You are part of the human heart.

Sep. 15, 2018 at Circle in the Square

***有雷慎入***

從開始認真抽音樂劇樂透票以來，已經看了應該不下五十部音樂劇。不過毛太多的我，還是沒辦法說哪一部劇完全符合我的胃口。有時候是角色設定，有時候是音樂類型，有時候是故事結局，有時候心碎太過徹底。所以到目前為止，還是沒辦法輕易說出我最喜歡的音樂劇是哪一部。也許就像人生不會完美一樣，戲劇也不會完美。也許片刻的美好就已經值得好好慶祝、細細品嘗。

這個部落格的第一篇文章，想要寫寫讓我感動很久的作品: Once on This Island

想不到看這部劇已經是將近六年前了。真的是歲月催人老。

這個製作是1990年首次在百老匯演出之後，時隔20多年，2017年再度在百老匯上演。這部劇的樂譜是由Lynn Ahrens和Stephen Flaherty搭檔執筆。除了這部劇，他們還一起寫了好幾部膾炙人口的作品，像是Ragtime和Anastasia。是百老匯有名的搭檔。所以這部劇的歌，好聽到不行不是沒有道理的。

不過這個製作讓我最印象深刻的部分是他們說故事的方式。在看這部劇之前，我看過的劇都採用中規中矩的開場方式: 觀眾入席，布幕升起，表演開始。這個製作特別的地方是，在表演正式開始的十分鐘前，演員就已經走到舞台上開始跟觀眾互動了。這個劇，是一個故事中的故事。是由海島村莊的村民傳唱祖先的故事。所以整個卡司剛開始就是村民。在表演正式開始前，演員們就跑出來做一些村民會做的事，像是打掃、整理工具、玩沙等等。最厲害的是，他們竟然牽出一頭真的山羊！還現場餵山羊！而Circle in the Square的橢圓形劇場座位安排，讓整個劇場更有圍著營火說故事的感覺。當表演正式開始之後，村民們就一個一個變成故事裡的角色。

導演Michael Arden在音樂的部分也用了一些巧思，在這個製作裡採用了非正規的打擊樂器(比較像是路邊撿來的東西即興變成樂器 XD)，創造出特別的聲響效果。這個製作的選角也加入了性別流動的元素，讓演員挑戰跟原本角色設定不同的性別。雖然我去看的時候，已經不完全是原版卡司了，但大家的表現還是好到不行。

故事的主人公是一個叫做Ti Moune的女孩。雖然她很幸運地，小時候在一場大風暴後存活下來，長大之後卻成為了神的實驗工具。四個神想看看，愛是不是能夠戰勝對死亡的恐懼。過程中還牽扯到海島上的階級問題(很黑的黑人vs.沒那麼黑的黑人)和貧富差距。整個故事非常精彩，音樂也和故事交織得很好。這裡面我最喜歡的一首歌，是The Human Heart(中文不知道該怎麼翻才漂亮 XD)。我覺得很厲害的地方是，雖然這首歌從頭到尾都有合聲的部分，但前面基本上如果是獨唱也不會太違和。不過後面的部分合聲變得越來越重要，讓整首歌變成一首要很多人一起才能完成的歌，也讓歌詞的涵義透過音樂的部分體現出來。

看了這麼多音樂劇之後，覺得劇裡的角色們常常都在找自己。而我這個看戲的人，也是跟著他們的視角找找自己的影子。找找自己喜歡什麼，不喜歡什麼。有時候找到自己沒多久，又會失去自己一陣子。但這好像也沒什麼關係，休息一下，看看風景，再繼續找，會找到的。也許和人一起找，會比較快找到。所以如果這部劇有到你附近演出的話，就去一起成為part of the human heart吧。

The Human Heart

https://youtu.be/DuVt8Q4dk6Y?si=293vzpFqkY_g8pPu

(中文是我的不負責任翻譯)

[Erzulie]

The courage of a dreamer 追夢者的勇氣

The innocence of youth 年輕人的天真

The failures and the foolishness 那些失敗與愚昧

That lead us to the truth 是真理的指引

The hopes that make us happy 那些讓人開心的希望

The hopes that don't come true 那些從未成真的願望

And all the love there ever was 那些曾經有過的愛

I see this all in you 我在你身上都能看到

You are part 你是一份子

Part of the human heart 人類的一份子

You are part of 你是一份子

All who took the journey 那些踏上旅途

And managed to endure 也成功忍受風雨的旅人的一份子

The ones who knew such tenderness 那些溫柔的人的一份子

The ones who felt so sure 那些如此堅定的人的一份子

The ones who came before you 那些在你之前的人的一份子

The others yet to come 那些將來會來的人的一份子

And those who you will teach it to 那些你會教導的人的一份子

And those you learned it from 那些讓你學會的人的一份子

You are part 你是一份子

Part of the human heart 人類的一份子

You are part 你是一份子

This is the gift I give 這是我給你的禮物

Through your love you'll live forever 你的愛會給你永生

[Storytellers]

You are part 你是一份子

[Erzulie]

Forever 永遠

[Storytellers]

Part of the human heart 人類的一份子

[Erzulie]

Forever 永遠

You are part 你是一份子

[Storytellers]

You are part 你是一份子

[Erzulie, Storytellers]

You are part 你是一份子

Tonight 今晚

Tonight 今晚

[Erzulie]

Part of the human 人類的一份子

[Erzulie, Storytellers]

Heart

***Spoiler Alert***

Ever since I started my overzealous habit of signing up for Broadway lottery tickets, I probably have seen more than 50 musicals. Me being perhaps unreasonably picky, however, has made it difficult for me to say which musical is perfect for me. Sometimes it's the ending, sometimes the music style, sometimes the character. Sometimes the heartbreak is beyond repair. Maybe just like life is never perfect, theater will never be perfect, either. Maybe a brief moment of beauty is already worth celebrating and savoring.

For the first post of this blog, I want to write about a show that has resonated with me for a long time: Once on This Island. I can't believe it's been almost 6 years since I saw the show. I feel so old now...

This 2017 production was the first ever Broadway revival after its debut on Broadway in 1990. The score was by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who, besides this show, also wrote other popular musicals like Ragtime and Anastasia. They are a famous writing team on Broadway, so it is no surprise that the songs in this show are so good!

The most impressive part of this production was, however, how the story was told. Before this show, all the shows I had seen had the regular show opening: Audience gets into their seats, the curtain goes up, the show begins. The special thing about this production was that the actors came onto the stage 10 minutes before the official show time, before all the audience got into their seats. This show, as the title suggests, is about a story on an island (inspired by a Haitian tale) and is a story within a story. The main story is told by villagers on the island, so the show starts with the cast being villagers. Before the show officially begins, the cast would already show up as villagers and do things that villagers do, like sweeping, putting tools together, etc. The most awesome part is that they have actual farm animals, especially a goat! And they feed the goat live! The oval layout of the seats at Circle in the Square also makes it feel like people are gathering around a campfire to hear the folklore. After the show officially starts, villagers then transition one by one into the characters in the main story.    

Director Michael Arden also had a very creative approach for the music, where he included some unusual instruments (seemed to me more like some random objects picked up on the street) and created special sound effects. The casting of the roles also embraced gender fluidity and let actors play the roles that might be typically opposite to their gender. Even though it was not entirely the original cast when I saw the show. All the actors were amazing!

The heroine of the story is a girl named Ti Moune, meaning little orphan. Even though she was lucky to have survived a huge thunderstorm when she was little, after growing up and enthusiastically praying to the Gods, she became the key piece of the Gods' experiment. Four Gods on the island wanted to see whether love could conquer the fear of death. Ti Moune’s journey also explored the social class issues on the island: black as night vs. pale brown skin, the poor vs. the rich. The story has many other great elements, and the music integrated very well with the story. One song very near and dear to my human heart is: The Human Heart. The masterful touch of this song is that, even though there is a chorus component throughout the song, the first portion can totally be sung solo and still sound beautiful. However, as the song comes near the end, the chorus becomes more and more critical. It would only sound complete when people come together as a whole, thereby manifesting the meaning of the lyrics through the music. After all, we are all part of the human heart, and we cannot walk through this life without others being part of it, right?     

After seeing many musicals, I often feel that the characters in the story are trying to find themselves. As the story develops live in front of me, I follow their footsteps to try and find a glimpse of myself as well. Find the parts that I like; find the parts that I don’t like. Sometimes I find myself, only to lose it again for quite a while. But it’s okay. Take a break. See some beautiful nature. Find yourself again. You will be found. Maybe with someone by your side, you will find it sooner.

Next time this show comes to your neighborhood, go be part of the human heart. :)