The American Musical

According to a variety of sources, it is clear that no ONE person can take credit for the creation of the musical. It is a complex combination of various art forms that have evolved from a melting pot of cultural influence. It involves the skill of dance, acting and song.
A PBS tribute to broadway explains that "Minstrel songs and the cakewalk; Irish ballads and patriotic jingles; ragtime marches and stirring blues; poignant torch songs and jazz ditties; totemic anthems and rock opera -- the musical has captured every idiom of American expression. Then, there are the lyrics, the words that go with the music. They can be rhapsodic, witty, risqué, or patriotic."

Before the 1930's
In America, musicals werent what they are today. The actual broadway district was focused on Operretta's or as we know them, Operas. Opera Houses hosted the skill of the french and english, showing of the european style. The actors and dancers had to perform based on the way that the music was written, and follow the direction of the musical composition. Often times, the productions were lead by the composer.

After the 1930's
BROADWAY began to take the shape and meaning that it gives today.
A story or narrative became more frequently the spine of the musical,
and the songs followed the plot and the characters, rather than the other way around.
The once known opera houses hosted productions that reflected the controversial, revolutionary, and nostalgic issues of an evolving American culture. The musical then became quite the influencial artistic force.


A tribute in the Musical Movie Chicago for the dance brilliance of Fosse in the 1940's! Contraversy arose for his very EROTIC style which was a taboo back then.

Some of the most popular musicals have developed from
• Political Satire
• Wars
• Racial Contraversy

As the musical grew more complex, dance was placed in as a way to express emotions, opinions and ideas through choreography.
It became almost mandantory for a broadway actor to be able to sing, act and dance.


When participating in a musical on broadway, the story of the musical is also the story of its creators and performers, men and women from every aspect of American -- and foreign -- society, who came together, often under the most invidious circumstances, to create something that transcended their differences. Refugees came together with native sons and daughters; task masters worked with dissipated alcoholics; white producers championed black performers -- and black performers turned right around and made fortunes for those producers; artists fled financial failure for the blandishments of the lucrative worlds of film and television -- then fled right back to the stage; gay artists created enduring models of heterosexual romance and heterosexual artists became icons within the gay world; songwriters lost fortunes in the Depression, only to regain them by writing about the Depression itself -- the list of ironies and strong compelling biography is endless, each story replete with illuminations about our culture. (PBS)


BROADWAY REVIEW
Between the two world wars, the revue became highly popular for nightly entertainment. It always included multiple songs and scenes from the most popular musicals and gave chances for new songwriters to get their music out on stage before a major production.

BROADWAY ON RADIO AND FILM
America responded to the musicals so positivley that eventually, the songs were played over the radio to entice listeners and get the word out, which only increased revenue.
When the idea came for Broadway to meet Hollywood, the producers of that time hit the jackpot. The shows sold to film companys and went national and eventually worldwide spreading the love for musicals even more. Of course, the experience wasnt the same, as there are many technical limitations when filming such a complex piece of art. Therefor, alot of the WOW affect of the stage presentation was lost.
An example of a film that uses a combination of musical and film would be Moulin Rouge, as it combines many famous big hits, oldies and popular musical themes and structures to develop into a film.

POPULAR MUSICALS:
One of the first hit musicals was Showboat



Following that was hits such as
Oklahoma
Carousel
South Pacific
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
The Sound of Music
The Wizard of Oz

Hits in the US today include many American productions, but several european productions too!
Les Meserable
Phantom of The Opera
Cats
Wicked
Chicago
The Lion King
Mary Poppins
Avenue Q
Hairspray
Hair
Jersey Boys
Mamma Mia
And the list goes on and on!

A clip from the TONY AWARDS for Ave. Q


CITATION
"Broadway: The American Musical |." PBS. Web. 28 Oct. 2009. .

Felner, Mira. World of theatre tradition and innovation / Mira Felner, Claudia Orenstein. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.

All In The Timing

I must say, I am a person who normally avoids attending a show on opening night. As a fellow Thespian, I understand that the first night with an audience can be trying, as nerves are at their peak, and for some, this can present multiple challenges. However, with the Daytona State College's production of All In The Timing , I found my self suprised at how professional and smooth the show ran.


When I first entered the News Journal Center, I was hoping for more of an outside entertainment, be it pictures of scenes, a little mood music in the lobby, or something that made me feel like I was about to witness live theatre. It wasn't until I walked into the smaller black box style theatre that I actually felt like I had been welcomed into a new world of pretend portrayal. With clocks lining the walls around us, loud tickings and an occasional coo coo bird chime, it was impossible for myself and the rest of the audience to ignore the theme of the nights performance. At one point, I actually felt irritated that all the noise was taking place and could not wait for the scenes to begin. I have to laugh now thinking of the irony in that situation, and I must say, I almost wish I would have SEEN more clocks just to make the point louder!


As the "curtain" opened, and the play started with Sure Thing I realized how intimate the setting was. I feel now that a small performing area such as the setting of this production really allowed a closer connection to the characters and the environment they were in. It felt like we were sitting in the same cafe'/restaraunt. When the characters began interacting with one another, it wasnt long until we could all feel the tension that existed between the two people meeting each other for the first time and trying to decide wether or not it was a good thing. The comedy in watching them start over every time they ran into a dead end of conversation, or wound up with their feet in their mouths was hilarious and helped the audience understand the meaning of a second chance. The only time I have to say I felt like this broke for me was when the moments behined a quick ding and recovery were lost. I almost felt like a few funny lines were missed because the characters stopped worrying about the importance of recovery in conversation, but about a quick second chance that they had to deliver right away. The dings and jokes started to run over each other. When I didn't hear the audience laughing at some really funny lines, I noticed how very important the delivery was. However, on the flip side of that, the funniest lines of all were delivered just fine and both characters didnt have to work very hard at getting a few rather loud chuckles from everyone.



The scene change between the first show and Words Words Words was quick and pretty impressive. It wasn't clear that all of the actors were the run crew for this until the very end when the three monkeys were left on stage in the same characters they portrayed during set change. I think seeing all three of them perched on their hind quarters was hysterical to everyone. The stage then became a cage to the onlookers, and we the audience became the spectators at the zoo... or in this case, the lab. The moment I really enjoyed was watching the female monkey putting the banana in the typewriter. She really made me believe that that was what she was... a silly monkey. Then of course I think this made everyone, not just me, think... "Why do they have typewriters?" Then the lines began and Vuola! Monkeys writing hamlet. Hysterical! The delivery and performance of each comedic moment was right on key and the entire audience ate it up. I never saw the monkeys evolve into humans, and they kept my attention the entire time.

I feel like the moment that the scene changes were recognized as a moment where all the characters were on stage together began here. Watching the monkeys interact with the oncomers for Universal Language made a few audience members say "Oh" or make other noises that showed appreciation for the interactions. The tranformation of the set here was also something that was pretty neat. When the lights came up, I honestly saw a major transformation and felt the audience react to a new environment. When the young lady entered the setting looking uneasy and confused, her personality matched half of the audience. The language written on the black board and the numbers above it weren't familiar class room displays. Something here must be different. This of course, aside from the young lady's ability to perfectly display being timid and unsure of herself, won the audience over to her side. People sat straight up and wondered, "What is it that she is up against?" Then of course, when the instructor, Don Finninninigen, walks into the room and begins to speak, the laughter just errupted. Contagious laughter at that, which just grew and gew throughout the entire production.

Of course, by this point, the set change was even more entertaining than before as the audience was more expecting and got to enjoy watching the smooth interactions and transitions. When the stage was set for Philadelphia, it felt like we were all transferred back to reality in a more familiar enviornment. When we first saw the interaction between the waitress and Al, it became clear that we weren't set in the slower paced south and we were in a much busier city where things were a bit more fast paced and rushed. Then when we saw Mark come in, it became confusing as to what exactly was happening to him. I personally could not understand what it was he threw his shoe at, and why his shirt was torn. I started thinking "Godzilla maybe?" Perhaps these few things were a bit over the top. It was very clear that he was in distress through his physical and vocal acting abilities, and I felt like that would have been enough. When watching the two characters interact, I really enjoyed the play on words and the associations with the different cities and their stereotypes. I believe everyone in the audience could appreciate this too. It gave a sense of "Yep, Ive been there!" In the end, the laughter was calm and full of relation. Though I couldnt help wondering what was going to happen with Godzilla... or whatever it was that was outside with Mark's shoe.

Variations on the Death of Trotsky made the entire production come to a full circle for me. I think the sound of the bell being in the opening show and then ending in the end was significant to a common closing thought. It really held the audiences attention and made them interested in how the scenario changes and fixes would happen. This ending was perfect as the actors gave us all something to think about from history, a story that many might have been familiar with. It is clear that the layout of these productions combined with set changes, line deliveries and settings really does define the overall theme. Like any great production, the secret is always all in the timing.

Indian Sanskrit Theatre

Indian Sanskrit Theatre is a very poetic form of theatre performed by the Hindu. It is based on their spiritual beliefs and combimes many art forms such as dance, sanskrit chanting, art and song with stories that give meaning to the elements on which their faith derives from. To understand it, one must understand some of the cultural beliefs and rituals. The time that this form began can not be pin pointed, but is evident in the origin of the Hindu trinity. The Hindu Trinity is made up of Lord Vishnu , Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. The first and most supreme is Lord Brahma, as he symbolizes the Ultimate Being that brings forth creation. He is literally known as "The Creator of The Universe" in Hindu culture. He is consorted by a Goddess names Saraswait who is said to be the Goddess of learning and knowledge. She provides Brahma with the knowledge he needs to create. Hindu images, like the ones shown here, depicit Brahma as having a bearded four faced head and four arms. The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas, while the arms carry different meanings. The Vedas Written in the oral tradition and vedic, (an early form of Sanskrit language), they are the oldest texts in Hindu literature. They began with the original three which made up Trayi Vidya, "Threefold Knowledge". The three were:

• The Rig Veda - Divine Hymns. This was the oldest and most important, was written with worshiping the Gods as the main theme.



• The Sama Veda- Musical Chants used for agricultural rights.



• The Yajur Veda- Chants used for sacrificial rituals.

The fourth was added during the vedic period.

• The Atharva Veda- dealing with practical incantations for every day life.

The Arms of Brahma These arms represent the four directions of the universe.

• The upper right hand- Rosary symbolizing the time cycle that the world goes through.



• Upper Left- a book symbolizing knowledge



• Lower Left- Kamandalu (A water pot) representing energy needed to create the universe



• Lower Right hand is bestowing grace to protect us all.

Understanding this portion of the Hindu culture was very important to me, so I took the liberty to further investigate outside of written documentation by interviewing an Indian friend. Shirish Lala, a professor of mine at Daytona State College, was kind enough to talk to me about his culture. He explained to me that because the Hindu culture's values and beliefs date back to the creation of the universe, they offer many praises to the God's of the elements, being Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. This is evident in Sanskrit Theatre as they make aknowledgements of all of the materials they are using and where they were derived from. This means that each item they include in the production corrolates with the meaning that the element portrays. For example, a fierce character might wear rubies, colors of gold and orange and have heat like flames around him. This would make him more intimidating, like the sun, which corrolates with the element fire.

Now that we have an understanding of the foundation and beliefs behined the development of Sanskrit theatre, let's discuss how it has evolved and is portrayed today.

A recording of our interview.

The Natyasastra, or the "Authorative text on theatre" is a book that holds the codes of performance for sanskrit productions. It contains the fundamental facts about all art forms used in productions. It gives guidelines for the areas of performance such as acting, costuming, make-up, props, dance, music poetic compesition, play construction, grammar, audiences... etc. It explains that most traditional performances are done with music accompaniment and dancing. It introduces a theory to its performers called Rasa.

Rasa is an idea that many different moods and feelings such as love, mirth, sadness, wrath, vigor and marvel should all be blended together for one productions. However, it is key that one common mood should dominate and serve as the meaning or moral value behined the performance. According to the Natyasastra, this common mood should dictate the setting, the audience, and how the production should be delivered. For example, if the sanskrit play was about a poor man without a home who prays to the God that controls his wealth, the audience may sit out doors or in a small room with dim lighting. The combination of the other moods may be portrayed through the other characters and their costumes or actions, such as a wealthy man being of large, robust physique wearing gems and havine very dominant make-up. This could make us despise him and feel empathy for the poor man.

This video depicts the time and art that goes into putting on the costumes and becoming the characters. It focuses on the use of all elements.

The actors, according to Natyasastra, are trained to perform through movements and dance that are relevant to their characters. Their body parts are broken down (eyes, limbs, head) and are observed individualy to be sure that the correct message is being delivered. Observe this video of dancers. Would you condider their movements to be warrior like? Their costumes are minimal, making them appear to be natural and of the element earth. See the full circle?

Sanskrit Today Over time, Sanskrit remained a dominant precense in the arts of India, but has faded as new trends have taken over.

The Kutiyattam and Kathakali

Kutiyattam is the direct descent of Sanskrit theatre. It is the latest form that is taught in schools and handed down to generations for the base of plays. It is derived from RASA and the Natyasastra. The Kathakali on the other hand is comparable to our American musicals. It focuses on dance and song and visual appeal for the audience. It is very common to be found in the Bollywood culture in India

Please see the following examples that I found insightful