Introduction
The University of Texas at Dallas Arts and Performance program is unabashedly setting out to widen the establishment's engineering and computer sciences pigeonhole with a faithful reproduction of the acclaimed 1997 Broadway hit Side Show. With an ensemble cast, dancing chorus, and orchestra, the musical spins the tale of two (one?) conjoined twins on their journey from sideshow attractions to national media darlings and their individual (shared?) quests for love and acceptance in depression- era America.
Music
The two and a half our performance displays the wide array of performing arts available to the musical going enthusiast. Newcomers to musical theater will be broken in with a sizable musical repertoire, from the raunchy and soulful The Devil You Know, to playful vaudevillian numbers like We Share Everything and One Plus One Equals Three (which have the peculiar attribute of being show tunes inside show tunes). The prominent lead voices are given ample room to explore the auditorium in solo; Private Confession and You Should be Loved showcase tenors Lakshman Manjunath and Bryan Thompson's range and ability to convey emotion through vocal timbre.
Concurrent with the theme of the story, Side Show's defining characteristic is the duet. Conjoined Siamese twin characters Daisy and Violet (Robin Clayton and Emily McCoy) progress through the story together at the hip and voice, in harmony. The moments in which the two sister's are at impasse or disagreement gives way to heterophonic vocals and gives more depth to the motif of 'unseparated individuality'. The recitative is fluid, and orchestral accompaniment allows both an ambiance during dialogue and punctuation of thematic phrasing.
Performers
From the opening number, the audience is beckoned to Come Look at the Freaks; a menagerie of misfits, oddities, and, well... freaks. The bearded lady, the geek, the snake woman, and the cannibal king, among others, are paraded in front of performers playing an audience. The recurring theme of being an audience looking at another audience watching the actual characters further underscores the separation of the 'freakish' from the 'normal'. The production also featured a small on-stage orchestral accompaniment. Chordophones, membranophones, and aerophones were integrated into the performance only aurally; they were well hidden behind circus sideshow themed props.
Audience
The April 16th performance brought a full crowd to the University Theater. The audience, not surprisingly made up of university students, friends, and family of the performers, remained engaged throughout the performance. The opening number did much to grab attention; the cannibal king rolled his way across the stage and into the audience, beating the ground and even the first row theater seating, snarling in face of amused audience members. The pseudo- simian display was backed by a tribal themed accompaniment by the orchestra, and served to attach the audience to a monstrous character that would later be revealed as all too human. The cannibal king, later redefined as Jake, unrequited lover of lead character Violet, had the audience's full sympathy and vocal reactions when he is refused his offer of love. The character is a role traditionally played by a black performer. It is unclear whether the audience made the observation of Jake's rejection as a racial matter; perhaps it was intended to remain ambiguous. Sideshow performer, or African American in the 1930's; which sort outsider was Jake rejected as?
Time and Space
The Friday evening performance of Side Show drew a large audience despite not being an opening or closing show. For the cast and crew however, the April 16th performance required special attention; it would be video recorded. An interview with performer Eli Aalderink (as the Geek) reflects this sentiment. "I'm glad I actually hit those falsettos!"
Conclusion
The University's production of Side Show stands as both a perfect introduction for many to the American musical and an example of how even a technical school can participate in the long tradition of a music culture.
Works Cited
Side Show. By Bill Russell and Henry Krieger. University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson. Apr. 2010. Performance.
Evans, Kathryn. Program notes. Side Show. 08 Apr 2010. Richardson: UT Dallas University Theater
Aalderink, Eli. Personal interview. 20 Apr. 2010.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Progressive Rock: Rush
Drawing from the abstracts and experimentation of the psychedelic rock found in the late 60's, the early 1970's saw bands beginning to utilize concepts drawn from different art forms, and departing from traditional rock musical structure and presentational format.
This 'Progressive' style, while still generally similar to popular 'Rock' music, is characterized largely by the non- standard arrangements of its presentation. In many cases, 'songs' often stretch for tens of minutes, and may even be broken up into various 'movements', such as in classical composition. While traditional rock is heavily expressive through vocals, Progressive rock can often be instrumental; deeper musical expression is attempted by exploring various different electronic effects, alternating time signatures, and using the idea of presenting a larger theme or concept through the performance.
The Canadian band Rush gives example to this 'conceptual' presentation in it's live performance of '2112'. The 'song' is actually a suite in seven parts, describing a dystopian science fiction fantasy reality. The first two parts are performed here, including an instrumental overture.
Listening Guide
0:00 Synthesized effects to convey thematic elements of the concept story.
0:50 Guitars and Drum begin extended musical introduction.
1:35 Beginning of the closest thing you could call a chorus.
3:05 Time signature change and focus shifts to guitar.
3:35 Time signature change and return to 'chorus'
4:25 Cannon blast and first lyric signals the end of the overture and beginning of the next 'movement'.
4:45-End Lyrics begin, sung alongside the theme developed in the Overture, to introduce the antagonists of the story.
This 'Progressive' style, while still generally similar to popular 'Rock' music, is characterized largely by the non- standard arrangements of its presentation. In many cases, 'songs' often stretch for tens of minutes, and may even be broken up into various 'movements', such as in classical composition. While traditional rock is heavily expressive through vocals, Progressive rock can often be instrumental; deeper musical expression is attempted by exploring various different electronic effects, alternating time signatures, and using the idea of presenting a larger theme or concept through the performance.
The Canadian band Rush gives example to this 'conceptual' presentation in it's live performance of '2112'. The 'song' is actually a suite in seven parts, describing a dystopian science fiction fantasy reality. The first two parts are performed here, including an instrumental overture.
Listening Guide
0:00 Synthesized effects to convey thematic elements of the concept story.
0:50 Guitars and Drum begin extended musical introduction.
1:35 Beginning of the closest thing you could call a chorus.
3:05 Time signature change and focus shifts to guitar.
3:35 Time signature change and return to 'chorus'
4:25 Cannon blast and first lyric signals the end of the overture and beginning of the next 'movement'.
4:45-End Lyrics begin, sung alongside the theme developed in the Overture, to introduce the antagonists of the story.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Drumming Folk
The Gullah people of the southern United States present a unique opportunity to analyze the effects of cultural isolation and adaptation. The modern Gullah people are the direct descendants of west african slaves brought specifically to the southern coastal region to grow rice due to their remarkable resistance to tropical disease common in the region. Due to their specialized rice cropping expertise and natural immunities not inherent in white southerners, white plantation owners often left the Gullah slaves to themselves. This had the effect of allowing the oral and musical tradition of native African culture to remain almost unchanged after generations of practice in the the US.
As Gullah drummer David Pleasant explains, Gullah music, like in that of many native African cultures, is rhythm-centric. A strong, often polyrythmic beat, sometimes including background shimmer, draw similarity with the Ewe drummers of west Africa. Here, the drums share a similar communal purpose, yet as further analyzed by Pleasant, they played a direct insurrectionary role in the lives of Gullah slaves. The drum and rythms of the Ewe people are similar in their ability to draw the members of the musical culture together to a single purpose, thus explaining their eventual outlawing by white authority.
The consistency between the Gullah musical culture and cultures in West Africa make it easy to see departures and adapations from the originals, though few they are. The above performance is a gullah 'Ring Shout', a dance strongly tied to christian spirituality. The performers dance to a beat, usually played by two or more membranohpones or idiophones, moving in circular pattern.
Both functional and stylistic roots of these 'ring shouts' are evident in Ewe culture. The Ewe Atsia dance is quite similar, from the circular dancing, to the downward palm movements. In Atsia, the goal is to be possessed by the spirits at the center of the dance; In Gullah ring shout, the spirit is that of the Christian god. The function and form remains very similar, supplanted only is the native African religion.
As Gullah drummer David Pleasant explains, Gullah music, like in that of many native African cultures, is rhythm-centric. A strong, often polyrythmic beat, sometimes including background shimmer, draw similarity with the Ewe drummers of west Africa. Here, the drums share a similar communal purpose, yet as further analyzed by Pleasant, they played a direct insurrectionary role in the lives of Gullah slaves. The drum and rythms of the Ewe people are similar in their ability to draw the members of the musical culture together to a single purpose, thus explaining their eventual outlawing by white authority.
The consistency between the Gullah musical culture and cultures in West Africa make it easy to see departures and adapations from the originals, though few they are. The above performance is a gullah 'Ring Shout', a dance strongly tied to christian spirituality. The performers dance to a beat, usually played by two or more membranohpones or idiophones, moving in circular pattern.
Both functional and stylistic roots of these 'ring shouts' are evident in Ewe culture. The Ewe Atsia dance is quite similar, from the circular dancing, to the downward palm movements. In Atsia, the goal is to be possessed by the spirits at the center of the dance; In Gullah ring shout, the spirit is that of the Christian god. The function and form remains very similar, supplanted only is the native African religion.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Chinese Invasion (by Tunnel, Because it's Underground) Performance Report 1
Introduction
On April 31st, the Chinese underground band AV Okubo played to a barely- there Texan audience at the Denton venue Hailey's. The show was a part of the Chinese Invasion tour that brought the group, among others, on a blitzkrieg tour of the southwestern United States following their unprecedented reception at Austin's acclaimed South by Southwest festival. While marketed in the US as Chinese punk rock, the band does not easily fit into that peg, but may have been cast from the same die somewhere in it's genesis . Post- Punk and experimental are closer to the mark, if still not entirely descriptive of the group, but genre is periphery when concerning these musicians; the American interest lies in the origin, not the classification.
AV Okubo plays an American venue.
Music
AV Okubo opened the night with a set list of high energy, synthesizer- driven Chinese language melodies. The gritty, punk-inspired timbre of frontman Lu Yan will be familiar to American audiences on the Invasion Tour; the coupling with melodic synthesizer harmony may not be. Okubo's stage energy came courtesy of the high tempo drum rhythm played alongside a looped synthesized dance beat, often used as a platform for drummer Hu Juan to depart from. The band made full use of electronic effects, including the old megaphone-in-the-microphone punk standby. Here however, the gimmick is more Tienanmen Square and less Green Day.
Performers
The band, a four piece ensemble from Wuhan, takes obvious lessons from the west in terms of composition and dress. All in their early 20's, the musicians seem to be keenly aware of western culture and stage persona. Leather jackets, bleached hair, and low-slung guitars draw from punk sensibilities, and the attitude and delivery of Chinese revolutionary-themed lyrics allows the former to be authentic. Ending the set list on a drawn out, reverb-laden bass note, bass guitarist Zuo Yi threw his instrument violently on the ground, and ran off stage, lighting a cigarette.
Audience
The Wednesday performance kept up only a handful of Denton residents, almost entirely comprised of students from the University of North Texas. Small but spirited, the audience was not afraid to dance to the Chinese band's offerings, and often interacted humorously with the performers. When vocalist/keyboardist Lu Yan prefaced a song with “In old times, Chinese could destroy people with their minds”, the audience answered "Now what do you do?!” to which the leather jacket and chain choker clad bassist Zuo Yi menacingly exclaimed “Now, we destroy everything!”, much to the delight of the similarly charged young crowd.
Time and Space
The performance, which came late in the evening, marked the last Texas stop on the band's Invasion Tour. The unnecessarily ample space of the Hailey's concert floor saw little to no seated attendees; only the most curious and dedicated of the local music going crowd had the makeup to drink and make fist gestures in support of like minded young musicians from half the world away, and they did so on their feet. Most watchers were comfortable being only feet from the stage, not conscious of being small in number and having the option of maintaining a cautious distance. The weekday, late night performance did much to endear the band to the audience, and vice-versa, drawing energy from the close connection between the two peer groups, now not separated by any ocean or authority.
Conclusion
The Chinese Invasion tour is doing much to bridge the divide between youth cultures of the east and west. Chinese bands like AV Okubo are fighting and winning the attention of a generation of young American listeners, not as an empty echo of western punk or counterculture ideas, but as a utilization of these ideas in practice. The themes will find a commonality between the two, and as AV Okubo's performance is evidence to, there will be western ears open to the Chinese bands that find themselves planning similar invasions.
Chinese Invasion Tour. Texas, Denton. 31 Mar. 2010. Performance.
On April 31st, the Chinese underground band AV Okubo played to a barely- there Texan audience at the Denton venue Hailey's. The show was a part of the Chinese Invasion tour that brought the group, among others, on a blitzkrieg tour of the southwestern United States following their unprecedented reception at Austin's acclaimed South by Southwest festival. While marketed in the US as Chinese punk rock, the band does not easily fit into that peg, but may have been cast from the same die somewhere in it's genesis . Post- Punk and experimental are closer to the mark, if still not entirely descriptive of the group, but genre is periphery when concerning these musicians; the American interest lies in the origin, not the classification.
AV Okubo plays an American venue.
Music
AV Okubo opened the night with a set list of high energy, synthesizer- driven Chinese language melodies. The gritty, punk-inspired timbre of frontman Lu Yan will be familiar to American audiences on the Invasion Tour; the coupling with melodic synthesizer harmony may not be. Okubo's stage energy came courtesy of the high tempo drum rhythm played alongside a looped synthesized dance beat, often used as a platform for drummer Hu Juan to depart from. The band made full use of electronic effects, including the old megaphone-in-the-microphone punk standby. Here however, the gimmick is more Tienanmen Square and less Green Day.
Performers
The band, a four piece ensemble from Wuhan, takes obvious lessons from the west in terms of composition and dress. All in their early 20's, the musicians seem to be keenly aware of western culture and stage persona. Leather jackets, bleached hair, and low-slung guitars draw from punk sensibilities, and the attitude and delivery of Chinese revolutionary-themed lyrics allows the former to be authentic. Ending the set list on a drawn out, reverb-laden bass note, bass guitarist Zuo Yi threw his instrument violently on the ground, and ran off stage, lighting a cigarette.
Audience
The Wednesday performance kept up only a handful of Denton residents, almost entirely comprised of students from the University of North Texas. Small but spirited, the audience was not afraid to dance to the Chinese band's offerings, and often interacted humorously with the performers. When vocalist/keyboardist Lu Yan prefaced a song with “In old times, Chinese could destroy people with their minds”, the audience answered "Now what do you do?!” to which the leather jacket and chain choker clad bassist Zuo Yi menacingly exclaimed “Now, we destroy everything!”, much to the delight of the similarly charged young crowd.
Time and Space
The performance, which came late in the evening, marked the last Texas stop on the band's Invasion Tour. The unnecessarily ample space of the Hailey's concert floor saw little to no seated attendees; only the most curious and dedicated of the local music going crowd had the makeup to drink and make fist gestures in support of like minded young musicians from half the world away, and they did so on their feet. Most watchers were comfortable being only feet from the stage, not conscious of being small in number and having the option of maintaining a cautious distance. The weekday, late night performance did much to endear the band to the audience, and vice-versa, drawing energy from the close connection between the two peer groups, now not separated by any ocean or authority.
Conclusion
The Chinese Invasion tour is doing much to bridge the divide between youth cultures of the east and west. Chinese bands like AV Okubo are fighting and winning the attention of a generation of young American listeners, not as an empty echo of western punk or counterculture ideas, but as a utilization of these ideas in practice. The themes will find a commonality between the two, and as AV Okubo's performance is evidence to, there will be western ears open to the Chinese bands that find themselves planning similar invasions.
Chinese Invasion Tour. Texas, Denton. 31 Mar. 2010. Performance.
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