4,988 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on May 28, 2019 12:35:33 GMT
Im in the not camp. I love the blend of song, daiglogue or underscore, when done well aka Passion its heaven. Plus most recitative seems to be very poor composition - Aspects I'm pointing my finger at you!
Although I do admire ALW and Rice for the oratorio like structure of Joseph and Superstar which both work really well for me.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2019 12:46:47 GMT
I prefer them not. I grew up watching loads of movie musicals and all the stage musicals I saw for my first few years of theatregoing had distinct musical numbers, and I found it a bit off-putting when I saw my first sung-through musical. I'm accustomed to it now but there are still times when I feel that a scene has suffered for being forced into song.
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1,582 posts
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Post by anita on May 28, 2019 12:51:21 GMT
Love them both.
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Post by alece10 on May 28, 2019 13:44:28 GMT
Like both but if had to choose I'd go for sung through.
I always want the dialogue to hurry up so we can get to the next song.
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Post by ampersand on May 28, 2019 15:24:31 GMT
I love both but in most cases would prefer not
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Post by Dawnstar on May 28, 2019 17:30:22 GMT
I enjoy examples of both. In fact, I often don't really notice the difference, for instance when I saw Amour I didn't particularly think of it being sung through, that was just how the piece was. I would love it it Showstopper had a go at doing a fully sung through improvised musical rather than their usual songs & dialogue style.
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2,702 posts
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Post by viserys on May 28, 2019 17:44:32 GMT
I agree with the monkey, it depends on the show. When sung-through shows are done well - such as JCS or Evita or also Les Mis - they can be fantastic.
But more often than not half the music is just some strange sing-song that would have been better as a spoken dialogue and in these shows it's hard to find a handful of really good numbers that stand out from the sea of mediocrity.
Whereas in the classic stage musical with many spoken dialogues, each song seems to be a well-rounded, well-crafted gem.
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8,159 posts
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Post by alece10 on May 28, 2019 18:44:40 GMT
I know it's a bit marmite but one of the best sung through musicals was London Road.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2019 19:12:49 GMT
I agree with the monkey, it depends on the show. When sung-through shows are done well - such as JCS or Evita or also Les Mis - they can be fantastic. But more often than not half the music is just some strange sing-song that would have been better as a spoken dialogue and in these shows it's hard to find a handful of really good numbers that stand out from the sea of mediocrity. Whereas in the classic stage musical with many spoken dialogues, each song seems to be a well-rounded, well-crafted gem. Also agree it really does depend on the show. There also the inverse where songs are hapazardly wedged into chunks of dialogue for whatever reason, be it a reason to get the song in or just to break up the dialogue. |
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2019 23:31:57 GMT
I love a sung through show. When listened all the way through, Aspects tells a story using gorgeous themes and recurring motifs and like Les Mis, i love it when you hear a theme used for a something different, to tell a different mood by changing the tempo.
I love me some recititative. They are often some of the best bits.
Here's something new. I think I'll give it a try
Come closer you! I like to see what I buy
The usual price, for just a slice of your pie
It's the same with a tart as it is with a grocer
The customer sees what he gets in advance
It's not for the whore to say `yes, sir' or `no, sir'
It's not for the harlot to pick and to choose
Or lead me to a dance!
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2,022 posts
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Post by distantcousin on May 29, 2019 18:34:23 GMT
Sung through - has more artistic merit as far as I'm concerned, and is less jarring.
I don't mind it in diagetic musicals though.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 18:58:47 GMT
Will always be sung through for me; I just love them. The music in musicals is everything and I adore it when the music never stops.
Also works better for me on repeat viewings. When I have seen a non sung through before, I generally get bored during the dialogue and just want it to move on to the next song.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 19:07:55 GMT
Some people probably think that all the sung recetivative is cheesy, singing about how their day was and all that, but to me, people chatting and those few lines to lead into a song can sometimes be just as cheesy if not worse.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 19:13:57 GMT
Some people probably think that all the sung recetivative is cheesy, singing about how their day was and all that, but to me, people chatting and those few lines to lead into a song can sometimes be just as cheesy if not worse. Agree. I find the going in and out of song odd. I lament the fact that there are so few high quality sung through musicals coming through and it makes me sad that they really are not the current 'trend.' |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 19:23:47 GMT
I know I've said this before in a different thread, but that's what was jarring about the Dreamgirls film. The stage show is sung through, but in the film all the singing was done in a on stage/performance setting, until Family, when they started to sing to each other. it came out of nowhere.
Maybe they didn't think the audience could handle a sung through film. But I think that if you set it up right from the beginning, people will go with it.
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Post by ncbears on May 29, 2019 19:46:44 GMT
I know I've said this before in a different thread, but that's what was jarring about the Dreamgirls film. The stage show is sung through, but in the film all the singing was done in a on stage/performance setting, until Family, when they started to sing to each other. it came out of nowhere. Maybe they didn't think the audience could handle a sung through film. But I think that if you set it up right from the beginning, people will go with it. Actually, the first non-stage singing song was Steppin' to The Bad Side. Aren't "sung though musicals" just light opera? |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 20:43:02 GMT
I know I've said this before in a different thread, but that's what was jarring about the Dreamgirls film. The stage show is sung through, but in the film all the singing was done in a on stage/performance setting, until Family, when they started to sing to each other. it came out of nowhere. Maybe they didn't think the audience could handle a sung through film. But I think that if you set it up right from the beginning, people will go with it. Actually, the first non-stage singing song was Steppin' to The Bad Side. Aren't "sung though musicals" just light opera? Technically it is, but the singing together is for 3 seconds in darkness down a street, the rest is montage of them making money and the on stage dance sequence. It still tries to cover the singing part of it and it's nothing like Family is. |
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on May 29, 2019 21:50:09 GMT
I like a sung through musical or ones that have very little dialogue peppered throughout like Next to Normal. I often don't tend to notice if something is sung through while I watch it so I guess that's a sign of watching good sung through musicals
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