For Ke’lea Flowers, how to deal with life’s dysfunctions? Write a new musical for Selma Arts Center
By Donald Munro
There is nothing more exciting than a new musical, which is very rare in these parts. Ke’lea Flowers is the creator of “Dysfunction: A New Musical,” now in its opening weekend at Selma Arts Center.
I feature Flowers as a guest on the latest episode of “The Munro Review on CMAC,” which I shared with my readers and viewers last week. To highlight the interview, here’s the interview clip from the show:
Some tidbits from the interview:
The journey: The original core of the show was written by Flowers as a teenager for a short project she titled “Strong.” (“It was like an escape for me at that time. It was very much in my inner world.”) Years later, and in a much different phase in her life, she was able to use some of those first songs in a 20-minute song cycle she put together for the 2023 version of Selma Originals, the annual showcase of original works at the Selma Arts Center. Now, with the help of producer Claudio Laso, assistant director Nwachukwu and a bunch of her friends and theater family, she’s extended the size and vision to a 90-minute show.
The cast: There are 25 people in the show, which features a variety of types of songs, including solos, duets, trios and big ensemble numbers, along with moments of poetry and rap.
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The structure: Flowers likes to describe the show as a cross between “35mm” and “Hair.” Think of a string of anecdotal moments as we meet various characters. “You get to peer into someone’s life and their experiences with dysfunctional behavior and dysfunctional relationships with the world around them,” she says.
The theme: I ask if “Dysfunction: The Musical” is about coping with – or embracing – the dysfunction in our lives. Flowers says yes to both.
The takeaway: “We have these expectations put on us that you’re considered a strong person if you don’t let it show that anything is wrong. And that is backwards, right? The true strength is in the vulnerability. The true strength is in how soft you are and being honest about the things you’ve been through in your life. And forging your way forward and finding a community with other people.”
The run: “Dysfunction” continues at the Selma Arts Center with a Sunday matinee (2 p.m. Sunday, April 13), and finishes up with a second-weekend run of performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17; 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19.
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