Question for the chronologically challenged.

This is the second question in my series of serious questions for the messageboard. This is a question for the older members of this board who have worked in theatre or been around theatre a long time. If there was one thing you would want to share with us younger members about your experience with theatre that you believe is important for us to know and don't believe its widely known in our younger generation what would it be? Just give the facts to us straight and why you think your one thing is so important, please don't go on and on about how we are worthless and theatre is doomed or anything like that.

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Son, I would offer one piece of advice.

Expand one's knowledge of American entertainment in the 1900s. Read plays, see film versions, listen to recorded versions. If one want to focus solely on muscials: Expand one's knowledge of the American musical and American popular music, at least back to the 1920s. Expose yourself to as much as you can, listen to it, see film versions, etc.

Only by understanding and appreciating what went before can one create the future.

Broadway Bulldog.

The old-fashioned shows now thought of as fluff and cheesy. Put them into perspective of their original run and the period in which they were written. Shows like Show Boat and Oklahoma were as edgy an innovative as Hair in the 60s and Rent in the 90s. We can learn a lot from the old shows. Why they worked and why they are still popular today.

Musicals as intelligent brainy art is a rarity. Musicals as entertainment is more common and always has been. Not every show needs to attain the high expectations of the few that achieve the balance of art and entertainment. Most shows are fluff or melodramatic and are meant to be only that. Rather than try to compete shows against each other (the Tonys do that for us), maybe we could analyze them for what they are.

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YAY FOR PHANTOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Open the door for the boy
who has more, he's a star
Phantom, go, go, go!

Oh look, the fair maiden has woken up. Time to go milk the cows for his Wheaties!

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he he he he he. I woulda been up earlier, but I was up pretty much the whole night dealing with a friend of mine.. poor guy

AnyWHO.. I am here now and ready to play!

naughty Phantom!


I LOVE it!

Hahah behave yoursleves you guys, besides its no fun on this post because I don't get mad at you, it's more fun to play on Podium's post cuz he gets mad. As for all the posts on subject so far, they are great, its nice to have a place where I can talk to people about stuff like this.

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Damn. An old fart question, and I have nothing to add because my background isn't in theater. ;-/

But as a person of chronologic stature, I'd encourage you to go for your dreams. If you truly have a passion for something, go for it.

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if you really want a career in musical theatre, learn to read music. Basic, but increasingly rare. Just learn the fundamentals. Taking a basic adult piano course can help too---you will understand harmony better if you read and/or play music.

And i prefer to think of myself as "chronologically enhanced." The other polite term which has gone out of vogue (and may be offensive to some) is "seasoned veteran."

For those of you who already read music, take the other tack: see as much acting as you can. Even a bad play or TV show or movie can show you what DOESN'T work. Some directors are conceptualists, some are acting coaches, but not all are everything/both. If you're in a rehearsal or audition, and the coach du jour offers a reference, it helps tremendously if you know the play, movie, or actor. You will stand out in auditions if you have some idea of how to approach even three lines you're given as a side to read. Seeing as many varied actors working as you can will help immensely.

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Updated On: 12/27/03 at 12:13 PM

YAY TX!!!!!!!!!

Congrats, TX--We posted at the same time and I didn't see that until now.

D

Thanx Dobbie and Bway Gay. Dobbie, does "42" mean any of the following:

A) the understudy may someday go on a become a star

B)"the two most beautiful words in the English language...musical comedy"

C) "There's a lane in little old New York
that's paved with joy and care;
Ev'ry train that comes to old New York
leaves all its' dreamers there.
An Avenue of dreams that you love...
there's an air of fun and laughter there
that hides the deep despair.

Come and meet those dancing feet
on the Avenue I'm taking you to
42 Street.
Hear the beat of dancing feet
It's the song I love the melody of
42 Street.
The big parade goes on for years
It's the rhapsody of laughter and tears...
Naughty, bawdy, gaudy, sporty
42 Street."

(the verse is from the British sheet music, the chorus from the film; i find them a lot more appropriate than the more familiar stage-version lyrics...credit to the 22-year-old David Jenkin's website about the composer Harry Warren).

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