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Hadestown: The Musical: The Movie

by MAÔ, posted in Film

What can I say about this? First of all, I don’t see a lot of musicals recorded for screen. I was excited about this one. And Six, coming later this year.

Plus, it’s good to see them, as it will (hopefully) encourage further recordings, thus bringing the art form to broader audiences.

I had listened to the album, but never seen the show. I know that they celebrated ten years earlier this year, around the same time I was in New York. But I was occupied with other productions, and didn’t make it. There is a tour coming around, so I might see it on stage then.

One part of Hadestown will always be tied up with the time of my life that it premiered. I was in a somewhat unstable state, and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice sort of messed with my head a bit.

However, I worked my way through it, and eventually, when I was hosting a radio program on the arts, I’d play excerpts from the album every now and again.

I don’t know if people are taught Greek mythology as much any more. When I was in school, I read Hamilton’s Mythology and Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces.

In college as well, for one of the writing or film classes, we had to read Aristotle’s Poetics and Vogler’s Writer’s Journey.

So, Orpheus loved Eurydice and, according to myth, on their wedding day, as she walked a field in wedded bliss, a viper bit her and she died.

In Anais Mitchell’s adaptation, she imagines the story in one place, near the railway station to Hell. And it’s here that the lovers meet, in cold and desperate times, as Hades has grown jealous, and rarely lets his wife Persephone leave, and not for long.

So, plenty of backstory that the audience has to be given, in the form of song and storytelling. The songs are great. André de Shields as Hermes is phenomenal, and a joy to watch.

Eva Noblezada as well, and Reeve Carney has a great voice, though occasionally he looks surprised to find himself on stage.

I didn’t care for the theater’s sound system, or maybe it was actually the balance on the DCP – digital cinema package. Hard to tell. But some show stopping numbers ended up not being, well, show-stopping.

The auditorium was fairly full, though, and had about as much after movie chatter as The Odyssey, so I take that as a good sign.

I’ll likely add this to my limited collection of filmed performances on my shelves when it gets a physical release.

Fighting distraction

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

In looking at goals I’ve set for myself, it’s figuring out what can I balance to ensure that I’m working towards each of them? What’s distracting me from those goals?

First and foremost, the smartphone. What is the phone even for? It sucks you in. The emails. The accounts. The stupid notifications that pop up. But are they stupid, or are we?

Time poor, origin?

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

Looking through an old journal, found something that, after my friend’s comment, made me laugh.

From an undated entry in journal Oct ’13 – Oct ’14:

“I need to be writing. All of my days are spent w/ wasting time. Being time-poor, mostly of my own doing. Even at the office, my motivation wanes so quickly. I look forward to the show’s end, where I can try to reclaim some of my lost life.”

Looks like it’s a struggle I’ve had now over ten years, and most likely longer.

One step at a time

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

When you set a goal, it’s easy to view the whole goal. When after toiling for however long, you look at the goal, and it’s still far off – you may think of abandoning your goal.

But if you notice the distance from where you started, that may be all the motivation you need to keep going.

Time Poor

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

A friend of mine called me “time poor” this past week. I couldn’t agree more.

I’ve been balancing my time as best as I can. Sometimes, you bite off more than you can chew

But what do you do then? What do you do after you’ve taken the bite?

You can spit it out, I guess. Now, maybe some people are disappointed. Maybe you’re letting them down. But if it’s too much, it’s too much.

You can chew – try to work your way through it. Maybe it’s uncomfortable. Painful. Maybe it takes way too long.

Then, you can swallow it. Perhaps it’s okay. Perhaps you choke. But it’s done.

If you find yourself in the situation, the worst thing to do is just sit there. You can’t let inaction ruin you. Decide.

The best thing you can do is make the right decision. The next best thing is the wrong decision. The worst thing is no decision at all. 

A routine thing

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

Some writers like routine. Some writers need routine. Some writers seem to have no problem just getting to it.

I juggle writing with life. With work. With chores and dating and obligations. 

Steven Pressfield wrote a book, some time ago, called The War of Art. How to beat the resistance. I heard Seth Godin talking about it, and read it. 

It’s inspiring, but, however many years later, I only know that the Resistance is a powerful thing. 

If you can, give yourself every advantage against it. Otherwise, beating it back may not be possible when you’re trying to create something.

Traveling as education

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

We don’t seem to take interest in ourselves anymore. (This comes from a man of a certain age, so read that with a grain of salt.)

But, it seems that once you’ve acquired a certain place in your life, you content yourself with not really considering the implications. What makes me happy? 

It’s easier when you’re younger, sure. Quitting a job at 20 isn’t the same as quitting at 30 (or older). Constant travels to foreign countries – good for diplomats and travel influencers. Not for the salaryman.

And yet, travel gives our world meaning. You can’t know what your life is like in a vacuum. You have to travel outside of your environment, and see what the world has to offer. 

“Most people are on the world, not in it.” – John Muir

The Long Walk

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

Finally sat down to watch this. I had intended to see it when it released, but I just missed it. I do, regrettably, miss more films in theaters than I would like to, but the schedule doesn’t always work out in the way I try to make it.

So, popped a bag of popcorn, opened a can of pop, and settled into The Long Walk.

Knowing roughly the premise, it picks up right where it needs to. Ray being driven by his mother to the starting line. Now, in this world, there is not much that is explained. There was a war. There is some sort of dictatorship. As it goes on, you discover that many things are banned, the teaching of enjoyment of outlawed – books, music, likely other enjoyments.

You don’t see the upper class – those striving for the win are certainly of low economic status.

It’s possible that everyone applies to the Long Walk Lottery – only fifty are chosen each year, one from each state. 

And the winner gets a heap of money and one wish.

It’s in this environment that Ray meets Pete. And while at first, like the characters, you’re not sure if there’s substance there, as they walk on, so do we. And it becomes apparent that friendship can form in the strangest of places.

There are others who become a part of the pack, and a story of battlefield camaraderie takes hold. 

It isn’t long into the movie before the first contestant is removed, with extreme prejudice. Before the Title Crawl actually. And it lets the viewer know the stakes.

About halfway through, I found myself loving the relationship between Pete and Ray, and I was happy the story hinged on that. I’d not read the story, but I assumed I knew where the film was going. It still took a turn, and left several twists that I wouldn’t have expected. Plus a couple I’d called early.

Even still, at moments I would find tears in my eyes, and wish that, like one contestant said (paraphrasing) – “I’d wish that two could win the Long Walk, so that you had a chance to finish with your friend.”

Enjoyed it, but not sure if that’s one I’ll get around to watching again.

Short term vs. long

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

I’ve heard it repeated, frequently, and lately, that we often overestimate what we can do in the short term, and underestimate what we can do given years.

There’s something to that.

Looking at the pile of projects that I’ve agreed to take on, I understand the short term logic. But the long term – that’s a harder concept to wrap your head around.

Even given the somewhat rapid growth of the last ten years, I look back and can’t fathom how I got from there to here.

But, here I am. And the next ten will pass before I know it.

Who are we competing with

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

The more we get around people, the more likely we are to benefit. We benefit, unless we feel that everyone is in competition with us. (Sounds a bit like John Forbes Nash, no?)

When we think of scarcity – that we didn’t get something because someone else did, we start blaming. We start playing the victim. We lose perspective on what really matters.

There actually is enough to go around. It may not feel that way, but we’re doing so much better, in many ways, than what we’d have been like a hundred years ago.

So, try to complain a little less. Be a bit more empathetic. And while it’s not the point of doing so, you may actually see some new doors open.