We're zeroing in on a space...(and geeking out about Tim Curry.)

Hey gang,
"The Last Unicorn" is in the process of picking a performance space, and dates are TBA. As soon as all of the details are completely hammered out you'll be able to read about it here. For now, know that we're on the case, getting ready to make this production of "Unicorn" the awesome event I know it will be. In the mean time, here's a clip from another really important movie from my childhood that had Unicorns in it (be warned, it be spooky):



Plus this clip actually has the bad guy use the phrase "the last unicorn...." We'll save her though, won't we folks? : - ) Tim Curry (yep, that's him under all the red body paint) is awesome- he has personally redeemed many awful movies, and is an accomplished stage actor to boot. Speaking of less-than-life-changing movies that Tim Curry redeems, here's another fun little clip:

More cool cannibal music

Remember how I said that the cave scene from Ravenous has awesome music? Actually lots of the music in that movie is awesome. Here's another music clip that really has gotten under my skin. I love how this piece starts out really repetitive and simple and then adds layers of depth and complexity as it continues. The clip also shows scenes from the movie- watch out, some of this is bloody and intense. I'd say it's still PG-13 or extremely mild rated R, though. But you see how much music and soundscape can enhance a story?



Ok, that's enough inflicting horror movie music on you for a while. I promise to be back on Unicorns and theatre related stuff again soon.

UPDATE, 2/19: The previous video got zapped by a copyright claim, it looks like. I embedded a different video so you can still hear the music I was referring too.

Inspirational(ly Creepy) Music, part 2

It is 2005. Once again, I am watching a movie (though a different one) that is scaring the bejeezus out of me. The story: a young American girl goes to study ballet at a prestigious German ballet academy. But strange things are happening. The same night she arrives in Germany, a young girl who had recently been expelled from the ballet academy is found murdered in a shockingly vicious fashion. The teachers at the academy seem to slip away to some secret place within the school at night. There is a mysterious Directress of the academy that is never seen. As the body count piles up, the girl happens upon the truth: the ballet academy is actually a front for a coven of witches, who use their magic to spread their hate and malice and amass vast personal wealth. Eventually the girl wanders through a secret fairy tale door into a place more deadly and horrible than Narnia or the Wonderland on the other side of the looking glass. She must be brave and face down an ancient with power beyond her comprehension. And did I mention that the score is creepy, compelling, and gorgeous? Here's a taste:



I love that subliminally soft demonic voice that tonelessly begins to 'sing' la la la along with the music at various points. And I love the fantasy and fairy tale aspects of Suspiria's story- a young innocent girl is journeying into a dangerous world of black magic, where she must challenge an ancient evil. In some ways this is similar to the journey Amalthea must make. But does this music have any place in the stage production of "The Last Unicorn?" If so, where should the music go? Or is the film source of this material too easy for people to recognize? I had never heard of this movie before I saw it, but I'm not exactly a cineast. Any thoughts, commenters?

Inspirational(ly Creepy) Music

It is the year 2000. I am watching a movie that is scaring the bejeezus out of me. The story: several soldiers during the Spanish American War are stationed at an outpost near the Rockies. A shivering, starving and half crazed man stumbles down from the foothills, telling a horrifying story of murder and mass cannibalism in a cave up in the crags; he was part of a party that was led astray by a devious and flesh-hungry soldier who intended to get the travelers stranded and then feast upon them. So the soldiers send a group (including the wanderer who told the tale) up into the mountains to investigate- to kill the cannibal soldier, and rescue anyone that can be rescued. So after some time they reach the cave. And this is not a little recession in a cliff. This is a deep, dark cave- the kind of cave you'd imagine not just bears, but yeti or dragons would nest in. They leave the wanderer and a couple of other soldiers outside to stand guard in case the cannibal is away from home and returns while they're searching. Pulses pounding, every nerve on a razor's edge, the rest of the soldiers slowly creep into the cave with weapons at the ready. The silence is oppressive- nothing but vague rustles and the echoing drips of moisture. They reach the back of the cave without encountering the cannibal soldier...and they find the bodies. They're convinced that the cannibal must be out wandering...but then one of them counts the bodies. There's one less than in the tale told by the half-crazed wanderer. And one of the corpses is wearing a soldier's uniform- that's right, the crazy cannibal was the wanderer who told the tale. And he's tricked all of the soldiers into coming up in to the mountains so he can feast on them as well.

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Better horror movie premises have failed. But what makes this scene a horror classic is the incredible music used during that scene, that skillfully supports the story and plays on the emotions of the listener. Here's the music piece in question (titled "The Cave," naturally):



Why am I talking about this on The Last Uniblog? It's a classic example of good sound design and scoring doing an excellent job of supporting the telling of a story. And while we still haven't finalized who will be sound designing the production, I'm hoping the designer will consider using this music in a scene or scenes, or at least I'll be able to refer him/her to this music as an example of the feel/mood I'm striving for. Also, this production of "The Last Unicorn" is not children's theatre! It will be mostly kid-friendly but we are exploring not just a cool story, but one with intense (and sometimes violent!) scenes, and grown-up themes.

I love how the music starts out unsettling and almost childlike (up until about 4:14), while perfectly evoking in music the natural sounds of the cave- you can hear weird echoes and what might be the flapping of bat wings or the scuttling of some small animal. Eventually, strings start to perfectly capture the sound of water dripping down into some puddle or small pool in the cave. In "The Last Unicorn," I'm wondering if this music, or music like it, might have a place in the Midnight Carnival scenes- especially when the Harpy is first revealed, or Mommy Fortuna disguises herself as Elli. Then at 4:14 things get really interesting. I think the percussion that starts there is initially meant to represent the pounding heartbeats in the ears of the increasingly terrified soldiers as they proceed deeper and deeper into the cave. Then more and more echoing and ominous percussion keeps being added on top of it- you can feel the horror build as the soldiers find more and more evidence and come to their horrific realization (while outside, the crazy cannibal has slipped his bonds and is already digging for his buried hunting knife...) This music (I mean 4:14 to the end) is the kind of thing I'm thinking about for the first appearance of the Red Bull, or maybe when the Harpy escapes. Speaking of the Harpy, fans of the movie version of "The Last Unicorn" might recognize the electronic guitar licks that happen at 5:44 and again at 6:15....coincidence? I think not.