Brick by brick, heart by heart, the scene was set; a dreary, lifeless school graced the stage. Enter Jesus stage right, add flashes of vibrancy and color, bring in the musical mastery of Stephen Schwartz, and a moving production is on its way. Cooper High School’s production of the acclaimed “Godspell” tied chilling realism and ludicrous comedy together to create a show from which life poured. Originally intended as a children’s show, Stephen Schwartz wrote and orchestrated the global phenomenon known as “Godspell” in the early 70’s and it opened Off-Broadway in 1971 before transferring to the Great White Way in 1976. The show performs the story of several parables written in the book of Matthew of the Bible and presents them in interpretive …show more content…
The relentless energy was something rare, as they were filled with vigor even in moments of solitude, putting all they had into their characters and telling a story in a ground-breaking way. Never failing to elicit cheers with a soft-spoken, purposeful voice was none other than Jesus, portrayed by Jacob Threadgill. Not only having outstanding vocals, but his compassion and solace ran through his veins and extended far beyond his words. A flash of red lifted Him above the others as he struck down demons, crying out “I’m dying!”- words doused in emotion and solitude. Rooted in the power of the ensemble, the show bore no star, rather an ensemble filled with life and talent. Among the scene-stealers was Trevor Labree, who played his namesake, shining in numbers of vocal dominance, such as “All Good Gifts”, but also setting the bar of comedy high and didn’t look back. Also worth noting was the spunky, yet reserved Lauren Klayer, as herself, who shined not only in every calculable dance step, but also thrived in the non-calculated moments of character
The play that was chosen to be read for the actor’s analysis was, “The Norwegians” which was written by C. Denby Swanson. As there is no specific style for this play, it is known to be categorized as a contemporary comedy as well as a character driven play.
On March 31, I had the pleasure of seeing Hello Dolly at Mandeville High School. As a talented theater student at the school, I take the shows that are put on very seriously. Being involved in the show, helping make set pieces, and working at the box office brings light to me as an individual, every little helping hand counts. I want to make sure that my school represents theater in the best way possible. With this production put on, I am proud to say that I am a theater student at Mandeville High.
As far as acting, the performers were able to convey the feelings they needed to. However, some characters such as Ol' Cap'n played by Dick Lambert and Luttibelle played by April Curry, seemed more committed and engaging in their roles than others. A crucial factor in April Curry portraying her role so well was her vocal talent far exceeded that of any of the other major performers. She had an amazing voice that I was dazzled by from curtain up to down and left me craving for more. This almost compensated for my disappointment when it came to the ensemble singing to the soundtrack. Many performers were dependent on the cd and were not confident as to when to begin or stop singing, which dampered many moments of the performers. Another element of acting that I enjoyed was the exaggerated use of cooning throughout the duration of the performance that brought characters to life, and enabled certain moments to seem real.
For my second article critique I chose to attend a play at the CORP Theatre in Rowlett to watch Steel Magnolias. Throughout the play my eyes were immediately drawn to many aspects of the play such as the characters and use of spectacles. My overall opinion of the play was positive. Although, unless you have seen the movie before it could be hard to follow along with.
If there is truly tradition to be found among the great theatres both on and off Broadway, then certainly the Sullivan Street Playhouse and its long running production of The Fantasticks rates as one of the most celebrated of New York theatrical traditions. Maintaining its place as the longest running production Off Broadway, The Fantasticks remains an enchanting and insightful tale of both young love and bitter disillusionment. It also reminds one, in this age of spectacle and the mega-musical, how powerful and truly inspiring theatre itself can be. Clearly, one of the great strengths of this production and a large part of its appeal for audiences over the last four decades lies in the fact that both the story and the style of presentation compliment each other so completely. Here we find the non-essentials are stripped away, and we are left to rely simply on the imagination of both the audience and the performers to create a magical evening.
At first I wasn’t much of a theatre person and I have never seen an actual play before. I wasn’t really sure what to think of the play or to expect. I attended the Sunday performance of Doubt: A Parable, on October 4 at 2:00 pm. For my first play, it was excellent! I was amazed by the performance and the stage set up was phenomenal. So in this play review over Doubt: A Parable I will be going over how well the actors were in the performance to how well the stage was made.
Generation X has finally taken out a lease on the future of theatre, and it looks like it is more than able to pay the "Rent" (Coulbourn 43). "Rent" is a musical for our time, for our generation and for generations to come. It has won numerous Tony Awards including best musical, book, score, lyrics, and ensemble performance. This musical is an excellent representation of cultural religion and it has had a profound impact on society both in the 90's and today. "Rent" is not only a representation of the culture of the new millennium but is an excellent representation of the faith of a new generation.
On October 3, 2016, I watched The Woodsman in class at Brigham Young University. James Ortiz directed the play, along with the production team Claire Karpen (Director), Molly Seidel (Costume Design), Catherine Clark and Jamie Roderick (Lighting Design) and Becca Key (Production Manager). A Broadway Production, The Woodsman epitomized the strength of technical design while allowing the audience to fall in love with the characters.
Our second to last day in New York started like all the others. Breakfast. Shopping. Sites. Back to the hotel. However, upon returning to our rooms, my stepmother (who was escorting us on this journey) handed me three tickets. Across the top of them, it read: The Nederlander Theatre presents Jonathan Larson’s RENT. I was completely stunned and my ey...
All the Way was written by Robert Schenkkan in 2012, and won a Tony Award in 2014. I am not surprised the play won a Tony, there is nothing but good reviews about performances. From what most can tell, the play is about the trials and tribulations of an accidental president. In some ways, that might be true, but in my opinion it is about so much more. All the Way follows the first term of Lyndon B. Johnson after an assassin’s bullet ends the life of, arguably, one of the United States most popular presidents in history (http://www.seattlerep.org/Plays/1415/AW/Synopsis ). Throughout the play, LBJ has to deal with the war in Vietnam, Civil Rights tensions coming to head, and most importantly the presidential election. But beyond the superficial themes, play reveals a fragile system full of flawed individuals deciding the fate of the United States, and depicts a complex, manipulative President Johnson.
At first glance, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Tony Kushner’s Angels in America appear to serve as two individual exercises in the absurd. Varying degrees of the fantastical and bizarre drives the respective stories, and their respective conclusions hardly serve as logical resolutions to the questions that both Beckett and Kushner’s characters pose throughout the individual productions. Rather than viewing this abandonment of reality as the destination of either play, it should be seen as a method used by both Beckett and Kushner to force the audience to reconsider their preconceived notions when understanding the deeper emotional subtext of the plays. By presenting common and relatable situations such as love, loss, and the ways in which humans deal with change and growth, in largely unrecognizable packaging, Kushner and Beckett are able to disarm their audience amidst the chaos of the on stage action. Once the viewer’s inclination to make assumptions is stripped by the fantastical elements of either production, both playwrights provide moments of emotional clarity that the audience is forced to distill, analyze, and ultimately, comprehend on an individual level.
Miller, D. A. Place for Us: Essay on the Broadway Musical. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.
Glengarry Glen Ross is play that took place at Miami Dade College. It is based on the play of David Mamet on 1992. It is about a real state company in Chicago, United States, which decides to make a challenge among their employees. The challenge is that the best salesman is going to be rewarded with a Cadillac of the year and the worst one is going to the fired. Hence, salesmen decide to keep record of the sales on a chalkboard in the middle of the office putting first the salesman that has earned more money after closing the deals.
When you read this play, take special care to remember the difference between the work of a playwright and that of a novelist. Novelists may imagine their audience as an individual with book in band, but a playwright writes with a theater full of people in mind. Playwrights know that the script is just the blueprint from which actors, producers, stagehands, musicians, scenic designers, make-up artists, and costumers begin. You will need to use an extra measure of imagination to evaluate this play before you see the Goodman production.
Wells, E A. (2011) West Side Story Cultural Perspectives on an American musical. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc.