A new musical subject..?

In regards to writing a musical based around a topical political or social issue:

The problem with the "stage musical" format is that it isn't a spontaneous creation. A hell of a lot of work goes into the physical writing of it long after the initial inspiration hits. It requires an almost "mathematical" degree of design to merge the text, lyrics and music in a way that effectively portrays the chosen theme. And more often than not, the amount of time that usually goes into producing a final draft is years. Usually, the original inspiration has been long forgotten - or even necessarily discarded - by then.

Political issues are best served by simpler and more spontaneous forms of performance that can "maintain the passion" during creation.

But even if a writer CAN maintain the passion all the way through to the final draft, there is still another all-important question that must be considered before writing begins: Is that writer prepared to dedicate so much time and energy to a subject that may have lost its topical value by the time the final draft is completed?

Probably not! If they're going to spend so much time on a single work, then they're going to want to get back as much monetary reward as possible (and fair enough, too!). This means that the broader characterisations and topics will by employed, allowing for a wider audience appeal over a longer period of time, and wider scope for creativity during the writing process.

A notable exception is "Bran Nu Dae" (hmm, is that the way it's spelt?), which of course relies on a long standing culture of racial difference as its topic, and had every chance of maintaining the passion of the writers during it's creation.

This is rare, though. And the very message that this show delivers is the very thing that may be its eventual downfall; If Australia finally reconciles the two cultures, then just how much relevance will the story maintain? Of course, reconciliation will probably be a long way off, but you can see what I'm getting at.

Perhaps we shouldn't try to make musicals too deep and topical. Traditionally, they attract a certain audience which enjoys the shows for their music and broad characters, rather than for the chance to exercise their social consciousness. And really, there's nothing wrong with that.

Besides, a new musical can still be gutsy and truly entertaining regardless of the themes employed - "Sweeney Todd" is a story that has been told as Vaudevillian melodrama for at least two centuries, but we now see Sondheim's version as THE story. It's not the material that makes this version great, but the talents of the writer and composer in reworking an old, simple story and its broad characters.

The great thing about Sondheim's creation is that it will never age. But try restaging the dozens of former plays based on Sweeney Todd, and you won't get too much at the box office. Most of those were written to suit the public of the time, mainly drunk Londoners in grotty alehouses.

Glynn.