Well, the vast majority of the
shows that I have seen performed have been musicals. Also, my favorite shows that I’ve seen
performed were musicals. On that same
note, my favorite shows that I have performed in are musicals. If there is anything more opposite to realism
and documentary theatre, I think it would be musicals. There is nothing about them that tries to
convince people that what is happening is real life. Even musicals that serve as a biography for a
real person’s life still include elements that make it quite unrealistic. People just don’t break out in song or a
fully choreographed dance number in real life.
And everyone knows that. My
absolute favorite show that I’ve ever been in was Oklahoma! I played Ado Annie
and enjoyed my role as well as watching the others in their roles. But that’s all it was. It was just enjoyable and entertaining and
fun.
On the other hand, I think about Stick Fly that I saw last year. That show seemed much more like peeking
through the window of a real family’s home.
It also was much more thought provoking.
After leaving the show, I was challenged to think about some
things. It presented some unfair and
unhappy situations that really happen in our world. While Oklahoma!
is funny and entertaining, I don’t think that it ever once made me think about
anything past that moment. I didn’t
think about any of the issues in the world or anything like that. But Stick
Fly had me thinking about class and race and all sorts of things. Neither of those shows are documentary or
verbatim theatre, but I don’t believe I’ve had the opportunity to watch any
documentary theatre yet. I would
definitely love to. The clips that I’ve
seen of it online are very captivating. I believe that in spite of biases and stories
just being spun in a different way, they do
capture reality in a very effective way.
It’s very different from musicals or even shows like Stick Fly that have very real elements
to them. Obviously, there is an
extremely different intent with docudrama than there is with a musical. And even though documentary theatre only
gives us a new story from a different perspective, whether it’s the people
being or portrayed or the playwright, I do think it gives us somebody’s very real story.
Gracie, have you heard about LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL? I was lucky enough to see Audra McDonald's performance this summer in NYC. That was considered a play with music, but it offered a realistic truth that made it so compelling to me. The stage was set up as a lounge with actual tables/chairs and a real bar on stage. There was a live jazz band that Audra "Billy Holiday" sang with. She would walk off stage and talk to the "patrons" and order a drink. The "patrons" at the tables were served drinks throughout the evening as Billy Holiday performed her last public performance. We learned so much about her and though some things were stylized (like the historical pictures on the scrim in the background) there was a compelling truth about this woman, her story, and her singing. So...musicals can offer a sense of truth and be realistic.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. The two differences you pointed out between a straight up play and musicals was very enlightening. I too was apart of Oklahoma back when I was in high school. I had a different perspective of the show because I worked on run crew. It was a spectacle and most people came to enjoy and relax while being entertained.
ReplyDeleteThe straight up plays were meant to be more thought provoking is definitely an incredible answer. Thanks for sharing