The Notebook
Apr. 26, 2024 & May 10, 2024
at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater
*** 有雷慎入 ***
2004年上映的經典浪漫愛情電影《手札情緣》終於被改編成音樂劇了！其實說實在的，我沒有特別喜歡電影版。兩小無猜的清純愛戀，迅速升溫到穀倉裡的偷嚐禁果，這轉變太大，沒有太合我的胃口🤣。但是不可否認的，電影版真的很紅，也被視為是經典作品。所以當初聽說會改編成音樂劇的時候，還是讓我很期待。畢竟音樂劇版本也有可能把劇情改得更合我胃口一點。結果想不到雖然音樂劇劇情基本上跟電影很像，音樂劇的編排讓我覺得好看到不行。
跟電影版最大的不同是，電影版裡面只有分成兩組男女主角：年輕的和年長的。而音樂劇則用了三組男女主角來演繹三個不同的階段：第一次相遇、好幾年後再次相遇、很久很久以後。其實我剛拿到節目單看到這樣的設計的時候，還覺得很疑惑，擔心太多主角會讓人看不懂。不過看完之後就覺得這個設計太美妙了。很幸運地，我兩次看到的都是原班人馬，覺得選角選得好到不行。這次的選角似乎是採用百老匯越來越常見的色盲選角方式，不再在意演員的膚色。兩個年輕的男主角和年長的女主角是白人，兩個年輕的女主角和年長的男主角則是黑人。但是這樣搭配太剛好，好像也不是完全的色盲選角。不過我也沒有聽說這樣的特別搭配有什麼用意。但不管怎麼樣，他們的演出都太精彩了。
大概是電影版實在太不合我的胃口，我完全忘了故事跟阿茲海默症有關。想不到20年前的電影 (30年前的小說)，就已經開始探討阿茲海默症了。而這個手札，就是得了阿茲海默症的女主角Allie，為了找回自己，把自己和男主角Noah的愛情故事紀錄下來，讓Noah可以常常念這個故事給她聽，幫助她找回記憶。整個故事記錄著Allie在各個不同的階段尋找自己。年輕的Allie情竇初開，在尋找與確定自己的感受 (If This Is Love)；幾年後的Allie已經快要嫁人，得在兩個男人、兩種生活之間做選擇，在尋找自己到底想要什麼 (What Happens, My Days)；年老的Allie得了阿茲海默症，在努力找回自己的記憶 (I Wanna Go Back, I Know)。Noah則是一個，一直都很確定自己要什麼的瀟灑男子。年輕的Noah對Allie一見鍾情，立刻告白已經勇氣爆棚 (Carry You Home)，還迅速指定以後要一起住的房子 (Blue Shutters)；幾年後的Noah，明明一直對Allie念念不忘 (Leave the Light On)，但在撞見Allie跟另一個男人幸福快樂的模樣後，毅然決然給出不打擾的溫柔；卻又在Allie突然出現在曾經約定的小屋時，看到一線希望而奮不顧身挽留Allie (Forever, It's Not Easy)；年老的Noah，每天最重要的事 ，就是對著不認得他的Allie，唸著手札裡他們兩個的愛情故事，堅定相信他的Allie會再次回到他的身邊。
我想我會覺得這部劇好看到不行，除了因為歌大部分是我很喜歡的抒情路線之外，很大的一點是，詞曲和舞台的編排，能夠把角色們在不同時空的情感串在一起。在好些個瞬間，讓情緒的體驗有了多層次的豐富感。整齣劇數一數二感人的場景，是接近尾聲的時候，Allie和Noah的生命來到了終點，三個時期的Allie和Noah在台上，前後連成一線的擁吻。搭配不同時期的歌曲的和聲，完美呈現生命最後一刻人生跑馬燈的感覺。這不是永恆的愛情的話，我不知道什麼是永恆的愛情😭。
另一個一定要提的亮點，就是幾年後的Allie在迷惘失落的時候唱的My Days。歌本身就好聽到不行，飾演幾年後的Allie的Joy Woods在台上的走位、和樂團越漸豐富的聲響堆疊，然後在唱到 I ripped it apart 的時候加上把空氣撕裂的堅定，整個讓人想為Allie找到自己而喝采。
最後想要誇獎一下他們的其中一個紀念商品：精美小盒面紙！讓你看秀可以放心流淚不怕妝會花掉！我常常覺得很多百老匯秀都莫名沒有出我會想買的紀念品，這個面紙我覺得合適又幽默到不行。最後一場在百老匯的表演是2024年12月15日。大家快點抓緊機會去讓淚腺疏通一下吧！
My Days
Where am I? Where am I going? 我在哪？ 我要去哪？
Is it somewhere that I want to go? 是個我想去的地方嗎？
And when I get there, is that where happy is? 當我到達，那會是我幸福快樂的所在嗎？
Or is it somewhere I already know? 還是是個我已經熟悉的地方？
Sometimes I feel like I cry without a noise 有時候我覺得，我沒有理由就流淚
Sometimes I feel like somebody chose my choice 有時候我覺得，別人在幫我做選擇
I have to run away 我必須逃離
I have to sit and stay 我必須坐等原地
I wanna live a life where I'm allowed to say 我想要過一個，我能夠說
That I'm proud of the way that I spent my days 我對自己怎麼消磨時光，感到驕傲的生活
I can feel something growing 我能感覺，有什麼在長大
It is small but it's shifting the ground 它小小的，但它正在讓地面游移
When I was younger, I could hear it 當我還年輕的時候， 我曾經能聽見它
But it's back, it's my sound 而它回來了，它是我的聲響
Sometimes I feel like I lost my only voice 有時候我覺得我失去了我唯一的聲音
But then I realized, only I can choose my choice 但我了解到，只有我能做我的選擇
I have to run away 我必須逃離
I have to sit and stay 我必須坐等原地
I really wanna live a life where I'm allowed to say 我真的想要過一個，我能夠說
That I'm proud of the way that I spent my days 我對自己怎麼消磨時光，感到驕傲的生活
These days, all we ever really get are 這些日子，我們一直以來真的得到的，就是這些
Days to dream, and days to lose 做美夢的日子，拿來揮霍的日子
I just need to choose my time 我只是需要選擇我的時間
I have to run away 我必須逃離
I have to stay 我必須留下
I'm gonna live a life where I am proud to say 我會去過一個，我能夠感到驕傲的生活
That I followed my joy 驕傲地說我跟隨了我的喜悅
I followed my heart 我跟隨了我的心
I lived this one wild life, but I ripped it apart 我曾經過著一個狂野的生活，但我毅然將它撕碎
I pushed through the corners, with no apologies 我衝撞了各個角落，一點都不感到抱歉
And finally I can say I know the way 所以最後我能說，我知道該怎麼走
I'll say that I love the way that I spent my days 我會說我很愛我怎麼消磨我的時光
*** Spoiler alert ***
The classic 2004 romance movie The Notebook has finally been adapted into a musical! I actually did not really like the movie that much. Young, sweet, innocent love turning quickly into consummation in a barn just seemed too adventurous for my taste🤣. That said, the movie was undoubtedly popular and still is considered a classic. So when I heard that there would be a musical adaptation, I was thrilled. After all, the musical could have a different storyline that I would like more. To my surprise, even though the plot was very similar to the movie, the musical version totally fascinated me.
The biggest difference is that the movie only has 2 sets of actors: young and old, while the musical version has 3: younger, middle, and older. When I first got the playbill for the musical and saw the list of characters, I was a little unsure of such design because too many leads might make it look chaotic. But the design was actually amazing. Luckily, the two times I saw the show, they were both with the originating cast, and it was perfect casting. It seemed to be color-blind casting that was more and more common on Broadway, where the color of an actor was not a determining factor anymore. Younger and middle Noah and older Allie were white; younger and middle Allie and older Noah were black. One might reasonably argue that this is perfectly paired and not completely color-blind casting. I agree but I didn't hear any special stories about such perfect pairing. Whatever the case, the performance of the actors was really wonderful.
Perhaps it was that I didn't really like the movie, I had completely forgotten that the story was about Alzheimer's. I didn't expect that Alzheimer's was already a topic 20 years ago (30 years ago for the novel). The notebook mentioned in the title, is a notebook that the protagonist Allie, who has Alzheimer's, prepared in order to find her way back. She wrote down the stories between her and Noah so that Noah could read to her from the notebook to help her find her memories back. It is a story about love, but not just about love. It is also a story about how Allie finds herself at different stages of life. Younger Allie experiences her first love, trying to figure out how she really feels (If This Is Love). Years later when middle Allie is about to get married, she tries to figure out what she wants, having to choose between 2 men, 2 ways of life (What Happens, My Days). Older Allie tries to find her way back home with Alzheimer's blocking her memories (I Wanna Go Back, I Know). Noah, on the other hand, is a dashing man who always knows what he wants. Younger Noah has a crush on Allie, expresses his feelings right away (Carry You Home), and soon after invites Allie to imagine living together with him (Blue Shutters). Middle Noah, despite still having feelings for Allie (Leave the Light On), decides in a blink of an eye to not bother Allie after seeing her happily with a man. When Allie unexpectedly showed up at the door step of the house he promised her when they first met, middle Noah sees a silver lining and tries to win her back (Forever, It's Not Easy). Older Noah, convinced that Allie will be back, reads their love stories as a daily ritual to the Allie that no longer recognizes him.
I think a big part that makes me love this musical so much, aside from the profuse use of ballads, is that the songs and the movements on the stage help to weave together the emotions of characters from different times. That, in numerous moments, enables an experience of emotions with many layers and to a fuller extent. One of the most moving scenes is when Allie and Noah's journey on earth has come to an end. The 3 phases of Allie and Noah line up on the stage and kiss. Along with the songs and choruses from different times, it is a perfect display of life flashing through one's eyes before one takes the final breath. If this is not eternal love, I don't know what is 😭.
Another highlight of the show, is the song My Days that middle Allie sings when she is lost in her struggle. The song itself is already beautiful. With Joy Woods, the original middle Allie, roaming on the stage, the progressively fuller sound from the band, and the action of ripping apart the air at the moment the song comes to "I ripped it apart", it is for sure a moment where everyone in the audience celebrates her finding herself.
I also must give a shout-out to the show about their merch: Mini box of tissue paper! No need to worry about tears ruining your make-up! I actually find it strange that many Broadway shows don't have merch that I thought they could have made, but this box of tissue paper is super fitting and humorous. Their final performance on Broadway is Dec. 15, 2024. Go see it and cry your heart out!
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