Soul of the City
Soul of the City
By Jim Fitzmorris
Tulane University Department of Theatre
Directed by Buzz Podewell
Soul of the City is a new play that chronicles the political and social climate of New Orleans in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The first act deals primarily with issues of race in the 1950’s. Told through a debate between the Revisionist, a contemporary figure trying to understand history through her modern and detached perspective, and the Nostalgias, a stereotypical nuclear family from the Fifties, the story chronicles many important people and events that shaped racial politics in New Orleans at this time. The second act is almost an entirely different play, where a narrator takes the audience on a journey through the politics that shaped Bourbon Street, Burlesque and the crooked politicians that emerged in New Orleans in the Sixties.
Because this was a period piece, most of the sound design consisted of recordings of music from the 1950’s and 1960’s. However, these are some of the originally created and custom mixed effects.
This pre-show announcement was created especially for this show.
This effect was created to play during a scene depicting Ruby Bridges’ first day at her new school in New Orleans. When Ruby was just six years old, she was the first African-American child to integrate an all-white school in the South.
This series of different pieces of music represents the sounds coming out of the clubs as one walked down Bourbon Street in the 1960’s.
The sound of the New Orleans streetcar.
These are some of the selections of recorded music that were used in the play.
Profoundly Blue – Edmond Hall
Holiday for Strings – David Rose
Red Nightgown Blues – Oscar “Buddy” Woods with Jimmie Davis
You Are My Sunshine – Dottie Rambo and Jimmie Davis
Haunting Blues – Red Nichols, Jimmy Dorsey and Eddie Lang
Oyster Girl – Ronnie Magri and his New Orleans Jazz Band
One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show – Ronnie Magri and his New Orleans Jazz Band
After Hours – Erskine Hawkins
Night Train – Louis Prima