Arts Vanity: ‘EDITED/VIV,’ an original musical about The Crimson’s Theater Renaissance

“EDITED/VIV” is an original comedy-drama musical by Vivienne N. Germain, inspired by her experience as an Associate Arts Editor leading the Theater section of The Harvard Crimson. The highly-anticipated show promises laughter, tears, suspense, and heartwarming joy. Germain cast herself in the lead role — a controversial choice due to her inadequate vocal abilities — but the other cast members and promising musical numbers indicate that “EDITED/VIV” will be a phenomenal show.

Cast:

Theater Exec … Vivienne N. Germain

Chairs … Anya L. Henry, Alisa S. Regassa

The Zeal EAL … Zachary J. Lech

Campus Exec … Allison S. Park

Books Execs … Samantha H. Chung, Sarah M. Rojas

TV Exec … Millie Mae Healy

Comper Sister … Ava E. Silva

Incoming Theater Execs … Isabelle A. Lu, Angelina X. Ng

EALs & Execs … 150th Arts Editors-at-Large & Associate Arts Editors

Staff Writers … The 151st and 152nd Editors

Compers … The 153rd Editors

Act I:

“Act I Overture” (Orchestra): A dynamic blend of R&B, soul, pop, and dance music introduces the musical.

“Welcome to Crimson Arts” (Company): In a joyful opening number, the company sings about the fun, vibrant spirit of Crimson Arts, expressing excitement and anxiety for the new year.

“Arts Starts Now” (Chairs): The Arts Chairs sing a delightfully harmonious duet about their enthusiasm and expectations, starting a pitch meeting with a bizarre icebreaker question, a QR code attendance form, and tedious announcements.

“Elevate” (Theater Exec): In a passionate “I Want” song, the Theater Exec asserts her determination to “elevate” the Theater section by improving reviews’ and previews’ quality; featuring non-performance artistry like tech and design; covering every on-campus show; highlighting Harvard and local artists; increasing accessibility for writers; and publishing a greater number of articles.

“Juicy Theater Pitches” (Theater Exec, Company): In a fast-paced, upbeat number, the Theater Exec pitches ten articles with a stunning presentation slide.

“Juicy Theater Pitches (Reprise)” (Theater Exec): The Theater Exec is frustrated that only three pitches were claimed, despite the increase from last year’s frequent zero. With the same melody but a much quicker tempo than the prior song, she writes a quirky, witty pitch email.

“Dancing Solo” (Campus Exec): In a cutesy, comedic tap-dance number, the Campus Exec enumerates the workload of dealing with editing, publishing, internal correspondence, and external correspondence without a co-exec.

“Edit Like There’s No Tomorrow” (Theater Exec, Staff Writers, Compers): The Theater Exec leaves thorough, detailed, ruthless edits. The Staff Writers and Compers address them with a chorus of comedic complaints. She sits at a desk center stage while the Staff Writers and Compers perform elaborate, ballet-infused, hip-hop dance choreography around her.

“Sunday Dinner” (Chairs, Campus Exec, Book Execs, EALs & Execs): At the Sunday Exec Meeting, the Chairs carry a tight staccato melody while the Campus Exec and the Books Execs present their pitches for the week. Providing beautiful harmony, the Execs express admiration for two sections’ resurgence in popularity.

“Elevate (Reprise)” (Theater Exec): After the others exit, the Theater Exec remains onstage and reiterates her goals for the Theater section, this time with a hint of dejection as she wonders why she has yet to reach them.

“What The Hell is Happening?” (The Zeal EAL, TV Exec, Company): In a comedic rap number with electronic dance music undertones, Crimson Arts expresses their dissatisfaction with the Theater section. The section is better than before, but it’s not extraordinary yet — but The Zeal EAL and the TV Exec know the Theater Exec has more potential. The scene ends with The Zeal EAL making an uncouth statement and being sent to The Corner.

“Out-of-Office” (Theater Exec, Chairs, The Zeal EAL): The Theater Exec falls ill. She is unable to attend meetings, edit articles, or complete any tasks for several weeks. The Theater section begins to fall apart; the Chairs and The Zeal EAL try their best to hold the section together.

“Evaluate the Show” (Theater Exec): The Theater Exec sings a powerful and heartbreaking ballad about her disappointment and emotional struggle; she worries that it may not be possible to reach her goals for the year.

“Back & Better” (Theater Exec, Company): In a high-energy dance number, the Theater Exec returns to 14 Plympton St. with renewed motivation, though she is overwhelmed by her anticipation of the upcoming semester.

Act II:

“Act II Overture” (Orchestra): Upbeat music introduces the second act.

“Production Night” (Theater Exec, Chairs, EALs & Execs): In a hip-hop/R&B number, the Chairs run a stressful production night, the Theater Exec is shocked by her abundance of articles, and the EALs & Execs perform captivating dance choreography with heavy use of props: laptops, snacks, and plastic cups of cheap wine.

“Seconds” (The Zeal EAL): The Zeal EAL sings about rapidly seconding every single theater article before looking at the others, while leaving plenty of aggressive edits and hilariously snarky commentary.

“Dancing Solo (Reprise)” (Theater Exec, Campus Exec): In a duet tap number, the Theater Exec and the Campus Exec comedically bond over the struggles of running a section without a co-exec, balancing overexcited compers, demanding publicists, and the challenge of multimedia coordination.

“Closeouts” (Chairs, Company): The Chairs sing the highlights of the night; the rest of Crimson Arts perform a sharply-choreographed dance, consisting of hip-hop with hints of jazz techniques.

“Revision” (Theater Exec): In a bubbly rap song, the Theater Exec realizes she can make sweeping changes to the Theater section.

“Fresh-Squeezed, Juicy Theater Pitches” (Theater Exec, Company): With challenging belted notes, Theater Exec shares updated conflict-of-interest policies and announces 10 pitches, including listicles, retrospectives, and a wider selection of reviews. Eight staff writers and compers pick up pitches.

“Meet Me in The Inn” (Comper Sister, Theater Exec, Compers): The Theater Exec meets with compers one-on-one before writing articles. Comper Sister sings about her increased confidence in writing due to the Theater Exec’s guidance.

“A New Day” (Chairs, The Zeal EAL, TV Exec, Comper Sister): The Theater Exec’s fiercest supporters sing about her success in reaching her goals for a thriving section.

“The Theater Renaissance” (Theater Exec): In a show-stopping 11 o’clock number, the Theater Exec expresses exuberant joy and pride in her work, the Theater section’s growth, and her own growth, having published nearly 100 marvelous articles.

“On Your Way” (Theater Exec, Incoming Theater Execs): The Theater Exec and the Incoming Theater Execs sing an uplifting and emotional song with high hopes about the future of the Theater Section.

“ArtsLove” (Company): In the finale, the entire company reflects on the year and sings about their cherished memories, the low and high moments, their friendship, and their overall love and gratitude for their time on Crimson Arts.

—Vivienne N. Germain, outgoing Theater executive and “former” theater kid, is proud of The Theater Renaissance and grateful for every Chair, EAL, exec, staff writer, and comper who contributed to the Theater section and supported her chaotic year. She can be reached at vivienne.germain@thecrimson.com.