Meet The Neighbours

Mickey Giordano is fictional, the main character in a novel I wrote several years ago, called 'Rough Shadow', which I hope to publish in the New Year. Blue Prelude is actually a prequel to that novel. I was trying to imagine who would have been the kind of person wealthy Vancouverites would have employed as 'hired muscle' to deal with the dirty laundry of their private lives in the bad old days. I came up with an Italian-Canadian ex-boxer with a Galahad complex, raised on the East Side (now Strathcona). There are a number of real life characters who inspired him, including Mickey Philliponi  of the famous Penthouse family. One interesting aspect, inspired by the story of a friend of mine, is that the character's mother has First Nations heritage, and was among the residents of Stanley Park who were forced out of their homes by the city. 


I am aware you are not old enough to have lived in Vancouver during that time period.  Was there any particular inspiration for you to set the story in the late 40’s in Vancouver.

I'm old enough to remember the rough-and-ready neon city that was photographed so memorably by Fred Herzog. There were still many vestiges of it around when I came to Vancouver as a boy. It reminded me of the urban landscapes of favourite Film Noirs set in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. For way too long, I accepted the fiction that crime and corruption wasn't a serious part of Vancouver's landscape. Latterly, now that a slew of books have exposed Vancouver's sordid past in the '40s and '50s, I've come to realize that it was just as gritty and corrupt as those American cities. 


I have to ask once and for all, and I am sure many readers here will be interested in your answer.  You have a wonderful throwback fashion style.  Was there a particular point in your life that you made a conscious decision to affect the fashion world of days gone by?

It started almost as soon as I no longer had to wear a school uniform (which was when I came to Canada). When I was a teenager, I was buying vintage suits at thrift stores, and wearing them to school. That became my uniform - it worked well for me as president of my high school drama club. I also never got bullied - too weird for that, I guess. I love vintage style, because I love vintage music and movies. Why not dress that way? Everyone is so obsessed with 'fitting in'. I can't live that way. People will sometimes ask me what the occasion is - my answer is always the same: "Life". 


I note the promotional material for BLUE PRELUDE Kat Siemens is listed as the associate producer.  Tell us a bit about Kat please.

Kat is my best friend, toughest critic and a frequent partner in crime. I'm very fortunate whenever she offers to assist in my various mad endeavours. She is a gifted artist and photographer, trained in fashion design, illustration and history, and well-known in White Rock for her art shows and fabulous sense of style. She has also been a professional make-up artist and has worked in the movie industry. She has a very exacting sense of detail, which is great, because we approach projects much the same way.


How big is the cast of BLUE PRELUDE.  Please give a brief overview of the actors.

There are five of us in total, playing all the roles. I'm lucky to be working with all of them, because most are people I've wanted to work with for years, but the stars have never aligned - until now. Dovreshin MacRae, a new theatre friend, plays our private eye, Mickey Giordano. He's a very intelligent, very versatile player - he's starred in a number of shows for Theatre In The Country, for whom he is currently assistant directing The Shawshank Redemption, and has also done some excellent film work. Adrian Shaffer plays Lila Duprez, a singer at Vancouver's old Cave supper club, who needs Mickey's help locating her missing brother. Adrian is a splendidly talented actor who has acted numerous leads for White Rock Players Club, and has just made an impressive directorial debut there with Blithe Spirit. Jacqueline Rose, who plays mysterious former showgirl Georgia Morrison, is also a wonderfully multi-talented player, but has been seen far too little in recent years, although local audiences will likely recall her blonde bombshell role in White Rock Players Club's  A Comedy of Tenors. Hunter Golden, who grew up around here - he's an alumnus of Earl Marriott Secondary - divides his time between film television and theatre. He has a magnificent voice, and a gift for characterization, which he brings to multiple roles, including shady millionaire art collector Hamilton Collyer. And while not a member of the cast, Hunter Lisle, who brilliantly stage-managed the Agatha Christie play, The Stranger, that I directed last summer, is in charge of music and sound effects - also a key player in the production. 


Thank you Alex for taking time to preview BLUE PRELUDE.  One final question slightly off topic.  Are there any planned shows for your big band ALEX BROWNE’S BOULEVARDIERS  in the near future?

Well, the band has taken a bit of a back seat while I get this play off the ground. But we're very happy to have played the last Red Serge Gala at Hazelmere, a sold out gala for Peninsula Productions this spring, and the White Rock Jazz and Blues Festival this summer. People can expect a return to shows featuring our authentic Roaring '20s/Dirty '30s music this winter and into the spring. I can't divulge any details yet, but there are some new and exciting elements to our presentation waiting in the wings - so stay tuned!

Break a leg Alex, see you this weekend @ BLUE PRELUDE