Changing Comp Keeps 'Pudding' Style

As the recent release of the third "Shrek" installment demonstrates, fairy tale satires are hardly a new concept. However, the creators of this year's Hasty Pudding show, set in a fairy tale land gone bad, are aiming to offer a fresh take on the genre, complete with signature Pudding style.

For its 160th production, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (HPT) will perform "Fable Attraction," which features such characters as a communist-minded Little Red Riding Hood and Mia Pharaoh, a villainous, mummified Egyptian queen. This year's script and lyrics were co-written by Kathleen H. Chen '09 and William Brian C. Polk '09.

The show is still very much a work in progress, though, and the ways in which it is developing shed light on how one of Harvard's oldest institutions takes form each year.

INTO THE WOODS

"We have some very crazy characters that are typically Hasty Pudding in nature," Chen says. "And of course, puns galore."

Chen and Polk's script was selected for this year's show through a comp process which typically involves eight to 12 applicants. Prospective writers are given general guidelines, such as the number of characters and that there must be an equal number of male and female characters.

"It's very hard to write a Pudding show, so we give the writers broad guidelines so they have something to work with, says Joshua E. Lachter '09, one of the show's producers and also a member of the Crimson's business board. "Each year people interpret them very differently, though it inevitably stays very 'Pudding-esque,' with a little bit of politics, social satire, and bawdy fun."

For Chen and Polk, the creative process began with choosing the setting, and the characters and storyline followed.

"We sat down and thought of as many settings as we could and eventually settled on the idea of an enchanted forest," Chen says. "Then we came up with characters based on what would fit in an enchanted forest."

Chen also says that character-creation isn't just about puns.

"You can either come up with a character by thinking of a funny pun for a name or you can think of something that might belong to the setting and think about how to make her special so she fits into a Pudding show," she says.

MAKING THE CUT

The process of putting together a Hasty Pudding show has changed dramatically over the years, most recently in the logistics of the script comp.

Prior to the 157th show, writers submitted full scripts with lyrics to the executive board, which then read each script and chose a winner. Now, the comp process is broken down into stages, and writers submit additional scenes and songs with each successive cut.

"The old way wasn't very practical because if people didn't know the Pudding or understand the style or character balance, then it didn't work out and revisions were much more difficult," says David J. Andersson '09, Cast Vice President for the HPT.

At the beginning of the comp process, writers submit a few scenes and songs. The final submission, which is made after two cuts, consists of two-thirds to three-fourths of a completed script. The new comp process allows the executive board to work more closely with writers along the way, helping to minimize substantial revisions at a later time.

"As people who have been doing the Pudding for several years, we can help the writers, especially those who haven't been in the Pudding before or seen a show," Andersson says.

In the case of this year's script, the new comp process allowed for just that type of early collaboration. The show was initially set in an enchanted forest, but the setting was later changed to a fairy tale kingdom.

"Once we sent the script to the director, he came back and felt it needed to have a little more of a solidified setting, something the audience could grsp onto readily," Andersson says. "The Pudding is such a big spectacle even it needs to be very grounded, even in its surreality, because that allows the audience to dive into the crazy world."

WORKING TOGETHER

Once the winning script has been chosen, another complex process begins: the composer comp.

Prospective composers are given lyrics to a few songs and are asked to create accompanying music. The composers are told the instruments they have to work with and are also given a general idea of the kind of sound a particular song requires.

"Though the process does seem a little awkward, it helps us find some of the best composers on campus," says Michael T. Drake '08, the Band Vice President. "For anyone who has worked in the Music department or in musical theater, it's actually pretty manageable."

While the separate comp process has been in place for many years, it was not always the way things were done.

When Richard C. Brown '60 was involved in the Pudding, the script, music and lyrics were written simultaneously.

"There was collaboration from the very start between the book writer, lyrics writer and composer," Brown recalls. "All were working from the same idea from day one."

"As the lyrics developed, we worked very closely in writing the lyrics and music together to ensure they were indeed book songs, and not just songs that were thrown in," Brown says.

A NEW HOME

This year not only marks an important anniversary for the HPT, but also the opening of their new theater space.

"For the past couple of years the space was constraining," Lachter says. "We still put on great shows, but it didn't do the awesome nature of the shows justice. Now all the creative juices are flowing under one spectacularly sweet roof."

-Staff writer Jessica X.Y. Rothenburg can be reached at jxyroth@fas.harvard.edu.