"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. |
