Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 8:40 PM
Song: Tragedy
Artist: Bee Gees
Mode of Consumption: Watching Saturday Night Fever stage production at Timber Lake Playhouse.
Link to song: https://open.spotify.com/track/6UXXeFqMBGiqjkzQzkMT3E?si=6fbf5997cf6d4d43
The secondary character, Bobby begins to sing this near the end of the first act. He’s just confessed to the female lead, Stephanie, that he has impregnated his on-again, off-again girlfriend.
He’s conflicted about leaving his gang of dance-loving ruffians to become a husband and father.
Foreshadowing. Have him sing a song called tragedy.
Spoiler: Bobby dies in the end.
I’ve never watched the film of “Saturday Night Fever,” so I am not sure how faithfully the stage adaption follows the film.
My initial reaction is that it’s clear the music is what propped this script up.
The stage production had this secondary melodrama of Bobby and his girlfriend. At times, Bobby seems to be the level-headed, mature one of the gang while at others he is vapidly against marrying his sweetheart (or even acknowledging her existence). He eventually dies drunk, trying to jump from pier to pier on a wet Brooklyn Bridge.
I suppose from a 1970s male prospective, this movie hit the mark on issues they had with maturing from running with the buddies to settling into grownup relationships. From a 2025 prospective, it felt a bit uneven (don’t get me wrong, the performances were solid as usual from Timber Lake).
The main character, Tony, is supposed to be the likeable leader of the group. At times, he’s this guy committed to dancing and wanting to do the right thing. Other times he’s downright terrible to the people in his life. The most glaring example is his sometimes dance partner, sometimes love-interest Annette.
Tony in the same scenes would disparage her for being prudish, and then warns her against becoming a slut.
Ultimately, he scorns her for a new partner and love interest in Stephanie. This leads Annette to drinking heavily on the night of the big dance off, and then essentially being raped by two of Tony’s buddies in the back of a car.
Tony, again, admonishes with one hand and consoles with another. Seemingly ignoring the boorish behavior of his gang members.
After his friend’s death, Tony resolves to move to Brooklyn. Maybe to continue dancing, but seemingly hoping to find an office occupations job.
It’s a musical, so resolutions are often flimsy. The music was s trip back to the 70s. The story was just a bit of head scratcher.
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