Children around the world know about Toopy and Binoo. The dynamic duo of the imaginative mouse named Toopy and his plush cat friend have been in books and on TV screens. Now, for the first time, they are coming to the stage, with a new live show, which is coming to Yorkton on February 2.
Frank Meschkuleit has been the voice of Toopy since the show began, and will reprise his role in the new show. He will provide the only pre-recorded element in the performance, and explains that the choice to record Toopy's voice was to keep the show as authentic to the original series as possible.
"Most of these shows that you see is 100 per cent pre-recorded. Although the Toopy portion is pre-recorded because they're going for authenticity, the rest of the characters are performed live, and that has to be appreciated," Meschkuleit says.
The series has been a success from the beginning, with the books and DVDs selling hundreds of thousands of copies in Canada alone. Meschkuleit credits some of that success to the enthusiasm of the Toopy character, and how that connects with kids.
"It's a lively character, Toopy always plays full out, not a very introspective character... He goes where his imagination tells him and it's all good," Meschkuleit notes.
The energy which Toopy exhibits, both on stage and in the series, makes providing his voice a tiring job, Meschkuleit says. While he loves the role, he admits that it can wear him out when they record.
"It's a huge exertion, my head is like a zeppelin after four hours and that's all I can do," Meschkuleit notes.
The voice of Toopy was something Meschkuleit developed during the audition. The first take was an attempt to provide a voice that was high, but not cartoony. Meschkuleit tried to do it as directed, but the first version wasn't well received. Since he was there, he convinced the director to allow him to do his own interpretation of the character. Starting with a "tigger-ish laugh," Meschkuleit created the voice in the studio that day.
While he gave Toopy a voice, Meschkuleit notes that the credit for the success goes to the original author, Dominique Jolin, and the rest of the crew on the shows.
"It would be unfair if I took more of the glory than I'm due, and the show looks good. There's a lot of love in it," Meschkuleit states.
The success is something that the country should be proud of, Meschkuleit says, and to see something that is all Canadian catching on should be celebrated.
"I think that the success of the show, regardless of why it is, it needs to celebrated. Canadian culture is generally so downplayed... It was entirely conceived of, created, drawn, rendered and completed in Canada, which is very rare," Meschkuleit notes.
The new show, produced by Koba Entertainment, is something which Meschkuleit believes will continue the success of the series. He is encouraged by their dedication to authenticity and the glimpses of production he has seen have captured the spirit of the series.
"I think it's the ideal first theatrical experience for a kid," Meschkuleit says.
Toopy and Binoo and The Marshmallow Moon will be in town Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Anne Portnuff Theatre. Tickets are $28.50 (one year and older) and are available at The Yorkton Arts Council Office, by phone at 306-783-8722 or they can also be purchased at Welcome Home Floral & Gift Shop.
