Traditions. Family. Social differences. These are the particular issues that are presented in the Wright State University’s Theatrical production of the 1964 musical classic “Fiddler on the Roof.” The story focuses on a dairyman Tevye and his family in the village of Anatevka in 1905 Imperial Russia. The tiny Jewish town strictly follows the traditions and customs of their culture, including the use of matchmaker marriages. Their basic daily struggles come to a halt when the townspeople have to face the change brought to them by outsiders, Perchik, a progressive revolutionist, and the Russian Constable of Anatevka. This leads to a rift in Tevye’s family through love and eviction that challenges everything he believes in. This Tony Award-winning musical uses the concepts of tradition, family, and social differences as the social issues that are dissected in this classic story. The conflict of change between the Tevye and his three daughters leads to the question: What is right, tradition or the social shift that the daughters create? Tevye and Golde represent the past and the strict devotion to their Jewish traditions, while the three daughters present the future and the change that some traditions …show more content…
The transition of sets allowed the story of Anatevka to flow between locations without disruption and prevented the audience from being pulled out of the story. Within the sets, the dance choreography by the cast was performed with impeccable precision during the songs, which complemented the individual performances of their characters. With the help the team of designers/choreographers, actors were able to embody their characters in the scenes/dance numbers, creating an experience the audience can escape into, thus pulling them into the emotional journey that the characters faced
Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow, was originally published in 1975, and later became a musical that premiered at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in 1996. The story illustrates three families’ journeys in the changing society of America during the 1920s. Each family is in a different position in society. One family is rich and white and lives in the exclusive upper class neighborhood of New Rochelle, NY. Their lives are sheltered and privileged.
Tobias, T. (2008, July 7). Mark Morris Rethinks Prokofiev's `Romeo' as Lusty, Gender Bending, Not Tragic. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from Seeing Things: Tobi Tobias on Dance et al.: http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/2008/07/mark_morris_rethinks_prokofiev.html
With a new ending, the play J.B. offers a lesson to its audiences which heavily emphasizes on the value of love and family. Love warms up many frozen hearts and family energizes many forlorn souls.
Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. 84, 110, 116-121, 125-127, 128, 134, 163, 195, 201, 209. Print.
Two households both alike in dignity .From ancient grudge break to new mutiny'' .There is a feeling at the start of the play when the Prince arrives and wants the violence to stop
The central theme of the play is romance. The characters all experience love, in one way or another, whether it be unrequited or shared between more than one person. The plot is intricately woven, sometimes confusingly so, between twists and turns throughout the multiple acts, but it never strays too far from the subject of adoration. Despite the hardships, misperception and deceit the characters experience, six individuals are brought together in the name of holy matrimony in three distinct nuptials. Sebastian, the twin brother of Viola who was lost at sea after a shipwreck, and Lady Olivia are the first to marry, but things are not as they seem.
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.
The play “Lost in Yonkers” by Neil Simon is an extraordinary book to read. The play takes place in the 1940’s during World War 2 where men were being sent off to war but with this particular family, the father did not exactly go to war to fight but rather left for a job opportunity to pay off some debts he owned. In the result of this, he left behind his two young boys Jay and Arty to stay with their grandmother and Aunt Bella. At first, the grandmother did not like that idea and still didn’t after they left but by them staying it gave their aunt Bella courage to stand up to her mother about wanting to feel love through affection. Not only did Aunt Bella felt this way but so did their father and uncle Louie who was a “gangster” ,so the boys
But towards the end of it, the plots were sophisticated, serious with singing, dancing as well as dialogue. In this post, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurent’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards, etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece.
Many people let the conflicts they have take over their relationships with their loved ones. In the plays A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the readers are introduced to the conflicts between each of the families. The Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun, face conflict when Lena Younger’s husband has passed and has left them ten thousand dollars in his will. The Kowalski family in A Streetcar Named Desire are faced with conflict when Stella’s sister Blanche Dubois comes to town. Most particularly, both plays have each faced challenging hurdles and fatalities during their lives. Although both families come from tremendously diverse backgrounds, they share the same conflicts that occur
life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.
I experienced Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter-human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage.
These two plays show dramatically the struggle for authoritative power over the characters lives, families, and societies pressures. The overall tragedy that befalls them as they are swept up in these conflicts distinctly portrays the thematic plot of their common misconception for power and control over their lives.
Shortly after 1949 had been rung in, Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins were already hard at work. Robbins had called with an idea of “a modern version of Romeo and Juliet set in slums […].” The original idea called for dissention between Jews and Catholics during Easter-Passover celebrations. The Capulets, i.e. Juliet, are Jewish; the Montagues, i.e. Romeo, are Catholics. Friar Lawrence will become the neighborhood druggist. The general idea was to create a successful musical that tells a tragic story in a musical comedy. With the suggestion of Arthur Laurents writing the book by Robbins, the idea becomes more of a reality . The New York Times printed an article in later that month with the headline of ‘Romeo to receive musical styling.’ An obstacle they faced was the family versus religion oriented story they were now creating – which would stray from the original Romeo and Juliet theme. The musical was put on the back burner of all but Robbins’ mind
William Shakespeare has provided some of the most brilliant plays to ever be performed on the stage. He is also the author of numerous sonnets and poems, but he is best known for his plays such as Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet. In this essay I would like to discuss the play and movie, "Romeo and Juliet", and also the movie, Shakespeare in Love. The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is set in the fictional city of Verona. Within the city lives two families, the Capulets and the Montegues, who have been feuding for generations.