We live together in unprecedented times. Politics have sent a fissure through the center of this country, creating a sense of division from our neighbor. Regular gun attacks in our schools are leaving us feeling unsafe and disoriented. Despots challenge each other to nuclear “Who’s is bigger?” contests. The current climate in the American culture is serious. We need theater to help us understand this crazy world. There is a vital place for art as a way to elucidate and explore the complicated nature of humanity and human relationships. But in our current world, is there also a place for art as joy?
At the famed Shubert Theater eight times a week, Broadway legend Bernadette Peters (taking over the mantle for original revival Dolly Levi, Bette Midler), is leading the charge and making a case for grabbing onto unadulterated delight. In the famed musical, Hello Dolly!, Peters plays a benevolently meddling matchmaker. While she creates love connections for others, she has withdrawn from her own romantic relationships. Levi is the widow of her beloved Ephraim Levi and has surrounded herself in the safety of her grief.
Bernadette Peters as Dolly Levi (Photo credit: Julieta Cervantes)
As I entered the Shubert Theater a few days ago to witness this classic show, just hours after the latest school shooting, I wondered if I should be seeing something more meaningful to help me understand this world and our own humanity. Was I being complacent by ignoring the chaos outside? Is there a place for happiness when tragedy abounds?
Near the end of the first act, I got an answer to that query. In that last scene of Act One, Levi decides to accept an invitation to the literal and figurative party. As played by Peters, a widow in real life due to a helicopter accident that tragically took her husband’s life in 2005, that decision to embrace life again is emotional and purposeful. It means letting go of the cocoon of that period of mourning.
The catharthis of the song that follows, “Before the Parade Passes By”, is full, buoyed and meaningful because of the darkness she has previously experienced. Dolly Levi leads the jubilant charge, like a benevolent Harold Hill. Peters triumphantly sings, “For I’ve got a goal again, I’ve got a drive again, I wanna feel my heart coming alive again, Before the parade passes by”. Tears of pure happiness fall as the lyrics and choreography takes on deeper meaning as both Peters and Levi are making a conscious and sure choice to rejoin the parade.
(Photo credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images)
In our own lives, both as citizens of this crazy world and within our own narratives, it can be possible to choose life. We are daily deluged with the news of the latest tragedy. Many are also grappling with their own personal loss, perhaps denying themselves re-entry into their lives. After the shock of the trauma, after the sadness of the grief, after the heat of the anger, consider leaving the bystander position. Feel it and process the feelings. Get professional help if you need it. Do the work and make the decision. Then, like both Peters and Levi, rejoin the parade and experience joy.
