Drabinsky's Triple Sensation

Garth Drabinsky lets young hopefuls compete for cash and glory in Triple Sensation

Originally published in FFWD October 4, 2007 by Drew Anderson in Television

Garth Drabinsky is a story unto himself. He’s wanted by the law in the United States on fraud charges, and faces similar charges here in Canada. He is the creative force behind the Broadway musical Ragtime, the producer of The Changeling and has been cited as one of the reasons for the resurgence in Canadian theatre.

His latest challenge is to convince us that his new CBC reality show, Triple Sensation, is worth watching and not just a copy of the uninspired dribble that too often graces our small screens.

Sitting in Catch, and speaking in a deep New York accent, Drabinsky proves three things over lunch: he’s charming, he’s passionate about his latest project and he’s not just mimicking “other shows.”

“They’ve bastardized the whole idea of what this sort of television could be,” he says, never once referring to other reality shows by name.

Triple Sensation follows a familiar premise: travel Canada holding auditions to look for talent that will compete for a prize. It is different on a few levels, however. The title refers to the fact that participants must be able to sing, act and dance and do it all extremely well. There is also a strong focus on training and growth of the performers, without the unnecessary cruelty seen on other reality shows.

Drabinsky was determined from the outset to present Canadian talent and not make a show that is intended to denigrate its participants or to promise them a fleeting moment in the spotlight. “It’s not that the panel pulls any punches. We’re rigorously honest in our assessment of the kids’ talent, but not mean in the process. Constructive criticism you learn from, constructive criticism is enlightening. Constructive criticism, in fact, can be very entertaining,” he says. “It’s not about making some profoundly inflammatory comment, baseless often, just for the sake of thinking that’s good television I don’t think that’s good television.”

The prize for the winner of the show is also something that sets it apart. Rather than promising fame, the winner gets a scholarship worth $150,000 for the institution of their choice — in other words, more training. “The only way to have longevity and be able to sustain a career creatively and economically is hard work, nothing short of hard work,” he says. “The scholarship is also part of the nobility of the show. I don’t dangle a walk-on part on Broadway. I say, ‘Here, I’m going to help you become greater. I’m going to let you study anywhere in the world that you want to study, but I want you to come back to Canada, and I want Canadian audiences, and ultimately world audiences, to stand and cheer for just who you are.’”

Drabinsky has managed to coax some big names onto his jury, and the cream of the performing arts crop to be trainers of the chosen few selected from thousands of initial hopefuls. The jury (or marquee panel as it’s called) consists of Marvin Hamlisch, Cynthia Dale, Adrian Noble, Sergio Trujillo and, of course, Drabinksy.

Once the field is narrowed to 12 competitors, they will be housed in the National Ballet building and trained by elite coaches from institutions like Julliard, the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Even the acting coach for Brad Pitt and Hillary Swank has a turn with the competitors. “This (the training) represents the only way you can be great in the performing arts, not an ephemeral moment of instant stardom, whatever it is the other shows try to give. One moment you’re something and the next moment you’re serving coffee at Starbucks,” he says.

Our waitress engages in a few playful exchanges with the producer, still unsure, but opening up about her piano playing, singing and tap dancing. She has stage fright, though. It seems too perfect, but Drabinsky insists she’s not a plant. You just know a performer when you see one, he says.

There is no doubt that Drabinsky, though usually behind the stage or the camera, is a performer himself, travelling across Canada convincing skeptical journalists of his show’s merit. He does a pretty good job.

One thing is clear — this show represents a truly Canadian attitude towards how we should showcase and cultivate young performers and not, as Drabinsky puts it, “make a mockery of the talent.”