It has been said many times before that a musical without a comedic relief or a love story is Broadway suicide. This doesn’t mean that a love story has to be the main focus of the musical, which makes a few of the love stories the best love stories. Three modern musicals really stick out when it comes to a sub plot of infatuation.
1. Newsies Jack and Katherine
When it comes to Jack and Katherine, it is a romance that is truly “Something to Believe In”. While the chaos of the Newsboy Strike of 1899 went on, the gorgeous and intelligent Katherine Plumber, the only reporter willing to cover the strike, easily distracted Jack. The main plot of Newsies is beating out the evil and selfish Joseph Pulitzer and everything the characters do revolve completely around it. It still is the sole thought at mind, even when Jack and Katherine share their first kiss on a rooftop. What is truly remarkable about the relationship is the amount of challenges the couple goes through before actually getting together. And yet, it never over shadows what actually matters, the cause at hand.
2. Wicked Fiyero and Elphaba (And Galinda-the GA is silent.)
When asked what they best part of Wicked is, there are three different answers that typically come to mind: the music, the costumes, and the friendship. What is focused on most is the friendship between “the Wicked Witch of the West”, Elphaba, and Glinda “the Good”. They contrast in everything they do, what they wear, and how they think. Yet, they have one of the greatest friendships of all time. The only big conflict they have is when a boy comes into play. Not just any boy comes between them, but the seemingly perfect Prince Fiyero. Glinda is infatuated with the young man from the moment she meets him, convinced that she was madly in love and that he loved her back. However, the real chemistry was between him and our beloved Elphie. They were definitely the one for each other, however, that began the downfall of everything around them. While this was a major cause for a lot of the ending, it wasn’t the main focus point in the musical. The lasting friendship between the girls was the most important factor. Yet, the warm fuzzy feelings one gets while watching “As Long As You’re Mine” is definitely a highlight of the show.
3. RENT Angel and Tom
When you think RENT, what do you think of? Personally protest, bohemia, and AIDs comes to mind. In the back of my mind, a few couples pop up: Maureen and Joanne, Mimi and Roger, and, my favorite, Angel and Tom. There are several big plots in RENT. There is Mark and Roger trying to figure out how to pay rent, Maureen, trying to save her performance space while working through her differences with her girlfriend, Joanne, and several of the characters with AIDs trying to survive. Many different couples fly in and out of view of the audience. Each character has their own, unique plot. Some of them, like Joannes, focus on their significant other. Some, like Mark, don’t have a love interest and they focus on other things. Angel and Tom clearly love each other. However, they don’t focus on it. Angels plot line is inspiring and helping others. That’s all she wanted to do. And in the background, the person she inspired and helped most, Tom sat ready to take over for her. The love story is a little more prominent in this musical, but it really isn’t the main point. It is about accepting and giving to others and that is what makes RENT as a whole truly remarkable.