Recently, R&B singer R. Kelly released new chapters of his sprawling hip-hopera, Trapped in the Closet. Chapters 23 to 40 premiered on IFC in the U.S., with Canadians getting the chance to see the latest instalments as they're rolled out individually on IFC.com. To talk about red herrings, recitative and whether Kelly is the R&B Tyler Perry, Jesse Kinos-Goodin asked a few experts to join us for a group therapy session. They are:
Liza Paul: a Toronto-born writer, producer, performer and the co-creator of pomme is french for apple. Although she has never been trapped in a closet, Paul has a deep and abiding affinity for lyrical absurdity and has the utmost appreciation for the genius that is TITC. To sample her own brand of madness, visit pommeisfrenchforapple.com and YouTube.com/pommetv.
Trixx: a Toronto-based comedian who has opened for the likes of Russell Peters, Cedric the Entertainer and Tracy Morgan. He's also a regular on MuchMusic’s Video on Trial. You can find him at Trixxworld.com.
Robert "Big Man" Rowat: the community producer for classical music at CBC Music. He is the former opera producer for Espace musique, the French language music network of Radio-Canada. A classical music lover with a weakness for R&B/soul and hip-hop, he recently discovered Trapped in the Closet and watched all the chapters in a single, life-altering sitting.
Kinos-Goodin: Initial thoughts on the new chapters?
Rowat: It was clever to start in the barber shop, since Sylvester is sporting some snazzy new mutton chops!
Paul: True. The mutton chops are a nice touch. I wish Twan (or is it Tron?) would have gotten a new beard while he was there. The chinstrap is awful. Also, I have watched all 29 episodes, and to my mind, the latest releases are not nearly as inspired as the earlier chapters. I want more midgets!
Rowat: I agree. And where are the cliffhangers that made the first 12 chapters so awesome?
Paul: So much talking — and some very short chapters. Cop outs. I felt cheated
Rowat: Can I back up a second and admit that I am new to TITC?
Paul: Me, too! But I think I secretly love it. The melody has been stuck in my head all day.
Kinos-Goodin: It's hard to forget the melody, being the same eight notes for 29 chapters. I think he's switched it up once, in the chapter that first introduced Rev. Mosley.
Rowat: Coming from a classical music background, I find it hard to listen to that much music in one key (E major.) Even in the church scene, the choir sang in E major!
Paul: What's this, Robert? You think one hour of the same melody is too much? Madness.
Rowat: Melody and key. It suits his range, so he just gets into his E major groove and wallows in it. I find it brilliant the way he uses different parts of his vocal range for characterization, though.
Kinos-Goodin: I guess it's in the lyrics where he really stretches his creativity?
Rowat: The musical minimalism forces your attention on the words. It's like recitative in Mozart opera. I hate to keep coming back to precedents in opera, but this is hip-hopera, after all.
Paul: It's interesting what engages you when it's set to music — even if it is all in E major.
Kinos-Goodin: Liza, as a playwright, how do you think Kelly fares with pacing and plot?
Paul: I'd say that the pacing and plot are suffering in these latest chapters. It's like he's running out of ideas. After the sensationalist beginnings, I'm not surprised. He was off to a running start — now it feels like it's limping along.
Rowat: Like opera, Kelly’s hip-hopera makes an important distinction between dramatic and lyrical vocals. Dramatic vocals = storytelling, advancing the plot. Lyrical vocals = stepping out of the action, reflecting on the situation. Because these short episodes of TITC are so action-packed, there’s not a lot of time for lyrical outpourings. One place we get it is at the very end of each chapter, when a cliffhanging bomb has been dropped, and everyone is stunned. Kelly lets his vocals soar at these points.
Paul: Solid analysis, Robert. I don't know if I could have articulated that so precisely, but I agree.
Trixx: To be honest, Kelly lost me after Chapter 5. It started out as a pretty dope concept, but I think it’s lost its appeal. Watching him as this preacher alone saddens me. I honestly think with a project like this, less is more. Once there were so many chapters it just looked like he's oversaturating himself and it became played out.
Kinos-Goodin: I agree, and yet here we are, with 40 chapters in total. Do you think it's popular because it's actually good, or is it only good in that ironic sort of way?
Trixx: Is it popular? I honestly respected R. Kelly at one point for the concept. It was creative, now it's just a bonafide Tyler Perry musical.
Paul: Did you notice that the psychiatrist’s name is William T. Perry? A subtle nod to the ultimate perpetrator of all black stereotyping.
Trixx: R. Kelly and Tyler Perry should do an album called Last of our Worlds.
Rowat: Can we take a moment to reflect on the role of the psychologist/marriage counsellor? Because I don't think too many psychologists would try to encourage Rufus and Cathy to stay together.
Kinos-Goodin: I found it hard to believe Kelly as a marriage counsellor, or a preacher for that matter.
Rowat: I admit I had chills in episode 26 when Rufus says he still loves Chuck. I figured we were going to see his "lifestyle" accepted. But no.
Paul: Oh, Rufus and Chuck. Poor Chuck. What ails him? Anyone know?
Rowat: Well, we think Chuck has AIDS (a.k.a. "the package").
Paul: I never saw anyone with AIDS all bandaged around the head like Chuck was when he called from the hospital. And what's all the money talk about? Is the whole AIDS/package thing a red herring? When the doctor starts Chapter 22 there is an actual package on the table.
Rowat: Liza, you may be right about the red herring.
Kinos-Goodin: True, I wonder if we'll ever actually know, considering that all these chapters felt like a diversion?
Paul: Maybe they should change the name to Not Trapped in the Closet. It would solve a lot of story issues.
Trixx: It should be called Trapped Without Any Ideas.
Kinos-Goodin: Which characters could/should Kelly bring back to save the momentum he built in the earlier chapters?
Paul: I miss Bridget and the midget. He was trapped in the cupboard.
Rowat: Big Man. And where is Bridget and her glorious twang?
Kinos-Goodin: Closing thoughts: with 85 new chapters and a book planned, is it too much or not enough?
Trixx: Too damn much.
Rowat: Not enough, if he can bring us back to the cliffhanging qualities of the earlier episodes.
Paul: If we can get back to the glory days, I will take all I can get.
Rowat: I want more sexcapades.
Paul: More adultery! More scandal!
Rowat: I'd like to see Rufus with his shirt off.
To watch all the episodes of Trapped in the Closet, visit IFC.com.
What do you think about Trapped in the Closet: can't wait for more or couldn't care less? Let us know in the comments below.
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Trapped in the Closet: inside the psyche of R. Kelly, R&B genius
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