Is the Traditional Musical Reappearing?

Composer, lyricist, and playwright Scarlett Evans succeeds with a new show

Artwork for the new musical "Elephant in the Room." The harlequin-like figures represent Internet Trolls. (Ben Garrison)

The musical, that distinctly American art form, has transformed significantly since its beginnings with “Show Boat” and “Oklahoma!”—musicals that took their art seriously—to its present incarnation of jukebox musicals (“Jersey Boys,” “Mamma Mia!”), corporate musicals (anything Disney), revivals (“The Music Man,” “Anything Goes”), and political or “message” musicals (“Next to Normal”). None of these genres, to my mind, work very hard artistically while bringing in the tourist dollars. They don’t have to.

The allure of the musical with its promise of magnificent sets, memorable tunes (one hopes), and an escape from the everyday is sufficient to keep it alive and prosperous (despite ridiculously high ticket prices scaring off some potential viewers).

But for all its outward diversity in scope and style, the modern musical scene, similar to the modern theatrical landscape in general, lacks traditional voices. This may be changing, however, if my recent experience is any indication.

A New Phenomenon

Over the last year or so, I have been getting inquiries from a number of artists about submitting their “conservative musicals” for my theater company’s consideration. (My company, Stage Right Theatrics, produces plays by conservative playwrights.) I find this both refreshing and puzzling: refreshing that the musical genre may be opening to traditional point of view, but puzzling in that it’s happening at all. We have barely made our voice heard with “straight plays”; now writers are going right for the much more ambitious—and expensive—musical? It almost seems as though we are skipping a step, and yet it is nonetheless welcome.

So when young composer, lyricist, and playwright Scarlett Evans provided me with not just a draft of her musical but a copy of the filmed production, I knew it was time to share its past, present, and future with sympathetic readers.

A Political Schism

Evans’s musical is the aptly titled “Elephant in the Room,” which workshopped six performances throughout the L.A. area this past summer. The story revolves around a college student, Kayla, who befriends (and ultimately is enamored with) the politically active Bent. Although a romance blossoms, it is impeded by the conflicting political stances of the two: Kayla is a conservative; Bent a left-wing activist.

With the announcement that Donald Trump is coming to campus, we see the two disparate groups mobilize: the Left depicted as ANTIFA thugs, and the Right as Nationalists. Kayla is caught in the middle, even saying at one point, “I see both angles.”

When the Nationalists ask Kayla to spy on ANTIFA, she goes along with the scheme to see and hear for herself what they believe. Ultimately, we get a rather even-handed presentation of these two extreme groups despite the fact that they remain entrenched in their beliefs—except for Kayla, who chooses a side.

Throughout the action, we hear the ongoing narrative of the omnipresent “Internet Troll,” a character that panders neither to the Left nor the Right but instead acts as an instigator to them both.

The Birth of a Musical

The history of “Elephant in the Room” has all the earmarks of the struggle conservative artists go through in order to be taken seriously. Evans was approached by an individual who knew of her background in music and asked to write a musical about Donald Trump that places the former president in a positive light.

Evans did not immediately embrace the idea, opting instead for a more balanced presentation with multiple perspectives. Once commissioned, Evans took on the role of author, composer, lyricist, and, ultimately, actor. She admits not truly knowing why this play had to be a musical, but given her artistic strengths, she felt most comfortable following the footsteps of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim.

After forming a production company, Evans found directors and performers willing to work on the project. She made sure to tell interested artists what the show’s premise and “take” was; only one performer quit citing discomfort at playing an offensive character. She maintained that Trump is a non-presence in the play (he is merely mentioned as coming to the school, which brings out the mobs both Left and Right and sets the events of the plot in motion) and that politics remain in the background. It’s essentially a tale of romance a la “Romeo and Juliet” (or more apropos for this context, “West Side Story”). “It’s more about thinking for yourself rather than politics,” Evans said in a recent Zoom interview with me.

A Success

So how is this a traditional musical if both sides are portrayed as having a legitimate claim to the truth? For Evans, the answer is clear: Kayla ultimately chooses a side, the conservative side. After spending equal time with both groups, she decides the truth lies on the right. One has to admit: This is a seismic shift in the outlook of contemporary theater.

And what of the Internet Troll, whom I found to be a constant irritation? It turns out, my reaction may be precisely the point. As Evans envisioned this character, the Internet Troll is the personification of the Internet: always present, working both ends against the middle, somehow balancing chaos and order.

In short, it is exactly how the internet impacts our lives, and even those who choose not to engage with it on a daily basis (I imagine this is an infinitesimal number), are still forced to reckon with its pervasiveness. Evans notes that we often do not think of the impact the internet has on our society and the individuals in it. The Internet Troll ensures that we are reminded of this throughout the musical, and serves as both a critique and a hard dose of reality from Evans.

Audience response to the workshop performances in L.A. were, according to Evans, positive. She noted that “people of all stripes found it worthwhile,” which achieved her goal to test audience reaction to both political persuasions.

This reception inspires optimism that theatergoers find value in a play’s artistry and were not turned off by its ultimate conclusion that conservative principles win the day. What’s more, the play will continue to develop, with Evans looking to tighten the production by possibly cutting some songs. Although she portrayed Kayla in the L.A.-Orange County workshops, she will not be doing so in the future.

And there is a future for this ambitious musical: “Elephant in the Room” will open in Branson, Missouri in April 2023 for a limited run through June. Evans now splits time between California and Missouri to oversee the production. The possibilities for this groundbreaking musical are enormous. The conservative voice features prominently in a musical, standing alone in an art form that has been compromised of late by both one-sided politics and commercialism. If there is a breakthrough for traditional writers because of “Elephant in the Room,” we have Scarlett Evans to thank.