A Musical with no applause!?
Fri, 19 Oct 2001, 03:56 pmWalter Plinge10 posts in thread
A Musical with no applause!?
Fri, 19 Oct 2001, 03:56 pmI've always wanted to either be involved with or see a piece musical theatre where there is no opportunity for the audience to applaud after songs. Has anyone ever seen such a piece, or has ever tried to stage one?
I seems to me that it is done in "straight" theatre all the time, but the presentational style of musicals and the entertainment factor enables the audience to break any tension by applauding after songs.
Any comments?
(I'm also rtying to take the convo away from Les Mis - Ahhhh)
I seems to me that it is done in "straight" theatre all the time, but the presentational style of musicals and the entertainment factor enables the audience to break any tension by applauding after songs.
Any comments?
(I'm also rtying to take the convo away from Les Mis - Ahhhh)
RE: The Best of the Musicals+
Wed, 24 Oct 2001, 12:05 pmWalter Plinge
Why is it that everyone who ever responds to messages on this site does so with an immediate antagonism? I know I didn't make it clear, but I was just expressing my personal oppinion. The reference to Boy From Oz v. Shout in my post was completely out of line and I apologise to even the most distant of relatives of the wild one. I should have merely kept to my favourites and ignored everything else. Truly, I am sorry.
I appreciate your comment on Cats and the similarites you allege between it and Planet. However, what I believe is missing in Cats is a coherent and structured story. Some people like this style - in fact, millions (although I still maintain that the bulk of them are sheep) - but I became incredibly frustrated whilst watching it at the fact that audiences lost track of the characters, except one or two. There are too many down right annoying cats in it with even more down right annoying songs to go with them. I hate MacCavity and that one that does all the cleaning. Bustopher Jones is certainly not skin and bones but do we really need a song to tell us that? The chanting to herald the Jellicle Ball is, in my oppinion, one of the most annoying tracks of all time yet the song, Jellicle Cats, is simply brilliant. I guess I can account for my distaste towards the show by citing what I would call a lack of consistency - or, you could say the cringe factor. How can Lloyd Webber have created songs like Memory (one of the best of all time), Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, the aforementioned Jellicle Cats and, to a lesser extent, Gus the Theatre Cat whilst relying on chanting, dance breaks which are way too long and reprise after reprise of the hit song? (yes I know it only happens three times). People also rave about Magical Mr Mistofelees - yes I loved it as a kid, which, I guess, brings me to my point.
The show has no substance. It is almost a cabaret. No story, no message, no real meaning. The other show I commented on was the Sound of Music. This does have a message, but really not a brave one. People often state that it's underlying anti-Nazi message or "dark side" is reason enough to lift it from it's status of "family-fun in the sun" tag. But, think of the period in which it was written and I think you'll realise that it was a "dark side" that most people could deal with because the actual threat of Nazism HAD been dealt with. I like theatre for the fact that it has the power to move people to different states of mind whether it be a drama or comedy or a mix of both, if it makes people think differently about the world then it has succeeded.
How does Planet deliver meaning? It has a story, allows adults to re-live the sixties, makes audiences of all ages laugh and not to mention become more aware of Shakespeare in the process. It has only been performed in Australia professionally once and in WA it premiered in 1999 but I'm not sure about the rest of Oz. If you haven't seen it, get along.
Innovative? How on earth is Cats innovative? How else could you present a bunch of cats, who never interact, singing and dancing? Like a book of poems (you follow?) it is just one character after another delivering us their musical monologues. Yes you need a set, and yes it is very nice but it is not a result of any great lengths of innovation. The choreography (although way too much) and makeup can be called innovative because, in 1981, it was the best in the world and no one had ever seen anything like it. (Once again, I apreciate and respect your oppinion but this is what I think)
At this point I think I should say that anything that gets people to the theatre and tapping their feet on the way home is also important. If one kid who sees Cats decides to get into theatre because he/she liked the costumes and the songs or the characters or whatever, then the millions of dollars made would be worth it.
I stand by my "Cat-cry" and my note on the Sound of Music. Your point on Boy from Oz and Shout is duly noted.
Looking forward to more debate. What else did you think of my selections Cheeba?
I appreciate your comment on Cats and the similarites you allege between it and Planet. However, what I believe is missing in Cats is a coherent and structured story. Some people like this style - in fact, millions (although I still maintain that the bulk of them are sheep) - but I became incredibly frustrated whilst watching it at the fact that audiences lost track of the characters, except one or two. There are too many down right annoying cats in it with even more down right annoying songs to go with them. I hate MacCavity and that one that does all the cleaning. Bustopher Jones is certainly not skin and bones but do we really need a song to tell us that? The chanting to herald the Jellicle Ball is, in my oppinion, one of the most annoying tracks of all time yet the song, Jellicle Cats, is simply brilliant. I guess I can account for my distaste towards the show by citing what I would call a lack of consistency - or, you could say the cringe factor. How can Lloyd Webber have created songs like Memory (one of the best of all time), Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, the aforementioned Jellicle Cats and, to a lesser extent, Gus the Theatre Cat whilst relying on chanting, dance breaks which are way too long and reprise after reprise of the hit song? (yes I know it only happens three times). People also rave about Magical Mr Mistofelees - yes I loved it as a kid, which, I guess, brings me to my point.
The show has no substance. It is almost a cabaret. No story, no message, no real meaning. The other show I commented on was the Sound of Music. This does have a message, but really not a brave one. People often state that it's underlying anti-Nazi message or "dark side" is reason enough to lift it from it's status of "family-fun in the sun" tag. But, think of the period in which it was written and I think you'll realise that it was a "dark side" that most people could deal with because the actual threat of Nazism HAD been dealt with. I like theatre for the fact that it has the power to move people to different states of mind whether it be a drama or comedy or a mix of both, if it makes people think differently about the world then it has succeeded.
How does Planet deliver meaning? It has a story, allows adults to re-live the sixties, makes audiences of all ages laugh and not to mention become more aware of Shakespeare in the process. It has only been performed in Australia professionally once and in WA it premiered in 1999 but I'm not sure about the rest of Oz. If you haven't seen it, get along.
Innovative? How on earth is Cats innovative? How else could you present a bunch of cats, who never interact, singing and dancing? Like a book of poems (you follow?) it is just one character after another delivering us their musical monologues. Yes you need a set, and yes it is very nice but it is not a result of any great lengths of innovation. The choreography (although way too much) and makeup can be called innovative because, in 1981, it was the best in the world and no one had ever seen anything like it. (Once again, I apreciate and respect your oppinion but this is what I think)
At this point I think I should say that anything that gets people to the theatre and tapping their feet on the way home is also important. If one kid who sees Cats decides to get into theatre because he/she liked the costumes and the songs or the characters or whatever, then the millions of dollars made would be worth it.
I stand by my "Cat-cry" and my note on the Sound of Music. Your point on Boy from Oz and Shout is duly noted.
Looking forward to more debate. What else did you think of my selections Cheeba?
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