S75 - Ten November by Steven Dietz - 9m, 3w, 2 musicians
Inspired by the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald,” this docudrama is a compelling inquiry into the unanswered questions about the tragedy. Note: 50th anniversary of tragedy is in November 2025.
Labels: historical, musical
posted by Jim Vogel at 7:51 AM
7 Comments:
I remember seeing the previous production. Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about it was the pool of water on the stage. I found it a difficult read. In those days our plays were reviewed by the Star so I tried to check for a review. The title of the review of our production was "Script Ultimately Sinks Ten November". I couldn't disagree with the reviewers comments about the script. A popular song about the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald made the public aware of the tragedy. That was 25 years ago. How many people today are aware of the sinking of a ship 50 years ago, especially with all the fires, storms, floods, and other recent tragedies we have been seeing. I do not have a strong wish to see it again.
I agree this is a very difficult script to read because it is not meant to be read, it is meant to be performed in a very theatrical style. It echoes the rhythms of water and could be quite dynamic and moving with the right director. Also it is hard to read scripts with music, as you miss a whole layer of meaning without the songs. The script does not require there to be a pool of water on stage and I would encourage set designer/director away from that. The way this script is written, in invites many different interpretations of what it looks like as far as set and staging. I think our audiences would be drawn to the anniversary piece. This tragedy has become a Minnesota mythology. It is culturally relevant in a really unique way. We have had a very female-centric season this year, it would be good to have at least one male-heavy cast next season. That being said, I am not married to this in anyway.
I like the folksy feel of the music that I found online. I think it plays well with the imagery that could be achieved with the right director/ designers. There are other shows on the list I like better- but I wouldn't rule this out yet. Especially with the anniversary and MN tie-in.
I agree that the script itself is a bit problematic. What makes the show for me has always been the music. But it is a play with music, and not considered a "musical," which we tend to shy away from. I think we can get mileage out of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and should absolutely capitalize on it if we can. However, if the History Theater, which originated the show, decides to remount it then we wouldn't get the rights. But I think it's worth a shot. If the show focuses on the music I think the somewhat creaky script will be forgiven. We have a lot of talented singer/musicians in the community.
I saw a production a couple years ago in Lakeville (Expressions - I believe) because one of the directors from the Showcase was performing in it. I re-read it this week and I know what others are talking about when they say folksy and problematic, but I think that can be handled by the right director. It is topical, relevant, honors local history and speaks to working-class narratives. That last one is not something that I think TRP has done well in the past and when we are looking at shows like The Great Gatsby and our traditional Agatha Christie, this is a nice counterpoint of characters - they are working men with blue collar lives.
Cons: It does have somber tone and probably needs to be done as the opener (in honor of its name) but is that how we want to begin such a celebratory year?
Also Male Heavy so we would need a counter-point in the season that I don't think we have in the pool yet.
I read all your reviews first and was prepared to not like this play but I have to say it gave me chills and I love it. There is so much room to play with staging and darkness and light and incorporating the singers into the story instead of just bookending scenes with their songs. Just imagine a light up floor that can look like water or go dark and feel solid and uplighting that gives the figures ghostly presence when needed. I listened to the music and because there are only 3 singers and no "choreography" I think this ensemble based show will work really well in the round and be erie and lyrical and really cool in the right director's hands.
I can understand the comments on how this is a difficult one to read, but I felt like I could picture it enough. It delivers a very heavy mood (like Scott said). It reminds me a little of "Titanic: The Musical". There's something hauntingly beautiful in this memorial to the tragedy.
Like "TAP!", it will likely have a big draw to history buffs. But, it's a safer bet than "TAP!" because we have a finished script.
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