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| re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 12:18 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 12:16 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical - Singapore/Fling 11:47 am EDT 07/07/17 | |
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| I'm all for celebrating women in the aftermath of the election. Big topic, one I'm passionate about, that's not tethered to my take on a musical play set in 2001. Respectfully: I don't understand why this song's biographical narrative folds into this sliver of a tale, without -- as I posted -- some deeper intellectual or emotion-driven curiosity expressed about 9/11's impact on aviation. Her route to this date takes up a fair amount of stage time, and to my thinking, her backstory about becoming a pilot is only compelling if it frames a thematic or even plot-related, incident-specific speculation. As I stated, drawn and composed with some contradiction, some push-pull, some tension about new anxiety in the character. It's a presentational song about a personal history. And trust me, I'm all for what it says about women deserving to be pilots. I simply don't grasp why the biography itself -- independent of more layered connection to the off-stage event -- earns stage time in such a (short) show. |
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| re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 12:32 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical - Delvino 12:16 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
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| Those are all good questions, and ones I can't speak to, as I don't know the show, aside from the basics (aside from saying it seems to be a human interest show, so it displays the most interesting things about these humans). Your detailed questions strike me as being more about why the writers chose this story for their play, whereas the original framing read more as a criticism of the character and/or her song as being self-obsessed and self-aggrandizing, which I felt was unfair. I've only seen that song at the Drama Desks, and I was surprised by how powerful it was. When it was over, one of my colleagues was wiping tears from her eyee, and I was basically a puddle in my seat. In and of itself, the song celebrates human struggle and achievement. It celebrates the best of what we can do as people, and my sense of the show is that it aims to show something about the good of people, to balance the evil that was on display in New York and D.C. Which isn't enough of a dramatic event, but clearly it resonates for a lot of people. :) |
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| re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 01:20 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 01:18 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Come From Away: The Mountain out of a molehill Musical - Singapore/Fling 12:32 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
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| "Your detailed questions strike me as being more about why the writers chose this story for their play, whereas the original framing read more as a criticism of the character and/or her song as being self-obsessed and self-aggrandizing, which I felt was unfair." Well, I will let this go, I promise... But my point really is about how her celebration of her career -- yes, of herself -- serves this slender story. I know why Carol Hall put "Doatsy Mae" -- a song by a one scene, lonely character -- into "Whorehouse," as poignant counterpoint in a piece about sex workers. I know why Sondheim placed "Miller's Son" -- again, a minor player with commentary on the nature of serial monogamy (and class and several other things) -- late in "Night Music." I don't know why this woman's backstory, unrelated to actual dramatic query about aviation during/after 9/11, earns the stage time. Maybe if it were a more infectious melody, or one that summoned more emotion on its own, I'd feel differently. It has a generic wannabe-showstopper reach. How else can I say it: I wish it were a better song. I promise to come back and discuss the song and show when I see it in context. Perhaps we can both do the same. |
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