NYTimes.com: The latest experiment in New York theater is taking place in a tiny, L-shaped third-floor room with water-stained ceilings and dirty gray carpeting that served for decades as a dumping ground for old props. At 8:05 p.m. on a recent Saturday, seven musicians, squeezed nearly knee to knee there in the Lucille Lortel Theater, struck the opening chords to the musical “Carrie,” as the actors stepped onstage two floors below.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Moving Orchestras Out of Sight, Maybe Even Out of the Theater
NYTimes.com: The latest experiment in New York theater is taking place in a tiny, L-shaped third-floor room with water-stained ceilings and dirty gray carpeting that served for decades as a dumping ground for old props. At 8:05 p.m. on a recent Saturday, seven musicians, squeezed nearly knee to knee there in the Lucille Lortel Theater, struck the opening chords to the musical “Carrie,” as the actors stepped onstage two floors below.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
this could be a great idea and fall flat on its own ass. eliminating the orchestra from the limited space can do wonders for stage design and utilization of varying spaces. How ever having a live orchestra is part of the experience of going to see a big musical. Relatively speaking having a live orchestra adds quality and (for lack of better description) value to a show. Now sound wise it should have no difference but depending on what the show and the scenic layout design calls for this approach could be great for shows.
Ick! I hate that. I've heard of this phenomenon before and I'm not into it. I think it's really valuable for the orchestra and for the performers to be in the same physical space. I also think that the farther away you put the music, the more room there is for technological difficulties that could negatively affect the show. When I go to see a musical, I expect to be in the same room as a live orchestra. At intermission I want to get up and wander around the house and look at some instruments in the pit, or peer onstage and see if I can see where the orchestra is playing. To me, that's an important part of the experience.
Post a Comment