An a cappella 11 o'clock number?

[Albatt_Ross]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 10:32am

tldr; Is a solo, a cappella 11 o'clock number a stupid idea for a musical (and has it been done before)?

 

So I'm writing a musical (because what else is there to do) adapted from Peter Weir's "The Truman Show" (no I haven't got rights. It's much more a writing exercise)

I think it's got some really strong motifs that I spend a lot of time drilling into the skulls of listeners; one of them being "the music is the fakeness" i.e. whenever the music/orchestra plays or someone sings over music, it's basically saying "this is all a lie and is completely in service to the Truman show".

The "11 o'clock number" in the musical is when Truman is alone on the boat, and originally it was going to be just that; an 11 o'clock number with big crying and very emotion woo hoo applause etc.

But then I thought, what if - what if the number had no music and the entire song was sung a capella. Still a melody, still lyrically coherent. It's nearly as if you wrote the complete song, music and all, and then just removed the backing.

Would that be boring? Would it be laaammeee? Would you sit there after 2 minutes and check your watch? Or, if the emotional beats were executed well enough, would it be a bit of a new idea?

Oh yeah, if anyone knows of any examples of this in musicals, I'd love to hear them.

ty ty

[ScarletSongs]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 12:28pm

I am not sure if this has been done before - At least I can't think of an example right now but then again, there have been so many musicals (some less popular than others) so maybe there have been shows that did have a song sung completely a capella.
After all, to take the music/instruments away to indicate a pause, a break, a new thought or a change of mind is a stylistic device that has been used a lot and still is today. Because it is effective.
I think a song that is completely a capella and performed by one person alone would have to be crafted very well (very fluent, no too big pauses between the lines) to keep the audience interested. There are some examples in alternative/pop music that might help as inspiration, for example the original rendition of Suzanne Vegas' "Tom's Diner":
https://youtu.be/1Wa-ZlkR-2o

Alternatively, I would suggest to think about the possibility to have supporting background vocals which might help with keeping the song lively and steady and you would still have the effect that the protagonist is stripped off the safety net of instrumental music and more or less alone with his thoughts or the voices in his head.
In that case, you can listen to a lot of a capella groups to learn how they make a foundation that the lead singer can soar above. Also, maybe giving the a capella musical "In Transit" a listen might be interesting.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 12:48pm

Octet by Dave Malloy is a musical that's entirely a capella, but you could call the song "Beautiful" an 11 o'clock number, and that's the only song in the show that's one solo voice. It's the most arresting moment of the entire show.

I'd be interested to see how this would work. Not only is it the part where the fakeness is taken away, it's also the only part of the film where Truman is really and truly alone for the first time in his entire life.

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 1:49pm

In Hamilton, the penultimate song “The World was Wide Enough” is a cappella and free form. It drops both singing and rap for what is essentially spoken word slam poetry.

I’m wondering if, in your described structure, a song a cappella in the eleven o’clock moment would be as impactful as a soliloquy monologue. It’s all built to a song: but instead, like Hamilton, we get extended spoken word for the first time.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 1:51pm

What if he has an instrument on the boat with him, and he can do his own accompaniment? Maybe he brings a small guitar that's really special to him, and he can finally make his own "real" music, since all the music up until then will have been "fake." That way the song won't be a capella, just stripped down.

Updated On: 6/5/20 at 01:51 PM

[rpvee]

Posted: 6/5/20 at 2:53pm

It may have been slightlyyyyy earlier than “11”, but The Band’s Visit has an Arabic acapella piece rather late into the show. Granted, it’s used as sort of an intro for a fuller song, but it’s still a solid minute or so acapella. It’s called “Itgara’a”.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 6/6/20 at 9:12am

Both Once and Ghost Quartet have incredibly moving choral pieces towards the end of the show - "Gold [Reprise]" and "Prayer" respectively. Can't think of any solos, though.

Updated On: 6/6/20 at 09:12 AM