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Narrative techniques
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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”.
Point of view, “a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated” (Webster), is a phrase that is usually associated with story telling; particularly books. But point of view can also affect a film or play as well. “Lighting also is used to create the illusion of depth and dimension, and to illuminate different contours and textures.”(oscar) The stage performance and film of Phantom both use a 3rd person point of view. But the difference lies in the fact that the camera is omnis...
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Kenrick, John . "History of Musical Film 2000." History of Musical Film 2000. John Kenrick, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Leroux, Gaston. The phantom of the opera. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1994. Print.
"No One Would Listen." YouTube. YouTube, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Point of View." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
The Phantom of the Opera. Dir. Joel Schumacher. Perf. Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson. Warner Home Video, 2005. DVD.
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. Dir. Nick Morris. Perf. Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser. Universal Studios, 2011. DVD.
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.
If you don't think this is romantic, consider that Jonathan Larson's sensational musical is inspired by Puccini's opera "La Boheme," in which the lovers Mimi and Rodolfo are tragically separated by her death from tuberculosis. Different age, different plague. Larson has updated Puccini's end-of-19th-century Left Bank bohemians to end-of-20th-century struggling artists in New York's East Village. His rousing, moving, scathingly funny show, performed by a cast of youthful unknowns with explosive talent and staggering energy, has brought a shocking jolt of creative juice to Broadway.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
Kaplan, Jon. "Dumped!: Famous and Not-So-Famous Rejected Film Music." Film Score Monthly 8.9 (2003): 24-31. IIMP. Web. 6 Dec. 2010.
Over the course of my academic career, I have grown accustomed to viewing stories that follow a specific plot structure. Gao Xing Jian’s The Other Shore and Toshiki Okada’s The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise have shown me that I should look at theatre from different angles, instead of the one I have grown used to. Even though I found these two plays challenging to read, they offered me a unique perspective that I do not usually see in theatre.
Lloyd Webber’s widely regarded masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera uses key motifs and themes throughout the musical to establish its characters and scenes in an effective manner. Throughout the production the motifs, themes and songs all develop to reflect the changes their respective characters undergo. This is particularly evident when analysing The Phantom, his motifs and songs, and how they develop throughout the story.
The Phantom of the Opera rapidly became “the highest grossing staged musical in the entire world, with over 80 million audience members producing a profit of 3.3 billion dollars.” (Shelokhonov, 2017). It has run longer than any other Broadway musical, with multiple revivals and recorded performances, as well as the 2004 movie and even a musical sequel, Love Never Dies, composed by, of course, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. “For some, Phantom forged a path for a new kind of populist opera that could survive and thrive without government subsidy, while less sympathetic critics heard Phantom ’s ‘puerile’ operatics as sophomoric jibes against an art form they esteemed” (Winkler, 2014. p. 1). The musical is considered a cult classic and a favorite amongst theatre goers. Webber did also win an Oscar in “Best Music” for Evita, the film version, and he was also nominated in the same category for both film adaptations of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera. He has also won four Tony Awards for Best Musical: Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard as well as three separate Tony’s for Best Original Score: Evita, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard (Shelokhonov,
Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.
The Lion King musical is a well-known musical that has taken the stages of Broadway, West End and the rest of the world by storm (The Lion King, 1997). Regarding the process of the musical, Artistic Director Julie Taymor’s first thoughts for choosing the Lion King as the next big thing on stage, was classed as ‘impossible’ due to the film’s lack of theatrical material (The Lion King, 1997). Therefore, staging this particular work contained a great deal of uncertainty and the need for taking huge risks. Taymor (1997) suggests how ‘the Lion King was the worst idea possible to create a stage show.’ It has become evident that a number of significant barriers had to be overcome to secure the practicality of the production. In view of this controversy, this dissertation will critically analyse the success of the Lion King by exploring two significant aspects that have helped to make the musical a success. Firstly, the essential components that make up this theatrical production will be explored and secondly, the roles of each producer within the Lion King and their combined and individual influences they have had from the production will be evaluated. By analysing these two central themes, this paper will show how and why this musical has developed and achieved its phenomenal success.
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
For me, I was lucky that my college offered tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera right around Mothers’ Day. I celebrated the holiday early by taking my mother to see her first professional performance. I bought tickets to see the musical on Monday, May 2, 2011 at 8:00 PM at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. We spent the day shopping in New York with my some of my college mates. When we got to the theatre, I was slightly disappointed at the size and stuffiness of the theatre, as my imagination always cited spacious grand opera houses as the house for all Broadway shows. What The Majestic Theatre lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in atmosphere. It was very beautiful and ornate and it was like stepping back in time. I was instantly reminded of the movie Moulin Rouge when I entered. It definitely has an old-Hollywood glitz and glamour vibe, with the deep tangerine curtains and the hauntingly dim lighting, which seemed to fit the musical perfectly. There were a lot of steep stairs to climb to get to our seating area. We arrived about two minutes before it began, therefore, as we attempted to find our seats within that 2 minute countdown, the lights shut totally off, leaving us in a blacked out haze of confusion. Somehow, an usher made his way to us and helped us find our seats. Our seats moderately comfortable, but because our seats were located in the mezzanine area, our vision was at times obscured when anything went on at the top of the stage; we were forced to crouch down in our seats to see it.
The Phantom of the Opera" the movie, in this essay is about more than just a phantom in an opera causing problems. It's about the world inside an opera house and its real master the Phantom. Also, it is about a love triangle and the struggles of love between the Phantom, Christine and Raoul. The lighting, color and music point to the Phantom as he controls the stage and the characters on it. Through these basic elements and the characters Andrew Schumacher the director shows the theme. The theme is about love being a struggle to find truth.
Ebert effectively points out the highs and lows of Schumacher’s The Phantom of the Opera. Though the film is visually stunning, much is left to be said for the storyline, acting, and length. Few redeeming qualities make Schumacher’s version of The Phantom of the Opera worth watching. By glorifying the Phantom, Schumacher detracts from the demon that he was and the torment that he inflicted on those around him.
Freer, Justin. "The Importance of Music in Film." Los Angeles Brass Ensemble RSS. Los Angeles Brass Ensemble, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
The concept of “window” is figured into the very form of cinema. Every ‘shot’ is a framed window that hints the vast reality just outside of our view. People viewing this “window” get connected to this reality, experience the happenings, feel the emotions and engrossed into a life whatever they have wished. This is the magic of cinema.