A play about 18th century music and a musical about 20th century NYC

Amadeus

Peter Shaffer, English playwright, died in June. I have read his play Equus and have seen the film version of Amadeus, but both of those things occurred quite a while ago. This past week, I was in a class where we were discussing the dramatic setup of Equus and Shaffer's signature style, so I decided to read and re-read some of his plays, beginning with the play that dramatizes the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. Apparently, Shaffer wrote and rewrote the climactic scene of the play at least six times over a span of 30 years, changing it for each subsequent performance and published edition; his introduction to this edition talks through all of these changes and their motivation. The play itself was good, and his flow of scenes in the stage directions anticipates the coming of digital projection -- reading his idea made me think of the various backgrounds that inhabit the world of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Amadeus is probably not a play I can stage at CA because the main characters are male, the music of Mozart is required live to have a full impact I think, and the show is perhaps too language- and thinking-heavy. I will re-watch the film, perhaps this week, so I can compare that version to the one I read today. 

In The Heights

My daughter has been playing this soundtrack in the car lately, and although the music recalls Hamilton in an early draft kind of way, some of the songs stick with me through the day. Unlike Hamilton, this piece is not a full-through musical but has a substantial book. I wanted to read the full book so that I could get a better sense of the plot that is absent when simply listening to the soundtrack. It's good. Christopher Jackson, who played the original Benny, said (when I heard him speak last week in NYC) that high schools should do this show because it builds the cast into a family. However, I am not sure if we could pull this off. Lots of Spanish speaking and Latin rhythms that are hard for some of my international students and some of my domestic students -- perhaps because my music director admits that the timing is hard for her. But I would consider it depending on the cast because it would be a fun show. I am also going to be on the lookout to see a college or high school production to attend because that always helps me see if it would be something I can see us doing here.