Musical Theatre
Pyramus & Thisbe: The Musical!
Pyramus and Thisbe seems like an unlikely tale for Shakespeare to include in his comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream which tells a fairy tale full of love potions, rivalries between the king and queens of the fairies, and innocent humans being caught up in the mix (one man even has his head transfigured into that of a donkey!) And at the end of all of these misadventures, after the youths find their correct lovers and are married, a play is made for them telling the devastating tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. These lovers do not share the happy ending with the characters of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but instead both kill themselves in a great misunderstanding.
You may notice the similarities between the tragic tale of Pyramus and Thisbe and another of Shakespeare’s famous works, Romeo and Juliet. The dates are fuzzy, but it would appear that these two plays were either written at the same time or that Romeo and Juliet was written shortly after. I see this humorous rendition of the tragic story as Shakespeare “trying out” the tale. The contrast between these two tellings is great. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the tragedy is turned on its head and becomes a continuation of the hilarious farce in that the actors confuse their lines, play over the top, and their on-stage audience continues to interrupt them.
This scene is one of my favorite parts of Shakespeare’s writing, and when the opportunity to write a short musical (or operettissimo as I like to call it) I knew it would be perfect! The scene divides into two groups of people: the main characters from the play at large and this group of actors putting on the scene. I chose to keep the narrator and the main characters in speaking roles and developed the actor’s monologues into their songs/arias. The script already had many interactions between the “audience” and actors, and I leaned into these funny moments by having the audience occasionally interrupt not only the actors but their music as well. Because the words turned into lyrics are written in Shakespeare’s signature iambic pentameter, setting them to music was simple, provided each line either begins on the upbeat or offbeat so that it fit metrically. I used this restraint to challenge myself to set each song in a unique manner. For a musical or operetta this is a considerably short work (only 11 songs 9 of which are sung), but I have strived to keep a consistent musical language in which themes are quoted throughout. (Pay attention to the Wall’s Song, Pyramus’ Lament, and the love duet: Thou Art My Love.)
Jazz and broadway may not be synchronous with Shakespeare in your mind, and they aren’t necessarily in mine. However, I chose this musical medium to retell this story firstly to pay homage to some of my favorite genres and composers and also to learn more about these genres. I hope that this somewhat contemporary setting (compared to the 1590s even jazz is relatively new) the beautiful, witty, insightful, but often foreign words of Shakespeare may take on new clarity and resonance in your mind.
Time to Go
I wrote this song when I was finishing my undergraduate work. I had been with treasured friends for a long time and I was excited to see them grow and do incredible things. I realized how I would have hindered them had I stayed, though it was what I really wanted to do. The loss explored in this song is that of the comfortable, good parts of life. We must say goodbye to them for the sake of new people entering these places, and so that we may grow in a new place.
Passing
This song is from Loss: A Song Cycle for Multiple Voices.
In Fall of 2019 my Grandma passed away. I wrote this poem to share at her funeral. Passing is an odd word that we use in many ways. This text explores the memories I have of her through these various uses of the word passing. We pass on traditions, and the first verse of this song lists several things that my family has passed on to me. We pass time, and the second verse recalls enjoyable things I would do at my Grandma’s house. We pass food, and the third verse is about the fun family meals I had around my Grandma’s table. We pass through, and verse four speaks of the last few years when I wasn’t able to be home much and would only be able to visit for a little bit of time. When someone dies we use the phrase pass away or pass on, and the last verse depicts my Grandma’s final days and the things my family did together around her bedside.
Friend’s Grief
When my close friend’s Grandma died, I mourned for her. The night she told me I penned these words and thought of the rain outside. I externalized my grieving to all that the rain was touching, but ultimately realized it was really me that was crying and not the world. Many times the loss we experience is not our own, but for those whom we love. There is a rapid motive repeated throughout this song that finally ceases at the end. This is the pounding rain that can’t go away until the singer comes to grips with his own grief.