音樂劇經常利用歌隊舞群來襯托主角、烘托劇情、娛樂觀眾,本研究結合文本分析與閱聽行為分析,探討這類場景的兩大特質:奇觀與從眾。針對經典合唱段落的文本分析結果顯示,「靜態的各自表述」、「動態的推動劇情」及「聲勢浩大的歧出」三種類型,可以增進觀眾對於劇中人的瞭解與認同,並且以奇觀提升娛樂性。 閱聽行為實驗以《悲慘世界》與《芝加哥》的兩段歌隊舞群表演段落為刺激材料,第一次僅播放聲音,第二次則呈現音樂與畫面。生理訊號測量的結果顯示,合唱或舞蹈可以加速閱聽者的心跳、造成膚電反應,而視覺場面感能引發閱聽者的深呼吸及微笑。筆者認為,閱聽者能被聽覺場面感與視覺場面感引發亢奮情緒,產生「從眾」的身體動員,另一方面,視覺上的「奇觀」則具有審美意義。
Musicals often employs crowd scene to set off the protagonist, bring out the stories and entertain the audience. “Spectcle” and “Conformity” are two pillars of crowd scene. This study combined text analysis and audience behavior analysis to investigate the functions of crowd scene in classic Broadway Musicals. According to the result of text analysis, the three elements of “static ensemble”, “dynamic ensemble”, and “magnificent divertissement” not only boost understanding and empathy of characters in the audience but also creates spectacle scenes. Audience experiment was based on two crowd scenes in Les Miserables and Chicago for stimulation materials, with lower telepresence (mere sound recording) for the first time and high telepresence (video with sound) for the second. The results of physiological measures suggested that performances of chorus or dance increased heart rate and SCR of the audience while visual-spectacle scenes deepened their breath and induced smiles. The author argues that auditory-spectacle scene may excite the audience and further induces conforming bodily reactions, while visual spectacle may have its aesthetic significance.