Word: musics
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...every sense of the word, a show. It has an infectious energy that seems to vibrate (literally, when the music is turned up loud enough) in the walls themselves, an energy that quickly captures every member of the audience. King Kong may not be the defining musical of this theater season, but it undoubtedly is the theatrical event of the year at Harvard...
...Anyone who tells you that they watch opera for the plot is lying. The attraction of opera is in the experience of beautiful music, elaborate costumes and massive sets. The actual content of the opera is secondary at best. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of King Kong is that it is able to take this emphasis on theatrical experience over storyline--the essence of opera--and make it relevant to audiences today. (The type that wouldn't enjoy Wagner's original score, at least...
...Because they are so focused on creating a full experience, all operas must represent some sort of aesthetic principle--the playfulness and humor of the early Mozart, the heaviness of Wagner. More than with a play or musical, all the elements of a well-done--opera music, costumes, lights, scenery--should resonate with a single effect. The aesthetic of King Kong is one of decontextualization and deconstruction, of presenting the familiar as unfamiliar...
...character, are milling about in costume and conversing with friends. Is this a play or a party? Is there a difference? It's hard even to tell exactly when the play begins. It could be when the actors get into character, when the lights go down, when the music (masterfully mixed by Reeve Hohlt '99) begins or when the action actually starts. The audience's expectations of what a show should be--something that you watch, not something in which you participate something with a definite beginning, not a slow evolution--are destabilized. And the fun is just beginning...
Originality aside, Star Wars, JAWS, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and dozens of other films simply wouldn't be the same without Williams' in the background, heightening the drama of every scene. Compare that to the occasional wisp of flute music reminiscent of "My Heart Will Go On" in Titanic, heralding the blast of the top-40 hit as the credits roll...