Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pittsburgh Musical Theater students tackle 'Les Miserables'
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "People attending the all-student version of the classic musical 'Les Miserables' at the Byham Theater this week will be amazed by the professional quality of the voices they hear, the director says."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I wonder if the all student production refers to college level students or high school students? If the case is high school students i think this must be a really wonderful opportunity for students to see what the professional world of theater is really like. I'd love to see if these students are able to pull off a show with many adult themes and serious issues. Sure this show has beautiful music that hopefully the actors can sing well, but i would be truly impressed if the acting were top notch as well. It really excites me to see the talent of theater in my own age group, as hopefully one day these talented people will be working along side me.
I wonder if any of the kids from this production will be gracing the stage...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjHzYAv4XCw
I like the idea that this is an all-student production. Getting young and new talent into the industry, is really how we continue. I understand that Knapp and Petrucci are very positive about their work, which is great, but like Mr. Stein, I'm interested to see if these students will actually be able to pull it off. Yes, singing ability is crucial, but they need to be able to convey them emotion onstage. I'm worried that these actors may not have had enough experience to really have a slam dunk performance. Hopefully they will prove me wrong. I'm excited to see further articles about this production.
I have the same question as Michael, exactly how old are these students? If these students are high school kids then it's great that they can have this opportunity, but I think that there is a maturity level college students have that lets them handle the more graphic material of the show, and present it in a way that will allow the audience a more cathartic response. High school students, no matter their maturity level, for the most part cannot convey the complex emotions this show calls for.
This should be a great opportunity for the cast, getting to work with other talented students like themselves and the directing staff.
However, one question/concern I have is how the show will be artistically. The article mentions nothing of the artistic view for the show, so even with talented vocalists, there is still a lot more to having a good show: acting (which other people have mentioned here), set, lighting, and the overall artistic vision. With such a big-name show as Les Miz, it seems as if it is too easy for the directing staff to just mimic the Broadway production instead of providing their own vision
I think this is a great opportunity for Pittsburgh middle and high school students. I wish there was outreach of this level in my town at home -- I think the community and the students could have benefited from this. I agree, I think that using an all student cast is fairly fitting for Les Mis and am not surprised by the choice of show at all. I do wonder though, whether this production also involved student design and crew. I'm sure there might be union rules and regs that may be preventing this, but it would a great opportunity for future designers and technicians as well.
i love reading articles like these. it reminds me of my high school and how import our theater department was in my life. don't know where id be with out mine because it changed my life. I love to hear about high quality high school productions. They also make me have high hopes for what is to come.
Post a Comment