NYTimes.com: They’re not exactly the von Trapps trilling about edelweiss, but the Robertson family of the reality series “Duck Dynasty” wants to sing to you about faith and food, duck calls and swamp moss. And they’ve convinced a team from Broadway to bring their story to the stage, in Las Vegas for starters.
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Well I’ll be honest…..I’m not really sure what to say about this one, and I’m not sure what my stance is either. I think that it’s certainly an interesting decision that the Robertson family has made, and certainly one that I don’t think I ever would’ve expected. I would’ve expected a full length movie, but never a musical. The Robertson’s are the 21st century Beverly Hillbillies, and I guess I just never thought they would be big theatre-goers. And maybe they aren’t, but if they aren’t then why would why the want to make a musical about the story of their family. It’s much more typical for books to be made into movies rather than plays and musicals these days, so I’m really curious why that’s been their choice medium. And furthermore, why Vegas? The article does a good job of pointing out that a number of shows have tried and failed in Las Vegas, so why would the America’s favorite conservative family take a show to Sin City, and in the same hotel as Chipendales…? I’m just not completely sure of how much sense it makes. There are just so many questions….what will this show be like? Will it be the opposite of Book of Mormon, with a Christmas Story type tale, or will like Catch Me If You Can? The possibilities seem endless given the creative team they’ve assembled. The team has quite the resume…Newsies, The Last Ship.
I have two immediate responses: 1). Oh no. No no no. No. NO. 2). Why oh god why. I understand that this family has achieved a level of fame through their less than regular lifestyle and the fact that they designed a duck call. I may not agree with their beliefs, but this is America and if they want to and can they have the right to air a trashy reality series. However, I think that it is incredibly unwise of them to want to pursue this project, for a couple of reasons. The first is that this would be a novelty, a bunch of people would come see it and then once that rush is over then it would die down. The second is that they are entering a world filled with liberals which they might not completely understand how to work with. The entire premise just seems ludicrous.
what...?
What I find most troublesome about this article is the controversies the people have managed to find in such a group putting on a show. I am incredibly tired of hearing people misquote Phil Robertson in his GQ magazine. I truely have lost all interest in people who make claims or stances based off of a fraction of a quote. This is not just for the Robertson family. If your going to get pissed at someone for their interview make sure that you have a full understanding of what was said in the interview second do nitpick the quotes to your advantage. Now do I think this play is a good idea? Not at all I think it's a terrible idea. The show is entertaining but I do not think that it will carry over to the stage at all.
I've actually seen a couple episodes of Duck Dynasty myself and I must say that homophobic comments aside, the Robertson clan could actually be herald as a terrific example of the American dream.
From humble beginnings, this family has built their own industry and cornered their market in spectacular fashion. It is definitely a story that should be told, but I'm not sure that a Vegas musical (or any musical) is the right way to do it.
I'm not saying that people don't want to hear songs about duck calls or gramma's brambleberry pie, but the Robertson's are not a musical family. It seems to me that for a musical to be successful, there has to be some heart in it, and I find it hard to picture a theatre full of people taking seriously a 'heartfelt' song sung by a flock of men who may trip over their beards at any moment.
When I first read the title, I thought, "You've GOT to be kidding me." However, after reading the article, it did have some pretty fair points. I figured that an endeavor like this would be cause for controversy, but I didn't think that it would have the potential to make such a political statement and have the potential to examine how both conservative and liberal people see the other sociopolitical party's views. I also had a feeling that the more liberal and homosexuality-supporting members of the theatre community would have a pretty big issue with a show like this, but it also doesn't mean that they don't have a story to tell. Now do I think that the story should be told through song and dance? I don't see that going over very well. Then again, a musical in Las Vegas will probably get more butts in seats than if they produced a straight play.
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