PLAYING THE THIRD MAN
(MIDAS’ SERVANT, CEYX, MORPHEUS AS CEYX,
ORPHEUS, APOLLO, A, PHILEMON)
IN MARY ZIMMERMAN’S METAMORPHOSES:
A PRODUCTION THESIS

From LSU's electronic thesis and dissertation library:

Fortunately, the director decided that he would prefer a jazz aesthetic here, which
is in keeping with the costuming concept, and asked me to scat-sing, like Louis Armstrong or Ella Fitzgerald, which freed me up a great deal. Being a big jazz fan, and having great familiarity with many jazz standards, I was able to choose my melodies to fit my mood. For Phaeton’s arrival, I riffed on Harry James’ “I’ve Heard That Song Before,” which is a sentimental love song, reflecting Apollo’s nostalgic love for his boy’s mother, and the sun god’s pride in his son. For Apollo’s oedipal anxiety, I riffed on Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” which is one of the most manic songs I’ve ever heard. For Apollo’s warnings about the dangers in the sky, I chose Duke Ellington’s “The Mooche,” which has a sinister sound, and its title reflects that Phaeton has gone too far in his request. Finally, for Apollo’s chariot-driving advice, I worked with the Frank Sinatra version of “Fly Me to the Moon,” which is a love song, but, in Sinatra’s personal style, is also quite masculine and strong, reflecting Apollo’s desire to maintain control even as he gives the reins over to Phaeton. Ultimately, this all seemed fit. Like an archetypal, glamorous movie star or pop music idol who is too busy with his work to be involved in his child’s life, the “shining and golden” Apollo squeezes his love-child into his hectic schedule, speaking to him in the language of the sun god’s work.

Click here for much, much, much more (in pdf format).

So, yeah, my thesis is officially approved and online for one and all to peruse. Have at it. If you really want to. After toiling away on this beast for months, I finally realize that it's actually much more difficult to read than it was to write. And writing it sucked. I have pity for my committee. On the other hand, you may find it interesting, if not totally dry. Even though acting theses aren't as intellectually rigorous as, say, philosophy theses, this one pretty much lays out my conceptual approach for dealing with the role I played last semester in Metamorphoses, complete with new knowledge about character analysis I've picked up since starting the program here back in '04. If you're unfamiliar with the script, it may be confusing, but the score section includes the text from the scenes I was in.

At the very least, you'll enjoy the photo section at the end.

Oh my god, I'm fucking done!

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