Exactly what Caroline, or Change did with its music is what The Great Comet is missing. Jeanine Tesori's musical composition and Tony Kushner's music came together to enhance each others' meaning. And musical moments (in score and in lyric) brought a deeper emotional understanding in the characters and situations. One of my favorite examples is the use of the "I Hate the Bus" underscoring during "Lot's Wife." When Caroline signs "murder my dreams so I start wantin'.." you can hear her dreams (her unsung version of "I Hate the Bus") lingering just under the surface. Such a heartbreaking moment.
To my recollection, there are zero such moments in The Great Comet. The show is very presentational and, while the music writing is accomplished, it, to me, never combined with the lyric to enhance the story telling. The lyrics are often very literal, as if a pre-written text were just placed over music. And given the slight story (literally only a tiny piece of an intended whole), it wasn't enough to entertain or engross me for the duration. |
