Theatre singers and how to handle them
They’re a queer breed, make no mistake, but one that I am extremely fond of, not to mention hugely respectful.
If you come to music theatre from a classical training — and let’s face it, if you’re up to MDing West Side Story then you must do — the approach of theatre singers can be quite a departure from what you might consider the norm.
For a start it’s very easy to get frustrated at the lack of formal music training that most of them have had; harder still when a few have had training, and you have to tailor your directions to not baffle one camp and not patronise the other.
Many do not read music, and although they may follow it in their scores, this is primarily for the words and the notated music is hieroglyphics to a lot of them.
This results in much of the music being learnt by ear. This is fine, and a great way to learn (it explains why they can commit so much to memory — one skill they certainly have the edge on compared with classical musos — and pick up new music so quickly) but the challenge for the MD is that they are not learning it from you (you probably only have a few contact hours with them a week) but from their recording. Worse still, they are learning it from years of CD listening to their favourite soundtrack — in WSS’s case probably one of the many ‘deviant’ recordings — resulting in ingrained habits that are hard to break.
This can be partially alleviated by providing them with a more ‘faithful’ recording, one that most closely matches your own interpretation (in my case the Leicester Haymarket and the Bernstein’s own Deutsche Grammophon) — and insisting their other one(s) go into hibernation for the duration of the show. That’s only half the challenge though – you’ve got to persuade people to take a copy (or — in case the lawyers are reading — in my case I asked them to buy it) and, apparently, this is quite some effort :-/
Rehearsal discipline is poorer in this bunch than their classical counterparts. This is partly due to the point above about music reading; if you work with the music then they quickly become distracted and frustrated trying to follow something on the page they don’t understand. But also, the temperament of your typical am-dram type — the ‘look at me, look at me’, attention seeking behaviour — means that as musical director, you come up against a lot more noise and general barracking than is conducive. They are certainly attention-seeking, and not attention-giving. The effect of being talked over when talking to — in any endeavour — is pretty irksome and can result in even the most laid back dude losing their rag. But only teachers can really get away with this. If you’re a musical director, you’ll soon earn yourself a reputation as a prima donna or a sour-puss.
I find that extended warm-ups help with this; a combination of giving them a chance to shine (how about some gospel numbers where they can sing their hearts out and show off how high and loud their voices are?) and getting them to quieten down and focus. Also, my experience is that music theatre singers are curious learners; they don’t often have the benefit of bona fide musical mentoring so giving them something tangible that may help their technique will really get and hold their attention (some at least).
My overall advice is to embrace the approach and embrace the people. If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em, and all that.
If all of this fails, and you still find yourself overcome with frustration and contempt in the face of your haughty musical expectations, go sit in on a choreography rehearsal, or some drama, and see just what else it is they are capable of. It’s quite humbling to observe.
Categories: West Side Story
