Week One – Pathway Singing

In our pathway sessions of Musical Theatre, with Katy, we will be working towards a solo
performance of a song each in six weeks. Each song will be based and inspired by early
20th century Musical Theatre (from 1900 to 1940). This is a subject that I don’t have the
most practice/experience with or knowledge on and so, I think that it will really help to
expand my repertoire and bank of knowledge of Musical Theatre.

This time of Musical Theatre is likely to be the most unfamiliar area for people, but it is
essential for auditions. This is because it showcases an excellent basis of vocal and
dancing styles that form the building blocks for other more modern styles of singing and
dancing.
It comes after the Greek comedies (6-4 BC) and the early plays of the middle ages. Opera
then began to be popular among the middle classes, with stories of Gods and Heroes,
which would usual address the serious subjects of the time. The traditional musical genre
was then shaped by Gilbert and Sullivan’s work (1874-1898) who wrote Operettas, that
used dialogue as well as songs to tell the traditionally funny stories. Usually, these were
attended by the middle class, as the lower class would attend more Music Hall venues.
Characteristics of Early 20th Century Musicals

• They used the book, music and lyrics format

• It dealt with a more diverse subject matter than before
• There was now an equal balance of dancing, acting and singing, that helped to
carry the plot and the characters forward
• It was performed in the native language
• They usually used the legato singing style, with classical ballet and ballroom
dancing

We practiced exercises as a class and one by one to prepare us to learn a song in this
legato style of sing. The song that we will be learning is called ‘Someone to watch over
me’ written by George and Ira Gershwin for the musical “Oh, Kay!”. We learnt the chorus
together, as a class and then sung back one by one, to show that we could sing each
phrase of the verse in one breath. Which is a key feature within legato singing.

I need to focus more on breathing from my diaphragm and not from my chest. To practice
this and make a habit of doing this, I should sing through songs whilst lying on the floor, to
feel my stomach moving up and down.
Someone to watch over me chorus solo - https://youtu.be/zEIhe0VxncY
Our homework for next week is to choose a popular composer or lyricist from the list
below and watch one of their shows. We need to review the show, paying most attention
to the classical legato singing and classical dance styles.

• Jerome Kern
 • Irving Berlin
• Richard Rodgers (not with Hammerstein)
• Kurt Weill
• Lorenz Hart
• Gershwins
• Cole Porter
• Noel Coward
• Ivor Novella
• Harburg and Arlen

I decided on Kiss Me Kate, for which Cole Porter did the music and lyrics for and it first
was performed in 1948. The version of Kiss Me Kate that I chose to watch and review was
the BBC Proms version, which I found on Youtube.
Kiss Me Kate BBC Proms - https://youtu.be/zKVGo7FL4n8
As it’s not a normal production/version of the show, it has obviously been simplified for
the BBC Proms venue and it has a very minimal, but effective set and a backdrop of the
orchestra.

Another Opening, Another Show – The fast tempo with the frantic cast, really contrasts
with the slower tempo and the more relaxed dressing room vibes. The dancing was clean
and sharp in its movements with the ensemble moving as one through. I especially liked
the comedic timing of the character Paul, as it was played with the right amount of bias
and not overdone.
Why Can’t You Behave – Sung by the character Lois Lane, it has a clear romantic tone. Her
vocal range is impressive and controlled, even on the lower and longer notes. This is a
possible option for my song, but it would require me to complete a lot of exercises to
expand my range. If I were to do this, as a solo, I would also change Bill’s line in the song
from “Gee, I need ya kid” to a slower “You need me”.
I was impressed with the American accents, not straying throughout the show and not
becoming nasally because this usually distracts me from listening to what the characters
are saying.
Wunderbar – Operatic features display throughout the song and helped to show the Actor
and Actress playing Fred and Lilli’s amazing breath control The Waltz pattern used, frames
the remaining romance between the divorced couple and remains graceful and smooth
even when brought to a faster pace. The harmonies in this could be a metaphor almost
demonstrating that even though their marriage failed, that they still work well together.
So In Love – The emotion of sadness was conveyed well in this, but the actress’s mouth
quivered and was just over the top when she used vibrato, instead of controlling her jaw
and letting the sound come from the muscles in her throat, which made it sound too bold
for the style of song.
We Open In Venice – The simple choreography and repetitive chorus help make this song
stick in your head and then it changes up the style with the ballet influenced dance break,
when the ensemble are brought in to the song. This looks very effective with the simplistic
costumes that are black and white, with either a hint of red or yellow.
Tom, Dick or Harry – The “Marry Me” repetition gives the three suitors a common cause
and establish their characters motivations in the song quickly, this is emphasised more
when call and response is used with the same lyrics. When the comedic dance movements
are added in synchronization to further their similarities, despite their different
upbringings (poor/rich).
Bianca – This is the number which emphasises his infatuation and as the tempo speeds up,
so do his feelings. The dance included lots of pirouettes, which allows the dance to look
confusing and complex, but is just an effective use of simplistic and styled movements.
I’ve Come To Wive It Wealthily In Padua – This is the show’s simplest song, it’s set in a pub
and so it’s main emphasis is to convey Fred’s plans to his friends. This is shown more in
the repetition of the name of the song and the emphasis of comedic gestures to the
changes of the music at the end of the sentences.

I Hate Men – The clear diction displayed in the higher pitched parts of the song and paired
with strong projection of her voice, makes the comedically conveyed emotions more
effective as they are the focus of the song.
Were Thine That Special Face – When changing tone, good control was maintained and
stayed steady when coming to the end of sentences. I enjoyed that when the dancers
came on, the original tune gained trills to give it more layers and keep it interesting. The
tempo of the song stayed the same, but half beats worked to make the dancing look fast
and slick, which worked well with the prop fans used in the dancing.

We Sing Of Love – The harmonies blended very well, before building to a crescendo
starting the dance. This is the dance that is most complex in the show, switching from a
fast tempo almost jig like more contemporary dance to a slow tempo ballet style.
The Gangster’s differences in their costumes in the show within the ensemble, is comedic
and clear, as they are less put together and messy and there is no black in their costumes
unlike everyone else.
Kiss Me Kate – The repetition/call and response between Fred and Lilli and between Lilli
and a flute build up effectively within the song to a crescendo and her reactions especially
at the end of the song are over the top and hilarious.

Too Darn Hot – This song is very contrasting with the rest of the show, but I really enjoy it
and it’s one of my two favourites in the show. The harmonies are fantastic between the
three men and the diction is impressive. The vocals don’t even stray when the movement
is introduced. The dance break is lively, energetic and performed enthusiastically. I really
enjoyed the swing/jazz style present.
Where Is The Life That Late I Led? - The lyrics are very comical and this is emphasised
through his facial expressions and tone. The diction is still impressive with the accents.
Always True To You Darling In My Fashion – This song starts as though it’s going to be a
reprise of “Why Can’t You Behave?” and then just as Bill leaves the tempo picks up to
show that she has no shame in what she does. I really enjoy the following scene with
Harrison, it had me laughing through the whole thing.
Bianca – The whistling of the female chorus works well in drawing in the audience and
then echoing Bill’s lyrics before adding a harmony over the top. The tap section with bells
and drum sounds leading up to the big ending worked just perfectly. For him to walk off
after that during the applause shows his dedication to her.
So In Love Reprise – You could really hear the heartbreak and desperation for her to come
back in his voice. This was conveyed so fantastically by the actor playing Fred, he was my
favourite character throughout the performance.
Brush Up Your Shakespeare – The two Gangsters continue being the two comic relief
characters, with their simple routine and their monotone singing creates a funny end to a
great show.

I enjoyed the show mainly, but I didn't like that the romance between Fred and Lois never
got any closure. They just both went their own ways and no more time was spent on what
was happening between them. Considering this is one of the first things that we see in the
show, I would have thought it would’ve been rounded off in some way.

As I said my favourite character in the show was Fred’s as he managed to multi-roll

without his two characters overlapping until the very end when Lilli comes back at the end
of the show. He also had a great voice and excellent control over everything that he was
doing, which meant that I was drawn in to his performance even more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Me,_Kate
“Kiss Me, Kate is a musical written by Samuel and Bella Spewack with music and lyrics by
Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William
Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred
Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli
Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her
gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters.”

We also needed to find a song, by a composer on the same list and learn a verse and
chorus to sing in next week’s lesson. My first ideas for songs were:

• Love you didn’t do right by me - Irvin Berlin, but although this fits the composer
criteria the musical of White Christmas first came out in the film in 1954. Which
means that it doesn’t fit in our time bracket for our study.
• My Funny Valentine - Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart
• Anything Goes - Cole Porter
• Why Can’t You Behave – Cole Porter