The Lyrics of Fly Babies / Piojos

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Audiences have responded beautifully to the lyrics/music of FLY BABIES / PIOJOS. Pregones makes musical plays. We walk the tightrope between plays-with-music and musicals. It gives us more freedom, a broad range of performance and staging choices. We learned that from the combination Brecht-Weill and the way Latin American and Caribbean theater absorbed their aesthetic, then transformed it. They rocked.

The LYRICS of

FLY BABIES / PIOJOS

Segment 2 of 6

All lyrics by Rosalba Rolón. © 2011

Music by Desmar Guevara

photos: Erika Rojas

Desmar Guevara

Working with Composer and Pregones Musical Director Desmar Guevara is always an adventure: sometimes we lose our way, other times we know exactly the way. But we always know where we want to end up. We generally discuss the spirit of the song, the placement in the script and its instrumentation. I say: 'this is what I mean' and I read it to him, to which he answers 'this is what I hear' and he plays it. In the end, we are led by the story and, in great measure, by the ensemble.                                                                            

 I then retreat to write and occasionally create some initial melody on my piano, usually very late at night. I record it --either I sing it or play a few notes-- and email the recording to Desmar. If he likes it he works on a preliminary arrangement.  If he doesn't or is not sure, we discuss it and he counter proposes a melody or we just improvise together. On most occasions, I have no idea of the melody but once he gets the concept he composes for the lyrics and more often than not, says: "it's too short; write some more".

Rosal Colón and Shadia Fairuz

I must credit the amazing improvising abilities of our acting and music ensemble for the success of the lyrics. Once Desmar and I present the musical number or the musical scene, the actors jump in to learn it, dance it, move it and very often add to it or reshape it.  We warm up as a group for a good half hour or more before rehearsal begins.

Here I am sharing portions of some of the lyrics of Fly Babies/Piojos  --four out of 14-- and about the process when writing and staging them. That is, for those that are based on reasoning. Other songs just... happened! The opening song, performed by the Clean Police, is one of them.



FLY BABIES 

"Fly babies" is an euphemism that becomes clearer as we get to know the characters of the play. The larger than life description of these tiny creatures, backed by electronic music offered a great opening for the production. We gave life to the song about 3 years ago. It was the first song I wrote for the play. We then re-mounted it with a more aggressive beat and some fluctuations, improvising with Elise Hernandez, a cast member.

As for the choreography, I have been haunted for years by Ivanov's dance of the Cygnetes in Swan Lake. I asked our choreographer Antonio Vargas to create a choreography for our Clean Police inspired by the dance of the cygnetes, taking into consideration that it should transform into movement. In other words, not dance. As actors, they could create a very interesting visual image based on a proven sequence -- the now legendary dance of the four swans.

Omar Pėrez

Fly babies (x3)
From head to head
From body to body
From town to town
From country to country

Always scratching
Nobody’s watching
Lice are crawling
Snowflakes falling
We see them jumping
They seem to fly
They seem to hop
We don’t know why
They call them lice
We call them Fly Babies.



LITTLE BASTARDS  
I first became acquainted with the business of high end lice consultants after The New York Times ran a series of stories about lice in New York City and specifically in upscale neighborhoods and schools. Businesses claiming specialty in lice removal services have been sprouting nationally over the past few years. I couldn't resist the idea of creating a character --CHIC-- whose line of work is lice removal for the rich. Played brilliantly by Elise Hernández (in pic), it goes like this:
 

I am a high end lice consultant

For upscale families

The children play

And the parents pray

As they secretly call me.

I am a high end lice consultant

It takes a very special skill

To kill the little bastards.

Fly babies, I mean.

Elise Hernández

I am not to be seen

I am no to be heard

Squeeze in

Squeeze out

A paralyzing feeling

Of despair

I understand

I do!

I am a high end lice consultant

It takes a special skill

To kill the little bastards.

Fly babies, I mean.

             

            A PELO SECO  (apply to dry hair)
       

Sung in Spanish, this number began as a spoken scene for  Georgette, a 'high end' opera singer with lice. She is reading instructions from the box of a lice removal remedy. But reading the instructions was holding back the flow of the scene. Played by Shadia Fairuz, I thought I was wasting an opportunity to use her powerful voice. Why not read the instructions as a Spanish aria? Desmar and Anthony began to improvise, Shadia joined in, then I joined in.  It all came together. The following is a short segment of A PELO SECO during one of its early rehearsals.

En español:

Use una toalla ● para que la ropa no se moje ●  úntese a pelo seco ● u a otra

área afectada ● comience por las orejas ● y la parte atrás del cuello ●  los piojos se arrastran  ●  para arriba y para abajo… 
Hablado: ¡Yo no puedo hacer ésto!

In English:

Use a towel ●  To protect your clothes ●   Apply to dry hair ●    Or any other infested area ●  Begin around the ears ●   And behind the neck ● Lice crawl up and down!...

Spoken: I can't do this!

     

                         

WHO’S ON YOUR SIDE?
The character of Liberty sings this song towards the end of the show. Rosal Colón plays the role with dramatic depth and conviction. Liberty is an activist who has found the analogy between the lice she carries on her head and those in power who behave pretty much like lice.

Rosal Colón (center) in the role of Liberty

Throughout the play she looks for something that unites us all and resents the Brown alert as one more attempt to create social discord. She has felt quite alone in her struggles until the moment they are all surrounded by the Clean Police for a lice inspection. I worked on an initial melody and Desmar worked with the cast to navigate the lyrics, which are meant to be sung on one breath per verse. Here are a couple of sections of the song.


At the start of a new day
Who’s on your side?
To change the world
Is good to know
Who's on your side?
Kingdoms and world superpowers
Have the virtue of behaving like
The lice I have on my head
There is exhaustion everywhere
Who’s on my side?
We can’t hide it anymore
Who’s on your side?
It’s the plague of a new age
Who’s on your side?

CHORUS

Our souls have been infested 
It’s an international hangover 
But let’s look around and

Find each other

It's just one side!

Fly Babies/Piojos - The Songs

ACT I
Fly Babies -- Cast 

A Pelo Seco -- Shadia Fairuz

Little Bastards -- Elise Hernández

Brother vs. Brother -- Rosal Colón

Buscando Piojos -- Rosal Colón 
Step step step -- Elise Hernández/Cast 
Deténganse -- Cast

Diversity -- Elise Hernández/Cast


ACT II

Ocho Tramos -- Elise Hernández, Rosal Colón, Shadia Fairuz

El Rascador -- Jesús Martínez/ Cast 

Mechón a Mechón -- Cast

Crawling Wonder -- Omar Perez/Shadia 

Who's On Your Side -- Rosal Colón/Cast

Fly Babies Finale -- Cast

Musicians: Desmar Guevara, Anthony Carrillo, Alberto Toro, Benji Willis 

   

Next segment - next Friday!