Musicals—23

I hope you got a chance to watch White Christmas last week, and that your own holiday went off without a hitch. So let’s get back on track with our look at 90s musicals. And that brings us to the last musical of the 20^th century, Topsy Turvy [1999].

This film wasn’t a hit when it was released—it didn’t even make back its budget. But it was very much a critical success as it told the story of the composers Gilbert and Sullivan.

The thing is, I don’t understand why some films don’t make it. I remember LOVING this film when it came out. The characterization of these two talented guys—who were partners—having their disagreements as they write was terrific. And the idea that they could be ending their partnership when we were rooting for them to work things out and continue, made it all the more heartwarming.

Take a look at a clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWFcMRYjJtA

If you are interested in the process of creation and you’re interested about what goes on behind the scenes in the theatre, this is a movie for you. You can’t help but draw comparisons between how Gilbert and Sullivan come together to make art and how creators in today’s world overcome their differences to come together and make art.

And by the way, you don’t have to like Gilbert and Sullivan to appreciate this film—because, like the best films, it’s all about character. Here is a character like Gilbert, who is so into perfection, that he won’t even go to his opening nights because they won’t be perfect. And he’s partnered with a guy, Sullivan, who doesn’t want to write this kind of music at all. He wants to write more serious music.

We are at an important turning point in the life of this partnership—it looks like they could break apart as they struggle with their current project, The Mikado, which will go on to be one of the most lauded of their careers and will build the bridge into the two of them writing more operettas.

One of the side benefits of watching this musical is the realization that artists do struggle with this—with this feeling of inadequacy, this feeling that whatever art they’re doing—even when it’s making them a nice living and is lauded by the critics—they consider to be less than they’re capable of, so in a sense, they consider themselves a failure as an artist.

Any creative person struggles with this—with the feeling that what they do isn’t as good as it could be, as important as it could be, as meaningful as it could be. I know comedians, for example, who think they want to be dramatic actors because they think drama is more important… I know a screenwriter who wishes he was a novelist… many artists think their particular gift could/should be applied to something more “important” than what they do.

So Topsy Turvy is universal in that way. And it’s also a movie that needed no specially-written score—it uses music in the public domain. So it’s a good example of a musical that explores its story through music that already exists—no need to have a composer!

Is there an older period of music you find appealing? Could you, too, come up with a musical that uses public domain music? Something to think about!!

Copyright © Diane Lake

29Dec19

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