Gangs of New York: The Musical (sort of)

Warriors, the Concept Album comes out tomorrow, October 18. I watched The Warriors*, the 1979 film that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda’s follow-up to Hamilton, so you can skip the film. (Spoiler: I suggest you do.)

Here’s what you need to know about The Warriors film before you listen to Warriors (no The) concept album

Scary, right? Maybe not.

Lin-Manuel Miranda says he watched The Warriors for the first time when he was four years old and he’s been thinking about it ever since. Art and entertainment that we consume as children shape us in weird and wonderful ways. This is certainly one of those instances.

Personal example: Every year, I watch *The Worst Witch, starring Fairuza Balk, Charlotte Rae (hey, Mrs. Garrett!), the incomparable Dame Diana Rigg, and Tim Curry, the king of all things Halloween (see: Rocky Horror and the TV adaptation of IT.) The Worst Witch* movie is campy, has really weird songs, and features supremely goofy 80s effects. It has been essential October viewing for me since it came out when I was 8.

Anything can indeed happen on Halloween!

If I, like LMM, had all but the O in an EGOT, plus a Pulitzer, I might write a concept album about The Worst Witch just so other people could experience the incredible weirdness of it. And let me be clear: The Warriors is one weird movie. I don’t blame LMM for wanting us all to know about a story he has loved since he was four. And because Lin is Lin, I am not only going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I will be enthusiastically listening to Warriors first thing on Friday morning.

The basic premise of The Warriors is this: In a near future New York, the city is overrun by rival gangs, whose members outnumber the police 5:1. Cyrus, the charismatic leader of The Riffs, tries to broker peace among all the gangs in hopes of consolidating power behind a single super-gang. To do this, he calls a conclave, a gathering of hundreds of gang members. Not suspicious at all. At the gathering, Cyrus is assassinated. The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island, is framed for the killing. They must fight their way home from the Bronx to Coney Island, through a series of confrontations with rival gangs.

“Hey Warriors! Come out to play!” This catchphrase has the potential to become ubiquitous.

The film takes place over a single night, following The Warriors as they encounter one gang after another. Interspersed are shots of a radio DJ reminding everyone in New York that the Warriors are wanted by the Riffs. The film was shot over about eight weeks, from dusk until dawn, almost exclusively on the streets (and subway stations) of New York in 1979, which certainly is not the sanitized theme park of today’s Times Square. You’d think this would be a gritty action movie. Well…not quite.

Roger Ebert’s review in 1979 said, “This isn’t remotely intended as an action film. It’s a set piece. It’s a ballet of stylized male violence.” I’ve read elsewhere that The Warriors was intended as a response to West Side Story, although it reminded me of completely different movie musicals. I can’t quite put into words why The Warriors immediately brought to mind the 1973 movie musical version of Godspell starring Victor Garber or of The Wiz, but it did. Something about running through city streets in funny costumes, perhaps. (Sidebar: I cannot wait until the Godspell documentary comes out.)

Throughout the film, the gangs are in their “colors” to help us differentiate them from each other. The Warriors are in leather vests with their insignia on the back. No shirts, of course. While some of the gang outfits are not totally outlandish, others are really wacky. We have a gang known as the High Hats who wear, you guessed it, top hats. There’s one in baseball uniforms. Most noteworthy is the gang in polo shirts and overalls (think: Child’s Play’s Chucky), who also happen to be on roller skates. After hearing one gay slur used repeatedly during the film, I was relieved to notice that the Riffs, a gang made up entirely of Black men simply wore all black. A different costume choice could have been a disaster.

Many of the actors were unknowns at the time but forty-five years later, some are familiar. I recognized Deborah Van Valkenburgh, who played Jackie in the 80s sitcome Too Close for Comfort, right away although I couldn’t have told you her name. Lynne Thigpen, who plays the DJ, is only featured in the film as lips and a voice, and I still immediately knew she was the Chief from PBS’s Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. I did not recognize James Remar as Ajax even though he’s been in everything from Grey’s Anatomy to Oppenheimer. Thanks IMDB.

Having not seen this movie as a child, nor encountered it as it has garnered cult status, I mostly thought it was silly. The film is highly stylized. I’m sure the intention was for the dialogue to be spare but at times, it feels wooden. You wouldn’t think I’d be excited for the album.

You’d be wrong and here’s why:

• As I’ve said, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius. He sees things the rest of don’t and that’s why he wrote a hip hop musical about Alexander Hamilton. I’m sure he can do something spectacular with gang violence.
• LMM wrote this with Eisa Davis. I have seen some of Eisa’s excellent acting work but have not experienced her writing. My loss, for sure! The more I know about Eisa Davis, the more I want to know. Harvard grad, Pulitzer Prize nominee, Obie Award winner, and niece of activist Angela Davis. Complete badass!
• LMM and Eisa Davis cast women to play the Warriors including Hamilton alums Jasmine Cephas-Jones and Phillipa Soo. What an interesting change!
• Lauryn Hill is portraying Cyrus, the charismatic leader of the Riffs who starts off all the action by calling for cooperation between the gangs. Is there another star more mysterious and alluring? Seriously, people wait hours for Lauryn Hill to come out and sing for mere minutes. She could be a cult leader.
• An ALL STAR cast– everyone from Nas and Busta Rhymes to Coleman Domingo and Billy Porter!

To summarize: The Warriors is a weird little movie (running only 90 minutes) about gang fights in New York. It’s based on a book by Sol Yurick that also inspired the album. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis have worked on this for two years and brought in some big guns to interpret their writing. It comes out on Friday.

Skip the movie. Listen to the album. Cross your fingers for a musical.

A concept album is made up of a collection of songs that tell a story. Jesus Christ Superstar started as a concept album, as did Hadestown. They both then became stage musicals, more or less right away. The Who’s Tommy is a concept album that wasn’t adapted for the stage until much later. No word yet on whether Warriors* will be adapted although, Lord knows, I’d be first in line to buy tickets.