I would have to chose theatre and drama is much better then a movie. Ofcourse a movie you can go most anywhere to find or see something but for a theatre or drama you have to be in one place all the time and if you miss anything you cant replay it!
I have seen many movies but recently within the last two years that my husband and I have been married I have had a whole new respect for the theatre and drama. My husband, Who is a professional in this area for drama and theatre. Had preformed in many of titled musicals and to say I would have rather watched my mother in law and husband perform in person then see it on a Vhs or dvd. Cats was marvelous but to be there in person where the bloopers are covered would have been awesome. In Cats, you can see the fun in how cats truly behave and memory sang by Grizabella was one of the most sensational songs in the whole performance it got you to see what she had been through, her feelings. For Grizabella the best was Elaine but I would have to say that Betty Buckley did a great job too. How about evita with madonna and antonia they clarified there voices in the movie as well as many bloopers that where cut from the scene. In the theatre it is more personal. When you see Phantom of the opera, which hasnt come on vhs yet but I believe it will take alot from the theatre production. For when you see it live you feel the energy of the music and the scenes arent ran over and over to gloss the effect of what you are seeing to make it look so good. Seeing it on a vhs or dvd they have done things to hide somethings such as voice we all know that antonios voice isnt that perfect and madonnas voice in Evita wasnt strong. like if you see it in theatre you feel the power behind it and they practice hard so you can feel the umph behind the scene and the character. Evita the real person truthfully wasnt a person who was soft infact she was hard and alot of people ive talked to says she was a bit*h but she got the point acrossed and madonna doesnt do that for some of us! Elaine Paige is one of the best evita! So is Patti Lupone. They captured Evita as hard, emotional, her strengths as well as her weakness when it came down to her death. In a movie preformance you cant really feel the weakness and the sorrow in losing someone so loved but in a theatre you to would start crying like her people did!
Sunset Boulevard, Is another great theatre performance that is better on stage then in a movie. Two scenes in particular really make this true. When norma first appears at the top of the stairs on stage it magical and takes your breath away. In the final scene on stage during Normas madness as she decends down the staircase singing bits and peaces from the show to the point she says she is ready for her close up then her final bars of the music with her singing’with one look.ill be me’ when she extends her arms and hits the powerful note it makes you gasp and hold back your tears. In a movie of sunset boulevard the original 1950 non musical movie and the up coming release movie of the musical version you see these two scenes on a dead screen there is no interreaction.yes on screen it would be powerful but norma is not in the same room with you. she is an image on screen but with theatre you know that Norma is right there infront of you and this actress is Norma! In a movie, they perfect it to such a point that it is not as believeable because the person is not actually there in front of you in the same room as you where as on screen it is lifeless.
In a film the actors have to correct there emotions over and over until they get it right. In live theatre you are experiencing that characters emotions unedited and first hand!