The Phantom Of The Opera

This phenomenon was replicated at the University of Michigan’s SMTD performance of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, written by Bertolt Brecht. This play told the story of the rise of gangster Arturo Ui and the corruption of the cauliflower business in order to satirize the rise of Hitler. Despite this being a play, rather than a musical, the use of Copland’s “planes of listening” still apply. Theater-goers can still view the work with different approaches- either purely surface level, meaning-driven, or technical, like the “planes of listening Copland describes.

In examining the libretto The Phantom of the Opera, the interactions and attitudes of the characters, and the language used, I will show how the Phantom’s obsession over Christine, although at times destructive, leads to his change from an evil and selfish villain, to a remorseful and compassionate hero. To understand the psyche of the Phantom, one must first have a brief overview of the play.

At the end of World War I, an excited America was poised for a cultural renaissance; patriotism was on the rise, the strong concept of Manifest Destiny had passed its peak of influence, and, most importantly, there had not been a clear shift in culture for decades. The Jazz Age of the 1920s was about to dawn, bringing with it youthful, risqué morals and a carefree look on life. From these ideals, a new, strongly American form of entertainment would emerge: musical theatre. Most commonly found in New York City on Broadway even to this day, musical theatre became an escape from reality and an entry into the imagination. The grand and splashy components that make up what is considered a classic Broadway musical can ultimately be traced back to Cole Porter. Porter’s writing, albeit at times controversial or raunchy, was able to harness the frantically beating heart of the Jazz Age and turn it into treasured shows. Using his unique melodies, romantic or idealistic lyrics, and his pioneering of writing about the human experience, Cole Porter shaped American music and theatre from the 1920s through the 1940s.

For this assignment. I will be talking about the original musical performance of 42nd street. I will present the conditions of the stage and setting for the original stage performance. In this, I will talk about the plot and the characters of 42nd street, how the plot progresses and how each character has their own purpose in the story in comparison to each other. I will talk about the underlying themes of 42nd street; how these themes are important

the training ground and inspiration for the birth of the American musical. As the primary

“Suspend your disbelief,” is not what playwright Bertolt Brecht wants you to do when you see his musical about the story of the founding fathers on Broadway. Brecht wants his audience to be conscious of the fact that his musical is in fact just that: a musical.

Jukebox musicals began in film and later shifted to theatre. They had begun to make theatre more popular with the public, which had begun to gravitate towards film and music. By combining the two, they gain some of the same as well as a whole new audience. I will discuss how this came to be by speaking of the shift that occurred.

As we dressed for the show, my thoughts were flooded with images and ideas. We descended the hotel stairs, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the theatre; while I remained in a pleasant daze. My first impression of the Nederlander met and exceeded all my expectations. I had envisioned an old theater, forgotten by the Broadway elite. As we walked to the door, we were able to see the wall signed by the cast and photos of the premier. The theater itself had a rundown feel to it and left you with the distinct impression that the magic was within the walls and on stage. As we entered the doors, I soaked in every thing. Our seats were located in the center, orchestra section, which gave us a perfect view of all the action.

The musical film has always held a special place for me. From my time as a drama student in high school, my eyes have been opened to the amazing world of the musical and especially the musical film. The musical film is a film genre in which the characters sing songs that are integrated into the overall story. Since musicals first began in theaters, musical films usually contain similar elements. These elements often simulate that there is a live audience watching. In a sense, the film viewers become the audience members, at a theater production, as the actor performs directly to them. Due to the popularity of musicals in the theater, the style was quickly brought over into film. In 1927, the musical film genre began

The Phantom of the Opera started out as a book written by Gaston Leroux, published January 8th in 1910 (Haining, 1). There have been several adaptations since then, including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. The other adaptations were Das Phantom der Opera, which is also known as Das Gespent im Opernhaus produced during 1916 in Germany as a silent drama film, this is known as a lost film due to no known copies existing at this time. A silent drama horror was produced on November 15th, 1925, a drama thriller was produced during August 27th in 1943, a horror film was produced June 25th during 1962, and an indie thriller, called Phantom of the Paradise was adapted from Phantom of the Opera and then produced in October 31st of 1974.

Musicals were originally developed in the 20th century with the purpose to entertain, however, they have surpassed this and have accomplished to entwine with the emotions of an audience group through the manipulation of certain musical elements. One of the musicals that correspond to an unadulterated musical is The Wicked. The wicked is based on a book by Winnie Holzman with the Music and Lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz. The musical focuses on the basis of an unlikely friendship and who struggle with opposing viewpoints, personalities and rivalry. This friendship is shown through the pop melodies with an addition of sophisticated musical theatre song construction.

has been recognized as a new kind of musical play that denied its Broadway audiences many of their most treasured traditions, says David Ewen in American Musical Theatre. There was no opening chorus line, no chorus until midway through the first act, in fact. There was rather a serious ballet and other serious overtones, including a killing in act two. The story, which was so simple, seemed to engage the audience in more than mere evening diversion. (248) These changes, far from disappointing to viewers, were upheld by a success that had never been seen in the history of musical theatre.

The choice by Stephanie S. Tolan to have the show put on by the main family in Surviving the Applewhites be The Sound of Music is an important one. The musical is a lot like the book, both having the key message of finding and chasing your dreams. In the beginning of The Sound of Music, Captain Von Trapp is cold and distant, but thanks to the efforts of his children and Maria, he realizes how important his family is and how much he had been mistreating them. He then rediscovers his ability to sing before working together with them to escape Austria. This is very similar to the way Jake’s attitude is changed by the Applewhites’ disciplinary efforts (or lack thereof) before his talent for singing is realized and he must work with them to put

The play was so well done, and the opening section was somewhat grand considering the fact that actors and actresses played their part and portrayed the characters in a way I could really relate to. I have always like live performances, and one thing the producer of Les Miserables introduced was the orchestra switch their voices between prerecorded and live scenes, this gave the play a sense of immediacy and power.

Most of us faintly remember fables, songs, and even movies that entailed important life lessons that we use throughout life, such as The Three Little Pigs, Romeo and Juliet, and even The Wizard of Oz. Retelling the summary is the easy part; but what about the message the author is trying to convey? Luckily, Broadway has found a solution to this, as well as broadening the audience of interest by diversifying the cast, and "compromising" the script of these original pieces so more of America can relate. Stories told from a new, contemporary, perspective can motivate new and diverse audiences to understand lessons to stories they always overlooked, ultimately changing their entire perspective on life.