The Challenge of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2004 The Challenge Of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters Cynthia Lowa University of Central Florida Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Lowa, Cynthia, "The Challenge Of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters" (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 208. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/208 THE CHALLENGE OF PLAYING MULTIPLE ARTHURIAN CHARACTERS by CYNTHIA LOWA B.A. Lee University, 2001 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Theatre in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2004 © 2004 Cynthia Lowa ii ABSTRACT This thesis examines the portrayal of multiple roles in a production of Camelot, written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Performance and content analysis identifies and explores the difficulties and challenges in portraying multiple roles in this production, including the understudying of the leading role of Guenevere. A detailed historical analysis provides background into origin of the Arthurian legend and an examination of its historical development. A social analysis provides information on the role of women in medieval society with a discussion of the customs and laws that applied to them. Furthermore, a structural analysis of the script examines the plot and play structure. In addition, in individual sections is formal scene-by-scene analysis of the role of Nimue, Lady Anne, and Guenevere. A comprehensive rehearsal and performance journal also addresses the rehearsal and script development process and challenges faced as well as discoveries, adjustments, and choices made in performance from April 14 to May 30, 2004 at the Orlando Broadway Dinner Theatre. Specific entries include discussion of the challenges of playing minor roles while understudying the role of Guenevere, eventually played in one performance. Belinda Boyd and Christopher Niess, my thesis committee, have each provided a performance analysis of my portrayal of Nimue and Lady Anne. J.J. Ruscella, another committee member, has provided a performance analysis of my performance as Guenevere. iii . I dedicate this thesis to my Heavenly Father, who has provided for me this tremendous opportunity to develop my character, perfect my skill, and expand my knowledge. Thanks to Him for the wisdom to not only write an excellent paper, but also for the passion to write from my heart of the beautiful and amazing experience I had during the production of Camelot. It is to Him that I dedicate every word of this document that is the completion of the process He began over three years ago. To Him be the glory for the great things He has done in my life. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Be Boyd for her encouragement throughout the entire process and the valuable time she gave up helping me complete this document. I would like to thank Christopher Niess for assisting me and challenging me to make this document the best it could be. I would like to thank J.J. Ruscella for his support and honest critique of my performance. Thank you for selflessly giving to help me become a professional that will make the UCF Theatre Department proud to have me as an alumnus. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS........................................................... 9 Historical Analysis.......................................................................................................... 9 Social Analysis.............................................................................................................. 18 Plot and Play Structure Analysis................................................................................... 41 Character Analysis........................................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER THREE: REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE JOURNAL ................... 108 CHAPTER FOUR: PERFORMANCE REPORTS ........................................................ 145 Belinda Boyd .............................................................................................................. 145 Chris Niess.................................................................................................................. 148 J.J. Ruscella................................................................................................................. 149 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION................................................................................. 154 CHAPTER SIX: ENDNOTES........................................................................................ 157 vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe had a number of successes and failures in musical theatre before their production of Camelot opened in Toronto, Canada on October 1, 1960. Lerner was born into a well-off garment chain-store family. He received his education in Britain and at Harvard, where he first worked on college shows. Shortly after graduation he worked as a radio writer. In 1942 he met up with composer Frederick Loewe for the first time and the two worked on remaking a show called Patricia, a musical version of the successful play The Patsy done by George Grandee, J Keirn Brennan, and Barry Connors. They hired Lerner to redo the libretto and Earle Crooker to do the lyrics. They renamed the show The Life of the Party, but were unsuccessful at getting it any nearer to Broadway as Patricia. The year after this endeavor, Lerner and Loewe worked on What’s Up?, a stylized comic opera piece which ran on Broadway for eight weeks. The team collaborated again on The Day Before Spring, which had a life of 164 performances at the Broadway National Theater. Lerner then explored the world of romantic fantasy and wrote the libretto for Brigadoon. He consciously constructed and wrote the piece in the revived Broadway operetta style made fashionable by the success of Oklahoma! Songs such as “Almost Like Being in Love” and “There But for You Go I” found popularity into the public. For his next piece, Love Life, he partnered with composer Kurt Weill, which ran 252 performances. He partnered again with Loewe for the vigorously romantic go-West-young-woman Paint Your 2 Wagon, which provided more popular songs like “They Call the Wind Maria” and “Wanderin’ Star.” Their collaboration reached a climax with the legendary success of My Fair Lady, which found remarkable success, marking itself as the most successful musical of that era of the American musical stage. i Frederick Loewe, born in Berlin, a popular Operette light comedian, appeared on the musical stage in Berlin and Vienna, and in New York. “Fritz” studied music as a youth, but was unable to establish himself as a professional musician after he and his father moved to America at age 20. The first shows he produced were unsuccessful. Richard Berger’s Salute to Spring, with a time-wrapping libretto lasted just 20 performances on Broadway. He found success in collaboration with Alan Jay Lerner, and their obvious dynamic partnership finally led to the writing of Camelot in 1960. ii In October 1958 when Lerner and Loewe were just about to go into rehearsal for Paint Your Wagon, their production manager Bud Widney placed a New York Times review of T.H. White’s Once and Future King, the story of King Arthur and the Round Table, on his desk. Bud said, “Lerner, here’s your next show.” Lerner immediately ordered a copy of the book, and before the book reached him director Moss Hart called him and asked him if he had by chance read the review in the Sunday Times of the book. Moss said it was a possible project. After reading the review Loewe scoffed at the idea of writing a play about a cuckold. “You must be crazy,” he said. “That king was a cuckold. Who the hell cares about a cuckold?” Lerner told him that people had been caring about Arthur for thousands of years. Though Loewe had strong feelings against the story, he agreed to read the book. Moss and Lerner instantly fell in love with it, and with some 3 enthusiastic persuasion, so did Loewe. After careful consideration of various producers, they decided to produce it themselves, and acquire the rights to the last three books of The Once and Future King from T.H. White. iii The team began the tedious task of writing the musical. Lerner had to answer the question of why did Arthur, a cuckolded husband, become such a hailed figured in popular French literature? Lerner found that of all the love stories that endured throughout the ages, the only tragic hero to survive the indignation of a faithless