The truly timeless musicals are more than just the script, the score and the production. They tackle controversial issues and drive social change. On the Simon Morris blog this week, I want to explore just what this unique genre has contributed to the world as it has moved into the age of modernity.
A Musical Provokes Debate and Discussion
It’s often said that one of the greatest compliments an artist can receive is to be censored. To be banned is to spark a reaction, to provoke debate and discussion, which opens people’s minds, spurring change. I would argue that musical theatre in doing so, often acts as an indicator of the trajectory of society’s modernisation.
There are many clear examples of this throughout musical theatre history, examples that have tackled different social issues and been at the vanguard of their respective societal movements, and today, I want to examine two to prove my point: West Side Story and RENT
West Side Story: From Two Different Worlds
This most classic of musicals, which seems tame in the modern day, was actually pretty ground breaking when it was first released, and that it was it featured an interracial love affair between its white and Latina protagonists.
Coming at the vanguard of the civil rights movement, it was indicative of the turbulence that would follow a decade later, including the infamous Loving vs. Virginia case in the US, which established the right to interracial marriage nationwide.
RENT: Shedding Light on the Normality of Gay Relationships
RENT, the musical exploring the relationship between a group of friends in Alphabet city, followed in a similar vein when it was first released in the 90’s, as it acted to shed light on the normality of gay relationships – something that is a standard perception in today’s society, but was somewhat less understood back in the 90’s.
It’s important to note at the same time, the same-sex marriage debate was just starting to rock state legislatures across the Union, and that it would be less than ten years later that the first state, Massachusetts, would act to legalise same-sex marriage. RENT captured a zeitgeist before it’s time.
Simon Morris on the Power of Musical Theatre
In conclusion, Simon Morris readers, there is a clear connection to the portrayal of controversial issues and the acceptance of these issues throughout society in the following days, months and years. This further illustrates just how adept the genre is at understanding and communicating with its audience.
