The best example of tempo in this play is during the songs "You Don't Know" and "I am the One." Kitt has an extraordinary way of knowing exactly how to make the listener feel what he wants you to feel. In "You Don't Know" the tempo is very steady build. You are waiting for the character's to explode. In "I am the One" we hear Gabe and Dan try to persuade Diana that they are the "one" she should believe in and trust. This is of course very dangerous and has a slightly eery feel to it because we have just discovered that Gabe is dead. The tempo changes from steady to frantic.
As far as which scenes get music, the reason a character sings in a musical is because there is absolutely no other way to express ones self. The moments where there are songs are there because they are some of the most important parts of the play.
Some songs happen more than once. There are three different "Heys." Each shows a different time Natalie and Henry meet. The third is where Natalie realizes they are perfect for each other even if they aren't individually perfect.
I agree with everything that you said. "I am the One" stood out to me a lot too. It seemed like the entire style of music in the show changed for that particular song, and it looked like a battle between Dan and Gabe. I also agree that it was a very eerie moment. I'd be interested to hear what you thought of Gabe in the production that you saw in New Orleans. Personally, I thought that he was depicted as sort of sinister.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, you saw Southern Rep's n2n? Their Gabe was disturbing… but in a bad way. His physical size and the fact that he looked a good 10 years older than what Gabe should be. What did you think?
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