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gwendolyngraceSo, my friend Amanda Jacobs and her writing partner got their Pride and Prejudice produced at the Ohio Light Opera this summer. The OLO operates out of the very theatre in the very school where ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
etakyma and I were majors; how's that for coincidence? My mother and Carol went out from Rochester to see it, and they talked me into going (which led to a bunch of other complications, but about that below). I buzzed over from Pennsic to attend the closing night. Here's my comments, which I'll forward to Amanda after I've checked a couple things against the program:
Again in no order:
Moving things around and tightening up so the letter confrontation is earlier is good!
Using Darcy more in Act I also good – is his confession to “Wind in the Willows” new? If so, right on! Consider also a strain of “Fine Eyes” in more than the underscoring earlier on, too, i.e., have him actually sing a snippet to foreshadow.
Wickham – I don’t know if it’s casting or directing, but as with the Wickham in workshop, he’s not a believable “good guy” early – he’s slimy from the start. Is it because “Shattered Dreams” is so sonorous? I don’t think so. But there’s not enough of the gay blade to him early and so even if we don’t know he’s scum, he presents as vaguely scummy from the moment he arrives. Really just acting choices?
Big issue, and I don’t remember if I said this before – unless you’re familiar with Austen’s writing conditions, the creaking door just doesn’t read as a threat. The music presents an appropriately ominous message, but the *why* it’s a barrier is not represented, or is too subtle for an average consumer to catch. Either in production elements or some other way, we need to understand why it’s a credible threat to her being able to continue her process when the door creaks.
Scoring – the tympani “boing” really stood out. It’s a beautiful touch – very funny! – but you might want to find other moments for similar effects, because it’s such a singularly comical one that it sticks out. There are other great touches that help move the plot, such as when the motifs are carried by specific instruments, or when the sleigh bells help set time of year.
These next are mostly production comments.
I love conceptually the idea that the characters begin “unclothed” – that is, unfleshed out – and that by the end Jane is “naked” but her characters have taken on personality and life. However, it creates some logistical problems, such as when M, K, and L are “at the Lucas Ball” in their shifts! Also, Mary’s hat bugged the heck out of me because it was translucent and I could see her ears underneath it! The diaphanous overdresses had sort of the same effect on me, but to a lesser degree.
Boots. Marching during Lydia’s Redcoat song drowned her out. (She wasn’t as strong as the young woman in the workshop, either.)
Use of space. Netherfield is closed up at the top of Act II, but K & L run over and “use” it. Ack.
Also, there was a decision not to use the extreme downstage wings for anything other than set changes (chorus) – this led to a couple awkward moments. For example, when D gives Lizzie the letter, he goes out at the mid-stage level Right and then turns round and comes Right Back On at the same platform level to read the letter. Was this a limitation due to timing? Would have preferred he walk off down and then reappear in the upper entrance (or walk up to the balcony level).
Back to more content-related comments.
Nice urgency after Jane’s letter arrives! Particularly Darcy “Then get me to London!” etc.
One issue I don’t quite know how to address, but because so much music is to move the plot, there are very short songs. Few standout #’s (“I’m not romantic” being one, “He must be in love with you” another). We give Jane and Bingley a huge production #, but then other songs have to be short because we can’t dwell on them, so then they’re not good “showstopping” #’s. I fear this is not clear – there’s no 11:00 number, the Netherfield ball, by it’s nature, devolves instead of e-volves… Redcoat is cut short…. See what I’m getting at? Even Collins’ numbers rattle to their finish and the plot keeps rolling. “Silly Girls” comes close, aided by the performance.
Production note: This Bennett and Collins were both magnificent! Also Lady Catherine. They hit all the funny. Good expansion of Catherine.
Collins’ “Reasons for Marrying” feels a little breathless, breakneck, especially when just after something else rather zippy. (Is that “My poor nerves?”) It was one moment when I felt that the two songs back-to-back felt too similar.
For no real reason other than thematically, “Man in the Portrait” makes me think of “Painting a Portrait” from Jane Eyre. (Incidentally, have you listened to it? I haven’t heard Little Women – might be useful to leaf through their libretti for other “epic” stories recently depicted into musicals. I fear there’s a lot of “Color Purple” syndrome here – so much story, so many little themes to turn into little songs, but rarely time to really luxuriate in the musical culmination of the story (see above).
Not your fault, but the final act of the book is still thin. I think the interval is essentially where it has to be, though! It’s better with the frenetic energy of making Lydia legit. But…the only problem with the interval there is that the tension is no longer “will they get together” – because as you both said at the lecture, we now know Darcy is right and Wickham is a jerk. Will/Can it work if the break is after the wedding proposal but before the big letter of exposition? I know this directly contradicts some of my other comments! I’m not sure if the libretto will allow it but dramatically it’s a higher point to hold the audience in suspense. (CHECK THIS!)
Production – Just a quibble, but when the lyrics said “Cast your partner” they weren’t casting! :)
So the complications: Yeah. I went to Pennsic on Thursday, set up camp, and then left on Friday to go to Wooster. On the way, my (*EMPTY*, thank the gods) Cartop carrier and roof rack FLIPPED off the roof of my car into the middle of the road. The car behind me swerved and missed it; the woman driving in the other direction? Ran it over. No one was hurt (again, thank the gods), but the whole assembly was DED. D-E-D-Ded.
The cops were very nice, the witness said I wasn't speeding (Thank you, Mr. Witness!), and we inspected the wreckage. Looked to me like the plastic failed on the bottom of the hardside carrier, so that the bolts supposedly holding it to the metal bar, which in turn held it onto the roof rack, just ripped right through. Once it was free in one corner, wind shear caused the whole thing to pull up, and since it was attached by cotter pins on the other side, the whole thing just popped free of my door gutters and flipped over.
The woman driving the other way cracked up her front driver's side headlights and a little bit of her fender (which of course means the whole thing will need to be replaced). She's an insurance agent herself, of all bloody things, so she had a claim in by the next Monday morning. And because of how fucking Massachusetts insurance works, if it's more than $500 of damage, my insurance goes up from a level 9 to a level 12. Three years of $300 ($500?) more per year in insurance fees. Joy.
So keep your fingers crossed, kids, that her damage is $499 or less, or that they mean $500 *over my deductible*, because that could save me, too. Most car repairs, even minor ones, clock in around $750 these days. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch a break. Because I could use it! At least there was no traffic violation, no citation, nothing of that nature. And no one was hurt!
But it was a really interesting start to an interesting war.
Speaking of interesting wars, flist, is anyone able to tell what the heck happened to Alejandro? I'm ashamed to say I didn't even notice he was gone until Magnus said something Sunday night. Did they work out whatever the problem was?
etakyma and I were majors; how's that for coincidence? My mother and Carol went out from Rochester to see it, and they talked me into going (which led to a bunch of other complications, but about that below). I buzzed over from Pennsic to attend the closing night. Here's my comments, which I'll forward to Amanda after I've checked a couple things against the program:Again in no order:
Moving things around and tightening up so the letter confrontation is earlier is good!
Using Darcy more in Act I also good – is his confession to “Wind in the Willows” new? If so, right on! Consider also a strain of “Fine Eyes” in more than the underscoring earlier on, too, i.e., have him actually sing a snippet to foreshadow.
Wickham – I don’t know if it’s casting or directing, but as with the Wickham in workshop, he’s not a believable “good guy” early – he’s slimy from the start. Is it because “Shattered Dreams” is so sonorous? I don’t think so. But there’s not enough of the gay blade to him early and so even if we don’t know he’s scum, he presents as vaguely scummy from the moment he arrives. Really just acting choices?
Big issue, and I don’t remember if I said this before – unless you’re familiar with Austen’s writing conditions, the creaking door just doesn’t read as a threat. The music presents an appropriately ominous message, but the *why* it’s a barrier is not represented, or is too subtle for an average consumer to catch. Either in production elements or some other way, we need to understand why it’s a credible threat to her being able to continue her process when the door creaks.
Scoring – the tympani “boing” really stood out. It’s a beautiful touch – very funny! – but you might want to find other moments for similar effects, because it’s such a singularly comical one that it sticks out. There are other great touches that help move the plot, such as when the motifs are carried by specific instruments, or when the sleigh bells help set time of year.
These next are mostly production comments.
I love conceptually the idea that the characters begin “unclothed” – that is, unfleshed out – and that by the end Jane is “naked” but her characters have taken on personality and life. However, it creates some logistical problems, such as when M, K, and L are “at the Lucas Ball” in their shifts! Also, Mary’s hat bugged the heck out of me because it was translucent and I could see her ears underneath it! The diaphanous overdresses had sort of the same effect on me, but to a lesser degree.
Boots. Marching during Lydia’s Redcoat song drowned her out. (She wasn’t as strong as the young woman in the workshop, either.)
Use of space. Netherfield is closed up at the top of Act II, but K & L run over and “use” it. Ack.
Also, there was a decision not to use the extreme downstage wings for anything other than set changes (chorus) – this led to a couple awkward moments. For example, when D gives Lizzie the letter, he goes out at the mid-stage level Right and then turns round and comes Right Back On at the same platform level to read the letter. Was this a limitation due to timing? Would have preferred he walk off down and then reappear in the upper entrance (or walk up to the balcony level).
Back to more content-related comments.
Nice urgency after Jane’s letter arrives! Particularly Darcy “Then get me to London!” etc.
One issue I don’t quite know how to address, but because so much music is to move the plot, there are very short songs. Few standout #’s (“I’m not romantic” being one, “He must be in love with you” another). We give Jane and Bingley a huge production #, but then other songs have to be short because we can’t dwell on them, so then they’re not good “showstopping” #’s. I fear this is not clear – there’s no 11:00 number, the Netherfield ball, by it’s nature, devolves instead of e-volves… Redcoat is cut short…. See what I’m getting at? Even Collins’ numbers rattle to their finish and the plot keeps rolling. “Silly Girls” comes close, aided by the performance.
Production note: This Bennett and Collins were both magnificent! Also Lady Catherine. They hit all the funny. Good expansion of Catherine.
Collins’ “Reasons for Marrying” feels a little breathless, breakneck, especially when just after something else rather zippy. (Is that “My poor nerves?”) It was one moment when I felt that the two songs back-to-back felt too similar.
For no real reason other than thematically, “Man in the Portrait” makes me think of “Painting a Portrait” from Jane Eyre. (Incidentally, have you listened to it? I haven’t heard Little Women – might be useful to leaf through their libretti for other “epic” stories recently depicted into musicals. I fear there’s a lot of “Color Purple” syndrome here – so much story, so many little themes to turn into little songs, but rarely time to really luxuriate in the musical culmination of the story (see above).
Not your fault, but the final act of the book is still thin. I think the interval is essentially where it has to be, though! It’s better with the frenetic energy of making Lydia legit. But…the only problem with the interval there is that the tension is no longer “will they get together” – because as you both said at the lecture, we now know Darcy is right and Wickham is a jerk. Will/Can it work if the break is after the wedding proposal but before the big letter of exposition? I know this directly contradicts some of my other comments! I’m not sure if the libretto will allow it but dramatically it’s a higher point to hold the audience in suspense. (CHECK THIS!)
Production – Just a quibble, but when the lyrics said “Cast your partner” they weren’t casting! :)
So the complications: Yeah. I went to Pennsic on Thursday, set up camp, and then left on Friday to go to Wooster. On the way, my (*EMPTY*, thank the gods) Cartop carrier and roof rack FLIPPED off the roof of my car into the middle of the road. The car behind me swerved and missed it; the woman driving in the other direction? Ran it over. No one was hurt (again, thank the gods), but the whole assembly was DED. D-E-D-Ded.
The cops were very nice, the witness said I wasn't speeding (Thank you, Mr. Witness!), and we inspected the wreckage. Looked to me like the plastic failed on the bottom of the hardside carrier, so that the bolts supposedly holding it to the metal bar, which in turn held it onto the roof rack, just ripped right through. Once it was free in one corner, wind shear caused the whole thing to pull up, and since it was attached by cotter pins on the other side, the whole thing just popped free of my door gutters and flipped over.
The woman driving the other way cracked up her front driver's side headlights and a little bit of her fender (which of course means the whole thing will need to be replaced). She's an insurance agent herself, of all bloody things, so she had a claim in by the next Monday morning. And because of how fucking Massachusetts insurance works, if it's more than $500 of damage, my insurance goes up from a level 9 to a level 12. Three years of $300 ($500?) more per year in insurance fees. Joy.
So keep your fingers crossed, kids, that her damage is $499 or less, or that they mean $500 *over my deductible*, because that could save me, too. Most car repairs, even minor ones, clock in around $750 these days. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch a break. Because I could use it! At least there was no traffic violation, no citation, nothing of that nature. And no one was hurt!
But it was a really interesting start to an interesting war.
Speaking of interesting wars, flist, is anyone able to tell what the heck happened to Alejandro? I'm ashamed to say I didn't even notice he was gone until Magnus said something Sunday night. Did they work out whatever the problem was?
