For this play report, I read A Chorus Line, with a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. What stood out to me the most was the structure of the play, and how the plot progressed throughout the show. Out the gate, it seemed like it would be a big, chorus-y classic musical, which was what I was expecting. Yet, after the first big number, the number of characters slimmed down, and the rest of the musical became a large stream of monologues and songs, woven together through the shared plot of the audition. I’m now dying to see it in person, since there are so many unique elements to this musical that would be amazing to see live. What most caught my attention in this musical were the monologues, the change in pace, and the weaving of music and dialogue. …show more content…
Most of the characters end up showing little relevance to the overarching plot, save for the fact that they’re participating in the audition, yet for just a moment, the readers are able to glimpse into their lives just a little bit, to see what makes them tick. Monologues such as Paul’s monologue about his homosexuality provide sad, more dramatic outlooks on the life of a struggling performer, while others, such as Val’s monologue about why she became a dancer, are more comedic. There’s a balance to the monologues, of which many are paired with songs or at least musical interludes, which weaves a narrative even though there’s not a whole lot actually happening, plot-wise. As a side note, I have chosen Val’s monologue for juries, as it stood out to me as something both comedic and poignant. Besides the beginning and end portions, much of the show consists of monologues, and this structure, in my mind, really helps the readers feel a connection with every character, even when they play much smaller roles in the
My Monologue is on Otis Amber.Otis Amber is 62 years old and is a male he works with crow in a soup kitchen he used to work as a doorman for the Westinghouse he is also a delivery man .He is married to crow and likes to tell jokes on people who pass by the door he is also a delivery man .He likes his aviator hat and crow he hates kids and he hates running.Otis amber is an old scrawny man who lives in the basement of a grocery store.He has a very strange cake. He does not have any friends at all and the only person he really knows is crow.
The musical was performed in the Cumberland Hall Auditorium at Fayetteville Technical Community College. It
I have listened to the cast albums for both the movie and the Broadway production, and many songs from the Broadway production were taken out of the movie. Some lines were not even taken out, but were spoken instead of sung. Personally, I think that when these line are sung rather than spoken, they evoke more emotional reactions in the audience. In the movie version, there are also some characters that do not appear in the original Broadway version. An example of this is seen through Roger’s backstory with April, his dead girlfriend - the movie shows Roger and April together, whereas in the Broadway version, she is only
Each time I perform I am taken into another place, another state of being. In this particular monologue, I was performing as Huldey from The Moors by Jen Silverman. This monologue was very interesting to me because I could relate to it but at the same time, the character was nothing like me. As a dramatic person, I was able to portray Huldey's actions and emotions without being tied to them in the way she is. This allowed me to be engaged with the audience which is part of step one in being a good actor. (Benedetti) Throughout this monologue I had to make several choices in order to ensure that it would not be monotonous. The monologue starts off as Huldey reading her diary. Her writing is boring but she thinks it to be the most amazing thing in the world and thinks of herself as a famous writer when in reality she is not. I had to portray this attitude with every line. Overall, I feel a did a pretty good job, However, there was one particular line that I could have placed more emphasis on and made a stronger choice. "There is nothing good in the world" could have been a really phenomenal line had I known what choice to make. In the future, I would rehearse the monologue more to see what feels right there and would be cohesive with the rest of the monologue.
short summary of what the play is about. The chorus is in the form of
For a play to meet with success, it is essential that it include a cast of interesting and captivating characters. Without interesting characters, the audience would not only be confused by each unimportant character, but possibly puzzled by the plot, disinterested in the theme and ideas, and worst of all, bored by the entire story.
One of its numerous strengths was the costuming and set. This musical would not have been the same had these elements not come together to transport the viewer. In addition to the costuming and the set, the actors were very well cast. Each actor was in a role that fit them and they portrayed their characters very well. For example, the man who played Glen really seemed like a greedy Wall Street worker. The choreography was also well done. It fit true to the style of dance in the 1980s and added to the immersion experience. The only thing that could have made this experience better would be to add more music. This may just be a personal preference, but when I see a musical I like for the music to be central like it is in Hamilton or Les Miserables. However, this musical was very good and not much could be added to enhance the
of musical theatre as a collaborative pair. The musical, which opened on Broadway at the Martin
On a cold, brisk Tuesday night, I attended the musical called Urinetown by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis. Urinetown was held in Rowand-Johnson Hall, at the Marian Gallaway Theatre. As I quickly walked in the entrance, I noticed that people were wearing casual attire. I gave the usher my ticket and walked to my seat. This time my seat was located up at the front so I had a great view of the stage. This particular theatre is my favorite, it is very open and you can see from every seat. This musical is known to be a musical comedy which deals with different themes, unique text, and extraordinary technical elements.
On a Wednesday night I saw Texas State Theatre and Dance Department's performance of A Chorus Line. The main plot of the musical entails the audition of 17 dancers for several Broadway roles on the chorus line. However, during their auditions the director Zach asks for personal stories of each dancer's life. Though the plot of this musical is seemingly simple in its twist on the traditional audition, it explores themes that reveal the human experience, the search for individuality, and the sense of self.
In modern theatres today we do not have a chorus, as it would obscure the view of the play and maybe set the wrong atmosphere as modern audiences are less willing to suspend their disbelief and want things to be as realistic.
A Chorus Line is a musical that focuses on Broadway dancers who audition for spots on a chorus line. Throughout the play, the different backgrounds and struggles of the different dances are shown to the audience, explaining the behavior of the dancers. As the past of each of the dancers unfolds, the audience understands and appreciates the musical more and more. Not only does A Chorus Line portray the difficulties that performers must overcome to be successful, it also demonstrates the real world fact that not everyone can “make it.” While A Chorus Line had an interesting plot, the actors brought it to 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
This play was one of Irving Berlin’s greatest achievements, and was his only musical to initially run more than one thousand performances (Lubbock). Many believe, such as Mark Lubbock, that “The score is his best and most varied for the theatre, yielding as it does at least half a dozen substantial song hits” (Lubbock). Many songs from this musical are still well known today by many, even if they do not know what the musical is about. Berlin’s lyrics were “brilliant and inventive”, as Lubbock states in his book. Though Irving Berlin’s lyrics are seemingly genius, as they are still used today, there are other aspects of the play that make it a
In a 20th Century production the chorus perform a seemingly less essential role. As there would be ample amplification of sound the chorus could be projected to the role of town folk who would fit into the structure of the play neatly.