This weekend, Saturday 28th November, Dramasoc is presenting "The Super Musical Brothers", written and directed by Adi Ginat and produced by Leo Thomas. This is one of many events of 2020 that is making the ambitious move to an online format.
Writer, Adi Ginat, describes her comedic musical, ‘The Super Musical Brothers’, as ‘a light-hearted musical parody of our childhood video game’. In a brief precis of her new work, she tells us that her production will centre around the fictional imagining of ‘what would happen if Mario and Luigi got high from the mushrooms they consume...The musical follows the two plumbing brothers as they attempt the unnecessary rescue of the princess who’s only real peril is her growing attraction to her head architect, Daisy’.
As we know, the unprecedented events of the year have had a particularly challenging effect on the arts industry in this country and have presented our young creatives with the hurdle of bringing their work to audiences under the ever-changing health guidelines.
When asked about how Dramasoc have been tackling these challenges, Adi told us:
‘Moving the show online was quite a challenge, we had around 3 weeks until the performance when the lockdown was announced so we had to adapt quickly. This show relies on movement and choreography in order to work so many script changes needed to happen in order to get around this. Additionally, as it is a musical recording, the songs’ harmonies, and making sure they work in an online format, was a challenge. However, we have an amazing team who have been working hard to ensure that the songs sound good, [and to] adapt the choreography and I think what we’ve come up with, while not the original vision, is a really fun whacky show.’
Indeed, for many people, this period spent in and out of isolation and local and national lockdown has led to an influx in creativity and a need for escapism. However, the process of writing from scratch and demanding originality from yourself can be an intimidating prospect for many budding writers. Below is Adi’s input to hopefully offer some inspiration on this front.
‘The writing process really depends on the specific idea and what is interesting about it. If I come up with an interesting character, I’d try to find a situation for them to shine and show why they are interesting. If the concept is a comedic situation then the characters developed would be to amplify the ridiculousness of it.
Additionally, it really helps me to visualise the play based on the plan before writing it. This gives me an idea of what stage directions are important, how much energy I want from each scene and if my idea is feasible for the medium I chose. This was really helpful in The Super Musical Brothers as it is very high energy so visualising it helped me realise what is and what is not possible and allow me to keep the high energy needed for it to be performed in the script.’
The process of writing is often elevated by the communities within which it takes place, for Adi and the Dramasoc team the idea of group creativity is especially important: ‘it was really important to me to work with the actors in order to further develop the characters. The cast and whole team have brought so much of themselves into the show and have added so much heart to the characters which will be very evident when you watch it.’
I was also keen to know more about the inclusion of musicality in the show and the difference this can make to a piece of writing.
‘The music is essential to the show; it adds heart, comedy and allows the characters to express themselves in a more profound way. The musical has eight original songs, written by myself and the incredibly talented Leo Thomas. Additionally, the cast are amazing singers and our music director, Amy Howarth, has done an amazing job ensuring that everything sounds amazing.’
Overall, Adi tells us that the most rewarding aspect of writing, directions, and production for her is ‘seeing everything come to life’.
‘We have such a talented cast and they bring so much life to the characters it's really incredible to see. I’ve had a lot of fun writing and directing the show so it’s so amazing to watch the cast have fun with the material and really enjoy it.’
The production of "The Super Musical Brothers" is set to have something for everyone, musicality, an intriguing storyline and a distinct element of childhood nostalgia. Go along and get a ticket for this online event if you can, it’s a wonderful way of celebrating and supporting the work of your fellow students as they succeed in presenting their hard work to us, despite the challenging times.
The Super Musical Brothers is being performed online this Saturday, anyone can pick up some tickets here
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