ANSWER TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE QUESTIONS:
1. Listen (at least from 3:48-16:30 )to Mark Blitzstein talking about his work THE CRADLE WILL ROCK:
OR watch the excerpt from 38:20- 43:02 of episode 3 of the series “Broadway: The American Musical”:
and be sure to read Miller pp 39-42.
- What happened on opening night, and why?
- Can you think of any other musical theater shows in recent (say, the last 25) years with an equally political message?
- If not, can you find a pop (or rock/folk/etc) song – any era – with a strong political message?
- post a link if possible
2. Consider this timeline of musicals from 1933-1942:
Be sure to click on a year to see the pop-up info
- Choose ONE performer mentioned and
- Describe their body of work, with careful attention paid to the 1930s.
- What is your favorite performance of theirs and
- Why?
- Post a link if possible
3. Choose ONE section of the Stempel reading (available in this week’s module) to do a close reading.
The Gershwins (pp 250-263); or
Cole Porter (pp 263-275); or
Rodgers and Hart (pp 275-287)
- How would you describe the style of the writer(s)?
- What made him/them unique?
- Choose one song of his/theirs from the era (1930s) and
- Discuss its importance within that show (e.g. is it crucial to the show, or secondary; is it beloved, and why or why not?)
- Post a link if possible
