Sideways Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I haven't seen it live, but I'm not seeing the Side-by-Side concept relating to the Barber theme. My sense is that the design staff said "Sure, Boss" to Hopkin's Side-by-Side idea, then did a Barber show with just enough Side-by-Side elements to appease him. There's a really gorgeous part about half way through when the corps moves from far left to near right bringing a long wavy line with it (as I recall). The music there is really wonderful. However, mixing Adagio and Medea is a terrible idea. You've got moods of cathartic rage and profound sadness bouncing back and forth like a ping pong ball, and it doesn't work for me at all. This is the description I've been looking for. I get the most obvious (re: blatant) Side by Side elements to the show but if there are subtleties or deeper meaning in there I just do not get it. The idea of the staff placating the boss just enough then just doing what they wanted to do anyway honestly makes a lot of sense to me. I'm not a huge fan of the Adagio/Medea mash up either but it is working considerably better now than it was the first couple weeks of the season. The staff has done a great job clarify what I am supposed to be listening too when while still have elements of both works present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybabay Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 (edited) Thank you. I thought I was the only one thinking what a whiney thread this is. Pay the money and sit up high on the 50 for the one show a year you go to or stop whining that your view was blocked because you wanted the Walmart discount tickets. No offense, but my seats in Minneapolis at TCF were $40 tickets on the 40 yard line. Hardly the cheap seats. I was just expecting to get a full grasp of their show and not snippets. Has nothing to do with the quality of the performers. But in my mind it is sort of like buying opera tickets and having some of the cast performing in the green room downstairs even though they are miked and I can hear them. Interesting concept, however failing in the result. Edited July 17, 2013 by joeybabay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranintothedoor Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 This is the description I've been looking for. I get the most obvious (re: blatant) Side by Side elements to the show but if there are subtleties or deeper meaning in there I just do not get it. The idea of the staff placating the boss just enough then just doing what they wanted to do anyway honestly makes a lot of sense to me. I'm not a huge fan of the Adagio/Medea mash up either but it is working considerably better now than it was the first couple weeks of the season. The staff has done a great job clarify what I am supposed to be listening too when while still have elements of both works present. Perhaps the extremes of Adagio and Madea happening simultaneously is the culmination of the show theme; two completely different ideas presented side by side? IMHO, of course! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Perhaps the extremes of Adagio and Madea happening simultaneously is the culmination of the show theme; two completely different ideas presented side by side? IMHO, of course! This is definitely what's going on. I love the visual through this section, but I think the music leaves something to be desired. As someone pointed out, the tone of the pieces is different. And Adagio's not exactly amenable to mashup anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Blue Devils show continues to grow on me. This is simply a thought in general; why should any corps' show (i.e. production) have to "grow" on anyone? No matter who the corps may be. Should it not be audience accessible and entertaining right out of the gate? I certainly do not go to a movie (as example) multiple times in hopes it will "grow on me"; it gets one shot. Either one should enjoy it and be entertained in some manner, or not. It's like going to a movie called "The Four Commandments" and the theater folks asking you to come back later a few more times because more commandments are going to be added and the script cleaned, scenes added, changed special effects, etc., it'll grow on you. And sometimes, the movie is simply a "stinker". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seen-it-all Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 This is simply a thought in general; why should any corps' show (i.e. production) have to "grow" on anyone? No matter who the corps may be. Should it not be audience accessible and entertaining right out of the gate? Not necessarily. Unlike a movie, these shows don't come out in June fully formed. Things are added, subtracted, enhanced, tweaked, and of course as performance quality rises throughout the summer, it could take certain portions of the show that weren't selling and transform them into truly special moments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 (edited) Should it not be audience accessible and entertaining right out of the gate? I certainly do not go to a movie (as example) multiple times in hopes it will "grow on me"; it gets one shot. Either one should enjoy it and be entertained in some manner, or not. It's like going to a movie called "The Four Commandments" and the theater folks asking you to come back later a few more times because more commandments are going to be added and the script cleaned, scenes added, changed special effects, etc., it'll grow on you. Well actually, the process is very similar to what movie studios do. If you've ever been to test screening of a film, you may find that the final cut has dramatic edits and sometimes a totally new ending than the original, all guided by initial audience response. Same with a Broadway show. They do out of town previews for a reason, to fine tune and improve the finished product. It's really that way with any creative presentation. You put out an initial idea and then fix it on the fly until your time runs out. Regarding the Towers: I still don't like them and think the design flaws and poor visibility when maneuvering them may ultimately pop the corps' balloon. Hoping they will look better with new covers, but we shall see. I'm not sure they will ever be able to align them well enough that they don't look askew. And they are so big that you can't not notice the spacing issues, even if all the corps members hit their individual spots perfectly. Edited July 17, 2013 by NakedEye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I saw the show with 2 non-fan, fans last week. They’ve booth been to shows in the past, both been to finals, first show since 2005 for 1 of them….they both enjoyed the Cadets and one mentioned the boxes blocking their view….neither picked up on the side by side thing…all they got was the sense of color I think the boxes might be better as screens – something about the shape lacks a clarity in their division of the field – too boxy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 There are a few times when the boxes work to create a side-by-side effect, but I think the most powerful side-by-side effects are when the entire corps is in a symmetrical shape and then the two halves perform wildly different drill to move to the next symmetrical set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wadep66 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I'm putting some confidence in the visual staff here. They have won this thing a few times. I guarantee the judges have made their opinions known about the effectiveness of the props. I suspect unless they clean up the movement of them, they will start to pay for it in the scoring as it is clearly lacking. I would not be surprised at all to see some sort of modification or significant improvement in their mobility. As far as blocking the views, I agree, but again I have to think that as big as the props are, they were purposely made to screen that big of an area. Since the corps stores equipment in them and hides behind them, their size seems to fit the intent of the designers. It certainly seems reasonable that being able to see part of the corps from one vantage point but not another is part of the intent of the design. it's about comparison, and contrast. Not seeing something and hearing it is a contrast to seeing it and hearing it. The fact you don't like it or care for it is an opinion. There's been a lot of stuff in many championship shows I thought wasn't working or I just plain hated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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