Spotlights, Camera, Action

The original film of Reservoir Dogs  is, without a question, racist and misogynistic. There are multiple scenes where racial slurs are used liberally, written by a white director for white actors to say. Harmful stereotypes about Black people, specifically incarcerated Black men, are passed off as jokes. And there is only one woman in the whole movie -- who gets shot in the face milliseconds after appearing onscreen. It is by no means a flawless or progressive movie. In the musical, I hope to mitigate some of the harm caused. If it was ever produced anywhere, I would hire a creative team full of women and people of color. The casting would also be done in such a way that is gender- and race- blind. Mr. Orange, for example, doesn't need  to be a man. If the actor cast in the role is female, the name would simply be changed to "Ms. Orange" and "Winnifred Newandyke." The only caveat is that the actors for Mr. Orange and Mr. White must be the same gender in order to...

In the film Reservoir Dogs,  the entire movie -- barring "flashbacks" and the opening scene -- largely takes place in one location: the warehouse. I have chosen to remain faithful to that aspect in Reservoir Dogs the Musical.   During the opening number, "Just the Tip," the entire stage is empty save for a simple diner set. There is a table, around which sit Mr. Orange, Mr. White, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blue, Nice Guy Eddie, and Joe Cabot. They do their song and dance and then there is a full blackout. When the lights come back on, the diner set is off and replaced with the warehouse set: walls and a ramp set up at an angle to the audience. On stage right, there is the bathroom that Mr. White and Mr. Pink chat in near the beginning of the film. It is followed shortly by the ramp. On stage left there are two double doors leading offstage. Across the room are scattered various tarps and crates and other assorted set decoration to make it look like an aba...

What's in a soundtrack? There are several main types of songs in musicals and musical theatre: "I Want," "I Am," conditional love songs, comic songs, Act Two openers, and 11 o'clock numbers.  "I Want" and "I Am" are self-explanatory. The former is perhaps one of the most written and most well-known types of songs. A character tears their emotions from their chest and bares their soul, describing their very deepest desires. The latter is more of a fourth-wall breaking moment, where a character lays out exactly who they are, a la "Major General's Song" from Pirates of Penzance.   Conditional love songs are love songs where characters perhaps haven't yet realized it's a love song, but the audience has. Comic songs are, as the name suggests, comic -- a way for levity to be brought in and the mood to be lightened. Think "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain. Act Two openers open the second act, and m...