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| Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful | |
| Last Edit: Unhookthestars 11:13 am EDT 07/31/22 | |
| Posted by: Unhookthestars 11:12 am EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| WaPo has a paywall, so apologies to those who can’t open this. | |
| Link | Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful |
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| re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 12:14 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:13 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful - Unhookthestars 11:12 am EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| A nice article, which doesn't go nearly into enough depth IMO...but it's nice to see someone try to explain in simple terms what sound design is really about. I appreciated the comments on Tunick's orchestration and the way he builds the orchestra in a number like "On The Steps Of The Palace." I will say that the majority of the shows I've seen on Broadway in recent years - particularly On The Town, The Band's Visit, Falsettos, A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder, and particularly Once On This Island (because of the trickiness of the venue and the specifics of the production) did extremely well in terms of sound design. I remember not feeling quite as happy with the sound of the 2002 Into The Woods revival - but to be honest, that was the least of their problems. |
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| re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 12:43 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful - Chromolume 12:13 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| Interesting that you note Once on This Island, which I thought had horrendous sound design. I didn't hear any live sound in the room, only what came booming out of the ceiling. If someone's singing ten feet in front of me, facing me, they should sound like their voice is coming from their mouth. I guess negating the space and the in-the-round problem by creating a design where everyone in the audience is hearing the same thing is a solution, but it's not one I'm in favor of. At OOTI it was so grating from the start that I never settled into actually seeing the show. I'd much rather hear at least some spatial relationship in the sound, as I would without amplification...if someone's over there, let them sound like they're over there. Sound design as support, not so it sounds like the whole sound. Circle in the Square presents unique problems, but it's also not so big a room that actors should need a lot of amplification to make themselves heard. |
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| Agreed re OOTI | |
| Posted by: TimDunleavy 01:54 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful - sirpupnyc 12:43 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| Agreed about the horrendous sound design of Once on This Island. I was in Row F, but I couldn't follow the plot because I could barely hear the lyrics or dialog. On the song "Mama Will Provide," I couldn't understand a single word except the title of the song. Atrocious. |
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| re: Agreed re OOTI | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 04:50 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: Agreed re OOTI - TimDunleavy 01:54 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| I wish I could go back in time and experience the show again. Perhaps I was just so excited to see it? In any case, I don't remember having any trouble hearing things clearly (and Alex Newell's "Mama Will Provide" was a definite highlight for me). Maybe I was sitting in a place where where the sound was more favorable? I don't know. All I can say, and with a musician's ears to boot, was that I felt it worked. I'm sorry others didn't feel that way. | |
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| re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful | |
| Posted by: Unhookthestars 12:40 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful - Chromolume 12:13 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| Yes, the article was informative but could have gone into greater depth. The good news is it looks like Peter Mark is already planning a follow-up per this exchange with one of his Twitter followers: Question: Did you get a chance to ask how the 'workflow' would have been altered had they decided to place the orchestra in the pit? Where so much of the actual acoustic sound would have been covered up, literally. Peter Marks: I didn't but a great line of inquiry for my next article about music direction. I saw three ITW, Company, and A Strange Loop last weekend. The first two had excellent sound design; I wish I could say the same for Loop. Unfortunately, a lot of the lyrics turned to mush when more than one person was singing, and occasionally, even when there was only one singer. |
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| re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 08:49 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Now hear this: How ‘Into the Woods’ makes the noise so joyful - Unhookthestars 12:40 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| The acoustic sound wouldn't be covered up if there were open pits more often on Broadway. There was one at the last On the Town so some theatres at least still have the option. | |
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