Going to some shows

Michael's Lion King experience

Throughout high school, I was given the opportunity to work as the set designer and manager for the theatre program. During my 3 years on the design team, I was able to work on several musicals and developed an interest in professional set design for musicals on Broadway and the West End. 

I was fortunate enough to get tickets to see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre my first weekend in London. I have seen prominent musicals at venues like the Durham Performing Arts Center and other local theatres, but never at major Broadway or West End venues. Though the show is a childhood favorite of mine and it was a great deal of fun getting to relive the memories that accompanied it, what really fascinated me throughout the show was the creative use of mechanics and simple machines to recreate the illusion of live animals on stage. Actors donned stilts to perform as giraffes, elaborate multi-man costumes to imitate elephants, and mechanized suits to replicate the motion of cheetahs across the stage. The brilliant use of these simple machines appealed to my inner engineer, while the magnificent illusions that they created made me wish I had thought of something so ingenious in my time as a set designer. It was a real treat to see the story immersion that a professional level theatre can provide the audience. 

By design, the engineering involved appeared simple from my seat in the stalls, though I know from experience the immense amount time and thought put into each one of the intricate costumes and set pieces. I hope that I was not the only person in the theatre that night that was able to appreciate the work the set designers and engineers put forth, even though it was often the stunning vocals and witty lines from Rafiki that stole the show.



Jose’s experience at Les Mis

On the afternoon of July 3, our class went to a scheduled Les Misérables musical show. The story is well known and I had previously read the novel. I had a wonderful experience, being my first time going to a big production theatre. 

At first It was difficult to understand the singing dialogue because of the long stretched singing, but I was surprised I understood most of it by the beginning of the second act. Part of it because each character portrayed their own unique style of singing and specific emotion. I began to recognize the tone and feel of each of the character’s voices, particularly Javert’s and Valjean’s. 

I was very impressed by the acoustics of the building; the talented voices and magical music resonated across the stage creating that unique atmosphere you don’t get in a flat screen. You could feel the harmony between the character’s voice and the music played by the orchestra. I enjoyed that feel. That harmonious sound traveled in every direction as a powerful one, yet if you really focused your hearing you could untangle their intricate complexity to their individual characteristics. 

One of the two scenes that I really enjoyed was the first fight scene between Valjean and Javert. What captivated me was the quick changes from rapid body movements to slow, balanced ones. It elevated the tension between the characters making it a high suspense scene. You were drenched with expectation, and anticipation. I think it was a masterful scene because throughout the conflict there was minimal contact between the characters with no big strikes until the very end when Valjean succeeds in his escape. 

I think that’s where the art is hidden, the writer thinks not only about what kind of emotion he or she wants to evoke on the audience but to do it in such a subtle way that leaves almost all the process to each individual spectator creating a distinct experience for each single person watching the show. That level of thinking speaks to my “engineering” mind. I want to be able to innovate something at that level of detail, that not only serves its purpose but it does it in a captivating, unique way. I have booked tickets for Wicked, so we’ll see how that one goes.