I love musicals. Absolutely adore them all. Hamilton, Be More Chill, Heathers, Les Miserables- that’s just some of the many that I love.
Recently, while browsing my social media, I came across a video of a song that was about writing. The song was called “Hard to Be the Bard,” and let me tell you, the song spoke to my soul. It was about a writer struggling to write, and I identified strongly with it.
After doing a little more research, I found out that the song was from a musical called “Something Rotten!” The musical was set in the Renaissance and focused around a character named Nick Bottom, who is a struggling playwright. He has an immense hatred for Shakespeare’s success, and wishes he could be as successful as him. He goes to a soothesayer, and the man tells him that the biggest hits in the future are musicals. So, Nick goes out to write the first ever musical.
The songs in this musical have a certain… vibe to them. I don’t exactly know how to describe it. All the songs contain clever wit and metaphors that are easy to understand but will make you laugh out loud every time. My favorite song is still the first one I listened to, “Hard to be the Bard.” The song is sung by the man himself, William Shakespeare, where he complains and bemoans the struggles of being a famous writer. Honestly, I think this song is a whole literary mood.
“So you write a new word, but it’s not the right word, so you try a new word, but you hate the new word, and you need a new word, but you can’t find the word, oh where is it what is it what is it where is it whatisitwhakdkjdk-” (the last bit indicates a mental breakdown).
I find that the more I listen to it, the more references to other musicals I can find within the songs. The most referenced musical seems to be “The Music Man,” which I am very happy about since it doesn’t seem like TMM is very popular within the musical scene. I can also hear references to “Les Miserables,” “Annie,” and a slight nod to “Dear Evan Hanson.” I enjoy the little nods the play gives to its predecessors. I also enjoy the part where Nick and William have a tap dancing fight while they argue between each other on who is the better writer.
If you would like to find a new musical to listen to, I highly recommend this one, especially if you want one that breaks from the norm in the best way possible- by poking fun at other plays that take themselves way too seriously.
It’s hard! (It’s hard!) It’s hard to be the bard!