Sketch Musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try"

Hi, Friends, I'll take you to a theatre today! Sydney sketch club challenged "mission impossible," sketching a musical in almost darkness! But I sketched a lot. I'll chat over the play and drawing technical tips. The final year students of the Australian Institute of Music  offered a fantastic musical for freebie! 

Hedy LaRue, "A Secretary Is Not A Toy." 
For the first time, I used soft oil pastel. Interesting. Need more experiments. 

A musical, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try" is a satirical comedy that discloses problems in big business. Unfair promotion involved with kinship, old school tie, relationship, sexism, backstabbing competition for promotion, irrational lust for commercial benefits and so ons. They are smartly wrapped with humour and nice music. The story follows the rise of a young man, Finch who uses a handbook called "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." He climbs up the corporate ladder from a window washer to a top. A time setting is 1960s.

Finch and Secretary  

The theme is the importance of humanity. Like I promised you if I found "how to get success," I will share with you. OK, my conclusion is need to define what success is. So, I'll leave it to you. "Enjoy the play by your own and find it!" I say ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ.  
A protagonist, Finch gets a happy ending though, I felt interest in another NEW window washer, Bud Frump holding the handbook... behind Finch's happy finale. Yeah, if Bud uses that book... gulp...will he rise like Finch?!

Finch gets favour of a 25-yrs working mailroom head, Mr. Twimble. 
They sing "The Company Way."

Regarding sketching a musical, a practical approach is "discover social conventions" and capture them in sketches. Social conventions show messages in a play. Technically, although it's very hard to draw in darkness, one solution is to draw without looking at own hand and paper. Another tip is to seize the most dramatic/crucial moments/scenes in the play that has social conventions. All these tips are very similar to picture book illustration. Why?

Australian Institute of Music Theatre 

Setting, a scenario and body language use our social conventions to convey symbolic meanings, which is same as picture book illustrators do. Character design amuses me. It's a good example of social agreement. It reveals culture and value in society. Think of a typical bad guy in a business company. How do you set his character? How does he look like? What costume and what colour does he put on? Setting in a theatre also uses a limited space efficiently and very clever. Especially, light and colours on a stage and setting interest me so much. It reminds me of page and space. In the play, "Book Voice" works excellent. Ahahahaha, different though, I remembered a tv show "Big Brother." That's a narrator and same as sentences in picture books. Got an image? I also paid attention when audience laughed = when audience respond well.

Boss Mr Biggley, Bad guy/sneaky/nepotistic little nephew Bud Frump 
& Hedy LaRue,(Mr Biggly's secret mistress).

So, for me, to watch a big hit play is a very important study at the same time. They all deepen knowledge and develop drawing skills to create picture books. Wonderful and helpful. Yes, picture book illustrators are no less than film directors. In our industry, very famous and successful picture book illustrators are, you can find, originally from a film/animation industry and vice verse. For example, Shaun Tan and Freya Blackwood. Films and plays are very good case studies for illustration.

"Paris Original"
All secretaries/girls ironically put on the same dress at a party!
Oh, each girl expected she should be the best. 

This already classic play is still popular. It's my another interest to think of why classic wins popularity. It implies same old issues remain in our modern society.

In addition, the final year students are excellent!!! They gave us a fabulous afternoon of free entertainment. Youngish and so talented students! They asked us for donation for Cancer Council! Good on them!! I happily put some money into a box. When I left the theatre, I said the special thanks to a music mixer and a receptionist. I hope they would pass on my thanks to other students. 
Sketching a musical play is hard, but we can do it! I'll explore oil pastel more. 


Let's challenge something new and explore it. 

Above all, let's have fun and enjoy a theatre play!
Friends, Happy Painting!!

Sketch Musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try"