1 Assignment Title Page Student Name Elizabeth Cooper Student Number W14167 Lecturer Heva Chan Unit Code and MUBP 111 Assignment

Assignment Title Page Student Name Elizabeth Cooper Student Number W14167 Lecturer Heva Chan Unit Code and MUBP 111 Name (e.g. INBX101 Faith and the Contemporary Artist I) Assignment Title Concert Reviews No. of Words 967 (excluding Bibliography) Due Date: 22.5.14 Course Enrolled B.Mus (e.g. BDA, BMus) I hold a COPY of this assignment that I can produce if the original is lost or damaged. I hereby certify that no part of this assignment or product has been PLAGIARISED from (: any other student’s work or from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made in the assignment. No part of this assignment/product has been WRITTEN/PRODUCED FOR ME by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised by the unit lecturer. I hereby certify that this is MY OWN WORK, submitted for the FIRST TIME. Name of Elizabeth Cooper Date: 21.5.14 Student: 1 Date: Received by: PLEASE NOTE: Late assignments will normally attract a penalty of 10% per day. If you need an extension for serious reason, you MUST fill out an application for extension and gain the approval of the lecturer PRIOR to the due date to avoid the penalty. 2 THE LION KING –Capitol Theatre 10/4/14 Disney’s The Lion King was performed at the Capitol Theatre and I attended on the 10th of April 2014. Based on the 1994 film, the show has been running since 1997 in Broadway and is the fourth longest running Broadway production and the highest grossing production of all time (WisdomDigitalMedia, 2013). This particular show was the Australian production, showing in Sydney for a limited time. The show is an adaptation by Julie Taymor, an American theatre director who specializes in puppetry and it runs through the traditional story of The Lion King, borrowing some songs and other musical elements from the sequels to the film (Taymor, 1998). Julie Taymor’s adaptation of the film alters many of the musical and story elements in order to keep the production fresh. In terms of story, characters are developed further, particularly relationships such as Zazu and Mufasa as well as the sub-plot of Scar’s interest in Nala which allowed an element of surprise for those in the audience already familiar with the film. Rafiki, who took on the role of narrator to the story, was changed to a female part in order to create a female lead role in the male- dominated story and the play uses extensive puppetry in order to portray the animals in a highly stylised way which borrowed extensively from African culture, using patterns, colour palettes and textures common to traditional African attire. Musically, the score of the performance was slightly altered, again to keep it fresh and adapt it to the live setting rather than the more easily controlled recording studio environment. The dramatic iconic film-music style of Hans Zimmer was replaced with an earthier sound which drew more from the African influence of the visuals than the film score it came from. Whilst the songs remained the same, with several new additions, the emotion and atmosphere of the music came more from the rhythm and raw vocal ululations of the performers than the horns, strings and full choir of the original score. There was a specific focus on tribal percussion which was emphasised by the placement of the percussion soloists on the dais rather than in the pit with the rest of the orchestra. 3 In terms of performance, like many musical theatre productions, much of the entertainment came from the humour. In order to overcome the obstacle of an audience already familiar with the jokes of the script, this adaptation tailored the jokes to the Australian context of its audience and added additional jokes outside the original script. A particularly effective performance element was the frequent breaking of the fourth wall by Rafiki and Scar in their deliveries, which allowed for a story anchored in live performance. 4 References Disney.com, 2014 The Lion King – Sydney Viewed at http://www.disney.com.au/lionkingthemusical/ 28/4/14 Taymor J, 1998 The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway Disney Editions, Glendale CA Wisdom Digital Media, 2013 Grosses Culminative BroadwayWorld.com Viewed at http://www2.broadwayworld.com/grossescumulative.cfm?sortby=totaltotalGross&orderby=desc# 28/4/14 5 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS – Collector Hotel 20/5/14 Dead Letter Circus, an alternative rock band from Brisbane, played at the Collector Hotel on Tuesday the 20th of May as part of their ‘Insider’ tour with major support act Like Thieves. It was one of many shows on a tour which would cover several shows in and around Sydney in small pub-style venues also including Carmen’s Miranda and the Hornsby Hotel in the same area (Dead Letter Circus Official, 2014). As a member of the growing Australian progressive rock scene, Dead Letter Circus play music that combines heavy guitars, drums and bass with the significant use of delay pedals and high male vocals which was made popular by another band in the scene, Karnivool. Whilst they have solidified their place in that scene, there is little out of genre about Dead Letter Circus as they tend to stick to the regulations of the alterative rock ideas (SonicBid Corporate, 2014). The tour was in support of the band’s sophomore album “The Catalyst Fire” which pushed the band into the spotlight of the Australian rock scene (Moskovitch, 2014). The band was picked up by Warner music following the success of their debut album “This is the Warning” which was voted as one of Triple Js ‘Hottest Albums of all Time’ and went Gold (Dead Letter Circus Official, 2014). On this particular show, they played an equal mixture of old and new material, with a specific focus on singles. Technically, the gig was very strong. The lighting helped greatly in creating mood which the difficult shape of the venue could have prevented. Similarly the work by the sound crew was one of the best I have ever experienced, with the mix being highly separated and all instruments able to be heard. They also integrated the use of the backing track seamlessly into the mix. There were some technical difficulties with the singer’s in-ear monitors which could have explained his straining his voice and sounding weaker as the gig progressed, but overall the technical aspects of the gig were strong. The performers were highly charismatic to match their driving rock style. There was a large amount of crowd interaction not only from the lead vocalist but also from the guitarist and bassist. They 6 employed fairly standard stage presence techniques, including encouraging the crowd to jump, sing lyrics and wave lighters in the appropriate sections of the set. However, there was a large moment of what could have been considered unprofessionalism from the singer who publicly isolated and interrogated one crowd member for recording them on his phone (which many people were doing) which left a bad taste in many audience members’ mouths. Overall, however, Dead Letter Circus played a fairly enjoyable gig. The major problem with their set was the lack of dynamics in their choice of songs played, resulting in the impression that they played one very long song rather than a set of different songs. The similarity in tempo, aesthetic and structure also contributed to this impression. A greater variety of sound could have helped their set considerably. 7 REFERENCES Dead Letter Circus Official, 2014 Shows Viewed at: http://deadlettercircus.com/ 21.5.14 Dead Letter Circus Official, 2014 Bio Viewed at: http://deadlettercircus.com/bio 21.5.14 Moskovitch, G, 2014 Dead Letter Circus Insider Tour Dates Announced Music Feeds.com Viewed at: http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/dead-letter-circus-the-insider-tour-dates-announced/ 21.5.14 SonicBids Corporate, 2014 Dead Letter Circus Viewed at: http://www.sonicbids.com/band/deadlettercircus/ 21.5.14 Order Confirmed Your order number is 3970870-151. You will be sent an e-mail confirmation with all the details. Your name is on the door list for this event. If you would like to change the name that the order is in, please call email [email protected] with the new details. This must be done at least 48hrs prior to the doors open time to ensure your request is actioned. NB: All people who you have purchased tickets for on this order must arrive at the same time in order to gain entry. Item Status Price Dead Letter Circus 18+ at Collector Hotel on 20/05/2014 - ZQ6D - 62 Dead Letter Circus 18+ at Collector Hotel on 20/05/2014 - HZ96 - 65 Delivery: E-Ticket (Venue Collect) $0.00 TOTAL PRICE AUD$69.40 E-Ticket (Venue Collect) Your name will be on the door list at the venue; this will be alphabetised by first name and you will need photo Id that matches the name you entered when purchasing. If the order is not in the name of the person who is picking up the tickets, you can update the name on the door list by logging into the “My Account” feature of our website here, locating your order under “Orders” and modifying the name on the order by clicking “Modify”. You can only update the name on the order provided that ticket sales for the event have not closed (i.e. usually 1 hour prior to the event). Please note: All people who you have purchased tickets on this order must arrive to the venue at the same time – we cannot put names against individual tickets purchased.

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