A Study of the Lyric in Musical Theatre
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2084: A Study of the Lyric in Musical Theatre Sarah Courtis This dissertation is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Murdoch University, Perth, 2019. 1 2 I declare that this dissertation is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work, which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. _______________________Sarah Courtis Sarah Courtis 3 Acknowledgements This document is the culmination of five years of research and a lifetime of dedication to an art form and general practice. The years spent studying have been hard but inspiring, as I negotiated the life of a researcher with the daily struggles of having a chronic illness. This work was generated through perseverance and the continual support of the people around me. My first, and undying, gratitude to my supervisors: Associate Professor Jenny de Reuck and Doctor David Moody. Jenny, you supported me through many trials and tribulations, providing me with positivity and a safe space to express myself and try new approaches. Words cannot express my gratitude. David, your numerous edits and illuminating discussions shall remain with me, always. You kept me grounded and reminded me not to take myself too seriously. Thank you both for your patience. Secondly, I would like to thank all of the people who participated in and enriched my creative practice. To the cast and crew of 2084 (both the workshop and final product): you helped make the show what it is. To Dr Melissa Merchant I am deeply indebted for mentoring me through life as an academic and for all the good advice I promptly ignored: perhaps the next generation will be wiser. To John Peter Luke Saunders, thank you for the library and the years of correspondence: now I have time to write you a response. To my family for looking after me, especially my mother, Julie, for reminding me to eat and sleep and for coming to every performance of the show. Thank you to Stephen Platt for being my cheer squad and cheering me up on the darkest days. And finally, to Ellin Sears, my partner in crime who convinced me to start down this road many years ago and who has been by my side ever since. I hope I inspire you as much as you inspire me. 4 Thank you all. 5 Abstract The lyric in musical theatre is often enjoyed as an art form: however, as yet, there are few extensive, theoretically informed analytical approaches to the performative text. This exegesis begins with an original script (including annotations) of 2084: a musical, before turning to a critical analysis of the lyric in contemporary musical theatre. Asking questions about the use of the lyric to craft meaning and engage with audiences on multiple levels of meaning-making, I use a mixed methodology of practice as research, semiotic interpretation and audience reception theory to explore ways in which the lyric can be approached. The study presents potential modes of lyrical analysis before putting them into practice through three case studies. The first examines Hamilton: an American Musical, in order to discuss methods of signification and the impact an audience’s context can have on interpretation. The second interrogates the lyrics of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, to explore questions concerning adaptation and anachronism. The third discusses the artefact 2084: a musical, through the lenses of the previous case studies, with focus on authorial intent and how it can be used to craft fluid meaning in the lyric. Finally, the exegesis concludes that the lyric as a literary and performative text has the potential to be crafted to be both aesthetically pleasing and to have deep meaning ingrained for a varied audience. This study opens up the vista of what is possible when approaching the lyric as a practitioner and theorist. 6 Contents How to Read this Document 8 Section One Foreword to the Script 9 2084: a Musical - Annotated Script 12 Section Two Overture: Chapter One - Introduction 91 Prologue: Chapter Two - Literature Review 97 Act One: Chapter Three –Methodology 119 Act Two: Chapter Four –Theories in Practice 146 Entr’acte: Chapter Five – Hamilton: an American Musical 207 Act Three: Chapter Six - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 246 Act Four: Chapter Seven – 2084: a Commentary 282 Finale: Chapter Eight – Conclusion 333 Curtain Call: Appendices Appendix 1: Documenting the Process 340 Appendix 2: Table of Musicals and Related Performances Viewed in this Study 373 Appendix 3: Synopses of Texts Referred to in the Case Studies 389 Appendix 4: Audience Feedback and Questionnaires 396 References – Programme 468 7 How to Read this Document This document combines the creative artefact and exegetical work completed as part of the requirements of the Doctorate of Philosophy at Murdoch University. Section One contains the script 2084: a musical with annotations regarding the creation of the work. Also accompanying this text is the filmed production of 2084 and the cast recording. These were recorded to supplement the work and the readers’ understanding of the performative text, enabling them to receive it in multiple formats, similar to the experience of a modern audience of a musical. However, as I was working with amateur performers the quality of both recordings could alter the receivers’ engagement with the work. For this reason, the script is presented as the definitive artefact to be read first; my creative work is at the heart of this research. Section Two presents the exegetical work, to be read following a reading (or viewing or listening) of the creative work as it discusses the text, 2084, as though the reader is familiar with it. The recordings can alternatively be used to supplement the readers’ understanding of Chapter Seven, as this is the case study which deals with 2084. 8 Foreword to the script 2084: a musical is the culmination of two and a half years of work in collaboration with over sixty people. It is an experimentation with the lyrical form and is the original creative output accompanying the exegesis. It was inspired by many texts engaged with both before and during the research and responds to components of these works through a theoretically informed creative praxis. Texts such as George Orwell’s 1984 became central to the process, while the case studies of Hamilton: an American musical and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 were woven in and out as I developed my lyrical style. Other texts can also be found intertextually linked in 2084 and I discuss these connections in the annotations to the script. These annotations are presented as part of the Practice as Research methodology I expand upon in the exegesis proper, intended to foreground my process and choices as a lyricist and director. The script (including the annotations) is the original contribution to knowledge demanded, in part, by a doctoral thesis of this kind and a close reading of it is required to understand many of the examinations discussed in the exegetical work. However, I have also provided a copy of the cast recording and a filmed version of the stage production performed in 2016. These recordings are meant as an accompaniment to the script, as musical theatre is multi-modal and should be engaged with on multiple levels. They are not meant to replace the script. It should be noted that the quality of recording in both instances is less than wholly professional due to the understandably limited resources provided to us as candidates, requiring the use of amateur performers and technicians. This should not, however, substantially impact the engagement with the script as it is the primary text. 9 The cultural moment constructs the audience, as we are affected by the events around us and the understandings held to be ‘true’ by society at large. For example: post 9/11 the western media has focussed upon terrorism, creating an audience preoccupied with acts of terror. This concept of terrorism has in turn been utilized as one of the major themes of 2084, as I wished to create a text which was culturally relevant and able to function intertextually with current events. However, I also sought to problematize the stereotypes prominent in the discourse surrounding those events, thereby representing the boundaries between art and life in an alienating (in the Brechtian sense) manner. With this in mind, I approached 2084 with a set of key themes to tap into what I read as the collective consciousness defined by the cultural moment. Being aware of the musical as self-reflexive I wove these themes together to create meaning for a Post Modern audience, itself alert to the constructions of fiction and how it can relate to the examination of ‘truths’. The themes I believed relevant to the current social and political climate and which would therefore resonate with and reflect the values of society are: choice, control, isolation, memory, family, cycles (of history, media and thought); freedom versus slavery and progress versus stagnation. There are other themes to be found within the text; however, the ones indicated here remained at the forefront of my writing and guided my approach to the text. These both reflect the world which I find myself in, and the potential future 2084 warns against. 2084 was also informed by other events that made up the cultural moment. 2015/16 saw the lead up to the election of the Trump administration in the USA and the Brexit vote in the UK. It was also produced in the year that was dominated by the Australian same-sex marriage plebiscite, and themes relating to all of these real-world issues are reflected in the text.