Performance Report - Sideshow the Musical

I attended Sideshow the Musical on Thursday, April 15, 2010, at 8:00 pm. Directed by UT Dallas faculty Kathryn Evans, this performance took place in the University Theatre. The original Broadway production of this musical was directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom. The musical was performed by UT Dallas students and faculty. Due to this performance being a musical, the focus was mainly on the performers and their singing rather than the orchestral background music.

Because this was a musical, almost everything was sung, including the conversations between the characters. The singing of the performers mostly reflected on their respective character’s characteristics. The Cannibal King, for example, sung in a fierce and loud voice. He had a harsh timbre quality. Buddy Foster, on the other hand, had a very soft and almost feminine voice, reflecting on his inability to make decisions and act manly. The singing also included lots of vibrato as well as frequent changes in volume and pitch.

The orchestral music, which played in the background and did not get as much focus as the singers, was just as instrumental in the performance. The orchestra featured many instruments including the piano, clarinet, oboe, flute, guitar, trumpet, and drums. One of the most easily recognizable factors regarding the orchestral music was the main theme song of the musical which was played many times throughout the performance. However, there were many different songs and melodies which significantly affected the experience of the musical.

The music was usually slow during the sad or tense parts and fast during the lively parts of the performance. The speed and tempo of the songs changed frequently and quickly during some of the songs. During the introduction of the Attractions, for example, the music changed in melody and tempo for each of the different “freaks”. The music blended with the scene and also changed in accordance with the characters’ emotions.

The performers were almost all students and come from many different backgrounds. This fits in well with the musical because the Attractions also come from many different backgrounds. This also improved the experience of the performance. The performers had to be both good singers and actors because it was not just a concert or a play, but, rather, the combination of the two. Therefore, they made many facial expressions and hand gestures to make the performance better. Most of the time, the performers smiled. The performers in the background (i.e. the musicians) were usually very calm and serious but smiled both at the audience and at each other at times.

The musical also had comical aspects such as the different actions of the scene changers during the changing of the scenes. For example, when the others were doing their job, one of them took out a bottle of “whiskey” and drank from it. Another time, one of them sat on the couch on the set. This helped entertain the audience between scenes. Another thing that caught my attention was that the performance ended right after the “Fat Lady sang.”

Because it was Thursday night, the musical was free for everyone and the audience included students and faculty as well as friends and family of the performers. There were many senior citizens who, one would assume, were grandparents of some of the performers. They really seemed to have enjoyed the musical as I heard the conversation of a couple during the intermission. The husband asked, “How do you like it?” and the wife replied, “Oh, this is good!” Almost all members of the audience, including the elderly, stood up at the end of the performance to applaud everyone who took part in the musical. Throughout the performance, however, the audience was extremely quiet except when something funny happened, in which case, they laughed.

Because the performance took place at 8:00 pm and went on until about 10:20 pm, both the audience and the performers grew tired and sleepy. In fact, one of the performers yawned at about 9:20 because it was starting to get late. Apart from that, the time and place did not affect the performance much.

Sideshow the Musical was performed a total of six times from April 8 to April 17. This UT Dallas rendition of the Broadway musical caught the attention of both the UTD community and the general public. It was met well because of its quality of performance, in terms of music, acting, and choreography.

Works Cited

Sideshow the Musical. By Bill Russell and Henry Krieger. Dir. Kathryn Evans. Perf. UTD Students. Cond. Winston Stone. University of Texas at Dallas – University Theatre, Richardson, TX. April 15, 2010.
(Sideshow the Musical).

Evans, Kathryn. Program notes. Sideshow the Musical. April 15, 2010. Richardson, TX: University of Texas at Dallas – University Theatre.
(Evans).

Music-Culture XII

When it comes to the subgenre of Heavy Metal in the music genre of Rock, there are numerous distinct elements that distinguish this type of music from all others. The first of these elements is the easily noticeable loudness of Heavy Metal Rock music. Because of the use of the drums and the amplified distortion of the electric guitars, this type of music is usually extremely loud. The frequent screaming and harsh vocal singing also adds to this loudness. There are times when the lyrics of a song become hard to make out due to the style of singing. There is also a focus on the lyrics rather than the background music except during guitar solos.

The themes of this subgenre of Rock are usually dark and depressing. However, these themes range from fictional stories to death. Many themes, such as sex, drugs, and depression, are directed towards the younger audiences.

The fans and followers of Heavy Metal usually wear dark clothes, matching the dark themes of the songs. Typical clothes include black T-shirts, jeans, leather pants and jackets, and usually any type of clothing with dark colors. Accessories are also important. Chains, metal necklaces with skulls or crosses, and leather wristbands are only a few. Makeup is also associated with Heavy Metal fans, both male and female. Dark colored lipsticks and eyeliners are used by many to add to the music culture.

Another important aspect of the music culture of Heavy Metal music is the actions of the audience. Many listeners like to “headbang”, moving their heads (often rapidly) back and forth to the beat of the song. During concerts, the crowd forms “mosh” pits and the participants push each other around while moving their hands in the air, sometimes dancing, as a form of expression of their entertainment.

One example of this subgenre is Stupify by Disturbed.



0:00 The song begins with the stroke of the drum and the guitar, starting the main melody which is heard throughout the song.

0:09 The vocalist, David Draiman, starts out by reciting, not singing.

Yeah, bringing you another disturbing creation
from the mind of one sick animal
who can't tell the difference,
and gets stupified

0:19 Draiman starts singing.

I've been waiting my whole life for just one FUCK
And all I needed was just one FUCK
How can you say that you don't give a FUCK
I find myself stupified, coming back again
All I wanted was just one FUCK
One tiny little innocent FUCK
And when I feel like I'm shit out of LUCK
I find my stupified, coming back again

Why do you like playing around with
My narrow scope of reality
I can feel it all start slipping
I think I'm breaking down

And why do you like playing around with
My narrow scope of reality
I can feel it all start slipping away

See but I don't get it
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it
I get stupified
It's all the same you say
Livin with it, but I don't get it
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it
I get stupified(x2)

1:18 The music slows down for a moment.

All the people in the left wing ROCK
And all the people in the right wing ROCK
And all the people in the underground ROCK
I find myself stupified, coming back again
All the people in the high rise ROCK
And all the people in the projects ROCK
And all la gente in the barrio ROCK
I find myself stupified, coming back again

Why do you like playing around with
My narrow scope of reality
I can feel it all start slipping
I think I'm breaking down

And why do you like playing around with
My narrow scope of reality
I can feel it all start slipping away

See but I don't get it
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it
I get stupified
It's all the same you say
Livin with it, but I don't get it
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it
I get stupified(x2)

2:27 The music slows down once again.

Tefached(x2)

2:46 The music picks up pace. The drum is slower, the guitar is heard more.

And don't deny me
No baby no, don't deny me
And darling don't be afraid

But I don't get it
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it
I get stupified

Look in my face, step in my soul,
I begin to stupify! Ah!(x4)

Look in my face, step in my soul(4)
Look in my face, (step in my soul)(x3)
I begin to stupify!!
RAHH!

Music-Culture XI

As is the case with almost all people of African descent, music is a significantly notable part of the daily lives of the Gullah people. Because they were forced to live together during the time of their slavery, they formed very close ties to each other. It is also because of this that the community is very important to them.

After the Civil War, when they lived in isolation from their former owners, they formed communities and took care of themselves. Because of the continuous shipment of African slaves to the parts where the Gullah live, they were able to keep most of their traditions alive. Because their ancestors were mostly from Western Africa, many of their traditions, including their music, are similar to those found in that region.

The Gullah people perform music in many places in their daily lives. Much of their music has religious roots. They sing in church. However, they also have traditional African customs which they have preserved over the centuries. They sing songs while digging graves, preparing food for the souls of the departed, and during the funeral ceremonies. They also sing during celebrations or just about whenever they come together, as a family or as a whole community.

Another important aspect of the Gullah music culture is that they tend to always dance with the music. This tradition, popular among most Africans, is a way to keep the rhythm alive. The music of the Gullah is not limited to singing. They use many instruments, many of which have roots in Western African countries such as Senegal and Sierra Leon.

Although a certain group may be performing, the audience is always welcome to join them in singing, dancing, or playing an instrument.

Performance Report - Shakespeare in Song

On Friday, March 26, 2010, I attended Shakespeare in Song’s 8 pm performance at the Jonsson Performance Hall at UT Dallas. Directed by Kathryn Evans, the event featured the UT Dallas Chamber Singers’ rendition of a few Shakespearean operas. These operas are sung versions of William Shakespeare’s plays which were first composed as early as the late 15th or early 16th centuries. Many famous composers of these operas include Roger Quilter, Matthew Harris, and Robert Johnson.

The performance, which lasted a little over an hour, included pieces from many of Shakespeare’s famous works such as Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. These pieces included Matthew Harris’s Take, oh take those lips away, I shall no more to sea, Tell me where is fancy bred, and Hark hark the lark; Robert Johnson’s Full fathom five and Where the bee sucks; and Roger Quilter’s How should I your true love know?, Fear no more the heat of the sun, and Come away death.

The songs were accompanied by the piano as is tradition in Shakespearean opera. Before each song, the piano started with a small introduction, then a cadence followed, and finally both the chorus and the piano began the actual song. The vocal and the piano used similar notes which created perfect harmony between the two. The “happy” songs had fast rhythm and were high pitched while the “sad” songs were slower in rhythm and used lower pitches. The words in faster songs were harder to understand than those in slow songs.

There was a fairly large chorus which sung in heterophony but also had good harmony. Many songs sung by the chorus seemed to be melancholic, and the first “happy” song sung by the chorus was When daffodils begin to peer. The chorus, apart from singing normal text, also chanted things like “doo doo doo” or “ding dong bell”. There were many vocal solos which used numerous cadences for the performer to catch his/her breath.

Nothing surprised me much besides the fact that there was more text spoken than sung. Many things about the music were expected such as the constant changes in pitch, volume, and mood, the heavy vibrato, the relevantly short notes (when compared to Italian opera), and that the songs were only a couple of minutes a piece.

The first thing that caught my attention regarding the performers was their clothes. I was not expecting the singers, let alone the pianist, to wear clothes similar to those worn in Shakespearean times. I did not catch any of the performers make many mistakes. However, the first soloist seemed to be a bit nervous. The performers did not get to move around on the small stage, but their facial expressions and body language told the stories well. They seemed to be one with the song and feel the words in their hearts.

During the whole performance, the performers looked around in the audience, perhaps to see familiar faces. There was a late attendee who caught both the attention and the disdain of the performers for noisily walking to the front row and taking a seat. During the intermission, one of the performers came to sit with some of his friends from the audience and stayed there for the remainder of the performance. When the performers reentered after the intermission, many of their friends in the audience cheered for them.

During the performance, the audience was very quiet as the songs were very relaxing. There were many students that took notes for their performance reports. The audience also applauded a lot, sometimes when they should not have. There were also times when the director asked for applause from the audience. At the end of the performance, many members of the audience stood up to applaud.

Overall, the performance was very enjoyable because it was a Friday night and the audience wanted to relax after a long week and because the performers were well prepared for their first performance of Shakespeare in Song. The music was very similar to traditional Shakespearean operas in rhythm, pitch, and other qualities. The performers and the audience bonded well and both sides enjoyed the performance as a whole.

Works Cited

Shakespeare in Song. By Many Composers. Dir. Kathryn Evans. Perf. UT Dallas Chamber Singers. University of Texas at Dallas Jonsson Performance Hall, Richardson, TX. March 26, 2010. (Shakespeare in Song).

Evans, Kathryn. Program notes. Shakespeare in Song. March 26, 2010. Richardson, TX: University of Texas at Dallas Jonsson Performance Hall. (Evans).