Theatre
I am a theatre major. I love going to plays, and reading plays, and acting in plays. Musicals, too. (I also love singing.) Here, I have outlined some of my favorite shows / plays.
Endgame, by Samuel Beckett
This is a somewhat odd choice to head up the Theatre section, as I have never seen this show. However, when I was a senior in high school I wrote a research paper on it, and therefore was forced to read it about eight or nine times before I understood, if you will pardon the expression, just what the hell was going on. That Beckett was an enigmatic fellow, wasn't he?
Endgame is a post-apocalyptic tale of an old, crippled, blind man named Hamm, who sits in his wheelchair all day and waxes philosophical, all the while annoying his young caretaker, Clov. Clov is a restless lad, torn between loyalty to Hamm and his desperation to get out of the life he's in. There are a few things holding him back - fear of the outside world, and the knowledge that he truly has nowhere to go. Hamm can go from helpless to tyrannical in one sentence, and this is part of what drives Clov to want to leave.
This all seems solid enough, but remember that we are dealing with Beckett here. Nothing is very concrete, it's all in the interpretation. Popping up here and there are Nagg and Nell, characters who inhabit two ashbins near Hamm's chair. They are really only figments of Hamm's imagination.
This play is wonderfully written and I'm sure it would be an intriguing thing to see. Not only that, but it contains two of my all-time favorite quotes (I'm a huge quote person):
"Old endgame lost of old, play and lose and have done with losing."
-Hamm
AND
"I say to myself that the earth is extinguished, though I never saw it lit."
-Clov
Les Miserables
Of course I love Les Mis. I've been listening to the soundtrack since I was very young, and have seen it twice. It's romantic, exciting, and the music is just darned good.
It's the story of Jean Valjean, who has served nineteen years in prison, under the watchful eye of Inspector Javert, for stealing a loaf of bread. He reforms himself and becomes the mayor, all the time with Javert looking for him. Other characters are Cosette and Marius, Valjean's ward and the man she falls in love with; Eponine, Cosette's childhood friend who is in love with Marius; Enjolras, the leader of the student revolution that is going to rise up against the French government; the Thenardiers, who took care of Cosette as a child and want her back; Fantine, Cosette's doomed mother.
I could quote this show endlessly, sing the whole thing at you, but I shan't. Instead, I leave you with this:
"They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord / They will walkbehind the plowshare / They will put away the sword / The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward / Will you join in our crusade? / Who will be strong and stand with me? / Somewhere beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see? / Do you hear the people sing? / Say do you hear the distant drums? / It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes!"
Into The Woods
This is a musical that is almost impossible to describe, but I shall try to do so here. It's a seamless interweaving of several fairy tales: Cinderella, Jack in the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and just a bit of both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. There's also another brand-new fairy tale in there, about a childless baker and his wife, who have to appease a witch who once cursed them so that their "family tree would always be a barren one."
This is a funny, sometimes sad, always enjoyable show. Where else can you find the quote: "Father?! How can that be you? I thought you died in a baking accident!" The music is lovely and the lyrics are fun ("When the end's in sight you'll realize- when the end is right, it justifies the beans!"), sometimes tongue-twisting ("Rooting through my rutabegas, raiding my arugula and ripping up the rampion, my champion, my favorite!") ("But then what if he knew who you were when you know that you're not what he thinks that he wants?"), and poignant ("We disappoint, we disappear, we die but we don't."). I highly recommend this show to anyone who likes fairy tales. Even if you don't... see it anyway! In the version I have, Bernadette Peters plays the witch, and she is, needless to say, fantastic... as is everyone.
"You may know what you need but to get what you want better see that you keep what you have."
-The Baker's Wife
Other Notable Shows
Guys and Dolls: Though I'm a bit tired of this show, it's pretty good; besideswhich, after I saw this show in 8th grade I decided I wanted to be an actress.
Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett: Another one I haven't seen, but have read, and it's fabulous. Quote: "Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today?" (I think Vladimir said it.)
Phantom of the Opera: I've seen this once, for my birthday a couple of years ago. It's a lovely show. Raoul's kind of a wuss, but the Phantom is darned cool.
Godspell: When done right, this is an amazing, amazing production. My old high school did it last year in conjunction with a couple of other schools, and the energy level was through the roof. It was an astounding experience.
Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?: A hysterical, touching look at life in pre-Vatican II Catholic school. I was in the chorus of this show, and I love it dearly.
Baseball: Notable because it was the first show I was ever in. I had three roles: a hypochondriac, a motivational coach, and (my favorite) a Polish grandmother.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: A high-energy, fun show about Joseph in the book of Genesis. Can you name all the colors of the coat? How about the twelve brothers? I can.