My wife is the best sport! She is so accepting of my reality, which is....when I end work, for the day or before vacation, I want to escape. I don't want to watch intense dramas, or horror movies, or reality shows. My work as a psychologist and therapist, with my specialty in trauma, PTSD and abuse, means I get all the drama and horror and reality that I could ever want.
When I shut the door to my office, I want to be done with the real world. And so, Suzie Q indulges me. She either suffers with extraordinary skills at hiding it, or accesses her own enjoyment of flight, and plans escape for the two of us. Simple escapes. Shows that are fantasy, or science fiction, shows free of gore (except for Game of Thrones, which doesn't count as gore, since it's in the category of blood-porn, an inseparable hybrid such as space-time, or quantum-gravity, or peanut butter and jelly). She plans trips for us around escape (national parks, walking tours, broadway shows, distilleries), and because of her amazing efforts and skills, we've gotten to see a boatload of musicals.
In my last musings, I described how I use musicals to address my times when in the desert of creativity. My friend said, "You didn't name them! What's wrong with you!"
Well, there's not enough space to answer that question. But I can answer the request to share what musicals I listen to when in need of a creative infusion.
The simplest answer is, I listen to the musical I have seen most recently. Yeah, that answer will get me killed. So, here's some musicals I return to over and over again. Presently, Hamilton is getting worn out on my playlist. I've played it so much, that it's wearing out on the i-cloud, just like vinyls do on the turntable.
Second most listened to....Wicked! Why? Well, because it is wicked.
Third: Into the Woods. I am always moved by the power of the ideas and images that come out of fairy tales and stories for children. Is there ever just a 'children's story', really? I've written several children's stories, and find adults enjoy them as much as the 'targeted audience'. What a horrid term. Oh, and yes, both children and adults express enjoyment; it's not one of those marketing statements which really means 'children and adults find John's stories equally mind numbing'.
Fourth: Cats. Go ahead and laugh--to me, it is so delightful that T.S. Elliot's book of poems becomes the lyrics for a musical 55 years later. The creative genius of Andrew Lloyd Weber always stuns me.
Let me stop the counting. The plays I will mention are ones everyone knows. Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, Fiddler on the Roof, Mama Mia. And the list goes on.
It's not just musicals, either. I love the soundtracks to movie musicals. And shows that are filled with music. Secret disclosure: I am a total Glee fan! Have every CD. Every DVD. Even went to a Glee concert (once more, thanks to my amazing wife). No, we weren't the oldest there. Yes, we were the second oldest there. I even make the standing joke....Oh, yes! That Adele singing--she covers Glee songs, you know. It is amazing how many artists have covered Glee: Frank Sinatra, Katie Perry, Journey. OMG, the Beetles covered Glee!
I digress. My list could continue, but there is no need. What I find most helpful to me when I turn to music, is the story meshed with the song. The two get entwined, and I am swept away. Of course, when I'm recharging my creative battery, I usually sit with the lyrics--my ears aren't quick enough to pick up the words either the first, or second, or seventh time around. If I can read the lyrics while the song is being sung, ooh! that's delicious.
Why share my own choices? I'm not sure, except I'm told people want to know. Okay, so now they know, at least some of my proclivities.
The real reason I share is only to get others to ponder for themselves what moves them, and find those skills that help when they hit a creative sink hole. If my tendencies can spur someone to tap once more into the creative well that they thought had gone dry, then it's worth it.
My choices? Yeah, they're what help me. I hope you find what helps you (maybe you're one of the blessed ones who don't need this help. Geez, I might have to hate you), so that you continue with your story.
Because a story unfinished is a sadness to the world. May you find the finish to your story, and all the ones that come after.
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