Welcome Message

As you may know, this blog started life as a resource aimed at the members and Alumni of Birmingham University's Guild Musical Theatre Group.















Since then, I have realised that a great many artists I know could use a serious resource for discussion and debate of the major issues.















So, I open this network to any and all arts professionals who would like to use it. Over the years, I have seen some awe inspiring performances and productions by a great many talented and high ranking individuals, whose knowledge would be an asset to the artistic community. I invite these individuals and others to come forward, so that their achievements may be celebrated.






If you would like to write articles or make comments on this blog, please let me know. My contact email is on the link. Membership is free, and there are no obligations. Existing members are free to write as and when they want.








Its is also easy to forget, that we don't often have a chance to discuss or to think about the most serious issues affecting the arts. Despite all the progress made by online networks like Facebook and Twitter, there still needs to be a place where opinions can be viewed, and I hope that this will be such a place: a neutral ground, where all are welcome, and where knowledge can be shared.















Artists of all disciplines, I hope that this will assist your development and further networking. May this resource serve you well.















Best Regards,















James Megarry















Founder















Monday 29 October 2012

The Three E's

In any art form, I'd say artists can be divided into 3 main types. These are: the Eccentrics, the Energetics and the Egotisticals. Every artistic group has them, and yes, some of us are a mixture of all three.

They make up the dynamic of most groups on earth, for every artistic and sporting discipline.

These types can be defined as follows:

1) The Eccentrics

  They are either eccentric because they are clever, or vice versa. They many be zany, weird and wonderful, odd, or just shy. Some may seem like hippes, (and probably are); others look like professors (and also probably are). But all are either very quirky, and/or very clever. Wit is their nature. I've known many softly spoken characters who are as quiet as mice before the performance. But come curtain up, they are electrifying.

2) The Energetics

Why would someone want to perform in public? Well, usually because they've got lots of ENERGY! Yes, another big group of artists I know are the most outgoing, full of life people you could imagine. They don't say hello, they say HI THERE!, and they don't just walk to a space - they jump at it! This boundless energy pretty much translates into the performance, as the Energetics usually have a very loud voice, and you are forced to be heard over them. But they usually have a heart of gold, and make good friends: even if they do give very strong handshakes.

3) The Egotisticals

Speaks for itself really. Those who think they are Gods gift to the people; they who think they are the greatest dancers, and are not. They who think they can sing brilliantly, and for the sake of people's ringing ears, need reminding otherwise. And they who think they only have to leap on stage for the audience to erupt with praise...keep dreaming. Yes, many of us have been on this trip. (Me in a few musicals to be sure.) In fact, when there are ten of us in a show, who all think we are brilliant, we should record our backstage antics, and keep them as a memento: for the entertainment of others later in life.


These are The Three E's. They can be found in all performance groups worldwide. If you're in one now, talk amongt yourselves and find out which one you are...

Saturday 20 October 2012

GMTG Rendezvous

To all members and Alumni of Guild Musical Theatre Group (or GMTG Birmingham,) who are reading this. A rendezvous of sorts will take place this Dect 1st, as GMTG present their showcase. All Alumni are welcome to meet, and after we see the showcase, we can discuss plans for the main event (a reunion next year)! Reach me on Skype if you can't come in person.

Spread the word!

Monday 15 October 2012

Rocky - The Musical!

Now there's a good idea. I've not yet heard this one done. The's even been a musical version of The Evil Dead (complete with foul language and all)! In fact there seems to be a musical version of everything. Well, how about Rocky?

The only downside would be, of course, that every song would begin and end with one word: ADRIENNE!, ADRIEEEENNNNEEE!! ADRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEE!!! On the plus side, at least the dance routines would be intersting (dancers pounding meat, and running up and down the steps of somewhere very famous...)

Anyway, it's food for thought. I wonder if anyone'll come up with it?

And of course, there's one song that'll definitely be in the repertoire. Cue the inspirational music...





Sunday 14 October 2012

Both Sides of the Story


Sometimes even one of the greatest musicals of all time can have its flaws. And in West Side Story's case, the flaw comes at the end of Act 1. For some strange reason, the creative team seemed to want to end Act 1 after the Rumble, when both Riff and Bernado are dead.

Clearly, this is an anti-climax. Were it not for the brilliant dance sequences and music, the audience would be thoughougly turned off by such an ending. Surely common sense says, that Act 1 should end with the iconic emsemble number Tonight, in which the Jets, Sharks, Tony and Maria are all invovled. It is the perfect cliff hanger to suspend audiences' disbelief. Who will win the rumble? Will Tony stop the fight? Will he and Maria find happiness? The audience is left to wonder.

Then Act II can begin with the Rumble. It adds perfect suspense to the situation, and when this has been done in some versions of West Side I know of, it has worked very well indeed.

I still can't figure out why Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents could allow Act I to end where it did. As someone did say, who wants to see a show where the audience are left with two dead bodies on stage at the end of the act? I forget who said that, but the point is well made.


Saturday 13 October 2012

Innovation

The Way to Stay Ahead

Something I'd like to comment on. Ok, so this is more about the entertainment industry, than a musical theatre one, but I'd like to put it out there ayway. I've been listening to quite a few tracks from the UK's chart, and you know what? There's one reason why our music industry seems to do so well.

It isn't just that we're aggressive in marketing it to the world - which we are. Nor is it the fact that our producers have many good deals with foreign distributors to guarantee a steady flow of hits. No. The reason our industry's got staying power is a simple fact: because the music is different from anything heard elsewhere.

This may sound obvious, but there's a special element to UK chart hits that I don't hear in other music industries. It's amazing how diverse our pop tunes are. Sample the top 20 tunes, and you'll find urban, reggae, disco and hip-hop, blended with funk, soul jazz funk and even blues. Granted most other industries are just as eclectic - after all, artists like Usher and Beyonce Knowles were born to make hits, and they certainly come out with some groundbreaking new tunes, but there's a magical 'it' factor in our industry at the moment, that sets it apart from the rest.

I may be biased, but play the top 20 chart hits right now, and I think you'll see there's something to this argument. After all, I notice that all over Europe, it is British and American tunes that always seem to be on the ariplay, no matter what the country or the language.

My point is this. It takes a lot of courage to be different, but if you come out with something genuinely original, you can lead the way. Jamiroquai did it in the 1990's. At first, no one really understood a group who played jazz, funk and soul as dance music, in the middle of all the techno, rave and other styles at the time. But as disco came back in fashion, they took off with a vengeance, and the whole music scene became laced with funky grooves, many artists mixing the old school with the new.

So it pays to be different, and in art, you have to innovate. It's not just about taking risks. You have to come out with something in a new way. That's how to stay ahead.

For inspiration, just check out this little number...






Tuesday 2 October 2012

NOT Martin Guerre

The Pitfalls of a Rewrite

Something I've been meaning to say for a while. To quote a speech from Hey Mr Producer, great musicals "are not written: they are rewritten." The show in question was Martin Guerre and, no, I disagree. Great shows should sometimes be left as they are, with minor adjustments.

They should not be torn apart and reassembled, to leave a show that's nothing like the original. I say this, because I had the misfortune to perform one of the revamped versions of Martin Guerre for National Operatics' Summer School, and I think the original release was still the best.

In 2005, there was yet another version of the show coming out, and not only had lyrics and themes been changed, but even the plot had been altered. Among the various overhauls the musical has had over the years, Guillaume (the villain) and a gang were put in at the end, which just seemed an anti-climax to the original three hander between the leading characters. Then the most crucial change: the iconic, (and very important) number, Live With Somebody You Love was changed to a duet between Martin and his wife Bertrande. But in the original version, it was depicted on the battlefield as a duet between Martin and best friend Arnaud, who will steal his name. The signifigance of the song was lost in a way, we agreed.

Don't get me wrong. Martin Guerre is a brilliant musical, and the revised version still made for a powerful workshop, that tested us all to the limit. But my issue is with rewrites. The Land of the Fathers, for example, was one of the best choral pieces my choir has performed, and it really does justice to the story, as an understated final number. But it was not included in revised versions of the show, which is a real shame.
If it ain't broke, as the saying goes, don't fix it. Yes, the original Martin Guerre was a flop, but this was because of 2 basic flaws.

Number one: it was too serious. As my Summer School instructor pointed out, all other Boublil-Schonberg and Mackintosh' musical collaborations till then had worked, because the musical always had some humour or entertainment in it, to lighten the intense drama. In Les Miserables, the character of Thenardier, and raucous numbers like Master of the House provided great comic relief: allbeit with serious undertones to the events. Likewise, in Miss Saigon, the character of the Engineer, provided the audience with some great one liners, and funny culture clashes, that lighten the mood of what is otherwise a very serious story. But Martin Guerre, as I remember, did not have enough comedy to lighten the drama, and I'm not the first one to say this.

There was a wonderful comedy number, that was called Sleeping on Our Own, I think, in which the village's women folk vent their sexual frustration, in a hilarious, deadpan style, that puts a smile on audience members' faces. This too, keeps being taken out and put back in various versions of the show.

The second reason for the Martin Guerre's flop (no pun intended) was, I think, a much simpler one.
It was the end of an era. By the mid 1990's, we'd had our share of large scale musicals, and perhaps Martin Guerre was one too many. While I agree strongly, that musical theatre should focus on serious drama, as part of its DNA, I still concede, that audiences need to be entertained. They need comedy, and a few lighthearted moments, to lift the drama, and relieve the onlooker. Remember Jesus Christ Superstar? Herod's Song lightened the mood perfectly. And who could forget [Gee] Officer Krupke, a tongue in cheek send up, right in the middle of West Side Story's darkest moments. There's a lesson to be learned here.

So, although Martin Guerre's time as a hit musical has passed, I still think that it can be saved as a performance piece by two very simple changes:
  • Take the show back to its original 1990's form. Lyrics, plot, characters, dialogue, the works.
  • The ONLY rewriting needed is to add comedy. All comic numbers and characters tried in the various rewrites should be kept. The music and the drama are perfectly moving as they were: they just need comedy to add spice, and give the audience an all round musical experience.

That's the kind of rewrite I'd recommend.

James Mcgarry

aka The Secretary