Since I got into the trap of musicals, I have always tried my best to sell Amway everywhere (I can’t be the only one eating dirt!), but I found that there are too many misunderstandings about musicals: Some people think Musical = Opera = Spring and Snow, elegant art cannot be appreciated; some people have psychological shadows due to the wrong opening method when they first came into contact with it, and they have passed by this beautiful art(da)(keng); various misunderstandings It really made me want to shout: "You have watched a fake musical!" I was heartbroken and decided to put Amway aside for a while and do some popular science to refute the rumors and talk about what musicals are and what music is. The correct way to open the play.
I think musicals are high art, but most of them confuse musicals with operas. Let’s draw a definition first: Musical ≠ Opera = High art. To put it bluntly: Opera is indeed a noble art, but musicals are not operas! (Knock on the blackboard!!!)
Opera originated in Italy in the 17th century. It is a drama that mainly or entirely uses singing and music to explain and express the plot. With the changes of the times, musicals derived from it and were initially regarded as the modern version of opera. However, with the development of the two, opera gradually became the mainstream of opera, while musicals gradually became more and more distant. The rich form of expression has now become an independent art form with a wider audience. It's a bit abstract to talk in vain, let's take a look at a comparison table ↓
The words "casual" written in the table are really not written casually, it's because musicals are so willful! The "richer forms of expression" mentioned above are reflected in the eclectic style of his music and singing. The music style can be classical but more popular, as well as jazz, rock, etc. The singing style also depends on the music style and is very inclusive. So if you watch a drama live, the most intuitive way to distinguish it is to see whether the actors are wearing microphones or not!
Opera does not wear a microphone, because the bel canto singing method is so penetrating that there is no need for a microphone at all.
It is a musical that wears a microphone. After all, except for the high-energy bel canto, other singing styles cannot be heard by the audience in the back row without a microphone.
There are also significant differences between the two in terms of lines. The expression of lines in operas is divided into recitatives and arias. Recitatives are used for narrative dialogue, and arias are used for lyrical expressions. The translation into human language is: Whether it is dialogue or monologue, The lines of the opera are all sung. The lines of a musical are an interspersed mixture of spoken dialogue and songs. Songs are part of the plot and are mostly used to express the emotions of the characters. In addition, the singers in operas only sing, with a small number of dances performed by specialized dancers, while the actors in musicals are triathletes, having to act, sing and dance themselves. In terms of artistic classification, opera tells stories and themes for the sake of singing, which is a musical art; while musicals sing for the purpose of telling stories and themes, which is a dramatic art.
To put it bluntly, a musical is a drama in which the actors sing and dance if they disagree with each other. The songs and dances are all very beautiful~ Are you unfamiliar with this form of expression? Have you forgotten the Daming Lake, oh no, Bai Suzhen beside the broken bridge? That's right, the new White Snake legend is put into the theater and it's a musical. Many movies with popular songs, including "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" that I often watched as a child, were adapted from musical versions into movies. Think about it, everyone has been influenced by musicals before they can read. Do you still think this is a cold art?
When most people think of musicals, they think of Broadway, which is not unreasonable. After all, Broadway does dominate half of the British and American musicals (really, half of the country, not Wang Feng's kind).
Broadway is the transliteration of Broadway, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York (in the fandom, it is usually called "Broad Street" according to the free translation). Because this road is full of theaters of all sizes, and hundreds of plays are performed at the same time every day, it has become a popular street. An important base for the development and export of American theater culture. Blue Goose is only half of the list. Another major pilgrimage site for musical theater fans is London's West End.
London's West End is a cultural concept that is not limited to the geographical location of London's West End. It mainly refers to the theater-dense area from Aldwych in the east via Shaftesbury Ave to Regent Street in the west. The history of West End Theater is much longer than that of Broadway. The plays it performs range from traditional and rigorous Shakespeare plays to various avant-garde dramas. It is also the cradle of countless classic musicals. Due to the long-term strong cultural export of the United States, Broadway has always been more famous than the West End. However, many classic musicals (Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, etc.) were produced in West End theaters and exported to Broadway. If you have the opportunity to travel to London, you must go to the West End to watch a play. It is definitely a rare and value-for-money experience.
Blue Goose (I really like to say Blue Goose), even if Broadway West End still cannot represent musicals, because they are only representatives of British and American musicals, and musicals have another important branch, It is a German-Austrian musical. German-Austrian musicals are centered in Berlin and Vienna, created by German-speaking musical troupes in Germany and Austria, and sung in German. Although the German-Austrian theater may be more unfamiliar than the West End, in the musical theater world they are as indispensable as the British and American theater. German-Austrian classics include Elisabeth (nicknamed a grain of sand), the German version of Mozart (referred to as Deza) and so on. In addition, there are many excellent French musicals (Romeo and Juliet, French version of Mozart, etc.). There is a particularly good cut of classic tracks from German-Austrian musicals and French musicals on Station B (click to go directly). Friends who are interested can check it out.
As an art form that originated in Europe and the United States, musical theater has relatively weak development in Asia. However, Japan has a place in the musical theater industry with its Takarazuka Revue, the most outstanding musical theater company in Asia. The Takarazuka Revue has not only adapted a large number of European and American musicals (Elizabeth, Romeo and Juliet, etc.), but also produced plays based on Japanese stories, and has also trained a large number of excellent musical actors. Maybe you haven’t seen the Takarazuka Revue’s performance, but when it comes to Queen Yuki Amami, everyone should know her! The Queen made her debut after graduating from the Takarazuka Music School and working at the Takarazuka Theater Company.
At present, domestic musicals are still in the development stage, but there are also excellent adaptations - "I, Don Quixote", "The Sound of Music", etc. I personally feel that the adaptation is very successful. Part of it is due to Cheng He (yes, the talented Cheng He in the reader program). Both plays have been performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen this year. Friends who are confused can consider watching it. The play itself is very classic, and Cheng Heda's translation is also honest and elegant, and there is no trace of it.
As mentioned above, musicals are a comprehensive form of music, dance, performance and even acrobatic stunts. Its rich composition creates a high level of viewing pleasure, including music melody, stage scenery, and choreography. The plot arrangements and so on are all fascinating.
In terms of music style, there are not only common pop musicals (Mamma Mia), but also operettas (Phantom of the Opera), rock music (French version of Mozart, School of Rock), jazz (Chicago), etc. Among the popular musicals Most of the song lyrics are catchy and very catchy. If you listen to it a few times, you will be brainwashed. You may even have heard it before without knowing it (Memory in Cat, Argentina in Evita) Crying, etc.); in terms of subject matter, there are historical dramas (Les Misérables), romantic dramas (Miss Saigon), modern life dramas (Avenue Q, Rent), comedies (My Fair Lady), children's dramas (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast) ) and so on, no matter what age you are, no matter what style or theme you like, there is always a play that suits you. Who makes the topic and form of a musical so "casual"? ()? The beauty of the set and stage is also a major part of the musical What’s interesting is that a good set can not only give the audience a beautiful enjoyment, which is much more shocking than iMax Shenma~ but can also help shape the story scene in a more three-dimensional way. The setting of the underground lake scene in The Phantom of the Opera is breathtakingly beautiful. The rising candles and mist-filled pool surface push the gothic gloomy aesthetics of the play to the extreme. When it premiered that year, it received full applause. The environmental atmosphere created by the set also paved the way for the Phantom's violent and inferior character due to discrimination and bullying. When it comes to Phantom, the chatterbox mode starts
Generally speaking, the musical is a perfect fusion of the above elements. In a performance, you can get the impact and enjoyment of all aspects of audio and visual. Buying a ticket is equivalent to I have watched several performances and it is so worth it! Didn’t you agree to put Amway away first? !
Although the musical is good, the way it is opened is also particular. If you open it in the wrong way, you will not only be unable to enjoy the musical, but you will also feel that the ticket money is wasted and you are eating rubbish. So let me first talk about what I think is the correct way to open it.
Although it is not high art, it is still not recommended for friends who are exposed to musicals for the first time to watch it indiscriminately. After all, the viewing focus of this art form is different from that of movies and dramas. If you look at it with inappropriate psychological expectations, you are likely to be disappointed.
I just said that musicals are about singing to tell stories, so singing and dancing account for a large proportion of it. This inevitably leads to relatively less time for narrative, so the plot is not strong. Characteristics of most musicals. Especially in the current era when movie plots are becoming more and more mind-blowing, the plots of musicals are much simpler. According to the words of a friend of mine: "The plot of the American drama that takes more than ten minutes was sung here all night long." "Hahahaha, let me laugh first~ So if you go to the musical with the mentality of watching the plot, disappointment is inevitable. Personally, I think the highlight of a musical is the perfect fusion of music, dance and plot. The three complement each other and convey the emotions of the characters in the play to the audience in a more emotional and rich form. Therefore, being able to fully immerse yourself in singing and dancing is essential to truly enjoy a musical.
To be fully immersed, the prerequisites are: familiarity. You need to be familiar with the music style in the play to ensure that you will not watch a play that you don't like. It is best to be familiar with the song lyrics in the play instead of going to the scene and waiting for surprises. This is very different from a movie, because the main attraction of a movie is the plot, so everyone will try to avoid spoilers before going to watch the movie, so as not to spoil the interest; but the plot of the musical is not the biggest attraction, it is completely important It's not as good as the music, and sometimes even ranks behind the choreography; besides, many of the stories are familiar, so there's really no need to worry about being spoiled just because you've heard the music. Therefore, in my opinion, regardless of the plot, a musical is similar to a theme concert. Would you go to a concert in which a singer you don’t know at all sings a song you have never heard of? Maybe, but there is no doubt that if you like a singer or certain songs, you will take the initiative to go to his concert. Once you are familiar with the music, you can better appreciate it live.
What's more, most classic musicals are not in Chinese. Going to listen to them without any preparation is a big test for your listening skills!
Looking back on the first few times I saw a musical, it was a hard lesson. The first time I watched it was "My Fair Lady." Looking back now, this is a very cute comedy. It tells the story of a flower girl from a humble background who is transformed into a lady by an idle middle-class linguistics professor. It has a lot of classic arias and the characters are also relaxed. It's playful, and it's supposed to look good. Unfortunately, I was unprepared at the time. I had not even seen the movie version of Hepburn's performance, so I entered the theater without knowing anything. The whole time I was struggling with "Why does this old man want to transform a flower girl?" "Have you not sung it before? Why are you singing it again?" This misplaced the focus, resulting in a complete failure to appreciate the show.
But somehow God taught me not to (ji) let (xu) let (zhuang) give up (bi), so I had a persevering second theater experience - "Phantom of the Opera" . Since I had seen Leslie Cheung's "Midnight Song" before, which is adapted from the same story as "The Phantom of the Opera," I also had a general idea of ??the style of the music in the play. I felt that there was no big problem, so I walked into the theater again with confidence. When Blue Goose watched it live, I discovered that this play is an operetta (that is, most of the lines are expressed in arias). You have to listen carefully to the lyrics to follow the development of the plot. However, without listening to the music in advance, the content of the lyrics can only be relied on live. Listening to the translation that peeked at both sides of the stage, I faced the stunning stage scenery and choreography that I couldn't take my eyes away from, but I had to seize the opportunity to peek at the lines. I was multitasking and couldn't fully appreciate the music and the actors' performances. , I felt very upset while watching it. So after returning home, I played the music from the show on a loop for several days, then went to Station B to binge-watch the 25th Anniversary Edition several times, and then walked into the theater for the third time to binge-watch the Phantom. This time my eyes were finally full, and I was able to immerse myself in the musical world created by Phantom without any distractions. I was so satisfied with the book that I went home and was so excited that I lost sleep and covered my face.
Personally, I think it’s a good idea to judge whether a drama is suitable or not. The safest way to watch it is to watch the movie version first. If you think the movie version is good and you like the singing, then go watch the musical version, and you won't be disappointed.
If you insist on reading this, I think it is necessary to understand the classic play. Although this is not an Amway post, if you choose an unfriendly drama at the beginning, it is not a good way to open it. Besides, this is not an introductory guide. I feel guilty... Let’s talk about the most classic one first. There are currently 4 recognized classics, which are also the entry-level choices for many people:
The Four Major Musicals
Each Chinese play title above is attached with a Baidu Encyclopedia link, and the English play title is attached with a B Website official video link, welcome to click to watch (ru) and watch (keng) hehe hee
Among them, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Claude-Michel Sch?nberg each accounted for half, two Both of them are giants in the industry. In addition to these few, they have also produced a large number of acclaimed and popular musicals. They are gods in the hearts of fans and fans. Just remembering these two names is enough to bluff people. Hahaha.
Okay, let’s get back to the subject. I personally think that The Phantom of the Opera is the most suitable for beginners. The reasons (not necessarily because it is my favorite Queen Bai Yueguang Chun Yuan!) are as follows: 1. This is a poignant love story. (Who doesn’t like to watch love stories? What’s more, the content of the plot is highly overlapped with the author’s own love story. You can search this gossip on Baidu yourself); 2. The stage and scenery are extremely gorgeous, and the scene in the middle of the underground lake is amazing. The costumes of the masquerade are stunning, and the effect of the falling crystal lantern is very shocking. To be honest, I would watch this kind of drama without a plot; 3. The music is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, and the more than 20 songs in the audience are all good, creating a The atmosphere, emotions, and plot are all just right. Personally, I feel that if you still don’t like musicals after watching this kind of drama, then you can really give up and give up~
Most domestic theaters are more convenient to choose seats, which can be basically seen from the price. Seats that are closer to the front and in the middle are the best; seats that are too far forward may require you to look up at the stage, the viewing angle is not very good, and it will be a bit tiring to watch; for the same price, choose the second seat in the back row of the first floor and the front row of the second floor. Layer front row, height can widen the viewing angle. When watching a play in a foreign theater, in addition to what I just mentioned, there is another thing you need to pay attention to: some seats are located closer to the front but the price is very low. Don't rush to find a bargain at this time, because many theaters have support pillars. These locations may be blocked by the support pillars, which will affect the line of sight, so they are very cheap. This kind of ticket will generally indicate whether it is completely blocked or partially blocked (Restricted View) on the ticket purchase interface. If you have a limited budget and want to sit forward, you can take the risk and buy it because it is said that some seats only have a little bit of space during the entire performance. Time will be blocked, but honest Waiguoren will also treat it as a blocked seat at a low price. This kind of purchase is very cost-effective. So the key is to pay attention to the labels and weigh carefully.
Finally, let’s talk about the etiquette of watching a drama. In fact, the etiquette is basically the same as watching a movie, but there is one special thing, which is the attitude towards candid filming. It is said that secret photography is strictly prohibited in the theater, and there will be inspections upon entry, but musicals are not movies after all. Not everyone in the world has the opportunity to watch their favorite dramas live, and many dramas do not have official videos, so In the fandom, candid filming is very common and even appreciated by fans. Many favorite dramas or casts do not come to local performances, so you can only get a glimpse of their style through candid videos. When watching dramas at Station B, there will be a bunch of barrages kneeling down to thank the candid photographers and uploaders. This can be regarded as a specialty in the industry! Videos shot secretly in the circle are usually uploaded and shared. Very rare ones can also be used to exchange for other precious resources. This is different from other forms such as movies and dramas. However, even if the industry acquiesces to candid filming, the basic laws must be adhered to, and it must not affect other viewers, let alone the actors. Uncle MC (Michael Crawford, the first Phantom actor) once complained about a time when he was singing on stage, and someone’s cell phone rang in the first row (this was in the 1990s when cell phones were still rare), and the person also After answering the call, I raised the phone to the stage and broadcast the performance live to the person on the other side of the phone. I was so scared that Uncle MC almost forgot his lyrics hahahaha.