Allow me to explain. December I had finals and all that insanity. Most of January I was sick and unable to do anything more energetic than watch anime online and mope to my friends about how hard it was to breathe (until the end of January when I got to see Spring Awakening!!!), and then this month? Well, I'm only free one night of the week, I have five classes, I am on the exec board for one of my clubs, just got a job for two nights a week, and now have decided, despite all this, I might want to run a marathon with some Catholic Student Association buddies I've met this semester!
I promise, I want to get back to writing, though. There's so much to talk about these days. I can't say I'll talk about the economy, because I don't know enough economics for that, but there's still issues in todays world, such as depression, gay rights, feminism, the war....
But for a start, I think my "back to Progressive U" rant will be about something I'm passionate about: Broadway Musicals.
Well, as you may have heard, Broadway has had a lot of fantastic shows closing, some before I had a chance to see them. Hits like Spring Awakening, Rent, Hairspray and others have been closed down, and now, most shows going on are revivals of hits.
A good example of this situation was shown in Saturday Night live a month or so ago that I rather liked:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/save-broadway/926201/
Don't get me wrong, I am psyched West Side Story is back on, and Guys and Dolls is plenty of fun. But at the same time, this isn't giving a lot of great new material a chance. And recently, musicals have begun making statements of sorts. RENT was all about raising awareness for AIDS, and about how people can get through things with help from loving friends and family. It gave us hope that even in dark times, there was someone to light a candle for us. Spring Awakening, which is a German play from 1890 that was banned until the sixties only with a bunch of fantastic rock numbers throughout it, dealt with issues like teenage suicide, sex and abortions, along with what happens when there is no sex ed for kids going through puberty. Although it is off now, Urinetown was all about environmental awareness, and now a new musical, The Toxic Avenger, is coming to New York with similar environmental themes (I saw the opening run for this, and trust me: it is great. Especially if you appreciate Jersey humor).
And it is sad that some great stuff is off now. Hairspray was a fun, feel good musical that had its own issues, for all that it was set in the sixties. Even today interracial couples sometimes have to put up with "a whole lot of stupid" and there are still people who are racist in today's society. There's also classic high school issues to it: the snobby girl who tries destroying your life, bullying from others based on the way you look, the terrors of gym class. And there are some uplifting songs that make you want to go out and change the world, such as "I Know Where I've Been."
So all in all, I miss seeing what new stuff the critics will rave over. Don't get me wrong, revivals are wonderful, but I want to know I saw something from MY generation. I was a little kid when RENT first became popular, I remember being a six year old seeing billboards for it on day trips to the city. I managed to see the third to last performance of Spring Awakening on Broadway, but I wish it could have stayed on longer, so I could get others to see it as well. Broadway shows aren't all about making money. There are the memories, the issues they raise to talk about, the moments where you feel like you're flying as an amazing song is performed.
I want that Broadway, full of exciting new things to come back, and soon.
I guess the musical that goes along with our generation would be Wicked, but it doesn't exactly "define" our generation the way RENT did. New stuff on Broadway just doesn't seem to do as well these days as revivals of the big stuff seems to do. Which I guess I can't really complain about, because I just don't get as excited about new stuff as I do with my favorite older shows.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
I prefer the new stuff too. I appreciate the older stuff, but can't say I'm as enthused about them as you seem to be (WWS is very cool but G&Ds boring to me). I just prefer the music of Rent, Ave Q, and Spring Awakening (Hairspray was so so en mon avis). That hard core rock sound...
Perhaps the rise in revivals (which seems to be a cycle really... revivals are always around) has something to do with the economy? I don't know for sure, I'm just speculating. Because older people tend to have the money for Broadway, and perhaps they prefer the older stuff? maybe, maybe not...
And the good thing about not living in NYC is that the shows eventually travel out here, long after they're closed on Broadway. I got to see Aida a couple years ago, which had been off Broadway for so long it wouldn't have been really worth it for me to see it when it was on Broadway because I was just so long.
We have RENT coming to us this summer, complete with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (though they are markedly older than when they originally starred in the Off-Broadway production), and Wicked is making it's third stop here, followed by a fairly long run of Spring Awakening. I know I'm going to see the last two (as soon as tickets go on sale, I'm buying them), but I'm not sure if I want to see the Broadway version of Rent. I can see it giving me a bit of a headache.
Just be patient. Something will come around that's totally original once again.
~C
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