It's no secret that I'm a huge sucker for musical theater. Last Friday, I had the delightful experience of attending opening night of the New England premiere of [title of show] at Speakeasy Stage Company. Partway through the performance, I decided I needed to blog about it, so whipped out a pen and started jotting down memorable lines and themes.
The musical follows two guys ("schomos" as they would say) and two of their female friends as they attempt to write a musical for the New York Musical Theatre Festival based on their experiences writing a musical. The Broadway production starred the creators as themselves, so it's very funny and self-referential, but it also explores issues that are universal to creative types, like writing, rewriting, and staying true to your vision versus selling out.
How could I not love a musical that uses terms like "Mexcellent" and "hangry"? (Not to mention that there's a character named Susan, who announces melodramatically that she's stopped auditioning because she's starring in a little show called Corporate Whore.) Here's what writers and other artsy types can learn from the show.
- Taking criticism from the wrong people can lead to mediocrity. As Hunter and Jeff discuss their show with potential backers, they get all kinds of crazy criticism and suggestions. They initially try to incorporate this feedback into the show but realize they need to stay true to their original vision, even if it means making obscure theater references that the matinee ladies don't understand. Besides, much of it is conflicting anyway! The point is to consider the source when considering feedback and weigh it against your overall artistic goal.
- Fixating on commercial viability can make you crazy. One of the guys (Hunter, I think) gets a little tunnel vision envisioning his show on Broadway. He starts talking about replacing one of the women with Sutton Foster (for the uninitated, she's a really big name on Broadway right now) and making the set crazy elaborate. But the appeal of the show is that's small and scrappy and has a whole of heart, not that it has these amazing production values or big stars. In fact, since it's a relatively inexpensive show to produce, it'll probably live on through college and community theater products for years and years to come.
- Listening to doubters can kill your creativity. One of the women sings this fabulous song called Die, Vampire Die (watch the YouTube video but beware of slanguage). She makes this incredibly valid point that if someone came up to us on the subway and told us we suck, we'd think they were crazy. But if our inner voice tells us that, we believe it! How crazy is that? Also, if we try to sanitize our work for Mom or Grandma, then we'll end up with "two tight paragraphs about kittens." Who needs that?
- It's better to be "nine people's favorite thing than a hundred people's ninth favorite thing." There's a video of this song above, and it should every creative's anthem. Seriously, bookmark that video and the next time an agent tells your novel isn't saleable or an editor tells you her readers aren't interested in the topic you suggested, hum along. Then work on making your piece nine people's favorite thing.
- Eventually, you gotta let go. Since the guys in [title of show] are culling scenes and dialogue from their own life, it's hard to know when to stop. How will they know when the piece is finished if funny stuff keeps happening? But like all composers, screenwriters, novelists, choreographers, and artists, at some point you just have to trust that the piece is complete.
Your turn! What inspires you? Have you seen a play, movie, or other piece that spoke to the creative process?
5 comments:
Great post! I'm a musical theater sucker too. Sounds like a fantastic show. I'll have to be on the lookout for it in Europe.
I personally like Avenue Q, just because the lyric writing is so well done. Plus, it's about finding your purpose, which is something I think most of us struggle with.
@Writer Abroad: I love Avenue Q, too! I've seen it on Broadway and here in Boston. The guys who wrote it are very talened and funny. [title of show] actually has some Avenue Q references, too.
For my money, I always thought that Shakespeare in Love showed some of the best examples of writer's block, the sheer frustration of the creative process, and the unbelievable "aha!" moment when inspiration strikes and there's no stopping you. Definitely one of my favorites!
I absolutely loved The Princess and the Frog movie. I loved that it's about working hard to attain a goal and persevering regardless of any obstacles in your way. It's like many other Disney movies that provide a good moral foundation. But the music is especially inspiring with songs like "Dig a Little Deeper" that remind us "when you find out who you are you'll find out what you need" or the song "Almost There" that tells us to keep moving forward regardless of trials and tribulations because "I know exactly where I'm going, getting closer and closer every day." Whenever I feel discouraged about my writing or my ability, I listen to "Almost There" to remind myself that I am working toward my goals and getting closer and closer every day. I, too, am almost there!
I'm inspired by feelings, thoughts and events that do a u-turn in my head before lodging themselves on the edge of my consciousness. The only way for me to dislodge them is to write them away.
I love what you had to say about letting go, not worrying about what your Grandma will say, and turning down the volume on our inner critic.
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