Screenshot of Klaus Kinski in “Fitzcarraldo” by There Stands the Glass.
I can’t take it anymore. I refuse to watch another livestream of a musical performance. Even when the production values are good, livestreams are dreary and depressing reminders of an important aspect of my life that remains unattainable ten months into the pandemic.
My daily opera initiative concluded on New Year’s Eve, but I’m currently trudging through a strident interpretation of “Die Zauberflöte” in which good ideas- catcalls from the audience, security fences as stage props and the change in the age and gender of the child guides among them- are outnumbered by failed innovations. I’m forcing myself to view 15 minutes a day until I witness the disappointing version of Sarastro triumphing in the final scene.
My distaste may be related to one of my latest attempts to mitigate cabin fever. I’ve redirected a portion of my newly available time to musicals, another suspect form of entertainment I’ve long neglected. Sure, I’ve seen film and stage versions of cultural touchstones like "Oklahoma!," “The King and I” and “Singin’ in the Rain,” but I’ve intentionally sidestepped dozens of secondary works. I haven’t even seen “Hamilton” yet.
While I have no intention of watching a musical every day, I hope to become fluent in the form in the coming months. I’m particularly motivated by a desire to get a better handle on the relationship between musicals and the Great American Songbook. Maybe musicals aren’t merely opera’s dumbed-down and corny offspring. I’ll periodically share my observations about "all the beautiful and new things I’m learning" in this space.
I’m also going to break form by venturing into the realm of film criticism. I’ve long been horrified by the cultural conformity revealed in the movie recommendations of friends and associates who unironically use the term “creative” to identify themselves. Their sincere adoration of superhero flicks is particularly embarrassing.
Rather than continuing to seethe in silence, I’ll begin adding lists of movies I’ve recently appreciated to my monthly recaps. I’d never seen Werner Herzog’s opera-inspired 1982 film "Fitzcarraldo" until now. What a glorious mess!