Visceral moments are Black Swan’s specialty. At least, that was the case when the Oscar-nominated film, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, graced the screen in 2010. Even if you’ve never seen the film, somewhere in the back of your mind likely sits some impression of this unsettling psychological thriller about a driven ballerina who begins to unravel while fighting for the lead role in Swan Lake: images of skin pulled away from a finger, independently moving reflections in a mirror, feathers punching their way through flesh.
“So many of the moments in the movie that are iconic are moments in which Darren Aronofsky is using to their utmost the tools of cinema,” said playwright Jen Silverman, who wrote the book for the musical adaptation of Black Swan, at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts (May 26-July 5), with music by Dave Malloy and direction and choreography by Sonya Tayeh.
So while Silverman said they were moved and excited about the theatricality inherent in the movie—not only the dance, but also its conversation about how to be an artist in the world and the tightrope creative folks walk when they’re pulled into obsession—the challenge for the team has been to find the theatrical equivalent for Aronofsky’s cinematic language. One key, Silverman said: the music being crafted by Malloy (who was unavailable for this article).
“Music has such an ability to play on our subconscious,” Silverman said, giving the example of old black-and-white movies’ ability to convey who the bad guy is with just a shift in the score. So when Malloy and the producers originally approached Silverman during the pandemic lockdown days about joining the project, and they asked if Silverman saw a version of the Black Swan story that excited the writer and could live on the stage, Silverman said, “The answer was a strong and resounding yes.”