Possibilities: The Greatest Showman

Perhaps it was my own mistake to spend two and a half weeks listening to the soundtrack, with my (retired) director's brain reeling with possibilities. The soundtrack is a joy to hear, and full of promise. So was the trailer for the film, though that could be said for a lot of movies. The film's marketing campaign has made it clear that The Greatest Showman is a passion project for not only Hugh Jackman, but for the team he's assembled. Jackman spent seven years getting the show developed, greenlit, and produced. That same press tour has also showcased a clip of what is easily the film's most successful number, "Rewrite the Stars." Both Zac Efron and Zendaya are exceptional. The choreography is on point, and the actors showcase their ability to sing, dance, act, and swing from a trapeze. It's more than most stage productions could hope for, let alone a movie musical. And in 2017, no less. With the success of last year's La La Land, the timing was right to take a risk on the songwriters' next project, which also happened to be Hugh Jackman's circus venture.

It's a musical, which one has to consider before describing it as a glossy, superficial biopic of the infamous P.T. Barnum. It's simplistic, rather like a primary school reader in which children learn about historical figures. With little to recognize as a script, there must be fewer than thirty pages of dialogue in the printed text. Thankfully, creative darlings Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have crafted a song cycle that tells Barnum's story almost entirely on its own. Not only did Pasek and Paul win an Oscar for their work on La La Land, but also received a Tony award for their stage show Dear Evan Hansen.

In the choice of Pasek and Paul, and on the heels of several contemporary musicals, the team behind The Greatest Showman opted for a modern sound, with pop and hip hop influences, despite the 19th century setting. Some of it works beautifully, and suits the character of Barnum, who wanted to bring entertainment to the masses. However, since the sound is heavily influenced by pop music to appeal to popular culture, the character development usually provided by the songs is lost. Without a solid script to bolster it, the characters - all of them - are completely flat. Those that suffer the most -historically and structurally - are Barnum's "oddities." By failing to invest in the characters, the film undermines even the most anthemic of songs. We're meant to accept "This is Me," led by Broadway veteran Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz (the bearded lady has a name?), as the circus cast's reaction to being shut out of a society party? It breaks my heart to know how much more meaningful it would have been to see the cast unite against the violence and shame they experience. Whatever camaraderie was developed off-screen, heartily evident in the press tour, does not translate to the film, and it's a shame.

Going into the film, the expectation is that Hugh Jackman will carry the film, as the leading man, title character, and driving force behind the entire project. Somehow, the ringleader and hero persona fails to fully materialize. I suspect this is due to a few factors: one, the real P.T. Barnum was a scummy con-man, and two, the lack of a clear antagonist. Is it Charity's father, the upper-class gentleman who dismisses Barnum as worthless? Is it the theatre critic, whose favor is to be won? Is it Barnum's own oddities? Is it Barnum himself? There's not enough contrast, obstacle, or conflict established toward any of these. When Barnum approaches playwright Philip Carlyle (Efron's character), presumably to bring a representative of elite society to the low-class sideshow, "The Other Side" gives us lyrical clues that are just not matched visually. There's talk of peanuts and clowns when referring to the circus, but we've seen nothing of those, and there's peanuts in this uptown bar. Carlyle does seem suited to his uptown life, with no propensity for risk-taking and no inclination toward a seedy hobbies. It's hard to see any reason he would change his mind, mid-tune, and decide to work with Barnum. When he does, Carlyle brings credibility to the production, evidenced by his ability to garner an invitation to meet the Queen of England, where Buckingham Palace feels no different than the American theatres we've seen. Class distinction is all in shorthand, with Zendaya's averted eyes, more tuxedos for the gentlemen, the queen on her throne. But it's all clean - there's nothing freakish about the circus performers when they walk in the room. It's merely their command for attention, nothing garish or offensive. Then, for some unknown reason Barnum suddenly decides to pursue  opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). Lind tells Barnum she doesn't feel like she belongs in high society, and we immediately see her in opposition to Barnum's wife Charity, who was raised in wealth and stooped to marry the tailor's son. If Lind is Charity's foil, Ferguson is Michelle Williams' inverse, though it's not quite in the way one might hope. Both characters are gentle, generous, beautiful, and look at Jackman/Barnum with adoring faces, and they both sing songs, in the same style. The characters barely differ - it's the performances. Where Williams brings authenticity and grace to her role, Ferguson's concert scenes make her seems more a fraud than the circus acts, despite the bearded lady's facial hair. If Ferguson's own vocals weren't going to be used, more consideration should have been given to the use of an operatic voice, create an aural opposition to to support the difference we're meant to feel between the world of the circus performers and the elite circles of the crowds at the grand theatre.

The Greatest Showman marks director Michael Gracey's first full-length feature film, and while there's a fair amount that Gracey got right, it's possible that my hopes were too high. Yet, certain things should have been obvious. Most of Gracey's previous credits are as a visual effects artist and digital compositor, which makes me feel that he should really have been able to see how unintentionally terrible the lady's beard was, and how terribly unrealistic the animals appeared. No animals were harmed in this production, because no animals were used in this production.

So I end on a sigh, wishing desperately that I could fix it. It's so evidently on a path to being tremendously moving. It frustrates me, like a nearly irrepressible desire to boop a stranger's baby's nose or remove lint from the jacket of someone you don't know. Part of my optimistic heart says perhaps it's merely that there is room for improvement with a stage adaptation. ::wink::





Notes
- Interestingly, while Hugh Jackman first made his mark on American stages in the 2009 Broadway revival of Oklahoma, it was Shuler Hensley (Lead Protestor in The Greatest Showman) who won a Tony award for his portrayal of Jackman's Oklahoman rival Jud Fry.
- Multiple cast members have Broadway musical credits. Among them: Hugh Jackman (Oklahoma), Michelle Williams (Chicago), Keala Settle (The Color Purple), Will Swenson (Hair), Daniel Everidge (Grease)
- For more circus drama or magic, see: Water for Elephants - both the book by Sara Gruen and the film it inspired, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and the HBO series Carnivale (not for the faint of heart)
- For a lovable conman, see: The Music Man. indie film Skills Like This, or the classic Bogart We're No Angels. What's your favorite (possibly redeemable) conman film?

Rebirth

It's been over a year since I updated this blog. I don't consume film like I used to, and certainly not new releases. It's time for a new direction.

Whether this results in an expression of imagination, a pursuit of validation for my creative thought, or a treatise that goes viral (the thought of which is pretty laughable)... here goes.

I've never really enjoyed the term 'critic' - if I had my way, I would have been something of a ‘consulting director,’ or ‘consulting dramaturg,’ as Sherlock Holmes is a ‘consulting detective.’ I should like to enter, en medias res, say my piece, and set it on its way to success. Nothing crushes my soul like potential unfulfilled. Whether it’s a child, a software change, or a production, missed opportunities can be heartbreaking.

There have been seven recordings for Jekyll & Hyde since 1987, with waves of cult followers and a relentless push for productions ever since. We all know there’s something there. It was optioned for a film back in 2013 - Jekyll & Hyde has the potential to be one of the great movie musicals, just not as it stands.

Look at the BBC’s Ripper Street. Read Daniel Lavine’s novel Hyde, return to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The infamous novella follows an unusual narrative, shifting narrators, referencing documents - elements that have made Pride and Prejudice difficult to adapt, as well as Dangerous Liaisons. Choosing the story you want to tell is fundamentally important, and yet straying too far from Stevenson will also cause us to lose sight of the timeless Shakespearean advice: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

There are lessons to be learned from theatrical predecessors and successors. Among them: faithfulness to the original text. Les Miserables is extraordinarily similar to the massive novel, and of course, also started as a pop-rock musical; My Fair Lady is virtually identical to its source drama; the obnoxiously irrepressible Rent matches La Boeheme act for act; Frankenstein, adapted by Nick Dear is a poetic and evocative adaptation of the novel; Once, adapted from the film, is so true to the spirit of the film, and the story, that the changes become negligible.

That being said, the film version of Jekyll & Hyde must have a more taut, riveting story. I've eliminated Emma in my version - she's unnecessary. Revisionists should also consider spoken dialogue to replace the sung scenes. The dichotomy of the main character’s identities requires the split between spoken word and sung lyric. Were I influential enough, I would recruit Nick Dear to script the scenes. Reunite him with Frankenstein director Danny Boyle. Talk to Luke Evans for the lead.

Just give me a "special thanks" credit, and maybe a set visit.


----------------------------------------------------------

Suggested Song List

ACT I
Prologue
Pursue the Truth
Facade
Bring on the Men
Facade - Reprise (London)
Now There is no Choice
First Transformation
Alive
Good and Evil
Dangerous Game
Alive (Reprise)

ACT II
*Facade - Reprise (East End)
The Way Back
Murder, Murder
Your Work and Nothing More
Lost in the Darkness
Facade - Reprise (Whispers)
Obsession
Confrontation
Finale

CAST OF CHARACTERS
Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde
Atty. John Utterson
Dr. Hastie Lanyon
Lucy
Ensemble


ACT I
Extend the Prologue, for a more traditional overture.

Operating amphitheater, London, 1886. End of a lecture. Utterson, Lanyon, and Jekyll are leaving, other attendees mingling, among them Sir Danvers Carew. Utterson, Lanyon, and Jekyll are schoolmates.

Utterson
Reminds me of our school lectures, though I don’t recall the pain in my lower back…
Lanyon
It’s the wooden benches! After twenty-five years, even a judge would feel it.
Utterson
Remind me to bring a cushion to the next one!

Jekyll is withdrawn, contemplating the lecture. He is approached by Sir Danvers Carew, who introduces himself, claiming to have mutual interests and connections to funding for experimental research. Carew encourages Jekyll to keep in touch, sensing that he feels confined by the limitations of conventional science. Utterson, skeptical of the newcomer, intervenes, and persuades Jekyll to join him and Lanyon for a drink. They exit onto a London street (Facade).

In the tavern/bawdy house, Lucy fronts the show (Bring on the Men). Jekyll is barely moved. He remains distracted, absorbed in his thoughts, his meeting with Carew, potential projects.

Facade - Reprise. Cut short, the number no longer provides exposition for Jekyll’s engagement.

Ensemble
If you live around here, you need cash in the bank,
’Cause the houses ’round here are all flashy and swank,
And the front of it is what’s called a facade...

Instead, servants prepare Jekyll’s dining room, set for his fiftieth birthday dinner party. Philosophical discussion; Jekyll introduces his experiment and ideas. While Dr. Lanyon thinks him mad, Jekyll is convinced that his work will lead to great innovation. He sings a revised version of Pursue the Truth, as a monologue.

Jekyll
How can I pursue the truth,
if you will block each step I take?

Utterson
Henry, you have come too far -
remember what you have at stake.

Jekyll
John, I know I’m right.
I must let my vision guide me.
I’m weary of this fight.
There’s so little left inside me.
Yet, I know that I am right -
so I’ve got to see it through.
I’ve got to see it through…
Seven years ago, I started out on this alone,
and it’s alone I’ll see it through
to its conclusion.
Who are you to judge what I am doing,
you know nothing of the endless possibilities I see!

The number begins in discussion with Utterson on a more contemplative note than the impassioned recording. It may, however, beg a new ending to the song. Dissent between the party guests and the host brings the dinner to its sudden conclusion - Jekyll ejects the guests from his home and retreats to his laboratory.

After much deliberation and struggle - a soliloquy which replaces Now There is No Choice - Jekyll makes preparations for the First Transformation. This leads into our Act I climax, Alive, which introduces Hyde to the streets of London.

Good and Evil could be the soundtrack for a montage depicting Hyde in the underworld, where is actions escalate from theft to opium to rape to murder. In the process, he visits a brothel, where Lucy is paired with him for Dangerous Game. Rather than a consensual event, the song begins as part of a dance routine. Other men are seated, receiving dances from other women. They are shadows in the house, and slowly the focus is taken by Lucy and Hyde. After the conclusion of the song, Hyde forces himself on Lucy. She does not survive the encounter. (See: episode 1.1 of Ripper Street. Seriously. Snuff films.)

Hyde is revitalized by the event, launching into a reprise of Alive. (Incidentally, since when is a reprise longer than the original?).

ACT II
The ensemble introduces us to London’s East End with a reprise of Facade. Perhaps we see Jekyll struggling to sustain himself with The Way Back. Instead, a violent week passes in Murder, Murder.

Back in Jekyll’s study, Utterson and Lanyon pay a call to the doctor to express their concern. It becomes clear that Lanyon called the meeting, Utterson trying to defend Jekyll’s devotion to his work.

Lanyon
You have your work and nothing more,
you are possessed! What is your demon?
You’ve never been this way before -
you’ve lost the fire you built your dream on.
There’s something strange; there’s something wrong;
I see a change - it’s like when hope dies.
I, who have known you for so long,
I see the pain in your eyes.

Emma’s part would be reassigned to Utterson.

Utterson
Hastie, you know Henry won’t just walk away.
The only way he knows is straight ahead!

Lanyon
John, you’re twisting all the things I said.
My fear is he’s in up over his head.
He could lose control, and that I dread.

I would like to maintain the descant by using female members of the ensemble to fill out the sound. At the end of the number, Lanyon decides he has had enough. He cannot be a friend or associate of someone with so obvious a death wish, and so he storms out. Utterson and Jekyll are alone in the study.

Obsession provides insight into Jekyll’s thoughts. The audience is the only one privy to this information… Utterson is not.

When Utterson echoes Lanyon’s concern, even just a little bit of it, Jekyll feels betrayed, and yet ashamed. This time it is Jekyll who storms out - departing for his laboratory. Utterson, alone in the study, expresses his concern for Jekyll in a thoughtful Lost in the Darkness.

In the scene change to Jekyll’s laboratory, the ensemble whispers a reprise of Facade.

Jekyll contemplates the destruction of the remaining chemicals. Confrontation, with Hyde, reveals only one solution: suicide.

The finale will need a new epilogue, wherein Utterson and Poole break down the laboratory door to search for the missing Jekyll, only to find Jekyll’s ruined, lifeless body.

In-Flight Entertainment: Brooklyn and Room

On a recent flight from Manchester to JFK, I siezed the opportunity to catch up on some Irish cinema. By now, of course, the awards have been won, the DVDs released, the opinions formed.

I'd heard that Brooklyn was not worth the hype, but I'd also heard it had a classic-film feel to it, which I would like. I don't think anyone could have predicted how I actually responded to it. Brooklyn is a love story, and does itself a disservice by denying it. It is not a feminist or historical masterwork, it's not about family or immigration - it's a love story. Probably could have been the next Notebook if they tried harder, but there's not enough investment in the male characters. The entire film hinges on Saorise Ronan's performance, which is in turns vulnerable and wise. Her Eilis is quite real, but extremely lucky in her experiences. She is not abused, taken advantage of, nor does she need to stand up for herself until the very end - and even then, it's a small victory. I can identify with Eilis - especially when she falls in love with an Italian boy, and blossoms into herself. I was still able to root for Jim Farrell when the Irish suitor showed up, but only because he's played by Domhnall Gleeson, and we all know how I feel about Dom. My heart broke with Eilis's, as she realizes she must make a decision, to choose between the Irishman and the Italian. A nightmare, I thought, to find someone you love so much, and to have to choose between the very real love, and the dream of a perfect life you had always imagined with someone else. Eilis makes her decision not out of morality, need, or pressure, but presumably out of pride, and love, when she is threatened with blackmail. 

The production design is faultless, and the performances admirable - Saorise Ronan in particular - but the film does lack lustre. Uncertain as Eilis, the film doesn't know what it wants to be. It lingers too long in some places, bears too heavily in others, yet charms in still others. While I enjoyed the film as it is, I'm not sure I would have had the patience to enjoy it were I not bound to seat 22D for seven hours.

On the other hand, Room was more riveting, with more to say, and a host of different emotions to experience. I remember when Emma Donoghue's novel first came out, and fast became a best seller. With little to go on from the book description, I had no idea where the film would go, but with Donoghue adapting her own novel, the film manages to be much more than an episode of Criminal Minds, which it could easily have become. It's clear why Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Leading Actress, but not without her incredible relationship to Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son. Jack is now five, and Joy likely lived in Room for several years before his birth. Held hostage in a digitally-locked, soundproof shed, a violent outburst from their captor makes it clear that it's time to escape. Much to my surprise, the film isn't even half over by this point - and I spent the rest of it waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's not an easy film to watch, but a good one. It's a bit of a stretch to call Room an Irish film, but the Irish are proud of their progeny, and director Lenny Abrahamson is doing quite well for himself. (I adore Abrahamson, based on his superb handling of Frank.) His ability to portray outsiders, and to give fresh eyes to the world, is remarkable. He is aided by a moving score from Frank composer Stephen Rennicks. The man behind The Soronpfrbs has crafted an unsurprisingly beautiful score for a complicated film. 

Let it be noted that as biased as I am toward Domhnall Gleeson, I much preferred the film he was not in. Sorry, homeboy!

Notes:

- Brie Larson was recommended to Lenny Abrahamson, based on her performance in Short Term 12, which I wrote about in March.

- Domhnall had another movie showing on the plane: The Revenant, for which Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor the same night Brie Larson won her award.

- Another Oscar winner that night was Gleeson's Ex Machina co-star Alicia Vickander, whose boyfriend is Frank lead Michael Fassbender.

- A24 distributed Room, but also Ex Machina, and the Fassbender feature Slow West. These guys have good taste.