Eponine vs Bella Swan or What makes a text Feminist?

I was surfing the net and stumbled on these two reviews of the film Les Miserables, which is yet to be shown here in the god-forsaken, culturally decrepit wasteland of a country whose idea of film culture centers around pointless, plotless, story lines which feature vapidly talentless stars whose sole redeeming factor is face value. I digress.

Both reviews read the musical along the lines of feminist ideologies; the first review trivializes Eponine’s suffering when compared to the other female characters in the text, while the second argues that Hugo’s original text was revolutionary in its time for being overtly feminist and extolling the suffering of women under patriarchal powers.

The second review mentions that Les Mis is an operatic musical, and since the operatic tradition is driven by the female star, the roles of Fantine, Eponine, and Cosette dominate the musical. But does that make it a feminist text? If we root the musical in its operatic context and allow the diva to dominate the stage, does this truly push feminist ideologies?

The history of women on stage is not much different from that of women on screen: Mulvey’s to-be-looked-at-ness can still be invoked here. The spectacle of the coloratura soprano, for example, still drives audiences into the opera house to this date. Mozart married a soprano, and composed incredibly difficult arias for his singers, only the most skillful, most talented singers could pull of a proper Queen of the Night or a Constanze. Beethoven’s sole opera, Fidelio, allows the lead soprano to cross-dress and act as a man to disguise herself in order to save her husband. Wagner’s operas required the most powerful dramatic voices, big and loud and immense: Brunnhilde, Isolde, Sieglinde. The Bel Canto masters drove their sopranos insane and made them kill themselves or their husbands: Lucia, Elvira, Anna Bolena. Verdi and Puccini basically kill off their lead females: Violetta, Leonora, Aida; Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Liu. Diva Maria Callas has become the end all and be all of any soprano to come after her, a sort of impossible model of the ideal soprano.

It is spectacle that makes these women powerful. Fantine gets her own wonderful aria, the tragic I Dreamed a Dream e(sadly popularized today by that one-hit wonder, Susan Boyle). Many other singers have sung this to better effect: Patti LuPone, Ruthie Henshall, Elaine Paige, even Lea Salonga. Anne Hathaway gives an arguably more nuanced, more tragic version than many of these women, perhaps it is the film’s emphasis on the drama of the woman rather than her spectacle. The same can be said of the entire soundtrack; with perhaps Eddie Redmayne’s divine light lyric tenor as the exception, the singing in the film is incredibly nuanced, almost as if the singing were secondary to the plot. Even Samantha Barks’ Eponine falls short of my expectations. She was wonderful in the 25th Anniversary Concert, especially when partnered with that most horrible of Mariuses, Nick Jonas.

This brings us to the problem of Eponine. As the Funny Feminist points out: “But by the time “On My Own” comes around, the revolutionaries are about to fight in the battle of their lives, the battle that might determine the whole future of France, when the poor folk rally against the 1 percent and the Mitt Romneys – and the play has to stop so a street urchin can sing about the boy she likes who doesn’t like her back.” That’s the thing about the aria, the entire opera has to stop to allow the singer his/her time to shine. Callas also points this out: in the middle of the second act of Tosca, while her boyfriend is being physically tortured and she mentally and emotionally tormented by the evil Baron Scarpia, all the action must stop to accommodate the soprano’s complaint to God, Vissi d’arte. This is part of operatic tradition. They don’t call it a show-stopper for nothing.

The problem I have with the Funny Feminist’s reading of Eponine is that she is shallow because she is in love and her love is unrequited. Ms Magazine actually equates her with Bella Swan, which is blasphemy in my opinion. At least no mention was made of 50 Shades of Grey. Eponine and Cosette are two tied characters: both young women, both abused by the Thenardiers, both pinning for the same boy, who just happens to fancy one and not the other. Now, I do not hate Cosette, but I simply do not see her character as very important in the text. She was poor, she was abused as a child, but she grows up, becomes rich and happy, and her character fades behind all the drama of the text. Meanwhile, Eponine tries all she can to impress Marius and make him notice her.

Is either character feminist? Not really. One disappears behind her adoptive father and then later behind the man she loves, the other ends up dead for a boy who barely notices her. But I would not trivialize the tragedy of unrequited love, as does the Funny Feminist. Remember that there is power in tragedy, there is power in this kind of love: It is from this, for example, that Medea draws her drive to murder her own children to spite her husband. That may be a little too extreme, but there you go.

Wow this post has a lot of links.

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

The Sound of Music has occupied a special place in the hearts of many-a-queer persons since forever. It’s not really one of my top favorites, but I do appreciate how its music can somehow lift my spirits. When I’m sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

But I won’t be writing about raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. What I’d like to point out is how the movie/musical defines and constricts the queerness of Maria. Now, she’s not necessarily gender queer, but she is coded, right from the very beginning, as subversive: she doesn’t like to conform, and doesn’t quite fit in anywhere.

I mean, this is woman who goes to the hill when her heart is lonely and wears curlers underneath her wimple.

This problem of non-conformity, of course, has to be contained. Just listen to those nuns rant about her. While it’s rather poetic to be compared to a wave upon the sand or a moonbeam held in your hand, it’s not quite as flattering to be called a flibbertigibbet, a wil-o-the-wisp, or a clown. Either way, Maria has to be controlled, like a cloud that needs to be pinned down. So how do you solve a problem like Maria?

You kick her out of her home and hand her over to a scary widower with seven rambunctious, equally subversive children.

Even more disturbing is how Maria tries to tame the children. And how Captain von Trapp seems so annoyed every time Kurt lets out a high note. But then, Maria does make dresses out of curtains, so props to her.

Then there’s the problem of Liesl, who seems to be in dire need of a sassy gay friend.

And then there’s the baroness, who is deliciously evil. Plus she’s rich. She’s Alexis Carrington pre-World War II!

The point is, the movie strictly reinforces the hegemony of patriarchy. Liesl falls in love with Rolfe, who seems more mature and worldly even though he’s only one year older than her. Then he turns out to be a Nazi. The baroness wants to marry Capt. Von Trapp (because let’s face it, he’s gorgeous) and so she disposes of Maria in the most devious of ways: by reminding her that, as a woman, she is open to being desired by all men, and she has no control over this. So Maria does the only thing she thinks is sensible – she runs back to the convent, to the Mother Abbess, who reminds her that the walls of the convent were built to keep women in, and not problems out. That and she goads Maria with a brilliant aria telling her to climb every mountain and ford every stream. Rodgers and Hammerstein seem to be immensely fond of metaphors.

And apparently, the metaphorical mountain that needs to be climbed is the Captain. Maria can never be happy just being her quirky self – she has to be with a man. They do end up climbing a literal mountain later on in the film, but that’s another story.

Finally, what is with the goats and the yodeling?!

Phantoms of the Opera

My very first full musical was Evita – the watered-down version with Madonna, not the full-on Patti Lupone tour de force. I watched it with my mother; I was in the 6th grade. It was shock to me. I knew there would be songs since I’d seen some videos (Don’t Cry for Me Argentina and Buenos Aires and Another Suitcase) on MTV. But I was not prepared for the entire film – my thoughts were: “Mommy, why won’t they stop singing?!”

Needless to say, I was hooked.

Also, that was my first exposure to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. My second musical was The Phantom of the Opera, which incidentally lead me to discovering operas. There are many reasons to love this musical – the songs are haunting and beautiful, the setting is almost magical, and it has the right amount of humor in it (Carlotta the Prima Donna). Plus it has Sarah Brightman. So when I went to New York in 2000, I saw the musical on Broadway, and I was amazed. We were seated in the first box, and it took all of my restraint not to jump down onto the stage and start singing. And my mother was there to keep me in check, too.

When the film came out, I thought, yey! Then I saw the film, then I thought “What were they thinking?” It was even more watered-down than the Evita film – at least that was still able to retain its musical integrity. The singing in the film was atrocious – and this was supposed to be ALW’s most operatic music. The production was nice though. How can you say no to Gerard Butler?

So when I read that ALW was coming up with a sequel to the Phantom, I kind of knew it would be pretty bad. And it is. I’m currently re-listening to the entire album, just to make sure that my first opinions were right. And they were. Terrible music. Predictable plot.

SPOILERS!

10 years after the events at the Paris Opera Populaire, the Phantom has migrated to Manhattan – to Coney Island. He’s set up a freakshow with Madame Giry and Meg, both of whom have apparently gone totally insane. And now Meg pins for the Phantom’s affections. The Phantom is in a creative rut, so he lures Christine, now Madame de Chagny, and her family to Coney Island. From the songs, we learn that Raoul has developed a gambling problem, hates his kid, Gustave, and Christine supports the family by singing. Blah blah blah, ending: Gustave turns out to be the Phantom’s son, and in a confrontation, Raoul tries to shoot the Phantom, but ends up killing Christine instead.

Apparently love never dies, but people do.

There are some instances of beauty though. I like Gustave’s Beautiful, the duet between Christine and the Phantom, and the quartet with Gustave, Raoul, the Phantom, and Madame Giry. Then again, I’ve always loved ensembles and boy sopranos.

But the one true saving grace of the musical is its title number, Love Never Dies, which I first heard in its original sung by soprano Kiri Te Kanawa.

These gems, of course, are all lost in the kitsch and clutter and vaudeville-ish music of the rest of the musical. Try this and see if you can stand it. And the misplaced rock number, Beauty Underneath, saved only by Gustave’s beautiful musical counterpoint. Blech.

And the cast is kind of meh. Sierra Boggess makes a decent Christine, but Ramin Karimloo, gorgeous and beautiful as he is, is a flat Phantom. Duller still is Joseph Millson’s Raoul. And what is with Madame Giry (Liz Robertson) sounding like a total drag queen, and Meg Giry (Summer Strallen) sounding like the Little Mermaid?

So as far as Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are concerned this one falls really flat. ALW may be losing his touch – no more Sunset Boulevard or Evita or The Phantom of the Opera. If I may quote David Foil as he describes Giacomo Meyerbeer’s conceptions of grand opera pre-Verdi, “Meyerbeer’s pleasant melodies and his taste for bombast can sound mindless and empty. Both he and his operas were overwhelmingly popular yet derided by sophisticated observers, much in the same way Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are today.”

Mindless and empty. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Top 5 Emo songs from Musicals

So after a year of benching this blog, I’ve finally decided to start blogging – again.

This post is inspired by one of my friends (MC) who uses the rather depressing musical Les Miserables to lighten her mood and drown out the ignorance of the outside world. A novel use for a musical, yes, but it got me to thinking about when I was young(er) and I would basically do the same: hide behind the characters and use their music to express my emotions.

So this list details five song numbers from musicals which, I think, are incredibly emo. In other words, these are the songs you listen to while slashing your wrists. It was supposed to be a top ten thing, but I could only really come up with like 3 so here they are.

Top 5: The Role of a Lifetime from Bare: A Pop Opera

One of the few gay-themed musicals, Bare is not quite an opera in the most traditional sense of the word, but its plot is aptly operatic: hidden love affairs, sex in dorm rooms, an unwanted pregnancy, and  a suicide. In this song, Peter laments his relationship with his roommate (aka. boyfriend), Jason, who’s straight-acting. Nerd moment: if you look very closely at the lyrics, it’s the concept of performativity in action! Keep acting straight, and no one will be able to tell you like other boys. A fair amount of essentialism in there, too: “these feelings aren’t going away. So we drive ourselves insane, spinning circles in our souls, as we dance around and play pretend.”

I particularly like the lines: “Am I a savior or a phase? Am I here to damn you or to help you navigate this maze?” Everyone who’s queer and has been told (by parents, teachers, counselors, and priests) that they’re not normal has gone through this: you begin to believe them and you feel guilty about yourself. In the musical, Peter has made peace with his sexuality, but his partner, Jason, still hasn’t.

The musical is beautifully written and peppered with amazing songs and big personalities: I’m particularly fond of Sister Chantelle’s “God Don’t Make No Trash”.

Top 4: With One Look from Sunset Boulevard

Ok, so maybe Norma Desmond is closer to crazy than she is to emo, but this song helped me through a particularly difficult phase in high school.

In second year, I was cast to play Laura in our class production of Florante at Laura. Since we went to an all-boys school, the other classes has cast ‘real’ (read: genitally) girls to play their respective Lauras, but for some strange reason, I was cast as Laura. So of course, I took Norma’s With One Look as my ‘theme song’ -> With one look, I put words to shame.

One time, during rehearsals, I couldn’t remember my lines, so I started joking around – to the chagrin of both of our directors, one of which promptly replaced me with another classmate – who was considered more “classically good-looking” (and she still is). I ran to the bathroom and started bawling my eyes out. Then I started singing this song, which helped me regain my composure. I won the role back the next day.

Oo, bata pa lang ako, I was already a retired 50-year old crazy bitch who wanted to play the 16-ear-old Salome. And I reveled in it.

Top 3: Simple Little Things from 110 in the Shade

A relatively little-known musical, 110 in the Shade is about Lizzie Curry and… just Wikipedia it. She’s an old maid, so once again, I can relate. This is disturbing.

I love the lines of the song though. “All I need is someone beside me to have and to hold, someone to love me as we grow older.” Awww…. /wrist

And did I mention that I love all things Audra?

Top 2: I’m not that girl from Wicked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQwWneWbmLQ (Feel free to be annoyed by all the coughing in the background.)

Nerd Moment: For all you straight readers there, you have to realize one important thing about growing up queer that you won’t find in many books – the process of translation. Especially if you grow up and identify as transgender, you become sort of an expert in translating – not language, but genders and gender roles. Virtually all the media you consume as a child – from fairytales to children’s stories to Disney movies and their purportedly queer aesthetics – is straight. Girl gets rescued by guy, yada yada yada… So you have to ‘translate’ the stories and make all the characters queer so that you can relate to the story. I didn’t know it back then, but that’s what I always did: I wanted to be Mulan and be trained by the hot Captain, I was the Child-like Empress waiting to be rescued on my Ivory Tower, and most importantly, I wanted to be Ursula and squish the annoying Little Mermaid.

So when I first heard this song, I was automatically sent back to my childhood – and my fiercely competitive rivals: those pretty ‘girls’ who were not very smart (they weren’t dumb though) and who wanted constant attention from all the boys in school – what with all their popularity polls and whatnot. So, of course, I related more with Elphaba than with Glinda. I wasn’t green-skinned, but I was the tiny little, pimply, curly-haired thing who was hardly noticed. I asked a friend, Boom, what he thought about me in high school and he said I was mostly quiet. And I was. Aside from my one big drama about not being exempted from CAT, my high school life was pretty quiet. Then again, it’s hard to be noisy when everyone around you is already making so much noise. And of course, those rivals I had in high school are now my closest friends.

Still: “Don’t wish, don’t start. Wishing only wounds the heart.” PAK!

Top 1: On My Own from Les Miserables

The ultimate /wrist song for all of us single girls in love with those fabulous, fabulous men who are beyond our grasps. “I think of him and I am happy with the company I’m keeping. The city goes to bed, and I can live inside my head.” Awww.

The first time I actually heard this song was on Dawson’s Creek. It was horribly sung, but I did love the song (thank the gods for Lea Salonga). Show me someone, straight or queer or whatever, who hasn’t felt like this, and I’ll show you a person with no heart. And no soul. And no libido. I think this kind of unrequited love is an essential part of being human -everyone’s got that someone that they love from afar.

“Without me, his world will go on turning, the world is full of happiness that I have never known!” –> ack!

/WRIST