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Blogs > stevenjosepht > stevenjosepht

Show Boat...  

stevenjosepht 78M
312 posts
7/10/2014 7:01 pm
Show Boat...

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II put on the Broadway SHOWBOAT based on Edna Ferba's novel of the same name.

For a musical drama that was produced in 1927--it's surprising how it still resonates to contemporary sexual mores. Sexual relations between people of different ethnic groups, racial prejudice, alcohol addiction, and family abandonment.

Gaylord Ravenal, of the Tennessee Ravenals, sings "Make Believe" with one line: "Might as well make believe I love you, / For to tell the truth I do" So 'Make Believe' becomes 'truth'. I'm not convinced that that is the central concern of the drama. But the storyline with it's sprawling time frame from the 1870s to the 1920s is dominated by Nolie and Gaylord getting married, having a , gambling debts, abandonment, Nolie becoming a stage sensation, and their Kim growing up into a young adult--who is 'making believe' to maintain a 'truth' of love ?--Nolie at the end says she always loved Gaylord despite the turbulence of the Old Man River's (metonymy for time passing or troubles) demands; and of course, Kim loves her father despite his lapses. So maybe that is the central concern of the drama tying the sprawling episodes and characters together: "Might as well make believe I love you, / For to tell the truth I do."

And maybe the song is a bit much--a bit over the top. After all, Gaylord has just met Nolie (Magnolia) and here he is singing a song to her that says he is in love; that sounds more like just one more delusion from a delusional River boat gambler, essentially--a gambling addict mouthing words that have no real meaning.

The stage production fleshes out details that are lost in the movie version. When Ravenal is revealed as a murderer, Captain Andy admits that he too had murdered someone once in his youth. Somehow, I don't remember that--even though it might be in the movie.

Show Boat was an excellent performance of the San Francisco Opera Company. Great dancing, great singing, great costume, great set design.

CuriousAnd2Shy2 63F
54 posts
8/17/2014 10:10 am

 You make me want to see it, Stephen. Maybe one of these days.
Hope your Sunday is going well for you.
Regards,
2Shy


stevenjosepht 78M
3726 posts
6/26/2015 6:37 pm
    Quoting CuriousAnd2Shy2:
    You make me want to see it, Stephen. Maybe one of these days.
    Hope your Sunday is going well for you.
    Regards,
    2Shy
Hi--2Shy--I've seen the earlier filmed version--it is available, or was available on Youtube. It is still one of favorites. Hope all is well with you. Haven't been here in a while for lots of reasons....


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