Tony Awards 2015- Recap and Thoughts

The Tony Awards are always interesting to watch, even if they are not that great sometimes.  This year was a great year never the less.

Let’s begin with our hosts. When it was announced that this year that Kristen Chenowith and Alan Cumming were going to do it, I knew that it would be a good fit. Although there were certain cracks that they made that did feel like a bit much (do we really need to know that much about Alan’s sex life?) and although their opening was underwhelming compared to the previous years, they were perfect onstage together. They had great chemistry, could sing and dance together and were the right amount of talented, cheerful, and welcoming with a large dash of the wacky in between shows. From tap-dancing escorts for wordy Tony winners to some of the most memorable costumes ever worn by a host in any awards show (ET!  The King and I!), they definitely made this year one of the most enjoyable Tony Awards in a long, long time.

What about the performances? Here’s the deal with them. Last year we had an average host and fantastic performances, this year we had two great hosts and a lot of at least okay performances. The shining crown among them was Fun Home’s Sydney Lucas performing “Ring of Keys” with such honesty that it moved the whole house. Vocally, she used proper breath control and had a very clear forte. Her interesting choice of “turning” to Beth Malone (who plays her character as an adult) as if the woman she is singing to in the song is literally her older self. It will be exciting to see where this 11-year old actress will go in her future. Although Kelli O’Hara opened The King and I ‘s bit with the most annoying song in the whole show, her grace, presence, and stunning voice made it a joy to watch. The rest of the performance was just infectiously joyful to watch.  Lady Tiang was amazing to hear and watch, and who knew Ken Watanabe could sing and dance?!

We got some simple choreography but fantastic dancing with 20^th Century, American in Paris, and On the Town. Their choreography appeared to be simple and much in the vein of classic musical theatre, but the thing about classic musical theatre is that it always appears to be simple to the point where they sometimes all look the same in each show. But the truth is that it is very visual, athletic, and energetic, meaning that it takes some versatile dancers to pull it off. And why not? Broadway belongs to the dancers just as much (if not a little more) than the singers. The three shows also displayed some of their best songs from each show- how can you not smile while listening to “I Got Rhythm” or “New York, New York”? On the 20^th Century particularly has music with little jazzy touches that makes it more catchy and unique from most pre-1960 musicals.

 Even Gigi, which will always be a bad show no matter how pretty you make it due to its curse of a lazy plot, gave us a rousing, bouncy rendition of “The Night They Invented Champagne” with the bubbles as a lovely touch. Something Rotten could have given us a different number, but what they chose (“A Musical”) was appropriate for the Tony’s and especially the beginning. Their hilarious references and topping it off with a funny, engaging performance from Brad Oscar as Nostradamus was entertaining to watch. It made me more curious about the show, whether its ultimately bad or good, and I will do more research on it when more songs and video clips are released. That alone should serve the purpose of having each of the shows perform at the Tony’s. The Visit showed that Chita Rivera is still one awesome woman, even after Anita and Fastrada and even though we did not get to see her show off her incredible dancing. Although some staging choices of their snippet looked strange without context of the show (her younger self and the eunuchs, for example) and when you are showing off your musical, you want it to make sense out of context because you don’t know how familiar each audience member is with said show. Still, they gave a bizarre, yet haunting performance of one very intriguing musical.

The weakest link of the performances came from Finding Neverland. Although I love the movie and I was excited about this musical, the music was too dull for me to get into it. Matthew Morrison’s blank looks made his energetic onstage partner look over-the-top to achieve imabalnce onstage. With some strange choreography choices (Why would the dancers just run onstage, kick, and then run off? Can’t they stay?) and music that forces the “inspirational song”  musical topes out from down under, it was a drag to watch. (Which is sad, considering how much potential this musical had when it was announced).

Josh Groban’s (or Jooooosh Groooooobaaaaaan!) performance during the In Memoriam was not as strong as he has been in the past. He was adding too much vibrato (for Josh Groban), was tense in his throat, and his vowels were strange. But it gave me chills to watch the ensembles of the shows and the orchestra pop up so that the Tony’s could acknowledge their talent and hard work a little more.

We received some sweet acceptance speeches. However, I was immensely disappointed that some of the most important awards, such as Best Book, Best Composer, and so on, were not aired. Does CBS assume that the people at home watching the Tony’s are dumb suburban’s who only care about the glamourous actresses wearing fabulous dresses? Plus, Tony history was made. Jeanne Tesori and Lesa Kron became the first only female composer team to win a Tony. But we did not see that. I know you can watch the speech online, but it is still important to watch all of the people who create theatre get recognized for it. During the Oscars, we see the screenwriters and cinematographers win, so why not here? So what if it would last “too long”, I’d stay up past midnight! So what if “we need to air commercials to pay for us airing this”, show ads in the corner if you must!

But I am getting off track. The winners, both predictable and unpredictable, gave us some great reactions and speeches. My three favorites came from Kelli O’Hara, Alex Sharp, and Ruthie Ann Miles. Kelli and Alex were ecstatic and human, not only do they thoroughly deserve the awards (especially Kelli, who gets hers at long, long last) but they were able to move the whole house with their touching speeches. Sharp made a few touches comments after the audience gazes at the fact he has recently graduated from Juliard and won for making his Broadway debut as a teenage boy with autism. I adore it when someone wins an award when they did not expect to win, and tonight that honor went to Ruthie Ann Miles. From what little I saw of her, she gave a lovely performance. But watching her pull up her Iphone to read her speech while halfway in tears was endearing. It was funny that they made the sound of the tap dancing warning to take her off, and then seeing her panic and finish up. When it is unexpected and unprepared, that makes the acceptance speeches feel more genuine, no matter how many people they thank. 

Although some wins were more predictable than others, as I said before, I feel like this year it went to the ones who deserved the Tony’s the most. And for some of the Awards Shows this season, that, among a few other things, makes this year’s Tony’s one of the best ones in recent memory. 

Gigi (1958) Film Review

   This movie musical has convinced me of something I should have realized earlier about the way movies work in America.
   The ones that look pretty and use the camera in the best way possible will get the most recognition.    After all, the camera is ultimately what separates film from theatre. It is not that story itself, but how it is told. The story could be a total mess, but get plenty of good shots, have a strong visual language, have a decent director, and make sure at least your lead actor is believable, then you may get your Oscar.
 Enter this movie, Gigi.
 
    Gigi is based on a French novella that was released in 1944. After a movie in France premiered there came a stage play with Audrey Hepburn as the titled heroine. In 1958, a musical film based on the play premiered to the whole world. It dominated the Academy Awards, winning every of its nine nominations including Best Picture. The only other film in Oscar history to win that many is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. So it should be good, right?
   If you just take a glimpse at the movie, it seems to deserve the praise. The film is bright, colorful, and decadent without being garish. It doesn’t recreate what Paris actually was at the time, but what we wish 20th century Paris was so that we could visit it. It creates this world of rich white people being rich white people to provide some escapism to the audience. But occasional escapism not a bad thing. Some of the cinematography is incredible to look at for its color and detail. The shots chosen for the movie all reflect the characters and the moods of the scenes, which is what good shots should do.
    So what about the story?
 
    This is where the movie fails.
    It sings the tale of a girl named Gigi training to be a courtesan in early 20th century France. They never explicitly say it in the film due to the Hays Code censorship policies, but the film tries its best to communicate that to you. The key word being “try”. Without that context, it just looks like she’s training to be a high-class lady. But Gigi hates these lessons and she prefers to do other things. Her aunt and grandmother scheme for her first customer to be Gaston, a rich dude who just lost his previous mistress to suicide. (Which the film apparently finds hilarious) Gaston spends most of the movie seeing her as a little sister. But once he realizes that the puberty train has struck her, they fall in love and get married. That’s it. That’s the story.
    Do you see something wrong here?
 
    The story is weak and flimsy. It lacks a strong action, conflict, and event. It lacks all of the things that build up to make plot and characters. Some of the characters have objectives. Gigi wants to be free, for example. However, she doesn’t fight it throughout the whole thing. She rebels at first, but then she is back to just playing, training, and wearing fabulous dresses. After that she has little to no real objective, she just twirls around, giggles, sings, and sometimes cries. The older women have objectives and get them. But I am still lost on what Gaston himself wants. It appears that he has more conflict: he is torn between two different views of Gigi. If that’s his conflict, then why isn’t the film more about that? It would have given it something to work off of! There could be other women vying for his attention, there could be people telling him otherwise…but all we get is one three minute song and that is all.
    There are not any real cause and effect events that happen in the story once it gets going, things just occur and then go away without any real consequence. The characters have basic personalities, but they are somewhat stock characters. We have the grandma, the spirited young girl, the hunky rich guy, the mega-French guy to out-French them all, and the fabulous old lady, but they are not developed enough to be interesting characters. They are okay actors and bearable singers, but they are stuck with under-written, cardboard characters to play.
    But what about the music? It was written by Musical Theatre duo Lerner and Lowe, the same guys behind My Fair Lady and Camelot. Although the lyrics are sometimes clever, most of the music ranges from just okay to catchy (“The Night They Invented Champagne” being the best one with its joyful melody and playful rhythm).
 
   The point of this film is not to be fulfilling as a story to its audience. It is not a sandwich, but a good-looking, bland-tasting dessert. It is insert-yourself escapism. Just imagine yourself riding horses on the beach in the 19th century with a rich stud beside you. Just swap your face on Gigi and, yes, you will wear jewelry and gorgeous dresses and go to balls, and dinners, and so on. However, once you really savor it, you will realize that it has no real taste, so why even ingest the unnecessary calories.
    In short, Gigi could have been better, but it is not. It has a pretty look, but a bad story, and that makes any musical, movie, or musical movie pretty bad.

Labyrinth Analysis Part 4- The Point of the Film (or Why Saying No is the Right Thing to do)

After reaching the Goblin city and escaping the army, our heroes get to the castle. Right before they enter the next room to face Jareth, Sarah stops them. She tells him that she must face him alone “because that’s how it’s done.” Her friends hesitantly agree, but say they will be right outside. They will answer her call if she ever needs them. When she enters the room, it is a complete jigsaw puzzle of a place. It quotes the famous Escher painting with stairs coming out all over and leading in every direction possible.

                If the entire plot of the movie represents and/or takes place in Sarah’s mind, then let’s get Freudian. It is clear that we have entered her subconscious. The subconscious is the deepest center of the human mind. It is the darkest, most mysterious, most complex, and most confusing place we have inside ourselves. The Escher room is all of these things. It is confusing, one flight of stairs leads somewhere different. People can run upside down from the stairs on the ceiling. There are many pathways, but none of them seem to lead anywhere. Jareth could represent the id- the part of our mind that wants to give in to every impulse we want to do. Whether it be sexual, like seducing underage girls or violent, such as kicking our goblin subjects into the air. Toby could represent the superego, since he reminds Sarah of the responsibility she must accept. Sarah herself is the ego and must work on balancing both. Only, she has let the id win at the beginning and now must follow her superego to atone her mistake. If not, then the id will win and she will become corrupted by her impulses. 

             A second possible interpretation is that Jareth represents adulthood and Toby represents childhood. Jareth is definitely the most adult character. Since, as said before, he connotes glamour, power, and sexuality. Toby is the youngest character, being only a toddler. Sarah loses Toby to Jareth (loss of childhood innocence) and must fight to win him back.

However, there is one giant hole in this theory: Sarah wants to stay a child. We saw this in the beginning with her not wanting to date, playing pretend, and hoarding fantasy books and stuffed animals. It makes no sense that she would yell “I hate you” at the symbol of her childhood. If she doesn’t hate Toby at the beginning, then there is no plot!

Some people take this a notch further and say that Toby represents virginity. So Sarah wonders what it is like to lose her physical innocence. She goes through the Labyrinth as a way to explore her sexual awakening. She wants to see a world where she isn’t a virgin.

This makes sense at first; such as her admiration of her beautiful mother, the ballroom scene, and why Jareth won’t give Toby back at first. But, there are two giant holes. One is the same one mentioned before, Sarah wants to remain a child. Second, her whole journey is to get Toby back, which she does at the end. As far as I know, you only lose your virginity once. Unless there are sexual meanings inside her beginning fantasies. Which means getting Toby means going through the stages of pregnancy. Only, if there are sexual undertones to her interests, then why doesn’t she make more of an effort to date boys? It could be possible that she enjoys the fantasies, but is nervous and hesitant to go out and live them. I’ll leave that one open to debate.

Which leads to my analysis of the obligatory scene; Sarah’s final confrontation with Jareth.

Oh, where do I begin?

Let’s start with that famous offer he makes to Sarah. He first claims that he has done a lot for her to the point of “exhaustion” (which is the point of the “Within You” song). That includes fulfilling the wish that 1) He would take Toby away because 2) he fell in love with her. He says he has moved time for her. But he only does when he first gives the 13 hour challenge and then skips it forward a few hours to “raise the stakes”. Sarah keeps him at bay by saying the beginning monologue. (with one extra real line thrown in- “Generous? How have you been generous?” to show that maybe this all is not just a re-enactment of her play).

 Only this time, she is not reciting it, she is saying it from her heart.

Jareth goes to his last resorts to get her to give up. Including the crystal dream ball, and the famous offer, “Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.” Many fans type on their kepboards and post across message boards, social media, and Youtube comments sections that if they were in Sarah’s shoes, they would choose to stay with sexy Jareth instead of little Toby. 

But let’s recall what we know about his character. Let’s list what he has done throughout the film.

1.       He did not give Toby back when she immediately asked him.

2.       He threatens Sarah for “defying” him by throwing a snake at her face to scare her into submission.

3.       He summons a cleaner in the oubliette that could have easily killed her for trying to be brave in front of him.

4.       He drugged her food

5.       He constantly demeans Sarah as a child who cannot solve the labyrinth, and should submit to him instead.

Sounds like love to me.

I have checked the Lindsy Ann Burke Memorial website for twelve signs of an abusive relationship. Jareth fulfills five out of the twelve. They include:

1) Controlling behavior (the snake, creeping on her through his crystal balls),

2) Quick involvement (He is very charming and even a bit flirtatious with her- “This is no gift for an ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby”),

3) Unrealistic Expectations (“do as I say and I will be your slave”),

4) Isolation (obviously, taking Toby and offering himself instead), and

5) Rigid Sex Roles (see previous parts of these articles).

The offer he gives her even sounds very contradictory. “Love” is right next to “fear.” “I will be your slave” comes right after “Do as I say.” These are such extreme opposites that they do not achieve balance. Also, it could be a trick. Remember, in the world of the Labyrinth “things are not always what they seem.” It could be possible that this is a trick, and if Sarah says yes, maybe both she and Toby will be turned into goblins.

Jareth might be charismatic and attractive, but he is not a good person. To quote Taylor Swift, he is a nightmare dressed like a daydream. He might be in love, but it is a very twisted version of love. It is less on the lines of “I care for and want to spend the rest of my life with this person.” It is more of “I am the most handsome, awesome, powerful guy ever. Oh, and I’m bored. Hey, here’s this lonely, hormonal teenage girl. Let’s see how I can use my good looks and charisma to hold an advantage over her. One look at me, and she will be kissing my feet.”

So what else is his motivation? The answer is in the film is given subtly. It is even up to the viewers interpretation. But the official novelization explicitly says why.

Jareth is not motivated by tragic, unrequited love, but vanity. He wants to keep Toby to himself in order to steal his youth until only a goblin form of Toby remains. In fact, this is where many of the goblins come from! According to the novelization:

“In the old days, when many babies had been offered to him, Jareth had been more tolerant, reckoning that soon he would certainly find one who could be trained as a worthy companion to the throne, one whose young blood would serve to refresh Jareth's, whose high spirits would dispel the thoughts of aging that oppressed the King of the Goblins. As calls upon him to steal a child became rarer, so Jareth sank deeper into dejection. He avoided mirrors and reflecting water. He could feel that the corners of his mouth had tightened, and he needed no proof of the wrinkles that creased his brow when he did not deliberately narrow his eyes to tauten his skin.” (Labyrinth: The Novellization, Chapter 3).

He ages as the story gets closer to the ending. According to the novelization, during the confrontation, “he looked older, drawn. In his blond mane was a trace of grey.” (Chapter 18). 

An earlier draft of the script, written by Monty Python alumni Terry Jones, had a different climax. This one having “Sarah punching and kicking Jareth, then watching him shrink down until he’s a small, ‘snivelling’ goblin.” Like a reverse Beauty and the Beast, he transforms into what he truly was all along. 

Interesting idea, Sir Bedevere. I'd take it, but the climax is strong enough as it is now. 

Sarah should say no and does. Saying yes means throwing away her whole journey. Solving the labyrinth, emerging from the oubliette, crossing the bog of eternal stench, awaking from the fever dream, refusing the offers of the Junk Lady, storming the city, and leaping into the Escher room would have been pointless. The dangers, monsters, temptations, and tests she has conquered would be in vain. Saying yes is also the selfish choice- it is choosing her superficial desires over Toby’s physical safety.

            She finally uses the coup de grace on him. She looks at Jareth in the eye, remembers the final line of her monologue, and says “You have no power over me.”

            Let’s bring Feminist Theory back into this. First of all, think about this image. We have a teenage girl looking at a grown man (a figure of authority!) in the eye and saying that he has no power over her. That already breaks ancient patriarchal molds. Sarah has become a strong independent woman who don’t need no goblin king. Second, Sarah’s companions are all male. But they agree with her that the patriarchy of the goblin city is unjust and they are going to conquer it. They are okay with her leadership. She does not allow them to go with her because ultimately, the fight should be between the corrupt alpha male and the female. They promise to only interfere when she calls for them. Third, the man is offering her romance through her submission to him instead of accomplishing her goal. Yes, Sarah is taking on the traditional role of the caretaker. Yet Toby represents the future generation. She is going to save him from becoming a misogynistic, patriarchy upholding monster like the goblins. That way, Toby can keep his literal and metaphorical humanity. With the Freudian interpretation, Sarah is declaring control over her id. She is literally no slave to it because actions always have consequences.

              Finally, with the adolescence theme. Sarah is choosing to make the mature choice having reached adulthood. Adulthood is not gained through glamour and romance. Aduthood is gained by taking on what needs to be done and doing it yourself. Adulthood is knowing you have some power. Adulthood is also knowing that you have a choice. Do you remember parents always nagging you to make good choices? Well, that’s because they are right.  

              In life, we are surrounded by choices. All of them, even if they are right, have consequences. We cannot take some back, but they are ours. No one can have power over us unless we give them consent. Because it is our choice and our life.

Saying “You have no power over me”, Sarah is refusing to let him control her. She is having the ultimate say over her life, her actions, and her choices- which are hers and no one else’s.

Anyone can call her a little girl, scare her, or bribe her. Anyone can pressure her into being someone she is not, or tell her she cannot do something. She may be scared and confused. She may not be as perfect as her mother, yet she has a strength greater than they can comprehend. She only has to choose to be strong. She can choose to be a spoiled child or a passive fairy tale princess. (In fact, the name “Sarah” comes from the Hebrew name “Sarai” which means princess!)

But she chooses to be the hero of her own story. She cannot attain self-fulfillment through one-sided romances, material goods, or selfishness, but through kindness, wisdom, friendship, discipline, and courage.

Thus, the goblin king is defeated. Toby is safe and both he and his sister are back home. Sarah no longer has a jealous grudge over him and gives him her favorite toy. He can now live his childhood in a wise, caring environment. 

            Was this all real? Was it all a dream she had? Was she re-enacting her play? Was this all a story she told Toby? Was it some combination of the above?

             Maybe.  That is left open.

But there is one more message. As Sarah goes back to her room and packs up some of her junk, she sees her friends from the labyrinth. Although she has accepted adulthood, she says tells them that “every now and again, I still need you. All of you.” 

  Thus her all of her friends re-appear and we get a dance party ending. 

   Some people may find the message contradictory. But the intention is not that. In fact, it’s the best message in the whole movie! Sarah is now a grown-up, but she still has imagination. She still has the wonder of childhood so she will not turn corrupt as some adults do.

   Anyone can be an adult with a career and still dress up in costumes for fun. Anyone can still be a responsible adult who pays bills and read children’s literature in their free time. Anyone can be a functional adult and do what they love when they have free time, even if what they love is a little childish. Just as long as you stick with your priorities and no one else gets hurt. It’s all a matter of balance. Grow up and do the work, but don’t lose the magic of childhood.

   Because you have the power, if you choose to take it. And that is the message at the heart of Labyrinth. 

SOURCES

http://labmf.org/facts/warning_signs

Labyrinth. Owned by Jom Henson

Smith, A. C. H., Brian Froud, and Jim Henson. Jim Henson's The Labyrinth: The Novelization. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Labyrinth Analysis Part 3- The Leave Your Quest Tests

   Our protagonist must face two different tests before she can meet her goal. Both give her two different temptations- which the hero in any hero’s journey story is almost required to face. Since she is a teenager, she is leaving childhood and entering adulthood. She must face the two tempting extremes of either side.

  Earlier, Jareth had given Hoggle a crystal dream ball turned into a peach, and ordered him to give it to her and make her eat it. When the hungry Sarah is finally tricked into eating it, she is physically weakened and falls to the ground. The motif of dangerous fruit is one common throughout fairy tales, and mythology; from Eve to Persephone to Snow White. Besides physical weakness, another crystal ball floating down sucks her into the dream ballet.

   What is inside? Well, one of the most famous scenes in the whole film. Inside is a surreal masquerade ball full of guests in pretty dresses, and grotesque masks. The song “As the World Falls Down” plays throughout this scene. Sarah is dressed up in a sparkly white ball gown with big marshmallow sleeves. Here, she looks innocent- the image of the child-like, ingenue princess. She is very juvenile compared to everyone else and sees that she is in an adult situation. She sees Jareth ,in all his lip-glossed, blue bedazzled suit glory, remove his mask, stare at her and vanish.

   Sarah does not have a mask, unlike everyone else, and wanders through the scene. At one point the prank her by showing her a chicken head popping out of a box (just guess what that could symbolize). Jareth, being the dream prince of a young girls fantasy, stalks and spies on her, and then finally pulls her down for a dance. Other than the romantic, dreamy music of the song playing, we do not hear a single line of coherent dialogue. We do not even hear a single “What the crap?” from Sarah.

   Sarah is facing the new, exciting temptation of adulthood in the form of romantic and sexual awakening. She has already taken big girl steps toward responsibility. But what about the more glamorous world of adulthood? The world of dress-up that her mother conveys? Here, it is offered to her on a silver platter. Forget living up to your mistakes and becoming a hero, be like your princess mother. You’ll wear pretty gowns and dance with the exact same men who court her.

   It seems too good to be true, because it is.

   The temptation of sexuality is a common theme throughout hero’s journey stories. Usually, they involve a mythical being trying to seduce the young hero or heroine out of the way of their goal. One example is in the Epic of Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh is close to the end of his first journey, he bathes and puts on new clothes (like Sarah in the fantasy). Ishthar, the Babylonian goddess of love and beauty, arrives to him. She offers him to become her lover, and that she will give him all the possessions he desires if he does. Already this paints a strong liking to this scene; the ball of Sarah's dreams complete with costumes and jewelry. One lyric of the song claims that Jareth “will paint you (Sarah) mornings of gold, I’ll spin you Valentine evenings”. Gilgamesh turns her down, since she is an untrustworthy goddess. He knows that each of her previous lovers died due to displeasing her in some way.

   Sarah has conflicting feelings about dating and romance. On one hand, as we have already discussed, she wants boys to pay attention to her and to feel desired. But those steps are frightening and give her a lot of pressure to conform to the expectations of others to become what they consider “desirable.” They laugh at her in this scene because they are judging her, mocking her for her childishness.

      What about Jareth's motivations in this scene? Is he trying to earnestly win her love? The answer is most likely yes. But there is more to it than that. He is using that infatuation as a distraction. .  He is narcissistic and vain to an extreme extent (he wants to re-name Toby after himself!). He knows that he is the image of a “dream celebrity prince” and decides to use it to manipulate a hormonal teenage girl. According to the novelization, Sarah can only “think about Jareth”, once she eats the peach  He wants to be the one in control of everything, as alluded by the rape imagery of the cleaner, the chicken head, and the drugged peach. Second, he wants to keep Toby for himself (we'll discuss why in the last part), and that means stopping this girl with whatever means possible. He says to Toby that once she eats the peach she will “forget all about you.”  During their first scene, he tells her “forget about the baby.” He says to “run back, play with your toys and costumes” so that she will not challenge him. Heck, what’s to stop him from turning her into a goblin himself once he got tired of her?

   Look at the brief smile he gives her once the clock strikes twelve.

   That doesn’t look like a lovers smile. It looks like the smile of a lion finally catching gazelle. Sarah realizes this and runs off. She takes a chair and uses it to smash the crystal walls, destroying that world and making her escape.

   There is another interesting twist considering the feminist interpretation. The fairy tale this scene quotes is the Perrault version of Cinderella. This is the version we get our main image of the story lauding female passivity and reliance on good looks and getting a rich man. Even the lyrics of “As the World Falls Down” can be condescending to her! (“As the Pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you” “There’s such a fooled heart, beating so fast”). She is as much of a fairy tale princess as Jareth is a fairy tale prince.

   This  world of strict gender roles is the sort of dream Jareth is offering Sarah. But Sarah is not some starry-eyed waif who will succumb to his pelvic sorcery. She sees through the pressure to become a wilting damsel. She chooses to become a hero rather than a damsel in distress. She escapes by literally breaking the glass wall, it may not be the ceiling, but its close enough. Once she falls out of the bubble, the peach that once looked so fresh and delicious has now rotted and has worms.

   The second temptation that comes after is the temptation of childhood. It is less ambiguous and more direct and simple than the last scene, so I will not take as long to analyze it. First of all, look at the title of the character Sarah meets- The Junk Lady. 

   That should give you a big clue already. Second, the room is not her real room, but an illusion of her room. Something that can similar, but never exact.

   Sarah has just faced the pressures of a corrupt adulthood. She cannot remember what she has to do, but she knows that she is tired and just wants to rest without any pressure on her at all. She regresses back to her old habits of childishness. As the Junk Lady piles trinket after trinket on her. Any work to be done will be cared for by someone else. In childhood, life is only pleasant and simple.

   Or so it seems.

   Sarah realizes that all her books and stuffed animals are “all junk.” She cannot choose them over a human life. Instead of being a child and having others take care of her, she is going to take care of Toby.

   Childhood is only a stasis, but not moving forward. It is holing yourself up from the rest of the world except for that little paradise where everything is yours. It is denying cruelty and power exist and hiding away, thinking that it will go away if you just avoid it. It is not taking advantage of your human potential. It means staying in a place where you only have to be safe, comfortable, and happy.

    She rejects this temptation, and emerges out, with her loyal companions waiting right outside for her.

Labyrinth Analysis Part 2- The Meat and Potatoes

Now that Sarah started her journey, she is interacting with this strange fantasy world. Sometimes it is wondrous, sometimes it is frightening, and sometimes it is lacking in sense. The first character she encounters, just outside the Labyrinth, is a goblin named Hoggle.

At this point, I am going to throw in crazier interpretations. So let’s pause at Sarah’s meeting with Hoggle and throw in the one that will reappear the most. Labyrinth is a film with strong Feminist subtext. Was this intentional? I do not know. But let’s take a closer look. First, Sarah is a female protagonist who is both dynamic and strong-willed. She stands up and does the heroic thing. She fights the Labyrinth when everyone else tells her it is impossible. She becomes a leader. Her goal is not attaining a man, but saving a life. The film portrays the element of romance connected with Jareth  as a trap. (But we will elaborate later).

                Second, the world of the Labyrinth, especially the goblin city, is a patriarchy. It is a world where men are dominant and women are subservient. The goblin population is, for the most part, male. The city features a fountain where one of the statues urinates into the pool. Jareth’s tights confirm his male-ness and power over everyone else. He later criticizes and mocks Hoggle for feeling empathy for a girl. His sings his first song, “Dance Magic Dance” at Toby. It is a fun number about the spell that will turn Toby into a goblin. The ingredients for the spell include “slime and snails/puppy dog tails.” This is an allusion to the nursery rhyme “What little boys are made of” that glorifies rigid gender roles. This time, the goblins emphasize these elements so Toby will lose his humanity. They will make him a monster (that is, a misogynistic male).

                 

                How does this connect back to Hoggle? When we first meet him, he is urinating. After that, he sprays female fairies with a phallic object to dis-empower them. But, it is Sarah’s friendship that gives him a change of heart. While Jareth abuses his power over Hoggle, Sarah treats him as an equal. She might be a girl, and an enemy, but her companionship treats him as an equal. His empathy and value for friendship wins him over, and he converts to her side.

The film comments that patriarchies are built by men “out male-ing” and intimidating those below him in order to be at the top. On the other hand, the visiting woman, calls those she can trust her “friends.” She respects them and sees them as equals. Her “feminine” way is the better way. She takes care of them them just as much as they take care of her, making her their unofficial leader.

But Sarah’s journey is not pleasant all the time. She is in an environment full of different twists and turns. There are many ways to interpret the Labyrinth itself. But the one I will be sticking the closest to is that it represents adolescence itself. In her book, "Labyrinth", she imagines it as a wonderful, magical paradise. It is more beautiful and interesting than her suburban reality, much like how children romanticize adolescence from a distance. They think teenagers are “cool” and wish to be like them. When they reach adolescence, reality hits them. It is unpredictable, filled with tricky illusions and many puzzles (such as the two guards). She must make difficult choices, and encounter characters of questionable trustworthiness. She must meet trials, temptations, goals, friends, enemies, and so on. When you think you have it all figured out and it looks like it is easy, then all of a sudden, some disaster will hit you. The film illustrates this with the “piece of cake” running gag. Whenever a character says something- usually the Labyrinth, is a “piece of cake”, some disaster strikes. When Sarah says it in the forest, Ludo falls through a trap. When she says it in the oubliette, time goes forward, giving her less time to complete her quest, and that’s just to name a few.

       Earlier in her journey, after she figures out the puzzle, and answers it correctly. But even though she made the right choice, she still has to face difficult consequences (sound familiar?). Sarah falls thought the tunnel of “helping hands”, which is literally a bunch of hands pulling her down, into the oubliette. Oubliettes come from the Renaissance period and were torture dungeons for political power. In literature, they represent cruelty, and tyrannical power. So here, Sarah is facing the “heart” of tyranny, having reached the “belly of the whale” step in the traditional Hero’s journey. If we are going to go with the Freudian angle, then since the oubliette is circular and cave-like, it can be a vagina symbol. If this is the case, it marks the beginning of Sarah exploring her sexuality. Its dark, damp, she goes down there by hands touching all over her (a reference to masturbation), it’s frightening and unknown. Once Jareth confronts her and threatens Hoggle, he takes the crystal dream ball and throws it into the dark, summoning a “cleaner.” 

The cleaner is conical shaped and full of spikes and other pointed objects, and goes through the tunnels, rushing toward Sarah and Hoggle to run them down, and tear them to bits. This cleaner could be an allegory for rape since it is painful looking and forcing its way through the tunnel in order to destroy the heroine, and is summoned by the character representing adult sexuality and patriarchy. When she and Hoggle finally escape the cleaner and emerge outside, they are surrounded by bushes and greenery, which could represent pubic hair.

But sometimes a canoe is just a canoe and a cave is just a cave. If so, then the oubliette can represent something much more northern in the body; the womb. Up to this point, the Labyrinth has left the immature Sarah frustrated and stressed. To solve it, she must be ‘reborn.’ This is why she faces in the oubliette with all of its damp, dark ferocity. Once she emerges, her character makes the most changes, and she learns to accept what she cannot change and what is in her power to change. She also learns the importance of friendship and looking after people (or rather, puppets….living things) other than herself.

Her friends, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didimus, are there for spiritual support. But she learns several lessons through them. They represent the new friendships and loyalties she is learning to value as a burgeoning adult. Each represents different characteristics; Ludo is naiive, kind-hearted strength, Sir Didimus is impulsive gallantry, and Hoggle is cynical and hesitant to companionship. Each one is a piece of a whole; perhaps they are sides of herself she must balance to get mature power. As a group, they complete each other. She sees through them and makes sure that they are well-off and equal (she asks after one if that one is missing, and she calls them all her “friends”). She learns how each one ticks and appeals to them (calling Didimus “noble sir” after asking for his permission).

But although she has already braved many parts of the Labyrinth, she has a long way to go. Some elements are trying to use her own conflicting desires against her...

            

An Analysis of Jim Henson's Labyrinth (Part 1) Oops, I Summoned the Inciting Incident

Part One- Whoops, I summoned the Inciting Incident

Ah, Labyrinth, how I love thee. Way back when in 1986 when you first came out, you were a flop, but now you have grown into a cult film beloved by many. I was far more cynical upon my first viewing of you, but my heart has softened as time went by and I gave you a few more viewings. My love for you has blossomed past your many sins. It has blossomed past the sometimes awkward acting. It has blossomed past the cheesy dialogue. It has blossomed past the insanely tight tights of the Bowie Bulge that caused many people to either gasp, snicker, or stare. It has grown past the fact that the songs were probably pointless. Now people can see you at your heart- and you are a fun, insanely creative, and exciting fantasy adventure with everything from humor to characters to heart to fear to great music.

                Since the film was marketed more towards kids and teenagers, there are some messages that are very explicit to the point where the characters say them- such as life is not fair, stick with your friends, etc. But this is a film that can have a wide variety of meanings and messages depending on one’s interpretation. Now if you disagree with anything I say from this point onward (and some things I am going to say, especially about a certain popular goblin king), I am not saying that you are stupid or you are wrong, or that you should feel any sort of guilt. Labyrinth, like many other films, is a different experience for every person who views it. I would just like to express what my interpretation of the film (using more than one literary theory) was beyond the seemingly simple messages. Also, I will assume that you, the reader, have watched all of Labyrinth, and know everything that happens. Unless you have not, and want to watch the movie without knowing anything, then you might not want to read this.

                Without further ado, let’s start at the beginning of the film and take a look at our films protagonist, Sarah Williams (played by Jennifer Connelly).

                

                   Now Sarah is an ordinary 15 year old girl who lives in suburbia. What makes her unique is that she has a huge passion for fantasy and fairy tales. She reads books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and acts out her favorite stories- one of them being from a book titled “Labyrinth”- outside wearing costumes and make-up. Her room is filled with fantasy books, games, dolls, and stuffed animals. But since she is a teenager, she is often criticized for having interests that are considered too juvenile for her age. She is probably not very popular at school, and although she wishes she could receive romantic attention from most likely boys, she is still hesitant about plunging into the world of romance, dating, and sexuality, especially if it means giving up herself. 

              

           Sarah has a rough relationship with her family. Her father, Robert, divorced her biological mother, Linda, some time ago. Now he has remarried another woman, named Irene, and has had a baby boy, named Toby, with her. Although Irene loves Sarah and wants what is best for her, she can be a little harsh and pushy.  Although she acts out of love and concern, she criticizes Sarah for not being like “other girls” and often tells her what she should do, which often concerns doing things teenage girls are traditionally expected to do (“Girls your age should have dates, I’d like it if you’d have dates.”). It grows to the extent that Sarah feels trapped and pressured (“I can’t do anything right, can I?”).

                

                 The other female role model Sarah has is her biological mother, who she does not see often. In the films script, not much is said out loud about Linda Williams and Sarah’s relationship with her, but there is a lot that can be implied through looking at her room and reading the novelization of the film. Sarah keeps a scrapbook full of pictures and newspaper clippings of her mother. From the titles of the clippings we can tell that she is an accomplished actress (looks like Sarah is clearly her mother’s daughter!). The posters of various musicals hanging up in Sarah’s room, such as Cats and Evita, are various shows that starred her mother. Linda has not only achieved fame, and fortune, but beauty and romance as well. A couple pictures from an article taking about the couples onstage and offstage romance, show her mother beside a (familiar looking) handsome, blond man with high cheekbones (according to the novelization, his name is “Jeremy”). Sarah idolizes her mother. Linda has everything Sarah wants but feels that she does not have; fame, beauty, fortune, an extraordinary career of playing pretend, and a glamorous, exciting romance with a dream prince along with being praised and desired. But the pressures to grow up, including taking on responsibility and accepting the strict standards her stepmother wants her to achieve sounds demanding and contradictory to the glamorous world she wants to attain when she reaches adulthood…or at least dream about from a safe distance. This is something many teenage girls can relate to; they have many things they want for themselves when they grow up. But when they reach adolescence, everyone around them, whether it be family members or the media, tries to tell them many mixed messages about who they are or what they should be or want (for example; “You don’t want to marry or have kids? Oh, you’ll change your mind once you find the right guy”, “Don’t wear so much make-up all the time, people won’t take you seriously,” and they range from “Having dates and lots of sex is the only way you will be considered a woman”, versus “You’re just a child, you don’t know what you want”, and that’s to name a few!). This leaves Sarah confused about what she wants out of life. She wants the glamour of adulthood and the light-hearted fun of childhood at the same time.

                Her frustration climaxes when she is left alone at home to babysit little Toby while her parents go out on a date. There are a few ways we can interpret Toby, but the one we will touch on for now is that he is the physical embodiment of Sarah’s adult responsibility. Adult responsibilities include looking after other people other than yourself, according to Piaget’s developmental stages of childhood to adolescence, one vital quality of  preoperational staged children is egocentrism (only thinking about oneself), and playing make believe. As you grow older, you begin to think of people other than yourself and not be as grounded in fantasy as opposed to reality. These are two qualities Sarah, despite being past the preoperational stage (which according to Piaget occurs in children from ages two to seven), has yet to possess. She does not want to be a role model and take time doing something she doesn’t want to do, or think about looking after another human being other than herself. Toby has even been given Sarah’s stuffed bear, Lancelot and when she discovers that, she is furious! It is Toby is physical evidence that her mother is now out of her reach and that she has to face the bland reality of adulthood rather than the wide-eyed dreams of childhood. Considering that Sarah was an only child until he was born, he is a rude wakeup call out of her bubble. Not only does she now have to look after another human being, he is also a baby. He has more of a childhood to go than she has left. He can play with toys and pretend if he wants to, while she is no longer allowed to do what she loves.

                Her jealousy boils into outright hatred. She yells at Toby “I hate you!” When Toby won’t stop crying, she tells him a story; clearly it is a similar but not exact re-telling of the story from her book, “Labyrinth.” In the story, Sarah is the beautiful heroine she wants to be, and she makes her stepmother an evil stepmother who forces her to be a “slave” to the “spoiled child.” In the story, she is so beautiful that the king of the goblins falls in love with her, giving Sarah her desired male attention- she has a beauty so strong that even adult men are drawn to her! But the goblin king in the story offers to take the baby away to his kingdom so she could be “free.” The only issue is that the baby will eventually turn into a goblin once brought there. Despite this, Sarah, now acting it out, summons the goblin king to take the baby away. But it is when she accidentally uses the correct summoning words “I wish” (“I wish the goblins would come and take you away…right now”) does it come true.

                               

           

                And BAM! Goodbye Toby! Clutter, clutter, dramatic music, noise, scuttering, evil cackling and POW! Magic, magic,  magic, window breaks through, dramatic wind and shadows!

One theme that pops up throughout the film is the importance of choice. Sarah must now deal with the consequences of her wish being fulfilled, since she chose to say the words (granted, she did not know they would really come true). Her wish is for the goblin king to fall in love with her so that he and the goblins could take the baby away. Now that the baby is gone, Sarah realizes how selfish her wish was; she has sent a defenseless infant out into an unknown environment to eventually turn into a monster. The goblin king, named Jareth, played by famed British rock singer David Bowie, appears before her and refuses to give the baby back despite her pleading. What is remarkable is that he is the exact same man in the photos with Sarah’s mother (Hello Elektra complex!). He is made to appear “completely alluring, completely a character that draws people in and that people are infatuated with,” like “a romantic hero” and “a young girl’s dream of a pop star”, glitter, leather, and all. He is the fulfillment of her wish for male attention similar to her mother.

But what kind of love does he have to offer her? Well, not only does he refuse to return the baby at the request of his beloved, but he demeans her as a child, telling her to go back and “play with your toys and costumes.” He offers her a magic crystal ball “that will show you your dreams” instead of returning Toby, but Sarah turns down the gift. 

We will see later what those dreams are, but for now, I can say that they consist of pretty dresses and fairy tale balls and romance. When Sarah rejects it, he turns it into a snake and throws it at her, with a warning of “Don’t defy me.” Already, we know that although he gives her romantic male attention, he sees her as a helpless child who needs to be taught submission and punished for doing otherwise.

The magic crystal ball he holds (insert masturbation joke) upholds traditional gender roles in the form of what he claims to be her “dreams.” When Sarah says no to that, he turns it into a snake in order to scare her into doing what he wants. Immediately, we get two images from that animal. One is a phallic symbol- and since he throws it at Sarah, he is using the fact that he is male and therefore more powerful than her, the “power –less” female, to threaten and attacks her into obedience. He has twisted her dreams into a form of suppression; something that will harm her into doing what he wants her to do- to stay childlike and helpless instead of accept the simultaneous power and responsibility of adulthood. 

Secondly, the snake quotes the serpent from The Genesis story of the fall of mankind. The devil in the form of a serpent also offered a supposedly round object to a woman claiming that it would give her what she wanted despite her protests that it was not the right thing to do. He is not only connected to masculinity and the superficial glamour of romance, but also the devil, the embodiment of evil.

The last offer he makes Sarah is that if she can solve the Labyrinth in his alternate fantasy world, and reach the castle in goblin city in 13 hours or fewer, than he will give back the baby or else “he will be one of us.”

Sarah hesitantly accepts his challenge, and moves forward with her rescue mission.

But the adventure has only begun.

Sources Cited:

Labyrinth. Dir. Jim Henson. Jim Henson, 1986. DVD.

Smith, A. C. H., Brian Froud, and Jim Henson. Jim Henson's The Labyrinth: The Novelization. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

"Labyrinth (film)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2006. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)>.

Cherry, Kendra. "Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development: The 4 Stages." Psychology.about.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. <http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm>.

Pippin 2013 Revival Review!

When I first viewed Pippin with Ben Vereen in the DVD of the 1982 Toronto production, I had one giant problem with it that was keeping from absolutely loving this musical; it was dated. Weather it was the hair, the music, or the overall staging, the cobwebs somehow kept me from completely appreciating this wonderful musical.

And then came this revival, and it did just that. I can describe it in just 2 words: circus spectacle. It is easy to have a big Broadway musical that is spectacular in the fact that it shows off how huge the budget is, but here, the spectacle is important, it is part of the story, and it makes the story more recognizable, more modern, and even more powerful. Watching it now and all of the things it does made me feel not just like a 4 year old chewing cotton candy with my jaw open at all the fancy, difficult tricks they were doing without nets and closing my eyes whenever I thought a trick was going to be too dangerous and I was about to watch someone die right before me-which they never do (because they are professionals), but as an adult facing the question of how to spend my adulthood. Yes, you will be amazed, but you will think too.

Most of the cast (except perhaps a couple characters), are trained circus performers and dancers. The choreography mimics the original production and uses the classic Fosse style (supposedly they looked at his original notes!), but this is definitely the most extremely physical show I have seen, and the cast, especially the ensemble, pulls it off perfectly. It is a visual wonder, they perform on aerial swings, they jump through hula hoops, and they bend their bodies in ways you did not know bodies could bend. Most of the numbers have an individual identity; it has its own color, its own tricks and complex choreography and staging. Never once was I bored watching it onstage. As for the sets look, it was incredibly simple (a circus tent as the walls and your average circus stuff), and only had to change the lights or add a few set pieces from the fly space or wings to tell us we were someplace else. For example, there was green lighting and  green bouncy balls to make Bethe’s house and there was also yellow lighting and wooden animal stalls to make Catherine’s farm. The costumes were also useful in communicating character while staying true to the circus and spectacle themes.

The performances were a mixed bag. The strongest were, of course, from the Leading Player, played by Carly Hughes and Berthe played by Priscilla Lopez. Both had strong character development , wonderful singing (and dancing for Hughes part), and were a joy to watch as long as they were onstage. The understudy for Fastrada, Lara Seibert Young was on that night, but she nailed the simple character of Fastrada. She looked like she was having fun, which in turn made it fun to watch her. Plus her phenomenal dancing was a huge advantage to her performance as well. John Dossett as Pippins father, King Charlemagne, was not impressive in singing or acting, but he was able to keep in character and be believable, but too believable to the point where the character of “enormous power” seemed weak. Rachel Bay Jones as Catherine was annoying at first, but her humor and unique take on the character- emphasis placed on her normality and plainness as opposed to the greatness Pippin craves throughout the plot- grew on me, especially her comic timing. Sadly, the weakest link was the central character; Josh Kaufman, the winner of last years “Voice” as Pippin. Despite his naturally good singing voice, he made Pippin more spoiled than sympathetic and gave him no interesting qualities outside of that.

There were new orchestrations, cuts and additions that did a great justice to the show. I will not spoil it for those of you who want to see it without knowing, but let me say this one thing. In the original show, there were a few lines and little scenes that either could be taken uncomfortably or glued the show to its period. Cutting them (except for one line, my favorite from the original “Some men raise flags when they can’t get anything else up!”) except for a few of the more necessary “discomfort” lines and scenes trimmed the show to what it needed. The extra scenes reminded me something about this show; it is hilarious. Pippin has a wonderful, smart, and sometimes bawdy (but not to the point of gross) sense of humor. The best addition was the ending. You can guess at what it is if you listened to the revival soundtrack, but it never the less adds a new dimension and closing thought to the story that in addition to the circus element makes it all the more powerful. It is one of the best endings in Musical Theatre history.

With all of these amazing circus tricks, with all of the people singing while hula hooping or being held upside down from an aerial swing, it is not pulling a Weber. It is not spectacle for the sake of spectacle. The circus represents the “incredible” destiny Pippin seeks. Even when he is faced with the realities of a more  mundane life, there is not a break from the circus tricks because that is him trying to  change  reality to meet his own standards. However, it gets in the way of him being able to accept the happiness of the mundane. Pippin is a show that questions the idea of there being a grand destiny for each person, if an ordinary life makes a person ordinary, and what someone is willing to do in order to be considered great. Whether you are an adult facing your mid-life crisis, a high school student about to enter college and form your adulthood, or a college student questioning whether your major is what you want to do for the rest of your life, than there is something in this show, that  will strike a chord with you. And the chord has never been struck in a way like this.

So overall, Pippin is an exceptional revival. The cobwebs have been swept from it and trimmed and fitted to fit this new, different generation. The simple yet creative sets and costumes clearly communicate character and setting. The main cast may not be at their zenith, but they all perform physically impressive feats. The brilliant circus staging not only makes it look dazzling, but it also makes the main themes and messages of the show all the more relevant. If you missed the production, then by all means, see the National tour when it comes the closest it can to your town. They have magic to do, it is not a false parlor trick- the magic, indeed, is genuine magic.