We are in the middle of student presentations on specific musicals. We were divided into groups based on which musical we wanted to analyze. So far we have heard from the Fiddler on the Roof and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat groups. Still to come are: Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell and Les Miserables. I am in the Les Mis group, and we are set to present the week after spring break. It has been interesting to learn about the personal backgrounds of the lyricist and composer for each musical and how their religious beliefs may or may not have influenced their musicals. It has also been interesting to see the different interpretations people take from musicals. After the Joseph group presented we had a class discussion. Joseph is very clearly based on the story of Joseph in Genesis, so there are many religious parallels that can be drawn. One student in the class asked, "Do you think that when musicals are based on Biblical or religious stories the writers have an obligation to portray it the right way?" First of all, what does "right way" mean? Secondly, the argument was made that the Joseph story found in the musical is a complete secularization of the Bible story. And lastly, how do the architects of the show feel when their works are used for religious purposes? Maybe Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (the guys responsible for Joseph) were trying to make a religious statement. But what if they weren't? Are we allowed to insert our own beliefs into a secular work of art and co-opt it to serve our own aims? While I agree that there are religious overtones to some musicals, are they religion hidden in entertainment, or entertainment with hints of morality? I don't know if anyone except for the composer and lyricist can answer that question.
One of the things we talk about is the power of musicals to reach a wide audience. But we have never talked about why that is. For the discussion my group is going to lead after our presentation, I am going to ask the class this: "Do you think the power we speak of musicals having is derived from them being a mass experience? Would people feel differently watching the musical alone instead of watching it in a packed theater? And why?" I think that the mass experience associated with musicals is a huge and important part of their impact. (It can be argued that they are a form of mass ornament, but let's assume for the moment that there is a larger purpose to musicals other than just being a musical.) If you think about the history of media since the invention of the radio, our experiences as humans have been largely independent of one another. Today, I can sit in my room listening to one radio station, where my brother can be in another room listening to a different station. Or he could be listening to the same station. We could be listening to the exact same thing but experiencing it independently of each other. This is epitomized in the Silent Rave at St. Andrews I discussed earlier. Aside from live sporting events, a musical seems like one of the last places where people experience something together, as part of a collective. Next time you are in a theater if there is a particularly scary or sad part look to your left and right. I bet people will be sitting there with the same reaction you are having.
As I walk to classes in the morning everyone is listening to an ipod or something similar. But in a musical we are all listening to the same thing together. I think this is a huge aspect of musicals that is overlooked by our class. The lyrics and music are most definitely important, but so is the audience. Watch a really sad movie alone. Then go watch it with a group of friends. I bet your emotional reaction will be more intense. The class presents a very shallow analysis of theology in musicals. It does not explore the implication of theology being present in musicals, nor does it explore why theology has been sighted or the difference between seeing a musical alone and as a group can mean. I wish it did. There is a lot that could be done with the class, but we are looking at just a sliver of the pie.
Sorry for all the crazy stuff here, I just really wanted to whine about it! And Julia - I hope this makes up for my utter lack of posting the past week!
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