Make Up Assignment
description
Transcript of Make Up Assignment
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JakeHartge
VarsitySingers
Period6
CarouselattheLyricOpera
OnApril24th,IwentdowntowntoChicagotoseeRodgersandHammersteins
Carousel.Theproductionwashuge,withaspinningCarousel,ahuge20footpier,andmassive
backdrops.Theshowlastedalittlelongerthan3hours,includingtheintermission.Itstarredall
NewYork/MetropolitanOperastars,including:LauraOsnes,StevenPasquale,andDenyce
Graves.
LauraOsnes,whostarredasJulieJordan,wasoutstanding.Hertonewasvery
disneyesque,withherfalsettoandherfullvoicesoindistinguishableitmadeherrangesound
huge.Itcomesasnosurprisethatshesingslikeadisneyprincess,especiallybecauseofherrole
inCinderellaonBroadway.Hertonewaswarmwhentherewasafasttempoedsong,whileher
toneswitchedtoextremelyrichanddarkduringherballadafterhercostar,StevenPasquale,
dies(YoullNeverWalkAlone).Stevensvoicestayedconsistentthewholeshow.Histone
wasverynonchalant,ashisbodylanguagealsoshowed.Hissoftpalatewasobviouslylifted
throughouttheshow,becausehehadwarm,openvowelsevenwhenhismouthwasbarelyopen.
DenyceGraves,havingcamefromtheMetropolitanOpera,isawholedifferentstory.Hervowel
placementwasfartherbackthanhercostars,andhervowelswerehuge,sobigattimes,the
wordsshewassingingwereindistinguishable.Eachstarhadvowelplacementandtonethatfit
thecharacterandmoodtheywere/werein.
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Thecommitmenttoroleswasextremelywelldone.AfterStevenPasqualescharacter,
BillyBigelow,stabshimselfanddies,Julie(Laura)isseencryingoverhisbody.SinceIwasin
thesixthrow,thetearsrollingdownhercheekswerevisible.Besidestheaudibleweeping,the
tearsonlysoldtheroleandaffectedtheaudiencemore.Nettie(Denyce)triestoconsoleher,and
whenshereachesBilly,isjustasupset.ShegoesontosingYoullNeverWalkAlone,andit
isnttearsthatmakesusfeelemotion,itsthewayinwhichshesingsit.Shestandsinthevery
frontofthestage,andbeltsoutasongwithpleadingeyes.Herbodylanguagemadetheaudience
leanintoeverywordshesang,aseachdeceptivecadencerippedattheaudienceshearts.Igauge
aperformancebasedonhowmanytimesIfindmyselfthinkingaboutsomethingotherthanthe
show,andthatdidnthappenonce,Iwascompletelyhypnotizedbytheamazingperformances.
Thearticulationoftheleadswasstellar,forthemostpart.Laurausedherdisneyesque
wayofsingingtomakeeachsyllablecrispandeasilyunderstandable.Fromstarringinsomany
Broadwayshows,sheknowshowcleanandcrispwordsshouldbe,andcarriedthatknowledgeto
Chicago.StevenPasqualeswordswerealsoclearlyaudible,thankstotheliftingofhissoft
palatewhenhismouthwasntopenasfarasitmaybeshouldhavebeen.SinceDenyceGraves
wasmoreusedtobeingontheOperascenethantheMusicalTheatrescene,wasmuchharderto
understandtoanuntrainedear.AswevetalkedaboutwithMr.Bramstedt,theconsonantsofthe
wordsshouldcomeasplitsecondbeforethedownbeat.Toanaivelistener,itsoundslikeshes
onlysinginghugevowelsandthatcouldcompromisethecomprehensionofthelyric.Overall
though,herdictionwasclearenoughtocatchthegistofwhatRodgersandHammersteincrafted
somarvelously.
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MyuncleistheheadofthepropdivisionattheLyric,andhegavemydateandIatourof
thewholebuildingbeforetheshow.WewentonthespinningCarouselandwalkedonthe
20footpier,alongwithseeingtheorchestrapitandcostume,wig,makeup,andpropstorage.
Alongwithstellarperformancesbyeveryonefromtheleadstotheensembletothe57piece
orchestrathatwasaccompanyingthem,thiswaybyfarthebestproductionIhaveseentodate.