Eeep, 10 days. I'm really bad at this when I'm not in rehearsal. Since last time:
* Saw Pittsburgh Musical Theatre's production of Hairspray at the Byham theatre. Considering my heavy disappointment with their previous production of Seussical, I was pleasantly surprised by the cohesiveness of this production. The fact many of the roles were played by age appropriate actors really made for an interesting take on some of the humor. However, being from not too far outside of Baltimore, my heart will always be with the 1st National Tour production which kicked off in Baltimore. Seeing this production in Baltimore was one of the most visceral theatrical experiences I've ever had due in large part to the audience. Every subtle local reference was noticed, cheered for, and at several times the show literally come to a halt from applause and cheering for these jokes and references.
* Saw Pittsburgh School of the Creative Arts' (CAPA) production of Sweet Charity. I must admit I had never seen nor listened to the soundtrack from this show outside of the few notable songs such as "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now". I went alone on a whim with a free Friday night both to check out the school and to expose myself to a new show. Their theatre is small but their talent is not. The high school senior who played Oscar stole the show and at his young age is arguably one of the most talented comic musical theatre actors I've seen on stage in years. I laughed until I cried over a hackneyed broken elevator scene.
* Saw Cirque du Soleil's production of Totem currently performing in the Strip District here in Pittsburgh. I had the chance to see another of their productions, Ovo, in DC for my birthday this past October and I truthfully enjoyed Totem much more. As much as most Cirque shows have a narrative, Totem explores origin and evolution in a way that is not only visually stunning but witty. This production in particular also incorporates the "clown acts" very seamlessly into the storyline, where as in other shows they often seem like fillers between acts. They have also done breathtaking work with interactive projections sometimes so realistic I felt uncomfortable.
* Nope, not done, saw the Kennedy Center Theatre For Young Audience's touring production of Knuffle Bunny today as part of the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival. Tragically disconnected from the world of children's literature, I had no previous knowledge of the story or characters...unlike the theatre full of children who brought along their stuffed animals. Although I clearly wasn't the target audience I did enjoy myself (and the puppets!). I did stick out like a sore thumb as the only person over the age of 21 not pushing a stroller.
Outside of the excitement of actually being able to take in some shows this past week, we have finished casting a reading of one of the musicals I'm working on this summer. The reading is the first week of June and is a closed performance (so don't ask :p). I will, however, make sure to post the link to purchase tickets to the performances in July & August.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Critsmas Night
Today was the infamous critique mentioned in my last post. I was particularly proud of this semester reflecting back on it made me realize how fortunate I am to be in one of the best theatre programs in the country.
Some semester highlights include:
- Doing a show in an unconventional space where a real concern is a musician getting locked in the crypt
- Creating a full blocking and calling score for Madama Butterfly
- Making a portable cue light system that I was able to use in production
- Shadowing the Stage Managers for the Broadway tours of Mary Poppins and Mamma Mia
- The Rauh Crossover renovation
- Successful run of Spelling Bee, the heaviest cued show in my career (500+)
- Drastically improving my sight reading (and singing)
- Finally killing my 5 year old MacBook tonight. The guy at the Apple store giggled when I took it in. He then called over a Sales Associate.
- Discovering the Highlander Pub
Tonight I'm relaxing at home, doing laundry, washing dishes, and watching Passion. They all look so young.
Some semester highlights include:
- Doing a show in an unconventional space where a real concern is a musician getting locked in the crypt
- Creating a full blocking and calling score for Madama Butterfly
- Making a portable cue light system that I was able to use in production
- Shadowing the Stage Managers for the Broadway tours of Mary Poppins and Mamma Mia
- The Rauh Crossover renovation
- Successful run of Spelling Bee, the heaviest cued show in my career (500+)
- Drastically improving my sight reading (and singing)
- Finally killing my 5 year old MacBook tonight. The guy at the Apple store giggled when I took it in. He then called over a Sales Associate.
- Discovering the Highlander Pub
Tonight I'm relaxing at home, doing laundry, washing dishes, and watching Passion. They all look so young.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Scratch My Itch
Hi Friends! It's hard to believe it is May already and a lot of exciting things have happened since last week, the most thrilling being the end of classes this week. All that remains of the semester is my semester review, commonly referred to as "crit", where I make a pretty display of the highlights of my academic and production work for the semester and then present/defend this to an audience of captive faculty and peers. We do this at the end of every semester in order to reflect on our previous work and set goals for the next year. If you talk for too long the head of our option will drag a chair, start coughing, use an air horn, or find some other creative way to make your session come to a dramatic finish. Every faculty and staff member in the department then has the opportunity to give you feedback on your work and suggestions for further improvement. I attest it is far more stressful than one can explain, but an enlightening experience. It's also a much appreciated opportunity to see the work of my peers, especially those in the design department. A picture of my shoes will surely be taken.
In recent news, I went to see the movie version of the Tony Award winning musical Memphis this afternoon after a failed attempt last evening where the entire theatre was sold out. I found out today that there is an ensemble member from Pittsburgh in the current Broadway production and his mother bought out the entire theatre for a party and then invited the audience back to her house for drinks. This sounds like something my mother would do so I guess I can't fault her.
I had the pleasure of seeing Memphis live this summer on Broadway and it quickly became one of my favorite contemporary musicals due it its excellent writing, character development, and high-spirited music. In New York I was able to rush in for around $30 on the day of the show. In Pittsburgh I had to pay $20 to see it in the movie theatre. At this point I contemplated why I didn't just get a $10 bus ticket and go see it live again. Regardless of the cost, I was extremely excited taking my seat and passively sat through the "backstage look" before the actual movie started where they interviewed David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. Memphis committed two cardinal and classic movie-musical sins. The first was the fascination with the closeup. Particularly in a production with such a complicated and frequently moving set, it was a touch disappointing that they continually focused on tight shots of the actors, so much of this was missed. Projections never had a hope of making it. Shot types aside, it was well edited and I never felt angry that I was missing something important on stage (other than the scenery and lighting). I'm unsure how I felt about the inclusion of the black and white processed video shots in Act II made to look like period camera shots.
The second sin was the sound. I was impressed with the "backstage look" where they played a sample of the original movie recording and then the actual movie track with the sound engineers' ability to locate voices and instruments to help give a more dimensional feel to the movie. While an expert surround design is increasingly important in movies where we need to feel enveloped in the environment, it is even more of a requirement in recordings of live performances so that we feel like we are actually sitting there in the house. My biggest criticism of the sound, actually, was that it was too good. It was clear they took the live feeds from everyone's body mics and did not include much, if any, sound from other mics. Such pure sound gave a bit of lip-syncing feel to the movie that perhaps is a product of other contemporary movie-musicals where the soundtrack isn't performed live during recording. Actors' location on stage, proximity to scenery, and interactions with each other were not reflected in their voices. As an example, when an actor runs upstage in a theatre facing the back wall, their voice takes on a different quality. When this happens in the movie their is no change in their voice. For me, at least, this seemed a bit fake. The blending was excellent and although the purity of the sound made me twitch a few times, it was not nearly as disappointing as the lack of wide shots.
These two sins aside, I would qualify this as an excellent recording and a rare opportunity to see a stage production of a musical on film that isn't in some way modified artistically for the recording. Most shows only get a one camera archival shot from the rear of the house that then gets locked away in the basement at Equity and the Lincoln Center, so this deserving show now has the opportunity to quickly and indefinitely reach an international audience. The movie will only play in theatres again on Tuesday, May 3 and I highly suggest you go (order your ticket now before the show moms do)! Click Here to find your local showtimes and locations.
In recent news, I went to see the movie version of the Tony Award winning musical Memphis this afternoon after a failed attempt last evening where the entire theatre was sold out. I found out today that there is an ensemble member from Pittsburgh in the current Broadway production and his mother bought out the entire theatre for a party and then invited the audience back to her house for drinks. This sounds like something my mother would do so I guess I can't fault her.
I had the pleasure of seeing Memphis live this summer on Broadway and it quickly became one of my favorite contemporary musicals due it its excellent writing, character development, and high-spirited music. In New York I was able to rush in for around $30 on the day of the show. In Pittsburgh I had to pay $20 to see it in the movie theatre. At this point I contemplated why I didn't just get a $10 bus ticket and go see it live again. Regardless of the cost, I was extremely excited taking my seat and passively sat through the "backstage look" before the actual movie started where they interviewed David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. Memphis committed two cardinal and classic movie-musical sins. The first was the fascination with the closeup. Particularly in a production with such a complicated and frequently moving set, it was a touch disappointing that they continually focused on tight shots of the actors, so much of this was missed. Projections never had a hope of making it. Shot types aside, it was well edited and I never felt angry that I was missing something important on stage (other than the scenery and lighting). I'm unsure how I felt about the inclusion of the black and white processed video shots in Act II made to look like period camera shots.
The second sin was the sound. I was impressed with the "backstage look" where they played a sample of the original movie recording and then the actual movie track with the sound engineers' ability to locate voices and instruments to help give a more dimensional feel to the movie. While an expert surround design is increasingly important in movies where we need to feel enveloped in the environment, it is even more of a requirement in recordings of live performances so that we feel like we are actually sitting there in the house. My biggest criticism of the sound, actually, was that it was too good. It was clear they took the live feeds from everyone's body mics and did not include much, if any, sound from other mics. Such pure sound gave a bit of lip-syncing feel to the movie that perhaps is a product of other contemporary movie-musicals where the soundtrack isn't performed live during recording. Actors' location on stage, proximity to scenery, and interactions with each other were not reflected in their voices. As an example, when an actor runs upstage in a theatre facing the back wall, their voice takes on a different quality. When this happens in the movie their is no change in their voice. For me, at least, this seemed a bit fake. The blending was excellent and although the purity of the sound made me twitch a few times, it was not nearly as disappointing as the lack of wide shots.
These two sins aside, I would qualify this as an excellent recording and a rare opportunity to see a stage production of a musical on film that isn't in some way modified artistically for the recording. Most shows only get a one camera archival shot from the rear of the house that then gets locked away in the basement at Equity and the Lincoln Center, so this deserving show now has the opportunity to quickly and indefinitely reach an international audience. The movie will only play in theatres again on Tuesday, May 3 and I highly suggest you go (order your ticket now before the show moms do)! Click Here to find your local showtimes and locations.
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