Theatre Tuesdays

Rent

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, won 4:

Best Score, Best Book, Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in Drama

(only 1 of 2 musicals since 1976 to win this award)

Characters

Mark Cohen (baritone): a student filmmaker, who is jaded against the “establishment”; ex-boyfriend of Maureen. Views life through the lens of his camera, sometimes losing the perspective “real life” affords.

Roger Davis (tenor): a sarcastic, cynical guitarist who has been diagnosed with HIV. He meets Mimi, and at first rejects her because of he drug habit. His goal is to write one last “perfect” song before he dies. They have reconciliation after he returns from fleeing to Santa Fe.

Mimi Márquez (mezzo soprano): an exotic dancer who is HIV positive. She meets Roger when the power is cut off to their building and she is looking for a way to light a candle. She is rejected by Roger at first because she is a drug addict, but they end up in a romantic relationship. She is found almost dead at the end of the production, but is guided back to life by a guardian “Angel” who tells her there is more life to live. MUST BE A DANCER.

Maureen Johnson (mezzo soprano): a performance artist who was formerly dating Mark, but she leaves him to be with Joanne. A spoiled brat, she constantly feuds with both Mark and JoAnne about the most minor of events.

Joanne Jefferson (mezzo/belter): a graduate of Harvard Law School, Joanne is a lesbian who is both dating and representing Maureen. As the oldest member of the group, Joanne often provides perspective that others seem to lack.

Angel Schunard (tenor): an HIV-positive drag queen who befriends Collins after he is mugged; they soon develop a strong romantic relationship. Angel is the peacemaker of the group until he dies. When Mimi is on the brink of death, she claims to see Angel, urging her to “go back and listen to that boy’s song.” The boy is Roger, and the song he sings is his “perfect” song – which is about his love for her.

Tom Collins (baritone): sometimes activist, anarchist, and philosophy professor that has worked at various institutions both within and outside New York. He is a staunch AIDS activist who is responsible for the destruction of the NYU virtual reality equipment as it broadcast a message urging people to “fight AIDS”. He falls in love with Angel after he rescues him from a mugging.

Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III (baritone): a former member of the group, Benny married into money and bought the building that Mark, Roger, and Mimi reside in. He is the main antagonist of the show, constantly harassing others by cutting off power and heat to the apartment building. It is implied that he had an improper relationship at one time with Mimi, something she tries (unsuccessfully) to keep from Roger.

Chorus: 10-12 men and women who portray various members of society – businessmen, street people, etc.

Synopsis

Act I

Mark, a filmmaker and the show's narrator, is spending a cold Christmas Eve in the Lower East Side industrial loft he shares with his roommate Roger, a musician. They receive several phone calls (TUNE UP/VOICE MAIL #1). The first is from Mark's mother consoling him over the loss of his girlfriend Maureen, a performance artist, to JoAnne, a Harvard Law School graduate. The second is from their friend Tom Collins who is detained by muggers. The last is from their landlord Benny demanding the rent. The power blows and so do Roger and Mark's tops (RENT).

Outside, Collins is reeling from the mugging. He is comforted by Angel, a street musician, who offers him a helping hand (YOU OKAY HONEY?). Both HIV+, Angel and Collins head out for a night on the town and a life support meeting.

In response to a call for help, Mark sets out for the lot where Maureen is performing a protest against Benny's eviction of the homeless from a nearby lot. He urges Roger to come along but he refuses. As Mark reports, Roger has not left the apartment in six months. He is still reeling from the suicide of his girlfriend, who slashed her wrists upon learning that she had AIDS. Roger tries to write a song but the only melody he finds is "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La Boheme (ONE SONG GLORY).

Mimi, an S&M dancer who lives below Mark and Roger, knocks with a request: LIGHT MY CANDLE. The attraction between she and Roger is immediate, but Roger shies away and shows her the door. Mimi knocks again. She has lost her stash. Roger helps her look and Mimi eventually finds it- in Roger's back pocket.

As Joanne wrangles with the sound equipment for Maureen's performance, her parents leave her VOICE MAIL #2, pleading with her to come to her mother's confirmation hearings in Washington. Collins arrives at the loft with a bag full of goodies. This includes Angel, transvested into Angel Dumott Shunard and gloriously arrayed in his Christmas finest- wig, glitter, and platform pumps. In TODAY 4 U, Angel explains how he earned $1,000: a wealthy woman hired him to play the drums until her neighbor's yappy Akita barked itself to death.

Benny enters with a proposal (YOU'LL SEE): if Mark and Roger stop Maureen's protest, he will forgo the rent. He entices them with plans for Cyber Arts, a state-of-the-art, multimedia studio that will realize all of their dreams. Unsuccessful, Benny leaves. Mark, Collins and Angel try to coax Roger into coming to the life support meeting with them but he refuses.

Mark finally reaches the lot where Maureen will perform her protest. He encounters Joanne, still struggling with the sound equipment and the many demands Maureen makes upon her. Mark offers help. Though they dreaded meeting, they have a lot in common (TANGO: MAUREEN). Once he finishes, Mark joins Angel and Collins at the LIFE SUPPORT meeting.

In her apartment, Mimi dresses and appeals to an imaginary Roger to take her OUT TONIGHT. She barges into his apartment and continues her appeal to Roger himself but after a passionate kiss he vehemently rejects her. They fight, her words blending with the affirmation of the support group that emphasizes the importance of living the moment (ANOTHER DAY). A young man from the support group asks quietly "Will I lose my dignity/Will someone care?" (WILL I?). His thoughts and fears are echoed by each member of the community. The thoughts are Roger's too, and he decides to go outside.

After the meeting, Mark, Angel and Collins roam the lot and rescue a homeless woman from the taunts and nightsticks of the neighborhood cops (ON THE STREET). Discouraged by life in New York, the three dream of opening up a restaurant in SANTA FE. Alone at last, Angel and Collins finally express their love for each other (I'LL COVER YOU). Joanne, meanwhile has her hands full juggling work, parents, and the ever-demanding Maureen...all over the phone(WE'RE OKAY).

The scene changes to St. Mark's Place where vendors hawk their wares to the bohemians of the East Village (CHRISTMAS BELLS). Angel buys a new coat for Collins. Mark finds Roger who spots Mimi looking for drugs. Roger apologizes and asks her to dinner. Just as the snow begins to fall, Maureen finally appears on her motorcycle to perform her protest, OVER THE MOON.

Following the protest, all convene at the Life Café, including Benny who announces that Bohemia is dead. Thus ensues a makeshift mock-wake that quickly segues into a celebration of LA VIE BOHEME. During the song, Benny confronts Mimi and threatens to reveal their past affair to Roger. Beepers go off to remind the revelers to take their AZT. Roger and Mimi each discover that the other is HIV+. Frightened, excited, they vow to be together (I SHOULD TELL YOU).

Joanne has been sent back to the lot by Maureen several times to check on the equipment. She finally rebels, telling Maureen that their relationship is over and announcing a riot in the lot: Benny has padlocked the building and called the cops but the homeless are standing their ground and mooing. The artists rejoice, the riot continues, and Roger and Mimi share a small, lovely kiss.

ACT II

The second act begins with the company posing the question, "How do you measure a year in the life?" (SEASONS OF LOVE). It is one week later, New Year's Eve, and Mark, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Joanne, Angel and Collins are having a breaking-back-into-the-building party (HAPPY NEW YEAR). Once inside, Mark listens to one more phone message from his mother in Scarsdale as well as one from Alexi Darling, a tabloid TV producer salivating over his footage of the riot (VOICE MAIL #3). Benny crashes the party, angering Roger and alienating Roger from Mimi. Dejected, Mimi wanders outside and into the welcoming arms of her drug dealer.

Mark fast forwards to Valentine's Day. Roger and Mimi are still together. Angel and Collins could be anywhere. Maureen and Joanne are still rehearsing another show, but it is not going well (TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME).

The company reprises SEASONS OF LOVE and time marches forward again, to spring. Roger and Mimi have a fight and Roger walks out. Alone, Mimi reflects on what life would be like without Roger (WITHOUT YOU). At the same time, Collins nurses a sick Angel; Maureen and Joanne reconcile; as do Mimi and Roger.

At the end of the summer, Alexi is still courting Mark for her TV show (VOICE MAIL #4). Roger and Mimi, unsatisfied by love's complications, break up, as do Maureen and Joanne. Angel dies (CONTACT). At a memorial service, his friends remember his spirit. Collins remembers his love (I'LL COVER YOU: REPRISE).

Outside the church, Mark phones Alexi to accept the job. Mark ponders how life has changed since last year as he recalls the joys of that one night last Christmas (HALLOWEEN). As the mourners leave the church, Mimi confirms that Roger has sold his guitar and is leaving town. Roger confirms that Mimi is now with Benny. A fight erupts among Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Benny, and Joanne Collins interrupts them with the sorrowful reality that the family is breaking up. Joanne and Maureen reunite. Mimi and Benny leave.

Mark tries to convince Roger to stay in New York and face his pain and the fact that Mimi is very sick. Roger attacks Mark, accusing him of hiding from his feelings. Mimi enters, having overheard the entire angry exchange, and bids Roger farewell (GOODBYE, LOVE). Roger leaves town. Mimi turns to Mark for help. Benny offers one helping hand to Mimi and extends the other to Collins to help him pay Angel's funeral expenses. Mimi refuses the help and flees. Collins accepts and he and Benny go out for a drink.

Mark considers the events and faces the last year, as does Roger, who is on his way to Santa Fe. Roger begins to discover his own song and Mark turns down the television job to finish his own film (WHAT YOU OWN).

Roger's mom, Mark's mom, Mimi's mom, and JoAnne's father all wonder where their children are (VOICE MAIL #5). Back at the loft, Mark tells us again it's Christmas and he now has a rough version of his film, which he's going to show tonight. Roger has returned, has written his song, but cannot find Mimi. Collins enters with money he has gotten from an ATM rewired to give money to anyone with a special code. The password? Angel.

Maureen and Joanne suddenly arrive holding Mimi, whom they found collapsed and near death in the park. Roger begs her not to die and sings for her the song it has taken him all year to write, YOUR EYES. Mimi dies as Roger wails her name over a blast of Puccini's music. Suddenly Mimi awakens, it seems that a guardian Angel was watching over her.

The company joins in a reprise of the affirmation that love is all and that there is "no day but today" (FINALE).

Orchestration

Keyboard

2 Guitars (electric/acoustic)

Bass

Drum set

1996 Original Broadway Cast

Perception, professionalism, and the arts - PART I

Something that has been bugging me for a while is how arts are perceived amongst certain people who consider themselves "in the know". I'm sure this is an equivalent problem in all disciplines; however, the issue is a bit more complex in the arts world where more can be based on value judgments. However, I'm not concerned about this phenomenon as much as I am concerned with the objective nature of the field.

There is a difference between things I "like" or "not like" and things I consider good. I may like a certain concert or performance because of different things: I like the music, it is pleasing to my ears; the production is visually pleasing, etc. These things are personal to me and my subjective experience; the feelings (and words) I express may or may not be valid to anyone else - and holding a subjective interpretation against someone is not only pointless, but it is also mean. However, there is a much more objective aspect to performing arts as well - was the work or play or music performed to the specifications and expectations of the creator? In performing Beethoven, is it permissible to make cuts to the music? How about a lesser known composer such as William Schuman? Is it allowed then? Or, delving into even more murky waters, is it permissible to cut Shakespeare? Or even to reword his plays to heighten a certain aspect? Or, on an even more modern stage, is it acceptable to change a work by Sondheim, or Schwartz to fit another's "vision"?

I realize that in some instances, the second example is the most tenuous of them all - not really with Shakespeare, but translations; one person may translate a foreign language text differently than another; inevitably different productions will arise. But I believe I am more concerned with the first and third examples. In the first case it is normally unthinkable to make changes in the canon of the symphonic genre. In the third case, it happens with more and more regularity. Directors pick and choose songs, make cuts at the barest whim - and present it as their "reimagining" of the property; or even worse, they claim they have "improved" upon the original.

As a professional musician and artist, this arrogance sits very poorly with me. Frankly, if a creator of a show had particular thoughts on whether something "worked" or not - things would not have been written as they were. So, why is it that so many people feel that they know more than some of these creators? These authors and composers, in most cases, have had thousands and thousands of performances. To sit and say that one person can objectively judge subjective matters not only degrades that performance, but also calls into question everything else that person has done. And don't feed me the line of "well, if we don't do it - the audience will be bored". That is even more perposterous than anything else; frankly, if you cannot performevery note and say every word without the fear of boring your audience, then not only have you picked the wrong property, but you might possibly be in the wrong field of the performing arts.

(To be continued...)

Theatre Tuesdays (Thursdays)

Hello - had to run some auditions this week, so I missed (ie: forgot) Theatre Tuesday. So, here it is, only a few days late:

Kismet

Book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis
Music and Lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright
Based on the music of Alexander Borodin*

*The derivation of musical numbers in Kismet from Borodin's music is given partially as follows:

Act I
"Sands Of Time":In The Steppes of Central Asia
"Fate": Symphony No. 2, 1st movement, opening theme
"Bazaar of The Caravans": Symphony No. 2, 4th movement, opening theme; Prince Igor, No. 17,"Polovetsian Dances, Wild Dance of the Men
"Not Since Nineveh": Prince Igor, No. 1 (Prologue) & No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances" (introductory theme)
"Baubles, Bangles, and Beads": Prince Igor, No. 2a and 2f (Skula and Yeroshka's music); String Quartet No. 2, 2nd Movement (Scherzo), secondary theme
"Strangers in Paradise": Prince Igor, No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", Gliding Dance of the Maidens
"He's In Love!": Prince Igor, No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", General Dance (D Major)
"Gesticulate": Prince Igor, No. 15, "Aria of Khan Konchak"; Symphony No. 1, 4th Movement, opening theme

Act II

"Night of My Nights": "Sérénade" from Petite Suite for piano
"And This is My Beloved": Prince Igor, No. 14 (Ovlur's theme); String Quartet No. 2, 3rd Movement (Notturno, originally in 3/4 meter), opening theme
"The Olive Tree": Prince Igor, No. 23, Trio (also used in the opera's overture)
"Zubediya" and "Samaris' Dance": Prince Igor, No. 2b, Song of Vladimir of Galich & No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", Dance of the Boys and Men

Winner of 3 Tony Awards: Best Actor, Best Musical, Best Musical Conductor (retired award)

Kismet opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 3, 1953 and ran for 583 performances.

Synopsis (from MTI):

At dawn outside a mosque in eleventh century Baghdad, we meet an old man, the Imam of the Mosque, who descends the steps with lantern in hand and looks to the stars. He sings "Sands of Time." Four muezzins appear, calling the faithful to prayers in song, and waking several beggars who complain of the noise and then more generally of the rigors of a beggar's life: "Get up! Start suffering!" As the beggars begin their day's work, some whirling dervishes appear, as does Omar Khayyam, Court Poet of the Calyph of Baghdad and the author of the Rubaiyat. Omar is disappointed to find that Hajj, his regular beggar, is traveling to Mecca. He withholds the coin from the others: "I'm too old to switch beggars now."

A cry is heard from afar: "It's the public poet," cries a beggar, "Hide your money!" The Poet sings, "Rhymes Have I," designed to loose a coin from the tightest grasp. He brings his daughter, who appears in rags and smudged face, to help close the sale and secure a breakfast for them both. Despite their efforts the beggars walk away: "A man can sell anything in the world except poems." He sends his daughter off to market to steal oranges.

The Poet sits on the steps of the Mosque and is approached by a beggar who tells him to move, since he's sitting in the best begging spot in Baghdad which is reserved for the return of old Hajj. Omar returns also surprised to find someone sitting in Hajj's spot. The poet claims to be Hajj's cousin and thus a rightful place-keeper for Hajj. He gives him a coin. A fig seller arrives and the Poet first begs for a fig and then issues a stream of curses until he relents. The Poet seems to have found a new calling. He sings "Fate." "Fate can play a trick with the twine/ to weave the evil and good in one design." Hassan-Ben, a henchman for the evil Master Brigand Jawan, enters looking for Hajj. The Poet again identifies himself thus, and Hassan-Ben roars with rage, throws a bag over his head and carries the Poet away.

In the desert, Master Brigand Jawan crouches over a red-hot charcoal brazier. We are in the hastily assembled desert encampment of Jawan, a fierce, elderly assassin and caravan robber. Hassan-Ben enters carrying the Poet. Jawan wants 'Hajj' to remove the curse that caused Jawan's son to be stolen many years ago. The Poet offers to remove the curse but reminds him that it must be done voluntarily and only adequate payment will do the trick. He pays and the Poet sings of his newfound wealth in a reprise of "Fate."

Around a group of caravans just outside the city, tradesmen of every description - including a merchant with four pretty, largely naked, dancing slave girls -- occupy the camp. They all sing "Bazaar of Caravans." Their bacchanalia ends with the arrival of the Wazir of Police. Porcine and petulant, he is menacing but oafish. Always the butt of jibes from any crowd, his threat to have his men break some teeth is interrupted by his wife's grand entrance. She arrives in a silk-draped litter carried by half-naked slave men. She is clothed lightly in silk and scented oil; this is the lascivious and libidinous Lalume. She eyes the new slave hungrily but is interrupted by the Wazir who, deep in debt, demands to know if she's secured a loan. She hasn't, but she has been promised ten camels loaded with riches if they can marry three Ababunian princesses to the Commander of the Faithful, our hero the noble Caliph himself. The princesses appear, young and fierce, brandishing swords in an exotic dance. They fall prostrate at the Wazir's feet. Unfortunately their language is all but unintelligible; it is clear, however, that they are homesick and unhappy Baghdad. Lalume and the Wazir desperately try to convince the young princesses of Baghdad's charms singing "Not Since Nineveh," to entice them to stay.

As they all exit, the merchants resume crying their wares. Marsinah, the Poet's daughter runs by with her stolen oranges, pursued by the orange merchant. The Poet enters and knocks the merchant down, who runs off in search of police. The Poet asks Marsinah what she would desire if she could have anything in the world. "Breakfast!" she answers unequivocally. Her father suggests that she should bigger, then gives her his gold. She's overwhelmed as all the merchants gather round to gawk at her riches. She dreams of a life of luxury as the merchants dress her; they sing "Baubles, Bangles and Beads."

The Caliph admires Marsinah from afar. Omar tells the Caliph to remember the ancient rule about falling in love "If you fall in love in Baghdad-get thee to Damascus. If you fall in love in Damascus -get thee to Baghdad." Marsinah reappears dressed provocatively; the transformation is stunning. The song rises to a climax, Marsinah and others exit, followed by the Caliph, in a trance.

It is a beautiful garden outside the widow Yussef's house, the home Marsinah has long coveted. The garden features a flowering mulberry tree and a small stone bench with a well beside it. Marsinah asks the widow if the house is for sale. Of course it is - it's a musical! The widow exits. Marsinah rhapsodizes about how her family could grow here in this garden. The Caliph arrives and they sing "Stranger in Paradise." They embrace.

The Poet appears on a side street lolling upon a richly cushioned Oriental rickshaw pulled by four beautiful slave girls. He wears a golden turban and a tunic of cloth of gold; he puffs on a hookah. The Wazir's police intercept him and ask his identity. He pauses and then offers a bribe if they'll go away. Their leader seizes his purse and sees that it has the mark of the house of Achmed, who was robbed by Jawan the Brigand. They arrest him and he lamely cries that it's all a mistake, that he's a poet. They demand a poem, he offers one of his lesser efforts and they take him off to the Wazir.

In the throne room of the Wazir of Police; we see the Wazir pacing in front of his throne, the Three Princesses of Ababu are having their hair done. The rivals for the Caliph's hand are presented to the Wazir, each more deserving than the last. Lalume enters to find a despairing Wazir. He opens his Court of Justice to cheer himself up. The Poet is brought before him, who proceeds to throw himself on the Wazir's mercy and to fawn over Lalume. The Poet proclaims his innocence, relating how he earned the gold pieces by removing a curse from Jawan's household. The unimpressed Wazir sentences him to having his right hand cut off. The Poet complains that a poet needs his hand to tell his tales in the song "Gesticulate," throughout which he continues to flirt with Lalume. The Wazir is still unimpressed and as the guards take him off to his fate, the Poet curses the Wazir with all his might.

Suddenly, Jawan is brought before the Wazir and confirms that he had paid the Poet for removing the curse. He continues, complaining that he still hadn't found his son, when he notices the amulet round the Wazir's neck. He produces a matching amulet. Jawan has found his son! "Of course," says the Poet. But wait, the Wazir recalls that the Poet had cursed him and, yet, it seems to have had no effect.

The Caliph bursts in announcing that he's chosen a wife, a wife other than the Ababuh princesses. This is unhappy news indeed for the Wazir and his wife. The Caliph leaves and the Wazir finally impressed with the Poet's powers and convinced that he can use them to stop the Caliph's wedding, grants the Poet the title of Emir. The Wazir is called to confer with a committee of his creditors. The Poet continues to flirt with Lalume and they kiss with considerable enthusiasm. A commotion ensues outside. The Caliph intends to be married right away and is going to claim his bride. The Wazir returns with his entourage and threatens to skewer the Poet unless he does his magic right away. The Poet spins an elaborate verse and sings a reprise of "Fate." His masterful verse has entranced all those present. And as Lalume 'helps' the Wazir to participate in the song by bowing his head, the Poet sneaks out of a side window.

Outside the Widow Yussef's house at moonrise, the Caliph and Omar are preparing for his marriage. The Caliph sings "Night of My Nights." Guests arrive with the wedding finery. The Caliph dons a plain "incognito" cloak and leaves. Marsinah enters and sings a reprise of "Stranger in Paradise." Her father the Poet arrives, gives her 90 gold pieces and tells her she must escape to Damascus immediately, as her life is at risk. She tries to tell him that she's to be wed but, as he is her father, she agrees, hugs him and they both leave in tears. The Caliph and his entourage appear. Caliph tells them to hide themselves until he signals them with the loud snap from the closing of a large silver box filled with jewels for his bride. He sings a reprise of "Baubles, Bangles and Beads." The widow Yussef enters and mistakes the Caliph for a merchant, then, realizing her mistake begs for forgiveness. He grants it and asks if she has seen Marsinah. She tells him that Marsinah had just been here in the embrace of another man. Heartbroken, the Caliph has everyone return to the Palace, feigning happiness, so no one will know that there is no bride.

The chief of police is waiting impatiently in an anteroom of the Wazir's harem. The Wazir and Lalume rush in. The policeman confirms that spies from all over the city also report that there is not bride. He gestures to three large pots in the background from which rise three black-hooded spies. The Wazir has already heard reports that the Caliph was married, as evidenced by the jovial return of his entourage to the Palace. "A subterfuge," reveals the policeman as he relates that the 'commoner' bride never appeared.

The Wazir is overjoyed, sends for the Poet to receive his reward and sings how his subtlety has gotten him where he is today in "Was I Wazir." The Poet arrives and the Wazir gives him a crown, a mirror to admire himself and attendants to satisfy every want. Omar enters and the Poet greets him in verse. Omar notes that an Emir who is a poet is rare indeed. The Poet agrees, bragging that someday he will supplant the royal 'old' poet, Omar Khayyam. He continues his insults until he finally realizes to whom he is speaking. "Omar, my friend, there is always something to be learned-even from fools. He sings "The Olive Tree."

On a terrace atop the Wazir's harem, open to the stars, the Poet is wearing the Emir's Crown. Lalume has been instructed by her husband the Wazir to 'delight' the Poet. All is right with the world and they and the harem girls sing "Rahadlakum" [Turkish Delight]. The girls leave and the Poet and Lalume discuss where to vent their lust, just as the Wazir is heard coming down the hall. The Poet dives behind the divan. The Wazir cannot find the Poet, when suddenly he pops up, as if by magic, from where he is hiding. "Where did you come from? That would be hard to explain-to a layman." The Wazir leaves, reminding Lalume to keep the Poet happy, and Marsinah enters. The Poet introduces his daughter and Lalume leaves to make arrangements for her quarters. Marsinah explains that she's in love but that now she cannot have him. The Poet offers that all he has as Emir is hers, but she is heartbroken. Just beyond their hearing the Caliph enters and, giving a poetic if vague description orders his guards to find his missing love in "And This is My Beloved." As they sing, they remain just unaware of the other.

In the anteroom of the Wazir's harem, the Caliph is rhapsodizing, again, to the Wazir about his lost love. The Wazir tries to console him by offering to peek through a secret mirror into his harem. Though disgusted by this peeping, he looks just as Marsinah is looking for her quarters. The Caliph mistakenly believes that she is just a harem girl and, therefor, unworthy to be his wife. He instructs the Wazir to bring all candidates for his marriage to the Caliph's Diwan tonight and leaves. The Wazir believes that the Poet must have arranged it to clear the way for the Caliph's marriage to the Ababu princesses. He instructs the chief policeman to note his marriage to Marsinah a month ago. When she hears of his plans, Marsinah threatens to kill herself rather than submit.

The Caliph's Great Audience Hall-a royal, very spacious chamber-dominated by a grand throne, a large bathing pool and fountain in the center of the room, all the nobles of Baghdad have gathered, including the Wazir and Lalume. Omar makes a grand entrance and introduces the Caliph, who takes his place on the throne. The marital candidates are paraded before the Caliph: the beauteous Princesses of Zanzibar and Turkestan perform exotic belly dances. Finally, the three Princesses of Ababu appear, promising that each has committed to marry that third of him that each can serve best. Their dance demonstrates what they mean.

As Omar reads a selection from his Rubaiyat, Wazir tells the Poet about the circumstances surrounding his 'marriage' to Marsinah. He's stunned. The Wazir misunderstands his reaction and tells him not to worry as he plans to poison her tonight. In a fury, the Poet reaches for his knife, then, noticing the pool thinks of a better plan and returns it to its scabbard. Getting everyone's attention, the Poet holds an empty plaque aloft walks to the pool and sits on the lip. "I will throw this empty plaque into the pool . . . When fetched from the water, this magic plaque will be inscribed with the name of the bride our Caliph will choose! (Unseen by all but the audience, he writes 'Ababu' on an identical plaque and instructs the Wazir to hide it in his boot.) The Poet has the lights dimmed, throws the empty plaque in, and then grabs the Wazir's foot, holding his head under water. In verse the Poet describes the Wazir's crimes and asks the Caliph what sentence such crimes would garner. "Death." "I thank you for your verdict! It has been carried out." The Wazir has drowned. The Poet throws the foot into the pool and runs out in darkness. The light returns, Marsinah is brought in followed by the Poet. The lovers are reunited but the Caliph could not possibly have a criminal as...a...father-in-law! They all join in the "Finale," singing "Lovers come, Lovers go/ and all that there is to know/ Lovers know ...only lovers know!"

Orchestration:

Flute (doubling Piccolo)
Oboe (doubling English Horn)
Clarinet I & II
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon

2 Horns
3 Trumpets
2 Trombone
Tuba

Harp
Percussion

4 Violins
Viola
Cello
Bass


Casting:

6 men, 4 women, with a large chorus. There is a large amount of dancing required for both principals and chorus.

Discography:

1953 Original Broadway Cast
1991 Studio Cast

Of superheroes and real life

I finally saw Watchmen today - only 3 or so weeks after it came out. I really liked it; there were some changes and deletions from the graphic novel - some I liked, some not so much. The ending changes in means, but the end is the same (hence, the end is met by different means). It bothered me that instead of aliens, the world is united against one of the protagonists (who is deeply flawed, so he may or may not care). All in all, I really liked the sub-plot of the Silk Spectre (II) falling for the Nite Owl (II); I thought that they were the most complex (and believable) characters of the entire movie. Likewise, I felt that Rorschach was music more... human. In the graphic novel, he's almost a stereotype - a Haemon-like character in his blind devotion to what he believes is moral and right. The movie softens him somewhat, and makes his ultimate scene a little more compassionate.

All told: A.

Laying low...

Dual nature sucks sometime.

Sometimes people need to learn that you cannot be everything to them at once.

It does not make the relationship any less powerful, but it does shine a rather bright spotlight on the boundaries.

Same goes with pleasing everyone - and that's where it seems to hurt the most. When you can't be everything and you're held responsible for it, what kind of friend does that make them?

Thunderstorms

I have always had this fascination with thunderstorms. When I was a young kid in Tucson, I always remember the monsoon season we'd get - it would be sunny at 2pm, furious storm at 3pm, and sunny again at 4pm. The sudden appearance of the storm would be a treat in itself; the clouds would build straight up thousands of feet in the air (at the time I had no concept of dry lines or anything weather related like that) and produce massive storms. There were at least three times that I can remember of the street being struck by lightning. The downpours were bad enough that the city had build a series of aqueducts in the alleyways to handle all the runoff.

Then we moved to upstate NY, where there was a distinct lack of weather patterns conducive to lightning; they occurred, but not remotely the same way that they were in AZ. Most of the time the lightning was not visible, all you got was the rumble of thunder. Moving to TX for grad work give me the chance to see real lightning storms again - of course, now with the chance of tornadoes... interesting trade off.

The first three or so years we were down here, the weather in the spring did not disappoint. Then we had a couple of dry springs, and they waned a bit. This spring looks like it may turn out to be a nice one - we've already had a few, and they've been pretty good. In fact, we're having one right now - M says its freaking her out because it rattles her work windows - but I still like it.

Theatre Tuesdays

In other friend's blogs, I've seen a feature called "Teaser Tuesdays" where books are previewed. So, I'll be a semi follower, but in my own way. Each Tuesday, I'll cover a different musical with a mini-writeup. Suggestions are welcome, as always.

Titanic

Story and Book by Peter Stone
Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston

Winner of 5 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Book, Original Musical Score, Orchestrations and Scenic Design

TITANIC opened on Broadway, March 29, 1997 and played for 804 performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Synopsis (from Tams Witmark):

TITANIC begins -Prologue as Thomas Andrews, the architect of the great ship, pores over the blueprints of his design -In Every Age. The curtain then rises to reveal the Ocean Dock in Southampton, England, where people are gathering to wonder at and to board the ship on sailing day: first a stoker - How Did They Build Titanic?, then additional crewmen -There She Is, officers and stevedores -Loading Inventory, the owner, the architect and the captain -The Largest Moving Object, the Third and Second Class passengers -I Must Get On That Ship, and finally the First Class passengers -The 1st Class Roster. Now fully boarded, the ship pulls out as the company sings a prayerful farewell -Godspeed Titanic.
One by one, the dreams and aspirations of key characters are presented: Barrett, the stoker who wanted to get away from the coal mines -Barrett's Song; Murdoch, the ship's officer contemplating the responsibility of command -To Be a Captain; Kate McGowan and the Third Class passengers who yearn for a better life in America -Lady's Maid; Chief Steward Etches and the millionaires he serves who exult in the wonders of their world -What a Remarkable Age This Is!
Barrett finds his way to the Telegraph Room where he dictates a proposal of marriage to his sweetheart back home -The Proposal in a telegram transmitted by Harold Bride, a young telegraph operator smitten with the possibilities of the new radio technology -The Night Was Alive.
The next day, April 14, after Sunday morning church service, the First Class attends the shipboard band's spirited out-of-doors dance-concert -Hymn/Doing the Latest Rag, an exclusive event crashed by Second Class passenger Alice Beane, a hardware store owner's wife who wants more out of life -I Have Danced. That evening, as Fleet the lookout scans the horizon -No Moon and bandsman Hartley regales the First Class Smoking Room with a new song -Autumn, the ship sails inexorably towards her collision, which ends Act One.
Act Two opens as the suddenly awakened First and Second Class passengers are assembled in the Grand Salon -Dressed In Your Pyjamas In The Grand Salon for life-belt instruction by Chief Steward Etches, before being sent up to the Boat Deck to board the lifeboats. In the Telegraph Room, Captain Smith, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Ismay, the owner, argue over who is responsible for the disaster -The Blame while Mr. Bride tirelessly sends out the S.O.S. Up on the Boat Deck, the male passengers are separated from their families -To the Lifeboats, and all express hopes of being reunited -We'll Meet Tomorrow as the final boat is lowered. Isidor Straus (the owner of Macy's) and his wife Ida remain behind together, as she refuses to leave his side after 40 years of marriage -Still and Mr. Etches utters a prayer -To Be a Captain (reprise). In the abandoned Smoking Room, Thomas Andrews desperately redesigns his ship to correct its fatal flaws until the futility of his actions leads him to predict, in horrifying detail, the end of TITANIC just as she begins her now-inevitable descent -Mr. Andrews' Vision.
In an Epilogue, the survivors picked up by the CARPATHIA numbly retell what had once been Mr. Andrews' dream -In Every Age (reprise). The living are joined by their lost loved-ones in a tableau recapturing the optimistic spirit of the Ocean Dock on sailing day -Finale.

Orchestration:

	Violins I & II
	Viola
	Cello
	Bass
	Reed I: Piccolo, Flute, Alto Flute (or Clarinet) and Clarinet
	Reed II: Oboe and English Horn (or Clarinet)
	Reed III: Clarinet
	Reed IV: Flute and Clarinet
	Reed V: Bassoon and E-flat Contrabass Clarinet (or Bassoon)
	Horn I & II
	Trumpets I & II (both double B-flat Piccolo Trumpet -8 measures only)
	Trombone I (tenor)
	Trombone II (bass)
	Keyboard Synthesizer I - principally Harp. Additional registrations for: Glockenspiel, Piano, Steel Guitar, Harpsichord, Vibraphone, Tuba and optional Bass Trombone. (2 vol.)
	Keyboard Synthesizer II - principally Strings. Additional registrations for: Marcato Strings, Fast Strings, Pizz. Strings, Trem. Strings, Double Basses, Celeste, Celeste + Vibes, Harmonium and Harp. (2 vol.)
2	Percussion I & II: (trap drum set & mallet instruments) (I - mallet instruments) Tubaphone (or Bells) Xylophone Timpani (2 pedal drums) Bells Gran Cassa (2 drums) Anvil (2 sizes) Piatti (Hand Cymbals) Small Triangle (share w/Perc. 2) Even Smaller Triangle (II- trap drum set) Snare Drum Bass Drum Wood Blocks (hi and low) Cow Bells (hi and low) Bell Tree Xylophone (share w/Perc. 2) Crotales Triangles (2 sizes) Tam-Tam Cymbals: several suspended Crash Crash Hi-Hat Hand

Cast:

11 men, 4, women and chorus. No involved dancing is required but some stylized movement is necessary.

Discography:

1997 Original Broadway Cast
2007 Original German Cast

Video Clip (from the 51st Annual Tony Awards):

Intorduction and new beginnings....

I've moved over here because I'm a bit more fond of the Blogger layout and how customizable it is. Plus, I was primarily staying over at Live Journal because of friends - and they're not updating anymore so there was little reason to stay. To the three fantastic ladies that were following me over there - I hope you glance at this once and a while. If not - that's OK too, I know they're busy.

My goal here is to be a bit more open, a bit more free. As many of you know, I've been out of work for a little over 8 months now, and its starting to hit me like a ton of bricks. A few new openings have been announced over the last 24-72 hours, but the outlook for next year is still grim. And staying professionally active here is proving much more draining as well; the youth orchestra I was working for has pretty much abandoned me without a word, and the theatre scene is becoming more filled with politics - a game that I find myself having to delve into more and more to keep any chance of "working" alive. It just feels like I'm selling myself in it as well, and I don't like what kind of person that makes me.