Musical Theater = that which causes post-play depression

My last gen ed class of college is on a very familiar and special subject for me: Musical Theater. Having grown up on Broadway music and occasionally indulged in the theater bug at the local Village Players Theater, this is a class I love despite the distant aspect of it (like my statistics class, THDA 440 is online this summer). For the first assignment, I had to describe what "musical theater means to me:" which is to say, the dual association of the classic Broadway shows and Andrew Lloyd Webber 1980s hits which my parents enjoyed, and the offshoot of the tradition of opera, my favorite discipline in the arts. My dad was an avid amateur musical actor and some of my earliest memories are of him learning lines, going to rehearsals, and watching “old” musicals on VHS. My start on the stage was with him (Mr. Bumble, in an impressive costume he handmade) in "Oliver!" - my brother and I were 2 of the 3 smallest orphans in the cast, and I learned just how bad I am at choreography and how depressed I get when a show ends! There is something so engaging about working on music, dance, and words collaboratively. The interaction with the material and your fellow actors, not to mention the audience, is compelling and consuming enough to leave a vacant space in your life when it is completed. I probably won't do much musical theater in the future, but the teamwork and the music/words interface are two of "my favorite things."

Prescott Park performance: The Wizard of Oz

This Sunday night I finally saw a Prescott Park Arts Festival musical performance, and the show couldn't be more appropriate. I have always loved every aspect of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz - the colors, the characters, the music, and how many tiny details became apparent to me with every viewing. Seeing this film recreated as a musical play is a risky business in part because of the numerous details we all love about Oz. Some details like the puff of steam out of the Tin Man's hat (the scariest part of the film for 4-year-old me!) can't easily be recreated in a live performance, and the beloved actors themselves will not be present. Expectations for the live actors, then, are high: they must look and sound enough like the originals not to jar our eyes and ears, but seem authentic on their own merits. Sunday's performance struck a good balance between re-creating the original and reviving the show in an original manner.
Christine Dulong had the "look" of Dorothy, especially at the distance of my table, and her voice was fresh and clean - not at all an affected reproduction of Garland's manner. She is a UNH theater grad and I am very proud! Knate Higgins and Chris Bradley are a bit young for the Scarecrow and Tin Man respectively, if you are comparing them to Ray Bolger and Jack Haley, but in their own right they are good actors and fine dancers, too. Scottie McLaughlin really stood out as the Lion: "tall dark and handsome" with a grand baritone voice and good comedic skills, I hope to see him in many more roles! The older members of the cast were also excellent: Cathy McKay, John Flynn, and Claudia Faulkner as Auntie Em/Glinda, Uncle Henry/Oz/Marvel/etc, and Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West anchored the show in its many doublings, with plenty of character. Flynn called the winning ticket at the intermission raffle as well - he is an all around showman.
One exciting surprise for me was the sound and orchestral effects. I expected live players in the pit, but because of the excellent sound tech and the versatile keyboards, the pit was represented by a few horns and a keyboard. Many little details of the film were faithfully brought to life through this team's efforts.
Finally, perhaps my favorite aspect of Wizard of Oz: Dorothy's costume (and really, all the principals'). Ms. Dulong had beautiful ruby slippers, and the Scarecrow, Lion, and especially Tin Man sported fantastic costumes and makeup. And Dorothy's dress, black and white gingham in the Kansas scene, became the classic blue when transported to Munchkinland - staying that color for the final scene back in Kansas. I wonder if this was on purpose, to show how Dorothy brought Oz with her?

History through the Operaglass

When I found this book, about 4 years ago, I was thrilled that one of my favorite subjects had been addressed and compiled at such length. Opera tends to tap the most dramatic of stories, so there are plenty of fictional or mythological plots, but many librettists have seen dramatic potential in real stories. That is not to say that "historically based" operas are always accurate: sometimes they can have more legend in them than those based in myth.George Jellinek guides the reader through approximately 1800 years of opera plots, from Giulio Cesare to Tosca and many others in between. Google Books also has a preview and e-book available.

Perhaps someday this book will be updated to the modern era.

Opera blog : Likely Impossibilities

http://likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com/ A great read about all things opera- thanks for posting!

Turandot: Modern Atalanta - Spring 2009

In 1921, Giacomo Puccini began composing an opera which was to be his last.  The story was based on a play by Gozzi, also set by Schiller, which in turn owes much to the Greek archetypal myths of such as Atalanta, Hippodameia, and Thetis.  The archetypes of the reluctant bride, ice princess, femme fatale, and intellectual or athletic woman mix in these myths and plays, and reflect a fascination through time with the unattainably desired woman. Turandot, the princess who kills her spurned lovers, combines