The Healing Art of Art

Do you hear the people sing?

“Through my singing and acting and speaking, I want to make freedom ring. Maybe I can touch people’s hearts better than I can their minds, with the common struggle of the common man.” — Paul Robeson

I saw three musicals in the past week. Some would dismiss musical theater as fluff — particularly the Disney ones — but they would be remiss to do so. If you are of the impression that all musical theater is Oklahoma! or Cats, please know it isn’t true. (Don’t come at me, I love both of those musicals but they really aren’t for everybody.) I think some people are anti-musical because of stage musicals that have been adapted into films… with varied results.

My brother — a fan of musical theater but not a total nerd about it as his sister is — did not realize that Dreamgirls even WAS a musical before he saw it in film form, and it was an unpleasant realization. He also points to Rent as a not-great translation to film, though he had loved it on stage. I concurred that the movie adaptation was pretty terrible, and he came back with the assertion that probably his best movie musical was South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. I too loved that movie (I saw it with my brother and his friend a billion years ago), and I think that there is something to be said for a musical that was actually written for the screen, and didn’t have to be adapted. (There are several outstanding stage-to-screen creations, more on that in a bit.)

Getting back to my Week of Musicals, the first show was actually a screen-to-stage adaptation: Frozen, Jr. It was performed at our local theater — the gorgeous Reif Center — with a cast of 80 (yes you read that correctly) students, ranging from elementary age to high school. You would honestly think it would come off like a grade school Christmas pageant, but it doesn’t. Katie and Linda — the artistic director and music director, respectively — are good friends of mine, and I am still wondering if they have some kind of superpowers of which I am unaware. The production was gorgeous, well-timed, funny, and moving. They bring the absolute best out of those children. It also helps that their Elsa was portrayed by my daughter’s friend Riley, with a voice like an angel.

Do you remember when Frozen came out, and there was such a big deal made of the fact that the “act of true love” that saved Anna’s life was performed by her sister instead of the [male] love interest? It came back to me in moments of wonder, this beautiful story of the complex relationship between two women — two sisters — and the difference they could make by supporting and understanding each other.

A couple of days later, I met my mom and brother at the movie theater to see Wicked. My brother knew it was about the witches’ beginnings from the world of Oz and that’s about it. My mom and I had both read the book 30+ years ago, and we saw the stage musical around a decade ago. I have the soundtrack memorized and also had been following social media posts about the film, so I’d say I’m more immersed in Wicked fandom than my mom, but I’m going to be honest in saying I had lukewarm feelings about it being brought to the silver screen. I was gun shy since I disliked the relatively recent film adaptations of three of my favorite stage musicals so strongly: Rent (as previously mentioned), Cats (which as a Serious Theatre Person I’m supposed to hate anyway but oh! the costumes, oh! the dancing, oh! the songs!), and Les Misérables (this will come up again later).

I could go on ad infinitum about how impressed I was with the two leads. Arianna Grande more than proved her classical vocal chops as well as being absolutely hilarious. Cynthia Erivo’s every expression was exquisite and broke my heart. Her voice may have broken my brain. Also her “Defying Gravity” gave me courage, and then I went home. IYKYK.

HOWEVER. What truly (madly, deeply) blew me away is the way the filmmakers and playwrights overlapped and collaborated, so that the medium of film was truly used to emphasize and enhance aspects of the stage production. Some of them were more cosmetic, such as the “Dancing Through Life” dance sequence — wild set pieces and camera work let the audience feel that we were in the dance. What really moved me was Wicked’s theme of inclusion. The storyline exactly the same as it is in the stage version, but the medium of film somehow emphasized the through line between the the reaction of the populous at Elphaba’s appearance and then her independent thought, and the movement to silence the animals. I was moved to hiccuping sobs by the final credits and have been thinking about it ever since.

Finally, at the end of the week, my mom and I went down to the Cities with Emily (my daughter) to see the touring production of Les Misérables. It was my parents’ Christmas gift to Em and me, and we were all so excited! I had not seen the show since the early 90s (as you may remember) and this is a new touring production, so the sets were different, and if I’m not very much mistaken, there were changes/additions to the content. Despite all of that, I had the feeling of homecoming as the lights went down and the orchestra began the overture. This is NOT a feeling I had while watching the film based on this stage show. The film felt like a vanity project, and even though I very much appreciated Hugh Jackman’s performance, the passion and tragedy of the story did not translate through the screen and into my heart.

I used to think — assume — that I was drawn to the characters of Fantine and Eponine because a) they were two of the three major characters in the play who were gendered female, and b) their songs were the best. (Don’t get me started on Cosette. What a useless creature!) Viewing this with a now-adult gaze, I realized that there is a theme of the strength and resilience of women — that I never connected before — running through this story. Woman gets fired because she won’t give sexual favors to the boss? Other women show her how to support herself (ok, with prostitution but not the point). Woman wants to help the resistance movement? She dresses like a boy and gets in there with her friends (and ok, gets shot but not the point). Rammy young men take on the police and die for their efforts? Women come in and clean up the mess. Women get the job done. They are practical and emotional, realistic and compassionate, resigned and optimistic.

I had a week of musicals. I fed my soul with creation. I remembered what Hippocrates said: “Ars longa, vita brevis.” Life is short but art is long. Now is a time to create, because in creation lies resistance, lies power, lies rebirth.

And yes, I totally saw Wicked again this past Sunday. Does anyone else wonder if Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, and John M. Chu were at all inspired by the school dance scene in Can't Buy Me Love?

Thanks for reading.

Love, Susie

Didn't get a photo at Wicked, either time!