Why You Should Always Impress the Librarian

Picture this: you walk into a room, about to be interviewed for your dream job. That morning, you spent hours making sure your outfit was exactly right, your baby hairs were tucked away, and your breath smelled minty clean. As you drove to the interview, you planned out exactly what you will say in response to various possible questions. And you are so scared of something going wrong that despite your extensive use of deodorant, you are sweating profusely. Why do you care so much about the success of this dream job interview? Because first impressions mean everything in today's society.

Every precaution you took to ensure the interview goes well demonstrates how vital it is for people to make a good first impression on those who will have an impact on their life. If you didn't impress the interviewers, you would't get your dream job. If you don't impress the girl, you won't get a second date. First impressions are an innate human concern. People naturally judge others based on the first glimpse they get of them. 

In Meredith Willson's, The Music Man, Professor Harold Hill seems to make an excellent first impression on every citizen in River City, Iowa except the one person he needs on his side: the librarian, Marian Paroo. Promising to create and conduct a boys' band, Hill cons the incognizant parents in the town into giving him money for band equipment, though the "professor" knows nothing about music. As Hill continues to scam the town and rob them of their money, Marian is one of the only people to see his deception. She has the resources and intelligence to expose Hill, so the professor must try to win her over. This proves to be no easy task.

Marian is reluctant to believe anything Hill says and refuses to go out with him, though his persistence is unforgiving. Because Harold Hill did not make a good first impression with Marian, her permanent image of him is a lousy one. Throughout the whole first act, nothing Hill does impresses Marian; she actually begins to despise him more. However, just as Marian is about to confront the mayor about Hill's real intentions with River City, the professor is able to change his image in Marian's mind.

When Hill gives Marian's younger brother, Winthrop, a new cornet, Winthrop's excitement is so boundless that he becomes happy for the first time since his father died. Marian sees how Hill has positively impacted her brother's life, and she completely changes her stance on the man. Now, Marian is able to forget the harm he is doing to River City and focus only on Hill's admirable qualities. This illustrates that while first impressions are crucial, people can change their opinions over time if they realize their first image was not representative of the new person. Impressions can be wrong.

By the end of act two, Marian and Harold fall in love (what else do you expect, its a musical). Despite the horrible first impression he made on Marian, Hill is able to persuade the librarian over time that he actually is a nice guy. So, while you probably should be worried about the success of your next interview, bad first impressions aren't always the end of the world.

Beauty Without a Beast

When I was younger, I spent the whole month of October trying to decide which Disney princess I should be for Halloween. Maybe I was just super indecisive, but I could never narrow my options down to just one costume. One year, thankfully, my mother- fed up with my inability to choose- decided for me. (I was not too happy at the time, but have since almost gotten over it.) She came home with a Belle costume and told me it was perfect because apparently "I looked like her." Turns out it was really fun being Belle for a night; she's a pretty hype princess, and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies.

Recently, a musical was made out of this already popular movie. Obviously one of the main themes of the Beauty and the Beast musical is that true love is felt within, not based on outside characteristics. But I think we can dig a little deeper and analyze this idea further. Not only does love mean more than physical attraction, but the concept of love has no boundaries. Neither race, nor gender, nor mental capacity, nor religious affiliation has the power to stop the feeling of true love. Cliché, I know, but its true, and this idea has been shown in modern society. 

On Facebook last week, I saw a video that supports this concept of true love. In the video, different couples stand behind a huge X-ray machine, so the audience can only see their bones. When the two people step out from the X-ray, the audience realizes that they are not typically-accepted couples. There is a lesbian couple and an interracial couple. A best friendship between a little girl with Down Syndrome and another young girl is also shown. The video is very powerful, as it shows two things: love can happen between any two people and can be as simple as a friendship.

Here is a short version of the video:

Beauty and the Beast portrays the same idea as this video, just in a weird, Disney-esque way. Obviously no real-life human has ever fallen in love with a monster or beast, but when gay marriage first was legalized, many opposers viewed those relationships as something scary and monstrous. Whenever something strays beyond the norm, somebody is obliged to protest it.

Even before gay marriage was such a huge controversy, people viewed other things as freakish. Mentally disabled and mentally insane people were once viewed as bizarre and deranged, with no distinctions between different medical conditions. Psych wards in the 1940's performed lobotomies and treated their patients horribly; each patient was viewed as monstrous and inhumane, much like the beast in Beauty and the Beast. No one originally respected the psych ward patients, but now we have working treatments and sterile, caring hospitals. The friendship between the little girls in this video proves that now, any two people can be normal friends, much like Belle was willing to be friends with the beast.

Underneath its magical and romantic plot, Beauty and the Beast reveals a theme ahead of its time: love has no labels.

Don't Be "Shy" When it Comes to Love

We've all had one of those nights when falling asleep seems to be more impossible than climbing Mount Everest. Whether the lights are too bright, the mattress is too hard, or the room is too cold, something just doesn't vibe well with the night.

In Mary Rodger's Once Upon a Mattress, Princess Winifred experiences- to the luck of all the royal citizens- one of these restless nights. This musical is an adaptation of the popular story, "The Princess an the Pea." No one in the kingdom is allowed to marry until the prince marries; the only catch is that the Queen deems every suitable princess as unfit for her son. When Winifred comes along, the Queen decides to test the princess's sensitivity. She places a pea under twenty downy mattresses and tells Winifred to go to sleep. If Winifred is able to sleep with a pea under her mattresses, she will fail the sensitivity test and be kicked out of the kingdom.

I think its safe to say the couples in the kingdom do not like that possibility.

But much to the surprise of the whole kingdom, Winifred cannot fall asleep due to a "lump" she felt under the mattresses. The Queen objects still, saying she will continue to forbid her son to get married. In the end, however, the prince sticks up for himself and the Queen becomes powerless against her son's love. Ah, romance.

While the musical comedy sends out multiple messages, one of the less obvious themes regards this power of falling in love. As was typical within royal communities, Prince Dauntless is arranged in marriage with princesses he never met before. This in itself is a message about true love. The prince doesn't actually like any of the former princesses (who all failed their tests anyway) with whom he was set up. If he were to marry any one of these failed princesses, the lack of intimacy in the relationship would cause both partners to be unhappy; Prince Dauntless was aware of this, and decided he wouldn't marry anyone he didn't truly love. He must patiently wait for years to find the right girl, and when he finds her, he refuses to let his mother destroy his chances with her.

Therefore, Once Upon a Mattress sends a powerful message to seek love, not materialistic desires. Money, societal status, and even physical attractiveness should not be the sole characters taken into consideration when choosing a life partner. The prince proves how necessary that is.

Another message hidden under the comical plot is to follow your heart no mater what other people think. For years, the prince succumbs to his mother's tyrannical presence and does nothing to stop her from controlling both his and his royal citizen's love lives. Whatever his mom says, goes. Being his mother, the Queen has so much influence over Prince Dauntless that he is willing to do whatever makes her happy, even if doing so means he is not happy. But once Winifred arrives and the prince finally learns what true love is, he sticks up for himself despite his fear that his mother will punish or disown him. The musical shows that you should always stand up for what you want and what you think is right, no matter what other people may think of you.

A little bit of courage can go a long way.

I Get a Kick Out of Anything Goes

My home town is infamous for being the place that everybody hates, but never leaves. Our high school has been home to generations within families, and the town is so small that every community member knows everyone and everything.

That's right...no secrets.

Well, my family is no different. My grandparents live in the area, my parents live in the area, and I think it's safe to say that I will probably live in the area (though I am trying my hardest to break the curse and venture out to the actual world). And because my mom and I went to the same high school, we've shared some similar high school experiences, just 30 years apart. One of these shared experiences is on the high school stage. 

Today I'm going to part slightly from my usual analysis of a musical to tell you a little bit about my all-time favorite musical and why I love it so much...Cole Porter's Anything Goes.

So you are probably thinking one of two things:

1) What the heck is that show?

                   or

2) How is that boring show you're favorite?

For starters, the show takes place on a ship (a big one, at least), and features two romantic counterparts who aren't supposed to be together. Typical.

But aside from the cute love story, the show has, for me, both sentimental and literal meanings behind it. Exactly 30 years ago, my mom played the role of Hope Harcourt on our high school stage. Since watching her production- and the Broadway production as well- I have also wanted to play Hope if ever given the opportunity. 

The best I could get was singing one of Hope's duets, "It's Delovely," with a friend during a fall fundraiser show, but that was just as good. 

However, Anything Goes also has underlying deeper themes- the two most prominent being about what true love is and the reality of finding out who your enemies are.

Hope is engaged to Lord Oakleigh in the opening of the show, though she does not love him entirely. The two were arranged in marriage because of their wealth and economic status; while Oakleigh enjoys the relationship, Hope realizes that marrying for wealth will lead to an unhappy life. On the boat, she falls in love with Billy Crocker, a stow away who hopped on the boat just to get Hope to fall in love with him. Throughout the musical, Hope and Billy see each other secretly- Billy has to dress up in ridiculous costumes so nobody notices him and kicks him off the ship- and eventually Hope's marriage is broken up for Billy. 

The show, therefore, represents the idea that people should go after what they want, not what they think is necessarily right. Hope ends her marriage with a wealthy man because she knows she will not be happy; by marrying Billy, she is following what she knows she wants in her heart. 

Lastly, Anything Goes proves that sometimes our enemies are closer to us than they may appear. During the whole show, the minister on the ship is really Public Enemy Number Thirteen, or Moonface Martin. He is able to disguise himself as a minister and gain access to the ship, even though he is, in reality, a criminal. Towards the end of the show, Moonface reveals he is a criminal; the crew is taken by surprise, as they once confided in the man. 

This surprise demonstrates that sometimes our enemies are people we once trusted. While disheartening to think about, people can change unexpectedly. I believe this to be a valuable lesson taught discreetly by the musical. 

Overall, Anything Goes is funny, entertaining, romantic, and timeless; the songs are bouncy and fun, and the plot is engaging. I encourage everyone to see it at some point- if not for the entertainment, for the themes the show exhibits underneath a comical plot.

Greece Lightning

When I was younger (and by younger I mean much younger), I remember somebody asking me if I had ever heard of the musical, Grease. Hearing that word, I became excited, and replied with: "Of course I've heard of that, I am Greek after all!"

Obviously I had not yet learned the concept of homophones.

Now I am not only fully aware of the distinction between grease and the country, but also quite familiar with the plot of the show. Almost everyone has heard of or seen the musical, Grease, yet an astonishing number of people regard the musical as sexist and inappropriate. (But what do you expect? It takes place in the 1950's.) I will say, I love the musical, but it has its faults just like any other show. Yes, the girl tries to change herself for the guy and vice versa, but I think there's a more important underlying message that may not be as obvious: peer pressure is real, and it is insuperable.

We've all succumbed to peer pressure once or twice in our lives. Sometimes it can be a very positive influence on our behaviors. For example, if all my friends start going to the gym and persuade me to join the bandwagon, I may just turn off my Netflix show and get out of my bed for once in my life. That's healthy.

But unfortunately, peer pressure is often times not so inspiring. Underage drinking, drug usage, cigarette smoking, and more can all result from the the impact of victims' surroundings. In Grease, this negative peer pressure is seen when the girls go to Marty's house for a sleep over.

Sandy is new to the area and just wants friends to make her life more comfortable and familiar. When she is invited to the girls' slumber party, Sandy is unknowingly very vulnerable to peer pressure; she is willing, though reluctant at first, to do whatever her new friends do so that they like her. Sandy, once an innocent and naive girl, then tries a cigarette and is even convinced to get her ears pierced (though she gets sick at the sight of her blood). The girls also drink some wine. While these are normal behaviors for her friends, the activities are new and terrifying to Sandy; her demeanor changes as a result of her choice to partake in these actions.

This scene from Grease Live shows how Sandy's friends made fun of her for being reluctant and even refusing to do some of the activities normal to them:





Of course, this scene isn't the only one in the musical that deals with peer pressure. Danny must act a certain way to be a "cool" member of the T-Birds, and the Pink Ladies have their standards, as well. Basically, no movie or musical character known to mankind can escape high school cliches and societal norms. While slightly exaggerated sometimes, peer pressure does exist and is the cause of many problem behaviors in teens and adults alike.

So we can encourage people not to give in to peer pressure as much as we please, but the reality is this: societal pressures are not going to disappear for a long time. There is no real way to stop this from happening because humans are naturally attracted to activities in which their friends participate. People are wired to try to fit in and be accepted by their peers; whether this pressure is good or bad, we are drawn to the comfort of conformity.

Don't Dance and Drive

It's 2 am on a Saturday morning. You and your friends are driving home from a long night at a high school party, even though you've all had a little too much to be behind the wheel. Then, out of nowhere, you look in your rearview mirror, and the terrifying mix of red and blue flashing lights pierces your dilated eyes. To your horror, the cop approaches your window and takes in a strong whiff of alcohol. He then proceeds to ask you the obvious question: "Have you folks been dancing recently?"

Ok, to any normal person that's not the obvious question; perhaps you thought the officer was going to ask if they'd been drinking that night. But to a resident of Bomont, Georgia in the 1980's, the cop's question would be nothing out of the ordinary. In Snow and Pitchford's musical, Footloose, this fictional town bans all types of dancing in an attempt to prevent driving under the influence, especially in underage teenagers.

As scary as it is, we all know somebody who, at some point in their life, has driven home while intoxicated, and the Moore family is no exception; Reverend Shaw Moore's son dies in a car accident after a dance party one night. Because of his death, and the sorrow and pain Shaw felt afterwards, the reverend creates a new law making dancing illegal in Bomont. While this law may sound crazy at first, thinking about the consequences of drinking and driving does cause one to wonder if the fictional character has a point.

Still today, driving while intoxicated is a persistent problem. Every day, in the United States alone, 27 people die from an alcohol-related car accident ("Drunk Driving Statistics"). Worsening the situation further is the addition of the cell phone, which causes 2,600 American deaths every year in and of itself (Brit). But despite these statistics, many people still neglect to believe that they could contribute to the growth of those numbers. Distracted driving is not only unnecessary, but preventable.

courtesy of huggs2

Obviously we aren't going to ban dancing to try to reduce the number of drunk drivers. Since MADD began its campaign, however, people were finally exposed to the consequences that accompany drunk driving. When the public is shown that other people could be impacted by their decisions, they are more likely to choose the right actions. Instead of risking the drive home, people are persuaded to get an uber; instead of letting everyone party, one person each night takes one for the team as the "designated sober driver." It's not too hard, but it is a slight inconvenience people need to get used to.

Despite its foolish nature, Footloose's ban on dancing actually stands for a valid purpose. Too many lives have been lost to drunk driving, and one can never tell who will be next.


photo taken from flickr.com

Works Cited:
Britt, Robert R. "Drivers on Cell Phones Kill Thousands, Snarl Traffic." Live Science. 1 February                  2005. Web.
"Drunk Driving Statistics." MADD. 2015. Web.

Love Is an Emotional Rollercoaster...or Carousel

I don't know if it's just me, but I never really got into the carousel rides at amusement parks and fairs. Sure, there's some appeal to slowly riding around in a circle a few times, but after the 9th or 10th time the enjoyment has pretty much dissipated. This was not the case back in the late 1800's, however. The carousel was one of the most popular rides, and even more desirable was the barker that drew in customers. In Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Carousel, the whole plot is based off two young people meeting at one of these carousels. At first, the opening scene sets the musical up to appear as a typical young love story. But once we analyze the theme deeper, a more realistic (and unfortunately somber) message is involved.

When Julie first meets Billy, an instant connection is felt. As is true of most beginning relationships, these feelings were due to attraction and looks. All the girls love Billy, but only Julie is able paralyze him with her beauty. The two go out that night (though they refuse to confess their feelings for each other), and the next time we see them, they're in an abusive marriage. Boom.

So what happened behind the scenes? Obviously, the young love wore off and the couple realized there must be more to a relationship than simply attraction. But at what point? And why did this relationship turn abusive when there are many marriages that are perfectly healthy? Unfortunately, this problem isn't restricted to Act 1 Scene 3 of Carousel. Domestic violence is a pressing issue all over the world, as is seen through the many commercials and ads campaigning against abuse (including the video we watched in class). Women are discouraged from staying in the relationship, though many, like Julia, are afraid and ashamed to leave. Many victims won't even tell anyone what is happening, let alone ask for help. What was a prominent issue when Carousel debuted in 1945 is now evermore present in today's society.

When catching up with her friend, Carrie, Julia admits that Billy hit her a previous night while he was in a bad mood. She must work up the courage to talk to her friend about the issue, especially after hearing about how well Carrie's marriage is going. Making the matter worse, Julia doesn't hold Billy responsible for his actions; she justifies what he did by explaining that he was frustrated with his life that night. Julia, in a way, blames herself for disturbing Billy, when she should be feeling as though she was the victim. Julia then can't help but to compare her marriage with her friend's. Carrie's relationship, while lacking true attraction, is healthy; she and her husband support and trust each other (for the most part). Her marriage is juxtaposed with Julia's to show the reality of what is happening to women all over the world.

Here is just one of the many ads circulating to stop domestic abuse:



video courtesy of yandrchicago

Carousel is one of the first musicals to really touch on this subject. The show exposed its audience to the dangers of being in (and staying in) a toxic relationship; Julia feels she is forced to stay with Billy after she learns she is pregnant. And once Billy dies, Julia must take care of her daughter completely by herself. Still prevalent today, Carousel brings awareness to the fact that something needs to be changed...and fast.



Work Cited
Yandrchicago. "New Domestic Violence PSA- 'It Rarely Stops' (HD)." Online video clip. National             Domestic Violence Hotline. Youtube, 15 September 2010. Web.

Turn It On

There's a certain wonderment that accompanies live theater. The actors get immediate gratification for all of their hard work, and the audience is actively engaged in what they are seeing. When I saw The Book of Mormon on Broadway, I became all the more aware of this relationship. I have never seen an audience laugh so hard at a joke before, nor have I seen a cast that fed off the audience's reactions as well as this cast did. A satire, The Book of Mormon pokes fun at a lot of stereotypes regarding both religion and societal norms. But while the comedy is meant to invoke laughter from its audience, there is truth in every farce.

One of the themes most applicable to society today is present in the song "Turn It Off." This song, aside from being one of the funniest and most well-written acts in the whole musical, touches on the concept of homosexuality. District leader, Elder McKinley, attempts to describe to Cunningham and Price a common method of suppressing forbidden thoughts. For some, these thoughts may be divorce, domestic abuse, drinking alcohol, or- in McKinley's case- being homosexual. The method is to simply "turn off" what you are thinking and forget that you ever had the idea, essentially suppressing the thought to your subconscious. Though the song is meant to be harmless and fun, it actually brings up a good point about societal norms in our country today.

Relatively recently, a gay bar in Orlando was attacked in a terroristic shooting, killing 49 people and injuring even more. This hate crime targeted members of the LGBT community, heightening many people's reluctance to fully accept who they are and come out with their sexuality. A lot of people today, just like McKinley, try to turn off their feelings because society does not fully accept or acknowledge their differences. Everyone should be able to express who they are and still remain safe. However, fears of discrimination and violence drive people to suppress their sexuality. When we should be encouraging people to "turn it on" and be themselves, society actually pushes people to "turn it off." 

picture courtesy of CJF20

As much as we try to change our norms, society is still wired to frown upon differences. Throughout the whole musical, McKinley never once is open about his "secret." He suppresses his feelings for his whole life, which in turn affects his happiness; the same is true of many homosexuals in real life. Instead of "turning it off" and living unhappily for years, we should encourage "turning it on" and accepting everybody for who they are. Though a comedy, The Book of Mormon highlights many of the serious issues prevalent in today's society.

picture taken from flickr.com 

  

A Modern Day Hamilton

Theater-lover or not, there's a 100% chance you have heard of or (if you are one of the lucky ones) seen the musical, Hamilton: An American Musical. I mean, this show is one of the biggest hits on Broadway since Wicked, and it certainly has enough Tony Awards to prove that. At first, I was skeptical of the hype people gave the show; my sister had to lock me in her room and force me to listen to the soundtrack before I finally caved and acknowledged the remarkableness of Lin-Manuel Miranda's work. But aside from the music-which is pretty good, if I may add- is a hidden theme applicable to today's presidential campaign. Now I know what you may be thinking: "How can the American Revolution be relevant to modern day elections?" Well, for the most part its not, but I found one of the songs to hold a particularly interesting and pertinent message for any presidential candidate: what you say doesn't matter as much as your appearance.

Trump fan or not, I think everyone can agree Donald Trump is not afraid to speak his mind. What he gets away with no other candidate would even dream of saying or doing. Its really quite remarkable, actually. Clinton, on the other hand, knows exactly what to say...but has a little bit of trouble saying it convincingly. Hamilton has Clinton's same problem, so Burr advises him to "talk less; smile more" (Odom Jr.) in the song "Aaron Burr, Sir."

In the song, Hamilton seeks Burr for advice on winning over the public (which he eventually doesn't even take). Burr basically tells him that talking less- and worrying less about what he is saying- will actually help him out. The public wants to see a friendly and approachable candidate, or in other words, someone who appears to be just like themselves. Nobody really pays attention to what someone is saying unless they are first comfortable with the speaker's appearance. In this way (though friendliness might be issue), Donald Trump is able to captivate his audiences and win them over. Hillary Clinton can all to often appear unapproachable or fake, and therefore runs the risk of losing the interest of her audience even if what she is saying is legitimate. Trump is obviously taking Burr's advice, while Clinton could learn from the popular Hamilton song. 

When looking into this subject, I found a funny website showing people's reactions to one of Clinton's speeches via Twitter. On the site, https://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/literally-stop-telling-women-to-smile?utm_term=.ydOopO7jE3#.qqBy9QY13k, post #4 is particularly pertinent. Most of the posts are unfortunately negative, but at least some of them showed how something as simple as a smile can affect a performance. 

Fan or not, Hamilton can subtly teach today's political leaders how to handle their speeches. Just as the musical makes a historic event into a modern show, its messages are timeless and applicable today, as well. 

Works Cited:

Hall, Ellie and Tasneem Nashrulla. "Men On Twitter Kept Telling Hillary Clinton To Smile As She               Delivered Her Speech." BuzzFeed, 29 July 2016. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.

Odom Jr., Leslie, Burr. "Aaron Burr, Sir." Hamilton: An American Musical. Avatar Studios, 2015.                 Audio.

She Loves Feminism

First produced in 1963, the musical, She Loves Me, is your typical Broadway love story. The main characters hate each other, they spend more and more time together, and they eventually fall madly in love. We've all seen a movie or a show with that exact same concept. But one theme I believe is grossly under-represented in the musical is the concept of increasing women's rights. Feminism has been gaining the media spotlight recently, and the current revival of the musical concurs with the importance of this movement.

From Amalia's first entrance, a male dominance is established. Upon asking for a job at Maraczek's Parfumerie, the workers do not take her seriously and deem her unfit to be a salesperson. At the time, only men were hired as salespeople, so Amalia knows she is fighting an uphill battle. This suspicion of rejection does not, however, stop her from persistently trying to gain Maraczek's respect. She dismisses the men's discouragement and boldly continues to show her qualifications. In the funny song, "No More Candy," Amalia proves her superiority when she is able to sell a music box to a customer, a task none of the men were capable of doing. Her wits and confidence land her a job as the parfumerie's first saleswoman.

Similarly, women today are taking a stand and boldly rising against male superiority. Feminists protest inequalities ranging from unequal pay to bias when hiring, much like Amalia detested the men's false assumption of her.

She Loves Me first came out around the beginning of this feminist movement, so it is no surprise the lead character is unafraid to stick up for herself. In an effort to raise awareness of women's rights, Masteroff purposely includes a strong female influence in his story; this once unheard of idea was then accepted by the public, and She Loves Me was widely praised.

Amalia calls to attention, specifically, the issue of bias when hiring for a job. Still today, our society has preconceived thoughts on which jobs are for men and which are for women. Amalia's character is one of the first on Broadway to call for change and press for new social norms. She goes against the status quo and magnifies the spark of the early feminist movement. Women could be inspired by her lack of fear and inability to fail, and those who were once told could not work in sales were now being shown that they had the ability to pursue whatever they desire.

Though the most obvious themes of the show involve forbidden love and the importance of hierarchy, feminism is also not only present, but is a major underlying drive behind the whole plot. Throughout the decades since it first opened, She Loves Me continues to be prevalent in today's society.

photo courtesy of BarbieFantasies

Photo taken from flickr.com.