"There's no point in spending your life in the pursuit of something that's easy." - Alice Kuipers

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I Like My Musicals Dark and Twisted

On Tuesday night I went with my sister to see the musical, Beauty and the Beast. It was a last minute thing, her original date having fallen ill the night before. In general, I don't usually go for musicals, whether they be on screen or stage, but why let a free ticket go to waste?

Overall, the production was very well done. The set and costumes were spectacular and several of the musical numbers were brilliantly choreographed and performed. But in between those numbers I found myself a little bored. It was a Disney production, made for children (as it should be), so it was very juvenile. There was a lot of slapstick comedy and necessary overacting. And I realized something. It wasn't just how child-friendly the production was, it was also too bright and cheery. I guess I was looking for something a little darker, a deeper look into the horror of being transformed into a hideous beast, the terror of becoming the beast's prisoner. The anguish, the torment, which is then conquered by love. Obviously, you're not going to get that in a Disney production. (Although I still maintain that Beauty and the Beast was one of Disney's least sexist productions. Think about it. It's about a girl that's considered odd by the rest of the village because she reads and has a mind of her own. She's not deceived by the shallow charms of the gorgeous Gaston, like the other girls, and instead finds the inner beauty in an ugly beast. Positive messages all around. Read books, be an individual, don't be shallow and use your brain!)

When I think back to previous musicals that I've liked, one stands above the others. It was in October at the Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon. It was a musical based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe and it was phenomenal. It was incredibly dark and twisted, unexpected and surprisingly whimsical (in a dark and twisted way). The music was thrilling and the production was great. It was the kind of production that draws hidden feelings and imaginings up from your subconscious. And I loved it.

Therefore, I think I need to revise my previous belief that I don't care for musicals. Apparently, I do. They just need to be dark and twisted.

1 comment:

  1. Honestly I love all musicals ridiculously upbeat or terribly dark! (With the exception of things like highschool musical) But I know what you mean about the power of the dark ones!

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