Beverley Graham Interview: Observations on Changes in Musical Theatre
Title
Beverley Graham Interview: Observations on Changes in Musical Theatre
Date
26 July 2018
Description
Oral history interview with Beverley Graham, a keen amateur dancer, and also a long-time supporter, valued audience member and active participant of the Theatre Royal.
What's the story?
Beverley Graham was born in 1953 in Kirkby-in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.
From having attended dance schools from an early age, Beverley has always had a passion for theatre and performing. This has developed into a genuine love for the Theatre Royal, which shines through in her interview.
She has attended numerous shows over the years, more so since becoming a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal in 2013. She is also a regular participant in the venue’s dance classes and has even performed on the stage.
As a musical aficionado, in this interview Beverley shares her thoughts on the changes she has seen in the staging of musicals in recent years, in particular in terms of scene changes and the rise of performer/musicians:
The thing I have noticed in musicals of late, I think about the last few years, is the way that the companies produce it or direct it, in that it’s now getting to be the norm where the cast move the scenery instead of it stopping for a scenery change and then to go on. A lot of the time it’s not a problem. Sometimes I do find it a bit irritating. The set gets too minimalistic for my liking, when they’re having to move scenery with the cast. I’m a little bit old-fashioned, I think. One thing I don’t necessarily like is when the cast are the actual musicians as well. For instance in Fiddler on the Roof, I found it most odd. Not necessarily because the musicians were part of the cast, but you had one of the principals with an instrument. It’s supposed to be a marriage ceremony and he was busy playing some sort of instrument and it didn’t feel right. Had there been other people instead doing it, it might not have looked so odd, but it took over too much from the acting. And yet to me it would be very difficult for them to go from being a musician to act, then to start playing, then to act and it didn’t always flow as it should have done. Some of them, of the performances where they have had musicians on stage, it has worked. But I’m still not a great fan of it. Not when it’s the cast that’s doing the music.
From having attended dance schools from an early age, Beverley has always had a passion for theatre and performing. This has developed into a genuine love for the Theatre Royal, which shines through in her interview.
She has attended numerous shows over the years, more so since becoming a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal in 2013. She is also a regular participant in the venue’s dance classes and has even performed on the stage.
As a musical aficionado, in this interview Beverley shares her thoughts on the changes she has seen in the staging of musicals in recent years, in particular in terms of scene changes and the rise of performer/musicians:
The thing I have noticed in musicals of late, I think about the last few years, is the way that the companies produce it or direct it, in that it’s now getting to be the norm where the cast move the scenery instead of it stopping for a scenery change and then to go on. A lot of the time it’s not a problem. Sometimes I do find it a bit irritating. The set gets too minimalistic for my liking, when they’re having to move scenery with the cast. I’m a little bit old-fashioned, I think. One thing I don’t necessarily like is when the cast are the actual musicians as well. For instance in Fiddler on the Roof, I found it most odd. Not necessarily because the musicians were part of the cast, but you had one of the principals with an instrument. It’s supposed to be a marriage ceremony and he was busy playing some sort of instrument and it didn’t feel right. Had there been other people instead doing it, it might not have looked so odd, but it took over too much from the acting. And yet to me it would be very difficult for them to go from being a musician to act, then to start playing, then to act and it didn’t always flow as it should have done. Some of them, of the performances where they have had musicians on stage, it has worked. But I’m still not a great fan of it. Not when it’s the cast that’s doing the music.
Type
Oral Interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Sue Threakall & Julia Holmes
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
