Musical Theatre Repertoire - Assignment Example

Musical Theatre Repertoire In considering songs that are characteristic of my own performative range I recognize that I’m lucky to have considerableversatility. Still, there are a number of songs that hold particular relevance. One such song is ‘Why God Why?’ from Miss Saigon (1991). Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil composed the song, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. These songwriters are both prominent French musical composers. In terms of prior work they are recognize as creating the highly successful Les Miserables, as well as a number later day works, including 1996’s Martin Guerre.

The song itself is great for my musical repertoire as it functions within my baritenor range and its expressive qualities are greatly linked to my internal emotional makeup. The song combines somber recognition of the environment with melodramatic and bombastic theatricality. The next song examined is ‘What is it About Her?’ from the musical Wild Party (2000). Andrew Lippa composed this song and musical. Lippa is an American composer and producer who was originally born in Leeds, England.

He graduated from the University of Michigan and later moved to New York. In addition to the Wild Party, his writing credits include contributions to You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2000), as well as The Addams Family (2010). Similar to the previous track, ‘What is it About Her?’ functions within my vocal range and matches my artistic impulses. The song is accompanied by minimalist musicality that is punctured by emotional vocals. In these regards, the vocalist assumes the center of attention to a much greater degree than in traditional Broadway compositions, and greatly highlights the lead male.

The third song examined is ‘What Do I Need with Love?’. This song was from the musical film Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) and was composed by Michael Rafter. In addition to this song, Rafter worked on 2005’s Sweet Charity, and 2010’s Everyday Rapture. In addition to functioning within my vocal range, this track explores emotional qualities that juxtapose it with the somber realism of the previous tracks. Instead this song has a degree of melody, as well as a self-reflexive irony. In these regards, it makes a great addition to the repertoire as it demonstrates considerable emotional range and lightheartedness.

Still, the heavy reliance on the vocals greatly highlights the male lead. The final song examined is ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ from Hello Dolly (1964). This song was composed by American Broadway writer Jerry Herman. Herman was educated at the University of Miami and later moved to New York. In addition to Hello Dolly, Herman is recognized for writing such seminal works as La Cage aux Folles (1983), the Grand Tour (1979), and contributing songs to the animated film WALL-E. ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ constitutes a brilliant combination of light-heartedness, irony, as well as a tough of sentimental realism.

While the song perhaps emphasizes the singer’s overarching vocal qualities less than the previous songs examined, this composition places higher emphasis on straight-delivery and acting. In these regards, it functions to highlight the lead actor’s musicality and straight-acting abilities.