The gender binary is inherent to our understanding of almost everything. We evaluate how humans interact with each other in response to our understanding and perception of the gender binary and heteronormativity. The simplification of our understanding of gender leads to stereotypes and archetypes that are instantly recognizable. Many forms of media rely on these stereotypical archetypes to appeal to their audiences. The most common examples that I can think of are romantic comedy and musical comedy.
The Last Five Years doesn’t necessarily have a different relationship to the gender binary than other musicals. Still, I think it’s uniquely situated to investigate stereotypes associated with the gender binary because of its two-character structure. The Last Five Years, written by Jason Robert Brown, tells the story of the relationship between successful novelist Jamie Wellerstein and struggling actor Cathy Hyatt. When you analyze the characters of Jamie and Cathy, you’re left with a series of character traits that are traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine, which leads me to characterize them as the archetypes provider and the provided for. It can be argued that the play's action is defined by Cathy’s struggle against the archetype and Jamie’s attempt to thrive within it.
You might think, “Well, if this show is so gendered, why have I never thought of that while watching it?” Because these archetypes are so ingrained in our understanding of the world, we don’t even see them as archetypes anymore! Because the typical audience readily understands and expects these archetypes, we’re swept away by the love story without investigating the stereotypes. I’m not critiquing Jason Robert Brown or judging the typical Last Five Years audience for not picking up on how dramatically gendered the show is because it’s very obvious that this sort of investigation was not Brown’s intention by any means. I also don’t think The Last Five Years features these archetypes more intensely than any other musical. Still, the structure allows us to truly investigate the stereotypes at play because of the small cast size and complete lack of spectacle. That being said, I think there is a way to produce this musical that forces audiences to engage in a critical dialogue around gender and the perception of gender roles.
My Production
This production will be gender-bent. We’ll feature a male and female actor, but the male actor will be playing Cathy, and the female actor will be playing Jamie. It should not seem like a big deal that they’re performing the opposite track than expected, for they will seamlessly fill the role.
Before the performance, audiences will be assembled in the lobby. A posterboard with traits associated with Jamie and Cathy will be in titleless columns. Audience members will assign a gender to each column depending on which gender they assume typically possesses those traits.
Now The Last Five Years is very popular. Jamie and Cathy are well-known characters, so we must generalize the adjectives enough to deter the avid theatergoers from skewing the conversation because they want to see a gender-bent production. However, the avid theatergoer is the desired audience because the critical dialogue brought on by gender-swapping relies on an
understanding of the traditional plot of the musical. To maintain that element of surprise, the musical will not be advertised as The Last Five Years.
We start traditionally: the female actor starts performing “I’m Still Hurting.” After the first verse, the male actor comes onstage and replaces her. We continue the production with the swapped casting until “Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You,” where the actors will switch back for the last verse. There will be no name changes or pronoun changes throughout the production. The actors will not try to “play a woman” or “play a man.” The audience will know that this is a man playing a role meant for a woman and vice versa. I’m hoping that this dissonance will distance the audience from the material, making it harder for them to get too emotionally invested in the love story: a distance necessary to effectively engage in the larger conversations about gender stereotypes that the swapping is encouraging. I’m mainly interested in this idea because I want to check my own gender biases that I bring to the audience of The Last Five Years.
Whenever I watch this musical, I automatically demonize Jamie. My Black, queer, #killallmen body instinctively sees Jamie as an asshole that lacks empathy in understanding Cathy’s needs and wishes. I often refuse to give his redemption any attention and refuse to think from his perspective. On the flip side, I automatically rally behind Cathy and see her as a victim because I’m accustomed to seeing women emotionally manipulated and victimized by men. I’m sure other people bring their own biases into the theater that affect their view of this story. Switching the roles would hopefully challenge everyone’s gender biases as it challenges mine, forcing us all to investigate the actions of the play and how the inability to fulfill these gender roles leads to the demise of this relationship.
How would I respond to “If I Didn’t Believe in You” or “See, I’m Smiling” if it was a woman’s career on the line? Would I see “Cathy” as too clingy? Would I think “Jamie” is more justified in “her” frustration?
How would I respond to “I’m Still Hurting” if it was a man singing through heartbreak? Would I be as quick to empathize with this male Cathy as I am with a female Cathy?
What happens to “A Miracle Would Happen” when you remove “boys will be boys” from the equation?
Will I feel more elation and excitement in “Moving Too Fast” if it was a woman’s success that I was celebrating? (Normally, I roll my eyes.)
Would I quickly demonize Jamie in “Nobody Needs to Know” if it was a woman getting hers?
Would I be more likely to judge Cathy for “I will not be a girl who requires a man to get by” if it was a man singing about his independence instead of asking for help?
I know I’m not the first to have this idea, but these questions excite me. I hope that they excite others as well. We’ll see if we can get this idea past the Robert Brown estate.
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