A couple of months ago when I reviewed White Girl in Danger, I made a simple proclamation: Michael R. Jackson was officially one of my favorite working musical composers. In the short run, he’s produced two of the most infectious soundtracks that are also cruel, biting satires of contemporary social politics. He manages to make every jab feel personal, eventually digging deep inside until he finds the greater truth for why we cope through art. In fact, he ended the aforementioned title with a fourth-wall breaking number that discussed exploring Black identity through white soap operas of the 1980s. Some could see it as cloying, especially when paired with the more successful A Strange Loop, but I think it spoke to what I admire about him as a creator.
Unlike with the previous two projects, there was almost no time at all that passed until I got hold of his new project: a musical based around the horror film Teeth (2007). As someone who recalls wandering video stores and reading about its premise in ways that transfixed me, it was THE show that I was most excited to see from Jackson. I wasn’t sure that it would be my favorite, but with a bawdy sense of humor and unique incisiveness, I had to find out what this composer whose catalog could be described as “big, black, and queer” would have to say about a story that is basically centered around vagina dentata, or in laymen’s terms: a killer vagina.
There’s still a part of me that doubts this will ever reach Tony status, but if it did I would be beyond thrilled to know how deranged Broadway has gotten. I recall watching the film where there’s endless gore of men lowering themselves into the beds of sex only to rise with a bloody crotch. It’s an absurd premise, and one that comes with an interesting subtext that I don’t feel the film fully explores. What must it be like to be a woman whose pleasures are guarded by something as fatal as vaginal teeth? I’m sure it comes with shame and social distancing that keeps one from embracing their sexuality. Basically, this is material that I assumed Jackson would knock out of the park.
All the credit should not be given to him. While he donated Book & Lyrics, credit should also go to Book & Music collaborator Anna K. Jacobs. Her previous work includes an acclaimed production called Pop!, which finds characters singing and dancing their way through Andy Warhol’s historic assassination attempt. If that’s not enough to suggest that this would be a bit off-kilter, then I don’t know what is. Together they have produced a musical that may still be Off Broadway, but whose acclaim has caused it to have an open-ended run for New World Stages.
The greater question from here is if Teeth is a musical that’s built to last. Based on early buzz, it’s likely to be around for a little longer. I’m not sure if it will join the horror comedy staple Little Shop of Horrors as a must see for general audiences, but the results are very much what one would expect when pairing “Michael R. Jackson” and “killer vagina” in close proximity. Even then, it’s maybe the most accelerated, nutso show that he’s produced so far. While it does come to a conclusion about the fascist undertones of Christianity and their obsession with purity culture, it’s not wrapped in a bow with as much precision as A Strange Loop’s “The Memory Song.” There’s no balance between over the top comedy and deeply rooted vulnerabilities. It’s all there, but this is much, much closer to direct farce. And why shouldn’t it be? Who wants to hear a killer vagina get on a soap box and pull a Suffs?
Okay, I kind of do. Then again, I am just a morbid fan of whatever vision possesses Jackson and Jacobs. As much as this show hasn’t quite resonated with me on the level of White Girl in Danger, I think it’s because the satire is (thankfully) going in a different direction. The last two shows felt of a piece and this one is going for broke. At one point there’s demons that sing in a harmony that wouldn’t be out of place on “Rock Lobster.” Even with this change-up, Jackson can’t help but pay tribute to the 90s with a dorky form of rock that feels designed by the hip youth pastor to push agendas like “Modest is Hottest.”
The main difference is there’s a point where everything gets into campy, afternoon special vibes as protagonist Dawn O’Keefe slowly breaks free of the Precious Gift Girls. As one could assume, she embraces the religious worldview that keeping a clean mind for The Lord is the best way to live. Gossip about the girls who failed to live up to that standard causes them to be ostracized, leaving behind another victim going straight to hell.
But if you’re anyone who has followed, there needs to be a killer vagina somewhere in the mix. It’s a metaphor about a woman unlocking her greater sexuality and having it disconnected by some greater forces. Nothing can so much as stand in its proximity without quivering at potential demise. Given that Dawn is like any teenage girl and has throbbing biological urges, it makes sense that this slowly delves into the horndog teen plot these stories usually have. If one hasn’t been aware of what Teeth is about, it’s likely that the build-up seems innocuous. It has that goofy, first timers feeling of people awkwardly expressing their passions. If anything, Jackson’s work here feels like the strongest libido I’ve heard in a cast recording in a considerable amount of time.
In all truth, I can posit why Teeth would be a fun show. Much like how Big Mouth won over fans by reveling in the gross side of sex, there is this morbid curiosity of making an embarrassing moment into art. In some ways, it’s crossing the threshold to witness pleasure of actors so committed to a bit that there’s joy in the discomfort. While I am judging this show largely on the music, there is a part of me that feels eager to see it for a few reasons. The most noteworthy is how Jackson and Jacobs pull off the feat of vagina dentata. Is there going to be a splatterfest as an actor stares wide-eyed, insinuating emasculation? Will there actually be a prop, and if so how awesome does it look?
Following the record, it’s easy to buy into how melodramatic and horny this show ultimately is. It’s the typical message of a “fallen woman” whose allure of sex deflowers her into something alien. However, I want to believe that the composers have created a work that is commenting on a lot of bigger issues. This is about women’s autonomy. It’s about the absurdity of emasculation and the double standards of sex. It’s about how faith ultimately turns us on our own bodies. I’m not sure how much more taboo it is deep down than A Strange Loop, but I’m willing to bet it’s more isolating. There’s more that feels explicit and meant to draw out strong reactions. For as much as this isn’t my favorite Jackson show album-wise, I still love his shameless commitment to better understanding how society puts itself together.
Based on two listens, another thing that shocks me is how inconclusive the ending feels. While I think that it does an excellent job of building from a Christian rock beginning to its erotic middle, the back half is where I worry the show may or may not know how to end things. The two track journey called “Take Me Down” feels like it leaves the show on such a muted note that I keep waiting for some greater statement to be made. It could be that “Dentata” is a glorious near-seven minute fight between Christianity and Dentata that has so many rhythmic shake-ups that it feels like a fever dream. It’s the scene I’m most excited to see because it could just be an over-ambitious community theater, or it could be one of the most innovative set pieces of the year.
Either way, Jackson and Jacobs are really earning their camp credentials with this one. Humor shines through on every track. The middle portion takes the tropes of horror and thoroughly chews the scenery. In between tracks lamenting sexual politics(“Always the Woman”) and providing lore (“According to the Wiki”), there is such a strong world building that makes the ending feel practical. This is ultimately a quest for a woman to find her agency and facing a world full of self-loathing men who are comically depicted as pathetic.
And yet, I’m still unsure if the conclusion is the strongest. It could just be that I’m expecting Jackson to repeat himself and have some academic summary. Instead, this feels more action based. For all that I know, this is a contribution of Jacobs or even an homage to the source material. Whatever it is, I still feel that it has been elevated and given a new life. I could argue that a musical like Teeth doesn’t need to have been made, but at the same time… why aren’t there more shows that feel this confrontational? I saw A Strange Loop on stage in June and found it to be as enjoyable as it was off-putting, and I think it speaks to how well he lays down the dominoes. You can’t help but watch, hoping he doesn’t lose integrity as he slides beyond the pale.
On the one hand, I do worry that Jackson’s work will be perpetually esoteric to the point that it never makes it to the west coast. Teeth feels even more like a show that won’t make the rounds simply because the plot is something that you’d likely share under hushed tones. Even then, this has the potential to appeal to the guilty pleasure nature of theater fans. As much as I can’t imagine too many actors wanting to sing that many songs about being mid-coitus, I have to believe there is a world that is willing to embrace this perspective. I have to believe its greater messaging shines through by the end and it’s the rare example where the music isn’t tipping me off.
Overall, Teeth is a show that I feel is destined for a cult status, or at least endless listicles about “10 Unexpected Movies That Were Turned Into Musicals.” There will be a mythology based around it that I don’t think White Girl In Danger will have, if just because it’s far more recognizable in the realm of satire. Teeth is a show that makes me excited to listen to Jacobs’ other work and see if I can pick out what she contributed to this piece. For now, I’m grateful to live in a world that has provided me with such fulfilling and strange cast recordings. It’s unclear if he’ll ever make accessible musicals again (if he ever did), but I’ll be cool with it so long as they’re as rich as the three he’s produced so far.
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