W11, #3: Giving Voice to the Revolution

Along with several film adaptations over the years, Broadway has also given new life -- as a musical -- to the classic novel, "A Tale of Two Cities". Note: you can go to this link to see all of the Broadway musical's songs, read the lyrics, and listen to each song on the soundtrack.

Below are videos of 2 of the musical's songs taken from performer 'workshops' as the production prepared for its stage debut on Broadway. 

Challenge:

• Which song/lyrics best fits the 'character' -- Madame Defarge or Sydney Carton -- you read about and the overall themes each character represented? 
• 5+ sentences would be great.
• Note:  forgive the 'quality' of the videos.  Just listen; no need to watch.

The first clip -- showing performer Michelle Dawson as Madame Defarge -- is of a song entitled, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind":

The second clip -- showing performer James Barbour as Sydney Carton -- is of a song entitled, "Let Her Be a Child":

Comments

[Student #1]

The video portraying Carton relates to him more. It is clear through the song and the literature that he is love sick but knows he cannot interfere or the whole idea of the way the story is going could be destroyed. He wants whats best for her at the expense of his own life. That theme re-surfaces many times in now-a-day times.

***

Mr. Long's response: Interesting idea re: interference and the "at the expense of his own life". Just you wait until you hit the novel's final page(s)/lines!

[Student #2]

The "Let Her Be a Child" Sydney Carton fits his character perfectly. Carton is a very loving person who wants the best for others, especially if they are innocent. He often went out of his way to help others even if they had never done anything for him. He wanted people to be punished who deserved it. He wanted to help maintain the innocence of those who had never lost it.

***

Mr. Long's response: One definitely can see this side of him in the final 1/3 of the novel, but I would imagine it'd be a complete surprise given the way we 'met' him early on. Can you explain the following comment you made? "He wanted people to be punished who deserved it."

[Student #3]

I loved the clip over Madame Defarge. I think it truly showed her character. SHe shows anger and bitterness as she sings. I think the song itself also fits her, waiting in the shadows to topple the monarchy. She shows far more emotion than Carton in her song too. This really helped me see her character more clearly.

Mr. Long's response: Glad that this song/video brought her further to life for you after you've completed the novel. A nice bonus.

[Student #4]

Madamm Defarges' character is so much clearer to me then it was after I read the book. The emotion in which she sings really shows anger and her devotion for revenge. I think that just in a clip or in a song, someone's portrayal of a character can be altered in just the way they bring their feelings to life.

[Student #5]

I find student 3's comment interesting, yet a bit self contradicting, because I think that Carton is a character who doesn't show his emotion, so the guy who acts Carton did his job well in that sense.

I think that Madame Defarge's video is more accurate to the novel because Dawson really showed the emotion through the song. Her expression is fierce, which suggests anger and blood thirst, yet she proposed patience in the lyric, and proposed to "keep them blind" for the moment. This part truly demonstrates the scene where Madame Defarge tells her husband to be patient and made the comparison of the earthquake and the lightning. I also noticed that the background music really support the emotion because at the beginning, when the song talks about the child, the music is low, but once hatred and bloodiness is involved, the drum starts sound loudly and rapidly, which convey a sense of strength and fury, just like elements such as earthquake and lightning.

[Student #2 (one more thing)]

(addition to Student #2)

Carton didn't want Lucie to be a victim of something she wasn't even responsible for. It was not Lucie's fault for who and what her husband had done in the past. If Darnay had been killed Lucie might as well have died also.

[Student #6]

I have to say that the writing for both songs are fabulous. But Madame Defarge’s chorus “out of site out of mind” (I guess you could call it a chorus) contradicts her actions. Every other lyric in the song is as violent as she is. But her motivation came from the marquis killing her sister and brother. All of her motivation came from her memory that lingers in her mind. So even though all of her motivation has been out of site it stayed in her mind (the chorus should sound something like that). Darnay’s on the other hand couldn’t be better. He sounds like a changed man. His motivation is life towards the ones he loves. His lyrics match his actions. So I would have to say that Darnay’s lyrics fits his character best.

[Student #7]

"Let Her Be a Child" is the perfect song for the character of Carton to sing. In the novel Carton is depicted as seeing many negative outcomes in his life causing him to belief and realize that his life is unmeaningful. The lyrics of the song beg for a child to retain her innocence, and not lose it by growing up and gain the knowledge of bad outcomes that are occuring around her, which she is unaware of because of the sheild her innocence creates. This would "fit" Carton, because if the character sang this he would be saying not to lose innocence or look negatively on the world or else the person will end up like him. Also the song is compassionate to other people, and because it is, if Carton were to sing it, it would show his quality of compassion seen in the end of the novel.

[Student #8]

I think the song for Madame Defarge showcases her anger towards the nobles which is at the chore of her character. It is brutal and tells you how much she hates the way her world is run and how the poor like her are treated as if they don't even exist. She thinks the nobles put them all out of their minds and it may even be a gift for them to kill them. It shows how she is feeling about the need for a revolution, and how she wants to go about it. It also expresses the saving up until the lightning idea she speaks of with her husband in the book. She expresses how at the same time that her enemies think it is good to keep them out of their minds it is good her the revolutionaries also giving them the chance to plan and get ready to overthrow them in as cruel a way as she feels they deserve, which I think is very much like the Madame Defarge in the book.

[Student #9]

I love Madame Defarge's line about how death is welcome retreat. I think she is a great Madame Defarge because her tone really captures the anger in the novel. She really seems to have that crazy, lost, blinded by anger thing about her. Her expressions help to convey the things that she is singing about and her character is feeling inside. I would love to watch the final performance of this song to see further character development form her.

I think that out of context Carton's song was not too great. I don't know anything about this show but I am hoping that this scene comes nearer t othe end rather than the beginning. I think that if this were early on in the show this would make no sense with what we know about Carton early on. About the performer; I think he was very strong vocally but (unlike Dawson's Defarge) I don't think he was great at conveying meaning through the song. He mumbled a little too much for my taste.

[Student #10]

The one portraying Carton's personality was exactly correct. It showed that he is a loving person and that he shouldn't intervene in other's lives. The lyrics indicate a few of his action also. Dawson sang the song how Madame Defarge would, with fierceness, intensity and hatred. When she would emphasize her consonants it showed her anger and how she resented the one who killed her sister and how she won't be able to forgive them.

[Student #11]

Madam Defarge’s song definitely coincides with the character in the novel. The atmosphere and attitude of the song exponentially picks up paste just as Madam Defarges bloody rampage across Paris. It starts with her in the shadows knitting, but then it escalates in a much passionate song of angst. It also shows how the last blood of the Evrémonde must be destroyed in order for Madam Defarge to have peace of mind. Sydney Carton’s song did have a degree of incontrollable affection, however Carton to me always seem to be a more closed and sheltered cocoon and who only open itself up to Lucie’s love.