guardian.co.uk: Ricky Martin has jaunty hair, shockingly white teeth, flexible limbs, shakeable hips, and a voice as smooth as oiled leather. Remarkable though it may seem, he makes an undershirt and suspenders seem a credible fashion choice. And yet, as many who have seen the recent Broadway revival of Evita know, he's just a little bit dreadful onstage.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Should pop stars stay off stage?
guardian.co.uk: Ricky Martin has jaunty hair, shockingly white teeth, flexible limbs, shakeable hips, and a voice as smooth as oiled leather. Remarkable though it may seem, he makes an undershirt and suspenders seem a credible fashion choice. And yet, as many who have seen the recent Broadway revival of Evita know, he's just a little bit dreadful onstage.
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5 comments:
I don't really know what to make of the pop star success stories because I haven't seen them but I do understand the failures. Sometimes singers shouldn't make the crossover from musicians to performers because it is essentially different. There is the same idea for each profession, entertainment and conveying a meaning. Yet each one has different requirements from the specific performers. Theater performance is asking someone to give up part of themselves and incorporate another character, while adding their own style. A musician is reliant on their natural personas and they don't usually have to bother inheriting another dimension to their person. People are paying to see their performance and their music writing abilities. Actors, most of the time, depend on the script and their independent interpretations.
In that sense, it makes sense that Ricky Martin was playing Ricky Martin trying to be an actor. He is talented as a person, yet, he is trained in highlighting himself and not embodying a specific character.
I think a lot of the time, directors cast pop starts to lead their productions because they know that fans of that start will come to see the show. that brings in an audience (something along the lines of "anything to get the butts in the seats") but it also brings in a new audience. So, maybe Ricky Martin fans who weren't already fans of theatre will see Evita and fall in love with the craft, and see more theatre. That all makes sense to me.
The problems is that often, pop stars aren't really cut out for acting. I don't think this is always true, for example I loved Madonna's performance in the movie version of Evita. I think that there needs to be a balance.
I couldn't agree more with the point that pop stars are trained to highlight themselves, and not a specific character, that is often times why there roles fall short. What often times makes a pop star so famous is the way he or she is branded, what makes that singer popular, desirable, good, and a part from the rest. Superstars are often cast in roles to draw a tremendous fan following, but what some might not know is the performance itself is often sacrificed. I can't pick the side of not supporting the idea of having pop stars perform though, because like Pia said, such a draw may not be great for the role itself, but from it results in an entirely new audience to fall in love with theater if they have not been exposed to it in the first place.
Hah! This is a good question. Pop stars are generally annoying when they try to expand beyond their preexisting artistic realm. I feel that based on past cases, they do not make good film or stage actors. Then again you have an exception: Justing Timberlake. He's hilarious on Saturday Night Live and I actually prefer his comedy acting to his music. That said, I only like seeing pop stars acting if they are not doing so much real "acting" and are kind of staying within the "character" that they have been branded as. I did not get exited about the Smurfs because Katy Perry was acting. A lot of middle schoolers did. It's a win/lose situation. They can bring in crowds, but usually that indicates a sacrifice in the art.
Casting pop stars is genius. Not from an art prospective - but a business standpoint. Ive read about 60 articles on this blog about organizations crying about the fact that they have no money. Well here is a solution to increasing your profit: target who your ideal audience, find who is relevant to them in society, the bring them in. it may not be your best piece of art, but it will put people in seats - and thats how you can get the profit snowball rolling in order to do what you want to do as artists. Do popstars belong on stage? Probably not - they have their own realm of famous-ness, but they are a resource we can use too explore ways to increase revenue.
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