For this assignment I watched Gerswin’s Opera Porgy and Bess. I saw the revival of Porgy and Bess live with Audra Mcdonald and Norm lewis a couple years back, but I rewatched it for the assignment and to spark my memory. Porgy and Bess is an English Opera by George Gershwin. George Gershwin was an incredible American Composer in the early 1900’s. Porgy and Bess was one of the worlds most controversial Operas, it had Blacks and Whites on stage performing together and it told a story about drug abuse and violence, but within that there was a beautiful and tragic love story being told. The Production I watched was George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Lincoln Center in 2002. Porgy and Bess is set in the 1930’s in Catfish Row in Charlestown, …show more content…
Bess wants to become the woman she knows she can be and the only person that can forgive her past and love her is Porgy. This Opera is very heart warming, yet very tragic, its truly one of my favorites. I loved many parts of this opera, some of the things I enjoyed was Porgy’s courage and strength. Even though Porgy was crippled he was one of the strongest characters. He had the biggest heart and never gave up. I also loved that Bess eventually got Clara’s baby and learned to love the baby with Porgy for awhile. My favorite song was the Aria Summertime sung by both Clara and Bess, I personally love when Bess sings it. This Aria is one of the most beautiful arias I’ve ever heard in an opera. When Bess sings summertime it contains so much emotion and you really believe everything is going to turn out okay in the end. My dislikes of these musical are basically just the main evil characters. Crown who is Bess’s partner in the beginning before she develops a relationship with Porgy and the local drug dealer named Sportin’ life. I especially hate crown because he is a condescending evil human being and doesn't care about anyone, but
During a later part of Scene Two when the cast is dancing the movements match the music, they appeared to be doing the Waltz, so the music had abrupt changes. In Scene Three: Cadiz, the orchestra plays some sad and somber music at the beginning. As the scene progresses the music goes from dark and dismal to happy and cheerful. During one of the songs of Scene Four: Paris the Old Lady, Cunegonde and Candide were discussing a flight and the music being played by the orchestra matched the lyrics bringing the idea of a flight to life. The Old Lady has a mezzo soprano voice she executes all of her notes well in the song. At the end of scene three Candide, Cunegonde, and the Old Lady leave to go to a new place and in the song they sing there are rounds, which were well executed. It helped change the mood again which brightened up the audience.
Today, I am seeing “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella”, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. I am viewing this in M.O.T Charter High School’s theater classroom. I am seeing this with my fellow theater classmates. Although I have seen this film before , I am very thrilled to hear Whitney Houston and Brandy sing “Impossible/It’s Possible”! The three elements I am discussing in this piece are costuming, set, and singing.
In 1951, Frank Loesser’s Guys & Dolls opened and received what were said to be “the most unanimously ecstatic set of reviews in Broadway history” (Block 200). For a show whose development included disappointing librettos from eleven different writers, this feat was truly unbelievable (Lewis 73). The unprecedented success of Guys & Dolls and its ability to remain culturally significant, as a popularly revived piece, is the product of several attributes unique to this show. The unusual writing progression that led to a truly integrated libretto in terms of the relationship of the score to the text, Loesser’s assimilation of a unified, yet distinctive style of speech into his lyrics for the
In the play, Fiddler on the roof, it’s implied that political and social globalization takes place in the story. They are both highly different types of globalization, yet they both are easily recognizable in the book and the play.
George Gershwin‘s opera Porgy and Bess is said to have been racist and outdated even in the time that it was written in 1935. There are many aspects of this work that are incorrect and prolong stereotypes about African Americans by depicting them as violent and religious. Gershwin classified this opera as a folk opera, a term which was offensive to African Americans. George Gershwin, arguably a great composer, composed an opera that is considered to be controversial due to its negative representation of African Americans. Porgy and Bess is a cultural artifact and when discussing it we bring up complex issues of race from the time it was written and even to this day in the United States.
Black Broadway provides an entertaining, poignant history of a Broadway of which few are aware. By focusing a spotlight on both performers long forgotten and on those whom we still hold dear, this unique book offers a story well worth
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s insistence on including a message about racial tolerance in a commercial Broadway play a number of years before the civil rights movement. South Pacific marks a moment when musical theatre was striving to distance itself from its commercial roots and to redefine itself instead as art (Most). As the quintessential example of what mid-century critics called “middle-of-the-road” culture, South Pacific sits uncomfortably between the “low” culture of Tin Pan Alley and the “high” culture of legitimate theatre and
The Broadway play “Clybourne Park” is based off the movie and play “The Raisin in the Sun”. It is written by Bruce Norris and was honored with many awards including the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best play. Bruce Norris wrote the play by having it pick up right where “The Raisin in the Sun” left off. By doing this, Bruce Norris picks up where the drama was and shows the racial tensions in the 1950’s and 1960’s up until present day. To create this, writer Bruce Norris created a play with only two acts. The first act is based in the late 1950’s and early 60’s right after the war. The second act is based in the same house fifty years apart in the year 2009. By doing this
George Gershwin, born in Brooklyn, New York on 26 September 1898, was born the second of four children of Morris and Rose Gershovitz, Russians who immigrated to New York in 1891. George and his family lived on Manhattan's lower east side in a poor Jewish community. After settling down in New York, his father changed the family name to Gershvin. It was George who later altered his last name to Gershwin when he entered the professional world of music. Most of his family was not musically talented, but his brother Ira became a wonderful well-known musician.
Slaying dragons and beasts certainly makes one well known, but none of these make someone a hero, much less a noble one. There are many expectations of a modern, noble hero: selflessness, valor, fairness, and moxie. Beowulf embodies these attributes, and they can be seen through his actions and words.
Joe Plane is one quirky individual, from his punk rock music to his soft heart, his excited giggle to his serious faces. This man is one amazing coach with weird but genuine qualities. You’d expect a coach to be some hard-headed, always mad, get in your face type of person, but then you take a good look at Coach Plane and it’s a geeky, family-oriented, leader figure.
When I came to America I experienced generalization about American culture because here different culture and people behave differently. At the beginning it was hard for me to adapt to host culture but overtime I stared to acquire American culture. However, I still remember my own culture because my background plays big role. I think the same idea applies to the werewolves because now they started to know more about host culture but they think that their culture is better. It's hard for girls to generalize host culture because they don't want to change their
Family friendly, heart tugging, hilarious, energy filled, Matilda the Musical does it all in this unbelievable performance and is a must see for everyone. The humor is perfect for all ages and will have everyone laughing, but at the same time still has little remarks that go over the kid's head. Matilda the Musical is currently playing in the beautiful Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End and the set and special of effects of the Matilda are a little unnecessary at times, but still impressive nonetheless. This show will have you laughing and talking about the performance for days to come!
‘Matilda the Musical’ was adapted by Dennis Kelly from one of Roald Dahl’s most famous books, with the lyrics and music being written by Tim Minchin. Matilda was first performed in November of 2010 at the Royal Shakespeare Company, before moving to the West End the next year. The musical tells the story of Matilda, a five year old who escapes her oppressive family and school life through books, and she eventually realises she has the power to move objects with her mind. The song I will be performing is called ‘Quiet’, which is in the second act of the musical. During this song, the audience see a true glimpse of what it is like in Matilda’s mind, and the process she goes through to contain her own anger. Just before the song Matilda’s teacher, Miss Trunchball, has been yelling at her class, until Matilda yells back. Miss Trunchball turns her attack on Matilda, who drowns out the noise and begins to sing to the audience. Throughout the song, Matilda becomes calmer, finding herself in a state of serenity. However, at the end of the song, Matilda is still holding onto some of her anger, and uses it to tip over a cup of water, containing a newt, onto Miss Trunchball. In my performance, I will endeavour to show the audience the chaos that is inside of Matilda’s mind, and how she does her best to control it, both through my vocal techniques and small physical movements.
In January 2010, some of the Toyota, Lexus and Pontiac vehicles were recalled because of problems about defective accelerator pedals made from CTS Corporation, a leading automotive supplier in North America, Europe, and Asia. The problems are related to the friction inside the moving part of the units that controls the pedal to return as soon as the pressure on the pedal is released. This friction should be designed to consistently corresponsive to the pressure on the pedal, in both pressed and released positions, so that the drivers can smoothly control the speed of the vehicles. It is thought that the condensation caused by cold weather is one of the reasons that lead to an increase of the friction. Another reason is related to