As humans we need facts to make sense of the world, so why is it that we sometimes reject fact? The Connector played its final performance at the MCC theatre this weekend and explores just that. The musical is conceived and directed by Daisy Prince and has a book written by Jonathan Marc Sherman and a score by Jason Robert Brown. Set in the 1990s, Ethan Dobson is a young, self-assured aspiring journalist. Fresh out of Princeton College, the prospect of him working for The Connector, a magazine that he seemingly adores, is promising. When Conrad O’Brien gives Ethan a job on the spot, Robin Martinez, who also works at the magazine, becomes fascinated by Ethan. But Ethan’s fatal flaw is that he’s a compulsive liar.
Ethan’s story is narrated by Robin, making it her story too. However, she is constantly being overshadowed by men. The song “I’m Watching You” brilliantly hones in on a particular part of the women's experience: being envious of men. Much like The Last 5 Years, which Brown and Prince also worked on together, we are watching a woman in awe of a man because he has achieved success so quickly. Robin is jealous of Ethan, she longing to be in his place, whilst trying to comprehend the reasons why she is not. The song beautifully expresses how Robin is almost enthralled by the way Ethan is able to charm every person he meets and how he can confidently walk into a room and get what he wants.
There is a moment where Robin’s character addresses the way that journalism is predominantly white and male. This is bold, but necessary and inevitable in a show that is about journalism. To discuss journalism it has to be done precisely and in a way that does not avoid fact. And it is true that journalism has been overrun by white men for centuries. Therefore, holding space for intersectionality is key in The Connector and it only makes sense that the character Robin has an intersectional identity; she’s written as a Hispanic woman. Brown never shies away from saying what needs to be said in his lyrics. He’s done this in the past, the song “A Rumblin' and a Rollin'” in Parade ensures that POC are included in a story that is about anti-semitism. When you address one form of racism, you have to address racism as a whole.
Anyhow, Brown’s music always does a great job of giving the audience a window into a character's mind, but for some reason it was difficult to understand Ethan’s motives. It’s difficult to rationalize why anyone would decide to become a journalist just to spread false information.
It can be assumed that through the song “Success” that Ethan strives for perfection, he wants to be the best at everything he does and he feeds off of instant gratification. In the song he mentions how he is the best Scrabble player in his family. Now that he has been met with a new challenger (played by Max Crumm) it’s surprising to him that he’s no longer the best at something. He enjoys the competition, but he’s masking his frustration. This song serves as great comedic relief in what is a rather serious show and Max Crumm pulls off a slick and amusing performance.
From the very beginning the audience can surmise that Ethan is delusional based on his overconfidence. The song “The Voice of My Generation” furthers this idea, although it’s still unclear to me why Ethan does what he does. Stephen Glass, a former journalist who was likely used as inspiration for the musical (not to say that this musical is based on one journalist in particular) explained that he did what he did because he wanted to be “loved”. I think this is something that Ethan’s character is missing, a reason other than simply being delusional. Maybe Ethan wants to be loved and if that’s the case, why? We don’t exactly know. Especially considering the fact that he seems to have people who care about him, like his brother. If we do not get this information through song, perhaps this is where the book could use expanding.
I never feel like I’m entirely in Ethan’s head until far into the show. We watch his stories play out on stage, watching a scene that never really takes place. Similar to Parade where the audience sees Leo act out events that never really occurred and are made up by the other characters. In Ethan’s case, he is the one doing the making up. He imagines himself and others in different scenarios so that he can create articles. Fergie Philippe who portrays Willis Taylor in one of Ethan’s imaginative stories gives one of the most energetic and passionate performances I’ve ever seen, singing “Wind in My Sails”.
It’s a weird balancing act, telling a story about someone telling stories. Robin is the narrator, so we’re partly in her head and we’re partly in Ethan’s head as well. The problem posed here is that we’re not hearing enough from either character, at least not in all of an hour and 45 minutes. The story jumps from point A to point B too quickly, lacking information.. I found myself wondering how Robin uncovered Ethan’s lies. We begin to see the fact checker questioning Ethan’s articles, though at first she is quickly shut down. This is powerful because it again acknowledges that women are often pushed to the side. However, I think it would have been all the more powerful to have actually seen how Robin connects the dots and realizes that Ethan is a liar.
Despite the show’s flaws, the final song “There Never Was” is effective. It questions the role of the media, essentially saying that people look to the media to confirm their beliefs, not for raw information. What is true to someone is not always fact. Ethan begins denying moments in history, “there never was a motorcade”, “there never was a Holocaust”, and so on. The song is a metaphor for those who deny facts because it helps them cope with how horrifying the world can be. At heart, The Connector is about how people view truth.
After the performance on Saturday night I spoke to Jason Robert Brown and he said, “...I think we put our trust in things because it's easier than doing the work, finding out what the truth is. We put our trust in the institution of the media to tell us what is supposed to be true and what side we’re supposed to be on, and those are very fallible institutions and they're easily taken advantage of, not just in 1996, but I think even now…”