i need to hear your essay on how balladeer casting changes the show 👀👀
<3333 hi yes i did not forget about this, i’ve been hit with the infamous “5-day headache” spell (never ending psychic damage) so unfortunately i do not have the brain cells to phrase this in the way i want :/
all in all, i think it’s very interesting to look at how the balladeer inserts themself as this audience tour-guide/teacher throughout the ballads. the verse that begins with “listen to the stories/hear it in the songs” in the ballad of booth is the best example i have off the top of my head. that in tandem with the balladeer as the personification of the american dream carries a very specific tone for audiences (‘who is it telling us as audience members to pay attention, and what are they trying to tell us, and who are we within the world of the show?’ kinda deal!) the same goes for the proprietor as a character, and how the balladeer and proprietor are played against each other throughout the play.
not to boston assassins post on my personal read of the balladeer, but it was veeeeryyy interesting to hear the director’s thoughts on the balladeer and proprietor as well! the boston production was done w thrust staging, so there were many moments where the balladeer and the proprietor entered during scenes and just sat and watched the show silently next to audience members. idk!! i think the relationship between the balladeer, the proprietor, and the audience in terms of casting and blocking is so incredibly important to the show :)
Hey mate we have an American version of this. It’s called assassins the musical. It’s gonna be the anniversary of McKinley’s death soon. Maybe they both will die on September fourteenth?
hey babe. did you think i wasn’t aware of the SEMINAL and LIFE CHANGING musical that is Stephen Sondheim’s ( and John Weidman’s) Assassins