What Laws Apply In The Land Of Musicals?

[Seil]

So I was watching Les Miseranimals a while back, and I was like "This is the best animated retelling of classic theater featuring anthropomorphic talking animals that I've ever seen!" Then I looked into the actual play, and I thought it was pretty neat.

Recently, TBS was showing Rent, where in one of the first songs they throw flaming garbage into the streets from the upper floors of a condemned apartment building. I was thinking "Man, that's a fire hazard!"

Sweeny Todd sings about brutally murdering people. That's against the law.

West Side story had gang fights.

Guys and Dolls had illegal gambling.

I guess when you're in a musical, the laws don't apply to you as long as you're singing. Is that about right?

[bluestarultor]

You have to remember those are all musicals about their subject matter (although I can't speak for Guys and Dolls).

Well, minus Rent. I'm not quite sure if that one is actually about anything. It's kind of there for its own sake. Or maybe living irresponsibly, since everyone is on drugs, doesn't pay rent or bills, won't get a job, and has AIDS.

On the other hand, you have The Sound of Music, wherein the worst anyone tries to do is escape the Nazis.

[katiuska]

Originally Posted by Seil

So I was watching Les Miseranimals a while back, and I was like "This is the best animated retelling of classic theater featuring anthropomorphic talking animals that I've ever seen!" Then I looked into the actual play, and I thought it was pretty neat.

Recently, TBS was showing Rent, where in one of the first songs they throw flaming garbage into the streets from the upper floors of a condemned apartment building. I was thinking "Man, that's a fire hazard!"

Those are rent notices, and yeah, I thought that was weird. In the stage version, it's just the two guys burning stuff in their fire pit. I think the director just thought it would look cool that way.

Originally Posted by Seil

Sweeny Todd sings about brutally murdering people. That's against the law.

West Side story had gang fights.

Guys and Dolls had illegal gambling.

I guess when you're in a musical, the laws don't apply to you as long as you're singing. Is that about right?

All of those things are illegal in the context of the musicals, they just happen not to get caught.

[krogothwolf]

They do illegal things all the time in movies and plays, they just don't always sing it, so I'm not sure I really understand what you're getting an Seil? Are you complaining that they sing about Illegal stuff, that they do it? or that they get away with it? Or just wondering why Musical's are similar to ever other form of entertainment in that they decide laws are stupid.

[Lumenskir]

so I'm not sure I really understand what you're getting an Seil?

[img]seilthread.gif[/img]

For something more substantial about musicals, I've always kind of wondered what the proper etiquette was for audience suspension of disbelief as to whether the songs were actually 'real' or not. Mostly because various people I know keep trying to watch Glee around me as if I'll become a fan through osmosis, but mostly I just keep noticing how sloppy it is on the sliding "This song is actually happening or not" scale. You'll have one episode where they sing for practice (real), then a song later where the paralyzed kid can walk while singing (dream). Heck, there was one time when the gay one started singing, then an entire stage appeared in his room, but after the song ended his dad told him he could sing well, so where the fuck do you throw that one?

Personally, I prefer my musicals to stick to one side. All the songs in Pennies From Heaven and Chicago and whatnot are the manifestations of a character, not real, acceptable. Everyone in Singing in the Rain and Sound of Music spontaneously bursts into song around other people who act like it's perfectly normal, but at least they keep it consistent.

[Seil]

I'm just interested in a universe where an entire throng of strangers join you in complicated song and dance routines in the middle of the afternoon before they get on with the rest of their day, and no one considers it odd.

It just seems that - in a world like that - there's something to be said about what's not allowed, seeing as how you can sing and dance in the middle of the street during rush hour, or whatever.

[Meister]

I think you might be taking the commonly accepted conventions of musical theater quite too literally. I'm not an expert by any means but I'm pretty sure the idea is just telling a story with songs rather than depict a world where society has developed such that singing and dancing is the natural way to communicate.

(Actually, I think there's an idea. Anyone up for co-writing a musical set among whales or bees? We could make literally hundreds of cents.)

[krogothwolf]

Originally Posted by Meister

(Actually, I think there's an idea. Anyone up for co-writing a musical set among whales or bees? We could make literally hundreds of cents.)

I am so game for this! It could be a Whale vs Dolphin war musical! The Whales could be persecuting the dolphins and invading their territory to exterminate them. We could have Whale commando's singing about exterminating the dolphins.

[Seil]

...I don't think bee-themed movies do very well.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes and other science facts, repeat to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax."