Last night I attended a performance of "The Drowsy Chaperone." I knew one of the songs, but had never actually seen the show before. What struck me was how the show was an homage to Musical Theater of a bygone era. The tropes, the song styles, the stock characters, the jokes were all harkening back to the early days of musicals as they transitioned from Vaudeville to Broadway to early movies.
The show was lively and fun, but the ending was actually quite touching. The main character was lamenting how sometimes he felt "blue" and just needed something to cheer him up. His records and memories and imaginings helped him feel better. Upbeat music cheered him. Dancing cheered him. Happy endings cheered him. That's what musicals are supposed to do. They take you into a place where you are lifted from your mundane "real" world worries.
Music has great power. Just a few notes into a piece can begin to transport the listener to a different place, time, or mood. It can also create drama, signal dangers, and agitate emotions. We appreciate the underscoring in movies and stage productions. It helps us understand the story on a deeper level. But sometimes, we don't want to think too hard. We just want to escape. That's when going to see a Musical Comedy is so joyful.
While driving in the car the other day I was listening to a classical music station. The announcer gave a tease about playing a Beethoven piece in the upcoming segment. But in the meantime he played a 20th Century Trio for flute, violin and piano. Here I was all gearing up to hear a familiar Beethoven piece and he muddled my mood by playing a meandering avant guard piece with barely any structure. It was jarring to my psyche. Mentally and emotionally, I was expecting Beethoven, and I didn't get it! I had to turn off the radio.
I think I wanted to escape into a familiar musical style to transport me into a better mood away from my mundane worldly worries. But it didn't happen. My mood worsened. Then, I chose other music to listen to. That helped. I love music that can heal, cheer, brighten and lift up the soul!
Yeah, songs from the Beatles catalogue do that for me. Here's an Easy Piano version of "I Will" by Paul McCartney.
The show was lively and fun, but the ending was actually quite touching. The main character was lamenting how sometimes he felt "blue" and just needed something to cheer him up. His records and memories and imaginings helped him feel better. Upbeat music cheered him. Dancing cheered him. Happy endings cheered him. That's what musicals are supposed to do. They take you into a place where you are lifted from your mundane "real" world worries.
Music has great power. Just a few notes into a piece can begin to transport the listener to a different place, time, or mood. It can also create drama, signal dangers, and agitate emotions. We appreciate the underscoring in movies and stage productions. It helps us understand the story on a deeper level. But sometimes, we don't want to think too hard. We just want to escape. That's when going to see a Musical Comedy is so joyful.
While driving in the car the other day I was listening to a classical music station. The announcer gave a tease about playing a Beethoven piece in the upcoming segment. But in the meantime he played a 20th Century Trio for flute, violin and piano. Here I was all gearing up to hear a familiar Beethoven piece and he muddled my mood by playing a meandering avant guard piece with barely any structure. It was jarring to my psyche. Mentally and emotionally, I was expecting Beethoven, and I didn't get it! I had to turn off the radio.
I think I wanted to escape into a familiar musical style to transport me into a better mood away from my mundane worldly worries. But it didn't happen. My mood worsened. Then, I chose other music to listen to. That helped. I love music that can heal, cheer, brighten and lift up the soul!
Yeah, songs from the Beatles catalogue do that for me. Here's an Easy Piano version of "I Will" by Paul McCartney.
RSS Feed