
The fringe is the perfect location for Who Do You Love, as it’s a fun, uplifting, sometimes campy, other times ernest story which I believe will appeal to the masses. It’s the perfect place to learn more about our show and hone what’s working, and distill what isn’t.
5. Apart from seeing Who Do Ya Love?, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?
Get your accommodation early and bring a sweater!
6. Why should people book Who Do Ya Love?
This is a musical that will make you happy. It will get you on your feet and make you want to dance and sing along. The cast are vibrantly talented, the music is iconic, and the characters are based on real people.
6. When and where can people see Who Do Ya Love?
People can see Who Do Ya Love? at Assembly Hall from July 31 to August 25th 2024. Showtime is at 16:50.
