King's Fall musical presents unique method of storytelling through song cycles
Students, Caitlin Smith, Kaylee Long and Anna Hopson rehearse for the upcoming Fall musical, Songs For a New World, which will play at The King’s College November 21, 22, and 23. I I Photo credit to Rachel Rinehart
Songs For a New World, the upcoming Fall musical for The King’s College, takes a different approach to musicals by telling a dozen stories through a “song cycle.”
Musicals are typically associated with something like Wicked, Oklahoma, or Phantom of the Opera. Each of these productions tell a single, cohesive story woven together through music and dialogue.
In the words of composer Jason Robert Brown, Songs For a New World is “about one moment—it’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.”
All musicals contain a theme, a moral, or a big idea that the audience is supposed to wrestle with after the show has ended. What sets Songs For a New World apart is the actors don’t convey the theme to you through a single line of spoken dialogue.
Virginia Pike, musical director and professor at The King’s College, is familiar with the concept of a song cycle. Last year, King’s presented a workshop that Pike wrote titled Songs for Women.
When it came to choosing a Fall musical for the MCA department, Pike described Songs For a New World as being a “rich experience for students in a style that’s challenging” while also being relatable for students thematically.
Derived from classical music tradition, Pike explained that song cycles are closely related to a revue or concept musical, where dialogue is limited or nonexistent. Instead, the story revolves around a common theme or idea told through music.
Virginia Pike, musical director and professor at King’s, plays the piano for the musical. I I Photo credit to
Rachel Rinehart
Jason Robert Brown popularized the song cycle in musical theatre through Songs For a New World, and every major writing team in theatre has composed one since.
Misti Wills, the director of the upcoming production of Songs For a New World at King’s, explains a song cycle is as simple as “one song after another without any dialogue in between.”
As a director, Wills works with actors to derive meaning from their lyrics by speaking the words of the songs as if they were presenting dialogue. This format presents a unique challenge to the actors who must sing their stories as a solo as opposed to simply having a conversation.
As Wills explained, the challenge of the song cycle is there aren't conversations with other actors. Instead, they sing their stories as a solo.
By not using dialogue or other characters to help tell their story, the stakes are raised for the actors. “Characters in a song cycle have such a limited amount of time to tell their story,” said Bethany Arriola, a sophomore at King’s. “This makes it so much more precious.”
Every character in Songs For a New World is represented by one of the eight actors. While audiences may see the same actor multiple times, they won’t be seeing the same character.
Andrew Bower, a semester student at King’s, believes this kind of style is “really challenging and fun. Common themes are present throughout, but for the most part everything is different.”
Students, Andrew Bower, Maurice Alpharicio and Leighton Carcha prepare for their parts in the musical. I I Photo credit to Rachel Rinehart
The theme of Songs For a New World is one that will resonate with audiences because it focuses on a common experience: being in a season of life where something unexpected is happening, and it can’t be ignored. It’s about navigating and processing the decisions you have to make, and then what the new reality is as a result.
“[The show] is about what it means to be in a new world,” Wills said. “Sometimes of our own choosing and most oftentimes not.”
Songs For a New World intends to tell a collection of stories with simplicity and clarity, but through a medium that’s not commonly used in the world of musical theatre.
The musical summarizes this idea with one line: “I don’t want to philosophize. I just want to tell a story.”
Songs For a New World plays at The King’s College November 21, 22, and 23. For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mca-fall-musical-tickets-75174156927.