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    Show Boat Analysis

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    Jenny Jiou
    The musical Show Boat had its debut performance on April 23rd, 2016 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat is set on a Mississippi show boat from 1880 to 1927 and follows the lives of performers and their families. Although an unconventional venue for a musical, the performance was a success, receiving a standing ovation. Two popular songs from the musical, "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine", were highlights of the performance, showcasing the talents of the singers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Show Boat Analysis

    Uploaded by

    Jenny Jiou
    419 views3 pages
    The musical Show Boat had its debut performance on April 23rd, 2016 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat is set on a Mississippi show boat from 1880 to 1927 and follows the lives of performers and their families. Although an unconventional venue for a musical, the performance was a success, receiving a standing ovation. Two popular songs from the musical, "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine", were highlights of the performance, showcasing the talents of the singers.

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    musical analysis

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    Show boat analysis

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    The musical Show Boat had its debut performance on April 23rd, 2016 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat is set on a Mississippi show boat from 1880 to 1927 and follows the lives of performers and their families. Although an unconventional venue for a musical, the performance was a success, receiving a standing ovation. Two popular songs from the musical, "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine", were highlights of the performance, showcasing the talents of the singers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    419 views3 pages

    Show Boat Analysis

    Uploaded by

    Jenny Jiou
    The musical Show Boat had its debut performance on April 23rd, 2016 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat is set on a Mississippi show boat from 1880 to 1927 and follows the lives of performers and their families. Although an unconventional venue for a musical, the performance was a success, receiving a standing ovation. Two popular songs from the musical, "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine", were highlights of the performance, showcasing the talents of the singers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    You are on page 1of 3

    ThemusicalShowboatwaswrittenbyOscarHammersteinII,withmusicby

    JeromeKern.ItisbasedonEdnaFerbersnovelofthesamename.Itwasahugehiton
    Broadwayandisoneofthereasonsthatshowboatshaventbeencompletelyforgotten
    untiltoday.Ithasbeenadaptedseveraltimes,mostfamouslyin1936and1951.OnApril
    23rd,2016at7:30PM,theDallasOperapresentedShowBoatintheWinspearOpera
    House.Althoughthisisanunconventionalvenueforamusical,theexecutivecommittee
    felt the need to bring back an American classic musical, and it received a standing
    ovationfromtheaudience.ThishasbeenatrendmovingthroughoutAmerica,suchas
    SeattleandSanFrancisco,puttingShowBoatonanoperaticstage.Thetheatricsand
    extravagantsetshaveproveditsworthintheWinspear.
    The musical takes place from 1880 to 1927, and this lyrical masterpiece concerns
    the lives, loves and heartbreaks of three generations of show folk on the Mississippi, in
    Chicago and on Broadway (and their life-long friends). The primary plot follows
    Magnolia, the naive daughter of the showboat captain, as she marries a gambler and
    moves with him to Chicago. His gambling continues as his debts compound, and soon he
    deserts her and their young daughter. A subplot concerns the potential arrest of
    Magnolia's selfless best friend on charges of miscegenation when it's discovered that she
    is part black, and her subsequent downward spiral into despair. The passing of time

    reunites Magnolia and her now-grown daughter with her family on the showboat as well
    as with her husband, who eventually returns offering a hopeful second chance at familial
    fulfillment. Through this musical, the popular pieces that has stood the test of time will be
    analyzed, Ol Man River and Cant Help Lovin Dat Man of Mine.
    OriginallywrittenforPaulRobeson,awellknownsingerandactorofthetime,
    thoughhedidnottakeontheroleuntila1928Londonrun.Hereturnedtotheroleforthe
    1932stagerevivalandthe1936film.Thesongdepictsthetoughlivesofblackriver
    workersagainstthesilent,steadyflowoftheriver.Joe,aworkerontheCottonBlossom
    andplayedbyMorrisRobinsons,voicesoundslikeitcamefromtherecordingofPaul
    Robesonitself.Morrishasarobustbassvoice.Itcarriedallthewayupthethehighest
    balcony.Thistellsyouthesheerstrengthofhistalent.Thereisanintroductoryverse,and
    then the song's main section follows a conventional Tin Pan Alley AABA structure.
    However,thereisalongmiddlesectionaftertheverseAhgitsweary,/An'sicko'tryin,
    etc,afterwhichthesongreturnstoacompleterepeatofthemainsection.Itstoneistragic
    yet resigned. The ensemble of men come in toiling for the last chorus. The small
    orchestramadeupofstrings(plusguitar,banjo,andpiano),ahandfulofwoodwindand
    brass,andpercussionperformedattherightdynamicforMorrissvoicetobeheard.The
    pacingofthesongwasassmoothandslowlikealazyriver.Thepulseofthispiecehasa
    historythatstemsintoworkingmusicfromtheslavesgivinganauthenticfellingforJoe
    andtheothermen.
    Another popular song is Cant Help Lovin Dat Man of Mine. This piece is sung
    by multiple characters, but it is mostly associated with Miss Julie played by Alyson
    Cambridge. Julie la Verne, the star of the Cotton Blossom explains to Magnolia what love

    means to a woman. Queenie's surprise at the apparently white Julie's knowledge of a


    "black folks'" song foreshadows the discovery of Julie's mixed origins. This song is sung
    with a bluesy tempo. The structure is ABACA most commonly a rondo. Alyson is a
    mezzo-soprano and delivers this piece with a smooth traditional musical style in the A
    portion. In the B, it swtiches to a more saucy and sassy blues tune. Then it swtiches back
    to the traditional tone. The dynamics start off small for both Miss Julie and the
    accompaniment orchestra, and it builds up to the very end with everyone who is colored
    in unison. This started off with a close and private gathering that blew up to a full scale
    party full of life, and the music followed this presentation very well. The musical is truly
    a classic and hope for others to have an opportunity to watch this gem.

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