Crazytown

FAQ: HOW SHOULD I RESPOND TO YOUR NEW MUSICAL READING?

By RSO

Theatregoer: Hey Writer!

Writer: Hey Theatre Loving Person/Professional That Is Also My Friend! 

I’m coming to see your new musical reading.  Are you excited?

I am!  Very nervous, though.

 

Have you been working on it a long time?

You know, whether it’s two months or two years, it always feels like a long time.

 

Then you must feel really connected to this material.

Of course!  They say collaboration is like marriage and that writing new work is like having a baby. 

 

Wow!  I hadn’t thought of it that way!  That must mean I should be very thoughtful in my response, I guess?

I would really appreciate that.  I’m a creative person, so you know, we are very emotional people.  We care a lot, so your response matters hugely!  You could ruin, or brighten my day with your words — you’ve got a lot of power there, missy!

 

Okay, that makes me really nervous to talk to you after your reading.  Should I be concerned?

LOL!  Not for like, your safety!  ROTFL!  But for the future of our friendship, yes.

 

I don’t think I want to come anymore, this is a lot of pressure —

No!  Please come!  I need you to come!  I need your eyes.  I NEED YOUR EYES.

 

MAKING ‘MERRILY’ ROLL ALONG: HOW TO MAKE THE SHOW WORK

By RSO

Don't hate me, Jennifer Tepper: I’ve never been a fan of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.

Yes, that show about three artists in New York who go from youthful innocence to tragic interpersonal explosion — and all in reverse, as the show is told backwards.  Famously, the show closed on Broadway faster that you can say its title, and yet has enjoyed several successful regional runs and is beloved by many (most?) of the theatre community

I’ve seen it numerous times over the years, and each time I think I "got" the show a little more.  I wanted to hurt from the top, and leave inspired by the end, and I’ve often left a little disappointed.  But perhaps that isn’t Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Furth’s fault, perhaps that has been simply the challenge of a brilliantly intricate musical.

That’s the conclusion I came to last night when I saw a college production of the show at (full disclosure, my own workplace) Pace University.  Between this production, and the several great productions I've seen in the past years, some things became clear to me about the show. 

So here's some unsolicited advice to would-be directors and performers of the show, based on some things I, as an audience member, learned about the show last night, and for the first time.

1. Take it slow.  It’s a tough show… and take your time to allow the heart of the piece to creep out.  Most of the scenes climax into a frenzy, so slow burn until then.
2. Add movement of the time.  I’ve never seen so much choreography in Merrily  — and it really helps keep the FUN up.  The show, for all its heart-break, is super fun as well.  Dance, dance, dance or die.
3. Make sure Frank and Charlie actually love each other.  It’s vital that when Frank and Charlie say “I love you,” we have to feel they mean it.  Obvious, perhaps, yet because we’ve already seen them explode, it’s a challenge to ensure chemistry (yeah… chemistry) rises between them as the show goes on.  In consideration of the fact that Frank bounces from girl to girl to girl in the show, perhaps his only true love is Charlie.
4. Make sure Beth doesn’t over-sing “Not a Day Goes By.”  I’ve known “Not a Day” since high school, when I was in an unrequited “love.”  Then I heard Bernadette do it, and then 1000 times afterward.  It’s tempting to sing-sing the song, but it’s pointless in the context of the show.  The actress hardly stayed in tempo, reading the song more like a monologue than I have heard it — and it was heartbreaking.  I know it seems obvious (actors: act!), but I think it’s a greater challenge when you’re singing a show’s most important and best-known songs.
5. Mary is in love with Frank.  From end to beginning.  And there are dozens of opportunities for Mary to show us — and they’re subtle.  Often only one small part of a very big line, but they say everything.  
6. Frank is not just an asshole.  Charlie is not just neurotic.  Mary is not just loud.  These are the temptations of many actors young or old, who dip into this perspectives and struggle to escape and struggle to get the audience’s love beyond these base ideas.  I was reminded today of the idea that “everything contains its opposite.”  Frank is a lover, passionate and optimistic that everything will work out; Charlie is grounded and light-hearted; and Mary is terrified, insecure, on the brink of losing everything.  These characters lose our respect (by design) in the first scenes, and it’s a fascinating challenge to watch them gain it back, slowly but surely.

All right Mr. Sondheim, you’ve won my heart again — as though it had ever been lost!  Now I just have to see CSC’s Passion!

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
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COMMERCIAL INTEREST: BECK BENNETT

By RSO

Beck Bennett —

(this guy)

(or, more likely to you—)

— has created this very sober character.

 

Which AT&T discovered and exploited:

 

Who doesn't love a straight-talking intellectual with a rich baritone?  Especially when he's totally fucking with you?

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
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COMMERCIAL INTEREST: TIMOTHY RYAN COLE

By RSO

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do watch a lot of the same TV.  Mostly CNN, Comedy Central, HGTV.  Shit Matt watches.

Because of this, I end up seeing the same commercials over and over again.  I become really fond of the commercials, and eventually fall in love with some of the guys in those commercials.  What!?  It happens. 

One of my commercial boyfriends is Timothy Ryan Cole.  This guy:

Don't recognize him?  How about now?

Not yet?  You know him, believe me.  How about now:

 

Okay, he looks familiar right?  This is why:

 

 

Yep, he's "JIMMY" in the "Happier than" Geico Commercial Series.  A little nerdy, kinda short, facial hair (usually), and oh he's a musician?  I'll buy car insurance from you anytime Mr. Cole.

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
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WILL SASSO THROWING UP LEMON(S)

Loved by RSO

Will Sasso (from MadTV) is strange.  Especially when he throws up lemons.

https://vine.co/v/bXAEOxgpqhq 

https://vine.co/v/bgep05eMY3l

https://vine.co/v/b6Enz70LZET

Check out the rest of Mr. Sasso's creations at this Twitter account.

(PS: Thanks Julia Mattison!)

PUT THE GLASS DOWN

RSO loved this.

Via Science is Madness

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

 

 

THE ENTIRE RATED RSO: MT-17 (1/21) CONCERT

Some killer performances and some world premieres.
By RSO

 

WHY MUST WE TELL THEM WHY? from 35mm

 

NEVER from Darling

 

DULL LITTLE ACHE from Darling

 

TO LONDON from Darling

WATCH 'PAPERMAN'

By RSO

Check out this new Disney short, which combines computer-generated and hand-drawn techniques.  A sweet piece.

 

PENCIL, PAPER AND BETTER WRITING

By RSO

Writing with pencil (or pen) and paper will contribute to a better quality of writing.  Here's why:

1.  While certainly not a faster creative process, the reduced speed of the handwriting process actually makes you more careful with what you put down on paper, and infinitely more thorough.



2. When it comes to music, many composers may find that when they just play through stuff and compose at the piano, their hands fall into many of the same forms and they write many of the same figures in many of the same keys.  By writing with our hands we are forced to produce music in a different way from a different (visual, as opposed to tactile) perspective.

3. Whether music or text, the "messy" nature of paper and lead/ink is what makes the creative juices continue to flow.  Scratching off something you don't like, drawing a line through it and another line to the right word or set of possible replacements,

4. ...and to begin with,writing on a piece of paper a first draft feels like a tremendous release... you're not beholden to anything.  Throw the paper out, file it away, or use it as the basis of the next draft... it doesn't matter; it's paper, not stone.

5. And there's something that can't be denied about the "handmade"ness of using one's hands to make something... over the centuries artists have said such work puts the artist's very body and soul into the material, a concept that just loses a little bit when we create with computers.

Sure, the time it will take you to do the same job will increase a lot — but is it better to write better with more time, or less well with beloved keystrokes?  And once it's good on paper, type it up or input it into finale for the glorious "final" draft (or as final as any draft can ever be).

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
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RETURN TO DEADLAND

By RSO

Earlier this month, students from Pace University presented a reading of my musical Jasper in Deadland, which I featured in 16 installments last year around this time on my blog.  Check out some of the videos of their performances below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
EMAIL HIM |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | FANSITE | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR