Theatre Thursday- Kiss Me, Kate

Publicity shot for Kiss Me, Kate

Kiss Me, Kate was the first musical in which I have performed.  I played Lois/Bianca and it was a lot of work but very fun. It was put on by the Gilbert Fine Arts Association and directed by the same man who directed The Hasty Heart. It seemed that we had several obstacles put in our path to put on this show but it was fun nonetheless.  It is a show about a theatre group that puts on a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. This is what Chris Page from the East Valley Tribune had to say about my performance:

 ...a lovely actress and Hale Centre Theatre regular who earlier confessed to me she was more nervous about her singing than doing scenes of Shakespeare — proved she’s got worthy stage pipes and a command of the stage that allows her to walk away with the show in ditties like "Always True to You (In My Fashion). 
(I can link you to the full article upon request.)

I wasn't just nervous. I was terrified.  I had been extensively trained in performing Shakespeare but had just started some vocal lessons.  Now, it was not a perfect performance. I listen and watch it now and I can see areas for improvement.  I always think I can do better and try to do better. I think I would change some of my vocal choices now but, it was what it was.

On the night that Chris Page saw the show, I was a mess before hand.  Then something clicked and I didn't care anymore. I decided to go out there and give it my all.  I wish I had a copy of that performance so that I could compare it to the one I've got.  It was electrifying.

Vocally, I don't feel that "Always True to You" was my strongest song in the show.  But, it seems to be the only one that I can pull off of the DVD at the moment, so you are stuck with it.

So here it is for your viewing pleasure?

And part two:

By the way, the guy you hear laughing at times is my good friend Jere.  Thoughts? Criticisms?  All are appreciated.

Whatever Wednesday- Harmony

I love music.  I love singing.  But let us be honest. It terrifies me.  It always has.  I have been told I have a good tone to my voice. When I had a semi-impromptu solo performance at church during Christmas-time last year, I was told by someone I respect, that I sang "Silent Night" like an angel and that it was the best they have ever heard.  While, I know that God was with me when I sang that song, I was shaking like crazy. Luckily, the podium hid my quivering legs from everyone except the Bishop and his counselors.

The last cruise I went on, I sang in one of their "talent" shows, where they have cruisers dress up as certain celebrity singers and belt out their hit songs in varying degrees of talent.  I hadn't been on stage for so long that I decided to do it just for fun.  The reaction I got was great and the dancers in the show said I did well. Maybe they were lying but I like to think they meant it.

Me as Gloria Estefan with one of my backup dancers.

I have been steadily working on overcoming my fear of singing and music in general.  So this semester I signed up for a music class.  I didn't want to leap right into theory so I went with a 200 level Intro to Music.

In my music class we are currently learning about harmony.  In some of the exercises, we have had to listen to the melody and pick out the rhythm and such.  We learned that many pop songs have just a I-V-VI-IV chord progression.  Then our teacher showed us this video:

This totally cracked me up.  So then, I was in my car listening to Lady Gaga's "You and I" and while it didn't have the same chord progression as the above video it does have the same basic underlying beat as "We Will Rock You" by Queen.

Then I remember when Gaga came out with "Born This Way" and how much I thought it was just like Madonna's "Express Yourself"  So as I was surfing YouTube I found this:

So, what I learned is that there are only so many chords available and only so many combinations that are possible.  Also, we like the familiar and the repetitive as far as the underlying chords in a song.

I'm not saying this is good or bad.  Just that it is interesting and for me, it makes music a lot less intimidating.  I don't have to reinvent the wheel or a chord as the case may be! Just need a little harmony.