So, folks, let’s talk about the little film called “Blue Moon.” It’s about the theater world, the place where drama is both scripted and unscripted. Set against the backdrop of the premiere of “Oklahoma,” this film explores the life of songwriter Lorenz Hart—yes, the one partnered with Richard Rodgers before Rodgers skipped town and joined forces with Oscar Hammerstein to create hits like “The Sound of Music.”
Our man Lorenz Hart, played by Ethan Hawke, is a ball of bittersweet charm, watching his former cohort bask in the limelight while harboring his simmering disdain. Ah, the theater—the sanctuary where praises and daggers are sheathed together in velvet-gloved hands. For someone enjoying it from the outside, theater life is humorously enchanting. It’s a world swarming with “lovies,” the Brits’ endearing term for actors, whose friendly flattery can be as thin as the pages of a playbill.
The brilliance of this film lies in its authentic portrayal of backstage drama. It’s a place filled with hypocrisy and envy masked with grandiose enthusiasm. An actor in the know remarked disdainfully about this duplicity—”I hate this world,” he muttered. You see, it’s one thing to enjoy the show when you partake as an amused audience member. But, when one is submerged in the arts—holding desires of fame or reverence—the very fabric unravels to reveal a more cynical side of Broadway.
Let’s dig a little into desires, those sneaky critters that wag the dog. The narrative spins into profound commentary on human nature and the treacherous paths desires can lead us down. Some Christians have taken extreme measures to shun their desires, but the truth is, ambitions and desires are part of what shapes us. Instead of curtailing them, perhaps the better—more virtuous—path is honing them under the right light.
Now here’s the thing: whether in the political arena or the dramatic world of theater, our tether doesn’t have to be to the desires that run wild. We ought to fine-tune what we seek, guided by principles that are higher than just our wants. There’s an unspoken moral compass here—one whose north points toward the good through thick and thin. We can rail against the left, embrace the virtues we hold dear, and crucially, stay true when the curtain finally calls. That’s the golden age Trump hints about—a beacon we should all rally around.
