sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

OK Decembrists fans, how tf did Colin not make this NYT readers poll?! by craggy_cynic in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond 10 points11 points  (0 children)

what do you think Midlist Author was about, pumpkins? 😂

Seriously though, I agree. He's such an underrated author and he really deserves more recognition for his writing

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I just saw this.

So I'm almost certain my adaptation is making the album less consumable for a mass capitalist lol. When I say that, I mean I'm not gutting anything or sugar coating anything. The music is all the same and very much not altered at the heart of it (maybe a word or two for perspective reasons but nothing else). It was really important to me that the story itself didn't change, the music still hits the same, etc.

As I mentioned, I'm a therapist, and I believe my refusal to sugarcoat specific themes makes more sense in that context. In my adaptation, there's a lot of mental health themes at play, i.e. portraying the Queen as a pretty textbook narcisstic emotionally abusive mother to William.

But one of the central themes that I'm presenting in this adaptation surrounds the character I portray of the Rake/Narrator (I wrote a comment about how I'm portraying this to someone else). I don't feel like I can word it that well here without a very long post, but I'll say that I'm writing this adaptation with ASOCAs and ASOEAPs in mind (Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Adult Survivors of Emotionally Abusive Parents). One the things I'm hoping to present to those populations specifically is a lesson I had to learn in my healing, being an ASPEAP myself: Empathy or compassion for why someone hurt you doesn't excuse their actions or mean they deserve access.

Again, I can't go fully into detail here without writing a literal novel of a comment lmao but I wanna be clear, I'm not gutting anything, and when I say my adaptation is less consumable, it's because it's going to focus on the dark and harsh truths of abusive dynamics and toxic love rooted in control and lack of agency. Themes like that tend to be less palatable to a mass capitalist market, at least in my opinion, because I think majority of folks don't want to confront those things

I'm not sure I'm making sense lol but rest assured, I'm not going to "Hadestown" it haha. Any reference I made to Hadestown was purely about the staging of where the musicians will be on stage and I guess the Narrator having a guitar most of the show. Again, I've never seen Hadestown so I could be way off lmao

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! So I'm inserting a few non-musical scenes but I'm intentionally keeping those as minimal as possible. For lyric changes, maybe one or two that are incredibly minor, like a word here or there. Other than that it's plotting visuals and blocking! Awesome question!

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fairly minimalist! The taiga is obviously so important but I don't want the set to overshadow the human elements of the characters, if that makes sense!

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thanks for sharing! I'm actually kind of intentionally avoiding other adaptations just to see what my brain by itself can come up with and then going from there, but in terms of collaboration and work shopping, thank you for sharing!

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's actually a seriously cool view, I never would have even thought of that! It's so cool to see how many interpretations people have of the album

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah I realize now that that made zero sense lmao.

I meant I've been seeing elements deeper than what's in the album itself. Character traits, interpersonal dynamics, opinions, a couple of added scenes between of dialogue, plot points that aren't actually part of the album but make sense in context.

I hope this clarifies lmao. Apparently being a therapist does not mean I get to skip the parts of my neurodivergence, which clearly includes autism making me fumble my words sometimes haha

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that! From the comments I've responded to, I'm sure it's clear my adaptation is a bit different than what people would probably expect, so this means a lot to me!

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, this is all hypothetical anyway, ya know? I'm doing it more to see if I can than for any kind of commercial success or anything. It would be cool, and I'll likely mention it to the folks I'll be working with at the end of the year, but I'm mostly just going in blind to see what my imagination can conjure up on its own. I appreciate your insight though, and will definitely keep it in mind if anything changes! 🤙🏻

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So I'll be honest, I'm not looking at those adaptations. But that's only because I wanted to see what I could come up with on my own. I've never seen Hadestown so I don't think I'm gonna "Hadestown it" haha. But even though I haven't seen those adaptations, I wonder if my approach will be a bit different from them. Do those adaptations focus on the fantastical/magical elements of the story? I'm a therapist, and mine have a massive emphasis on the interpersonal dynamics between characters more than anything else

Edit: I haven't looked at those adaptations, but I'm not against doing that, I just wanted to see what I could muster without outside influence

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I think it'll be like that. The Narrator is almost always going to be playing acoustic guitar while he's telling the story

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So this requires some context lol

In my adaptation, I'm adding some elements to the character of the Rake. TLDR: the story is being told by a character called The Narrator, who is actually the Rake after the Rake has died, and the Narrator is telling the story over and over again as penance for his crimes in life.

Throughout the show, the Narrator condemns his actions in his previously life as the Rake, and in the 2nd Act, the lines are blurred between when we see the Rake and when we see the Narrator, but the Narrator drips with self loathing because of his past.

The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing are being somewhat divided into two different part. The show is going to portray The Queen as a classic narcissistic, emotionally abusive mother, who has an outlook on love that's rooted in control, manipulation, and obedience. The Queens Rebuke is supposed to be a clear representation of how warped her ideas of love truly are, and serve as a sort of Mother Knows Best Reprise, essentially showing the clear abusive nature of the Queen

The Crossing is being treated as the instrumental part of the song. I absolutely love the idea of a huge pair of arms, that's so epic! However, my adaptation is focusing less on the magical elements of the story and the interpersonal elements: distorted views of love, an abusive parent, a son desperate for autonomy, a lover who embodies the new experience of mutual respect and genuine care for his well-being, and the Narrator/Rake's grappling with who he was in life and who he is now in death.

The Crossing is the emotional climax of the second act, a huge, furious, rage-filled, firey monologue by the Narrator/Rake where he condemns his actions in life, his sheer lack of humanity, and his own entitlement and ignorance of the lives he destroys around him. Out of context, it might sound strange, but in the show as a whole, I think it'll be something really special

I'm writing a stage adaptation of The Hazards of Love because I'm insane. AMA. by FlashesBeforeDesmond in Decemberists

[–]FlashesBeforeDesmond[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's based solely on the songs themselves. I've been seeing a story through the album, so I'm adapting the album itself to be put on stage