Activity #2: Singing Time

Hi again!

I love musical soundtracks. I've listened to more than you could imagine. The soundtrack for Big Fish has quickly become one of my favourites. My favourite track has to be "What's Next". Will sings it solo at first, and the whole ensemble joins in at the end of the song. Will and Edward are in a hospital room, and they're planning Edward's escape so that he can go down to the river. When they arrive at the river, Will is surprised to see all of Edward's old friends. I love that it begins so simply with the string instruments and Will singing solo, and then it slowly grows in intensity, both in the backing track and in the vocals. It tells so much of the story in 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and there are so many emotions that can be conveyed to the audience. Happiness, fear, anticipation, bliss. I see the scene beginning very simply, like the song itself, with Will and Edward alone in a room and then the two of them will start moving, possibly passing by a few tableaus that include Dr. Bennett or Edward's old Chevy, and then finishing with the whole ensemble on stage and all of Edward's friends from his stories, and the whole thing will just ooze with happiness. I think it will end up being one of those scenes that makes the audience feel like they're part of the musical, like they're connected to us.
My least favourite song is "Showdown". Edward and the ensemble sing it. It takes place in Edward's dream sequence, where he's fighting Red Fang. I don't particularly enjoy it because it's a little too repetitive for my liking, especially at the beginning. I also don't like the fact that there are so many talking and instrumental breaks. The dialogue that happens in it is a bit too cheesy for me. I know there will always be an element of cheesiness when it comes to this particular kind of song, but it's just a bit too much. I think it could be improved by making the scene that it takes place in very dramatic, more dramatic than you could ever imagine, so that the repetitiveness is less noticeable. After saying all this, I do want to add that just because "Showdown" isn't my favourite song, it doesn't mean that I hate it. I'm just not very partial to it.

-Mary-Clare