Mobile Phones to Be Banned in Theatres?

A director has said that mobile phones could be banned in the West End to stop patrons from filming. On the Simon Morris blog this week, I ask, could this really happen?

Simon Morris Wishes He Could Throw Mobile Phones into the Thames!

We all know it’s really annoying when you’re watching a musical you’ve spent money to see, and have waited for, for ages, when someone breaks out their phone. Whether they’re answering a text, calling a friend or filming a production with plans to post it later on YouTube, it makes you want to grab the phone and throw it into the Thames.

Whilst I have blogged about how to be an audience member when watching a musical theatre production, and I did talk about mobile phones, I do recognise that we need to have them on us when we’re in a theatre. That’s why I’ve always been dubious when West End personnel have talked about banning mobile phones in theatres (and they talk about it a lot). It just seems so impractical.

He Was Only Texting His Son, Who Was Ill.

And someone else has been at it recently; this time acclaimed West End director Anthony Biggs. According to the Daily Mail (who absolutely love this kind of thing) Biggs made the suggestion due to audience members constant need to film productions.

The publication has revealed that recently, actor David Judge interrupted a performance Athol Fugard’s Statements. Why? He and Jasmine Hyde, a fellow cast member, saw a man in the front row using his phone continuously. They thought he was filming them. Turns out, he was just texting his son, who was ill.

Phones Can “Ruin the Experience” But the Audience Does Tend to Rely on Them

This lead Biggs; artistic director at Jermyn Street Theatre, where the production was based, to make the suggestion that phones should be banned in the West End. He said that phones can “ruin the experience,” for the audience, and that because of this, new measures may need to be put in place to curb mobile phone use in shows.

I get what Biggs is saying. I also think it’s highly impractical. In this day and age, people use their phones all the time, that’s just a fact. Stop them, and watch, as ticket sales plummet faster than the economy did back in 2008.

Simon Morris Suggests that Actors Just suck it up!

Simon Morris readers, I really do understand how annoying mobile phones are when you’ve invested you heard earned time and money into watching a musical in the West End. However, in modern life, you just have to suck it up and deal with it. These are some of our country’s best actors. If they can’t put up with a few mobile phones, maybe they aren’t really up to the job!

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My Top Four Movie Musical Actors of All Time

This week I want to celebrate the leading men, who have made the movie musical what it is. Here on the SimonMorris blog are my top four leading movie musical men ever!

Behind Every Great Diva is A Leading Man

We tend to focus on the women who have made the movie musical what it is. Maybe, that is because the ‘stereotypical’ movie musical audience have always admires strong divas. That’s why when we think of the genre, our minds immediately go to sirens of song such as Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand and Liza Minnelli.

But we really shouldn’t discount the men. Have you ever heard that saying, behind every great men is a great woman? Well, in this artistic field, the opposite is true. Behind every dazzlingly delightful diva is a leading man of epic proportions.

These Four Leading Men Simply Shined on Screen

Of course, not every actor was able to hold their own against the star power of icons such as Garland and Streisand. However, some matched them note for note, step for step. These four simply shined on screen:

1)      Fred Astaire: No one did it quite like Fred Astaire. Arguably one of the very first actors to make it big in movie musicals, he was a demon on the dance floor. Along with Ginger Rogers, he formed one part of tinsel town’s most memorable dancing duos, and helped make dance an integral part of the movie musical in productions such as Top Hat, Follow the Fleet and Swing Time. Every actor who came after owes Astaire a huge debt of gratitude.

2)      Gene Kelly: If Astaire was one of the first memorable movie musical lead actors, then successor Gene Kelly was arguably one of the most iconic of all time. His roles in mega movie musicals An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain were so monumental, they still stand as the ones to beat to this very day.

3)      Mickey Rooney: The last of the Hollywood movie musical leading men, Rooney sadly passed away this year. But what a life he had. A veritable silver screen icon, he shone in a number of movie musical roles, including Babe in Arms with Miss Garland herself!

4)      Hugh Jackman: Frankly, since the golden age of Hollywood, the movie musical has gone downhill. When it did wow audiences all over again, we tended to focus on the performances of the leading ladies. However, that changed with the film version of Les Miserables, with Hugh Jackman in the leading role. A musical theatre veteran, you could tell he’d been cast perfectly, and could very well revive the classic movie musical leading man role that typified Hollywood in its heyday. 

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My Top Five Favourite Movie Musical Actresses

The actress often makes the movie musical, and on the Simon Morris blog this week, I’ve listed who I believe are the top five movie musical actresses ever!

A Combination of Theatre and Silver Screen

There are many elements to the movie musical – score, costumes, script etc., but without the star power of a truly world class leading lady – who can bring the main female role to life – it’s bound to fail!

But it takes a lot to be the leading lady of a movie musical. You’re not dealing with a live audience – therefore, you not only have to have the skills required for the stage, but those required for a star of the silver screen – to bring a truly iconic leading lady to life.

Simon Morris’ Fabulous Five Leading Ladies

It’s rare that an actress- no matter how talented – can make the transition one way or the other, but in my opinion, Simon Morris readers , these top five movie musical leading ladies were more than capable of tackling the task at hand:

1)      Judy Garland: Judy Garland is the quintessential movie musical leading lady. From Wizard of Oz to Summer Stock to A Star is Born, Garland typified the versatility required of a leading lady to take on the movie musical genre. Every actress sees Judy as the one to beat.

2)      Barbara Streisand: And she has a fierce contender in arguably the most famous musical theatre actress of all time, Barbara Streisand. Bab’s has taken leading lady roles in a number of movie musicals including Funny Girl, Yentl, and a remake of Garland’s own A Star is Born. Her killer vocals, effortless charm and sheer likeability, make her the perfect movie musical leading lady.

3)      Julie Andrews: Is there anything this woman can’t do. Easily one of the most successful actresses to ever come out of the UK, Andrews is possibly most remembered for her iconic turns in movie musicals The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. The enduring popularity of both productions, shows just how suited Andrews was, and always will be, to the role of movie musical star.

4)      Liza Minnelli: In every way, she really is her mother’s daughter. Minnelli proved that she is every bit the movie musical leading lady her mother was in 1972’s smash hit Cabaret.  Her haunting vocals, infectious presence and intriguing performance make her a star among movie musical leading ladies.

Angela Lansbury: Few have had a career as distinguished as Angela Lansbury, and she’s certainly proved that she’s capable of the title ‘movie musical leading lady’ in her time. She famously starred alongside Garland in 1946 western movie musical The Harvey Girls, and has since taken heralded roles in a number of others, including Bed knobs and Broomsticks, Blue Hawaii and Sweeney Todd.

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Simon Morris on Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s TONY Awards

The TONY Awards have once again come and gone, and if you missed out on the best night in musical theatre, you’re in luck, as this week Simon Morris is here to give you the low down.

The 68^th Annual TONY Awards

The TONY Awards are to the musical theatre world what the Grammy’s are to music and the OSCARS are to film; the one night of the year where players in this world get the recognition they deserve for their stellar work over the past 12 months.

This year’s TONY Awards (68^th) once again took place at the Radio City Music Hall, one of the most renowned and prestigious venues in the  whole of New York City. That alone should let you know what kind of night it was; a truly spectacular one filled with epic wins, disappointing losses and grand performances that had the hair standing up on the back of just about everybody’s next.

A Night of Many Performances

So what happened; let’s start with the performances. Every year stars from some of Broadways must successful productions take to the stage to belt out their signature number, and this year’s awards saw the tradition continue. Tracks were performed from the productions of Les Miserables, After Midnight, Aladdin and If/Then, among others.

Neil Patrick Harris Sizzled on Stage

There were two that I believed stood out. The first was the performance of ‘Sugar Daddy’ from the revival of 90’s classic Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This musical has seen resounding success this year, and went on to win the TONY for the best revival of a musical later in the night. Neil Patrick Harris sizzled and delighted in equal measure in the role of an East German transgender rocker.

As Good as it Was Ten Years Ago

The other performance that stood out to me was the performance of ‘For Good’ from one of my personal favourites, Wicked. Performed in honour of the game-changing musical’s tenth anniversary, it struck a chord with perennial Wicked lovers such as myself, for managing to achieve the same sense of heart-warming melancholy it did ten years ago. There is no greater compliment than that.

Best Actor/Actress

Now onto the winners in the three main categories (who really cares about stuff like best lighting anyway.) Best actor in a musical went to Neil Patrick Harris; as I’ve already mentioned, he was phenomenal and it was totally deserved. Best actress in a musical to Audra McDonald for the role of Billie Holiday in a production about the life and times of the icon; Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. It was a no brainer, she shone in the role.

Drum Roll Please… And the Award for Best Musical Goes To?

Now the big one, best musical. In the end, despite stiff competition, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder walked away with the night’s most prestigious award. I’m not going to give the plot away, all I’ll say is; I’m really not surprised.

There you have it Simon Morris readers; this year’s TONY’s were yet another night of amazing performances, spectacular wins and devastating loses; I so can’t wait for next year!

By Simon Morris

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Why Are We All Reading the Book of Mormon?

Broadway musical The Book of Mormon is a runaway success, and this week I wanted to get to the bottom of its momentous popularity, and ask, just why are we all reading the Book of Mormon?

Tomorrow is a Latter Day

It tells the story two young Mormon missionaries who are sent to a remote village in Northern Uganda to spread the good word. When they get there however, they find the locals less than receptive, as they have far too many problems of their own to deal with and subsequently, the young men see their own worldview challenged.

With a stunning soundtrack boasting soon to be classic show tunes such as ‘Orlando,’ ‘You and Me (But Mostly Me),’ and ‘Tomorrow is a Latter Day,’ a riveting plotline and dollops of side-splitting humour, it went on to become a critical and commercial success, even bagging the TONY Award for Best Musical.

The Controversy of the Portrayal of Religion

So why are so many people into it? On the face of it, it shouldn’t work. Religion is always a tricky topic to tackle, and most musicals that do attempt to climb this hill, like Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat play it safe. They stick to biblical truth.

Quite simply they do this because of the sheer righteous indignation that rains down on an artist when they dare to challenge the established cannon is terrifying. All you have to do is look at the fierce outrage the film The Last Temptation of Christ provoked back in the day, to realise why most creatives shy away from this kind of thing.

Simon Morris on a Changing Religious Landscape

However we aren’t back in the day, we’re in the modern era and we’re living in a time where experts have found a noted trend in the western world; people are turning away from religion. Innovations such as the internet are fostering a tendency to question religion more than ever before.

And The Book of Mormon ultimately seeks to answer some of those questions. It’s a fascinating exploration of the indoctrination of religion, and what happens to the indoctrinated when they’re released out into the real world.

The Book of Mormon works because it taps into the current zeitgeist. Whilst it’s phenomenal all on its own, people are into it because it asks the questions they want answered, and tackles the issues they care about. This is the hallmark of many a timeless musical.

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The Versatility of the Musical Theatre Heroine

What fascinates me about the role of the heroine in musical theatre is that it comes in so many shapes and sizes, speaking to the audience on an array of differing levels, which is why on the Simon Morris blog this week, I want to explore the versatility of the musical theatre heroine.

The Societal View of the View of Women

To play a heroine on the musical theatre stage is no easy task. Women often get the hardest, most vocally challenging of numbers, the most elaborate of costumes, the most strenuous of dance routines. Technically, it’s an exhausting job.

However there’s also the added pressure of societal views of women to contend with. Society has a complex relationship with its perceptions of the female gender, with old stereotypes clashing dangerously with modern beliefs in the power of the strength of women. Often, heroines (especially in older productions) need to communicate both to the audience to fully capture their imagination, and this takes a truly gifted actress, no matter the type of heroine they’re playing.

Simon Morris Explores Every Shade of Heroine

There are several types of heroine that demand talent to truly communicate their complexity, and I want to examine a few to show the true versatility needed to play the role of a heroine:

·         Elphaba: Your classic modern woman in green skin, Elphaba is a sympathetic take on an archetypal villain and the trick to nailing the role is to balance the innate goodness of the character with the pain that allows others to perceive her to be the Wicked Witch of the West.

·     Mary Magdalene: A woman often damned and hailed in equal measure, Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar is both selfless and selfishly in love, and any woman taking on the role needs to be able to communicate the full spectrum of this most complex of emotions to make her even slightly believable.

·         Maureen: If Elphaba is the modern woman, Maureen is the post-modern one, all brash rebellion and pure intentions, an idealist and a dreamer. However the trick to getting Maureen right is to balance her bravery with the faint vulnerability that lies underneath and drives her insecurity.

·         Evita: If the first three are heroines with a shade of villainess, Evita is a villainess with a shade of heroine. The very definition of ambition, her actions are questionable and self-motivated but any effective Evita makes her believable by providing that balance that suggests that beneath the glaring blonde ambition lies at least some convoluted form of altruism.

What I hope to have shown you here, Simon Morris readers, is that there is no straightforward modern heroine. No black and white, good or evil, rather there are shades of all, and that is why the musical theatre heroine is the most versatile of roles any actress could ever hope to take on.

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RENT: A Story That Resonates Even Today

Is RENT as relevant today as it was when it first hit the Broadway stage back in the mid-90s? That is the question I seek to address today on the Simon Morris blog. Is this classic modern musical still relevant?

This is a problem that every musical theatre production faces at some point or another, as does every piece of art that has ever been created. Art often depends on the societal trends of the day to make an impact, however it is its ability to rise above its own cultural environment and tap into common human emotion that makes great art timeless.

RENT: The Tale of One Group of Friends in Alphabet City

The show itself chronicles a year in the life of friends as they struggle with love, loss, addiction, desperation and so much more. Classic tunes from the show include fan favourites such as ‘La Vie Boheme,’ ‘Seasons of Love,’ ‘I’ll Cover You,’ ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ and ‘Without You’

The general story sees these friends meet, connect, fall in love, struggle with issues such as heroin addiction and AIDS, deal with the death of one of their own (Angel) and survive, coming together in Mimi’s hour of need and saving her from following Angel to an early grave.

A Musical That Taps Into the Very Essence of Humanity

On the face of it, RENT has endured because the issues that plague its characters are ones still very present in modern life. Many people still suffer from drug addiction and AIDS, LGBT rights, which are skilfully explored in the production, are more prevalent than ever and the excesses that so typified the 1980’s backdrop of the piece still reverberate in 2014.

However, I would suggest that this is an overly simplistic explanation of the enduring popularity of RENT. Yes, many of the issues it explores are more prevalent than ever in today’s society, but it’s the musical’s ability to tap into common themes in human emotion that made it, and continue to make it, a massive hit with audiences across the musical theatre loving world.

So, Simon Morris readers, if this little analysis has taught you anything, it should be that a musical works when it resonates with audiences. Only through the exploration of complex human emotion can audiences gain that window they need to form a connection with the characters up on that stage and, ultimately, grow to love them!

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