This ensemble comedy/drama is based on the writings of Robert Fulghum, whose set of essays called ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN created a publishing sensation. This adaptatation takes essays from that book, plus others (among them UH-OH and IT WAS ON FIRE WHEN I LAY DOWN ON IT) and crafts them into an evening of scenes, songs and monologues. They range from very funny (a kids' version of Cinderella with a pig as a featured character, a tale of a disatrous wedding day) to poignant and sentimental (contemplations of a graveyard, a meditation on the meaning of life). The scenes shed light on what it means to be alive and traveling through the ups and downs of life. The whole show is fast-paced and contemporary, with a wide range of interconnected scenes that hang together.
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT - provides ample opportunity for a lot of performers to shine. The style is more storytelling than monologue, so each segment could be conceived with its own unique style - to include monologue performances, mimed physical movement, interactive dialogues, etc. The play could be profoundly moving as well as consistently funny. There are 7 songs in the show, which gives our singers a chance to shine but doesn't leave out those who don't want to sing. Written for 5 but could easily support 15 and still give everyone enough to do. Many parts not gender specific so casting could be flexible. Best to use a non-realistic setting that could allow for a lot of creativity on the part of set designers. Familiar title might help to draw in audience. OK for kids but with lots to say to teens and adults. the musical numbers seem be in a mostly pop mode.
WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD - we have not done much in a true storytelling style before, so performances would take work to bring to perfection. Some people are afraid of monologues or longer spoken passages. Any essentially plotless show relies on the cast and crew to maintain the style needed for the audience to buy into it. All performers would have to be leads - everyone would need to be able to "bring it" in that sense. On the other hand, dividing the show up for 15 players will result in smaller pieces of the pie for each. The set would have to be challenging enough for our student designers to tackle yet be flexible enough to accommodate 20 or more stories.
What do you think? You can read more about the show at www.dramaticpublishing.com, and there are various youtube clips from groups ranging from middle schools up to adult/senior citizen casts.
I LIKE THIS ONE A LOT!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteit sounds great, plenty of roles, seems like everyone would have plenty to do, i think it's great!
Im not so sure. Its not that i'm opposed to two musicals, I don't really have a preferance either way. I just don't think we are prepared to do a plotless show, and I don't think it would go over well with the audience. True storytelling is a feat to pull off, and having to modify the script makes it that much more difficult to push across.
ReplyDelete-Aaron
I think since everyone seems to want a challenge--whether in acting or set-building--doing a piece like this would be a great idea. I love the idea of doing a storytelling piece; it gives the actors the chance to really show how believable a character s/he can create.
ReplyDeleteI really like this one because I think it bridges the gap between those that passionately want to do 2 musicals and those that absolutely hate the idea. I think it is a great compromise and I think in theory it would be great. I also don't get why other people seem to think it would be so hard to do a storytelling piece. Maybe I don't completely understand what you mean or I don't grasp the difficulties that come with it, but it doesn't seem like it would be that much harder to me. If some one could explain why it would be so much harder. please enlighten me cause I feel kinda dumb. I also reject that premise that just because we haven't done it before means we shouldn't do it! New challenges and new experiences is why alot of us are involved in theater, so if that is all that is stopping us, I say go for it.
ReplyDeleteI really dislike this. I feel like this is kinda simplistic and pretty uninteresting and I do not think it will go over well. It seems like a piece far better suited to elementary school aged children and as high school theatre we could do so much better. It having seven "pop" sings thrown in doesn't make it a true musical and I think that it's a bit of a cop out on that front. Yes I am pro-tow musicals, but if we were going in more of a play direction this would still not be my choice. I really don't think it fits us this year and I also personally don't like it. PLEASE no.
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