Erin Burchill ‘25, Editor-in-Chief
SLHS’s phenomenal theater department’s most recent production was Head Over Heels, a musical created by James Magruder based on Jeff Whitty’s novel featuring music exclusively by the Go-Go’s. It debuted on Broadway in 2015, marking it as one of the newest productions in the world of theater. It features a chaotic and relatively progressive plot, complete with prophecies, queer romance, adultery, and subverted gender roles and identities. It is a revolutionary choice for SLHS, as our school has never put on such a potentially controversial musical. However, this came with various repercussions.
In order to bring more attention to the performances and increase ticket sales, the theater program showcased a preview of the musical during the school day, pulling a select few scenes and songs to show out of context to give students a general feel of the production. While some were excited to see this, others thought it a waste of time during the school day. An anonymous junior remarked on their distaste for some students’ attitudes toward the performance: “I just remember how people were calling some of the theater people fat and the f-slur, and I thought it was very disrespectful. They put so much time and effort into the show, and it’s very childish to say those things especially when it’s something that they enjoy and love.” They continued, “Even if you don’t like musicals or theater in general, it isn’t hard to be respectful to the people who put so much time into something they love.”
Theater director Karen Nave believes this example of students’ judgment of certain identities brings to light the normalization of bigotry amongst young people. “I recognize that we are in a somewhat conservative community and that some people might find the ideas present in the show to be ‘progressive.’ Theatre is meant to provoke. It’s meant to ask questions and in turn for the audience to ask questions back. It’s meant to be a safe place to discuss ideas that you might not be familiar with or understand,” she said. “What it absolutely is NOT, is a place for disrespect, bigotry, and other ideals tied to ignorance and bias.”
Many older generations view Gen Z as the most progressive group to date, but our peers often maintain the beliefs their parents or guardians hold. MAGA sweatshirts and hats are not an uncommon sight in SLHS’s halls, and neither are comments along the lines of ‘Where will I get my landscapers when the Mexicans are deported’ or ‘Your body, my choice.’ Next to these, calling a musical ‘gay’ is not out of the question. For a school whose administration boasts how positive and empathetic its student body is, we actually hold a lot of judgment toward one another.
Some students have not been afraid to voice their upset at the subject matter of the musical. “I felt as if the addition of the homosexual thing—I don’t think that was necessary. I personally don’t support it; I’m a Christian,” freshman Jens Paulsen said when asked why he did not enjoy the musical preview. Another student joked, “How many slurs can I say before you get mad?” which serves to indicate how closed-minded and disrespectful some here at SLHS were towards the production just because of its content—content that was written by Whitty and not at all modified or ‘added to’ by Nave.
Despite how ‘controversial’ Head Over Heels may seem to some, it does not give students the right to disrespect the cast and crew who worked incredibly hard and practiced for countless hours to produce the show for audiences. As Nave puts it, “You don’t HAVE to like it. But what I do ultimately expect is whether or not you liked it, thought it was controversial, you respect the people who had the guts to get up in front of everyone and say it out loud. And until the people who disrespected the show have the guts to do the same, those opinions simply will not count for much in my book.”
At the end of the day, it hurts no one for our theater team to put on a musical with gay and trans characters. If nothing else, a musical preview during the school day shortens classes a bit, but for the students who worked for months straight on something they were passionate about, a preview is a chance to display all the love and care they put into their work. Sharing a production with the student body takes courage, and to shame the cast and crew just because of distaste regarding the content is impolite and unnecessary. In other words, you can disagree without disrespect.
Lyon Life 