Having covered those topics, let's get to the thorny issue of Swallow and The Man, which needs its own reply.
For better or worse, pmensky is right; there is an element of sexual tension that may register uncomfortably. But John Adams is also right; it's not nearly as serious as it is being made out to be.
Whistle's main problem is its book, which no one in this thread can deny. And the premise is the shakiest part of all, weakened by changes to the characters from the original novel and film. The premise and the main issue with it appear below, spoilered for whoever the hell hasn't already been spoiled on the biggest twist in this thread (y'all need to remember to use this, out of courtesy if nothing else):
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Three kids find a mysterious, wounded stranger hiding out in a barn, ask him his name, and his response, groaning in pain and shocked at being discovered, is "Jesus Christ!" which they take to be an answer to their question.
Though they’re painted as the "good old days" by conservatives, the Fifties weren’t as clean-cut as people like to remember. Nasty things were hushed up more easily, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. Which is why I say, Deep South or not, Bible Belt or no, even if religion and belief are stronger there than in other places… what children would mistake someone hiding in their barn for Christ because of an expletive?
Maybe the Fifties were comparatively innocent times, but no one ever "took the Lord's name in vain" in front of these kids? Even in a deeply religious community filled with rabid Southern Christians, surely someone's had a heated moment at some point - shattered a plate, stubbed a toe, burnt their fingers with a match, something!
In other versions of the story, when they were all sweet, naïve kids who were adolescent or younger, one could maybe let it slide. But Swallow's 15! If she believes he's Jesus just because he said the words "Jesus Christ," it's hard to argue she's anything but mentally challenged. They know what swearing is -- in the licensed script, Brat apologizes to The Man for saying "hell" in exasperation -- so surely they know the difference between imprecations and identifications (even if they don't know to call them that)!
Frankly, in addition to the film and novel not being as popular in America as in the UK, it's not hard to see this premise, especially as redeveloped, sank the show here. Critics felt patronized, even offended, that anyone would believe we're that stupid, even in the South. I can't say I blame them, but it's been the central premise since the original novel. Excise this plot hole, and the entire show's lost, so like it or hate it, we have to deal with it another way.
Lloyd Webber and Steinman (and, I suppose, Knop and Edwards) did half the job by finding an equivalent American community where this could conceivably happen, and the choice of Louisiana (and the Deep South in general) is a good one, for both musical and cultural reasons. Religion can be quite intoxicating, especially when it's been drilled into one's head (and that of their friends, family, and neighbors) throughout their childhood.
The other half is much more subtle and not immediately apparent for two reasons: one, it requires an actress to be in on the conceit, and two, the book -- as settled -- makes it very easy not to be, both because it plays her belief in The Man's "divinity" straight if taken as read, and because even once it hit the West End, they made a ton of cuts that, while they succeeded in shaving run time, knee-capped a lot of detail, even if it was only "color."
So, here's the big secret, and I realize this may be my own interpretation as someone who thinks about the show a lot (I dunno if I'd call myself an expert, Eric, but thanks for the vote of confidence!):
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...she doesn't actually believe he's Jesus, or at least not at first. She does, however, have a lot on her plate: she's on the cusp of womanhood, with all that that entails (including those pesky hormones and romantic tension with her childhood crush Amos), and no mom to guide her through it (which comes up as the primary point of several of her songs); her distant dad’s doing the best he can between his drinking (at least in the Prince production), his grief, and his inability to open up to his kids, but he'll never win Father of the Year, so her two younger siblings -- evidently much younger, if they're able to accept the notion that this stranger is Jesus with little doubt -- basically look up to her as the "new mommy"; and then this stranger winds up in her barn.
She doesn't know what to do or who he is, but he's hurt, the kids think he's Jesus Christ himself (hey, girl, if you can't follow it, try being in the audience!), and people in a small town rush to judgment, especially when looking for an escaped convict. If he isn't who they're searching for, she doesn't want him lynched, and if he is, she doesn't want him to hurt her or the kids, so she'll play along with their misguided belief. Besides, why break their hearts? He's a symbol of hope for them; Poor Baby's possible Christmas bonfire notwithstanding, it's the first thing they've really been excited about in ages. Better to handle this alone -- she's not a kid anymore, after all. (Or so she thinks.)
When she seemingly wholeheartedly begs him to bring her mom back, she is overwhelmed by all of the above. And it just turns into a perfect storm from there on, because it's the first time she's felt hopeful since Mama died, and now she has these same confusing quasi-romantic feelings about him that she does about Amos, and whether or not she believes as fiercely or devoutly as the town's children that he's Jesus, she at least needs him to be who she thinks he is as a person. The tension is less "oh God, does he reciprocate the child's feelings?" than it is "oh God, when she learns the truth, will she be able to handle any more crap on her already teetering pile, or will it destroy her?"
...whew, that's a lot of words. Anyhow, thank you, and tip your waitress generously.
Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05
Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28
, a football, some lipstick, licorice, and a kite, Swallow sings:
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