20 Things I Learned In The History of Musical Theatre December 4, 2009

1) People really do use words like “Pastiche”

2)”Porgy and Bess” is an opera, who knew?

3) Bernadette Peters is much more entertaining on stage than in movies like “Pink Cadillac”

4)The passion of music: Explains Dr. Armstrong’s IPod fetish while doing yard work.

5) I can now use words like legato and syncopation properly in a sentence 🙂

6) There is A LOT more going on in Oz than Frank Baum led us to believe, a-l-o-t!

7) Mega musicals almost always involve epic plots and are completely sung through.

8) Opera had the same tainted sexism as literature prior to the 20th century.

9) I still LOVE “Cats”

10) There are serious links between culture, history, social status, and music!!

One of my Favorite Musicals 🙂

11) Musical Theory is very complicated.

12) Sex is predominant in music as in literature.

13) Audrey Hepburn DID NOT sing her parts in “My Fair Lady.”

14) Andrew Llyond Webber had an affair with one of his leading ladies.

15) Scott Joplin would never see “Treemonisha” have an impact on audiences due to racial barriers.

16) The history of musical theatre is much more exilerating than the history of American Standard English.

17) Sir Webber is making a weird sequel of sorts of Phantom which takes place in Coney Island : Phantom of Sauerkraut

18) There are a multitude of ways to study musical theatre.

19) J.S. Bach has composed a few snoozzzzzers.

20) Alberta Hunter sung well into her 80’s and on top of that she sung about sex 🙂

“The Color Purple”

Jessica Black

History of Musical Theatre

“Shug Avery Comin’ to Town”

This song is one of the most enjoyable jazz pieces of the show that I have heard so far. Although I have not seen the musical, I have listened to most of the music and really loved “Shug Avery Comin’ to Town.” The song’s pace is set by a drummer on the top hat that introduces the male vocals that bend and slide giving the song an authentic jazzy feel. Down below there sounds like someone is playing the bass in pitzacato form on the higher notes of the strings. Before the entrance of the piano there are lower string instruments using the bow to make legatto sounds. In the beginning of the song there are not a large range of dynamics. Then enters a piano rift in chordal form in what appears to begin on a high note scaling down to a lower jazzy chordal pattern below the singers. More singers enter and are accompanied by full instrumental including the piano, strings, high hat, and what sounds like horns. After the chorus section, the female singer reenters alone and the bass plucking resumes and the broken chords return. There sounds like someone snapping their fingers or an instrument imitating the steady paced snap. The group of women returns with full intstrumental. Then there is some call and response between the male and female vocals with low tones underneath. The electric piano plays patterns in a some type of twangy jazz instrument setting. Horns enter as the song grows grander, voices are back and forth. Lots of voices enter for the end of the song as the full jazz intstrumental reappears with orchestra like grandness, the dynamics have an extreme range of volume and pitch. The music definitely communicates the arrival of this sultry character and the jazzy beats portrays the type of singer that Shug is.

I could not find a clip of my song, but here is “I’m Here” from the musical “The Color Purple” accompanied by a variety of still shots:

Shug is one of my all time favorite female characters throughout the novels I have read. The new-found strength that is portrayed through a woman that would normally be the bad seed in literary characters, but here she is the angel that helps others in the book transform. Her passion for life and music spills out of her character and her songs. I also enjoyed her musical numbers in the movie especially “Sista (Miss Celie’s Blues) and “God is Trying to Tell you Something.” Those who know the history behind Shug and her father often shed a tear for this scene, as I do. This is my favorite part of the movie where as my favorite part of the book is Celie’s reunion with her sister Nettie and her two children Adam & Olivia.

“Wicked” Music November 22, 2009

Jessica Black

History of Musical Theatre

I believe that the song “For Good” speaks loudly about the show “Wicked.” The story is a prequel to “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” but more than just a children’s tale because there are complicated designs in the plot that deal with prejudice, animal cruelty, and the timeless question about good vs evil and whether or not these are innate traits. I feel that all of the songs build towards a moral, but “For Good” tackles it and accomplishes the portrayal of equality in the face of social indifference. Elphaba is considered “different” at her school manly because she is green and “peculiar.” Her acquaintance starts off with the popular Galinda/Glinda as loathing, but even “What is this feeling?” is a mocking melody accompanied by counterpoint lyrics that equate Glinda and Elphaba lyrically against the students. The reason for this style is to convey that emotions are ever-changing and to foreshadow that there is a bond in the future between the two protagonists that is enlightened by “For Good.”

For Good

The song begins with a few chimes before Elphaba’s vocals accompanied by horns holding a few medium pitch notes. The instruments are faint because she alternates singing with speaking and they are in harmony with and when she sings. Her mentioning Glinda’s name prepares the listener for a call and response type duet in which they are answering one another’s feelings with alternating yet similar stanzas. There are two measures ending in a few beats of lower bass before Glinda enters the song and her vocals are accompanied by an electric keyboard that sounds like it has been set in harp or bell mode. The keyboard plays submissively behind Glinda with broken chords that sweetly blend into her vocals. The song, from the beginning appears to be a sweet consonant confessional ballad in which both of them proclaim their loyality and love in friendship.Glinda sings for about 12 measures staying within what appears to be an octave. There is little pitch range and the dynamics are constant and calm. There are also violins and a pulse on the symbol through the second stanza of Glinda’s first set of vocals and then a clarinet emphasizing the last two lines before Elphaba’s vocals return. The calmness continues with low strings, maybe e a few wood winds until she begins to describe Glinda and the imagery displays strength. The instruments and vocal dynamics increase with imagery such as “Like a ship blown from its mooring…like a seed dropped by a skybird,” the changes in sound emphasize the strength Elphaba is describing in Glinda. They both sing one line together before building to the climax which happens with the line “And none of it seems to matter anymore,” the full orchestra kicks in and the two female vocalists are singing lyrics at the same time, but with two different melodies giving them their individuality yet their equality in life, love, and friendship. Once again the lyrics are reinforced by the grandness of the orchestra and have returned to the imagery of strength “Like a comet pulled/Like a ship blown,” after the grand statement of strength in a friend, the music returns to the simplicity of the intro with piano accompaniment, a few strings and wood winds. The strength the song refers to, is that found in others. Although, the beginning of the friendship was separated by prejudice, no, more so uncertainty about difference, the main characters pull through, put differences aside and build a lasting relationship. I think this is why every parent at one point or another has said “Do not judge a book by its cover.” With closemindedness comes ignorance which leads to loneliness and the regret that you might have missed out on something genuinely good. Life is better with no regrets!

The “La Boheme” heart of “RENT” November 15, 2009

Jessica Black

History of Music Theater

Larson took the story of “La Boheme” and not only modernized it, but perfected the meaning in order to give us hope. The change in the ending says a thousand words about hope and redemption. The music sung by the individuals suits each personality, but amazingly enough when they sing together, unity is profoundly announced. This group of friends are indestructable and through struggle and hope, they can make it through just about anything. Angel, the tranny percussionist has a solo that simply defines his personality and inspirational personal effect on the group. Larson did a wonderful job of emphasizing this new comer’s features and his positive effect on this strong community of friends. The emphasis on living with AIDS as opposed to dying from AIDS incorporates the reality that outside the moments that lead to death, there is a grand life awaiting and life is unexpected for every individual. Although, Angel dies during the show, he reappears and strengthens the message of hope in the end, which reinforces his name A-n-g-e-l. My personal favorite is Maureen, and although I have not seen “La Boheme,” the change from singer to performance artist and her protest song is wonderful!!

 

Sternfeld Chapter 6 November 12, 2009

Jessica Black

History of Musical Theatre

Sternfeld Chapter 6

Sternfeld devotes this chapter to covering musicals, other than the three whopper megamusicals, throughout the 80’s and stating where they fit within and amongst the mega-hits. The other chapters were in-depth looks at individual shows and this chapter is a scenic tour of the “other stuff” happening in the 80’s that did not quite catch the eyes and ears of critics and audiences.

She begins the tour by pointing out Tim Rice’s solo act Blondel that had little success and a lot self-criticism by Rice. The show included topical and occasional humor, speedy lyrics, “unsuccessful staging” and complicated wordy jokes. Sternfeld points out that it is still popular among certain groups and is more of a success because the staging has been played down, leaving more room to breathe in the lyrics and maybe even catch a few jokes.

Second on the route is Tim Rice’s next solo project Chess which has all of the makings of a megamusical from epic plot to flashy, large staging, but even with the pre-hype, the life line of the show was anything but mega. She proposes that the lack of attention could be that the plot was too close to home. Like I have said about Miss Saigon, some shows need to get far enough from the era it is portraying in order for it to be appreciated or even understood. During or shortly after the devastation of Vietnam, I can almost guarantee that the audience was not “in the mood” to see a complicated love story set in Vietnam. I totally agree with her statement about Chess and it needing to reappear outside of its time period to “…be more of an emotional thrill and less of a depressing reminder of the world outside the theater”(Sternfeld 285). A wonderful show on Rice’s part, but people in 1988 were not too quick to want to sit through a show about the happenings of the mid 1980’s. This may be my particular interest in classic movies, I simply prefer the thrill of Hitchcock as opposed to the rape and murder in modern horror that was taken straight off of WJZ Baltimore 13. Same goes for romance with Cary Grant (yummy), Gregory Peck, and the adorable Jimmy Stewart, I feel that these films are closer to what romance should be than the modern damn-near-close to snuff films that flood the theaters and are called ballbusters, oops, I mean blockbusters.

Andrew Lloyd Webber finds himself a place in this tour with the show with “no heart,” Starlight Express. Webber, what happened? The lack of characters is Sternfeld’s most prominent point along with a kiddy plot and emotionless roller skating actors. She goes on to describe the score as Webber’s weakest ever, gosh I hope he isn’t riding the tour bus with us, and refers to it as “bubble gum pop.” Sternfeld’s word choices always amaze me and with those three little words I kind of imagine “Barbie and the Rockers.” I had the whole group in the 80’s fully equipped with all the dolls, instruments, a stage shaped like a guitar with leg stands that allowed Barbie and her group to wiggle around, and even a cassette with bubble gum pop that had their theme song “We’re Barbie and the Rockers…” Webber jumped off the tour bus, rewrote the show which became The New Starlight Express and the show got busy touring the world. Webber is a determined composer.

All and all she points out that there were successes as well as flops in the 80’s and as we all know not everything can be a success, but it is still in the eye of the beholder 🙂

OH MY….I cannot believe I found this, quite the flashback. I think I got it Xmas 84 or 85, I must have seen this commercial!!  The song is the same as on the cassette:

Sternfeld Chapter 5: The Phantom… November 3, 2009

Jessica Black

Chapter 5 “The Phantom of the Opera”

I love the word phantom, from its sound to its spelling. Once again, Webber locates a book in an obscure store and adds to an existing theme in his head. With book in hand, 1984 proved to be the year that Webber would make his “romantic declaration.” The eerie show about a disfigured man living beneath the opera house and longing for affection started to form and met its success in London in 1986. Before entering Broadway, the show, like Miss Saigon, met with casting controversy over the leading female star who at the same time stirred up additional scandal by becoming Webber’s leading lover. As with most gossip, this blows over.

Phantom became Webber’s “sophisticated” show which Sternfeld links to the lingering of the word opera around the show and not just in the title. With operatic elements involved, many argued whether Phantom could be considered the “new opera.” Sternfeld dissects the production in order to single out the all of the operatic qualities concluding that “…light operatic flavor sounded more appropriate in the context ,” which created this a more “sophisticated score”(Sternfeld 241). All of her musical investigation of lyrics, vocals, and instrumentals leans the listener towards hearing this as more of an opera than a pop show. I feel the qualities Sternfeld mentions are the same reason that Phantom is such a magnet for people because it is Webber, but a different Webber than one is use to. I adore Cats, but feel a burning passion for Phantom. The emotions that the two shows arise are completely different on the spectrum of depth, but are both pleasant. Sternfeld uses music to define the difference between Cats and Phantom in which the first used genre based tunes per a cat to define each individual as opposed to the recurrence in Phantom that focuses on painting the overall dramatic tones for the audience.

Phantom met with positive reviews and was credited for more than just a spectacular eye sight. The romantic quality of the show leaves the audience feeling fulfilled in all realms; audio, visual, and emotional. The influence of these qualities over human emotion may be the reason Sternfeld states that Phantom “…sets the bar for future Broadway composers”(Sternfeld 272).

Iron Maiden’s heavy metal version of  “Phantom of the Opera” 🙂

 

Sternfeld Chapter 4, “Les Mis”

Jessica Black

Sternfeld found a comfortable way of writing and she is consistent throughout “Megamusical.” One becomes familiar with her writing and researching technique making each chapter an easier read than its predecessor. Les Miserables, “the most successful musical of all time,” has a history that also dates back over one hundred years beginning with a novel written by Victor Hugo with many aspects of his own life incorporated into the work. Boublil approached Schonberg with the idea of Les Mis and the duo plus another duo took a stab at transforming the success of the 1861 novel into a sung through musical with an epic plot; a megamusical. Chosen for its “French nature,” translated and reformed for a worldly audience, and touched by a large team of musical geniuses, Les Mis would take the world by storm. Time was invested from the starting point in France 1980 to opening night in London 1985 and many alterations were made by the team. With a head for business, the dynamic duo presented a full recording to the world which gained the attention of the geniuses mentioned above.

Opening night in London met with mixed reviews, but there was an overall enthusiasm that intoxicated the crowd and ticket sales rocketed the next day. As Sternfeld had mentioned before, megamusicals have quite a habit of overcoming their mixed reviews and negative responses. The move to the Palace theater would mark a moment in history considering Webber had recently bought the venue and his competitors fate would be partially affected by new ownership as well as partially by his acceptance. Sternfeld points out the Webber “…did not particularly care for the show…” but as with his own megamusical background and experiencing mixed reviews on all of his shows, these responses mattered very little in mega-land and Les Mis continued to  Broadway.

Les Mis and the twenty year span that it covers through complex themes, techniques, extravagant stage transformations, and many other mechanics that make this show truly the first of its kind. The emphasis lies on reoccurring melodies and musical themes that emotionally continue to bring the show full circle. References to previous numbers, repeated sounds throughout different song, as well as new and shocking sounds create a variety of climaxes during the show which captivated the audience. The reviews on the other-hand ranged from overly enthusiastic to annoyed negativity stirring from the same source that detested previous megamusicals. Regardless Les Mis went on to win  eight Tony awards out of twelve, repay its investors in record-breaking speed, and ultimately become an international success. Worth every penny in sales, I am happy to say that my mother also has the entire album downloaded to her Blackberry and enjoys the Les Mis experience repeatedly through her Bluetooth. This is truly a phenomenon of epic proportion, that this timeless story has reached us through a novel, movies, and music.

“Cats” October 29, 2009

Jessica Black

History of Musical Theater

“Cats”

This morning, I got my coffee and a blanket and headed for the couch surrounded by Pomeranians, the only companions around willing to watch Cats 🙂 and prepared myself for a show I had not seen in nearly twenty years. The previews came flying at me and I was already mesmerized by the brief promotion of …amazing technicolor dreamcoats and a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar which included AK-47’s and hooligans sporting leather jackets. Things that make you go hmm… I was pleased to make it through the preview for that particular reproduction. Ahh… it was now time to relive a childhood memory and I was pleased to see that Brandy, Brownie, Buttercup, and even Bam-Bam(my anti-social 20lb cat) were settled in for the show as well. I remembered my fondness for “The Old Gumbie Cat,” but as an adult I have fallen in love with “The Rum Tum Tugger,” quite the Dr. Frankenfurter of Cats. This show is quite different from the others I have watched this semester especially considering it is sung all the way through by cats. A far stretch from Carmen, Porgy & Bess, and My Fair Lady as far as plot, constant musical changes, and the dancing…oh. the DANCING!! The assortment of characters accompanied by music appropriate to their personality is delightful, although I agree with Sternfeld about the forgettable performance of “Bustopher Jones.” The song captured his personality or lack of, more so captured the air about him. This show defines the megamusical and could have had Ben Stein singing and one might not notice because of the mesmerizing costumes and make-up. Cats are naturally sexy creatures, but even more so are fit humans dressed up and slinking around as cats, m-e-o-w! The mixed reviews seem to be consistent as far as megamusicals go and expected. I believe it depends upon the individual recipient and that many negative reviews, as Sternfeld points out, came from those in search of theater of the past; slower paced, deep meaning, and less spectacular. I find that there is an array of shows out there to be seen and although Cats was insanely popular, it was not the only show on Broadway. Nothing beats variety. Movie theaters are a good comparison because I think it is a marketing intention to have a variety of movies be released at the same time. Movie theaters usually have a variety of horror, romance, comedy, action, drama, and children’s movies playing at the same time so that there is something for everyone. I have gone in groups to theaters where the group is undecided and we end up splitting up to feed our own tastes. Variety is wonderful and Cats brought something new and spectacular to the line up. I found the only rule that Cats did not follow as far as megamusicals are concerned is the epic plot, but as a cat I think the story is extremely epic. (I don’t know if my cats could have been so inventive and this piece speaks better for cats than the Sunday Garfield clippings). One critic felt that the show “replaced” drama, but this thinking is absurd because even though Cats is very different from previous shows, like I said before it is not the ONLY show and it has its own range of drama. This audience oriented show does nothing short of amazing, I have had a warm fuzzy feeling with me since my viewing this morning and regardless of criticism; that feeling is the most important aspect of this show. 20 years later, my foot still tapped as I wiggled on the couch to the catchy numbers and my eyes still filled with tears upon hearing “Memory.” It is still the total experience and a feeling critics often lack because, hey, they are critics. The show is timeless and if one does not feel the thrill, at least they can walk away being able to never look at a cat the same again. Makes you wanna take Gus the Theater Cat home and warm him up in a blankie. Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……………..

Chapter 3 Sternfeld October 28, 2009

Sternfeld takes this chapter as an opportunity to cover the longest running show “Cats,” at least the longest running show in the time she was writing “Megamusical.” This chapter describes the road to super stardom for both Cats and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sternfeld associates many “firsts” to Cats and uses them to pave the road of success. A few firsts were *all-dance show from London *first Webber show minus Rice *first marketing strategy to go above and beyond the standard and *first to simultaneously conquer London and New York with four musicals running between the two locations. Whew, that was a handful and the perfect equation to becoming a S-U-P-E-R-S-T-A-R!! After briefly discussing the final results, Sternfeld welcomes us into her time machine and we review Cats from the beginning which starts as early as Webber’s childhood and his mother’s fondness for T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” in which this comforting story from childhood is stored away in memory only to emerge as an epiphany years later. The solution to not having Rice’s lyrics to set music to was an easy one because the poems were to be the lyrics and Webber could do what he did best; writing melodies that would bring the words to life! He received total cooperation from Eliot’s wife and this project became a full-fledged reality. With her support and influence, the musical began to grow. Aside from Valerie Eliot, a dynamic trio was born which consisted of Webber, Mackintosh, and Nunn, all who would have continued musical success. After forming a plot around the poems, incorporating set ideas, and added lyrics, there was one major component needed; a hit song. Pastiche takes place in the use of a very “Puccini-like” melody and the mega hit “Memory” became a reoccurring song in our hearts and minds.

With the “hype” in place and the England success, Cats opened on Broadway 10-7-1982 with an advanced ticket sale of 6.2 million DOLLARS, making a mark in theatre history. Sternfeld thoroughly covers the marketing strategies which easily explains such a grand opening, but moves on to a more poignant point: the eighteen year successful run on Broadway. This was no longer a show that just the natives adored, it became a major tourist obligation and as America knows, tourists never cease to be amazed. The market continued to reach as far as our little people and an abundance of souvenirs were created to accompany this child friendly show. She supports the success of the show with articles, especially from the New York Times, but the most important statement was “…it managed to become not only famous but also famous for being famous”(Sternfeld 126). This powerful remark is the core of Cats success and even if you have never experienced this razzdazztical show, you have at least heard of it from Mobile Alabama to the Ashanti tribes.

Sternfeld explores the score by reviewing the sheet music and performing a detailed analysis of the music and the traits that made the music work. From reprise technique to pastiche, although this was often refered to with negative connotations because many considered the pastiche was closer to pledgerism. Sternfeld quotes John Simon as saying “Never have I had such a yen to hire a private tune detective to track down the provenance of these songs…”(Sternfeld 148). Regardless, with a number of hits and other “pleasant” melodies, this show defeated the narcissism or masked envy (even Sondheim addiction) of critics and was more focused on being an audience-pleaser. With a Tony Award under its belt and years beginning to pass, Cats was here to stay and journalists’ appeared restless, therefore the show  even caused a Cats based journalist approach in which the show is still very much apart of NY life and journalists would be forced to find new approaches in order to avoid redundancy. The megamusical had fully blossomed, like the recipients and audience members of all calibers were willing to sacrifice their Broadway virginity in exchange for the Cats “experience.”

“Evita” October 22, 2009

Where do I begin? I am torn between the influence of the critics referenced in Sternfeld’s second chapter of “Megamusical”  to Evita, but for now will lean towards the London opinion to divorce music from politics. I am a fairly politically charged person and could find it easy to be swayed by the angry New Yorker’s over the content of Evita. I will set that aside for now. Musically, I was amazed at the flow of this production with the reoccurrence of many songs integrated into others and the effect it had on building Eva’s character. I notice a repeat of music whenever Eva was persuasive especially her first night with Peron in “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You” and the similarity in the sound of “A New Argentina,” Eva sings both songs slow and seductively with a steady Latin beat in the background. These songs emphasize the association between lust and power. Aside from the constant reoccurring chant “Evita!” and the familiarization to the crowd of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” there are many other sounds that are woven throughout the music. The vocal beginning “Buenos Aires” is an exact match to Eva’s ending to “Rainbow High” except for the replacement of lyrics to accompany the same melody. Both songs are a kind of in-your-face, watch out here I come announcement from Eva, first occurring upon her initial arrival to the big city and once again when she is established, the music imitates itself right at the moment that Eva is visiting Spain and has claimed to be a saviour. Both songs signify through sound, the heart of an egomaniac. If one is unfamiliar with the history of Eva Peron, they are well guided by the somewhat mysterious narrator Che. I found it ironic that Rice chose Che, although not really Che Guevara, but if he was this is how he would feel about Eva. I love it especially being familiar with Guevara and his numerous attempts for social reform. The symbolism is grand and the narrator well-chosen. Kudos to Rice!

The political based criticism initially captured my heart, but I can definitely see the line between making a spectacular musical and making a political stand. Rice was enticed by Eva’s story and her scandalous social climb and I tend to agree that alone makes it good material for a musical. I do not feel that Webber and Rice were secretly attempting to play a part of Argentinian politics. They found a complex character chock full of an impoverished background, a shady night life, a deceitful rise to power, and a falsified love and compassion for a country that was simply desperate for hope; even in the form of a vixen. Many arguments are still out there, but regardless of the weight of one over the other, If I had to be duped by politics, I would rather it be from a woman who had to fight poverty and uncertainty in order to rise to the occasion to dupe me.

The following clips are the full Biography Channel program on Eva Peron (total 55 min. or so)