THEATRE THEA TRE UNDER THE STARS STARS • 2010/11 STUD ST UDY Y GUIDE
CURTAINS CURT AINS • MARCH MARC H 29–APRIL 10, 2011 THE HOBBY CENTER
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THEATRE UNDER THE STARS • 2010/11 STUDY GUIDE
TUTS
STAGE GUIDE
TUTS creates online study guides to further enhance students’ theatrical experiences. The study guides contain various discussion questions, projects and activities that encourage students to
engage in literary analysis, historical research and personal reection with parents and/or teachers that will hopefully foster a love and appreciation of musical theatre.
What Broadway musical combines music, comedy and murder in one killer package? It’s Curtains, the hit musical from the creators of Cabaret and Chicago. This backstage mystery is set in 1959 and follows the fallout when the untalented star of Robbin’ Hood is murdered during her opening night curtain call. Can Ciof, the theatre-loving police detective, solve the case, save the
show and get the girl without getting offed himself?
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Curtains is suitable for most audiences. It contains situations of comedic murder.
This study guide includes the following TEKS guidelines: 110.18 (3, 6, 13, 17, 23, 24);
110.19 (3, 6, 13, 17, 23, 24); 110.20 (3, 6); 110.31 (2, 4, 12, 15, 21, 22, 26); 110.32 (2, 4, 12, 15, 21, 22, 26); 110.32 (2, 4, 12, 15, 21, 22, 26); 110.33 (2, 4, 12); 110.51 (2); 113.22 (18); 117.34 (4); 117.37 (4); 117.37 (7.4); 117.64 (2, 5); 117.65 (1, 4)
COMING UP IN THE 2010/11 SEASON ROCK OF AGES MAY 31 – JUNE 12, 2011
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THEATRE UNDER THE STARS • 2010/11 STUDY GUIDE
A B O U T T U T S Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston’s acclaimed non-prot musical theatre company. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS’ Education provides barrier-free instruction and stage experience, through the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre and The River program for children with special needs. TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston’s high school theatre programs. TUTS is now housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Glance towards the sky before you enjoy a performance at the Hobby Center; the ber-optic ceiling keeps TUTS “under the stars” all year long. TUTS is pleased to present the 2010/11 Sensational Season! The Hobby Center. Photo by Leah Polkowske Photography.
TABLE OF CONTENTS SETTING THE STAGE: Curtains’ story FROM SCREE N TO STAGE
STANDING OVATION: Learning activities
..... .... 4 5 .........
CHARACTERS
6 .........
DETAILED SYNOPSIS
LANGUAGE ARTS: THEATRE REVIEWS
......... 8
HISTORY: THEATRE S UPERSTITIONS
......... 9
ART: T HE DE TECTIV E STO RY
OPENING NIGHT: “We’re show people!”
......... 10 BEHIND THE SCENES: About Musical Theatre 11 ......... A BR IEF HISTO RY 12 .........
PUTTING ON A MUSICAL
13 ......... SURVEY
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S E T T I N G T H E S T A G E : Curtains’ story From Screen to Stage “That hop in our hearts when the overture starts helps us know how lucky we are.” - Show People
The concept for Curtains was the brainchild of the Oscar, Emmy
and Tony award winning writer Peter Stone. Stone penned hits like 1776 and Titanic for the stage and Charade for the screen. He began writing the book of Curtains, but died in 2003 before completion. After famous Broadway songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb were brought on to write the music and lyrics, Rupert Holmes eshed out the story. After Ebb’s death in 2004, Holmes also worked with Kander on the score. Kander and Ebb play a big role on the Broadway scene. They
wrote one of the most quintessentially New York songs: “New York, New York.” Their rst musical to be produced on Broadway was Flora the Red Menace , which was Liza Minelli’s Broadway debut. The team would go on to write Cabaret (Broadway show in 1966, m adaptation in 1972 and revivals in 1987 and 1998) and Chicago (Broadway show in 1975, still running revival in 1996 and lm version in 2002). They often worked with Bob Fosse as director/choreographer and such stars as Liza Minelli, Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and many others. Kander and Ebb. Photo courtesy of broadwayworld.com.
Curtains opened on Broadway in March
2007 at the Al Hirsc hfeild theatre. The cast included TV and Spamalot! star David
Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, Karen Ziemba, Edward Hibbert and Jason Danieley. The show garnered eight Tony award nominations with David Hyde Pierce winning for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Curtains closed on Broadway in June 2008. Enjoy the fastpaced musical murder mystery, but as the cast warns, “don’t reveal who killed who, or it just might be curtains for you!” Original Broadway Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus.
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O P E N I N G N I G H T : “We’re show people!” Characters “We’re a speci al kind of people known as show people, we live in a world of our own.” - Show People
AARON FOX
CARMEN BERNSTIEN
Songwriter for Robbin’ Hood with ex-wife, Georgia.
Producer of the show with her selfserving husband,
GEORGIA HENDRICKS
Sidney Bernstien.
Songwriter for Robbin’ Hood with ex-husband, Aaron. Also a talented performer.
OSCAR SHAPIRO
FRANK CIOFFI
NIKI HARRIS
Theatre-loving
Talented understudy for the leading
Lieutenant. Falls in love with Niki.
The money-loving general manager.
lady, Jessica Crenshaw. Falls in love with Ciof.
Original Broadway Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus.
CHRISTOPHER BELLING
BAMBI BERNET
BOBBY PEPPER
JOHNNY HARMON DARYL GRADY
British director of Robbin’ Hood.
Ambitious chorus member and
Choreographer and lead dancer.
The gruff but lovable Stage Manager.
daughter of
Carmen.
A theatre critic from The Boston Globe
who has the power to make or break a show.
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O P E N I N G N I G H T : “We’re show people!” Detailed Synopsis “Let the cur tains part, let the spot light glow…” - A Tough Act to Follow ACT I
It’s 1959 and the opening night of Boston’s Colonial Theatre’s Robbin’ Hood , “a new musical of the Old West.” The curtain rises on the show’s merciful nale (“Wide Open Spaces”). Jessica Crenshaw, a former star who has lost all talent, takes her bow and after gathering her bouquets, collapses on stage.
A few hours later, the show’s composer Aaron Fox, lyricist Georgia Hendricks, nancial backer Oscar Shapiro and co-producer Carmen Bernstein search the newspapers for a single positive review from the critics (“What Kind of Man”).
They are joined by director Christopher Belling, who announces that since Georgia helped create the show, she will take over until Jessica returns. After the split with her husband, it’s no secret to the company that Georgia has recently rekindled a past romance with leading man Bobby Pepper (“Thinking of Him”). Soon Carmen announces Georgia will have the role permanently, because Jessica is dead (“The Woman’s Dead”). An impromptu
funeral ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of Homicide Lieutenant, Frank Ciof, a musical theatre lover who thinks the show and all the performers are magnicent. He and Carmen remind the cast that despite Jessica’s murder, the show must go on (“Show People”).
Ciof explains that Jessica swallowed poison pellets during the last minutes of the show, and therefore was murdered by a member of the company. Ciof feels the surest way to solve the crime will be to keep the entire cast of suspicious characters sequestered in the theatre.
Ciof is left alone with local neophyte actress Niki Harris, who is now Georgia’s understudy. Ciof is clearly smitten with Niki and learns they are both married to their respective careers (“Coffee Shop Nights”). The next day, Boston Globe drama critic Daryl Grady pays the cast a visit and
agrees to re-review the show when it reopens with Georgia as the lead. Chris Belling prepares to restage a troublesome number and Ciof suggests Aaron write a different number for the show (“In the Same Boat #1”) Aaron agrees, but is saddened when he realizes he misses Georgia, both as his writing partner and his wife (“I Miss the Music”). As Georgia is in her rst rehearsal, murder rises to the occasion (“Thataway!”). ACT II
The cast laments the murder of yet another company member (“The Man is Dead”). Original Broadway Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus.
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A makeshift dormitory has been set up on the stage of the still-sequestered Colonial
Ciof and Niki spend some time alone and indulge Ciof’s theatre fantasies (“A Tough
Theatre. In the middle of the night, the Act to Follow”). members of the company accuse one another Soon, another performer is killed. Ciof’s of commiting the murders (“He Did It”). investigation takes him high above the Ciof sends Aaron’s next re-write back to stage and, hearing the chorus below as the drawing board (“In the Same Boat they rehearse “In the Same Boat,” he hits #2”). Carmen approves Bambi’s pleas upon a solution to some of the production’s for a spotlight pas-de-deaux dance with problems (“In the Same Boat Completed”). Bobby but reminds her daughter that she After successfully saving the show, Ciof needs to work hard and be a star on her manages to piece together the clues he’s own (“It’s a Business”). Bambi shines gathered, correctly unmask the killer, save in the rehearsal of the restaged square the life of the murderer’s next intended dance number (“Kansasland”). But even victim, render the end harmless and nd a as Bambi gets her big shot, another star new nale for the show. In doing so, Carmen gets his, from a gun offstage. When Niki Bernstein gives Ciof the highest praise he nds the gun, Ciof takes center stage as could ever hope to receive: he is truly a he traces the bullet’s torturous path (“She theatre person (“Show People (reprise)”). Did It (Reprise)”). After talking with Ciof, The curtain comes down on the show (“Wide Aaron and Georgia discover ample reason Open Spaces Finale”), but for Lieutenant to renew their vows (“Thinking of Him/I Frank Ciof, the curtain is just about to rise Miss the Music (Reprise)”).
With the spotlight suddenly on romance,
Original Broadway Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus.
on the greatest joy of his life (“A Tough Act to Follow (reprise)”).
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S T A N D I N G OVA T I O N : Learning Activities Language Ar ts: Theatre Reviews “Critics ! Who’d make a living out of killing ot her peo ple’s dreams?” - What Kind of Man?
In Curtains, the show Robbin’ Hood is in its out-of-town preview period in Boston when it gets slammed by awful reviews from critics. The out-of-town previews are a way to test the audience’s reaction and make changes before a show opens on Broadway. But with a bad review, it might be curtains for the show! OUT-OF-TOWN TRYOUTS Up until the 1960s, almost all musicals were taken on tours before opening on Broadway. Now, most shows think it’s unnecessarily expensive. Tryouts often involved exhausting re-writes and revisions. After the authors sit up all night re-writing scenes and songs, the cast rehearses the changes and performs them immediately. The pre-Broadway production of No, No Nanette in 1924 toured for nearly two years, changing most of the score and libretto before it nally came to New York.
PARTS OF A REVIEW All reviews have elements in common. Here’s an example of a theatre review: THE FACTS: Includes the cast, creative team, where and when it takes place THE SYNOPSIS: The plot of the show and any musical numbers THE EXPERIENCE: Everything from the audience members to the atmosphere in the
theatre and any technical difculties on stage AN OPINION: The reviewers opinion about the show, the music, the performers and
whether or not he/she would recommend it
Cu r t a ins
P l a y b i l l . P h ot o cou r t e s y of n y m a g . co
m
LEARNING ACTIVITIES Read + Compare
Watch + Review
Use the resources below to READ different kinds of reviews and COMPARE them. On some websites everyone can comment and others shows/restaurants/movies are reviewed strictly by critics.
After you WATCH Curtains, WRITE your own review! Use the information above. Use your Playbill to get the names of cast members and members of the creative team. Check the front page of this study guide for the name of the theatre and how long Curtains will be in Houston. When writing about your opinion, make sure you differentiate between what you liked about the show (the music, dialogue, etc.) and what you liked about the production (the actors, the costumes, etc.) Then READ your review out loud to the class.
THEATRE REVIEWS
www.nytimes.com/pages/theater/ reviews/ MOVIE REVIEWS
www.rottentomatoes.com/ rogerebert.suntimes.com/ RESTAURANT REVIEWS
www.zagat.com/ www.yelp.com/
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S T A N D I N G OVA T I O N : Learning Activities Histor y: Theatre Superstitions “Because as old as time itself, there is a grand theatrical tradition that the show must go on.”
Curtains is said to be a love letter to the theatre. Ciof thinks very highly of musical
- Show People
theatre and longs to be a show person. Below are a few of the many traditions and superstitions involved in the theatre.
“BREAK A LEG!” As Mel Brooks’ characters in The Producers warn, “It’s bad luck to say ‘good luck’ on opening night.” Stage performers often say “break a leg!” before the show begins each night. The tradition might have come about a long time ago when audience members would “tip” performers by throwing coins on stage. By wishing someone to “break a leg,” you are hoping their performance was so great that they break their leg by bending down so often.
“THE SCOTTISH PLAY” Speaking the name of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth inside a theatre is said to be bad luck. Instead, performers will refer to it as “the Scottish play” because of its setting. Tradition says that the curse was brought upon the name because Shakespeare used actual witches’ incantations when he wrote the lines for the Three Witches in the script.
THE GHOST OF THESPIS Many theatres claim to be haunted by players who once performed there. The most historically famous of these ghosts is Thespis, a Greek who is said to have spoken the rst line as an individual actor on stage in a play. Any inexplicable mischief caused in the theatre is attributed to him. The term for theatrical performer, “thespian,” comes from his name.
The Original Broadway Cast of Curtains during bows. Photo courtesy of broadwayworld.com.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES Research + Compare
Investigate + Write
Theatre began in Ancient Greece. The term “theatre,” literally, “seeing place,” comes from the Greek word theatron. The Greeks developed the
Because Curtains is a show about putting on a
idea of theatre as a profession, the architecture
for the theatre and denitions of comedy and tragedy. The comedy and tragedy masks they used on stage are still used as a symbol for theatre.
In small groups, RESEARCH Ancient Greek theatre, Medieval English theatre, Renaissance Italian theatre, Japanese Kabuki and shadow puppetry. Then COMPARE and CONTRAST with theatre as you know it today.
show, in some of the songs and dialogue there are references to other Broadway shows. A few are listed below: THE ICEMAN COMETH SOUTH PACIFIC OKLAHOMA! GYPSY WAITING FOR GODOT INVESTIGATE one of the musicals/plays above. WRITE a report on the performance’s
signicance in American theatre history that details the production history, the innovative
VOCABULARY Tragedy: a piece
that depicts human suffering and often
has an unhappy but meaningful ending. Comedy: a humorous piece. Superstition: a fear or
belief that an object or action inuences events. Thespian: a theatrical
performer (male or female), comes from “Thespis.”
elements in the performance and the performance’s inuence on future musicals/plays.
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S T A N D I N G OVA T I O N : Learning Activities Ar t: T he Detective Stor y “Detectives make our entrance after the curtain has f allen on someone else’s life.” - Coffee Shop Nights
The detective novel is one of the most loved and most recognizable literary forms in Western culture. Detective stories usually have a similar suspenseful feel and follow certain plotlines and narrative structures. Find out how Curtains follows this tradition. EDGAR ALLEN POE & SHERLOCK HOLMES
Edgar Allen Poe’s 1841 Murders in the Rue Morgue is considered the rst to feature the detective gure: cunning and eccentric, he uses a combination of logic, smarts and observation to nd out the truth. In 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle created the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, who is famous for solving cases (along with the bumbling Dr. Watson) with deductive reasoning. THE GOLDEN AGE AND FILM NOIR
The 1930s were the Golden Age for detective stories. Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot detective novels were among the rst “whodunit” novels that weaved a complicated tale of murdermystery for the reader to unravel. U.S. authors like Dashiell Hammett paved the way for a genre of lm based on the detective story: Film Noir. Films like Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart, focused more on the psychology of the characters than the mystery itself. Agatha Christie’s novel Death on the Nile (1937) was made into a movie in 1978 starring Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury and Peter Ustinov.
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Photo courtesy of basilrathbone.net.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES Compare + Discuss
Watch + Write
COMPARE the plot structure of murder mysteries and detective stories to traditional plot structure
Film Noir featured fresh narrative devices like character ashback, dream sequences and rst-person voice-overs. WATCH selections of the Film Noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. Take note of the narrative devices and aspects of the detective story in the lm. How is Philip Marlowe (the detective played by Humphrey Bogart) similar to Frank Ciof in Curtains ?
VOCABULARY
WRITE your own Film Noir scene, exploring the
novels.
(seen below). Murder mysteries purposely try and trick the audience and usually have a twist at the end. DISCUSS how Curtains followed the plot structure of a murder mystery. Who were you led to believe was the murderer?
C B A A B C D E
D E
Exposition: setting up the story Rising Action: character/plot development Climax: the central conict occurs Falling Action: “cleaning up” the problem Resolution: the ending or closure
Deductive reasoning: a thought process that
says if the following premises are true, the conclusion is true. Film Noir: a genre of
lm based on detective
plot and narrative dynamics you read about and saw. Create a few characters and write their background. THE BIG SLEEP (UNRATED)
Howard Hawkes (1946)
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B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S : About Musical Theatre A Br ief Histor y Live theatre is a unique experience that engages the audience much more than movies or TV. Musical theatre is the only genre of performance that fully utilizes acting, singing and dancing together to further the development of the plot.
ORIGINS & FOLLIES Musical theatre’s roots can be traced back to ancient times, where the Greeks used music and dance in their tragedies and comedies. Next, fast forward to the 1700s where comedic operas were popular in Europe. In 1866, the rst “musical” by modern denition, The Black Crook, opened in New York City. In the 1920s, Florenz Ziegfeld’s famous Follies showcased star actors and actresses with extravagant sets and costumes but was mainly a musical revue of popular songs.
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, and Irving Berlin. Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org.
EARLY YEARS & THE GOLDEN AGE In 1927, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Show Boat premiered, which featured complete integration of book, music and score to tell a story. During “The Golden Age of Broadway,” famous composers and lyricists churned out hits, like George & Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1935), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943), Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun (1947), Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story (1957), and Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (1948).
a g e t e r. Im g. r o a t p o s S h o w B f w ik i p e d i a . o y o c o u r t e s
West Side Story. Photos courtesy of Theatre Under the Stars.
CONTEMPORARY & MEGA-MUSICALS The end of the 1960s saw changes in Broadway, like HAIR, one of the rst rock musicals. Unusual concept musicals such as Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban’s A C horus Line and Sondheim’s cynical Company led to big-budget musical operettas like ClaudeMichel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s international hit Les Miserables and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Well known movie and literature favorites like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (which premiered at TUTS in 1994) and Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked have been adapted into family-friendly, special effect spectaculars. At the same time, in reaction to the rising ticket cost and ashy spectacle of Broadway, shows like Jonathan Larson’s RENT aim for a less polished, more personal th eatre experience. TUTS was a part of the production enhancement team that moved RENT from off-Broadway to Broadway, and continues to benet from that association, presenting the original Broadway and lm leads in a special engagement in 2009.
RE NT .
P h ot o cou r t e s y of si t e f o r r e nt . com .
WHERE ARE WE TODAY? Innovative new musicals like the PG-13 “student” musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and hip-hop musical In the Heights have been attracting and pleasing younger audiences. These often start off-Broadway and become so popular they switch venues. There are also an increased number of revivals, often driven with Hollywood star power like A Little N ight Musi c with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. But between movie and book adaptations, revivals of past favorites and contemporary boundarybreakers, there’s no doubt the Broadway musical is here to stay.
Beauty and the Beast. Photo courtesy of Theatre Under the Stars.
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B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S : About Musical Theatre Putting on a Musical Whether you’re a stage manager, actress, director, costume designer or composer, when it comes to putting on a musical, all roles are important. Here’s a roadmap for getting a musical to Broadway.
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GATHERING THE CREATIVE TEAM
FINDING THE PERFECT MUSICAL Producers must nd a show that their audience will enjoy and will want to purchase tickets to. They also need to plan the budget for the production. Producers rent a theatre and pay royalties to the composer, lyricist and writer of the musical’s book for the rights to perform the show. One resource for discovering new musicals and connecting with the world of musical theatre is the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), which was founded by TUTS’ Frank Young in 1985. Please visit NAMT.org for more information. •
The creative team includes the director, set designer, costume designer, choreographer and music director/conductor. Together with the producers, they discuss their v ision for the show and how they will bring it to life on the stage. •
PERFORMING FOR AN AUDIENCE If the show looks good after previews, it will open. Most Broadway shows perform several times a week at night and usually have a few matinee s as well. Some shows have a specic closing date; other shows will continue performing as long as people are buying tickets.
CASTING AND REHEARSAL The director and choreographer will hold auditions for the parts in the show. For most Broadway shows and tours, actors must be a part of the Actors Equity association and have an appointment, but sometimes an open call will be held. After the cast has been chosen, rehearsals begin. Actors must memorize their lines, songs and choreography before dress rehearsals and the show’s opening. For information about auditioning for shows at TUTS, please visit TUTS.com or clic k here. •
VOCABULARY Audition: a tryout for
performers. Open call: a casting open to anyone
without appointment Dress rehearsals : rehearsing in full
costume and full tech
THEATRE ETIQUETTE Save snacks for intermission.
as though there is an audience.
Arrive about 30 minutes before the show starts.
Turn your cell phones and electronics off
Applaud at the end
completely. No texting!
Otherwise, shhhhh!
of songs and scenes.
Previews:
performances before the show opens for a limited audience to test public opinion. Matinee: an afternoon or early
evening show.
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THEATRE UNDER THE STARS • 2010/11 STUDY GUIDE
TUTS
STAGE GUIDE thank you!
As a parent/educator, you are the only person qualied to determine what is appropriate for your child(ren)/student(s), but we hope the information and rating system in this guide were helpful. This was designed and written by Margo Sivin and overseen by David Greiss, Mandi Hunsicker-Sallee and Jacqueline Martin. Please feel free to copy and distribute. Printed in the United States of America. First Digital Edition: July 2010.
share your thoughts. Please visit www.tuts.com/studyguides/curtains/survey for our online survey. You may also email any additional questions, concerns or comments to
[email protected].
connect with TUTS! Theatre Under the Stars • 713.558.2600 800 Bagby Suite 200, Houston, TX. 77002 www.tuts.com • twitter.com/tutshouston www.facebook.com/TheatreUnderTheStars
13 Photo by T. Charles Erickson (2008).
