Posted: April 24th, 2015

Comparing and contrasting the musicals Drowsy Chaperone and Newsies

Comparing and contrasting the musicals Drowsy Chaperone and Newsies

Order Description

Summary:
Submit a double-spaced scholarly paper (MLA format) after viewing the musical Drowsy Chaperone at CSUN and Newsies at the Pantages.
Writing about theatre is not rocket science–it is sometimes harder than rocket science as there are not exact laws–only opinions argued persuasively and more persuasively. More persuasively is better.
This is an opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned and are learning in Theater, by comparing and contrasting the musicals Drowsy Chaperone and Newsies. Use Aristotle’s recipe and add Cohen’s seventh ingredient.
Some questions you might want to answer, to address all seven elements:
• In which show was plot the most important element?
• Which show had the best characters? The most intriguing? Which performer had the most successful performance? Which had the least successful? (don’t think in large roles or small–think successful with the role they had;)
• Which show had the most compelling theme/message. State the theme of each show.
• Which show had the better lyrics?
• Which show had the better music?
• Which show was not overpowered by spectacle, which Aristotle felt was the least important ingredient in the recipe for theatre. Which show reached the Goldilocks moment–not too much, not too little, but just right?
• To appreciate its performance, which show’s audience needed a knowledge of the conventions of a stage musical?
Be certain your paper has a well-thought-out beginning, middle, and end (less successful students often avoid a formal conclusion once they’ve reached the required word count)
Be certain to have read Cohen’s chapter 11 on “The Critic…” before submitting your final draft.
Break a leg. Look for the “Tips for Better Papers” link in our classroom.

Please see the attached files. For the references one can be the viewing of both shows and one the “Theater Brief” 10th edition by Robert Cohen.