Jim Castaneda
“City of Angels,” a Tony-award winning musical comedy from the creator of TV landmark “M*A*S*H,” is a fast-talkin’, toe-tappin’ mash-up of private eyes, crooners and dangerous dames.
As the cast and crew at Langley’s Whidbey Island Center for the Arts prepares for the Feb. 7-22 run, dive into our four-part series that shines a spotlight on what awaits you on opening night.
Don’t expect Jim Castaneda to have stage fright.
While he’s making his community theater debut in “City of Angels,” and playing four roles just for the heck of it, he’s spent considerable time on stages in his life.
Whether singing professionally with his band, Woodrush, or touring as a solo artist, put a microphone in front of him and he’s at ease. He can, and has, played intimate settings and large venues, playing both his own and others music.
But while he’s comfortable performing in front of people, stepping back onto the theatrical stage — he appeared in a handful of productions like “West Side Story” back in his Lake Stevens High School days — brings its own new challenges.
“It’s a lot different than when I’m normally on-stage,” Castaneda said. “That’s about ad-libbing, having a drink onstage between songs, maybe, chillin’, hanging out and having a good night with the folks.
“The preparation involved here has been miles apart; so many people counting on each other,” he added. “Trading lines, hitting cues. The timing has to be right, the volume has to be bigger. Here, you’re in a scene, lines here, lines there, and everything has to come together.”
He has to be quick on his feet, as well, since he moves back and forth between four parts — different roles that require different looks, feels and sounds.
In a musical comedy that bounces from the color world of old school Hollywood to the black-and-white surroundings of a pulp private eye novel come to life, Castaneda is a man of many lives.
He’s Jimmy Powers, a Frank Sinatra-style movie star crooner, as well as a morgue orderly, a police officer and a drunk, swing-dancing hobo.
“I have to have four distinctive walks, four distinctive characters,” Castaneda said. “It’s been interesting to see how the costumes and disguises work.
“The experience has been great; I’ve learned a lot so far,” he added. “You learn something new each time; there’s so much knowledge floating around that theater and everyone has different ways of working. I find it completely interesting.”
While nailing his songs is no problem for the seasoned pro, one new wrinkle is the addition of dance.
While he did a bit of soft shoe back in his a capella days, “City of Angels,” where he’s part of two major dance scenes, is a whole different story.
“I’m finding out I’m a pretty good dancer,” Castaneda said. “Working with (choreographer) Chelsea (Randall) has been a blast. She shows us different moves, different genres, and always makes it fun.
“I’m picking up the moves and learning to execute them time after time,” he added. “I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback, so that’s been nice.”
A fan of movies and theater productions, Castaneda had always wanted to try his hand on stage. Getting the chance to jump into a quirky, extremely well-written tale peppered with crowd-pleasing songs has just made the experience that much better.
“It’s kind of amazing, this play. The songs are unusually catchy,” he said. “Every character that sings is distinctive and the songs fit their character and flesh out their story through the lyrics.
“I find myself whistling along to everyone’s lyrics in this show!”
Next, in Part Three of our series, meet The Big Bosses, as we spy on the mother/daughter team of director Elizabeth Herbert and choreographer Chelsea Randall, as they run their cast through an early rehearsal.
To buy tickets head over to: http://wicaonline.com/2013-2014/CITYOFANGELS.html
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