On Friday, April 28, 2017, the department of speech, theatre, and dance at the University of Tampa’s College of Arts and Letters held an all-male musical cabaret, titled “Ahhh...MEN,” featuring ten of UT’s students from the department in the Sykes Chapel. The musical cabaret was conceived, directed, and choreographed by Paul E. Finocchiaro, musically directed by Tara Richards Swartsbaugh with Carly Baker as the stage manager and production assistant. The students performed 11 songs of various genres, which I later found out were from various musicals, including some from Broadway. Additionally, they had matching outfits a white dress shirt with black pants and a black detachable tie. I later found this costume to be the same one from the musical, …show more content…
The choreography was highly appropriate as well. I really liked the long and high note that one member hit near the end of the song, and when all ten members harmonized the “hello!” on the last note was spectacular, while waving flamboyantly with huge smiles on their faces at the audience. I found it very amusing. Next was “Standing on the Corner” was somewhat upbeat, but with a slower tempo than the other two. This song was from the musical, “The Most Happy Fella.” This song also had a somewhat less bright timbre than the previous one. Also, the solo in the song was done really well, as the singer captivated my attention by the passion he put into the song. good, the guy was really into it. After that was “Perfidia”; a song with an upbeat nature, fast tempo, and bright tone color. The choreography and facial expressions were perfect and funny too, and the four members harmonized really well in this song too. I liked the Spanish part of the song; though, the singers may have intentionally pronounced the words horribly. Alas, it was still amusing. I later found out that this song was from a Broadway musical, “Forever Plaid.” Again, I enjoyed the last note when all
In television, the male gaze refers to the way in which the camera of a show may objectify a woman. However, those starring on stage in musicals, as well as in musical themed shows such as glee, may be the subject of the gaze. The idea of a ‘gay-male’ gaze, as well as a female gaze, often are described in this situation. Clum describes that “the same chorus boys who play the Cagelles are the macho men who do the dance break in ‘Masculinity.’ The chorus can play masculine or feminine, gay or straight, unlike the drag diva, who can only be gay” (Clum 201). Through this, one may understand that the musical genre, as well as similar television productions, put their focus on two types of audience members: the straight woman and the gay man. Due to the aforementioned relationship between expressive conduct and sexuality, it can be thought that this may contribute to the identification of musicals as a mostly gay aspect of culture. This can be related to Glee in that many of the characters express their sexuality through songs from Broadway musicals and other popular artists, even if it may affirm stereotypes in the
Every performance was presented with charm. The flashing, changing colors seem to go along with the performances. The director was humorous. The performers outfits were on point too. I liked the color coding of the vocalists, Jeremy, Jordan, and Rowan. Also, Julie wore a pretty suede dress and had a great voice. It was nice to see her come out for the 2nd time to sing. When Spencer kept playing his saxophone in some of the performances, it was just amazing. Some of my favorite performances were Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, Ain’t too Proud to Beg, In a Sentimental Mood, and more. It really made me feel like I was in New Orleans all over again. I absolutely love Otis Redding and The Temptations music, so I wasn’t new to these songs they played. I was sitting in the back (R-125) where I felt comfortable to bob my head to the music. If I ever come back to see another concert, I will make sure to get a seat in the back again. I adore Jordan that did sung the Temptations song. I thought it was exciting to see his enthusiasm while on stage keeping us engaged, but everyone did great in their own way. The song by Duke Ellington made me feel melancholy, the piece was soft. I just couldn’t believe how well everyone contributed and gave an outstanding
One of its numerous strengths was the costuming and set. This musical would not have been the same had these elements not come together to transport the viewer. In addition to the costuming and the set, the actors were very well cast. Each actor was in a role that fit them and they portrayed their characters very well. For example, the man who played Glen really seemed like a greedy Wall Street worker. The choreography was also well done. It fit true to the style of dance in the 1980s and added to the immersion experience. The only thing that could have made this experience better would be to add more music. This may just be a personal preference, but when I see a musical I like for the music to be central like it is in Hamilton or Les Miserables. However, this musical was very good and not much could be added to enhance the
As a student of hers, I am confident in saying that she puts all of her hard work and efforts into her productions. Hard work pays off and thanks to her, the transitions between all scenes especially act two scene three to the finale were a great success. She did a extraordinary job casting the actors and hiring Abby Peterson Murrel as the choreographer. Abby did a fantastic job directing the “Waiters Gallup” there was so much movement and this song/scene that it is easy for it to become a jumbled mess, however she made clean, cut movements that is was a breeze to follow. Rudolph Reisenweber played by Garrett Johnson, the head chef of the overwhelming restaurant, was well placed. We see the first and second cook dressed in completely different outfits making appearances on either side of the stage while other waiters are dancing to songs in the middle. The choreography kept things interesting and the dances in a musical can make or break the performance. Overall, Cherie and Abby did amazing jobs directing each person to have a place among a crowded
It was really a great performance, and from our seating in the balcony, one would never have known the performers were older performers. On the contrary, the dance routines were atheleticaly handled the same as any group of dancers more than half the age of those on the stage. From Palm Springs, we drove to San Diego and spent several nights with Manly’s friend, Bill Lyle. Bill lived on Coronado Island, which is one of the better areas in San Diego.
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
I counted nineteen total performers with occasionally two others and a vocalist. Each performer was dressed in black pants and a black shirt except one who showed up late. He was wearing blue jeans and a sports coat and he definitely stood out from all the others. The performers related very well with the audience. Each acknowledged the audience after applauses and there was a narrator between pieces. There was a lot of humor among the performers and they seemed ...
The rest of the trumpet section was also very lively; I felt they carried the main theme in almost every song which certainly kept me interested in the performance. The conductor kept the band on time, and to me they never missed a beat. One could tell they were certainly well rehearsed and truly knew how to use their instruments. A lot of music these days has become focused on generating the catchiest lyrics or chorus, so seeing this jazz ensemble was very refreshing. I was delightfully surprised to see such remarkable music talent at a performance of that size and caliper.
Guys and Dolls, a charming classical musical, known for it’s catchy soundtrack, humorous dialogue and heartwarming plot, is likely to be produced at Signature Theatre in the future. An iconic musical that first opened almost sixty-five years ago, Guys and Dolls rose from humble and uncertain beginnings to becoming one of the longest running shows on Broadway and recognizable worldwide. It all began at the head of Damon Runyon, a New York newspaperman and author. Runyon is best known for his collection of short stories that memorialized the world of New York coming out of the Prohibition era.
Cabaret provides for its audience an animated and a uniquely exciting dramatization of Berlin, Germany just before the Second World War. The story of many Germans living in an uncertain world is shown through just a few characters. Life is a cabaret, or so the famed song goes. After watching "Cabaret," you'll agree to an extent, but also realize how unsettling the assertion is. Taking place in the early 1930s, a portrait of life in decadent Berlin, is both uplifting and grim. Not your typical musical, it is comedic and dramatic, realistic, very tasteful, and ultimately thought provoking.
This piece truly had some magic and emotion engraved into it. Due to the fact that Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen bradford had such strong ties built a platform for the piece to be played on. The story itself, that Carmen told, made me feel proud of what she went through to achieve such success and reminds me to keep chasing my dreams. I think Ella would have been more than proud to witness such a great reenactment of her own piece by a close friend. I felt like I was part of the great bond and was happy to support them. The ensemble did good in playing their part for the piece but Carmen really took the show by singing the piece so well. The song brought admiration through the crowd, showing their full support. Learning about Ella Fitzgerald in class also provided background and relatable content to what Carmen was
The 2000s/ 2010s brought in a wave of movie musicals- adapted from the stage shows. These brought new audiences into the theatre world, and for the first time in 20 years, brought a love to some of the timeless musicals. With slightly altered songs to appeal to a newer audience, these films brought in much needed money into the industry, with films including: Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Fame- and many more. Together with this, musicals began to push the concept of the songs in them, with a wave of new styles being written. Rap musicals such as ‘Hamilton’ and ‘In The Heights’, Pop musicals including ‘Waitress’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and Rock musicals of ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Spring Awakening’. Together they pushed boundaries of a ‘traditional’ musical theatre sound, and brought in something never before seen. Due to the influence of ‘Rent’, controversial issues and themes began to be explored more, such as Teen suicide, Murder, Ethnic barriers and everything else, which brought with them, a world of opportunities. It was clear that musical theatre was once again showing for a promising
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.
By the twelfth song which was the last I could still feel the atmosphere, the pride and the gratitude of the people. We were just happy to be in their presence. For the last song the whole crowd moved together in a bizarre, alternative. dance. I am a sassy girl.