Rhythm of Life

Welcome to another edition of the Tarot Blog Hop, the 50th no less. This time, our wrangler has given us a musical theme, so take your seat and turn off your mobile phone, but before the lights to go down and the show begins, take a few moments to familiarise yourself with the exits, which will take you to the back door, the front door or the foyer.

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Are you sitting comfortably? Are you in good voice and ready to sing along? Excellent! Then let the lights go down, the curtain rise and let’s get started with the usual intro from the entire cast…

Right, settle down now!

If you were to ask me if I like musicals, I’d probably say “No”, but the truth is that, if I think about it, I do like them. From West Side Story and Kiss Me Kate (what’s not to love about Shakespeare set to music), to anything with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire (love a bit of dance too!), the “Horror” musicals (Rocky Horror, Little Shop of Horrors and Shockheaded Peter), classics from film (Some Like It Hot , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, High Society), and from stage (Cabaret and Chicago), and let’s not forget opera, which I love, especially Mozart (I’m watching/listening to a complete performance of Le Nozze di Figaro* as I write this). Of course. the ones I’ve named just scratch the surface of the wealth of musical dramas that are out there. 

*This isn’t the one I was listening to but it’s complete and even if you’ve never heard the opera before, I guarantee you’ll know the overture.

But what constitutes a musical? Name a film without a musical score – tell me that Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard parting on a railway platform to the emotive strains of Rachmaninov in Brief Encounter isn’t a musical moment. Ok, so nobody actually sings, but it’s an instrumental number, right? Who does not have some sort of “soundtrack” to their life, songs that reminds them of the time when…? Let’s face it, we love to set life to music and if we can sing (or hum) along, all the better. 

The title for this post is from Sweet Charity, not a musical with which I’m familiar, although I do know the tune, and Tarot does reflect the rhythm of life, wouldn’t you say? So, if Tarot were a musical, what better title track. 

And The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,

Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet,

Rhythm in your bedroom,

Rhythm in the street,

Yes, The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat

Can’t you just see the Tarot characters lining up to sing this one? Possibly The Devil is conducting, or maybe he’s just playing a discordant triangle at the back of the orchestra pit. I expect it depends on the kind of life you have at the moment 😀

Following that train of thought, we could regard our lives as a succession of musicals. I imagine most of you are beyond the star-crossed teenage lovers West Side Story phase, though in truth, most musicals don’t really tend to mirror everyday life too accurately…well, unless you’re talking about Jerry Springer, the Opera, which apparently does. Come to think of it, truth is often stranger than fiction, so maybe you see yourself mirrored more directly in musical than I had supposed. Maybe you are Snow White living with 7 short guys (or alternatively, the 7 dwarfs of Menopause – Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful and Psycho).  

Is your current musical a La Boheme tragedy or a comedy? Are you a Star!, someone at the heart of the action, or are you part of the Chorus Line, trying to do your bit as best you can, whilst pursing your quest for Fame or searching for The Meaning of Life? Or are you just a Muppet? And what is your role: are you a Pitch Perfect singer or do you have Happy Feet? Is there a show that say it all for you, or is your personal musical a medley, stitched together bits from other productions?

But what about the Tarot part, I hear you trill? Well, here goes: who are the Tarot Guys and Dolls in your personal musical extravaganza and what is the big Showboat number they are singing? 

I think for mine, and give the way world affairs have been developing of late, I’d have the Magician singing the Galaxy Song, with guest appearances from The Empress and The Universe (World), naturally.

Then, in order to not get too depressed about the apparent absence of intelligent life on Earth, the Grand Finale would have to be The Fool and The Hanged Man, supported by other cast members, singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

However, just when you thought it was all over, the Devil has to have the last word of course and, leaping up from the orchestra pit (it was a wicked score, you must admit), leads the entire cast in an enthusiastic and tight-laced rendition of Wild and Untamed Thing

Thus un-Finale-ing the Finale, because of course, it isn’t over yet. The fat lady hasn’t yet sung her song, the orchestral music hasn’t come to a crashing climax and we are left with a cliffhanger and a story yet to sing, as the curtain comes down on our scantily-clad cast. The slightly bemused audience begin to clap, calling for more, largely because they want to see what happens next, but that’s your lot for now.

Curtain calls completed, the lights come up and before you leave, we ask you to kindly share your thoughts (your musical cast and songs) in the comment box provided. The management hope that you enjoyed the show and request that you leave the premises in an orderly fashion using the exits below. 

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