Anything Goes - (2)

Set on a cruise liner, the nautical theme runs throughout the show, with the added glitz and glamour of on-board cabaret, and the high fashion cult of celebrity which was as prevalent in 1934 as it is today. Lots of design freedom in the costuming, with trousers being fashionable for daywear,, and bias cut evening dresses in fabulous fabrics at the other end of the scale.

Our company had a two tier set, depicting the deck and bridge of the ship, with ladders leading from one level to the other. These were narrow sets of steps that gave the opportunity to vary the height and patterns of the players, so that Blow Gabriel Blow had several of the cast perched on the ladders and formed up across the bridge framing Reno centre stage, and giving everyone exposure to the audience. It did mean that the taller cast members had their heads up among the lighting bars if they weren't careful! At that time our auditorium had a flat floor, so the higher level allowed for some better sight lines for the audience. This is the usual way of setting for this show, but small community venues with low proscenium arch openings may make this impossible, and set your designer and director some headaches in developing imaginative settings that work well on a single level.

Anything Goes

Probably the most famous and long-lasting of Cole Porter's musicals Anything Goes was first staged in 1934 as a contemporary piece of theatre. Set on a cruise liner with very little in the way of set changes, it is a fun story with lots of well-known and popular songs including “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You're the Top” and “Anything Goes”. Less well-known maybe is the evangelical “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” which is a big production number in the second act.
There some decent sized parts as well as the lead, Reno Sweeney, and her love interests,  and plenty of chorus numbers to get your teeth into. Reno also has a backing group of girl singers, her “Angels”.
The original 1934 setting gives scope for some fantastic costumes and a wide variety of dance styles, including some tap dancing if that is a skill available among a company's membership. It can also be updated to different time periods without too much difficulty as the music crosses several decades of the twentieth century without being out of its time.
The version I did was the 1962 revival version which included some songs that have since disappeared from the libretto, such as “Heaven Hop” which for us was a tap routine done in shorts and striped sailor tops (perhaps that was why it was cut from later productions!) with Bonnie leading (even this character has been re-named and re-written for the later versions.)

The Music Man - (4)

Gifts for Music Man:

Any kind of musical notation; such as treble and bass clef or quaver charms, Notebooks, mousemats, ties, socks, with sheet music designs.

Pin badges and charms of instruments, particularly trombones and other brass instruments and piano

American flags (it's Independence Day) and Uncle Sam ephemera.

Books, particularly copies of works by Chaucer, Rabelais or Balzac. And bookmarks.

Pocket watches for the Barbershop quartet. A less expensive option - sweet watches may still be found.

Sweet worms or Cornetto ice cream for Winthrop, depending on the child, and the circumstances. (Some companies will not allow ice cream or drinks in the dressing rooms because of space issues and spillages)

See categories The Music Man and Gifts for Musicians and Singers on www.thedramaqueensdrawers.co.uk


On a personal note; Loughton Operatic Society's production in which I am currently appearing (ooh that sounds so grand!) had its first night last night.  We thought we had sorted all the problems that had cropped up on tech and dress rehearsals, but the weather had other ideas. We arrived to find the stage and stage-left legs and wings soaking wet, because the rain was coming in through the roof of the building, so congratulations to our crew for managing to dry out the stage in time for curtain up. We are praying for slightly less rain for the rest of the week!
Wishing  “ Break a leg!”  to all my friends for the rest of the run, and that our audiences enjoy it as much as we are. Congratulations everyone on a great show.

The Music Man - (3)

The settings for Music Man are of the main street of River City, the interiors of the Library and Gymnasium, and Mrs Paroo's house and verandah (Indoors and out), and of the park with a footbridge, where courting couples meet. Quite a challenge for set designer and stage crew, with multiple changes, especially if presented in a small community hall with limited flying facilities. Depending on available space there is also the arrival of the Wells Fargo wagon at the end of Act One, bringing a plethora of brass band instruments for the children. Of course it is possible to dispense with a practical wagon, and have parcels being “unloaded” in the wings. Or at the other extreme, with unlimited space and budget, one can bring in a horse(or pony)-drawn wagon to complete the climax before the interval.

This can be a spectacular show, with costumes and setting becoming brighter and more dramatic as the story goes on, culminating in the arrival of the uniformed Boys' Band. The epitome of shimmering trumpets, clashing cymbals and thundering timpani. 

Music is the central focus of the whole show with piano, pianola, and brass marching band  all featuring in the action.

The Music Man - (2)

The Music Man is set in 1912, so period costumes are required, and some research into the possible attitudes and habits of society at this period. Fortunately this year is well documented, partly because of the Titanic disaster, and the news coverage that has survived from that time, and the films and stories that have been made to tell the story of the unsinkable liner. There is much interest in this story because it is 100 years since it happened, and lots of ideas for commemorative events include costume and hairstyle details, which are very helpful.

Hairstyles relate very much to the hats that were being worn at the time, and wide hats required structured hair to support them, and allow long hat pins to be skewered into braids and buns to keep hats in place. We so rarely wear hats these days that it requires quite a lot of practice to remember to keep one's poise with a large and unwieldy confection of net and lace, feathers and flowers, balanced precariously. Especially when you then are about a foot taller than usual and have to remember to duck through doorways.

Men's hats were not quite so difficult to manage, but remembering to raise your hat every time you meet anyone, when to wear or not wear your hat, removing it on entering a house, carrying it in your hands instead, all of which are no longer part of everyday life. Plus no wristwatches, only pocket watches, so actually using these things and making it seem natural and not contrived, all add to the characterisations of the chorus as well as principals. Personal props all add to the period feel, but are also a trap for the unwary or less experienced members of cast. Few of us recognise the anachronisms of gesture which we use every day, such as looking at your wrist to indicate that you are conscious of time, or of someone being late, even when not wearing a watch at all. It's a gesture of modern convention, but not always easy to avoid.

Who thought there was so much to learn when they first started to engage in amateur drama, and set foot upon the boards?

The Music Man

This month I have been considering which show to concentrate on, and finally decided on The Music Man, which is a selfish choice and a sensible one. I am currently in rehearsals with Loughton Operatic Society for a performance of this show at the end of April, and am therefore becoming more and more immersed in the story and characters. I am taking part in the chorus, and helping to source the required props (including brass instruments for the Boys' Band).

The Music Man is the story of a travelling salesman in Mid West USA (Iowa) who comes to town to sell instruments and uniforms to the parents of the town's children, by persuading them that they need to form a Boys' Band to “keep your young boys pure”.  The story tells of his efforts to woo the town's librarian to his cause, and how he changes attitudes within the town, together with his personal tale of falling in love and therefore not being able to leave when he normally would to avoid the wrath of the townspeople, who have been “conned” by his charm into spending lots of money on instruments and uniforms.

This is my second time of venturing on stage with The Music Man, the first time as a young dancer making the most of the energy in “Shipoopi” and miming my way through the library scene; this time I am a more mature (and larger) lady of the Del Sarte dance troupe led by Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn. I am having great fun with the possibilities of comedy moments in this pastiche of Isadora Duncan's style of dance. ( At least that's the way I am playing it!)

More next week.... I have to go in search of some more books. How many constitute a library I wonder?

Half A Sixpence -(4)

Hat Pincushion

This one is handmade in red velvet with satin ribbon.

Half A Sixpence is a show where you can go to town on presents that relate to weddings, favours, charms, old-fashioned wedding photos, a “ Family Album”

The period costumes (1912 approximately) lend themselves to hats, parasols and pincushions for the ladies, and cravats or straw boaters for the men.

Also picnic hampers and umbrellas,(If the Rain's Gotta Fall) even a banjo.(If I Had Money to Burn)

Sixpence coins are still available from coin dealers, or maybe you have a stash of old coins in the back of a drawer somewhere that might be worth investigating.

A crafty friend of mine made tiny (doll's house size) carrier bags with Shalford's Emporium labels, and enclosed a sixpence in the bag.

Then of course there is champagne, or bubbles and blowers in the shape of champagne bottles, or liqueur chocolates. And for those " All in the Cause of Economy", cola bottle sweets.

Have a look at the Half A Sixpence category on my website for ideas with a list of characters and musical numbers to remind you of names and relevances.