Advance Review: Singing Until The End `In Higher Ground- The Musical’ Vol. 1
by Tom Smithyman
The world is getting warmer. Glaciers are melting. Water levels are rising. What are we going to do???
Hey kids, let’s put on a show!
Well, if there can be multiple musicals based on the Titanic disaster, on the lack potable water and on mutant plants, why not one based on the devastating effects of climate change? That’s the premise behind Higher Ground: The Musical, a four-part comic book series/musical theater experiment.
The story is the brainchild of Peter Galperin, who provides art direction, music and lyrics, and Gregg Ostrin, who writes the rest of the story of survival.
It’s 2131, and climate change has devastated the planet. In what was New York City, a population of 8 million has shrunk to about 7000. Known as the Mannahattas (taken from the Walt Whitman poem about the indigenous New Yorkers), these poor folks struggle with existence in the face of overwhelming odds.
The mayor of Noma is Raines, whose father saved what’s left of the city, thanks to a wall. He’s proud of what the townspeople of Noma (northern Manhattan, the highest spot on the island) have been able to achieve. His daughter Carter though, has other thoughts. She yearns to leave the island to see what’s left of humanity.
Just like in a stage musical, songs break up the talking – or in this case, the despair. A QR code linking to the book’s website provides actual recordings of the sung songs. It’s a nice touch and helps the reader to understand the creative team’s vision.
That said, these songs are going to be up for Tony Awards any time soon. They help to explain the characters’ motivations, but with lyrics like these, Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn’t have a lot to worry about.
“Another drink for friendship, ‘cause we’ve been friends for way too long…
Another drunk for friendship, we’ll keep drinking ‘til the dawn.”
Patrick Barrett illustrates the book, which is brought to life with colors from DC Alonso. While the drawings are fairly basic, Barrett is able to show them in a very presentational way – very much like you might see on a stage. It’s a nice, appropriate touch.
This first chapter is ultimately about the struggle of living with what you have – good or bad – versus the human nature to seek something greater. And, of course, it’s trying to be a wake-up call for people to care about what they are doing to the Earth. It’s pretty heavy handed on that count, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Higher Ground: The Musical Vol 1 will be available for purchase tomorrow.
Overview
This hybrid comic book/musical tackles the issue of climate change in a pretty heavy-handed way. The drawings can be pretty basic and the songs aren’t going to win awards, but the topic is an important one.
