I
recently picked up the cast recording for this Adam Guettel musical, based on
the true story of an amateur caver trapped in a Kentucky cave in 1925. With his foot caught in a hole and wedged by
a fallen rock, what initially seems like an easy rescue turns into a futile seventeen-day
ordeal and an all-out media circus. As I’ve
been playing the lovely Americana/folk score over and over, I’ve noticed that
all my favorite numbers have one thing in common: Floyd’s relationship with his younger brother
Homer.
(Note: I haven’t seen Floyd Collins onstage or read the script, and while the cast recording
and the synopsis give a good idea of the story, it isn’t comprehensive. So, this post will mostly be focused on
several songs from the musical. Also, it
might feel like it’s just about Homer, but that’s because he’s the one most in
a position to demonstrate his love for his brother in this story. Floyd loves Homer, of course, but he’s understandably
concerned foremost with his dilemma.)
Naturally,
Homer is at the head of the early rescue attempts. He makes numerous treks into the cave to try
and free Floyd. And more than that –
throughout the show, he does everything he can to keep Floyd’s spirits up. In “Daybreak,” he spends the night in the
cave with Floyd, keeping his brother company and recalling the first time Floyd
brought him into a cave. “From nightfall
to daybreak, / From sundown to dawn, / I’m stayin’ here,” he promises, assuring
Floyd that it will all be over soon. You
get the sense that Floyd, as the older brother, is usually the one looking out
for Homer, but when the situation is bleak, Homer steps up to be the strong
one.
Reminiscences
are so important to Floyd and Homer. It’s
clear that they’re used to doing everything alongside one another, that they’ve
been bold and adventurous together. Act
I ends with “The Riddle Song,” in which the two pass the time trading riddles
while Homer digs. Homer, though, ignores
Floyd’s generic offering of “What’s pink an’ green an’ flies all over?” – he prefers
riddles about childhood landmarks, places where they made memories on brilliant
summer days.
The
game is hugely beneficial. It gives Floyd
something other than his predicament to concentrate on, and remembered instances
of sunshine and freedom offer hope for the same. And when Floyd gets overwhelmed and starts to
panic, Homer soothes him with a final riddle about their shared indomitable qualities: “What’s strong as a bull an’ smart as a fox,
/ Quick as a hare an’ stubborn as a mule? / Kin make like a snake through the
tiniest hole, / Get hung up fer days an’ turn out fine?” Once again, he’s giving Floyd a lifetime to
hope and reminding him, “It don’t matter none if it’s me or if it’s you; /
There ain’t no hole that we can’t pull through!” Soon,
they’re both joking and upbeat, sure that they won’t be bested by this cave.
This is
why it’s such a blow when Homer clashes with authorities over rescue methods
and is pushed out of the operation.
Every time we’ve seen him up till now, he’s been an embodiment of hope
and confidence, but in his Act II solo “Git Comfortable,” he’s broken and
rudderless. He doesn’t know what to do
with himself if he’s not helping Floyd, and he can’t bear to put his brother’s
life in the hands of someone else.
Seeing this self-assured man reduced to such anger and despair really
hits home how grave the problem is, and you start to realize that Floyd might
not make it out.
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