Così Fan Tutte In Three Haiku

            
Young folks in love,
Their friend is quite the cynic.
So they make a bet.

The men pull a prank
To fool the ladies to test
Their fidility.

A lesson learned:
Do not take things for granted,
Not even your love.


                            

Bondarenko

           I wanted to fly
           But I did not get the chance.
           I died in a blaze.

           Some people believe
           If my death was made public,
           Three men might still live.
           

Anakin's No Whiner, YOU Are, Werther!

Stop wasting your time 
With this moping and doping! 
Just get over it!

She's married, that's life.
Five minutes of a toothache
Would restore your sense.
 

Onegin's Mistake

      
     The Prince loves her
     Whom I lectured years ago
     When she wrote to me.

     Why did I scold her
     As though she were only five?
     My chance has flown by.
   

     

Haiku Time

No more leaving this thing sitting for months on end. 


Dr. Boli spent last month doing Haiku. I figure I might give it shot. I will keep this about music, but will add other things to keep my creativity alive. I started my Space Race binge again, so here are two about the Nedelin Catastrophe:

 
                       Khruschev says to launch
                       The rocket filled with venom.
                       Ninety plus are dead.
                    
                       No rockets will fly
                       On that day forevermore
                       To respect the dead.

 I will write another one tomorrow.

TMSR: Baseball Fever

Here is the follow-up to my rant about Promsie U. This time I will be talking about a kids musical that I was in when I was ten. It is called Sermon on the Mound and it was the first musical I had done. And of all the musicals aimed at kids under age twelve, this was one of the better ones.
         Sermon was written by Celeste and David T. Clydesdale and centers around the Eagles baseball team. They are finishing up spring training and the regular season starts that afternoon. Commenting on the action are sports casters Dizzy Deano and Jackie Rawlings*. The new rookie is a young man named Mac Wire. He is thrilled to be on a professional baseball team, but struggles with his confidence. As the story progresses he learns about putting on the Armor of God and leaning on Christ as his "Head Coach", and that the ones God chooses for His team are the ones who know they cannot do it on their own.

Unlike Promise U, Sermon on the Mound does a much better job both story-wise and with what it intends to accomplish. There are four reasons why I say this.

1) The songs fit the theme better and are integrated a little bit more.
     I counted at least three story songs in Sermon and they feel like real encouragement and not just empty platitudes. Some like "Playing Right Field" are sung by the characters themselves, others are sung by the chorus. But they are much more integrated into the theme and aren't just preachy. "If the LORD is our Head Coach" is a declaration of trust and "The LORD's Prayer" is sung by both the chorus and the team. They feel like part of the story. "The LORD's Prayer" segues beautifully into the song "Home Run", which is probably the tensest song in the whole show.

2) The characters feel real.
    For example, Mac Wire is excited to be playing his first major season game, but is also dubious as to whether or not he can do it. His character is very well fleshed out and I find him relatable even after eighteen years. The hot dog vendor is the one who gets to sing "Playing Right Field". He is one of the sorts of characters I love to see in a story; the working-class guy at a low-paying job who is very wise and encouraging. We get a few one-off guys like a lady named Ruth Babe and Assistant Coach Goodman. But even there, they're not just throwing platitudes, they still sound like people.

3) Character conversions are treated with respect.
    "Casey Back at Bat" may be one of the most blatant pieces of fan-fiction ever written, but it is also one of the best depictions of a changed life in any of these kids musicals. We learn that Casey's pride was what caused him to strike out not just once but twice, and evidently  his career suffered after that. Eventually he decided enough was enough and accepted Christ, and now he's making a comeback with the Eagles. He's even seen helping his teammate out. This isn't just a case of everything is hunk-dory, but an example of a changed life. And when you're writing Christian musicals for kids, this is absolutely critical.

4) The overall message is well-handled.
    Sermon's main theme is spiritual warfare using the analogy of a baseball game. Sure, the baseball uniform, glove and bat may be curious stand-ins for the Armor of God, but as a visual aid, it's not bad. In fact, Sermon treats the issue of spiritual warfare with surprising respect, and gives us the lesson that the best players are those who know that they cannot do anything without God's help, and spend the most time with their 'Head Coach". 

So I've shown what makes a Christian kids musical good and what makes it bad. To sum it up, the ones that are good are the ones that treat the chosen topic with respect, have a good story and characters, and make make sure the songs fit. The ones that suck are ones that have little to no story (or turn it boring), lame characters, and are both preachy and disrespectful of the chosen topic. Sermon of the Mound will always be better than Promise U. Although you could just do what Sister Wynona Carr did and just make one song about it.

 ____________________________________________________________________________

 *I don't know if that is a reference to either Jackie Robinson or J.K. Rowling. 

**Something I myself have only come to understand within the past decade.

TMSR: Rewriting THE MAGIC FLUTE

The Magic Flute may be one of Mozart's greatest operas, but it is riddled with so many plot holes that it's hard to understand. The Masonic elements compound the problem even further. Seriously, how are we supposed to find something if we have no idea what it is we're looking for?

There is a lot of information that is not present. Why does Tamino immediately believe the guard's word that the Queen of the Night is a liar? This one can be solved rather easily. During the opening scene when Tamino is attacked, Sarastro can secretly be the one who kills the serpent while the Ladies think it is them. While the women are distracted by the handsome prince, Sarastro takes the monster's ears. Later at the Temple, the guard shows him the serpent's ears, proving that the Queen has not told the truth. Otherwise Tamino comes off as an easily led moron.

Sarastro needs to be more than just some blandly benevolent nonentity who hardly does anything.I talked before about a graphic novel version that suggested that Sarastro stole Pamina because he neglected the Queen and didn't want his daughter to suffer because his mistake. So what if this is a divorce situation being fueled by a lack of communication? What if Pamina is caught in the middle of their quarrel? What if the Queen wants to kill Sarastro because he has broken her heart? 
       There is also the business with Monostatos. Sarastro really needs to do more than just give the creep fifty lashes for attacking Pamina. Monostaos needs to be sent away completely or even executed. Is Sarastro loathe to take another person's life, even when his own or someone else's is in danger? Or is he just too soft-hearted?  

If Mozart hadn't thrown in all that Masonic mysticism and ritual I think the story would be perfect. I can only take so much of the constant utterances of "Oh, we can't tell you yet," and "You're not good enough yet," before I want to punch Sarastro or one of the priests. Sarastro needs to be clear on what needs to be done from the get go.

There are many different ways to fix the story. These are just a few.