A Sunday.
A movie.
A day off.
A play-off
game.
The Tony's.
Which made me think of a ridiculous workshop I was cast in many, many years ago in New York. It was at The York Theater Company. Now, I do not want to offend or disrespect any people involved with the creation and production of theater anywhere. I admire those people and I honor them. However, this production, which will remain nameless, was musical theater at it's cheesiest.
I was cast as a slave girl named Maisy. I had a mean and nasty owner who beat me, and I was befriended by a young immigrant girl from Sweden named Inga. I'm not kidding. Her name was Inga. I'll spare you all the details of the story, but I will tell you that it had a happy ending. Inga and another kind woman helped Maisy escape! When Maisy finally found herself out of danger and away from her evil master, she saw a rainbow, which was a "sign that everything's gonna be fine!"
The final song of the show was "Rainbow's". I sang it with the two other women. I don't remember all the lyrics, but it began: "Colors all together. Colors in a row. A spectrum all around you. A warm and special glow." If those aren't the exact lyrics, they are pretty darn close. This would explain why I did not invite anyone to the handful of performances we had. Maybe I invited my roommate, but that was it. I was embarrassed. I also felt sorry for the people who cast me, because I would almost crack up in every scene I was in. Although I held it together for the performances.
Another song I sang as Maisy was about a bird. Maisy sang this song right after she was abused by her master: "I'd like to be a bird. 'Cause a bird has wings. A bird can fly away and choose the song she sings." Yes. This is exactly what would be going through my mind if somebody had just beaten me.
Anyway, I saw some things on the Tony's which reminded me that musical theater can be splendid when it's done well, but so, so horrid when it's not.
Outfit:
Cream knit shirt: From cousin. Mossimo.
Salmon Jacket: Forever 21.
Cargo pants: Goodwill. Mossimo.
Shoes: zoe & zac.
Posts
Layna: The song and the play would have been better if the lyrics had been; "I'd like to be a bird, then I can shit on my masters head-If that doeesn't stop him from beating me I'll claw his ass until he is dead".
ReplyDeleteAnyway, could you believe Scarlet Johansen winning? I know she is beautiful, and she looked perfectly groomed last night, but I never thought of her as a "great" actress. Maybe she is better on stage than on film.
In conclusion, an homage to the undercurrent of your closing song: "Colors all together. Women in a row; women all around you with that Sapphic Sister glow".
Love,
D
Oh my gosh, I am cracking up! Your lyrics are a million times better. That would havebeen a huge inprovement. Who knows, maybe the show would've been a hit if you wrote the book!
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you about Scarlet!
You crack me up!