Musicalfest 2007: Chicago and Moulin Rouge

Some time ago, my sister and I decided that this summer would be the summer for watching as many musicals as we can. We're off to a somewhat slow start, as she's still got schoolwork, but I wanted to write my thoughts on each one - it's in keeping with my idea of what this blog's general theme is, and it fits with the plan that I always have for writing more frequently. The first two musicals are from earlier this decade: Chicago and Moulin Rouge.

I find myself constantly baffled by the claims that film critics always seem to make about the box office potential of musicals. It would seem that today's filmgoers are simply too practical for musicals, that although they know that the films are not real, the requisite suspension of disbelief involved in watching people burst into song and dance is too much for them. While only a generation or two ago, musicals like West Side Story, The Sound of Music, and Grease were hits, apparently a director today has to make the musical structure seem feasible in real life. Maybe I'm missing something. However, it makes these two films an interesting jumping-off point, as both were separately heralded for ushering in a new era for musicals. In Chicago, the strategy is turning the musical numbers into fantasy sequences. My personal feeling is that if the songs are going to be there anyway, why do they need to be "real?" In Moulin Rouge, the issue is diluted by the use of popular songs, written well before the movie, that swirl into Baz Luhrmann's fantasyland. This both works and doesn't - the spirited mash-up of "Lady Marmalade" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" near the beginning of the film makes the scene so unique that it really sells the film, even if you're not sure where it's taking you. However, I still kind of resent Luhrmann for putting Ewan McGregor's voice in my head every time I hear "Your Song."

It's an interesting question: Does the world need a new kind of musical for the twenty-first century? One of the things that I'd like to do with this summer-long marathon is to go back and start in the thirties and forties, watching the musical evolve into what we have today. What are moviegoers looking to see on the screen when they sit down to watch a musical? What are the stories being told through song? Maybe the general populace says the musical is dead, but I'm looking forward to an exciting summer.