Ascot Gavotte Research Post

The Context of the Extract Within the Musical

Ascot Gavotte is the name of the song and dance we perform from the Musical My Fair Lady. In this scene, upper-class citizens are attending the Ascot opening horse race.

The story of this musical is about a young flower girl named Eliza who is being trained by Henry to become ‘proper’ and pass off as a duchess. He takes her for her first public appearance which happens to be the Ascot opening race.

The Time the Musical was Created

The musical premiered on Broadway, March 15, 1956, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. It was followed by a popular film version (1964) which received many awards.

The Type of Musical and the Style it’s in

My Fair Lady is a comedy-drama made in America but set in London in 1912. The dances are simplistic and classical as well as many of the songs. Some of the songs are cockney (such as Wouldn’t It Be Loverly).

What was Happening in the World when the Musical was Released?

The musical was first released in 1956 in which there was an increase in living standards and a focus on education. This relates to the musical in that more and more people where getting an education and less people were in the working class. The Rock and Roll dance craze was also sweeping the world at this time (thanks to Elvis Presley). This completely contrasted to the poised, upper-class dances that required very little other than a still, upright posture. It also made My Fair Lady more amusing to watch.

Impact on the Industry

A list of the awards that the My Fair Lady won as follows:

• Academy Award for Best Picture 1965
• Academy Award for Best Original Music Score 1965
• Academy Award for Best Actor 1965
• Academy Award for Best Director 1965
• Academy Award for Best Cinematography 1965
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 1965
• Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing 1965
• Academy Award for Best Production Design 1965
• Academy Award for Best Costume Design 1965
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 1965
• Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1965
• BAFTA Award for Best Film 1966
• Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 1965
• David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor 1965
• David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress 1965
• David di Donatello for Best Foreign Producer 1965
• 1957 Tony Award for Best Musical
• 2002 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival

Clearly, it was very popular and award-winning.

The musical’s 1956 Broadway production was a notable critical and popular success. It set a record for the longest run of any show on Broadway up to that time. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version and many revivals. My Fair Lady has been called “the perfect musical”.

Using This Information to Develop my Performance Skills and Enhance my Connection to the Piece

Without doing the research that I carried out for this unit, I wouldn’t have known the story line of the musical. I am now confident that I know the plot and its characters as well as the styles and accents the musical includes. This means that I can now apply my knowledge and understanding to my performance in Ascot Gavotte and that my character within it will appear more realistic and purposeful. Not only does this knowledge allow me to build the correct sort of character when acting and dancing, but now I will be much better at singing with purpose as I know what I am actually singing about. I also now want to watch the musical in its entirety which means I’ll understand it even more.