A Musical Interlude

Though slightly off-topic, I was sitting in lecture yesterday flipping through Only Revolutions by Mark Danielewski and Round Trip by Ann Jonas and I got to thinking about a musical called the Last Five Years. This musical was recently made into a movie which I have yet to see, but I listened to the soundtrack a little while ago and the idea behind the Last Five Years and these reversible books is essentially the same.

The Last Five Years has only two characters, Cathy and Jaime, and they tell the story of their relationship through solo songs; they only sing together once. Cathy starts the show off at the end of their marriage, and tells the story back to front. Jaime alternates songs with her, moving front to back. The one time they sing together is when they meet in the middle, on their wedding day.

I was fascinated by the logic that goes into creating a musical with this form. I had a few issues getting my head out of the need for linear plot. How do things change when you give the ending away in the first song? How do you stop your audience from getting up and walking out of the theatre? How do you handle the fact that the first song is technically the last song, and vice-versa?

Similarly, there is no instruction manual for either Round Trip or Only Revolutions. I remember feeling lost reading House of Leaves for the same reason. I guess maybe the point is that there is no right answer.