House Music Blues (Philip Glass? Why are you EVERYWHERE?!)

Today, let us discuss House Music....

Sorry, that is a picture.
You can't hear that.
Let me try something else...
This is House Music:

Nope.
Nope.
Although...it isn't far from the truth.
This is usually what plays in theatres:



Philip Glass.
You get something offbeat, something a little atonal or dissonant or whatever catches the theme of the show (atonal and dissonant).
I think the tradition of House Music comes from Musicals
See, at musicals there are certain rituals.

• the actors/singers practice their scales
• the dancers limber up
• the musicians prepare their instruments and work on specific, tricky sections of music

This creates an auditory experience that the audience can enjoy prior to the actual show (its very nature makes it part of the experience and drives the performance)

It is part of what makes a musical a musical.

But, what is the necessity of house music for a theatrical piece?

...
It doesn't drive the show (usually).
It isn't produced by the performers (usually)
It isn't part of the story (usually)
(There are of course exceptions, but why must I listen to Ode to Joy every time I see a Shakespearean comedy?)

So when I go to the theatre and I see a straight play and there is house music that is never incorporated into the story I get creative.
(As a game, try this:)
(Pretend that everything that you see and hear is meant to be a part of the performance and try to figure out a reason for it)
(e.g. If you hear a fire truck in Renaissance Verona and no one bats an eye what is the reason?)

As a director, I always have the same questions when it comes to lighting and sound design.

I always ask:

• Is it necessary?
• Does it work?
• Does it help?

To give examples:

Our production of 4.48 Psychosis

Involved no house music.

It was a bare bones kind of play

• 90 minutes
• no characters
• no descriptors
• no stage directions
• no intermission

Mind you, we used many props, some lights, most of which the actors brought in including:

• their clothes
• cups
• textbooks
• a working coffee machine
• aerial silks
• bandages
• et al

We spoke at length about the staging, the space, the script, the costumes, the props, even how the light would affect everything at different times of day.

But, the silence we almost never talked about.

It didn't need to be broken.

Now, there are productions that could have underscored the whole show and done it remarkably well, but it wasn't necessary for the story we were telling.

Contrast this to something like Anais Miller's Hadestown:

This is a concept album that is designed around the Eurydice/Orpheus myth.
The whole show kicks off with the wedding with Eurydice singing a folk wedding song.
Orpheus (the greatest musician in the world mind you) responds with three male voices singing harmony.
...
His voice was so magical it couldn't be conveyed in a single human voice.
That is the most amazing thing ever.
The soundscape tells the story.
It is necessary for the story they are telling!
Brilliant.

Now, there is some subjectivity to the nature of "necessity" and my term is fairly loose.
Often, we can only figure that out in the playing.
What do I mean?

Ever had a task that you needed to accomplish?
Say you had an important test.
What do you do?

• You put on your lucky trousers
• You grab your sweatbands to cut down on friction
• You wear your watch calculator
• You loosen your tie

Everything is in order

You are ready
You are prepared

You forgot a pencil.

The point is that often house music is the fancy watch calculator.

It is nice to have and can add to the experience, but if you don't have the major tools to do what you need in performance, no amount of fancy tech is going to help.