Posted: 10/10/18 at 11:37am
Julie's life is destroyed by the white patriarchy of the time. And as recently as last week, we've seen a woman whose life has been destroyed by the white patriarchy. Julie's story is what makes Show Boat profoundly relevant and profoundly American. Alter one word of it and the show ceases to be vital for audiences today.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 1:07pm
And what's all this $hit about "the theme of codependency"?!
I'm gen-x, not millennial. But yes, viewing from a 21st century perspective, codependency is a central theme of the show. The old-school role assignment of stand-by-your-man for-better-or-for-worse to married women. The laws and mores of the era play a large part in fostering the codependency, but it's there, nonetheless. It's laid out plainly in the lyrics as well as in the plot. Both Julie and Nola stay with their respective men until they are abandoned. Queenie stays with Jim despite often saying he doesn't provide much reason for her to stay. Nola ends up being more resilient than Julie and Queenie displays more gumption and self-awareness (and as I said before, this theme is all the more obvious when Ah Still Suits Me is used). Can't Help Lovin' That Man is initially performed by those three women and we watch as how this philosophy affects each of them and their relationships.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 1:46pm
Posted: 10/10/18 at 3:27pm
GavestonPS said: "^^^
For the life of me, I don't see the problem. Both novel and musical play are simply dramatizing the difficult life of one, mixed-race woman in a time when miscegenation was illegal. The racial constructions and legal problems are all explained in the first act. What happened to Frank is never mentioned in either version, IIRC, because it's beside the point.
Except it isn't. It's mainly the story of Nola and Ravenal with this side plot about Julie's problems weaving in and out and given short shrift. Also, I don't think you can have it both ways and have the musical gesture at universality and then claim to be just the story of one specific person.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 4:15pm
No musical should concern themselves with universality. Hell...plays should not concern themselves with it either. It's the delving into the specifics of character that and how truthful the presentation of that exploration that can make a work of art 'universal.' Ferber wrote this epic with Magnolia and Gaylord at the center of it. Yes...Julie is a peripheral character. But she's, in many ways, the most fleshed out...Hammerstein was simply very economical in the way he told her story. In every way, I feel that Julie is the most fully rounded character and the grounding force of the show. It's the single story line that points the way forward to R&H's later works and, indeed, the way all of musical theater would unfold over the century. Take out the character of Julie and you have a lovely operetta about a Show Boat on the Mississippi. Add Julie and you have a road map to the serious issues addressed in musicals from then on. I do not believe Julie gets short shrift. She changed everything.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 4:27pm
I'm offended that someone thinks audience members can't analyze and figure out what to make of shows without a talk back or framing device. Show Boat isn't for every theatre company and it isn't for every theatregoer (what shows are?), but I see no reason why we need to blacklist the show completely. It's ok to present a work as-is and challenge your audience to make their own conclusions. Now, if you're taking an audience of high schoolers to Show Boat, I would definitely recommend some kind of educational context. But the average theatregoer ain't on a field trip.
I agree (and am in love with) SonofRobbieJ - I want those original first lyrics reinstated. THAT'S the way to challenge an audience. Wake 'em up right away and let them know this show isn't going to be easy! Now, that is what I consider theatre at its' absolute best: challenging and entertaining within the same evening.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 4:39pm
I mean, even the ending would challenge today's audiences as we navigate the (overdue) new wave of American feminism. I certainly wondered how I would deal with Gaylord's return if I were Nola after leaving the show. Of course, I see myself much more as a Julie. Ooooh...and the song "Bill" would take on a whole new layer of meaning! RobbieJ is such a Queenie. This is way more fun than Sex and the City characters.
Posted: 10/10/18 at 5:07pm
My Hey, Feller is definitive.
Thus spake Zarathustra.
Posted: 10/11/18 at 12:44am
SonofRobbieJ said: "No musical should concern themselves with universality. Hell...plays should not concern themselves with it either. It's the delving into the specifics of character that and how truthful the presentation of that exploration that can make a work of art 'universal.' Ferber wrote this epic with Magnolia and Gaylord at the center of it. Yes...Julie is a peripheral character. But she's, in many ways, the most fleshed out...Hammerstein was simply very economical in the way he told her story. In every way, I feel that Julie is the most fully rounded character and the grounding force of the show. It's the single story line that points the way forward to R&H's later works and, indeed, the way all of musical theater would unfold over the century. Take out the character of Julie and you have a lovely operetta about a Show Boat on the Mississippi. Add Julie and you have a road map to the serious issues addressed in musicals from then on. I do not believe Julie gets short shrift. She changed everything.
My brain is tired right now but I do think Show Boat makes claims at universality that other musicals do not. The staging of "Can't Help Loving That Man" as something common to three different female characters despite their different circumstances. When I say universal, I'm talking about the difference between Cable singing a song about him having trouble with his girlfriend and him singing "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught."
I agree that Julie is the most compelling character but I disagree that saying she's a peripheral character whose story was economically told improves any of the issues I'm talking about. She's not a magical negro but her story is sacrificed for what you call the lovely operetta. She's not much more than a Black Best Friend.
