I got the opportunity to see the vibrant production of the musical Footloose at the Boulder Dinner Theater Show at BDT Stage, in Boulder, Colorado. I watched this 1980’s inspired production on July 7, 2016 at a night showing. The basic premise of Footloose follows the small farm town of Bomont that suffers tragic repercussions from a fatal car accident that ends up killing four teenagers in the community. The result of this incident causes the town to outlaw public dancing. This pushes a group of teenagers into challenging the city council to preserve the right for self expression and most importantly dancing within the city limits of Bomont.
The book Footloose, published by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, is a classic story that grew in popularity and later translated onto the big screens. However, it isn't the skyrocket to Hollywood that makes this piece such an incredible work of art. Footloose incorporates several literary devices that help shape and form the theme. For example, imagery, syntax, and symbolism work individually, but also together, to create a lasting effect on readers. Without these three devices, the piece would lose meaning and resonate on a much lower level.
The 1984 version of Footloose stars young actor Kevin Bacon as he plays the role of Ren McCormack, a city teen who moves to the small town of Bomont to live with his mom. Local minister, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), has put a ban on dancing and rock music because of an incident that happened years ago. For most of the town this is not a big deal but for the new Ren McCormack this is a big issue. Ren McCormack makes it his mission with the help of his friends Willard (Chris Penn) and Ariel (Lori Singer) to shake things up. However, the set back is that Ariel is the minister's daughter. Ariel shows very quickly that she is the average “pastor's daughter” by coming in after curfew and playing many games of chicken. Footloose is a drama
Humorous, energetic, enjoyable and all-around fun, Legally Blonde: The Musical captured my attention from the get-go. This comical yet heartwarming musical portrays the story of a young woman following an ex-love to Harvard Law School only to realize the potential she possessed within herself and in the new life she creates for her own. After viewing this hit Broadway production, I am fascinated with how this theatre play was brought to life on stage with the lighting, sound, spacing and overall entertainment from the cast to the costumes. Altogether, this play is one of my all-time favorite productions and it is one that keeps my attention from the moment it takes off to the closing of the curtain at the end.
In my paper I will be discussing what makes Rent such an extraordinary rock musical, the care that went into creating it, and how it was different from what came before. I will provide analysis of characters and the plot, plus I will be describing the importance and relevance of certain songs.
Your Obedient Servant is one of the last songs in the musical Hamilton: An American Story. This song is based off a set of interactions between the title character, Alexander Hamilton, and his antagonist, Aaron Burr. It follows the Song, Election of 1800, in which Hamilton openly supports Thomas Jefferson to become president instead of Burr after the electoral tie between the two candidates. The tension that has been growing throughout the entire musical has climaxed at that point and then the infamous duel is set. All the letters that are written to each other during the song are ended with, “your Obedient Servant,” to add humor and also a reference to the actual series of five letters sent in 1804. While this makes for fantastic theatre, it is not completely accurate. Part of what makes Lin Manuel Miranda’s writing so compelling is that he takes Aaron Burr and makes him more dimensional than the man who killed Alexander Hamilton. However, the actual exchanged letters that the song is based off of show the tension breaking by a small incident, not directly relating to the presidential race, and do not actually set the terms of the duel.
Rick Bragg’s “French Quarter’s Black Tapping Feet” takes place in New Orleans in the year 1998. The story talks about young children and their tap dancing feet. Many of the children come from very little and they have learned how to make a living by tap dancing to support their families. People think that it is a way to exploit children and have them work at such a young age for so little, but others think that it is a way that the children enjoy themselves and it is another way to keep the French Quarter tradition alive. Rick Bragg wanted to shed light on the children and stories about having to do such a grown-up thing like supporting their families at a very young age. The author uses personal stories from the children, including how they feel about tap dancing and the backgrounds in which the children were brought up, to educate people on the subculture and tradition, and he brings in professors from two different schools to get professional views of the children tap dancing to support their families.
The dancers represent how they are all moving together to a rhythm that binds them together, not as dancers, but as human beings. It represents how everything is bound together, but this connection is lost by many of the characters. They distance themselves from their connections to relatives and to the Earth through the actions of the government and their own decisions.
Rent. To most people it is associated with an apartment, house, or another object. This word rarely conjures pleasant memories, but more often annoyance and stress. However, when someone mentions rent to me, my mind races to some of the most memorable experiences in my life.
“Do you ever feel like there is a different person inside of you just waiting to come out?” Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) says to her friend Taylor Mckessi (Monique Coleman) after receiving a call back in the Twinkle Town musical in the 2006 film, High School Musical. High School Musical is a romantic musical drama about a group of high school friends who stick to the status quo until the new girl comes to East High. This movie will have you tapping your toes and singing its tunes well beyond the theatre.
Dance can show us a variation of things whether it is a story plot or retelling history events. Dance becomes an art when done with passion and enthusiasm. The audience can connect and respond with the dancer if done properly. When we use dancing in a story line musical we are attempting to give the audience a deeper understanding. As every story every musical has a “moral to the story” or main idea.
In the movie Save the last dance the film explores various issues current in the United States as well as all over the world. The movie explores peer pressure especially in a black dominant school population. Themes of Violence, adolescent pride and interracial relationships were greatly represented in the film. Also it touches on early parenthood, pressures of a low income environment, racial status, racial stereotypes and prejudice as well as loyalty to friends. Psychologically the movie represents Memory, Learning, Thinking, Motivation and emotion, Development, Sex and gender as well as Social realm.
Dance was not a new element in the theatre realm. It had been used for years as a way of interpretation of feelings of a character that the writer or director wanted the audience to feel visually. Through movement, expression of those feelings was portrayed and helped the audience to somewhat
Good evening to Madam Sathiadevi and my fellow classmates. It is indeed a great pleasure to spend this wonderful evening with all of you today. Today I’ll be talking about a moral value that I have learned from the movie ‘Take the Lead’. The value that I learned is self-confidence when the polite ballroom dance instructor Pierre Dulaine sees a teenager vandalizing a car and on the next day he volunteers to teach dance to students to give value, dignity, trust and teamwork. Eventhough the teenagers who prefer hip-hop or rap, think it wasn’t a great idea but Dulaine catches the students' attention with a tango session and they started practicing ballroom dancing. Dulaine received criticism from parents and teachers who has got no hope on
In 1965 Robert Wise presented the world with his smashing box office hit film, The Sound of Music. Over time it has become known as one of the most loved and well-known musicals of all time. Shortly after its release it won many Academy awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Adapted Score, Best Film Editing, Best Film-Musical, Best Color Cinematography, and Best Costume design (Freiden par3). The movie is based upon the true story of the VonTrapp family and allows its audience to relive their family experience as well as their flight from Nazism just before the outbreak of World War Two.