Musical theatre has been an extremely integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. Musical productions—specifically in film—were the major catalyst for my drive to become an actor. Musical productions were the first window into storytelling that I experienced at an extremely young age. Instead of playing in a crib or with little toys, my parents would sit me down in front of the television and pop in a VHS tape of Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Dick Van Dyke was my idol. Between the ages of three and five, I was Dick Van Dyke. Throughout my childhood, instead of going to the arcade or roller-skating on a Friday night, I was sitting in the basement with a bowl of popcorn and wide eyes ready to watch Mary Poppins for the umpteenth time. I would sit still, entranced, carefully listening to every word. Eventually, I knew ‘step-in-time’ better than my ABCs. I became Bert. After watching the film over fifty times, not only did I know every line of “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, I also understood the importance of family, respect, and honor. Musicals have always been a key component of my life because they opened a window into a …show more content…
Although musicals usually draw in tickets out the door, they are much more expensive and not as financially logical for a theater company to produce at a large rate. If there were five shows in a season, I would allocate two of the shows as musicals and three as stage plays. The musicals would attract a wide audience, therefore increasing the notability and reputability of the theatre company. I would rather ensure that a few excellent musicals were produced, rather than pump out a multitude of musicals, simply because they attract more people. As a result, I would focus on the logical economic and sensible strategy to maximize profits and create a reputable theatre with a unique and alluring
Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. 84, 110, 116-121, 125-127, 128, 134, 163, 195, 201, 209. Print.
Ever heard of a story that sings of the “Angel of Music” and the “Phantom of the Opera”? A tale that once you have listened to the sweet melody that you will realized that you've pasted the “Point of No Return”? This love triangle has captivated multitudes ever since the 1910 original Phantom of the Opera was published in France by Monsieur Leroux, although most story lovers recall the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the motion picture adaption. Although this story has been entertaining people for over a century, in this new era have prerecorded voices and movements begun to overshadow the talented performers of live theater? Although “The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage” of the dislike of musicals made into film “with non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production,”(Musical),which version, the live performance or the film, makes the story more attractive? To answer these questions, permit this essay to analyze two methods of storytelling: 2011 live performance Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and the 2005 film, and decide if music and story lovers everywhere have too “turned from true beauty”.
People have dreams of what they want to do or accomplish in life, but usually musical theatre is just pushed into the non-realistic void. It isn’t a dream for me. In the past four years, musical theatre has been clarified as my reality. Musical theatre has been the only thing I have seen myself wanting to do. My first love was The Phantom of the Opera, seeing how I watched it almost every day and it was one of the first shows I saw. Of course, I started doing all of those cute shows in middle school and making a huge deal about it to my family and friends, but I have never felt so passionate about something. The minute I get up on that stage I throw away Riley for two and a half hours and it’s the most amazing feeling! Being able to tell a story
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
As in all genres, the musicals have had its share of failures. Some worthy dramas have been pressed into service and musicalized and sometimes butchered in the process, and audiences have had to watch a fine play diluted into a mediocre musical. But the successes have been many and spectacular and they have left a long lasting effect on the American art and culture.
The second chapter of Steven Cohen’s Hollywood Musicals, The Film Reader explains that “The myth of entertainment can be subdivided into three categories: the myth of spontaneity, the myth of integration, and the myth of the audience…. the myth makes its impact through combination and repetition. Thus a single musical number can be highly overdetermined and maybe discussed under all three categories.” (36) Going off of this explanation, then discussing the legitimacy of MGM’s Singing in the Rain as a back stage musical should depend on which of these three myths the film combines or repeats. This essay proposes that Singing in the Rain, based on the film’s proficiency with the second of the three: the myth of integration, rightfully deserves
Jukebox musicals began in film and later shifted to theatre. They had begun to make theatre more popular with the public, which had begun to gravitate towards film and music. By combining the two, they gain some of the same as well as a whole new audience. I will discuss how this came to be by speaking of the shift that occurred.
I experienced Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter-human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage.
Technical Theatre class was a great learning experience for me. When I first signed up for the class, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I had always been quite clumsy, and I’d never been very handy; so I didn’t think I would be of much use to the set building process. However, before the building process began, the class was taught how to properly and safely use power tools. Being educated on how to handle the equipment made me feel a lot more confident. Now, I’m proud of myself because I ended up getting a lot of work done that I didn’t think I was capable of.
As an actor, I venerate authentic storytelling. I love being transported completely into the world of a show, emerging at the end with an understanding of the characters and the events to which I feel personally connected. One time when I felt this way after seeing a show was seeing the musical Here Lies Love at the ACT Theatre in Seattle. It’s strange for me to refer to this production as a musical, though it is almost entirely sung-through, because it felt more like an experience.
thesis of how the musical brought our inner child out to realize our true struggles in life.
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
My first experience with a musical production was watching my older brother perform “Guys and Dolls” when he was in middle school (as Nathan Detroit). I acted in a few musicals in my younger years, and helped produce the high school’s Godspell musical this past spring. When I was a kid, my first musical was Power. I held a part in this play as part of the chorus. Later, I played the disciple Peter in another church musical. Although these were not major roles, they still had a big impact on my theater skills. I went on to join the drama club in Middle School. We performed several plays such as “Christmas in Oz”, “Shakespeare Goes to Gravel Gulch”, “Law and Order: Nursery Rhymes
For thousands of years, people have been arguing that theatre is a dying art form. Many people think theatre is all just cheesy singing and dancing or just boring old Shakespeare, but there is much more to theatre than those two extremes. Theatre is important to our society because it teaches us more about real life than recorded media. Theatre has been around for thousands of years and began as a religious ceremony that evolved into an art form that teaches about the true essence of life. Theatre can incorporate profound, and provocative, observations of the human condition that can transcend time; lessons found in Greek plays can still be relevant to the modern world. People argue that the very essence of theatre is being snuffed out by modern
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.