luvs me sum mello! Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 This week on the second installment of our weekly series of fan network show reviews is the 1991 Santa Clara Vanguard and their show "Miss Saigon." Overall this is one of my favorite SCV productions. I know around that era musicals were really in, but no one seems to be able to put them on the field quite like SCV. This one coming smack dab in the middle of a multi year musical run. The opening is very effective. Now I've never seen Miss Saigon, but you don't need to in order to get this show. Members running out onto the field...and I swear if it wasn't really windy, then the members did a really good job making it look like they were running with helicopters over head. The music was powerful, and IMO, much more refined then in previous years. I love Phantom of The Opera...but god that tone quality. Drill was decently clean, didn't portray as much as I would have liked, but then again I'm a child of the 2000 era corps. And lets just get this out of the way now: Sure, when people talk about the helicopter drum head effect it is soon followed by "They stole that from so and so high school..." That's nice, but I'm pretty sure more people remember SCV's use of that effect more then whatever high school did it. X corps is playing Y piece of music and X high school did that last year. Ya, but don'tcha think X corps is gonna get more viewing and might play it a little better or use it differently? I just figure that line's gonna come up, so there's my take on it. Anywho, I would go into deeper discussion on this, but I was planning on watching the show while writing to remember details and go more in depth. Problem is The Fan Network video is "temporarily unavailable." So there's that. Maybe the system being down will get more chat time then the show, but let's hope not. Would love to hear from some FMMs about 91 SCV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 From 10:30-10:54 on the recording are some of my favorite drum parts ever played. I can't remember for sure, but I think '91 was a Scott Johnson line. Easily one of my favorite shows from the early 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cop Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I was VERY excited that this was Santa Clara Vanguard's first female rifle-line to take the field since 1977! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I was VERY excited that this was Santa Clara Vanguard's first female rifle-line to take the field since 1977! Really??? I didn't realize that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BST07 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I absolutely love what Wes Cartwright did with the guard in this show. Its a shame he's only active in the high school circuit now. I really love how the brass ends off field as well. What a cool effect. Kind of reminds me of the ends of L.D Bell High schools 05 and 06 show, which Cartwright also had a pretty big part in. Definitely one of my favorite vanguard shows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAMystreaux Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 One of my favorite SCV shows ever, and one of the best field adaptations of a broadway show, imo, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cop Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 The final seconds of the fall of Saigon is depicted in the drill and show at 9:40 on.... We may have seen the show over and over, but I will re tell SCV's closer..... At 9:40, the drum line is the 14-foot wall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The horns are in two groups U.S. on one side and mobs of South Vietnamese on the other trying to reach the evacuation helicopters as the last Americans departed from Vietnam. The drums line drill, as the fence, falls and dissolves..... the horns throw their hands in the air looking to the sky.... Then Communism in the red flags are shown. You hear the last American helicopters leave them behind, Our heroine (the guard) and her son from a U.S. GI are left. This is shown as the huge flag is pulled across the field showing the Communist forces in triumph. ......... but there is still a small corner of the flag, an American corner forever attached as the many children the GI's fathered, were left. Great visual show, great Vanguard show, good story telling of the musical~ Wes Cartright is genius with this guard show...... (yet again) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 From 10:30-10:54 on the recording are some of my favorite drum parts ever played. I can't remember for sure, but I think '91 was a Scott Johnson line. Easily one of my favorite shows from the early 90's. It was Scott Johnson, and during the 1991 season, I told him how effective the slide whistle was that conveyed the falling bomb. All other sound momentarily halted as the bomb "fell." Scott laughed and told me when they first demonstrated the effect to Gail Royer, he told them he didn't like the sound of the slide whistle and they should find another one to try. Scott didn't feel like going out and finding another slide whistle, so he had someone tape the whistle so it changed colors. They played it for Gail again without telling him it was the same whistle, and he told them it was much better than the first whistle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 It was Scott Johnson, and during the 1991 season, I told him how effective the slide whistle was that conveyed the falling bomb. All other sound momentarily halted as the bomb "fell." Scott laughed and told me when they first demonstrated the effect to Gail Royer, he told them he didn't like the sound of the slide whistle and they should find another one to try. Scott didn't feel like going out and finding another slide whistle, so he had someone tape the whistle so it changed colors. They played it for Gail again without telling him it was the same whistle, and he told them it was much better than the first whistle. That's funny! I wonder if Gail ever found out he'd been duped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 That's funny! I wonder if Gail ever found out he'd been duped! I believe not. Image is everything, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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