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Roxie was always infatuated by fame, particularly the case of Velma Kelly, a woman on the same cellblock as herself, who is accused of double murder of her sister and lover (who were cheating on her).
The musical suggests that sexual indiscretions are a part of life, not simply something produced by the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Sexual scheming is seen as human nature. It offers a very jaded perspective of the American justice system, which can be easily manipulated by media-savvy lawyers. In one musical scene, the lawyer Bobby Flynn manipulates Roxie like a puppet, speaking her words for her during a 'press conference' ragtime dance which emphasizes that "We Both Reached for the Gun" (Roxie's defense). Although the play is set during the gangster era, it is as much a commentary upon the mid-70s, a decade in which the nation had endured the end of the failed Vietnam War and Watergate. The play ends with Roxie's acquittal and the rise to stardom of Velma and Roxie, based upon their beauty and murderousness. The one woman who does not have a good attorney on their cellblock meets her untimely demise, even though she is the only person who seems innocent of her accused crime.
If Chicago was a ground-breaking commercial failure (although its later revivals have been extremely successful), Grease (1971)...
Grease is nostalgic as Happy Days for a past American glory age, although it contains certain 'winking' at the audience, regarding its sexual innuendo. And the climax of the musical portrays good girl Sandy going 'bad' in black leather for her beloved object of desire, Danny. The musical takes place at Rydell High School, and the teens have no other cares in the world than doing their hair, polishing their cars, and engaging in gossip over their romantic lives.
The focus in Grease tends to be more on the music than the spoken word and the 'book' in terms of advancing the plot, as is the case in Company and Chicago. But Grease's music is lively and uncomplicated and the musical's dancing, while energetic, harkens back to an earlier era of sock hops and doo-wops. Of these three musicals, it is Chicago that strikes the modern listener as the most innovative -- its collapsing of the third wall between audience and actors, its open use of characters playing 'personas' rather than inhabiting traditionally-rounded characters, and its utter amorality makes it seem more like a musical of the 21st century than the 20th.
The musical suggests that sexual indiscretions are a part of life, not simply something produced by the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Sexual scheming is seen as human nature. It offers a very jaded perspective of the American justice system, which can be easily manipulated by media-savvy lawyers. In one musical scene, the lawyer Bobby Flynn manipulates Roxie like a puppet, speaking her words for her during a 'press conference' ragtime dance which emphasizes that "We Both Reached for the Gun" (Roxie's defense). Although the play is set during the gangster era, it is as much a commentary upon the mid-70s, a decade in which the nation had endured the end of the failed Vietnam War and Watergate. The play ends with Roxie's acquittal and the rise to stardom of Velma and Roxie, based upon their beauty and murderousness. The one woman who does not have a good attorney on their cellblock meets her untimely demise, even though she is the only person who seems innocent of her accused crime.
If Chicago was a ground-breaking commercial failure (although its later revivals have been extremely successful), Grease (1971) was a nostalgic success, a backward-looking musical that portrayed a simpler, pre-sexual revolution era when a 'bad girl' like Rizzo was called names for sleeping with boys and smoking (gasp) cigarettes. Grease is nostalgic as Happy Days for a past American glory age, although it contains certain 'winking' at the audience, regarding its sexual innuendo. And the climax of the musical portrays good girl Sandy going 'bad' in black leather for her beloved object of desire, Danny. The musical takes place at Rydell High School, and the teens have no other cares in the world than doing their hair, polishing their cars, and engaging in gossip over their romantic lives.
The focus in Grease tends to be more on the music than the spoken word and the 'book' in terms of advancing the plot, as is the case in Company and Chicago. But Grease's music is lively and uncomplicated and the musical's dancing, while energetic, harkens back to an earlier era of sock hops and doo-wops. Of these three musicals, it is Chicago that strikes the modern listener as the most innovative -- its collapsing of the third wall between audience and actors, its open use of characters playing 'personas' rather than inhabiting traditionally-rounded characters, and its utter amorality makes it seem more like a musical of the 21st century than the 20th.
In Iran, the American-backed Shah had become increasingly unpopular throughout the 1970s. The Shah fled Iran in 1979, finding temporary refuge in the United States. Religious extremist Ayatollah Khomeni easily filled Iran's political and social need for a backlash against American interventionism. Iran's 1979 Revolution had a major impact on its relationship with the United States and with the rest of the world. Whereas the Shah had guaranteed a steady
" (Blow, Kurtis) The entire movement revolved around a new way to dress, dance, talk and even walk. "The way they danced, dressed, walked, and talked was unique, as opposed to most of the disco artists and fans of the time, which were not as in touch with the urban streets of America." (Blow, Kurtis) Hip-hop represented the new generation of blacks suffering in urban poverty. The passion and truth generated
Technology in Musicals Musical theatre has existed in some form for centuries. Theatre is an art form that allows many emotions to be expressed through acting and music. While talented performers are most responsible for being characters to life and performing the music contained in the production, musical theatre also relies on other factors to guarantee the success of a musical. These factors are inclusive of ambience (i.e. The way that
Article Analysis The author presents three specific theories to explain Cockburn's success at being so versatile. First, he suggests that it is a function of the artist's "persona" but even the author acknowledges the hackneyed metaphor. Second, he suggests that Cockburn's lyrics lend themselves better to a dual appreciation. Third, he suggests that Cockburn's choice of contemporary rather than classical (i.e. biblical) themes and imagery are responsible. Those two explanations seem
During the decade between 1960-1970, Hays' work was all over representations of popular American culture. He had also produced amazing illustrations of great Rock, Jazz, and Blues singers, which had a dark twist according to his stylistic expression (see Image B). Hays began teaching in the late 1950s at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Towards the end of the 1970s he relocated to California where
Classical Symphony Music, like other forms of art, evolved from numerous traditions that, when taken together, formed a new way of thinking about, and performing, certain types of works. Audiences change over time, and certain musical compositions that sound odd or strange to one audience are often accepted by others (e.g. The rioting during the premier of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring). When people think of classical music, for instance, they tend