OBSESSION
Reilly himself seems to be the most confused. He claims to have written the musical out of his “lust of dying and fear of living.” That would indicate that it comes out of his personal fears, and that it is therefore serious and that the supernatural myths are being used as a device to explore real issues. Yet Obsession contains an inane plot, with character names straight out of Dracula, teen dances on the beach, and the most pathetic wallflower in the world–and it’s full of lines that can’t possibly be anything other than jokes. While attending his mother’s funeral, Michael sings, “So many thoughts run through my head / I can’t believe that she is dead.” Later Michael’s girlfriend sings, “Unrequited love’s a bore / always leaves you wanting more.” And in a hilarious scene toward the end–in which Michael’s friend Jonathan, covered head to toe in blood, finally reveals his secret (“I’m a vampire. Now you know”)–Michael, who thinks his friend is loony, replies, “We need to have a heart-to-heart.” Hardly serious. Hardly a demonstration of a fear of life and a lust for death. To add to the confusion, Reilly ends the piece with what he must consider a joke. Ironically, it’s one of the few things in the play that isn’t funny.
