High School Drama
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 15:04
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The director of my school's spring musical is considering a multimedia version of Peter Pan, and the students are not entirely happy about this. Luckily, the director has proven himself open to student input in the past (he discarded two ideas last year because the potential lead actors were uninterested), so I am trying to find some good alternatives to present to himbefore he becomes too attached to the lost boys and their peg-legged nemesis. We have a low budget, more girls than boys (and only a few potential male leads), limited talent, a large chorus, and a prudish board of advisors (I don't know if any of you remember me mentioning the play they cancelled last year for the implied rape scene, but these are the same people). Does anyone know of a feasible musical for us? On that note, does anyone know much about The Pirates of Penzance? It looked very good until I realized it was written as an operetta... could it be done Broadway-style, perhaps, or would the lack of operatic voices kill it? -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon Polaris = joy. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 1993
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 15:12
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The West Side Story by Bernstein? You'd need some good soloists though. -------------------- ^ö^ vegetarians are sexy. Posts: 1420 | Registered: Wednesday, October 2 2002 07:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 15:38
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The limited male leads might be an issue, but maybe Guys and Dolls? Or will your prudes object to explicit gambling and implied drinking as much as to implied sex and violence? [ Thursday, June 30, 2005 15:38: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 15:41
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No, actually, that one's been brought up constantly, but I think the director feels we don't have enough talented males. He's probably right. EDIT: Anything Goes was done last year, so drinking apparently isn't too much of a problem, and I think it was the negative impact a rape scene could have on rape victims that got the play cancelled, not the idea of rape itself. [ Thursday, June 30, 2005 15:43: Message edited by: Lady Davida ] -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon Polaris = joy. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 15:43
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My school did Guys and Dolls right near the end of the year, and it was great. I'd suggest that. They also did (to a smaller scale), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and that was pretty good, too. -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 16:41
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Sweeney Todd! It's got... let's see... rape, cannibalism, incest, gory on-stage murder, and an intimidating score. Sounds just right! Once on This Island is a possibility. The lead role is female, and I don't think any of the other parts are going to kill anyone. It's not my favorite musical, but I'm a definite minority opinion there. I'm a huge fan of Gilbert and Sullivan (Pirates of Penzance, among works). You don't need an operatic voice at all, and the chorus gets a large role. There's a definite dependency on having strong male leads, though, so it might be a problem. (On the other hand, some of the female leads have singing that sounds close to impossible to me, although I'm not an expert. Mabel needs lungs of steel.) —Alorael, who still thinks Sweeney is the best of all musicals. And to be fair, you don't really need to sing it right as long as you sing it audibly. There are so many odd harmonies and dissonances that nobody will notice wrong notes, and the lyrics carry the show anyway. That and the body count, which in some ways surpasses even Les Miserables'. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 17:03
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Well, you could always do Grease. That's fairly easy, though the dialogue could offend your advisors (they sound easily offended). Actually, we just did Once Upon a Mattress, and we managed with only 6 male actors. I think only three of them actually had to sing. It's not the best play, but anything can be great with a good cast (thankfully... otherwise all of our plays would've been total garbage). -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 18:14
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I'm quite fond of Urbs Urbis, though there is an implied suicide that may cause a few objections. -------------------- Sex is easier than love. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
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Master
Member # 5977
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written Friday, July 1 2005 02:42
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Maybe I'm already to late with this poste, but how about the musical Cats? a nice piece of music is the Mass of Bernstein. Its not a musical, but you will need a big orchestra (full of trombones!!) and a big choir. Of course also some soloists. (we are playing this at the moment at the orchestra I'm playing in. Its really beatiful). -------------------- Thralni's almighty Avernum pages: My webpage, containing scenario's and graphics made by me (And maybe someday the homepage of the almighty chicken gods). Click here for more information on Olga's fortune teller kiosk Olga's fortune teller kiosk has been temporarily closed down, but you can contact the prophet with a PM - Was signed by the prophet of the almighty chicken gods, gods of everything that is a chicken. Work has begun on the Nephilian grammar and vocabulary guide! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Friday, July 1 2005 15:44
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Cats?! Why would anyone want to do that? It's the most pointless musical ever! -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Friday, July 1 2005 19:55
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Several of my friends are obsessed with Sweeney Todd, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't fly. I'll have to check the Island one, though. We did Once Upon a Mattress this past year, and that was when we still had strong males. Just as a reference point, I am among the few relatively strong males in next year's cast, and if my online personality is indicative of anything, you can see where this will be a problem. Alorael, do you know if Pirates can be done well non-operatically? There have to be dance numbers and I think the director would prefer more lines than lyrics. I have yet to see the movie, so that may give me some ideas (apparently it's not done by opera singers), but if the vocal style I've heard on the recordings is unnecessary, I believe we could find people to fit the roles. I don't know about lungs of steel, but we have several strong female singers. From what I've heard, there are only four male roles that have to be done noticably well... I think we can manage that. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon Polaris = joy. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Master
Member # 5977
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written Friday, July 1 2005 23:15
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quote:I don't know, I have never seen it. I only read such good reviews about it. The music is nice, a bit strange though... -------------------- Thralni's almighty Avernum pages: My webpage, containing scenario's and graphics made by me (And maybe someday the homepage of the almighty chicken gods). Click here for more information on Olga's fortune teller kiosk Olga's fortune teller kiosk has been temporarily closed down, but you can contact the prophet with a PM - Was signed by the prophet of the almighty chicken gods, gods of everything that is a chicken. Work has begun on the Nephilian grammar and vocabulary guide! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 22
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written Friday, July 1 2005 23:38
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I'm almost certain that Pirates of Penzance can be done in a non operatic style - I've seen it done so quite effectively in a school production. After all, Gilbert and Sullivan only barely counts as opera in the first place. Personally, I'd advise against Gilbert and Sullivan, partly because I'm biased against them but mostly because they've become something of a cliche in school productions. Do something a little more adventurous - the last production that my school did, for example, was an absurdly wonderful musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Posts: 2862 | Registered: Tuesday, October 2 2001 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, July 1 2005 23:41
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I've only rarely seen (or specifically heard) PoP sung in an opera style. You're fine without it, and it's not even weird. There are actually very few lines that aren't sung, though. Dance numbers depend entirely on your choreographer; I've never seen a PoP score, but few musicals specifically include dances. They are where they're put depending on rehearsal time and talent. —Alorael, who hopes you have someone with great verbal dexterity for the Major General or a director willing to slow down the music a lot. That song is ingenious but difficult, and most audiences would probably appreciate being able to hear it slow enough to understand the words anyway. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |