![]() Manny Magnus plays Prem Patel, a junior high math whiz who lives with his loving but demanding mother Priya (Punam Patel), who has been widowed since Prem’s father Suresh (Ambudkar) died almost a decade ago. This movie is a lovingly crafted memento of a remarkable achievement, one that compressed Mac‘s life and much of modern history into 24 hours of wild stunts and show-stopping show-tunes.Īctor and rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar co-wrote and co-stars in the family-friendly hip-hop musical “World’s Best,” a simple but sweet story about a kid defying expectations and fighting to be heard. But even if Epstein and Friedman don’t fully document Mac’s vision, they do get across what it was and why it mattered. As Mac explains early on, performance artists feel like they’ve succeeded even if they’ve bored or annoyed the audience - and there are likely moments in this version of “Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music” that will do just that, even to people who enjoy most of it. We do see their reactions though, as they cycle through excitement, exhaustion, caution and rapture, before landing in a place of sharing and support. It was an attempt to reframe hundreds of well-known songs through the eyes of some of the world’s marginalized people.Ĭonspicuously absent here? Any thoughts from the crowd about what spending the day with Mac was like. This piece wasn’t some “Hey you know what would be cool?” lark. They also weave in occasional interviews with Mac and various creative partners, talking about motivations and methods, and the grueling realities of the show. But they do fit in a good number of songs - either complete or in fragments - along with many of Mac’s over-the-top get-ups and provocations. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (the co-directors of “Common Threads” and “The Celluloid Closet,” among many other acclaimed nonfiction films) can’t contain the entirety of “Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music” within their 106-minute movie of the same name. It was a communal happening, with a large group of performers and theatergoers - led by Mac - working together to understand how music captures its times, in ways both inspiring and regrettable. The show featured audience participation, elaborate drag costumes, acerbic historical footnotes, occasional snacks and a 24-piece backing band that would lose one member every hour. In 2016, performance artist Taylor Mac reached the culmination of a project the performer had been developing with several collaborators for years: a 24-hour concert/experience, with each hour featuring songs from a different decade, beginning in the 1770s and ending in the 2010s. What would you do if each day meant another prize and another chance to make your dreams come true?Ĭould you be Lucky for Life? Just maybe.‘Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music’
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