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Additional Notes On Mulan JR. Musical Numbers: No. 2 - Written in Stone (Pt. 1)

This document provides guidance for casting and directing the musical numbers in Mulan JR. It recommends choosing characters based on their ability to play their role rather than singing ability. It also suggests having characters sing in ways that fit their roles, such as Fathers sounding different than Sons. The document gives specific notes on staging and vocal balancing for several musical numbers to help reveal characters and tell the story through their voices.

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104 views1 page

Additional Notes On Mulan JR. Musical Numbers: No. 2 - Written in Stone (Pt. 1)

This document provides guidance for casting and directing the musical numbers in Mulan JR. It recommends choosing characters based on their ability to play their role rather than singing ability. It also suggests having characters sing in ways that fit their roles, such as Fathers sounding different than Sons. The document gives specific notes on staging and vocal balancing for several musical numbers to help reveal characters and tell the story through their voices.

Uploaded by

Joseph
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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89422 Guts 8/28/07 2:21 PM Page 110

When you’re casting Mulan JR., think about the most salient element of each song. Is it more important – for
the character and scene – that the melody is well-sung? Or is the performance more important? For Mulan,
who has a lot of beautiful music to sing, a beautiful voice might come in handy. But the Guys (Yao, Ling,
Qian-Po) should be chosen based on their ability to play their characters, not on their singing credentials. “A
Girl Worth Fighting For” is either going to have the audience rolling in the aisles or sitting on their hands –
and that outcome will not be based on the Soldiers’ appreciation for bel canto. Performing songs in musicals
is a lot different from singing in a choir. Once they’ve learned the music, your cast needs to figure out how
their characters would sing. And your Huns and Emperor and cross-dressing Soldiers should be encouraged
to think outside the box. (You’ll have to bring them back in, occasionally.) How would Fathers sound
different than Sons, Mothers than Daughters, Ancestors from Dragons? Your company can reveal who is who,
not just with costumes and staging, but by using their voices. It’s not that each cast member shouldn’t learn
her music – the pitches, the rhythms, the lyrics – accurately; that cut-offs shouldn’t be precise; that you should
in any way encourage sloppiness. But in the theatre, character wins over pedagogy. Every time. Have fun!

Additional Notes on Mulan JR. Musical Numbers


No. 2 – Written in Stone (Pt. 1)
m. 1 Wait for the music to diminuendo before Laozi’s first line. Even though the music gets softer, your
Ancestors should be challenged to be heard over it, asserting themselves in a declamatory,
presentational style.

No. 3 – Written in Stone (Pt. 2)


m. 11-12 One way to achieve the diminuendo in m. 12 is to have Fa Zhou and the Fathers simply turn away
from the audience while holding the note. The effect will be a nice musical fade. Same thing for
the Mothers and Grandmothers at m. 25-26.

No. 4 – Written in Stone (Pt. 3)


m. 7-14 During this counterpoint, the vocal balance is extremely important, and it will require some
experimentation. Staging and volume are your tools. (As the music is so complicated, keep the
staging simple.) The Ancestors should start in full voice, and everyone else softly. The Mothers,
Fathers, Sons and Daughters effect a steady crescendo until everyone is singing forte in m. 14.
Depending on the size of your stage, you could do this by starting with the Ancestors downstage
and the other groups upstage, possibly facing each other from the sides. Gradually they turn and
move downstage. Voilà! A crescendo.
m. 28-29 Option: leave out the bottom vocal part.
Throughout Mulan JR., if you choose to use the harmonies, they were written with the following
voicing in mind (unless otherwise specified):
m. 28-29 Women: all parts, at pitch
m. 28-29 Treble Men: lower harmony, at pitch
m. 28-29 Changed-voice Men: unison on the melody, 8vb
m. 35-38 Option: leave out the bottom vocal part.
m. 39 The loud woodblock is Mulan’s cue to run on. She should listen for it.
m. 43 Similarly, the three loud drum/gong beats are the company’s cue to yell “Mulan!” And they should
listen for that.

110

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