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VIDEO: Onegin features romantic entanglement in Old Russia in rock musical style

It’s full of the passion and fire of Tsarist Russia but brought up to date in a rock musical setting.

The award-winning Arts Club rock musical production of Onegin will be making its way to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, Feb. 15 starting at 7:30 p.m.

Onegin has been selling out theatres all over Western Canada including a sold-out run at The Belfy Theatre in Victoria last fall.

Produced through the Arts Club’s Silver Commissions Project, it premiered in Vancouver in the spring of 2016 and was met with critical acclaim. The show collected 10 wins at the 2016 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, making history as the first production to win all but one of the awards in the large theatre category.

Who won? Outstanding Actor and Actress went to Alessandro Juliani and Meg Roe, Supporting Actor went to Josh Epstein, and the crew and director cleaned up.

The story begins when romantic and charming Evgeni Onegin visits the Larin family estate and stirs up long forgotten passions among its residents.

Vladimir Lensky is a poet whose romantic ideals are challenged after Onegin flirts with his fiancee, Olga Larin, and even the sensible Tatyana Larin falls for the handsome rogue.

The hit musical moves, shakes, and wakes audiences with its sweeping score, leaving the powerful question swirling in their minds: do you see someone worth dying for?

The show that is coming to Cowichan includes: Lauren Jackson (Tatyana Larin), Jonathan Winsby (Evgeni Onegin), Josh Epstein (Vladimir Lensky, select performances), Erik Fraser Gow (Vladimir Lensky, select performances), Meaghan Chenosky (Olga Larin and others), Caitriona Murphy (Madame Larin and others), Andrew Wheeler (Prince Gremin and others), and Nadeem Phillip (many others).

The music is provided by: Marguerite Witvoet (piano and keyboards), Jennifer Moersch (cello), and Barry Mirochnick (percussion and guitar).

Tickets are available at $39 per person at the Cowichan Ticket Centre, or by phone at 250-748-7529 or online at cowichanpac.ca

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There’s plenty of spectacle in the Arts Club’s presentation of Onegin. (Submitted)