1 "Cats"
It should belong to opera. It is an opera genre that originated in Britain at the end of the 19th century. It is a dramatic form that combines dialogue and singing.
Cats is a world-shaking masterpiece by British composer Andrew "Lloyd" Webber. The play unparalleledly won seven Tony Awards on Broadway in 1983, and won all theater awards in London and New York. The play was once awarded the title of "Musical of the Century". Since its premiere in London in 1981, it has been performed in the United States, Japan, France, Germany and other countries. It has caused an unprecedented sensation. It is often hard to get a ticket. It is still the most popular play today. The highest-grossing musical on Broadway in New York and London. The classic love song "Memory" originated from this play has long been known to every household and can be called an immortal song in the history of musicals.
Appreciation of the musical "Cats"
Musicals are comprehensive aesthetic stage consumer arts. This course uses "Cats" as the carrier, through drama elements, dance elements, music elements, The four aspects of dance elements allow students to get closer to and understand musicals.
The status of the musical "Cats"
"Cats" is the most successful musical in the world today. It premiered on May 11, 1981 at the New London Theater and has been performed continuously. On May 11, 2002, on its 21st birthday, it ended in the same theater. It is the longest-running musical in London and Broadway. It won 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1983. One of the songs in the play, "Memory," has become a musical classic. In 2003, the musical "Cats" was performed on the stages of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the Shanghai Grand Theater, causing a strong sensation. So why is the musical "Cats" so shocking and invincible? Today, let us enter Broadway and appreciate the charm of cats.
2. Plot introduction to the musical "Cats" (drama elements)
The story of "Cats" is very simple: the Jericho cat clan holds a gathering every year, and all the cats A cat will be selected to ascend to heaven at this grand annual gathering. We know that cats have nine lives, and they can be reborn after ascending to heaven. As a result, cats of all kinds appeared on stage one after another, expressing themselves to their heart's content, telling their stories with singing and dancing, hoping to be selected. In the end, the "Charming Cat" who was once glorious but now extremely slovenly moved all the cats present with his song "Memories" and became a cat that can ascend to heaven.
"Charming Cat" is the most important character in the whole play. When she was young, she was the most beautiful among the cat tribe. She was tired of the life of the cat tribe and went to work outside. However, after experiencing the hardships of the world, she had turned into an unkempt and extremely ugly old cat when she returned to the cat tribe. The cats were unwilling to accept this wanderer who betrayed the cat clan, and the entire cat clan was very hostile to her. She calmed down all the cats' hostility toward her with her song "Memories" and aroused deep sympathy and pity for her.
Old Deuteronomy Old Deuteronomy-----Leader Cat "Leader Cat" is the leader of the cat tribe. He is very old, well-read poetry, and full of wisdom and experience. In the entire tribe, he is highly respected, respected and loved. He rarely appears in the cat clan, and daily affairs are handled by the young "hero cats". But at the annual dance, the leader cat will definitely come, because he is the only one qualified to choose the reborn cat.
Victoria Victoria---pure white cat The pure white coat color of the pure white cat reflects her innocence and simplicity. Her simple instinct prompts her to be willing to help the weak. She shyly reached out to the "Charming Cat" who wanted to return to the cat clan, but was stopped by the other cats.
Rum tum tugger Ruo Teng Tugger-----"Rock Cat" "Rock Cat" is the rock star and playboy among cats. His songs are also arrogant rock music. "Rock Cat" is very tall, with vigorous and explosive movements. He is an adult male cat with great masculinity. He dances wildly under the spotlight, enjoying the crazy fascination of the female cats.
Kitten Jemima: She is the youngest kitten in the cat tribe. She is kind-hearted and compassionate. When Charming Cat sang "Memories", it first aroused her sympathy. He also sang the melody of Charming Cat with his sweet and bright voice, which made all the cats show moved expressions. There are also nanny cats, theater cats, rich cats, criminal cats, charming cats, hero cats, super cats, magic cats, etc. This group of diverse and different The anthropomorphized cats formed the cat world. At the dance, they showed off their talents, singing, dancing or playing, and staged a heart-stirring "human tragedy and comedy", telling the theme of love and tolerance. .
4. The dance elements in the music "Cats"
The dance in "Cats" is quite prominent. In order to convey the plot, the directors did not hesitate to use a lot of dance scenes to express the cats. Different characteristics and characters. There are both light and lively tap dance, solemn and gorgeous ballet, and dynamic jazz dance and modern dance, making the whole play unrestrained and energetic.
The unique dance postures and difficult movements make us experience a pure and flawless beauty - embodying the pure heart of the white cat.
Introduction to the nanny cat: The nanny cat is the nanny cat among cats. She seems very lazy during the day and sleeps all day long, but at night she is very busy because she has to train mice to knit sweaters and is also worried about the unemployment problem of cockroaches, so she brought her army of cockroach scouts. ...
The relaxed and lively tap dance reflects the fun and humorous personality of the nanny cat. She is always busy and does some charity work for the cat people. I like her very much.
The Jellicle Ball was grand and passionate. The modern dance performed by Rock Cat led the cats was very dynamic and highlighted his wild personality. No wonder the female cats I am so obsessed with him.
5. The musical elements in the musical "Cats"
Like the dance, the music of "Cats" is very moving, and the whole play is nearly three hours long.** *It consists of twenty-three pieces of music. In addition to the dance music that matches different dance scenes, the theme song "Memory" that appears four times is a golden song that can never be tired of listening. It has spread all over the world and has become a contemporary classic. The song has been recorded more than 600 times and has won many awards. Now "Memory" has been closely linked to the drama "Cats" and has become the signature and symbol of the drama.
It is said that. Until the premiere date was very close, director Noone was still not satisfied with the songs in the play. He felt that the climax of the musical was not strong enough. Noone said to Weber: What we need in the play is. Your emotions are cathartic. Weber told director Noen not to have high hopes. After Weber went home that night, he spent a whole night writing a piece of music. The next morning, Weber was at the piano in the rehearsal room. Shang played his composition that night for Noen. After listening to it, Naen said to the people next to him: "I ask you to remember the current day and time. Because what you are hearing now is the next piece of music that can be called a legend. ”
When all the cats were immersed in the happiness of gathering, Charming Cat came to the field, and the cats all avoided her. Under the moonlight, the lonely Charming Cat recalled the happiness of her young and beautiful days. Time,
Memories (1) Do you feel like you have finished singing this song? When Charming Cat sang his memories for the first time, what kind of mood did the song express? It brings out the emotions of loneliness, helplessness, and desolation)
You want a person to betray her loved ones when she is at her most charming and glorious, and then when she is old and beautiful, she behaves like this. The ugly appearance returns to the family again. What a contrast between the two, especially when everyone is immersed in the excitement of the party. Her sudden appearance breaks the warm atmosphere at that time. How will the cats treat her? She, our heroine, must be very complicated inside, lonely, helpless and desolate.
The leader cat reached out to her sympathetically, but she did not see it and left quietly.
The leader cat told the cats that the meaning of happiness is not only the present, but also the things in the past that cannot be forgotten. Under the moonlight, Jemima, the youngest kitten in the Jericho cat tribe, sang When "Memories" was played, the cats all showed moved expressions, showing compassion and generosity.
Memories (2) The identity of the singer has changed for the same melody. Please listen carefully and compare the two times to "how the memories give you different feelings." (The mood of the music is harmonious, warm, and happy.) The last moment when all the cats stand up expresses the cats’ yearning for a happy life, their longing and expectation for a better future, and their hope for happiness.
(Song: "Memory")
Memory (3) The tolerance and sympathy of the cats aroused her confidence in life, and Charming Cat mustered up the courage to sing again "Memories" extended a hand of desire to everyone. She sadly recalls the past, prays for the forgiveness and understanding of her relatives, and hopes for a new life;
If you touch me, you will understand what happiness is. This section is the entire play. At the climax, the music has been modulated twice, and the intensity has been advanced layer by layer, which is extremely shocking.
The same melody, the change in the identity of the singer, the transformation of mode and tone, and the contrast in intensity bring us different feelings.
6. Stage Art
According to reports, among Broadway musicals, most productions invest huge sums of money in using various modern technologies such as sound, light, and electricity. , creating a dreamlike stage appearance with strong audio-visual impact.
First of all, the most prominent point in the play "Cats" is the costumes of the characters. There are 36 cats in the whole play. In order to express the different status and personality characteristics of the cats, their costumes are also in different shapes. , various, each with its own characteristics and vivid image. We have seen some cats before. Here is a set of pictures. What would you name these cats?
The stage effect, in the previous dance and music clips, I have already felt the role that stage effect plays in the expression of the plot and the shaping of the characters. In the section "To the Nine Heavens", the stage effect is even more Reached the pinnacle. The pure white cat Victoria first expressed sympathy for Charming Cat, and the Jericho cats finally forgave her and accepted her back into the family. The leader cat chose Charming Cat as the cat that was reborn this year, and the cats welcomed her on the road to the Ninth Heaven!
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7. Plot summary
The charming cat ascended to the ninth heaven carrying everyone’s blessings and gained a new life. After enjoying this musical, the world of "Cats" condenses human society. So, what does this story teach you? Sending the Charming Cat to heaven, what is the last action of the Leader Cat, and what does it mean? ——A broad mind of love and tolerance. The final operation is a perfect combination of dance-themed movement and drama. The story of "Cats" is a modern fable, with everything from the harsh world to the warmth and warmth of human relationships.
8. Summarize the concepts and characteristics of musicals
Musicals are a comprehensive program with drama as the cornerstone, music as the soul, dance as the important form of expression, and stage art. Sexual stage performance. In a musical, drama, music and dance are usually not so clear-cut, but complement each other. At most, the emphasis and degree of each part are different. In most musicals, singing, dancing and dialogue alternate. use.
In today's stage arts, there are probably few dramatic forms that are as vibrant as musicals. Modern musicals represented by "Cats", compared with operas and dance dramas, use a large number of pop music elements in the creation of music and dance, and put ornamental value first. Make drama performances more popular, popular and modern. This is probably one of the main reasons why musicals have suddenly emerged among many stage arts and are widely welcomed by the audience. Musicals have become the most successful stage performing arts in the world today.
At last year's Seven Arts Festival, the original musical "Five Girls" based on Jiashan Tiange won the Wenhua Award from the Ministry of Culture. It has a rich Jiangnan water town style. We will introduce it to you when we have the opportunity in the future.
Music is the soul of musicals, and drama is the foundation of musicals.