Welcome to the Musicals Thread, the Avocado’s space for anything and everything related to musical theatre! Every month I’ll post a discussion prompt, but please feel free to comment on other topics, from new discoveries to old favorites. If you have ideas for future prompts or would like to write a feature for the thread, let me know!
Last month we discussed dances performed by large groups of people, but today I invite you to consider them on a much smaller scale. If an ensemble dance gives us a picture of the culture of a community, a dancing duet is often a showcase for the relationship between the two characters involved. Their coordinated movements indicate the compatibility of their personalities, whether for a lifetime together or just a brief period of cooperation – or competition! What are your favorite types/examples of partner dance numbers?
A partner dance need not be romantic – see Warbucks and Annie for a seasonally-appropriate example – but one of my favorites is, while also furthering the main theme of the show. Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof argues in favor of her village’s traditions, even as she admires – and is admired by – the progressive activist Perchik. Frustrated and eager for change as he is, though, he shows a lighthearted side of himself that stands not in contrast to, but as an expression of his politics. Of all the examples he could give of the new ways of living she’s missing out on, which does he choose? That in the cities, young men and women are allowed to dance together! Together, they bring Anatevka one step (pun intended) further into modernity.