Starting Thursday (May 31), a modern cult classic comes to Peterborough when director Samantha Mansfield brings Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling to The Theatre On King (TTOK).
Samantha, with the support of producer and assistant director Eryn Lidster, brings together a large cast of 10 players, two musicians, 16 musical numbers, and a crypt full of witty dialogue and soul-quenching angst to the small stage in a loving recreation of ‘Once More, with Feeling’, one of the most popular and beloved episodes from the TV series that ran from 1996 to 2003.
The seventh episode of the sixth season, ‘Once More, with Feeling’ first aired in November 2001 and is the now-famous musical episode featuring the Buffy cast revealing their private thoughts and feelings through song. A passion project by the series creator Joss Whedon, the episode took him six months to write, with he and his now ex-wife Kia Cole penning the songs together.
When the idea of a musical episode was presented to the cast, the Buffy actors initially rejected the idea, with at least two actors asking Whedon to not make them sing. However, the episode became an instant hit with fans and is still considered one of the most memorable episodes of the series.
As early as 2007, theatres began running the episode on the big screen and on stage and encouraged audience members to dress up and sing along, much in the fashion of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
VIDEO: “Rest in Peace” from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode ‘Once More, With Feeling’
Small theatre productions of ‘Once More, with Feeling’ continue to pop up all over the world from both professional and fan groups, proving not only the strength of the episode but the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise itself.
“I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” says director Samantha Mansfield. “I think it’s one of the best television shows ever made. The reason that it is so deeply woven in culture is the deep mythological themes that play out in it. It’s not only that it is smart and funny and well written with multi-dimensional characters, but there is this archetypical resonance in it.”
“And the musical is so great. The songs are wonderful, the story is great. Fans of the show remember where they were when they first saw this episode. I think that it stands up to the test of time. It’s like any other legitimate musical, the songs are lovely and catchy and memorable.”
While being a huge Buffy fan during the run of the series, I admit I haven’t seen ‘Once More, with Feeling’ in over a decade. However, as I watched Samantha’s company faithful recreation of the episode on the TTOK stage, I quickly remembered all of the subplots, storylines, and complex relationships from that moment in the Buffy series.
Samantha, who takes on the role of Tara, handpicked a marvelous company of performers to recreate this beloved cast of characters, including Sam Leigh as Buffy, Eddy Sweeney as Spike Alison Woodcock as Willow, Raf Nawaz as Xander, Quinn Brunet as Anya, Samuelle Weatherdon as Dawn, Christopher Spear as Giles, Celeste Terry as the show’ musical villain Sweet, and Robyn Smith and Sarah Bea Milner appearing as random filler roles that help flesh out the town of Sunnydale, California.
Although there are always challenges in recreating characters so closely related to the actors that played them, the company manages to create faithful renditions of the Buffyverse regulars.
“Some of the cast are right on the money,” Samantha says. “Christopher Spear is playing Giles, and he’s just the archetypical British gentleman. He’s perfect.
“We have this funny Spike, played by Eddy Sweeney, who is not a fan of the show and hasn’t even watched the episode but he’s a great Spike. He’s listened to me explain the character, and he gets it, and he’s willing to dye his hair blonde. He really gets that. We’ve tried to do it mostly as faithful to the episode as we can be, but it’s still an interpretation.”
But the big star power is definitely Sam Leigh, who takes on the role of the show’s heroine Buffy Summers. With an abundance of charm, perfect comedic timing, a big voice and killer dance moves, Sam doesn’t just look the part but completely slays it on stage.
“Sam’s just perfect for the role,” Samantha explains. “She has an incredible voice and she really is a star. She has this really big energy. She’s also has a little bit of a Buffy flavor to her personality, so she’s really well cast.”
Although she didn’t grow up watching the show, Sam managed to binge-watch five seasons of Buffy in the three months they’ve been developing the show.
When I interviewed her, she was just beginning the sixth season and nearly at ‘Once More, with Feeling’.
“It’s been a really crazy journey for me,” Sam says. “I didn’t have many female role models in TV when I was growing up, so I seemed to gravitate towards male characters. But I started watching the show when Samantha asked me to do the part, and I’ve got such a connection with Buffy. The qualities she has are ones that I want in myself.”
“Playing Buffy is important to me. She was a kick-butt strong female character, and was inspirational to a lot of young girls. The show featured characters who had real emotions and fears and passions and loves. It’s really an amazing story about a girl who was just trying to grow up.”
A well-written episode, what is interesting about the narrative of ‘Once More, with Feeling’ is that it wasn’t just a throw-away musical episode, but brought forth truths that would change the relationships between characters and contained at least two plot twists that would dramatically change the course of the series. Furthermore, the songs constantly changed from comedy to angst, the two constant emotional threads running through the entire series.
The TTOK company manages to bring the laughs and the drama forth with creative accuracy, assisted by the musical score performed by John Atkin and John Whelan.
Playing together for about a year, Atkin and Whelan used YouTube to recreate the 16 songs that will be packed into a little over an hour. However, as John reveals, he was originally apprehensive to get involved in the project.”
“When we were asked, I said no because it was — and is — outside my comfort zone,” John recalls. “It’s very unlike most of what I’ve done in the past with music. I like low-tempo ambient music. This musical is very up tempo. So I was out of my comfort zone. I said that I didn’t know if I could provide what they wanted.
“But they twisted my arm and had me come to the rehearsal and give it a try. I learned one song and went to the rehearsal and it really came together well. I realized it would help me expand my musical horizons and build my musicianship in ways that I wouldn’t have done, and now I’m so happy that I decided to do it.
“It’s a complex piece. There are a whole lot of interesting stops and starts and time signature changes that they had on the show because the music is working with the visuals, the choreography, the fight scenes, the arguing that goes back and forth, and the music has to work with that. We did have to work around that, but it became an easier process the more we did it. ”
The TTOK production has a lot going for it. When it’s good, it’s great, and in the few moments that it falters, it does in such a rustic, charming way that you love it even more.
A special note goes to the choreography which, for the most part, was recreated by studying the original episode with assistance by producer Eryn Lidster. In the few numbers that feature dance — with the most notable being Anya and Xander’s number “I’ll Never Tell” and Buffy’s final number “Dance Into the Fire” — the dancing is high energy and incredible to watch in such a small space. My mind was blown away anytime anyone had to dance.
The passion that the players bring to this piece is evident in the energy they bring to the stage.
“It’s a big cast but everyone who is in it genuinely enjoys it and is having a lot of fun,” Samantha says. “We’re genuinely getting a lot of pleasure working on this project. It’s very uplifting.”
“This whole cast is incredible,” adds Sam Leigh. “Our music guys are wonderful to work with. Samantha is an amazing director, and I can’t say enough about our producer Eryn. She is so incredible. Every person in here has put everything into this musical. We come to rehearsal every week and we love it.”
Come and relive the passion, the laughter, and the angst of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling and remember just why you fell in love with the TV series in the first place. Samantha Mansfield and her company have created a fun show that will delight old fans and make new fans out of those who have not discovered the show yet. ‘Once More, with Feeling’ is everything you love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling runs from Thursday, May 31st to Saturday, June 2nd at TTOK. Show starts at 8 p.m. with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $10 to $15.
