Original title: "Rock School": Rock is natural and unstoppable.
"Rock School" stills
This is an unstoppable world, because we are shouting together! This cry is not only the chorus of all the characters in the play, but also the collective applause and release of the audience. The Broadway musical "Rock School" has once again made the Tianqiao Art Center Grand Theater a grand carnival for opera fans.
The play tells the story of Dewey, the frustrated hero, who accidentally got the opportunity to start the children’s nature by rock and roll. It mocked the rigid education and the stubborn utilitarian values, and returned life to its original appearance. It seems that children’s interpretation is actually a topic that adults should reflect on.
To be fair, as far as the plot is concerned, the musical "Rock School" is an old-fashioned story in American campus dramas and film and television works, and some logic is not reasonable. However, after andrew lloyd webber’s magical musical expression and the wonderful performances of many outstanding actors, especially the elvish young actors, it has become different. The value collision reflected in the play, although it is a cliche, still has a strong realistic criticism in the new interpretation.
However, it is not so much a work that criticizes the shortcomings and values, but rather a masterpiece that explains the spirit of rock and roll. What is rock and roll? Not venting, not rebellion, not paranoia, not yelling! It is in the predicament of modern civilization that it is difficult to break through, and it sends out the voice of human beings for freedom and self-liberation. In the play, the rigid pragmatic education, which blindly pursues the ivy league enrollment rate, is the spokesman for people’s self-suppression and even strangulation of nature. In the fierce competition of contemporary commercial society, a successful life seems to be a solidified standard in the form of "consensus", but it ignores and obliterates individual differences, and even ignores the most basic rights of human beings-that is, human nature originates from nature, and some people run like wild horses like liger, while others like to migrate freely like antelopes and fly casually like birds. And rock and roll is to break the classical tradition, re-recognize ourselves, and restore nature by shouting and releasing.
After decades of smelting, Weber’s music has reached an insurmountable peak. This peak is not only for others, but also means a challenge to oneself. Although this latest work failed to make the expected breakthrough, the lyricism, melody and harmony based on rock and roll are beautiful and smooth, and the characters’ music is vivid, which still exquisitely demonstrates what dramatic music is. The incisiveness of rock and roll did not affect Weber’s reappearance of lyric unique skills, especially children’s solo, duet and chorus. Almost every paragraph was intoxicating and constantly won the cheers of the audience. However, the most amazing thing about Weber’s music is that it is particularly suitable for the characters and the situation. It seems that every note comes naturally from the heart with the plot and is properly on the "point".
Each character has a distinctive musical personality, and he also takes the opportunity to skillfully quote and borrow famous music passages familiar to the audience to highlight his character, and even makes fun of his most classic work "Memories". In the first scene of the music classroom, Luo Lisha, the principal, played stiff and boring classical music with her singing the famous aria after midnight in the opera The Magic Flute. The gorgeous aria of the original is obviously difficult to complete in the vocal range where the role is second to that of the female, but it is deliberately and forcibly reluctant. When it comes to the high notes, it has to pretend to be casually embarrassed or lowered by eight degrees, exposing the workplace and psychological embarrassment of the characters struggling. On a date in a bar, Luo Lisha was designed by Dewey. In his memory, he poured out his heart in the form of voice-changing rock, which formed a strong contrast in music color and further demonstrated the deep significance of rock’s liberation of human nature and inner spirit. I especially appreciate Luo Lisha’s handling of the aria "Where’s Rock and Roll?". She deliberately broke through her mellow timbre, and expressed her role in a wild and unrestrained state with a "sub-roar" singing style, which was very energetic and characteristic.
In my opinion, the overall shaping of Luo Lisha, the principal, is the most successful adult role in the play. What she has done, distorted by performance standards, is a pervert under the jungle law of ruthless business society. I have to put on airs for it, spilling a few drops of innocence from time to time, and the difference between inner and outer makes it very funny and cute. In the end, she resolutely put all her eggs in one basket for the rock of her true love, and gave Dewey a kiss, which symbolized that rock and roll washed away all obstacles.
Of course, the biggest difference of this drama is the collective amazement of the young actors. Their performances, especially their talent in shaping different characters, are extremely infectious. Whether it’s Shamei, a little girl who is a "band manager" with "leadership potential", Billy who wants to be a maverick stylist, or Zach, a guitarist who is always despised by his father, Tommy, who is afraid to express himself as the lead singer in the end, Lawrence, a keyboard player who is not confident but eager to be recognized, Freddie, a cool drummer, Katie, harmony sisters Marcy and Solana, etc., each child’s personality, temperament and emotional expression are extremely vivid and true. In contrast, our kind of children’s "art education", which is particularly good at creating a false and innocent national standard, is really embarrassing.
When Dewey’s "trick" broke through and came home frustrated, the children comforted and encouraged him and inspired his fighting spirit again. This bridge, if put in an adult performance, must be vulgar. However, this group of children actually let the "vulgar" be diluted in the pure singing, and eliminated the shortcomings in the sincerity. Tomika blurted out a well-known American work "God-given Grace" in a hurry. Although it did not reach the ideal preset state, it had a star-like charm and magnetic timbre, which was really rare. The boy Zach said, "Dad, can you really listen to me for once?" The weak but firm voice strongly stopped the father who "imposed his unfulfilled ideals on his children" and sublimated the topic of his own destiny. The subsequent children’s rock "Don’t compromise" pushed the whole drama to a climax without expectation.
In the seemingly regrettable but not regrettable ending, the ultimate idea of the play is revealed through Dewey’s mouth: the hard work in life is not to get ahead, but to make yourself the best and most enjoyable in countless possibilities. Real rock and roll lies in a kind of spirit, an original driving force of life, which comes from blood and faith, unstoppable and uncompromising! (Cheng Hui)
