flammaster Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 meanwhile Cadets were in 2nd place for most of the season with a pandering, cheesy, Faux Patriotism show. ...Which seems to be most of their shows lately. I found their show quite nauseating yet they could have just played music instead and I would have loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Regarding SCV doing "Phantom" again, we need to keep in mind not all Broadway is created equal. I know "West Side Story" has been done by many corps and in the case of Madison and Cadets, very successfully and it has a fresh quality to it each time. Bernstein was a classical composer who wrote for Broadway but the score has more in common with Bernstein's other works than it does with other musicals of that time and in I way it has a timeless appeal to it. I think the same could be said for "Les Miserables" which has also been done by others. When it comes to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no question he has written very popular works and his music has an emotional appeal, but I do not know if it has the timeless quality to it that some musicals have or whether it I a product of its time. For this reason I would wonder if SCV could do a "Phantom" that would appear to be fresh. Remember in 1988 and 89, "Phantom" ruled Broadway. Today it sounds a bit old fashioned. Now to Cappybara and Frachel, with Fan Network, YouTube, and DVD's and BluRays of DCI from 1975 on, and vignettes and a few complete shows from 1972-74, a lot of younger fans can take older, and in some cases self appointed experts to school with repertoires, shows, and placements. I'm not saying they want to return to ages past, but they know their stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Regarding SCV doing "Phantom" again, we need to keep in mind not all Broadway is created equal. I know "West Side Story" has been done by many corps and in the case of Madison and Cadets, very successfully and it has a fresh quality to it each time. Bernstein was a classical composer who wrote for Broadway but the score has more in common with Bernstein's other works than it does with other musicals of that time and in I way it has a timeless appeal to it. I think the same could be said for "Les Miserables" which has also been done by others. When it comes to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no question he has written very popular works and his music has an emotional appeal, but I do not know if it has the timeless quality to it that some musicals have or whether it I a product of its time. For this reason I would wonder if SCV could do a "Phantom" that would appear to be fresh. Remember in 1988 and 89, "Phantom" ruled Broadway. Today it sounds a bit old fashioned. Now to Cappybara and Frachel, with Fan Network, YouTube, and DVD's and BluRays of DCI from 1975 on, and vignettes and a few complete shows from 1972-74, a lot of younger fans can take older, and in some cases self appointed experts to school with repertoires, shows, and placements. I'm not saying they want to return to ages past, but they know their stuff. Yes but I'm not sure if you can say a majority of the audience would roll their eyes and huff and puff saying "this again?" SCV doing Phantom next year would be NEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Yes but I'm not sure if you can say a majority of the audience would roll their eyes and huff and puff saying "this again?" SCV doing Phantom next year would be NEW. Good point. Audience wise, I do not think there would be many complaints, and given that I loved 2012 when the SCV show closed with "Music of the Night," I'd be among them. I do believe corps should create shows that are competitive and speak to the broad drum corps audience. "Phantom" could win the audience, but I'm not sure it would work competitively. That being said, people did say "this again" in 1989, and the show was different enough that it was not "this again." That being said, SCV did recreate "Scheherazade" but The score has a timeless quality that I do not think "Phantom" has so while it would win an audience, it might not win with judges. Regarding the make up of the audience, most shows I attend are in the Northeast, where I would say 50% of the audience would be 45+, lifelong fans or alums, 25% would be high school/college age, and the rest occasional or first time attendees. I attended Atlanta and Charlotte this year since I could not attend Allentown or Indy, and though I'm only in my early 50's, I felt like I should be driving back to a retirement home instead of a hotel. The audience was so young, so excited, and enthusiastic. The corps were idolized. In Indy, the seats are practically empty at the beginning of prelims. In Atlanta, everyone was seated and ready for action from the very beginning. A great experience. The "this again" crowd could be in some stadiums, but certainly not all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 The musical itself is dreck, and Vanguard did what they could with it 25 years ago. Pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) Tim K, Although I agree with 85 % of what you posted, I find your sociological take of Indy was skewed and incomplete. Major missing factor is that schools were already in session for Indiana by the time DCI arrived. School band camp season was already in full swing for Hoosiers and no teacher is going to forego a nights practice during the first week of school to bring the kiddies back home by the hour these prelims ended. While California, Northwest, and Northeast follow traditional American school calendars of not starting school until Labor Day, other parts of the country deviate. DCI suffers because of it. Ticket prices, group ticketing, and band trips do influence attendance immensely. Edited September 7, 2014 by xandandl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brichtimp Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 ...Which seems to be most of their shows lately. I found their show quite nauseating yet they could have just played music instead and I would have loved it. Sorry to be a Cadets honk, but the musical arrangements and marching quality in their show was Silver medal quality, except for one judging panel....IMHO, an outlier based on the entire tour. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I thought '88 SCV's PotO was great. '89 - not so much. I know it's "supposed" to be wonderful, but I'm not really enjoying SCV lately. IMO, Brass arrangements sound like their designed as "brass with percussion accompaniment" and percussion arrangements sound like their designed as "percussion with brass accompaniment.' Put the two together and imo it sounds like a competition. Visual isn't the wonderful thing I thought it was just a few years ago. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) The problem is that this has been done to its absolute and utter death for decades in the form of rip-off programs in the scholastic arena. Beaten brutally into the ground. After seeing it on Broadway and seeing what it was actually like...- I myself would be happy if they'd pursue anything else- even Moto Perpetuo and the number three thing rather than Phantom. Yeah- it's that bad. The creative staff would have its hands more than full in trying to break that perception, the program would have to be beyond incredible. We're talking Broadway level incredible, the Phantom rowing the boat along at the beginning coming out of the fog incredible. You want to resurrect a musical for SCV? Why not Evita? A show that was far ahead of its time in 1980 and I think far under-appreciated by DCI fans today. And, it's not been done to death by the North Belchville 'Pride of the belch' Marchin' Banditos and West Gebip's World Famous Incomparable Marching Potatoes for decades. Edited September 7, 2014 by BigW 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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