Zinzer Jay 

DYNAMITE dabbles in Magical Realism and follows a Brechtian style and structure.

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The show opens with Napoleon Dynamite, our narrator, explaining to the audience what they are about to experience: a musical of his life. Napoleon is rather annoyed by the idea, stating it is “freakin stupid” because “nothing is going to happen.” Little does he know, the music is about to take on a life of its own.

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Without music, the characters are deadpan and droll, very reminiscent of the stylistic tone of the movie. However, when the music plays, the characters are popped out of their subdued personas and are launched into a song-and-dance, larger-than-life existence. As soon as the musical numbers end, the characters pop right back into their monotonous lifestyles.

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This contrast sharply illustrates the juxtaposition of what our characters are thinking/feeling versus what they choose to show to the outside world. Everyone embraces the magic of the music, except for Napoleon, who becomes more and more disgruntled as the music starts to influence what happens in his world.