#stex2024

[bellesdomain]

Thoughts on Female Greaseball

I just wanted to share my thoughts, my concerns about changing gender for Greaseball. Now we don't know the extent to which they're rewriting the show, and these concerns may well be addressed, we'll have to wait and see... but follow along with me here...

First off, to tell a story, you need conflict and resolution. You got to show the bad things, to then overcome the bad things. Greaseball is an antagonist in the show - he does bad things, we, the audience, don't support his decisions. Sure he's a lovable character but he's flawed.

Greaseball is the "Reigning Champion", he represents the present world (Electra represents the undefinable weirdness and possibilities of the future, Poppa is the cozy nostalgic past.) He's representing some of the bad things we want to learn to do better from through the course of the story.

"UNCOUPLED" is sung by Dinah at her lowest point. She's just been dumped and from what she tells us in that song, it suggests her partner has been borderline gaslighting her and emotionally abusive - she's blaming herself for her partner's choices. Her partner that she's singing about has been really shitty to her.

Now, with a masculine Greaseball, we all immediately recognise the Misogyny there, all familiar tropes of "he's left me for someone younger, prettier, thinner, less outspoken" fuelled by the toxic masculinity, objectifying women. This is showing the bad stuff that the characters overcome - this is the story arc. Masculine Greaseball is a recognisable trope, he's "Alpha Male" - all the privilege has led him to being able to take whatever he wants. But Feminine Greaseball, a queer woman as antagonist who's been abusing sweet Dinah, what trope does she fall into? Evil Lesbian.

This is a sung-through roller-skating musical about toy trains, there isn't room to tell complex character development for the average audience member - these characters rely on archetypes to be easily recognisable. There's so much room for the performers to add subtlety, context, subtext, sure, but the main picture is painted in broad strokes. And I'm not sure that replacing "Toxic Alpha Male" as a villain, with "Evil Lesbian", is actually progressive.

Maybe they've thought this through and already have solutions... maybe "Evil Lesbian" is the trope they want for one of their antagonists. It just feels to me that it would be more productive to be working with "this macho alpha male crap is a problem" than taking it out of the discussion.

[gb-diesellok]

I'm happy this was posted recently because I couldn't remember the original video.. but... think about it!!

[sweet-dining-car]

Call it a hot take but I feel like StEx was never really abt diversity and inclusion like how it first started out. It was just a musical abt trains and over the years there was more diversity in the actors. I feel like as of late (starting with the 2018 update) they were like "Dang, times have sure changed we gotta do something!" and thus the change in Dinah's storyline and changing Poppa to Momma and Bobo to Coco (and having a female Rocky). These changes were just that, changes, but it didn't feel that forced it was ok. Did some ppl feel a loss because there was change sure, but still, this was a good change to be more diverse (having female engines and freight). The only thing that felt forced was making Volta male. Overall not bad but not exactly needed cuz if it is for diversity we already had Purse (oh how I miss him!) or Krupp but ehh whatever (I just will NEVER forgive Napier for the wig design NEVER)

Now here is where the take begins to heat up. Having a male coach is good I think because like in the 2018 update, it shows that certain roles (engines, freight, coaches etc...) don't have gender. Having more engines that are female is also good but like idk who they are like umm???? Are they Nationals now???? But anyway. Female Greaseball feels forced to me like you passed up having female Electra (to me that is such a CLEAR choice) that can literality be played by a man or a woman (I mean vocally since there is an official recording from the B'way concept) but we were ROBBED of that. Female Greaseball feels like forced diversity to me and I feel like forced diversity is just not helpful at all. Like if they up and said "All major characters are now going to be played by black actors!!!" Um no, that is NOT diversity (just giving an example that is more relevant to me).

I just wish they had done something like had four Rockies (bring back pink Rocky!!!) and had two male and two female or had female Electra or even have Electra be a role that is covered by both a man or a woman. This is just the hill I choose to die on because I feel really robbed here. Alas, we just gotta see how this plays out but if they make anymore "tweeks" like having Pearl and Rusty just be friends or some crap I will lose it. No issue with trains just being friends but come on this is a romance and they are the main characters, let them have their moment

[apri1-fool]

One thing about me is I’m horrifically hyperfixated on stex2024

[potatoodles]

we should all collectively gaslight ALW into thinking blossom is an actual stex character that was from some obscure early production and he should bring him back for stex2024. and also make him kiss killerwatt

[bellesdomain]

New Ensemble Engines!

Golden Eagle - a british luxury train!

Blue Horizon - tour the Canadian Rockies!

Lovely! What's next? uhm.

Orange Flash - google is only giving me info about horrific train accidents...

Grey Wolf - Back to Nazis.

[bellesdomain]

Latest news from London rehearsals... more characters! * Green Arrow * Orange Flash * Golden Eagle * Blue Lightning * Silver Bullet = enough ensemble engines to run full races, two heats, four competitors in each! Also, Silver Bullet has replaced Grey Wolf, which is a relief. Blue Lightning vs Blue Horizon, Horizon felt slightly more creative a name, but no big difference.

We also have confirmation of Electra's components being Killerwatt, male (bass) Volta, Wrench and Joule.

Also singing bass is "Hydra". I initially misread and thought we had a new name for Killerwatt, but no. We're short named Freight, with Porter, Lumber and Slick Oil being all we know so far. To stage the song "Freight", to my mind you absolutely need a minimum of four in each train, so the most logical assumption is that Hydra is another freight car. I'm still hoping for some sign of characters who could sing "Right Place, Right Time", but so far I'm not sure. Seems fair to assume that the role of Dustin has been renamed. The train-crashing villain cannot sing "Right Place, Right Time", nor can the heavy truck that believes in Rusty to race in the final. My thought is the number is simply cut, and we won't have break-dancers with a grim view on life. But I'd love to be wrong.

"Slick Oil" is confirmed to be in "One Rock'n'Roll Too Many" alongside Greaseball and Electra - I'm assuming the character is an oil tanker, and taking on the role of chaotically crashing trains, an oil tanker deliberately creating oil spills has some logic to it. Does confirm that Red Caboose as such, is out of the show. Slick Oil is played by Emily Martinez.

While this is what we can glean from the current situation, they're still more than a month away from opening. Lots can change between now and then.