“Scat or from shoe polisher to millionaire” is a musical spectacle in which the artists solely use the scat syllables. It is an absolute novelty in musical theatre and perhaps seven the first musical in the world where not a single word is said.
The idea of using jazz improvisation to tell the plot comes from Wojtek Kościelniak, the director and artistic director of Wroclaw’s Capitol. The music for this incredible acting challenge is composed by Leszek Możdżer – the unquestioned star of Polish jazz.
The artistic paths of Wojtek Kościelniak and Leszek Możdżer cross about every two years. They met for the first time in the Musical Theatre in Gdynia, where they collaborated on the musical “Hair” and later on the musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
In 2002 Wojtek Kościelniak – already the director of Wrocław Musical Theatre – invited Możdżer to cooperate in Tuwim’s “Mandarynki i Pomarańcze” (“Tangerines and Oranges”). Just like in Gdynia, Kościelniak directed and Możdżer composed the title part and the second part of the score – “Bal w Operze” (“The Ball in the Opera”). The premiere of “Tangerines…” was also played during the final concert of the Actor’s Song Festival in Wrocław.
In winter of 2004 theycollaborated again – “SCAT – or from shoe polisher to millionaire” is a fast-paced, entertiaining love story between a young shoe polisher and a small-town flower-girl who dreams of becoming a successful ballerina. The simple plot of this romantic comedy is told in an unconventional way – all the words from the stage are sung in scat, a jazz technique used for example by Louis Armstrong, Bobby McFerrin and Urszula Dudziak.
The spectacle concept refers to silent movies – the mixture of burlesque, comic and melodrama helps create strong, defined characters like the spiteful waiter, the romantic flower-girl, the enamoured shoe polisher or the eccentric movie star. The whole play has a merry, sometimes nostalgic tone. Leszek Możdżer’s music derives from the old school jazz tradition (progresja 251, Charlie Parker, phrase, bebop, 40’s swing). The orchestra includes less than 20 people. The play presents over ten main characters, dancers, the choir and supporting actors.
