Rent Rocks or why I'm a sucker for a man who can sing
I have just recently come home from an evening of musical theatre at the NAC. More precisely, I went to RENT with Jaime. Now, after having heard the Original Broadway Recording about a gajillion times, it did take a little getting used to different people singing it. That said, it still rocked!
There's just something I find very magical about musicals. There's also something very pure and emotional about song. Now by song, I mean real songs, not the manufactured crap you hear on the radio. As one of my vocal teachers once said, you can't hide anything in song. Whether you like it or not, you are going to bare your soul to the world. Now, a bad singer is someone who isn't true to themselves. They try to hide in the song and you can't do that. That's when a song sounds fake. A good singer will just say "what the heck world, here's my heart, my soul, my spleen. I'm ripping it out and showing it to you in all it's bloody gory. Do with it what you will."
Only they'll say that with an orchestra so it sounds pretty.
Anyway, the challenge for an actor is then twofold: one he has to sing the song, and two he has to make it believable. I have seen many a musical where the singer was not an actor and it really ruins the moment for you.
Watching RENT, especially towards the end of the show, I was unbelievably moved. While I don't want to spoil the story for you, the actors made me believe that the person they care about most in the world was dying. And ya, I'm a big sap like my mom and started crying.
I guess that's why I want to break into musical theatre. I want to be able to move people the way I was moved. I want to sing a song and have it bring tears to people's eyes. I want the moment to feel so real that you forget you're watching a play and that a bunch of people have just simultaneously burst into song and all seem to know the same dance. I want to be able to change the mind of even the biggest musical theatre critic out there (who quite possibly be my boyfriend :p).
Musical theatre is about a suspension of disbelief. Yes, they are singing and dancing instead of just flat out telling you how they feel. But what's the fun in that? I say sit back, hum along, and enjoy the ride.
Go see RENT. That joke about AIDS in Team America will seem much funnier now.
There's just something I find very magical about musicals. There's also something very pure and emotional about song. Now by song, I mean real songs, not the manufactured crap you hear on the radio. As one of my vocal teachers once said, you can't hide anything in song. Whether you like it or not, you are going to bare your soul to the world. Now, a bad singer is someone who isn't true to themselves. They try to hide in the song and you can't do that. That's when a song sounds fake. A good singer will just say "what the heck world, here's my heart, my soul, my spleen. I'm ripping it out and showing it to you in all it's bloody gory. Do with it what you will."
Only they'll say that with an orchestra so it sounds pretty.
Anyway, the challenge for an actor is then twofold: one he has to sing the song, and two he has to make it believable. I have seen many a musical where the singer was not an actor and it really ruins the moment for you.
Watching RENT, especially towards the end of the show, I was unbelievably moved. While I don't want to spoil the story for you, the actors made me believe that the person they care about most in the world was dying. And ya, I'm a big sap like my mom and started crying.
I guess that's why I want to break into musical theatre. I want to be able to move people the way I was moved. I want to sing a song and have it bring tears to people's eyes. I want the moment to feel so real that you forget you're watching a play and that a bunch of people have just simultaneously burst into song and all seem to know the same dance. I want to be able to change the mind of even the biggest musical theatre critic out there (who quite possibly be my boyfriend :p).
Musical theatre is about a suspension of disbelief. Yes, they are singing and dancing instead of just flat out telling you how they feel. But what's the fun in that? I say sit back, hum along, and enjoy the ride.
Go see RENT. That joke about AIDS in Team America will seem much funnier now.
posted by Nancy Kenny at
10:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home