Different is cool, says London musicals

Kenny Santana ,  Contributor ,  London   |  Sun, 05/11/2008 12:35 PM  |  Discover

In London, awkward teenagers can easily find their role models in musicals. From a green witch to a chubby girl to a boy who likes ballet, those who feel they "don't fit" are likely to see themselves mirrored on West End stages.

At least three recent productions on show portray social outcasts as their lead characters. With their unlikely heroes, Wicked, Hairspray and Billy Elliot have been touted "uplifting" to "heroic" by the critics and, more importantly, have become big hits among teenagers. This writer visited the city's bustling theater area to see why they're not just like any other musical.

Set in the world of Oz before The Wizard of Oz takes place, Wicked makes good on its potential to play around with stereotypes. Its leading lady, Elphaba, is a green-skinned girl with a heart of gold who is always ignored because of her looks. From the day Elphaba is born, she is rejected by everyone, whether by her own father or college mates.

But when Elphaba's placed with a spoiled beautiful girl she meets at school, Galinda, her world starts to change. Galinda, who has the greatest number of friends one could ever want, teaches Elphaba how to become popular. The story moves forward as the two characters become unlikely roommates and ultimately, friends.

That's just the beginning - and it gets thicker with magic spells, love, jealousy and heroism. Like the upside-down fairy tale Shrek, here the "bad"-looking character isn't always mean-hearted while the pretty face isn't all that, and that's the charm of the story.

Audiences can relate to Elphaba, feel for her, and see what it takes to break away from social prejudice. One song that Elphaba sings when she falls in love, for example, is a moving description for every one of us who ever thought, "I'm not good enough: Don't wish, don't start / Wishing only wounds the heart / I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl / There's a girl I know / He loves her so / I'm not that girl.

But Elphaba rises to the occasion and shows that a hero can come from anywhere - no matter how you look.

While Elphaba is judged by her appearance, Billy Elliot faces the challenge of standing by his choice to take ballet instead of boxing lessons. In the musical, arguably funnier and better than the film, Billy has to standing up to his family who says no to ballet. And his dream takes Billy to a place he'd never imagined.

So many moments in this musical gives goose bumps: it's funny, touching and above all, inspiring. "Fight for your dream" is the message of this award-winning show.

This is exactly what Hairspray also says. Inspired by the 1988 John Waters movie, Tracy Turnbald is a big girl who dreams of dancing in a TV show and finds herself fighting for social integration on the show. The musical easily delivers the message that being beautiful isn't always about being thin or having the perfect hair, but there's more to it.

Hairspray's success story includes awards and praises from critics and audiences worldwide. It has been seen by millions of people, and not surprisingly, young audiences are filling the seats every night. They came, saw and were inspired.

A green witch, a boy who likes ballet and a plump girl who wants to make it on a dance show are classic stories of zero to hero.

Think about it - we might be just like them: different, rejected or even laughed at when we dream of making it big and doing great things. But like the musicals tell us each and every time, that's totally okay, because in the end, we're fighting for who we are.

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