(no subject)

[ysobel]

i go through phases of obsessively listening to the same musical for days/weeks at a stretch. Current obsession is Secret Garden. Which holds a weird place in my heart, because I love it, but I hate Magic Cure narratives, but a large part of the problem with Colin was not actual disability so much as fear thereof -- everyone so afraid of him being ill that they didn't let him be healthy.

But there is still a part of me that wants to rewrite it without a Magic Cure. Where, yes, getting outside is good for him, and play is good for him, and companions are good for him, but he's still disabled, still limited. Where he's not running around by the end of it, where the garden is a refuge where his disability doesn't matter rather than where it doesn't exist. Where healing comes not from "getting well" but from becoming himself.

Comments

[longmagpieroads]

Oh yes. I wanted to do that as well, since those narratives bother me so much as well.

So if you do the thing, I will definitely read it.

[fragilespark]

Hi! I love this alternative. (I'm also fascinated by the fact there's a musical as I had no idea, I just read the book several times when I was younger)

[ysobel]

I love the musical to pieces -- it's not new, probably early '90s, and all there is (afaik) is the Broadway Cast Recording (and an Australian highlights that I listened to once), but it's good, and very true to the book. A few minor changes, but it works. It's not the Bestest Musical Ever Zomg, but it's very solid.

[jesse_the_k]

Wonderful idea. For now and also so much for when we were small.

[cesy]

Yes, I would like that fic.

[we_are_spc]

It would be cool, but along with the "magic cure" I think they wanted a happy ending, and so that played in as well because "OMG how could someone that's disabled ever be happy?"

We also don't like the fear in it because "OMG he's unhealthy so he couldn't be outside because sick!" o.x

...

That said, it's still one of our favorite classic book/musicals, especially since it's done so well. We've seen two movie adaptations, both of which were good-neither of which we have-but we've never really analyzed it before. o.o

-Faron

[ysobel]

The fic in my head has a happy ending, fwiw.

TSG is a weird edge case for me in terms of Magic Cure, because the "magic" of the garden affected Mary as much as Colin, and it's not clear how much of his problem was disability vs fear, and I don't like the fear (ew disability cooties) but it's more reasonably cured.

But yes, fic = happy ending without Magic Cure. I just need to decide which version to use, book or musical, because there are minor differences between the two.

[we_are_spc]

Maybe combine the two? We liked the subplot in the musical where the brother didn't want Colin well because "ooh shiny house," and I think that was the biggest difference, but the book had a nice backstory as to where Mary came from that neither the music or the movies really touched on.

Anyway, we'll read it whenever it's posted. :)

-Faron^SPC

[ephemera]

a) I would read the heck out of your version and b) I had no idea there was a musical of it! I remember the book fondly from my childhood.