S PRING 2017
P AGE 19
Soundtrack Review: La La Land
Jason Hurwitz's Oscar Winning Music
Morgan MacNeil-Berry ‘18
Staff Writer
With cinematic hits like
“Moonlight,” “Manchester by the
Sea” and “La La Land,” 2016 was a
momentous year for movies. But,
unlike the others, “La La Land” is a
modern-day musical inspired by
classics like “Singin’ in the Rain” and
“an American in Paris.” It’s storyline
centers on an aspiring actress (Emma
Stone), and a passionate jazz pianist
(Ryan Gosling) striving to achieve
their dreams. The music reflects the
passionate emotions expressed in the
movie.
Composed by Justin Hurwitz, “La La
Land’s” soundtrack is inspired by
classic 1950s musical numbers,
along with old time jazz, to create
catchy and charismatic melodies.
While jazz and show tunes are the
clear inspiration for many of the
songs, Hurwitz and his team incor-
porate a variety of styles, like pop
and R&B, throughout many songs,
such as “Start a Fire” and “Someone
in the Crowd.” These combinations
of styles and genres of music make
this movie musical soundtrack spe-
cial.
Like most musicals, Hurwitz used
the “common” melody heard in
songs like “Mia & Sebastian’s
Theme” and “Audition (The Fools
Who Dream).” While sounding
similar, the revisited melody is often
changed to reflect the emotion por-
trayed by the character. While most
of the soundtrack does not shy away
from its more mellow and smooth
jazz ballads Hurwitz also incorpo-
rates the typical upbeat musical
theatre numbers commonly seen.
The opening number “Another Day
of Sun” is the perfect example of an
upbeat theme song. With fast mov-
ing piano riffs and a strong back beat
by the drums, Hurwitz masterfully
creates a bright and beguiling open-
ing number for the musical.
While the music may not be for
everyone, you cannot deny the
genius of Hurwitz and his team
when it comes to the soundtrack.
Hurwitz created an equal balance of
vocals of instrumental songs
throughout the soundtrack, and
incorporated so many distinctive
styles which produces the magical
and innovative music. Not only is
the soundtrack wonderful, but it
helps further portray the characters’
emotions, which is the main purpose
of classic musical theatre songs.
Hurwitz greatly deserved his Oscar
win for best original score and best
original song (City of Stars). He has
truly created a soundtrack that is
innovative and will be listened to for
years to come.
La La Land Cover (Promotional
via Go Moxie)
“Annie” Opening Provides Opportunity for Student Journalists
And Morgan MacNeil-Berry Takes Full Advantage
Morgan MacNeil-Berry ‘18
Staff Writer
On May 10, I had the opportunity to
attend one of the Boston perfor-
mances of the U.S. National Tour of
“Annie,” and a special press confer-
ence hosted by the Boch Center
Wang Theatre with cast members
from the show. The event was held
for student reporters, like me, who
were designated as ‘‘credentialed
media” for their school publica-
tions. About 18 schools, from all
over Massachusetts, with a wide
range of ages, sent their student
journalists to attend, allowing them
to attend the press conference, work
the red carpet, conduct interviews,
and enjoy/review the performance.
The cast panel included Gilgamesh
Taggett (Oliver Warbucks), Erin
Fish (Ms. Hannigan), Amanda
Swickle (Pepper/Annie alternate),
Amanda Wylie (Tessie) and Katie
Wylie (Duffy). The cast panel sat in
the front while the student reporters
asked a multitude of questions like
how the cast dynamic was, how the
kids fit school into their busy sched-
ule, and I asked what it felt like to be
part of such an iconic musical? Most
of them said that the roles came with
a lot of pressure but, knowing they
were staying true to their characters,
yet bringing new life to them was
very special. The press conference
lasted about 40 minutes, and parts of
it were shown on the WCVB-TV
Channel 5 news.
After the press conference, we at-
tended the red carpet event where
more cast members joined and made
themselves available for questions
and pictures. It was great to meet
the rest of the cast, and they gra-
ciously answered all of our questions
even with the little time they had
before the show.
After the red carpet, the student
reporters and their guests were able
to watch these actors perform one of
the most famous shows in the histo-
ry of musical theater. Based on the
popular Howard Gray comic strip,
“Annie” features music by Charles
Strou se and lyrics by Martin Char-
min. Thomas Meehan wrote the
book. Charmin was the original
director and he is also the director of
this version, billed as “a brand new
physical incarnation of the iconic
Tony Award winning original.” Even
casual fans know that Annie is the
irrepressible Depression era orphan
who longs to be reunited with her
parents, while gaining the adoration
of a millionaire, and inspiring a
nation. Of course, it includes the
well-known and well-loved songs
“Tomorrow,” Hard Knock Life” and
“Maybe,” among others.
I had only seen the movie, of which I
am a huge fan, but this live show
blew me away. The cast made it feel
like a new version of the same musi-
cal. The young actors were simply
outstanding; I was amazed by their
professionalism and the level of
talent.
This experience was like nothing I
have done before. It was such an
amazing opportunity to be treated
like a real journalist, and get to see
an outstanding show for people all
ages. I was incredibly lucky and
grateful to experience that in my
lifetime. “Annie” will play at the
Wang Theatre until May 21 before
moving on to Chicago and the rest of
The Orphans performing in “Annie.” (U.S.
National Tour)
Morgan MacNeil-Berry at the Wang
Theatre