Elijah Blumov

The Valley of Astonishment

Elements of Theatre: Music
Music plays an integral and involved role in this piece, so much so that the play itself could arguably be called musical performance art; of the five performers, two of them are primarily musical accompaniment, one a pianist/accordionist and the other playing a chordophone and various idiophones. In the show, music serves four distinct purposes: firstly, as an ambient soundtrack to suggest mood and add emphasis to various scenes and monologues (of note: The Oriental passage played during the Phoenix monologue). Secondly, as an indicator of the passage of time, performed as interludes between scenes, or within a scene to condense the narrative, counterpuntal to some sort of pantomime (as when Sammy recites dozens of words). Thirdly, music is utilized as a window into the thoughts of the synesthete characters, giving the audience a glimpse into their melodic minds and the thought patterns and emotions they exhibit as told through their musical inner consciousness (such as in the monologue about the beloved bassist, or when Sammy becomes frustrated/overwhelmed and the music reacts accordingly). Lastly, music is used physically within the confines of the narrative (such as when one character listens to the radio, or when another plays piano for the doctors).