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| opheliarose |
By my side harmonyI can't tell the voices apart well enough- is the Peggy or Gilmer role the higher one on By my side? |
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| Robinflamingo |
I've been in productions where it was done both ways. I think the only difference is whose voice fits the best. | ||
| Melindaisy |
as is is written, Peggy sings the melody, Gilmer does the higher harmony part. | ||
| WhyWeTellTheStory |
I don't know how it's originally written, but I played Gilmer in our production last year, and I did the higher harmony. | ||
| Vichysois |
Yup, that's how it's written. But it's not imperative that it's done that way. Just like most of the book for Godspell. |
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| Jman383 |
I'd be PISSED if I was Peggy and I had the harmony in what was supposed to be my song. Just sayin'.... | ||
| Buff Daddy |
In our production Peggy & Joanne sang the song. Bit unfortunate as Joanne really struggled with the harmonies!
Buff 
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| Vichysois |
I get your point. That's something of the danger in Godspell. In this particular case, however, I find Gilmer's harmony more interesting than the melody, and I'd venture that after the first verse, Peggy isn't much of the "lead" in the song. I know she sings the melody, but the most interesting part of "By My Side" has never been Peggy for me. And a good Gilmer can easily outshine Peggy in that song IMO. Going slightly off-topic, but stil pertinent IMO: I find the ensemble in Godspell can be very prone to being forgettable. Even with numbers like "Bless the Lord My Soul" and "All Good Gifts," I feel that the audience often goes, "Oh well that was nice" and then forgets about it. Unless of course, the performer is horrendous. Then they're unfortunately unforgettable. It's an ensemble show about a community, but unless each performer is distinct and talented enough, I find that Jesus becomes the overt center of attention (that is, more than he needs to be at times). One example of this phenomenon is the comment I've received as Jesus and heard given to other performers playing him is, "Oh my. You had so many lines! How did you learn them?!" IMO, something is amiss in the production when the audience is more conscious of how long Jesus' lines are rather than what they mean and how the community is absorbing them. But then, that's the delicate balance one attempts to govern when doing Godspell. Everyone has to be loud and distinct, but fill their spot and mesh into a community. Jesus is the leader, but shouldn't be the solitary focal point. |
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| Jman383 |
Well Gilmer doesnt HAVE to sing it. In the production I directed a year and a half ago, I added a character named Martha to do both that part and "Beautiful City" (the Jr. version). It was brilliant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5iVJqY0y3k And as for the ensemble, no, I think they MAKE the show. Each of their personalities should be SO different, and thus relatable to different audience members. As a whole, I'm not gonna lie, my Gilmer definitely stole the show, BUT, Joanne, Sonia and Lamar were not far behind at all, especially Joanne and Sonia. |