I’ve always been a creative person since I was born, but it wasn’t until August 14, 2013, that I really understood that part of me. That day changed me for the better it was the day I saw my first Broadway show. It was the day I fell in love with the “city that never sleeps”, New York City, Times Square to be exact. A couple months prior I had really been invested in the show Wicked. I guess seeing musicals on broadway was the hit thing, because I became obsessed. Broadway shows just seemed like this magical experience like Disney World or Christmas. Then one day my father had gave in. “Alright sweetie, I booked the tickets we are going to New York, we’ve never gone and we are going to see that musical you said you wanted to see Wicked.” “Really?” …show more content…
Before intermission the famous song “Defying gravity” played and at the end I had risen from my seats and gave a standing ovation and we were only half way through! It was amazing everything was so beautiful the costumes, the dances, especially the set. I don’t know what it was about the sets but they were was done so detailed. The set wasn’t the only thing that sparked my interest I was always wondering how they did that scene how she flew into the air like that? How did she come down from the ceiling? How did she change so fast? The whole walk home, I had gushed to my mother about how astonishing Wicked …show more content…
In that moment, I knew I was going to become a theater nerd, not fully immersed but I’m getting there. After “Wicked”, I then saw what till this day is my favorite musical, “The Lion King”. And then to my surprise, not even half a year later, because of my love of the show and how much it changed my views of art, my dad said we would see it again in December. He realized how much musicals affected me, both my parents had. In seeing it the first time I had chosen that I wanted a future in the arts because of how much this musical influenced
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
What started out as a hobby transformed into a passion for an art form that allows me to use movements and expressions to tell a story. Whether I’m on stage in front of an audience of just friends and family, hundreds of strangers and a panel of judges, or the whole school, performing over thirty times, has helped me build lifelong
As Wicked was a powerful play of the 21st century, it was meant to reach out to people. This musical showed people the difference between good and evil. Teenagers related very well to this play because of the similar problems going on. It communicated the problems that go on in friendship and how to resolve them. The musical has a modern spin on the things going and it grabs everyone’s attention. The one important event that affected theatre in the 21st century was 9/11. Broadway fell for a few days, which was tough and scary. But with all the amazing productions, they pulled through. The changes going on through the 21st century had a big impact on plays and musicals, especially Wicked.
thesis of how the musical brought our inner child out to realize our true struggles in life.
When I first watched Chicago at the movie theater, I was not fully satisfied. I wanted more, so I went back to get some and watched it six more times with different friends and family members! Last summer during a visit to my native Mexico City, I had the opportunity to watch drag queens perform several numbers from the movie-musical. They did an amazing job, without surpassing the outstanding performances of the actors in the film. Last year, I visited NYC for the first time and indulged in the rows of the Ambassador theatre experiencing 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. Chicago is a must see film for anyone who likes to spoil themselves with an outstanding award-winning musical composed of a catchy plot, truly superb acting, commendable direction, and a clever soundtrack.
Nothing lasts forever. Everything, whether good or bad has to come to an end. But people do say that sounds and voices do not die. Melodies we hear in our life lives on for generations and ever after. No matter who we are or wherever we come from; in whichever situation we were in, at some point of our lives, we have come across certain melodies that still live in our heart. And I am no different from others. There are certain musical pieces that have not only influenced my life, but have made a significant impact to change me for the better.
When my mom asked if I wanted to see this year’s Lakeside musical, I honestly was a bit unwilling. It’s not that I didn’t want to support my two or three friends up on stage and in the crew; I just don’t have a very good track record with high school performances. I’m a critic: I have always been very critical of myself, and very critical of others. I unwittingly judge the actors onstage, and end up feeling guilty because I probably could have done no better. On top of this warped superiority/inferiority was the nature of the musical they were performing; all throughout third grade I had been obsessed with the movie-musical Hairspray. I knew all the songs, most of the lines, and wasn’t sure if anyone could top Queen Latifah. But I was mistaken.
As Leonard Bernstein once said, musical theatre is “an art that arises out of American roots, out of our speech, our tempo, our moral attitudes, our way of moving” (Bernstein,???). Therefore, it stands to reason that society will continue to engage with musical theatre to witness themes that reflect their daily lives and social history. For example, “Hairspray” deals with African-American integration, “Wicked” addresses social exclusion and “Hair” conjures themes of the sexual revolution and political uprise (GROVE MUSIC). Moreover, Miller (2007) describes that musical theatre, its lyricists and book writers, composers, directors and actors, have continually had to evolve to suit the modern day audiences desires for more relatable material, which is now recognised in modern theatre’s energetic, dissolute, intense and emotional presentation (reference??). NEW PARAGRAPH? Now, more than ever before, America, and the world, can access these thought-provoking themes through the increasing use of disseminating musical theatre through mediums other than live theatre. These include movie musicals such as Les Miserables (2012) and Into the Woods (2014), TV series such as Smash (2012-13) and Glee (2009-15), Disney- animated musicals such as Frozen (2013), which showcase the
I was so excited! When dad told me that we were going to be moving at some point in time, I asked if we could wait until after the school musical. Unfortunately, this meant that we were living in a hotel room with Grammy for a couple months. On the weekends, we were living in her home. This sounds kind of like a lot for a just a fifth grader’s school play, but dad did not want to take that moment away from me. And honestly, living with my dad and grammy in a hotelroom was still a lot better than living with my mom; or even Selesa for that
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.
Within the last few decades we've seen a huge resurgence in the popularity of the musical. With shows like Hamilton, Wicked, and Once, musicals have become more modern, edgy, and overall more accessible to a wide range of patrons of the arts. In this, the movie musical has also seen a regrowth in popularity – with reinventions of classic musicals like Hairspray (2007), Sweeny Todd (2007), and Les Miserables (2012) and original movie musicals like La La Land (2016) and Across the Universe (2007).
Performance Report In March 2015 I attended a performance of the popular musical Wicked, written by Winnie Holzman with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, directed by Joe Mantello, and starring Jennifer DiNoia as Elphaba and Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda. The play was performed on a proscenium stage at The Hollywood Pantages Theatre, a large indoor theatre built in the 1930s. The size and vintage style of the theatre created an atmosphere of elegance that fostered an air of anticipation amongst the audience before the performance began.
I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of how theater is more than a mere performance, but rather an artform with nuance and depth. My knowledge on theatrical styles has expanded and some of my favorites we have studied in class are Brechtian and Chinese theatre styles. I grew up participating in musical theatre, but never had the opportunity to truly learn the history and details of the craft. After studying RENT, I am inspired by the various possibilities for theater beyond acting, singing, and dancing. Theater can be used for activism or as a form of commemoration. Theater is relevant by communicating issues to the world. Theater is so much more than a dramatic presentation. The theater that I have come to appreciate the most are the performances that relay a greater purposeful message about society amidst the theatricals on
Every since I can remember I have liked to watch movies, I would never watch a scary
I had my first dance recital on the day I turned four. Now I don’t remember anything from that day, but I believe that that day is when I learned I loved to perform. I’ve been taking dance lessons since then, and many things that I do now involve performing in some type of way.