Lucky Duck
| Musical dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Lucky Duck |
| Original title: | Lucky Duck |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Henry Krieger |
| Book: |
Bill Russell Jeffrey Hatcher |
| Lyrics: | Bill Russell |
| Literary source: |
The ugly duckling Hans Christian Andersen |
| Original direction: | John Rando |
| Premiere: | July 10, 2004 |
| Place of premiere: | The Old Globe, San Diego |
| Place and time of the action: | fictional kingdom |
| Roles / people | |
|
see roles |
|
Lucky Duck is a musical by the US songwriter Bill Russell and the playwright Jeffrey Hatcher from 2004. The story is based on the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen , whose plot is based on the stylistic device of the " what-if " is continued. The play was initially conceived as a show for adult viewers, but has since been redesigned for a young audience and takes place in the field of talent shows that are broadcast by television stations.
background
The story of the musical had its world premiere in 2000 under the title Everything's Ducky as a three-hour show at the TheatreWorks in Palo Alto . This production was also performed at the La Mirada Theater , the Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati, and the Repertory Theater in St. Louis . The Show Everything's Ducky won the Backstage West Garland Award in 2000 in the “Best Score” category and the “Will Glickman Award” in the “Best New Bay Area Play” category.
The plot was later revised and adapted to current events. Bill Russell, who wrote the lyrics and the book together with Henry Krieger and Jeffrey Hatcher, write:
"In the process of writing this, the world changed a lot, especially because of 9/11, and the new version reflects that."
"During the process of revision, the world changed, especially with 9/11, and the new version reflects that."
Even if the story was inspired by the fairy tale Hans Christian Andersen, the plot is a completely separate story, which came about because Russell wondered how the story could have continued after the transformation from the ugly duckling into a wonderful swan. The musical Lucky Duck tries to answer this question. Serena, the swan girl, leaves her parents' farm one day to make her dreams come true in "New Quack City" and to avoid being teased by her siblings.
German staging
The musical was rewritten by Nico Rabenald for the German production and will be shown as a German premiere in the Brunsviga in Braunschweig in February 2017 .
action
Lucky Duck is set in a strange kingdom with talking animals. It is ruled by birds and the carnivores are second class citizens. In an allusion to well-known casting shows, the king announces a singing competition one day, in which the best songbirds in the empire are to compete against each other. The swan Serena, who has always been considered an outsider by his family because of his looks, is probably not beautiful enough for this competition, because she is just the ugly little duckling from the country. When she hears of a wolf attack, she secretly follows the king and his well-protected son into the dark, forbidden forest. Here she meets Wolf and tells him about her desire to become a singer who is loved by everyone. Wolf replies that he is an agent and can help her. When Serena meets Drake, she hides the wolf, knowing that he is wanted. Drake explains to her that there are more important things than looking good. Drake discovers Wolf, but Serena manages to save him from arrest.
Serena realizes that she has been adopted by her parents and from now on she decides to take her fate into her own hands and to look for happiness with Wolf in "New Duck City". There they meet the hungry coyotes Karl and Kevin, but Wolf calms Serena down and asks her not to be afraid and to trust him. Wolf brings Serena to Goosetella's modeling agency. There, with the help of Goosetella's assistants and fashion photographer Armand Dillo, she discovers that she is a beautiful swan who has become a supermodel. Wolf notices that he has a growing greed to eat Serena whenever she starts to sing. He frees the rather simple-minded coyote Kevin from prison and decides to go with him to devour Serena.
Meanwhile, the songbird competition begins in the Quackerdome. And just as Wolf is about to pounce on Serena to eat her, the king dies of ecstasy over her singing. Serena is arrested and vows never to sing again. Wolf and Kevin, however, develop a plan how they can get Serena to sing, thereby killing all the birds and usurping power in the realm. In her dungeon, Serena is visited by Goosetella and Armand Dillo, who persuade her well and tell her not to lose her courage. When Drake and Wolf come to free Serena, she decides to trust Wolf, who promises to clear her name. For this she should sing in honor of the king at the funeral service. Serena realizes too late that she has been duped. Wolf and Kevin tie them up and prepare to eat them after the concert. Wolf threatens to devour her stepsisters and Drake if Serena refuses to sing. But the crooks' calculation does not work out, instead of all listeners sinking dead to the floor, their voice causes everyone to embrace lovingly. Even the king is brought back from his sleep of death. Wolf rushes hungry at Serena, but instead of eating her, he kisses her deeply. Serena confesses her love to him and the whole kingdom has lived happily ever since.
roll
| Original name / German name | property | Animal species |
| Serena | The ugly duckling, shy, brave, ambitious and doubting himself | swan |
| wolf | A charming, always hungry talent scout and former meat eater. | wolf |
| Clem Coyote / Alpha Kevin | none of the smartest | coyote |
| Carl Coyote / Karl | is smarter than his brother | |
| Cop | an Irish police dog who takes nothing | dog |
| Drake / drake | the spoiled prince who never seems to grow up | duck |
| King | good-natured, well-meaning father of Drake | |
| Queen / Queen | arrogant, demanding mother of Drake | |
| Mrs. Mallard | Serena's self-centered stepmother | |
| Millicent Mallard | Serena's mean stepsisters | |
| Mildred Mallard | ||
| Goosetella / goose putty | the chicest goose in town, owner of the Chick Model Agency | goose |
| Verblinka | Assistant to Goosetella, Eastern European model | |
| Priggy / Kim Chi | Assistant to Goosetella, Asian model | |
| Armand Dillo | enthusiastic top fashion photographer | armadillo |
| Free Range Chicken | wild and noisy chickens | chicken |
| Chicken Little / Warden (Little Chicken) | crazy jailer | |
| Wren / wren | young, lost, innocent and grateful | Wren |
| The Three Little Pigs | homeless, needy poor pigs | pig |
| Mr. Muh | a scottish sheep | sheep |
| a total of 32 possible roles, at least 9 actors, five men, four women, optional choir, five musicians. | ||
music
The music was composed by Henry Krieger and is a tried and tested mix of fast rock songs, bluesy and lyrical pieces in traditional instrumentation for American youth musicals. The orchestra consists of a leading piano and a synthesizer . There are also soprano , alto and tenor saxophones , flute, clarinet , oboe and English horn . The rhythm is provided by bass and drums.
review
The piece was received positively. Broadway magazine Talkin 'Broadway writes that “… the songs by Krieger and Russell may not be quite as good as they were for their 1997 musicals Side Show or Dreamgirls (1981), but they do it brilliantly to describe all the musical stages in the main character's career from rural Hee Haw to Motown studios . " Playbill magazine wrote that" while the show was designed for adults, it was also suitable for families. The piece is full of hot pop music, rhythm and blues , gospel and show stoppers in the usual Broadway style. ”The German premiere received positive reviews, wrote Klaus Gohlke, a freelance journalist for the Braunschweiger Zeitung , in his blog:“ It's all highly complex. Actually too complex for a school theater troupe. However: you sit, see, listen and are as confused as you are impressed. How can you perform such a subject with pupils so skillfully? Music, drama, dance, show - where do the actors come from to present themselves so vulnerably? […] The work was particularly impressive in the detail: costumes and masks made types recognizable. The whole gamut of posing in the ShowBiz was excellently observed and the whole gamut of posing was reproduced in a humorous way. All in all, a coherent choreography that was able to productively cope with the difficulties of the Brunsviga stage together with the technology. "
| Original title | German title (Nico Rabenald) |
| That's One Ugly Duck | You can see that it is ugly |
| That's One Ugly Duck (Reprise) | You can see that she is ugly (recapitulation) |
| Average, simple, mega superstar | Just a little mega superstar |
| A helping paw | I'll give you a paw |
| Too Bad You're Not My Type | You're just not my type |
| Average, Simple, Mega Superstar (Reprise) | Just a little mega superstar (reprise) |
| Juicy, Tender, and Young | Juicy, very tender and very young |
| A Helping Paw (recapitulation) | I'll give you a paw (recapitulation) |
| The look | The look |
| Embrace your inner swan | Hug the swan in you |
| The Look (reprise) | The look (play off) |
| Careful What You Wish For | Pay attention to the wishes |
| Wolfiloquy | Wolf's self-talk |
| Good Times Are Here At Last | The golden age is here |
| Where Did The Good Times Go? | Where have the times gone? |
| Where Did The Good Times Go? (Recapitulation) | Golden Times (recapitulation) |
| Wipe The Egg Off Your Face | Wipe the egg off your face |
| I'd Love To Sing A Love Song | I love love songs |
| Good Enough To Eat | You look appetizing |
| Don't Start Playing My Swan Song | Don't play a swan song for me yet |
| Lucky Duck | See how happy I am |
Performances (selection)
- July 10, 2004: "The Old Globe", San Diego - first version
- April 20, 2007: "Boston Conservatory", Boston
- June 22, 2010: "The Coterie Theater", Kansas City - Theater for Young Audiences Production
- March 19, 2012: " New Victory Theater ", New York
- February 17, 2017: “ Brunsviga ”, Braunschweig - German premiere by the music theater group “nunodernie” under the direction of Kaja Brandenburger (director) and Felix Goltermann (musical director).
Publications
- Bill Russell, Jeffrey Hatcher, Gip Hoppe, Linda Goodrich, Shawn Gough, Tracey Conyer Lee, John Herrera, Tony Capone, Mark Chmiel, Alicia Irving, Natalie Toro, Henry Krieger, HC Andersen: Everything's ducky . Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Saint Louis, Mon. 2000, OCLC 854576634 (book of original music show version ).
- Henry Krieger, Bill Russell, Jeffrey Hatcher: Lucky duck . Theatrical Rights, New York 2007, OCLC 385062216 (Boston performance book).
- Bill Russell, Jeffrey Hatcher, Bill Casey, Michelle Chassé, Henry Krieger: Lucky duck. The performance recorded at the Boston Conservatory on April 21, 2007 (DVD-Video).
- Lucky Duck - 2007 Boston Conservatory. castalbums.org, 2007, accessed December 27, 2016 (studio recording - Bristol Studios).
- Klaus Gohlke: "Baby, I'll make you a swan!" In: Braunschweiger Zeitung . February 22, 2017 ( braunschweiger-zeitung.de - access only via login).
Web links
- South Coast Repertory - Lucky Duck (PDF)
- George Heymont: Born-Again Musicals. In: The Huffington Post . June 6, 2012, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- Carl A. Rossi: Lucky Duck. In: Theater Mirror Reviews. 2007, accessed December 27, 2016 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lucky Duck. The Old Globe - Press Archives, 2004, accessed April 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Henry Krieger. Theatrical Rights Worldwide online, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Jeffrey Hatcher. Theatrical Rights Worldwide online, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Kenneth Jones: Lucky Duck, Musical About a Dreamgirl Whose Feather Boa Is Permanent. Playbill, July 16, 2004, accessed December 26, 2016 .
- ↑ The Story of Lucky Duck In: South Coast Repertory - Lucky Duck ( scr.org PDF, English).
- ↑ Lucky Duck. ( Memento from December 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the Gallissas theater publisher with information on the play and audio samples.
- ↑ Matthew Murray: Off Broadway Reviews, Lucky Duck In: Talkin 'Broadway Magazine . ( talkinbroadway.com ).
- ↑ “Baby, I'll make you a swan!” Wordpress.com, February 20, 2017, accessed on February 22, 2017 (article with pictures of the performance in the Brunsviga).
- ↑ Lucky Duck - Songs (audio samples).
- ↑ Eric Grode: 'Lucky Duck' at the New Victory Theater . In: The New York Times . March 19, 2012 ( nytimes.com ).