Choose one, and only one

So, I've been absent for a while, and for that I apologize. There are plenty of reasons, but let's just hope none of them happen again.

I've got the overture pretty much entirely written in my head, and I think it sounds pretty cool. Notating pretty much anything is a time-consuming process, though, and I've been distracted with lots of other scenes I'm growing interested in. Long story short, I've got it sketched out and will hopefully return to it soon.

I have this dream for Delicatessen that all of the characters on stage will also play instruments, but it's starting to get challenging. You see, I really want to focus on the instrumental music to convey emotion, similar to the beautiful way Jeunet and Caro use silence in the movie; I've got several "ballet" scenes (really just meaning people doing motions to the music) planned in my head, such as the date between Julie and Louison or any of Aurore's suicides. I think the music in these scenes will be much more effective than a song where the character lays out their emotions clearly in verbal form; also, this way, the audience can derive meanings for themselves, which I think is one of the fantastic things about the movie--it dares you to find motivation for the characters through silence, and so you feel more engaged with them.

I have also been inspired in the other direction, however, by arias from operas. The first of these is the Preghiera from Maria Stuarda. This melody is just breathtaking, and Mariella Devia's voice in this video is just impeccable. I can truly see Julie singing something like this, though much lighter in texture; I can also see Madame Plusse having a similar scene, as part of my plan to really heighten the audience's sympathy for her. I can also imagine Aurore having a mad scene with a coloratura solo, in the style of Offenbach's Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille or Bernstein's Glitter and be Gay after her third failed attempt at suicide, where she tries to convince herself (and everyone else) that she is feeling wonderful. This, of course, could end hilariously tragically with her room blowing up anyway once she actually calms down.

But this causes a great deal of debate in my head: I'd love for all of the on-stage actors to play all of the instruments to support the show, and feel like it could be a wonderful effect. However, I worry that the demand placed on the singers (especially the three sopranos I just mentioned, who will probably end up being the center of the show) will be too high for them to also play such equally demanding repertoire on their instruments. I feel like I have to decide which is more important to me: acting, singing, or playing instruments. All three are incredibly important, but I know I'll never have all three. Not without millions of dollars to pour into this, at least.