Rent Evaluation

Rent

During the song Rent I played a homeless person, on and off cast. This meant I could develop this dance over all four shows. In the first show I was quite shy about how far to go with my movements, I could have used bigger gestures like I did in the other three. Upon reflection I would say that the next two performances of rent were very similar for me. I had high energy but not the right confidence to start the show. I feel I achieved this for the last evening show, I stomped on the ground and made eye contact with audience members to show aggression and that my character was not afraid of others. This gave me the energy I needed for the rest of the show and created the perfect atmosphere to open the production with. I found it really useful to have this energy boost at the start of every show; I could get used to the audience not as Mimi and also build up my confidence for my songs later on in the show.

Light My Candle

Light My Candle is my first song as Mimi, so it was really important that I got the characterisation right. I began seeming quite shy and timid and as the song went on I became more flirtatious and giggly. This showed that her and Roger have chemistry, I also realised that this is the first time Roger and the audience meet Mimi, putting them together from my point of view, so I tried to position myself towards the audience as much as possible. In the matinee show I stumbled on some of my lines, which was a shame because that was only due to nerves. I did a lot better in the evening performance, I was feeling more confident and knew it was the last show. I kept to the original blocking of this which was perfect, I showed her shy side at the beginning by fiddling with my hands and holding myself in, whereas as she got more used to her surroundings and sat down I relaxed my shoulders and looked around the space more, curiously.

Life Support/Will I

In Life Support, I showed that I had an illness by moving very slowly and looking round the circle in a calm but sad way, I kept my head low and had a slightly worried or disturbed look on my face throughout. Singing in the round is something I sometimes struggle with, and it was difficult to get the timing for the end right, but we achieved it well and my vocals were loud and strong. If would like to have played with the dynamics more, however being in a group made that difficult.

Out Tonight

For this song I had to have as much energy as possible, Mimi is confident and free in this scene which is rare for her character in the show. I used my body to show her flirtatious confident side by pushing my chest out and keeping my head up to show pride and a high status. I moved my arms freely which gave me a sense of natural comfort on stage. My vocals were strong in this song, I feel I did better in the Matinee performance compared to the evening though, I repeated a verse in the evening show because I sang the last verse first, but I covered it up and acted through it professionally. In both shows I hit the belting notes strong and held them well. My voice was slightly shaky due to nerves but as the song went on I gained more confidence in myself and my character due to the audience's presence. I could tell they were enjoying it, which meant that my energy bounced off them and I used that dynamic to interact with them more, through eye contact and direct gestures. I worked the stage well, looking back at the video I would like to have slowed down the transitions from location to location on stage however I remember my choreography we;; and had good stage presence.

Another Day

After Out Tonight, I was feeling comfortable on stage and confident, Another Day is one of my most enjoyable songs and I love singing it, which I think shows in the video. To begin with I am up on the scaffolding entering the flat; I used my shoulders to show I was excitable and flirtatious towards Roger. As I came down the stairs I had lots of energy and a hop in my step to show this, and as James pushed me away I used my facial expressions to look disappointed and disgusted by what he is saying. As Mimi I wanted her to be an angry character, due to her childhood, so I made this reaction melodramatic and defensive. I brushed him away and as it came to my verse to sing I showed that I was thinking, giving him a second chance. Again I hit the hard notes in the song really well and used played with the volume of my voice successfully. I was quiet to begin with and grew louder; I also belted a note and brought it back down again to show a childish angry and instant regret. I kept my chest out for most of this song, especially at the end when singing up to James; I tried not to show any shy characteristics. I feel both the evening and matinee performance were at equal level; however I had more fluid movements in the evening and was more focussed.

Christmas Bells

Playing Mimi in Christmas Bells was really fun and showed the darker side of her character well, I had my back hunched over and shoulders up to show that I was ill and cold outside in the streets. I had a jumpy tone and flinched when people touched me as much as I could. My vocals were projected well and my diction and intonation was good. I breathed into my hands and rubbed them together throughout to show the cold, and used my proxemics to show that I was a junkie like the others, by huddling with them and having minor interactions with them.

Christmas Bells

Being off cast in Christmas Bells meant I was an ensemble junkie, I follow the crowd and the lead drug dealer. I showed my desperation by scratching myself, using my facial expressions to show worry and angry and I pushed and shoved the others in the same group as me. This added to the idea of us homeless people being aggressive and desperate for their next hit of drugs. I found myself stumbling in the matinee because of the others on stage; however upon reflection I felt it worked well with my character and chose to make it apparent and exaggerated in the evening performance. In comparison it looks really good in the evening show as it is another way to show suffering and looks more realistic, as some of us would be injured or stumbling.

La Vie Boheme A

When I was Mimi in this song, I had high energy and interacted with as many people as possible, I exaggerated any movement to show the pride of the group. I was very dismissive towards Benny during his part, physically ushering him away from me. This contrasted with the joyful movements in the rest of the song. I worked well in the ensemble sections in both shows and made lots of eye contact with others to show this. My vocals could have been stronger in both shows, I tried to project my voice as much as possible but because I was moving a lot too, it made it difficult. The solo lines I had were just on the break of my voice which made it really had to project, this was the same on both performances, however I feel my dance was much better in the second.

La Vie Boheme A

Off cast in this song was really fun, I got to dance freely and not worry too much about characterisation or singing. My movement was considerably better in these performances compared to when I was on cast. I had clearer movements and moved much more naturally on the stage.

I Should Tell You

This is a song that I struggled to get into, it juxtaposes the previous La Vie Boheme so much and the tone and atmosphere changes in seconds. In the first show I didn't handle it well, I found myself having to compose myself and my vocals were weak, James didn't get some line right which threw me off too. The later performance was much more successful I was prepared for the scene change this time and had my shoulders back, ready for the next emotional part. I was very close with James to show that we as a couple were trying, and that our connection from earlier on in the act hadn't faded. I feel I showed my vocal skills well in this number, I projected my voice a lot during the harmonies and bounced off of James dynamics well, we worked well as a team. I would like to improve on the movement though, we were quite stationary and it felt like I was repeating movements. However we were intimate and calm, which portrays our relationship at the time well, fresh and new and exciting.

La Vie Boheme B

I had the first solo paragraph in this song, which meant that after I Should Tell You I needed to bring the energy right back up with my voice. I tried not to rely on the rest of the cast physically upping the energy, by moving around the space quickly and giving hand gestures towards the audience. This was difficult in the matinee as the seats that I was closest to weren't full, I felt a bit odd doing this but I remained focussed and projected myself well.

Seasons of Love

This song sets the tone for the second act; I could use this song to compose myself. Whether I was on cast or off cast I remained composed and had quite a passionate facial expression. My vocals in this song were good, I enjoy choral singing and enjoy it, and I projected my voice well enough that you can pick out my voice well, without overpowering others.

Happy New Year

I have the first singing section in this song; therefore I needed to make sure I carried it well, in the matinee this song went really well. I projected my voice well, was in time with the music and the dynamics that I decided on worked very well. However Luke missed his que at the beginning in the evening show which meant I had to improvise and wait for the next count of eight before I could sing my part. I covered this by walking slower into the middle and interacting with James more. I interacted with the whole group as much as possible, I was affectionate with them and was laughing and cuddling with them all to show that Mimi was finally happy and relaxed with her new 'family'. I showed this through my relaxed posture and free body language.

Happy New Year B

Personally I really enjoyed this song; I got to demonstrate a different side of Mimi and her relationship with Benny. In both sows my vocals were clear and well projected; I showed my anger in the fast paced walking and chin forward posture towards Benny. I clung to James to show that I was afraid and tried to comfort him, again demonstrating our relationship. Looking back this was really effective; it showed a close connection with subtle movements and gestures.

Seasons of Love B

This song has a huge impact on the narrative, it shows a different perspective on 'a year in the life' , I walked very slowly towards Angels hospital bed to show my sadness, I made eye contact with James and moved away from him to show that we were not in a good place. This proxemics also linked with how close I was to one of the homeless areas, which implies that I am struggling physically and mentally.

Without You

During Without You I used stylised pedestrian movement to move up the scaffolding, I walked slowly to show sadness and that I was weak. My vocals were very strong in both the matinee and the evening, I wasn't confident on the lyrics which I think was apparent to the audience; if I showed more confidence I would be happier with my performance. I used the dynamics of the song to show different emotions throughout. I wanted to show that Mimi as aggressive and sad, toward Roger for blowing her off, by singing louder with more staccato notes, but also deeply depressed by Angels death and the prospect of her group breaking up, leaving her alone, using legato notes and a softer voice. This was successful and added to the atmosphere of the song; it helped me stay in character and showed more depth to Mimi.

I'll Cover You Reprise

Choral singing in this song was the same on and off cast, I harmonised well with the rest of the cast and felt the atmosphere develop throughout. I t is such a powerful song and all standing in position added to it, and didn't distract from the lyrics. When I was on cast I stood with Josh (Benny), showing that Mimi and Roger were no longer happy together. This was effective because it showed a development in my character and other relationships on stage.

Goodbye Love

I feel that as a group this was one of our best songs, we all got to become aggressive and passionate and we all worked so well together on stage. The matinee performance lacked energy, but in the evening we all brought it up almost like a competition. I stood alone for a lot of the first part showing that she was becoming more independent. When Mimi returns to the stage for her solo section I was isolated with nothing else on stage, I gestured my arms towards where James had left the stage, this showed desperation and sadness. This was effective because it showed that Mimi is lonely and needs guidance from others, which she is now receiving from Benny.

Finale A

I didn't have many lines sin this song, because of Mimi's bad health. I showed this by curing up in a ball and shaking a lot, I breathed unevenly and heavily to show that I was suffering. I grasped Luke and James' hands to suggest that I was desperate and loosing strength. As Mimi died I had to remain very still which was a challenge, it felt very unorthodox. I found that in the matinee show I was too shy to really show this scene as dramatic, I was much more subtle which was not appropriate. In the evening show I used all of my body to show these things by kicking and looking panicked, looking around as if I was unsure of my surroundings. I used my voice to show this by shaking it and singing weakly, stage whispering some lines.

Finale B

As Mimi I struggled to show the right level of energy throughout the rehearsal process, I either move too much not too little. In the first show I moved too much, I had just woken up from passing out and would not have been as mobile as I seemed. In the evening show I moved a lot, but as I thought about it I sunk back down, this actually worked well because it showed shock then a retraction from fear. Again I used a weak voice and looked around at the group hopefully; this showed a sense of pride and joy that they were all okay again. As the song progresses and Mimi grows stronger again I projected my voice as best I could on both performances because it is the last sing and the two parts of the song work so well together.

Finale B

When off cast I don't come on stage till the end of the song, when the song is split into two parts, in both shows, much like when I am on cast, I projected my voice and use my facial expressions to show happiness and togetherness. I stood with Dannii and held hands to suggest closeness between ensemble characters. This was successful and from the video I can see that as we are all in pairs, it looks like one unit and the lyrics we sing go perfectly.