Let's talk about that unauthorized Hamilton church production
August 12, 2022 8:19 AM Subscribe
This article has some info on other unauthorized church productions, including:
“Re-Sound of Music,” a reworking of “The Sound of Music” to promote the polygamist beliefs of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That music, which still exists online, turns a song called “You Two,” originally sung by a father to his children in the movie version of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” into a polygamist anthem.posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:31 AM on August 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
A Canadian church is also known for creating Christian-themed plays based on popular movies and musicals, including one called “The Passion of the Iron Man,” in which the Marvel hero is crucified while the villainous Loki sings R.E.M.’s “The End of the World as We Know It.”
See also: The Church Play Cinematic Universe
ETA: This link includes footage from that Canadian church mentioned.
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:32 AM on August 12, 2022 [8 favorites]
ETA: This link includes footage from that Canadian church mentioned.
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:32 AM on August 12, 2022 [8 favorites]
Fascinated with this. I do feel terrible for the teens in it -- assuming that's what they are, since that's what they appear to be. These are theater kids stuck in conservative families in the heart of Texas, and here's their chance to sing the songs they're obsessed with. It's Great Value(TM) Hamilton, but how much better can they do? The adults in the room should have been ashamed of themselves for taking advantage of that.
Pretty funny to think of the contrast between today's salesmanlike evangelical language ("if you could just give Him a chance today") and the 18th-century ideas of sin and piety. Those were fierce and damning, but they at least had some dignity.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:34 AM on August 12, 2022 [11 favorites]
Pretty funny to think of the contrast between today's salesmanlike evangelical language ("if you could just give Him a chance today") and the 18th-century ideas of sin and piety. Those were fierce and damning, but they at least had some dignity.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:34 AM on August 12, 2022 [11 favorites]
The particular subset of Christians doing this (because I suspect many/most Christians find this as weird as anyone else does) are really telling on themselves with the naked "Laws don't apply to us, we own this country and can do whatever we want" vibes of these unauthorized rewrites.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:35 AM on August 12, 2022 [20 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:35 AM on August 12, 2022 [20 favorites]
It's so weird, like "you're not allowed to enjoy pulp culture unless we add a ton of Jesus to it."
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:39 AM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:39 AM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
True. A lot of people made indignant tweets about stealing, lying, etc. as sins, but hardcore evangelicals barely worry about those. For them, you can get "forgiven" just by invoking Jesus, like a child holding on to "base" on the playground.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:40 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 8:40 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
It would be helpful if, in pressing their point, the Dramatists Guild didn't say things that are actually, you know, not true like "No writer’s work, whether they are a student who has just written their first play, or Lin-Manuel Miranda, can be performed without their permission."
Because despite the best efforts of Disney, copyright does *eventually* end.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:43 AM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Because despite the best efforts of Disney, copyright does *eventually* end.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:43 AM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
I don't think Miranda / the Hamilton folks objected to some stilted lines about Jesus. Based on the NYT piece I think the main objection was to the performance being put online and to the homophobic sermon it was paired with. Sure the performance sounds like it was technically a rights violation but I doubt it would have made the news without those factors.
posted by Wretch729 at 8:47 AM on August 12, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by Wretch729 at 8:47 AM on August 12, 2022 [12 favorites]
I have no doubt that the church re-write is stilted and artless. However, there's something really ironic about the writer of a hip-hop inspired musical objecting to a remix.
A "hip-hop inspired musical" still has characters that have specific motivations, with songs and dialogue which spell out those motivations. And a "remix" still bills itself as a remix of the original as opposed to being the original (i.e., Diddy called this song "I'll Be Missing You", he didn't call it "Every Breath You Take").
From what I've read about this, the unauthorized Hamilton production changed lyrics and added lines. Here's what the NY Times says was altered:
And even here, if they'd called their production something like "Who Tells Your Story: A Remix of Hamilton" that might actually have been fine. But they were flat-out calling it Hamilton, saying that "yep, this is exactly as Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this show". And, well, it's not what Lin wrote.
Full disclosure: I have been involved with a production of play in which the dialogue was altered from the original; but that was a production of Hair which was done by my high school, and the alterations were about things like turning f-bombs into "darns" and suchlike. But the character motivations were all the same and we had a lot of notes in the script about "look, we had to change a few words because this is a high school production," so we owned it. That's not what this group did; they said "yep, this is exactly as Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote it, complete with Alexander Hamilton getting saved by faith in Jesus at the end." And....nope, that's not what Lin wrote.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 AM on August 12, 2022 [27 favorites]
A "hip-hop inspired musical" still has characters that have specific motivations, with songs and dialogue which spell out those motivations. And a "remix" still bills itself as a remix of the original as opposed to being the original (i.e., Diddy called this song "I'll Be Missing You", he didn't call it "Every Breath You Take").
From what I've read about this, the unauthorized Hamilton production changed lyrics and added lines. Here's what the NY Times says was altered:
In the song “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” the lyric “I help to raise hundreds of children / I get to see them growing up” became: “I introduce hundreds of children to Jesus as they’re growing up.”Those all alter the vision that Lin had for these characters. He wanted to present them as imperfect and flawed, specifically because that's who they were, and we already put the founding fathers on too much of a pedestal as it is. He wanted us to be aware that they were sometimes selfish and petty and flawed. Softening the lyrics cleans up their image again, and we already have plenty of cleaned-up stories of the founding fathers.
In “That Would Be Enough,” the original lyric is: “But I’m not afraid / I know who I married / So long as you come home at the end of the day / That would be enough.” That was changed to: “But I am not afraid / My hope is in Jesus / If you could just give him a chance today / That would be enough.”
A scene in which Alexander Hamilton repents for his sins and accepts Jesus Christ as his lord and savior, which was not in the original, was added.
And even here, if they'd called their production something like "Who Tells Your Story: A Remix of Hamilton" that might actually have been fine. But they were flat-out calling it Hamilton, saying that "yep, this is exactly as Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this show". And, well, it's not what Lin wrote.
Full disclosure: I have been involved with a production of play in which the dialogue was altered from the original; but that was a production of Hair which was done by my high school, and the alterations were about things like turning f-bombs into "darns" and suchlike. But the character motivations were all the same and we had a lot of notes in the script about "look, we had to change a few words because this is a high school production," so we owned it. That's not what this group did; they said "yep, this is exactly as Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote it, complete with Alexander Hamilton getting saved by faith in Jesus at the end." And....nope, that's not what Lin wrote.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 AM on August 12, 2022 [27 favorites]
“The Passion of the Iron Man,” in which the Marvel hero is crucified while the villainous Loki sings R.E.M.’s “The End of the World as We Know It.”
Having listened to Paranoid somewhere like a million times in my life, it took my brain a second to go, "Oh, THAT Iron Man."
So in that version, Jesus isn't turned to steel in the great magnetic field is what you're saying.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:07 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
Having listened to Paranoid somewhere like a million times in my life, it took my brain a second to go, "Oh, THAT Iron Man."
So in that version, Jesus isn't turned to steel in the great magnetic field is what you're saying.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:07 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
I have all kinds of doctrinal issues with these Jesus-as-your-magic-pal Christians, but the thing that really gets my goat is they're all so artless.
posted by whuppy at 9:09 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 9:09 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
That's why it's so weird! Historically, Christians made tons of really great original content. Cathedrals! Illuminated manuscripts! Amusingly homoerotic sculpture and paintings! Why are they suddenly so inept?
posted by phooky at 9:14 AM on August 12, 2022 [16 favorites]
posted by phooky at 9:14 AM on August 12, 2022 [16 favorites]
Historically, Christians made tons of really great original content. Cathedrals! Illuminated manuscripts! Amusingly homoerotic sculpture and paintings! Why are they suddenly so inept?
Different denomination.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:17 AM on August 12, 2022 [36 favorites]
Different denomination.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:17 AM on August 12, 2022 [36 favorites]
Michelangelo and Bach wanted to lift everyone's soul. Pat Robertson and Osteen just want your money.
posted by sammyo at 9:29 AM on August 12, 2022 [23 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 9:29 AM on August 12, 2022 [23 favorites]
yeah, all that stuff was made by Catholics, who aren't really Christians, and thus everybody in history went to hell until somewhere between 1600 and 1900, depending on which denomination you are listening to a pastor from
posted by Countess Elena at 9:30 AM on August 12, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 9:30 AM on August 12, 2022 [15 favorites]
Obligatory Hank Hill: Can't you see you're not making Christianity better? You're just making rock and roll worse.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:33 AM on August 12, 2022 [42 favorites]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:33 AM on August 12, 2022 [42 favorites]
This is up there with the christian t-shirts emblazoned with, what looks to be upon first glance, the logos of popular metal bands, only to actually be words like “Jesus” or “He Lives” or whatever other words work in the style of the logo.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:37 AM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 9:37 AM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
It would be helpful if, in pressing their point, the Dramatists Guild didn't say things that are actually, you know, not true like "No writer’s work, whether they are a student who has just written their first play, or Lin-Manuel Miranda, can be performed without their permission."
Quick, someone get William Shakespeare on the phone.
posted by Gelatin at 9:47 AM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
Quick, someone get William Shakespeare on the phone.
posted by Gelatin at 9:47 AM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
"Can't you tell you're not making Christianity any better, you're just making Rock & Roll worse!"
-- Hank Hill
(dammit, already posted)
posted by jquinby at 9:48 AM on August 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
-- Hank Hill
(dammit, already posted)
posted by jquinby at 9:48 AM on August 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
Historically, Christians made tons of really great original content. Cathedrals! Illuminated manuscripts! Amusingly homoerotic sculpture and paintings! Why are they suddenly so inept?
Counterpoint: Early VeggieTales
Coincidentally another entity that eventually decided it was easier to do Christian versions of popular secular stories instead.
posted by shenkerism at 9:57 AM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Counterpoint: Early VeggieTales
Coincidentally another entity that eventually decided it was easier to do Christian versions of popular secular stories instead.
posted by shenkerism at 9:57 AM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
What songs would Jesus perform at Red Rocks? (Twitter)
posted by stevil at 10:19 AM on August 12, 2022
posted by stevil at 10:19 AM on August 12, 2022
So in that version, Jesus isn't turned to steel in the great magnetic field is what you're saying.
Now I want this version.
posted by Spike Glee at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
Now I want this version.
posted by Spike Glee at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
Hey, don't lump all the Protestant denominations together. Some of the Episcopal hymns are bangers. Not to mention Bach.
(I always say that the reason that a substantial number of evangelicals tend to latch onto C.S. Lewis--besides the smugness they have in common--is that he's a gateway to a church with an actual history and aesthetic and theology, and it blows their minds.)
posted by praemunire at 10:27 AM on August 12, 2022 [9 favorites]
(I always say that the reason that a substantial number of evangelicals tend to latch onto C.S. Lewis--besides the smugness they have in common--is that he's a gateway to a church with an actual history and aesthetic and theology, and it blows their minds.)
posted by praemunire at 10:27 AM on August 12, 2022 [9 favorites]
Oh boy, someone is about to find out a WHOLE LOT about the fascinatingly persnickety world of theatrical licensing!
I am usually not a fan of the unbelievable level of controlling bullshit in performance licensing, but every now and then someone really just has to prove that it's there for a reason.
posted by Adridne at 10:34 AM on August 12, 2022 [11 favorites]
I am usually not a fan of the unbelievable level of controlling bullshit in performance licensing, but every now and then someone really just has to prove that it's there for a reason.
posted by Adridne at 10:34 AM on August 12, 2022 [11 favorites]
A lot of people made indignant tweets about stealing, lying, etc. as sins, but hardcore evangelicals barely worry about those. For them, you can get "forgiven" just by invoking Jesus, like a child holding on to "base" on the playground.
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:42 AM on August 12, 2022 [44 favorites]
-- Emo Philips
Hey, don't lump all the Protestant denominations together. Some of the Episcopal hymns are bangers. Not to mention Bach.
John Milton.
As a formerly and still somewhat secretly goth-y person, I don't even know what kind of pop-cultural universe we'd be looking at without "Paradise Lost."
posted by thivaia at 11:23 AM on August 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
John Milton.
As a formerly and still somewhat secretly goth-y person, I don't even know what kind of pop-cultural universe we'd be looking at without "Paradise Lost."
posted by thivaia at 11:23 AM on August 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
Speaking as a non-religious person, sitting down to watch Amazing Grace was a pretty good reminder of the sort of greatness that's possible in religiously-inspired art.
Odd thing - I guess there's an Alexander Hamilton connection here too, since Alexander Hamilton, the choir director who appears in Amazing Grace, passed away earlier this year.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:38 AM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Odd thing - I guess there's an Alexander Hamilton connection here too, since Alexander Hamilton, the choir director who appears in Amazing Grace, passed away earlier this year.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:38 AM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
You wanna see how fast the theater world will come down on your ass legally? Try staging a production of any Sam Beckett play with textual changes. His estate does not fuck around.
posted by nushustu at 11:49 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by nushustu at 11:49 AM on August 12, 2022 [10 favorites]
The evangelical god is a very limited creature. Worrying about genitals constantly. How they’re used. About the social order based on genitals.
That's so relatable, though
posted by billjings at 12:04 PM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
That's so relatable, though
posted by billjings at 12:04 PM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
That Emo Phillips quote makes me want to die laughing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:27 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:27 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm still bitter about Dolly Parton et al rewriting "After the Gold Rush" to be about Jesus. Fuck that noise.
posted by klanawa at 12:31 PM on August 12, 2022
posted by klanawa at 12:31 PM on August 12, 2022
Different denomination.
Protestantism was all wound up in the development of the novel, as well as plenty of scalp-tingling hymns. Not Catholic isn’t enough of an excuse.
posted by clew at 1:35 PM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Protestantism was all wound up in the development of the novel, as well as plenty of scalp-tingling hymns. Not Catholic isn’t enough of an excuse.
posted by clew at 1:35 PM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am not up to the challenge personally, but I'd be interested in product of the challenge for Jeebus-rewrite versions of other hit productions.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Don't get hung up on the way that I look
Don't judge a dish by its flavor
I'm the Son of Man by the light of day
But by night I'm one hell of a Savior
See also
Hedwig the Angry Leper
A Chorus Line, but Apostle tryouts ('I really need this God'; 'Fish, 10: Faith 3')
Evita ('Don't Cry for Me Philistine-as; the Truth is, I Never Liked You')
South Pacific (a very camp John the Baptist does 'I'm Gonna Wash that Sin Right Outta your Hair'; a chorus of complaining apostles do 'You Cure Nothing but the Lame')
etc.
posted by bartleby at 1:52 PM on August 12, 2022 [18 favorites]
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Don't get hung up on the way that I look
Don't judge a dish by its flavor
I'm the Son of Man by the light of day
But by night I'm one hell of a Savior
See also
Hedwig the Angry Leper
A Chorus Line, but Apostle tryouts ('I really need this God'; 'Fish, 10: Faith 3')
Evita ('Don't Cry for Me Philistine-as; the Truth is, I Never Liked You')
South Pacific (a very camp John the Baptist does 'I'm Gonna Wash that Sin Right Outta your Hair'; a chorus of complaining apostles do 'You Cure Nothing but the Lame')
etc.
posted by bartleby at 1:52 PM on August 12, 2022 [18 favorites]
bartleby — you just reminded me of a Guys and Dolls mondegreen from my childhood:
“Sit down! You’re watchin’ the Pope!”
posted by armeowda at 2:16 PM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
“Sit down! You’re watchin’ the Pope!”
posted by armeowda at 2:16 PM on August 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
I'm not a Hamilton fan at all - I did watch the Disney+ production and just couldn't get into it, although the Jefferson character was pretty good. I just don't very much like this overly earnest Obama-era liberal approach to the founders. It's worth pointing out that Hamilton has come under real criticism for taking a fairly sanitized approach to the real Hamilton's own views on slavery and white supremacy.
So in that spirit, I have a twisted enough sense of humor to actually find the idea of just blatantly rewriting the ending like this church did to be really funny. I saw the clip Hemant Mehta posted of Hamilton being told that only Jesus can forgive his sins and accepting Him as his Lord and Savior - it's so damn earnest and cheesy it crosses the line into absurdist comedy. It's like watching the cast of Parks and Recreation or the West Wing end their shows with an altar call.
posted by fortitude25 at 2:35 PM on August 12, 2022
So in that spirit, I have a twisted enough sense of humor to actually find the idea of just blatantly rewriting the ending like this church did to be really funny. I saw the clip Hemant Mehta posted of Hamilton being told that only Jesus can forgive his sins and accepting Him as his Lord and Savior - it's so damn earnest and cheesy it crosses the line into absurdist comedy. It's like watching the cast of Parks and Recreation or the West Wing end their shows with an altar call.
posted by fortitude25 at 2:35 PM on August 12, 2022
“The Passion of the Iron Man,” in which the Marvel hero is crucified while the villainous Loki sings R.E.M.’s “The End of the World as We Know It.”
This sounds amazing and kudos (in the AO3 sense) to them.
I heard an Earnest Young Priest with an acoustic guitar sing a Jesus version of "Here Comes Your Man" before I ever heard the real song. He also sang "Pictures of You" but called it "Pictures of God", which makes no sense when you think about it.
posted by betweenthebars at 3:08 PM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
This sounds amazing and kudos (in the AO3 sense) to them.
I heard an Earnest Young Priest with an acoustic guitar sing a Jesus version of "Here Comes Your Man" before I ever heard the real song. He also sang "Pictures of You" but called it "Pictures of God", which makes no sense when you think about it.
posted by betweenthebars at 3:08 PM on August 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Counterpoint: Early VeggieTales
Why Veggie Tales Was Forced To Change “Inappropriate Song Lyrics”
"The Bunny Song (1995)" from VeggieTales was popular in Bible camp when I was a kid. It's a motown-esque song where the villain of the episode proclaimed that "I won't go to church! and I won't go to school!" because he was dedicating his life to eating chocolate.
A few years thereafter: "the new and improved bunny song, the one we're supposed to sing," with lyrics that praise family, church and sensible eating habits. That's how tight the censorship is in evangelical children's media, that even villains who (literally) see the light by the end of the episode can't be allowed to express mildly transgressive thoughts.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 3:38 PM on August 12, 2022 [19 favorites]
Why Veggie Tales Was Forced To Change “Inappropriate Song Lyrics”
"The Bunny Song (1995)" from VeggieTales was popular in Bible camp when I was a kid. It's a motown-esque song where the villain of the episode proclaimed that "I won't go to church! and I won't go to school!" because he was dedicating his life to eating chocolate.
A few years thereafter: "the new and improved bunny song, the one we're supposed to sing," with lyrics that praise family, church and sensible eating habits. That's how tight the censorship is in evangelical children's media, that even villains who (literally) see the light by the end of the episode can't be allowed to express mildly transgressive thoughts.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 3:38 PM on August 12, 2022 [19 favorites]
Admittedly it's a different religion. but the first thing that this made me think of is A Shoggoth on the Roof which also ran into legal difficulties.
posted by Fuchsoid at 3:58 PM on August 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Fuchsoid at 3:58 PM on August 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
I've been following this scandal with amusement and glee and as a person who lives in Dallas, I think this has got to be one of the perfect archetypes of suburban Dallas evangelical church foolishness. Not the kids, the grownups who thought they could rewrite a popular musical for JAYSUS with no consideration of the consequences.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:47 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:47 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
A few years thereafter: "the new and improved bunny song, the one we're supposed to sing," with lyrics that praise family, church and sensible eating habits. That's how tight the censorship is in evangelical children's media, that even villains who (literally) see the light by the end of the episode can't be allowed to express mildly transgressive thoughts.
Wow that's honestly terrible and I'm glad I'm only finding out about it now.
posted by shenkerism at 4:55 PM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
Wow that's honestly terrible and I'm glad I'm only finding out about it now.
posted by shenkerism at 4:55 PM on August 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm going to speak up for the Dramatists Guild here. They represent the interests of living playwrights and are the closest thing that playwrights have to a union, because writers are not legally allowed to form unions when they own their own copyright instead of doing work for hire. Yes, Disney's hold on copyright is terrible and no, you don't have to get permission to do Shakespeare; but Miranda and the Dramatists Guild are specifically talking about living writers.
As someone who works in theatre, I think our unions could be a lot better, but any union or union-adjacent organization is better than none. The Dramatists Guild does a lot of legal council for tiny, unknown playwrights as well as sticking up for very well known folks like Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Stepping off my pro-theatre union/union adjacent organization soapbox -- if you are going to break the law, why flaunt it as much as this church seems to? Just do your unauthorized productions under the radar. And when you get caught, why lie about it? Just another example of how I do not understand evangelicals.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 5:00 PM on August 12, 2022 [15 favorites]
As someone who works in theatre, I think our unions could be a lot better, but any union or union-adjacent organization is better than none. The Dramatists Guild does a lot of legal council for tiny, unknown playwrights as well as sticking up for very well known folks like Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Stepping off my pro-theatre union/union adjacent organization soapbox -- if you are going to break the law, why flaunt it as much as this church seems to? Just do your unauthorized productions under the radar. And when you get caught, why lie about it? Just another example of how I do not understand evangelicals.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 5:00 PM on August 12, 2022 [15 favorites]
Historically, Christians made tons of really great original content. Cathedrals! Illuminated manuscripts! Amusingly homoerotic sculpture and paintings! Why are they suddenly so inept?
Oh there was some terrible, shitty poetry and passion plays flopping about the dark ages, I assure you. I bet there were sermons and songs that made people cringe but they just rolled with because we're only here an hour and it makes Old Poitr happy. We just don't have old religious trash anymore. They don't stick around the way cathedrals do.
posted by Jilder at 5:46 PM on August 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
Oh there was some terrible, shitty poetry and passion plays flopping about the dark ages, I assure you. I bet there were sermons and songs that made people cringe but they just rolled with because we're only here an hour and it makes Old Poitr happy. We just don't have old religious trash anymore. They don't stick around the way cathedrals do.
posted by Jilder at 5:46 PM on August 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
As someone who works in theatre, I think our unions could be a lot better, but any union or union-adjacent organization is better than none. The Dramatists Guild does a lot of legal council for tiny, unknown playwrights as well as sticking up for very well known folks like Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Yeah, this is a fair point. I tend to get cranky about the nitpicking in the contracts, but those rules protect a lot of artistic rights of the authors, which is worthwhile.
posted by Adridne at 6:59 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yeah, this is a fair point. I tend to get cranky about the nitpicking in the contracts, but those rules protect a lot of artistic rights of the authors, which is worthwhile.
posted by Adridne at 6:59 PM on August 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
A few years thereafter: "the new and improved bunny song, the one we're supposed to sing," That's how tight the censorship is in evangelical children's media, that even villains who (literally) see the light by the end of the episode can't be allowed to express mildly transgressive thoughts.
That's a complete misunderstanding. The Bunny Song is the song the villain tries to get the kids to sing:
"The Bunny, the Bunny, ooo I love the Bunny
I don't love my Mom or my Dad, just the Bunny"
and the entire point of the story is about these kids refusing to submit to the Bunny and sing his sing.
But the problem is The Bunny Song is a total banger. It had to go on the soundtrack that your kids listen to and sing along over and over. Yet the whole point of the song is not singing it. So they re-wrote the words to the sing-along version to be a silly parody of the original:
"The Bunny, the Bunny, ooo I ate the Bunny
I didn't eat my soup or my bread, just the Bunny"
The original villain song was kept unchanged for the story. (And gotta admire the cleverness of combining the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego with the Easter Bunny as the idol the heroes refuse to worship.)
posted by straight at 1:07 AM on August 13, 2022
That's a complete misunderstanding. The Bunny Song is the song the villain tries to get the kids to sing:
"The Bunny, the Bunny, ooo I love the Bunny
I don't love my Mom or my Dad, just the Bunny"
and the entire point of the story is about these kids refusing to submit to the Bunny and sing his sing.
But the problem is The Bunny Song is a total banger. It had to go on the soundtrack that your kids listen to and sing along over and over. Yet the whole point of the song is not singing it. So they re-wrote the words to the sing-along version to be a silly parody of the original:
"The Bunny, the Bunny, ooo I ate the Bunny
I didn't eat my soup or my bread, just the Bunny"
The original villain song was kept unchanged for the story. (And gotta admire the cleverness of combining the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego with the Easter Bunny as the idol the heroes refuse to worship.)
posted by straight at 1:07 AM on August 13, 2022
Stepping off my pro-theatre union/union adjacent organization soapbox -- if you are going to break the law, why flaunt it as much as this church seems to? Just do your unauthorized productions under the radar. And when you get caught, why lie about it? Just another example of how I do not understand evangelicals.
It’s all advertising and self promotion for the church. So saying they’re fighting the godless heathens of NYC by doing unauthorized productions helps them bring the right people into the pews by seeming “cool”.
posted by jmauro at 6:08 PM on August 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
It’s all advertising and self promotion for the church. So saying they’re fighting the godless heathens of NYC by doing unauthorized productions helps them bring the right people into the pews by seeming “cool”.
posted by jmauro at 6:08 PM on August 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
So I spent yesterday at theater shows/hanging out with theater people. I told a fellow Hamilton nerd*, who had previously expressed wanting to burn down a "Jesus Is Alive" billboard with nonexistent firestarting powers, about this story, assuming he had heard of it already.
* I note that this was at "In The Heights," so I guess that really applied to everyone.
He had not, and he gave me the longest "you have got to be fucking kidding me with this stupid fucking shit" look you ever saw in your life. I wish it was socially acceptable to pull out a camera and immortalize that facial expression, it was so priceless.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:18 AM on August 14, 2022
* I note that this was at "In The Heights," so I guess that really applied to everyone.
He had not, and he gave me the longest "you have got to be fucking kidding me with this stupid fucking shit" look you ever saw in your life. I wish it was socially acceptable to pull out a camera and immortalize that facial expression, it was so priceless.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:18 AM on August 14, 2022
In the Such Nonsense is Older Than You Thought department, I feel the need to share: I have vague recollections of an anti-drug musical performed at my public school in NY in 1981, where they "adapted" the lyrics to "Another Brick in the Wall".
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:27 PM on August 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:27 PM on August 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
See also: a high school production of Rent that was in a school too conservative for a play about AIDS, and changed it to be about diabetes instead. This is a third-hand anecdote, so who can say, but it is absolutely some bullshit that a school administration would pull.
posted by Countess Elena at 3:05 PM on August 14, 2022
posted by Countess Elena at 3:05 PM on August 14, 2022
And when you get caught, why lie about it? Just another example of how I do not understand evangelicals.
Because the most important aspect of being Evangelical Christian in America is being a victim. Any chance you can get to turn the consequences of your actions into proof that you're being persecuted is a win. Then they can find ways to turn that persecution into fundraising dollars and new laws being passed to further "protect their rights." Don't think there aren't lawyers on that school's behalf looking for ways to overturn the copyright law on free-exercise-of-religion grounds.
See also Republicans.
posted by Mchelly at 3:15 PM on August 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
Because the most important aspect of being Evangelical Christian in America is being a victim. Any chance you can get to turn the consequences of your actions into proof that you're being persecuted is a win. Then they can find ways to turn that persecution into fundraising dollars and new laws being passed to further "protect their rights." Don't think there aren't lawyers on that school's behalf looking for ways to overturn the copyright law on free-exercise-of-religion grounds.
See also Republicans.
posted by Mchelly at 3:15 PM on August 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
They got brazen because they've been getting away with it for YEARS.
Toy Story, Elf, Despicable Me, and most recently, Beauty and the Beast, wherein Beast finds Jesus, dies, and upon paying for his sins the curse on the castle and staff is lifted. According to this article, the Beauty and The Beast production also illegally used protected karaoke backing tracks.
posted by ApathyGirl at 1:14 PM on August 15, 2022
Toy Story, Elf, Despicable Me, and most recently, Beauty and the Beast, wherein Beast finds Jesus, dies, and upon paying for his sins the curse on the castle and staff is lifted. According to this article, the Beauty and The Beast production also illegally used protected karaoke backing tracks.
posted by ApathyGirl at 1:14 PM on August 15, 2022
Oh man - finally an excuse to post this gem (only the trailer, but the whole film is on YouTube in all its copyright-infringing glory)!
posted by Mchelly at 1:28 PM on August 15, 2022
posted by Mchelly at 1:28 PM on August 15, 2022
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posted by explosion at 8:31 AM on August 12, 2022 [5 favorites]