Video

https://youtu.be/5iy27mw85RM

With the help of my sister and best friend, I made a music video to a song that felt very fitting during this pandemic.

Favorite Song

Morning in America by Jon Bellion, pop
Link to song

Is Life a Simulation?

I don't believe that life is a simulation. I believe that we exist for a purpose. What would our purpose be if this was all a simulation? Entertainment for whoever is running the simulation? Humans develop such meaningful connections and have so many meaningful experiences. Why would we live these elaborate lives if it was all for nothing?

Broadway

I watched “Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat” from Guys & Dolls and City of Angels’ 1990 Tony Performance.

            This performance of “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” was from the 2016 Olivier Awards. While the original production of Guys & Dolls premiered in 1950, this performance included the cast of the 2015 West End revival. I’ve heard the song before, but I’d never seen it performed. I really enjoyed it. The costumes and the choreography were fun to look at and watch. I loved the harmonies in the slower section. The number is very fun and the musical is a classic.

            City of Angels is set in Hollywood in the 1940s and follows a novelist named Stein as he turns one of his books into a screenplay about a private detective. The cast performed at the 1990 Tony Awards. It seems like their performance was an overview of the musical including multiple scenes and songs all in about five minutes. One of the songs, “What You Don’t Know About Women,” is a duet between Stein’s wife Gabby and one of Stein’s character’s Oolie. It’s apparent that Stein is basing Oolie off of Gabby as they mirror each other’s’ movements on opposite sides of the stage. Even before googling the musical, this was obvious, and I think it’s a really cool artistic choice. I also love the song. Watching this performance made me really want to listen to the rest of the soundtrack. 

Opera Video Game

If I were to turn Madam Butterfly into a video game, I would make it a platform game. A platform game is a game in which the player controls a character and makes it jump and climb between suspended platforms while avoiding obstacles. The character would be a butterfly to represent Cio-Cio-San, aka Madam Butterfly. The platforms would look like Maiko fans. Maiko fans are used in the famous fan dances that geisha are trained to perform and since Madam Butterfly is a geisha, this is fitting. The player would guide the butterfly as she flies between fans, avoiding obstacles and collecting boosts. The obstacles would be cartoons of people such as Bonze, Butterfly’s uncle who cursed her during the first act for rejecting her ancestral religion in favor of Christianity, and Kate, Pinkerton’s new wife whom he left Butterfly for. Bumping into these people would cause Butterfly to die and the game would be over. Boosts would be cartoons of people such as Butterfly’s son and Suzuki, Butterfly’s friend. The game, as the opera, would, unfortunately, have a dark ending. If the player makes it through all the levels of fans, avoiding obstacles and using boosts, they would find a dagger on the final fan which Butterfly would use to stab herself, as she does in the opera. I wish the opera had a happier ending so the game could too.

Goodall Opera

Howard Goodall covers important moments over the course of the existence of opera and the influence certain operas had on history in this episode of his series, Big Bangs. Opera originated in Italy 400 years ago. By the end of the 18th century, operas were making powerful political statements and responding to revolutions. The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart premiered in 1786 in Vienna and made a statement about the rich and powerful treating their employees like slaves. Beethoven’s only opera titled “Fidelio” premiered in 1805. It’s set in a prison and alludes to revolutionary Paris, with the theme of liberation and deliverance. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 was triggered by an event during an opera. Normally opera responded to political events and didn’t trigger them but that changed during the opening night of Daniel Auber's La Muette de Portici. After a patriotic duet during the opera, the audience flooded out of the opera house and into the streets to confront their Dutch oppressors. This revolution resulted in Belgium becoming their own nation.

The relationship opera has with politics makes me think of the current political climate we are in. I frequently hear people say “(Insert celebrity name here) should just stay out of politics.” I have never agreed with this idea for two reasons. One: just because someone is famous does not mean they give up their right to an opinion. Celebrities are humans, they don’t only exist to keep us entertained. And two: with a platform and an audience, people of influence have a great opportunity to advocate for the things they believe in. Watching this video and hearing about how art has commented on politics for hundreds of years gives me another reason to disagree with this “keep your mouth shut and dance, monkey” attitude. Artists speaking on important issues is not a new concept. With all the different platforms available in 2020, now more than ever, those with influence can speak to their audience directly and make an impact.