Musical Thetare: "Auditions for Mack & Mabel"

For this Monday we have to  prepare two traditional (i.e. “legit”, “golden age”, pre-1960) musical theatre selections.  Each selection should be 16 bars or approximately 30 seconds , we cant use backing tracks.

Also we have to  prepare a short movement piece, no longer than 1 minute.  This piece should be highly influenced by Vaudeville, Mime, Jacques Lecoq, etc.  It should embody the world of Mack & Mabel.  No vocalizations can be used during this movement piece.

For example :

Vaudeville

1)Theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.  

2)A theatrical piece of light or amusing character, interspersed with songs and dances.

3)A satirical cabaret song.

 

To give us a better understanding of our rationale, we need to provide a short written document describing, explaining, & analysing the suitability of your chosen audition materials (songs & movement pieces.) Also we should to include a short synopsis of your movement piece.

 

*Information from : www.dictionary.com

First I will give you short description of Mack and Mabel Musical:

 

Mack and Mabel is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand(transformed from an artist's model to a waitress from Flatbush , Brooklyn for the musical), who became one of his biggest stars. In a series of flashbacks, Sennett relates the glory days of Keystone Studios from 1911, when he discovered Normand and cast her in dozens of his early "two-reelers", through his creation of Sennett's Bathing Beauties and the Keystone Cops to Mabel's death from tuberculosis in 1930.

The original 1974 Broadway production produced by David Merrick starred Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters. It received eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, but did not win any. There was no nomination for Jerry Herman's score. Although the original production closed after only eight weeks, the songs were praised, and subsequent productions, especially in Britain, have had success.

 

Synopsis

Act I

Silent movie director Mack Sennett returns to his old film studio in Brooklyn in 1938. Things have changed considerably since he was last there—he sees a group of actors shooting a scene for a talkie. Mack reminisces about "when he ran the show", the glorious era of silent movies, thinking of his Bathing Beauties and Keystone Cops ("Movies Were Movies").
In a flashback, it is 1911. When Mabel, a delicatessen worker, delivers a sandwich to Lottie, the actress that Mack is filming, Lottie is unable to pay, and Mabel reacts violently. Mabel's dramatic behaviour catches Mack's eye, and he thinks she has potential as an actress. He offers her a part in his next film. She initially refuses, but when she looks back on the offer, she is dazzled by the career prospects ("Look What Happened To Mabel").
Mabel is very successful and becomes a major star. Later, along with Mack's two accountants, Kleiman and Fox, who are helping to finance his projects, the film company moves to a new, larger studio, in California. Lottie and the rest of Mack's film crew, who include the comedian Fatty Arbuckle, eagerly fantasize about moving up in the world, ("Big Time"). Meanwhile, Mabel has become attracted to Mack. While she is reciting an improvised poem, Mabel invites him into her train compartment for a meal. Things escalate, and Mabel persuades a very reluctant Mack to take part in a mock wedding ceremony. But Mack has no time for romance ("I Won't Send Roses"). He and Mabel sleep together, but Mack wakes up horrified and leaves in a hurry. Mabel, now in love with Mack, resolves to do things his way ("I Won't Send Roses" (Reprise)).
Eventually, Mabel wants to move on from comedy and star in serious dramas. But Mack is only interested in comedy ("I Wanna Make The World Laugh") and tries to discourage her. Mabel meets another movie director, the smooth-talking William Desmond Taylor , who is instantly attracted to her, and agrees to feature her in serious films - he invites her to dinner to discuss arrangements. Mack tries in vain to discourage her. After an argument, Mabel dresses in her best clothes and puts on make-up, then goes off not only for her appointment with Taylor, but for good, as she never wants to see Mack again ("Wherever He Ain't"). Mack is confident that he can manage without Mabel: he made a star out of one ordinary girl, and he can make a star out of another. With this in mind, he immediately comes up with the concept of the Bathing Beauties ("Hundreds of Girls").

Act II

Mabel eventually returns to Mack of her own accord and is welcomed with open arms by the entire film company ("When Mabel Comes In The Room"). Mack is so glad to have her back that he agrees to film Mabel's new, serious drama, "Molly", at his studio. But he can't help himself - comedy is his nature. He attempts to jazz it up with a new comic creation, The Keystone Cops ("My Heart Leaps Up"), and Mabel returns to Taylor. Later, Mack sees Mabel again as she is preparing to embark on a ship with Taylor. Taylor shows up and Mack leaves. Taylor, sensing that Mabel might still have feelings for Mack, persuades Mabel, who is complaining of tiredness, to take heroin, saying it is a pick-me-up, which works with the magic words, "Bye, Mack!". Mabel is heartbroken by everything Mack has done to her, but is confident that she will eventually forget him ("Time Heals Everything").
Back at the studio, a happy Mack has realized the potential of sound in his movies, with singing and dancing. Lottie Ames, another actress in Mack's company, has become a star, but Mabel has become a full-time drug addict ("Tap Your Troubles Away"), and her reputation is ruined. To add further to the tragedy, her lover, William Desmond Taylor, is murdered, and she is the prime suspect. By the time Mack is willing to try to patch things up between him and Mabel, it is too late - she has died. But musicals must end happily, so Mack imagines a happier ending to their story ("I Promise You A Happy Ending").

Characters:

• Mack Sennett— An obsessively hard-working movie director
• Mabel Normand— A deli delivery girl who becomes a movie star. Sennett reluctantly becomes romantically involved with her.
• William Desmond Taylor — A "serious" director, and rival for both Normand's acting talents and her affections
• Kleiman — An accountant
• Fox — Kleiman's partner
• Frank Wyman — An actor/writer, and later a director
• Lottie Ames — A silent movie star

Subsequent revisions of the show have changed some character names to their real life counterparts from the era.

• Frank Wyman - Frank Capra
• Fatty - Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
• Kleiman - Adam Kessell
• Fox - Charles O. Baumann

*Information took from :www.wikipedia.com

Here I'm giving you my songs proposition which I will sing this week:

1)"I know where I've been"- Hairspray Musical

2)"Big Spender"- Sweet Charity Musical

My comments:

I think this musical is quite sad and dramatic but nice at the same time . I like the story even if is embroiled, especially if we talk about Mabel's returns to Mack. But generally I have really good  first feelings/impression about this musical.

As I said above this time for audition mock we had to prepare 2 songs and movement piece. I chose songs from Sweet Charity Musical called "Big Spender", and Hairspray - "I know where I've been". Those songs are completely different: in styles, genre, composition and background, that's why I chose them . In these songs I want to show my vocals in two different ways and moods. I think these two songs can show all my acting skills, range, truthfulness, imagination about the song and background. I think those songs can show my best confidence on stage and how easily I can play around with them. I think these two songs are appropriate to this musical because they have strong characters with different survival luggage's for the last past tense. Also they show strong and emotional sides of the characters as is e.g. Mabel. She knows what she wants and what is she fight for . I think these two songs reflect very good Mabel character in each of her aspect that's why I think they  are appropriate for this particular musical.

For the movement piece I did some research and I decided to do this in mime style. I read some information on the internet and I watched some videos on YouTube to get ideas on how to start this project. I knew a bit  about this style before but not that much, now I improved my knowledge about this topic which helped me to create my piece/short performance. I created a piece which is about my mornings and difficult journey from home to college. I will show my routine which I do when wake up and before I go out to college. That's one part of my story and another one is my journey from home to college. I think this piece movement is appropriate for this musical because always movie/musical theatre stars are busy ,especially in the mornings when they have to quickly go to work, be on time everywhere, do they work properly and manage many different/important things around. Also these piece allowed me to see and empathize how is hard to be that kind of super star as Mabel was in this Musical. Also allowed me to "lick" of her world and how she could feel when everything was on her head .So this movement piece is great example of that kind of situation I think, even If I was based on my real life.I really had fun with that while doing this at home and I think it was a good opportunity to try to do something different than previously.