Savannah Live Musical Analysis

I believe that the location and year in which the play is set, 1927 Chicago, should remain unchanged to protect the historical integrity because “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” actually was recorded in 1927. I would ensure that the play takes place on a small proscenium stage with a curtain, as I feel that this size allows the audience to feel more intimately involved in the action while still maintaining the traditional elements of a theatre production. The backdrops and color scheme of the play would be fairly simple, as I envision the recording studio to look slightly rundown, but with subtle glimpses into the studio’s past grandeur. In order to achieve this effect, the studio’s decor should be mostly neutral, but there could be a few pops of color on the posters of the famous artists who previously recorded there which adorn the walls. In order to account for the two different rooms which are included in the stage directions, the stage could be divided in half, so when the lighting is focused on one side the action is in the studio, and when the other side is lighted the action is in the bandroom.

Not only is this musical a history lesson to many of us, it brought us into the story, making us feel as though we were part of this performance, and in turn the making of history. The fourth wall, a term used to describe the imagery boundary between the actors on stage and the audience, is broken on multiple occasions. Most predominately, when Diana Ross performs “Reach Out and Touch” at the Frontier Hotel, performing as if the current audience was the audience for her Las Vegas show. We were immediately drawn in, becoming a part of her first performance in Vegas and her debut solo single. The Princess of Wales Theatre was quickly transformed into the Frontier Hotel seamlessly.

I attended the concert in Punta Gorda on October 19th at The Charlotte Performing Arts Center. The concert presented the Port Charlotte High School Wind Orchestra followed by Florida Gulf Coast University Wind Orchestra. FGCU’s wind orchestra was conducted by Dr. Rod Chesnutt. The first piece they played was Danse Bacchanale (1877) by Camille Saint-Sales from “Samson and Deliliah”. The final piece performed was Jug Blues and Fat Pickin (1986) by Don Freund.

The concert I attended, with my sister and friend, was held at FAU’s beautifully quaint University Theater. The room was only half full with student, professors, and various other adults. The Fifth House Ensemble performed three different “acts”. The first was a few different comedic opera songs about “Employees Wash Hands”, “Cascading Water”, and “Lipstick”. These songs were comicial with a refreshing twist.

There were so many reasons to love the Eaux Claires Music Festival: the weather, the location, the open fields filled with smiling people. It was a music festival created by musicians, the lineup was great, the cost was low, the overall setup was smart, the sound was crisp, the visual effects were tremendous and loads of love was reciprocated between artists to festival goers all weekend. It was well planned for the most part, well attended (22,000+) and greatly enjoyed by all. It’s cliché to say, but Eaux Claires was about the people and the music. No salesy BS, no corporate agenda—the closest thing to corporate at the festival was Eau Claire based catering company, KP Katering Enterprises.

On Saturday, November 11, I attended a performance of Cabaret at Dutchess Community College. This musical is set in Berlin, 1931 Germany pre World War I as the Nazis are rising to power. It takes place in a nightclub, the Kit Kat Klub and revolves around an American writer named Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with an English cabaret performer, Sally Bowles. The cast features six major characters: Sally Bowles, the headlining British singer at the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee, or the Master of Ceremonies of the Kit Kat Klub, who is extremely leering and flamboyant, Cliff Bradshaw, an American writer traveling through Berlin, Fräulein Schneider, an older woman who runs the apartment building where Cliff and Sally live, Herr Schultz, an older Jewish shop owner who falls in love with Fräulein Schneider and Ernst Ludwig, a German man who befriends Cliff and is later revealed to be a Nazi (Miller). The musical featured music by John Kander, directed by Hal Prince, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff.

After watching the new Broadway musical An American in Paris, I left the Palace Theatre feeling I shall never forget this beautiful American musical with its powerful display of storytelling through dance. Christopher Wheeldon, the director and choreographer, chose an extremely clear, stunning, and entirely balletic introduction; yet even with the limited narration, I was never lost as he carried me through Paris - a suffering city still in turmoil after emerging from the darkness of WWII German Occupation. As the giant Nazi banner victoriously

As a result of being from Georgia, away from New York or Los Angeles, Sutton did not have the same upper hand in theatre as any other person born in one of the aforementioned cities. Over the course of eight years, Sutton continues doing what she does best, lighting up the stage with energy and joy. She performed and waited for her chance to shine in the limelight. Her roadblock was out of her control, yet she still had to deal with the

The fall of the federal theatre project was due to the motive of the project, which was misinterpreted. The government did not believe in spending tax money to pay performers and promote art. The closure of federal theatre made about “8,000 people lose their jobs” (Paula Becker

In Staging Race: Black Performers in Turn of the Century America, author Karen Sotiropoulos sets out to describe black artists and their art as “ constitutive of and emblematic of their own generation” (1). Centered in the years post-Civil War and during the dawn of the Jim Crow laws in the late 19th century, Staging Race focuses on the advancement of African American artists in the flourishing cities in America. Artists held the stage in America’s growing entertainment and commercial sector. However, author Sotiropoulos is meticulously in reminding readers that although there were possibilities for advancements, there were still prevalent struggles among artists. Facing racial violence, segregation, disenfranchisement, and social Darwinism,

West Side Story was filled with many social issues such as prejudices and stereotypes. The issues like women being in the home and interracial issues was taking place during this time period. The tension of between the Sharks and Jets adds more drama to the musical. These different aspects adds with the telling of plot to the audience and makes it many people favorite musical.

The sound in the scene is pretty normal sound. In the beginning we hear the cold winds to establishing it is winter. When we are taken into the concert scene we hear the bustle of the stage manager trying to get everyone in place while someone is singing on stage. All these sounds we believe because it is how we think a busy concert backstage should sound like. One bit of sound that was interesting is when Lynn is called to be onstage the sound drops really low as if to await her final decision.

I also liked how the stage was set up. It was simple, yet it didn't need anything else to make the play better. Something that really stood out to me that I thought was a little silly, was when a group of 5 people came out and started playing music while another guy told a story. I thought it was a little strange, but at this point I didn't really know what was going on either. The lighting was used to an advantage during the play, it enhanced everything that was going on, I didn't think it was used too much or too little.

This phenomenal film shows many different lighting and music techniques to show the instantaneous changes in the scenery the character is in. one example is when Edward flashed back to his past the bright day turning into a dimly lighted building that seemed like a factory kind of mood. It showed a calm sort of music to show off the nice memory of the relationship of the inventor and the man-made man. This movie strongly used the cinematic technique of lighting during the entire movie, which progressed the stories mood and plot throughout the dramatic scenes. Lighting had dramatically changed the two backgrounds as in the beginning the mood was dark, lonely, empty.

Whether it is the sound or visual effects. One good example of visual effects is, the scene where the elevators are opening with blood