Ayn Rand Musical Coming to Lynn Redgrave Theater Next Month

Ayn Rand’s 1938 novella Anthem is coming to the stage complete with song and dance numbers. What better way to get the message of conservative-leaning individualism to a leftist arts culture who dreams of utopia only to wake to the creation of a dystopian world?

 

The Anthem novella takes place at some unspecified future date when mankind has entered another dark age characterized by irrationality, collectivism, and socialistic thinking and economics. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated.

 

Theatermania reports that The Anthem will be a sci-fi musical inspired by Rand’s original work , and will be set in a futuristic society where social media has “gone mad.” Individuality is still illegal, but the main character’s name is not Equality 7-2521 as it is in the book (it is Prometheus, though) and he finds salvation not in a library but in one book in particular–yes, it’s Anthem. 

 

Contempt prior to investigation is a hallmark of leftist reporting. That model has shown itself to be true with the announcement of this Rand musical by most so-called news sites covering it with a snarky dismissive tone.

In the end it seems individuality and capitalism are giving Rand the last laugh. The musical will open May 29th at the Lynn Redgrave Theatre in New York City. The Redgraves are children of privilege who’d come to think of themselves as leaders of the working class. Though Lynn Redgrave was for most of her career viewed as the “traditional” member of her theatrical family–the one without the bisexual husband or the revolutionary politics, I can’t imagine Rand as source material for a venue bearing their name would be the first choice for Vanessa Redgrave, a woman who was a supporter of the PLO and a vocal critic of the war on terror but has remained silent on the atrocities committed by this administration and its dear leader.

As for what the left wants to see on stage, I’m sure Kickstarter would be happy to help them raise the collective dough to put on the musical Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals in Germany.