ext_36783 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
stars-inthe-sky.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crack_van2011-12-01 08:50 am
stars-inthe-sky.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2011-12-01 08:50 am
Entry tags:
Fandom Overview: Musical Theater
(Mods, we need some serious musical theater tags!)
Musical theater fandom is an interesting animal. Like any entertainment genre, its topics and themes are as varied as human experience. What’s curious, though, is that Broadway nerds like me often tend to just enjoy musical theater, period, whether it’s the Gothic gore of Sweeney Todd, the feel-good brightness of Hairspray, or the madcap history lesson of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Despite a range of musical styles and diverse modes of storytelling, musical theater somehow lends itself to a comprehensive fandom of sorts.
Fanfiction plays less of a role in that fandom, though. Perhaps it’s because many actors can inhabit a role, so it’s less easy to picture original scenes and sequences. Perhaps most shows tell stories at least in part through montage or in more abstract ways, so it’s harder to find departure points for original fiction. Perhaps there just aren’t that many of us reading and writing fic out there. Or perhaps we’re finding canon that feels complete in and of itself.
It may also be because musicals give us a world in which music is integral to storytelling, in one form or another. Musicals are
often mocked for that “I feel a song coming on!” moment that leads characters to burst into harmony seemingly from nowhere. That kind of storytelling can seem—and often is—silly at times, but the best shows have a distinct reason for characters to need to be singing. In shows like A Chorus Line or Rent, all of the characters live through their art—music is practically the only way they know how to express themselves. In Next to Normal or Company, many songs perform the role of a Shakespearean soliloquy—expressing what the character can’t say—or open up channels of communication that might not otherwise exist. For In The Heights or Hair, the worlds created by the show are so infused with life and music that the spoken portions are what seem alien.
All this is to say that musical theater is a quirky little corner of fandom. And unfortunately good chunks of it are dominated by rather terrible fic writers who haven’t learned the first thing about characterization, or who fail to understand that just because there’s singing doesn’t mean a happy ending is coming. Shows that get made into movies, are geared specifically to a younger set, or both tend to be the worst victims of this trend—Rent, sadly, is probably the best example of that, with the girl-power of Wicked in a close second, and youth-oriented rock musicals like Spring Awakening coming next.
But like any fandom, when there are good characters and stories to be found, there’s good fanfic. And that’s what I aim to bring you this month. My recs are by no means comprehensive—I know there’s loads of quality work I discovered during my own immersion in 2005-2007 and can’t now recall (and the Rent, Wicked, and Spring Awakening fandoms, which led that charge, are just too dense to comb through retroactively). There are also certainly an overwhelming number of shows I simply haven’t seen, or haven’t seen good fic for (the three mentioned in the opening paragraph, for instance). If you happen to stumble on stories that I and the general public ought to see, though, let me know!
In the meantime, I’ve provided mini-overviews for the shows I’ve got stories for this month. Wikipedia has fairly comprehensive information on each, so I’ve included links to those entries rather than reinvent the wheel over here. Instead, I’ve focused more on the appeal and effect of the shows in question, their staying power, and the production values. In most cases, there’s little substitute for seeing the show live [insert plug for your local theater community here]. To that end, I’ve included information about legal means of seeing these shows on DVD and television, although you can dig up bootleg videos for just about anything through trading communities and on YouTube.
So, let’s go to it!
The Classics
A Chorus Line (book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics by Edward Kleban, music by Marvin Hamlisch) is often
considered the ultimate Broadway musical. It’s a backstage story of dancers auditioning to be in the ensemble of an upcoming show, and amid the step-turn-kick-leap-kick-touches, the director asks about each actor’s personal story. From there, the show becomes a mix of humor and heartbreak, with stories of passion, tragedy, triumph blending together. It doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, and, despite a massive ensemble, A Chorus Line gives us an array of sharply defined, memorable characters. Based on the experiences of real Broadway dancers (many of whom went on to play fictionalized versions of themselves in the original run), A Chorus Line still stands out today as a technically simple show (the set consists solely of a large mirror, and there are only one or two costume changes) that packs a punch. (A film adaptation was made in 1985, and a 2008 documentary called Every Little Step follows the audition process for the 2006 Broadway revival.)
Company (book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) is one of many unforgettable Sondheim shows, and it’s enjoyed a bit of a recent revival in popularity after a Tony-winning Broadway revival in 2006 and a 2011 concert performance with a ridiculous and ridiculously talented celebrity cast. Told in loosely configured anecdotes, Company explores the psyche of Bobby, perpetual bachelor and notorious commitment-phobe, as he turns 30 and considers life alone and with a mate. In the process, we meet three very different girlfriends and five very different couples, all of whom bring out different facets of Bobby. It’s not the easiest show to watch: there’s little dancing and minimal spectacle, and Company also explores troubles and anxieties the audience can recognize in daily life—the power struggles and miscommunications between men and women, the pressure to get married and the compulsion for independence, the million little complications that stem from putting two people together. But Company is well worth exploring, even after you leave the theater. (A documentary film was made of the recording process for the original cast album. The 2006 Broadway revival was released on DVD through the PBS program “Great Performances,” and the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert was broadcast in select movie theaters after its run. That cast also performed at the 2011 Tony Awards despite not being eligible to win anything.)
Hair (book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, music by Galt McDermont) is the ancestor of the modern rock musical—
or, at least, its pot-smoking, freewheeling, hippie uncle. Hair does have a plot, and it’s a pretty moving one—flower child Claude deciding whether to burn his Vietnam draft notice or enlist, surrounded by a lively “tribe” of counterculture kids living it up in Central Park—but the meat of the show is really in its portrayal of a culture that at the time of its premiere had never been seen on a Broadway stage. Color and religion, poetry and prose, sexuality and politics all blend together into a fantastic miasma of peace, love, and a lot of drugs. There are also heavy Shakespearean themes, antiwar activism, and, yes, that one infamous naked scene (which, for the record, is not at all sexual—the cast stands in tableau as Claude ponders “Where Do I Go?” in the first-act finale). The show sent out shockwaves that lasted all the way up to its fantastic 2009 Broadway revival—several songs are cabaret and talent show staples and the themes remain incredibly relevant even today. (Plus, the cast of The 40-Year-Old Virgin sings the opening song, “Aquarius,” in the movie’s finale.) This show put real pop-style music onstage, and without it, we don’t get a contemporary classic like Rent. (Hair was made into a movie in 1979, but I wouldn’t recommend it—the film excludes at least half of the songs and completely changes the plot. Student activist Shelia is recast as a debutante, the pansexuality of the Tribe is generally ignored, and the ending is completely different. Rado and Ragni hated it, too.)
The Contemporary Favorites
In The Heights (book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda) is a Broadway baby of sorts, conceived of and written by a composer who saw The Phantom of the Opera as a kid and though “Hey, an awkward-looking songwriter who tries to get the girl like me!” and later saw Rent and realized, “My music could play here, too.” From there, the talented and sweetly charismatic Lin-Manuel Miranda created In The Heights, which follows the Latin community in Manhattan’s evolving Washington Heights neighborhood over one eventful July 4th weekend. Salsa, hip-hop, rap, and other music rarely seen on New York stages infuse the show—with the right choreography, the entire stage is alive even when it’s just a couple characters speaking off to the side. The show also has a few things to say about gentrification (which it arguably manages more effectively that Rent itself). The characters are simply drawn but instantly recognizable and relatable, regardless of your background, and I dare you to come away without a deeper understanding of the New York immigrant experience. (In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams is a 2009 documentary that follows the show from off-Broadway to the Tony Awards that includes plenty of onstage footage.)
The Last Five Years (book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown) is an affecting, emotional look at a young couple who, over
the course of half a decade, fall in and out of love. The visual sparseness of the show—two actors who hardly appear onstage together, minimal sets, basic contemporary costumes—is balanced out by Brown’s incredibly rich and telling score. The husband, Jamie, tells his side of the story from his first meeting through their eventual divorce; the wife, Cathy, tells her side starting after he’s left and working backwards to their first date. They meet in the middle, at their wedding, with one of the more beautiful love songs ever composed. Throughout, Brown sustains musical and lyrical themes that recur and align in fascinating ways. The Last Five Years has never played on Broadway—though its 2001 Off-Broadway run was well-received and won several awards—but it’s a theater nerd staple that sees a lot of regional play, and the cast recording alone is worth your time. (No legal films, to the best of my knowledge.)
Next to Normal (book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt) tells the story of a bipolar woman and the effects her mental illness has on her otherwise normal-seeming suburban family. There has, for the record, been some controversy over the show’s portrayal of mental illness and its treatments, particularly electroshock therapy, but the show is as much about those as it is about the nature of love, memory, family, and the idea of “treatment.” Next to Normal moves well beyond traditional musical theater territory, and it is as unapologetically raw and real as anything you’ll see onstage. In all, it’s a great example of a story that couldn’t be told without its visceral rock music score. (No legal films, to the best of my knowledge, but the original Broadway cast performed at the 2009 Tony Awards and on various morning and talk show appearances, all of which are worth watching for Alice Ripley’s performance alone.)
Chess (book by Richard Nelson, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus) is a
curious study in theater and fandom. Written in the eighties, the show maintains a cult status today despite the fact that it lacks a definitive book and song list—there are, in fact, key pieces that change depending on what version you’re seeing. It’s also a story about Cold War politics and international relations as much as it is about love and the titular board game—written by Tim Rice and two of the guys from ABBA, of all people. The basics are consistent, though: the world’s top chess players, American Freddie Trumper and Russian Anatoly Sergievsky, face off over the chess board and for the heart of Freddie’s longtime (and much-abused) assistant, Florence Vassy. The core songbook is bold and unforgettable as it ties the love story to the chess tournament, and both to the international pressures at hand. In short, Chess considers all the games people play, in all the many ways they win, lose, and cheat at them. It’s also the rare piece of pop culture that understands its non-human subjects (both the game of chess and complex U.S.-U.S.S.R. relationship) as well as its human ones. And the human ones are smart, fascinating, and flawed. It’s one of the better sections of musical theater fandom in which to search for fic, simply because there’s so much potential for new stories about these characters. (The 2008 London concert was taped and released on DVD.)
The Big Two
Rent (book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson) is about as fandom-y as musical theater can get. This rock-music retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme introduced a new, post-Hair generation of audiences (and adolescents) to Broadway. It’s not the first (see above) or even the second rock musical, but it’s a landmark one, and not just because of its myriad awards, the tragic death of its creator, or its breakout cast (including Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, and Taye Diggs). Though dated now, it’s a caring portrait of the Manhattan’s East Village as it was in the early 1990’s—packed with artists, drugs, and passion, as well as ravaged by the new threat of AIDS. Rent can get sentimental, and the neighborhood isn’t much like that anymore (even the real Life Café has since closed), but it’s a beautiful piece of theater that opened doors for many of the last decade’s new shows, like Spring Awakening or Avenue Q, that deal with serious subjects, unhappy endings, and portrayals of sex and sexuality. (Rent premiered as a 2005 movie featuring most of its original Broadway cast. I’d recommend the taped version of its 2008 closing night instead, however. The movie has some gorgeous visuals and great musical sequences, but there are some questionable departures from the original script, and the cast is quite honestly too old. It’s also simply a show that’s meant to be onstage.)
Wicked (book by Winnie Holtzman, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz) is musical theater’s other major fandom. Some of the
draw obviously lies in the familiarity of the world—the Land of Oz before Dorothy drops in—and some of it with the girl-power message and the bright, belting score. It also brings audiences a robust female friendship that at times overshadows the romantic story, plus some crazy costumes and sets. The book is full of memorable lines that are both funny and meaningful, and the two future Witches—popular Galinda and green-skinned outcast Elphaba—feel like real teenagers. Unfortunately, all this ends up meaning that a lot of the fandom is the target audience—young teenage girls—which doesn’t exactly bode well for fic. Curiously, a lot of the better works are more closely tied to Gregory Maguire’s decidedly more adult book on which the musical is based, although there’s plenty to be had elsewhere. In any case, it’s a fun and touching (and enormously popular and bankable) show. (Universal Pictures was a producer of the Broadway production but there are no plans for a film adaptation that I’m aware of. Wicked is featured alongside three other shows from the 2003-2004 season in the 2007 documentary ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway. In addition, various casts of the show can be seen performing at the Tony Awards, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and various morning and talk shows on TV over the years.)
Fandom Support!
N.B. Wicked is still playing on Broadway, and Rent plays off-Broadway now, but the rest of these shows have long since closed. As such, the level of activity in these communities can be pretty variable. Fic volume varies, but Archive of Our Own’s theater section is one of the best resources (as AO3 tends to be in general). FanFiction.net also has a fairly comprehensive Plays/Musicals section, but there you run the usual FFN risk of way too many terrible things burying the good stuff.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
bwaydaily
achoruslinefans
50thousandvolts
in_the_heights
talking_chess
_rentfic
rent
rent_the_movie
wicked_fanfic
wickedmusical
welove_wicked
Musical theater fandom is an interesting animal. Like any entertainment genre, its topics and themes are as varied as human experience. What’s curious, though, is that Broadway nerds like me often tend to just enjoy musical theater, period, whether it’s the Gothic gore of Sweeney Todd, the feel-good brightness of Hairspray, or the madcap history lesson of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Despite a range of musical styles and diverse modes of storytelling, musical theater somehow lends itself to a comprehensive fandom of sorts.Fanfiction plays less of a role in that fandom, though. Perhaps it’s because many actors can inhabit a role, so it’s less easy to picture original scenes and sequences. Perhaps most shows tell stories at least in part through montage or in more abstract ways, so it’s harder to find departure points for original fiction. Perhaps there just aren’t that many of us reading and writing fic out there. Or perhaps we’re finding canon that feels complete in and of itself.
It may also be because musicals give us a world in which music is integral to storytelling, in one form or another. Musicals are
often mocked for that “I feel a song coming on!” moment that leads characters to burst into harmony seemingly from nowhere. That kind of storytelling can seem—and often is—silly at times, but the best shows have a distinct reason for characters to need to be singing. In shows like A Chorus Line or Rent, all of the characters live through their art—music is practically the only way they know how to express themselves. In Next to Normal or Company, many songs perform the role of a Shakespearean soliloquy—expressing what the character can’t say—or open up channels of communication that might not otherwise exist. For In The Heights or Hair, the worlds created by the show are so infused with life and music that the spoken portions are what seem alien.All this is to say that musical theater is a quirky little corner of fandom. And unfortunately good chunks of it are dominated by rather terrible fic writers who haven’t learned the first thing about characterization, or who fail to understand that just because there’s singing doesn’t mean a happy ending is coming. Shows that get made into movies, are geared specifically to a younger set, or both tend to be the worst victims of this trend—Rent, sadly, is probably the best example of that, with the girl-power of Wicked in a close second, and youth-oriented rock musicals like Spring Awakening coming next.
But like any fandom, when there are good characters and stories to be found, there’s good fanfic. And that’s what I aim to bring you this month. My recs are by no means comprehensive—I know there’s loads of quality work I discovered during my own immersion in 2005-2007 and can’t now recall (and the Rent, Wicked, and Spring Awakening fandoms, which led that charge, are just too dense to comb through retroactively). There are also certainly an overwhelming number of shows I simply haven’t seen, or haven’t seen good fic for (the three mentioned in the opening paragraph, for instance). If you happen to stumble on stories that I and the general public ought to see, though, let me know!In the meantime, I’ve provided mini-overviews for the shows I’ve got stories for this month. Wikipedia has fairly comprehensive information on each, so I’ve included links to those entries rather than reinvent the wheel over here. Instead, I’ve focused more on the appeal and effect of the shows in question, their staying power, and the production values. In most cases, there’s little substitute for seeing the show live [insert plug for your local theater community here]. To that end, I’ve included information about legal means of seeing these shows on DVD and television, although you can dig up bootleg videos for just about anything through trading communities and on YouTube.
So, let’s go to it!
The Classics
A Chorus Line (book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics by Edward Kleban, music by Marvin Hamlisch) is often
considered the ultimate Broadway musical. It’s a backstage story of dancers auditioning to be in the ensemble of an upcoming show, and amid the step-turn-kick-leap-kick-touches, the director asks about each actor’s personal story. From there, the show becomes a mix of humor and heartbreak, with stories of passion, tragedy, triumph blending together. It doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, and, despite a massive ensemble, A Chorus Line gives us an array of sharply defined, memorable characters. Based on the experiences of real Broadway dancers (many of whom went on to play fictionalized versions of themselves in the original run), A Chorus Line still stands out today as a technically simple show (the set consists solely of a large mirror, and there are only one or two costume changes) that packs a punch. (A film adaptation was made in 1985, and a 2008 documentary called Every Little Step follows the audition process for the 2006 Broadway revival.)Company (book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) is one of many unforgettable Sondheim shows, and it’s enjoyed a bit of a recent revival in popularity after a Tony-winning Broadway revival in 2006 and a 2011 concert performance with a ridiculous and ridiculously talented celebrity cast. Told in loosely configured anecdotes, Company explores the psyche of Bobby, perpetual bachelor and notorious commitment-phobe, as he turns 30 and considers life alone and with a mate. In the process, we meet three very different girlfriends and five very different couples, all of whom bring out different facets of Bobby. It’s not the easiest show to watch: there’s little dancing and minimal spectacle, and Company also explores troubles and anxieties the audience can recognize in daily life—the power struggles and miscommunications between men and women, the pressure to get married and the compulsion for independence, the million little complications that stem from putting two people together. But Company is well worth exploring, even after you leave the theater. (A documentary film was made of the recording process for the original cast album. The 2006 Broadway revival was released on DVD through the PBS program “Great Performances,” and the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert was broadcast in select movie theaters after its run. That cast also performed at the 2011 Tony Awards despite not being eligible to win anything.)Hair (book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, music by Galt McDermont) is the ancestor of the modern rock musical—
or, at least, its pot-smoking, freewheeling, hippie uncle. Hair does have a plot, and it’s a pretty moving one—flower child Claude deciding whether to burn his Vietnam draft notice or enlist, surrounded by a lively “tribe” of counterculture kids living it up in Central Park—but the meat of the show is really in its portrayal of a culture that at the time of its premiere had never been seen on a Broadway stage. Color and religion, poetry and prose, sexuality and politics all blend together into a fantastic miasma of peace, love, and a lot of drugs. There are also heavy Shakespearean themes, antiwar activism, and, yes, that one infamous naked scene (which, for the record, is not at all sexual—the cast stands in tableau as Claude ponders “Where Do I Go?” in the first-act finale). The show sent out shockwaves that lasted all the way up to its fantastic 2009 Broadway revival—several songs are cabaret and talent show staples and the themes remain incredibly relevant even today. (Plus, the cast of The 40-Year-Old Virgin sings the opening song, “Aquarius,” in the movie’s finale.) This show put real pop-style music onstage, and without it, we don’t get a contemporary classic like Rent. (Hair was made into a movie in 1979, but I wouldn’t recommend it—the film excludes at least half of the songs and completely changes the plot. Student activist Shelia is recast as a debutante, the pansexuality of the Tribe is generally ignored, and the ending is completely different. Rado and Ragni hated it, too.)The Contemporary Favorites
In The Heights (book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda) is a Broadway baby of sorts, conceived of and written by a composer who saw The Phantom of the Opera as a kid and though “Hey, an awkward-looking songwriter who tries to get the girl like me!” and later saw Rent and realized, “My music could play here, too.” From there, the talented and sweetly charismatic Lin-Manuel Miranda created In The Heights, which follows the Latin community in Manhattan’s evolving Washington Heights neighborhood over one eventful July 4th weekend. Salsa, hip-hop, rap, and other music rarely seen on New York stages infuse the show—with the right choreography, the entire stage is alive even when it’s just a couple characters speaking off to the side. The show also has a few things to say about gentrification (which it arguably manages more effectively that Rent itself). The characters are simply drawn but instantly recognizable and relatable, regardless of your background, and I dare you to come away without a deeper understanding of the New York immigrant experience. (In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams is a 2009 documentary that follows the show from off-Broadway to the Tony Awards that includes plenty of onstage footage.)The Last Five Years (book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown) is an affecting, emotional look at a young couple who, over
the course of half a decade, fall in and out of love. The visual sparseness of the show—two actors who hardly appear onstage together, minimal sets, basic contemporary costumes—is balanced out by Brown’s incredibly rich and telling score. The husband, Jamie, tells his side of the story from his first meeting through their eventual divorce; the wife, Cathy, tells her side starting after he’s left and working backwards to their first date. They meet in the middle, at their wedding, with one of the more beautiful love songs ever composed. Throughout, Brown sustains musical and lyrical themes that recur and align in fascinating ways. The Last Five Years has never played on Broadway—though its 2001 Off-Broadway run was well-received and won several awards—but it’s a theater nerd staple that sees a lot of regional play, and the cast recording alone is worth your time. (No legal films, to the best of my knowledge.)Next to Normal (book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt) tells the story of a bipolar woman and the effects her mental illness has on her otherwise normal-seeming suburban family. There has, for the record, been some controversy over the show’s portrayal of mental illness and its treatments, particularly electroshock therapy, but the show is as much about those as it is about the nature of love, memory, family, and the idea of “treatment.” Next to Normal moves well beyond traditional musical theater territory, and it is as unapologetically raw and real as anything you’ll see onstage. In all, it’s a great example of a story that couldn’t be told without its visceral rock music score. (No legal films, to the best of my knowledge, but the original Broadway cast performed at the 2009 Tony Awards and on various morning and talk show appearances, all of which are worth watching for Alice Ripley’s performance alone.)Chess (book by Richard Nelson, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus) is a
curious study in theater and fandom. Written in the eighties, the show maintains a cult status today despite the fact that it lacks a definitive book and song list—there are, in fact, key pieces that change depending on what version you’re seeing. It’s also a story about Cold War politics and international relations as much as it is about love and the titular board game—written by Tim Rice and two of the guys from ABBA, of all people. The basics are consistent, though: the world’s top chess players, American Freddie Trumper and Russian Anatoly Sergievsky, face off over the chess board and for the heart of Freddie’s longtime (and much-abused) assistant, Florence Vassy. The core songbook is bold and unforgettable as it ties the love story to the chess tournament, and both to the international pressures at hand. In short, Chess considers all the games people play, in all the many ways they win, lose, and cheat at them. It’s also the rare piece of pop culture that understands its non-human subjects (both the game of chess and complex U.S.-U.S.S.R. relationship) as well as its human ones. And the human ones are smart, fascinating, and flawed. It’s one of the better sections of musical theater fandom in which to search for fic, simply because there’s so much potential for new stories about these characters. (The 2008 London concert was taped and released on DVD.)The Big Two
Rent (book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson) is about as fandom-y as musical theater can get. This rock-music retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme introduced a new, post-Hair generation of audiences (and adolescents) to Broadway. It’s not the first (see above) or even the second rock musical, but it’s a landmark one, and not just because of its myriad awards, the tragic death of its creator, or its breakout cast (including Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, and Taye Diggs). Though dated now, it’s a caring portrait of the Manhattan’s East Village as it was in the early 1990’s—packed with artists, drugs, and passion, as well as ravaged by the new threat of AIDS. Rent can get sentimental, and the neighborhood isn’t much like that anymore (even the real Life Café has since closed), but it’s a beautiful piece of theater that opened doors for many of the last decade’s new shows, like Spring Awakening or Avenue Q, that deal with serious subjects, unhappy endings, and portrayals of sex and sexuality. (Rent premiered as a 2005 movie featuring most of its original Broadway cast. I’d recommend the taped version of its 2008 closing night instead, however. The movie has some gorgeous visuals and great musical sequences, but there are some questionable departures from the original script, and the cast is quite honestly too old. It’s also simply a show that’s meant to be onstage.)Wicked (book by Winnie Holtzman, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz) is musical theater’s other major fandom. Some of the
draw obviously lies in the familiarity of the world—the Land of Oz before Dorothy drops in—and some of it with the girl-power message and the bright, belting score. It also brings audiences a robust female friendship that at times overshadows the romantic story, plus some crazy costumes and sets. The book is full of memorable lines that are both funny and meaningful, and the two future Witches—popular Galinda and green-skinned outcast Elphaba—feel like real teenagers. Unfortunately, all this ends up meaning that a lot of the fandom is the target audience—young teenage girls—which doesn’t exactly bode well for fic. Curiously, a lot of the better works are more closely tied to Gregory Maguire’s decidedly more adult book on which the musical is based, although there’s plenty to be had elsewhere. In any case, it’s a fun and touching (and enormously popular and bankable) show. (Universal Pictures was a producer of the Broadway production but there are no plans for a film adaptation that I’m aware of. Wicked is featured alongside three other shows from the 2003-2004 season in the 2007 documentary ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway. In addition, various casts of the show can be seen performing at the Tony Awards, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and various morning and talk shows on TV over the years.)Fandom Support!
N.B. Wicked is still playing on Broadway, and Rent plays off-Broadway now, but the rest of these shows have long since closed. As such, the level of activity in these communities can be pretty variable. Fic volume varies, but Archive of Our Own’s theater section is one of the best resources (as AO3 tends to be in general). FanFiction.net also has a fairly comprehensive Plays/Musicals section, but there you run the usual FFN risk of way too many terrible things burying the good stuff.
bwaydailyachoruslinefans50thousandvoltsin_the_heightstalking_chess_rentficrentrent_the_moviewicked_fanficwickedmusicalwelove_wicked