Trump Trial, Larry & Teresa, & Cabaret! Another week has flown by and, beyond the inordinate amount of April showers, it was another busy one for these two inhabitants of Winnipauk Village in scenic Norwalk, Connecticut. The first criminal trial of a former U.S. President began in earnest on Monday, with the entire jury selected by the end of the work week. On Wednesday evening we traveled to the Fairfield Theater Company’s StageOne venue to hear wonderful, original Americana music created by Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (https://www.larryandteresa.com/), and then, on Friday, we went to Bridgeport’s Downtown Cabaret Theater to see a stunning production of Cabaret by my Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts students. All of this created quite a bit to ruminate about as we headed into the homestretch of April. Last week, with O.J.’s passing, we considered the late-20th century “Trial of the Century.” This week, we’re confronted with our first “Trial of the Century” in the new millennium. The importance of the trial cannot be understated. Despite what various media outlets may say --- that it’s “only” about hush money payments and it’s “barely” a felony --- the fact of the matter is this trial is about trying to influence the outcome of a Presidential election (2016). While I don’t believe Trump will actually do jail time if he’s convicted, the importance of this man being made to adhere to the rule of law is really what is most important about this trial. Make no doubt about it, Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Presidential candidate for the Republican Party, is an aspiring autocrat with clear fascist dictator designs. I would only remind people that “good Germans” in the 1920’s, seeing Italy’s turn toward fascism, believed “it can’t happen here.” That Trump is already Putin’s “useful idiot”, and we have a clutch of pro-Putin people in the U.S. Congress only exacerbates the potential crisis we’re facing. 200 days out from the 2024 Presidential Election, the citizens of this country need to recognize Trump is neither a “populist” nor a “patriot” --- that his appeal is, in fact, quite similar to that of the 20th century fascists, pitting groups of people against each other based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. and recruiting supporters who believe they, somehow, have been shortchanged by “the system.” All the while, of course, Trump and the super-wealthy who support him are the only “winners” with this calculus. And the remainder of our week --- gathering with other people to hear music and watch musical theater, only made the Trump Trial resonate with greater intensity. Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams have been playing music together since the 1980s, originally as country/western oriented artists but evolving into what has become known as “Americana” or “Roots” music --- a combination of country, folk, R & B, blues, and bluegrass. Campbell is a stunningly accomplished multi-instrumentalist, playing the guitar, pedal steel guitar, the violin, the mandolin, and slide guitar. He also is a gifted vocalist and has played with an impressive list of musicians, not the least of whom is Bob Dylan (from 1997 to 2004). Campbell also produced two Grammy-winning Levon Helm albums. Teresa Williams is an accomplished vocalist who, when not playing with Campbell, has supported an array of acts across genres. What is most compelling about their shows (and we’ve seen them many times now) is how self-effacing and charming they are. (check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv1dpPeeVVo) Seeing them again on Wednesday not only reminded me how impressive and talented they are but also made me acutely aware of how important people gathering together to appreciate other (generally more talented) people creating art in your presence is. That these particular artists’ milieu is “Americana” seemed poignantly relevant midweek during the Trump trial. During the performance I couldn’t help but reflect on this idea that people, humans, have gathered together to watch and listen to other people make music, or perform plays for longer than we can accurately pinpoint. As important is the idea behind it all --- that the art that is being witnessed is special, unique, out of the ordinary --- and worth one’s time. It elevates, it exhilarates, it excites --- and it evokes a spectrum of emotions. I couldn’t help but compare this serene yet stimulating gathering, focused on four musicians creating art we hadn’t experienced before, with the over-the-top rallies Trump (who is on trial!) conducts around the country ---- like some kind of traveling Tent Revival revue. Gathering to listen to music in hope of achieving some sense of the Hindu dharma, hoping for some insight into ourselves and our world, could not stand in higher relief to the Clown Car that Trump rallies are. And I was struck by how, watching this “Americana,” it stood in stark contrast with Trump’s flag-hugging claims of being a “patriot.” And that became all the more striking when, on Friday, we went to see Cabaret. Cabaret began its Broadway run in the fall of 1966 and won two Tony Awards in 1967. In the fall of 1967, I was a college freshman and hadn’t ever seen a Broadway show (I remember my mother went with her “girlfriends” --- to see A Funny Thing Happened . . . , Fiddler on the Roof, etc. in the ‘60’s . . . but I never was “invited” to join her). As luck would have it, in October of ‘67, a fellow freshman football player, Eric Klosterman, knew I was a Joe Namath fan (despite being a lifelong NY Giants fan) and asked if I’d like to see a Jets game at Shea Stadium with him. Eric’s “Uncle Don” worked for the Houston Oilers, so we could go in for Saturday night and see the game on Sunday, courtesy of “Uncle Don.” Only after taking the New Haven railroad into New York and finding our way to the Summit Hotel did I learn that “Uncle Don” was the General Manager of the Houston Oilers and we’d be staying with him in a suite. After ordering “whatever you want” from the Room Service menu, “Uncle Don” asked if we wanted to see a show and, when we said, “sure,” he called downstairs and told us there were tickets for Cabaret (one of the hottest shows on Broadway at that time) waiting for us at the Concierge Desk. I got to see Joel Grey and Lotte Lenya in what was, at that time, quite an “edgy” musical ---- particularly in its dealing with homosexuality and abortion. Indeed, the Kit Kat Klub was a den of iniquity --- and the presentation of the slide from Weimar Germany into Nazi Fascism was chilling, too. Remember, the parents of our generation had fought in WW II against the evil of Hitler and his minions. What I realized last night, as I watched my students from the Norwalk Conservatory impressively perform the show, was that those students are the same age (now) as I was when I first saw the show! That led me to wonder if they at all recognize the fascism they portrayed in the musical is, indeed, a reality we are facing in our society and in the Presidential Election. Despite their youth, the students presented a marvelously mature rendition of the show on all levels --- singing, dancing, acting like genuine professionals. And it led to my reflecting, again, on this uniquely human endeavor --- creating art. In this instance, there was a genuine sense, on my part, that “everything old is new again.” Homosexuality? Abortion? Fascism? These are all hot-button political issues in the 2024 election, with the forces of fascism and their opposition to same-sex marriage and LGBQT+ rights and their rejection of women’s rights (particularly regarding abortion) are paraded as “patriotic” and “truly American.” Cabaret shines a direct light on the lie of “it can’t happen here,” as Herr Schultz is convinced, despite being a Jew, that he is safe from the Nazis because, after all, he is “a German.” In the “America” that Trump and his allies want to create, only those who buy into the narrow, pro-Putin, bigoted view of the United States and the world are “safe,” reinforcing the importance of the trial being conducted in lower Manhattan. And that takes us full circle. It’s important for every citizen who cares about the future of our country to pay close attention to this, the first of several, trials Trump will face. He is running to stay out of jail and create an American society where he (and his ilk) are insulated from the rule of law. As bad, in the kind of world Trump would promulgate --- one where artists like Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams and my students from the Norwalk Conservatory would not be free to present their works in those communal settings we love to attend. Keep in mind what “art” became under Hitler and Stalin --- a vehicle for state propaganda and revisionist history. Those are the choices on the ballot this November and it is imperative that concerned citizens make sure they --- and their fellow citizens --- make informed choices to guarantee freedom and the rule of law remain cornerstones of our democratic republic.
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