Michael Lee Brown is SUBLIME -- but DEH, the show...? — Page 3

Surprised to hear all the criticism levied at the lack of comeuppance. Haven't we all seen enough Disney movies, ABC after school specials, action movies, and their morally equivalent parallels in the world of Broadway to not need yet another story where the good people prevail and evil fails? I personally liked the fact that EH hatched and executed a diabolical and deranged plot and (largely) got away with it. I don't need to have my own morals validated by seeing him get punished -- it's art, meant to make you think, and meant to move you, but not necessarily to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The story is absurdly unbelievable, and that may have contributed to why I couldn't get emotionally invested...the idea that even disconnected parents could be so easily duped made suspension of disbelief difficult, and the many subpar performances didn't make it any easier. The motivation for the big reveal seemed forced and unearned -- I was hoping for a much bigger, grander, and smarter event to topple the incredible enterprise that had been built; breaking down in a moment of stress just seemed like lazy writing. And, of course, the Murphy parents essentially walking off in a huff, and Zoe reacting by effectively saying "well, that was weird...let's go for a walk in the orchard!" was a deeply dissatisfying denoument. For writers who clearly put a lot of thought into creating a deeply complex character with far more heft than you expect to find in a musical, it just seemed like they ran out of steam or ideas as to how to wrap the whole thing up. It left me dissatisfied not because he doesn't get punished, but because the conclusion felt like a throwaway -- not nearly as thoughtful or intelligent as a piece as carefully constructed as this deserved.


But perhaps the story can be taken as a metaphor -- it's not about socially anxious kids and grieving parents per se, but about human beings' willingness to cling to even preposterous stories if they make us feel better about the difficulties we encounter in our lives. (You could argue that that's what impels people to continue to be religious or superstitious, even in an age of widespread education, knowledge and enlightenment.) The Trump phenomenon is something of a manifestation of this -- a huckster and charlatan comes along and, tapping into people's romantic associations with nostalgia, weaves fanciful tales about how he's going to make everyone's lives better by invoking, and promising to bring back glorified images of an incredible past. A large segment of the population recognizes that the emperor is not actually wearing any clothes, but the rest of society turns a blind eye, willfully suspending skepticism and the evident reasons for disbelief because buying into the story enables you to push your problems away and feel so very good. The storyteller, who may have had innocuous or even magnanimous motivations at the start, begins to get addicted to the newfound power and endless adulation his fibbing has gotten him. He finds it impossible to stop, until it all comes crashing down.

Updated On: 8/25/17 at 04:41 AM

bdn223 said: "Bibliot

I am not saying that a show must have a likable protagonist, I am saying a show should call a spade a spade and an unlikable protagonist/anti-hero must face the consequences for his/her actions.

Sweeney Todd accidentally kills his wife, the reason he started killing in the first place, and is then killed by Tobey. Natasha is ruined and almost dies, only to be saved by Pierre. Hamilton is historical fiction, but Aaron Burr was the reasoning for the 12th amendment, which in turn forced him out of the Vice Presidency. Then after that Thomas Jefferson tried to have Burr convicted for Treason.....so yeah I'd consider that resolution. Diana in Next to Normal leaves her family as she realizes the toll her illness has taken on them. Phantom looses Christine and is forced to flee. In the original story dies loveless and alone, which is a cruel fate as love is his sole motivation. Harold Hill is arrested. The Emcee is killed by the Nazi's. Jonas (Leap of Faith) finds the error of his ways after he falls in love with Marla and finds compassion for Jake leaving the revival business for a true believer. Dewey is fired for impersonating a teacher. Frank goes looses everyone he loves then goes jail (Catch Me If You Can).

Evan.....looses the girl? He doesn't get the scholarship? The Murphy family are the one's who ultimately face the consequences of Evan's actions, not him.



The only musical one can actually argue does not have a resolution for its unlikable protagonists is Follies, which simply ends with Buddy and Sally, and Phyllis and Ben, simply leaving the theater and moving on with their lives. The difference is that "life happens and its pointless to dwell on the ghosts of the past" is very much the point of the show.



"

Many of these are flawed -

Burr is the antagonist

Diana leaves her family because she believes she can get better on her own and is unhappy in her situation. Where is her "punishment"?

The emcee is not the protagonist, either. Nazis also aren't punishment...unless you want to say everyone that dies by their hands were all deserving of punishment.

Harold Hill is arrested for about 10 seconds AND he gets to keep the girl!

I'm not saying this is a perfect show, and it's fine that you might not like it...but your proof is inaccurate.

Punishment is suppose to be so the wrongdoers learn from their errors, not as a strictly punitive, vengeful action. This is the route taken.

Updated On: 8/25/17 at 06:47 AM

herewegoabc said: "My main problem with the end is that the orchard allegedly "cured" the Murphy parents and brought them together. I find that highly unbelievable and feel like it was just an easy out for Zoe to say- I forgive you because you fixed my parents. I personally do not think Cynthia and Larry would be fixed at all. Statistics say that losing a child greatly increases chance for divorce, and they already seemed to be close to that edge before the loss if you believe Zoe's statement that "they can't stand each other."

However, I'm not really sure what, if anything, we are supposed to hope happened to Evan. I think the Murphys not blowing his cover is one of the more believable things that happen in the musical. They just lost their son to suicide. They found a note that reads EXACTLY like a suicide note and easily believe that that's exactly what it is. When they later find out that it was not written by their son, obviously they are very rightfully devastated/angry/upset/whatever. Their life has essentially just been destroyed for the second time in however many months.

But revealing the truth about Evan, that note, The Connor Project? I am sure they had enough sense to realize that if Evan wrote that note that he was, or at least was at one point, suicidal. They are not going to make things worse for a suicidal child after they literally just lost their own that way.

Heidi, I do believe is a good mother who tries her hardest. But the part of this show that bothers me the most is when she founds out Evan has stopped taking his meds and tells him that she is PROUD of him for "not needing them."

"

I totally agree with your post. The Murphy's have a lot of empathy and when they realize the lie they realize that all those things Evan said about Connor were really about himself: suicidal, lonely, mentally troubled. They aren't the type of people who would do something that would drive Evan off the cliff as well.

As for Heidi that part of the show doesn't really bother me because Heidi is extremely overwhelmed by her very troubled son and her lack of resources to take care of all his needs. It's believable that she'd be deluded into thinking that maybe Evan's issues are solved because he has friends and things to do. I also believe that after the lie is revealed Heidi immediately puts her son back in therapy, because at the end of the show Evan is still writing those letters to himself.

I'd be willing to bet good money that if was possible to do a metrics analysis of the average number of words per post re every show ever discussed on BWW (which obviously it's not), you'd find that DEH ether leads in that category or is right up there. Understand that I'm not saying it's the most talked about show, it's just that when we all write about it we have a lot to say, good or bad.

Mister Matt, I've never agreed with one singular post so much, regarding both your opinion on the show and on the lack of the proper grammar on BWW entirely.