The Show Goes On, With Some Help from Amazon
I have to be honest. Sunday Night Football is not for me. I mean, I don’t hate it or anything, I’m just not one to sit down and watch sports. I’m a performer: a singer/dancer/actor, but I grew up in a sports household. The sounds of a game in the background is pleasing to me; it relaxes me and reminds me of my childhood. But that’s the extent of it — sounds in the background. Usually I’m in the kitchen making a fun dinner with my mom while my dad watches in the attached family room. All this to say, I was not paying attention to the television when the Amazon Prime commercial, “The Show Must Go On” came across the screen. However, it caught my eye. The sweeping camera shots, the gorgeous dancing, the epic music, the emotional journey. I made my dad rewind and called the entire family into the room to rewatch. Amazon — of all companies — had just won the holiday commercial game.
When the commercial debuted on November 1, 2020, America was in month eight of the coronavirus pandemic. We were heading into the holidays, knowing that they were going to be different this year. We wouldn’t be seeing extended family, or even immediate family if they did not live in the same household. No holiday parties, no carolers, no mall shopping.
The Show Must Go On begins with our main character being awarded the lead part in the school ballet, clearly a feat she has been working toward her whole career. She excitedly runs home to tell her family, and they are all very proud. Soon after, we hear on the news that the coronavirus pandemic has closed all schools indefinitely — a moment we all know very well. We see our main character continuing to do what she loves in the small space she has. She moves furniture around, dances in her tiny bedroom, and stretches in the apartment stairway, making eyes with her friendly neighbor. She dances outside, in tunnels, in rain, through seasons, anything to keep doing what she loves. When she gets a letter that the show she is to star in will be cancelled, she is devastated. Her family and loved ones see how her heart is breaking. Their hearts break for her. And so do ours. When her little sister sees the main character crying in her bedroom, she suddenly gets an idea and runs off. We see the little sister make handmade invitations for the neighbors and her mom using a sewing machine, but the audience doesn’t know the plan. In fact, we are starting to wonder what this advertisement is advertising. But then, after receiving an invitation, we see the friendly neighbor order a flashlight on his phone from the well known white & blue Amazon Prime app. (Ah, we understand now.) The little sister presents the idea of “The Show” to her disheartened older sister, who gives a slight smile. Our main character puts on her pointe shoes, and the ballerina crown. The music that has been quietly playing in the background, an orchestral version of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” is brought strongly to the forefront and we land on our main character, fully dressed in her ballet outfit, outside in the snow, ready to perform. The music swells and she dances on the rooftop. The lights of her many neighbors come on and they all come outside to watch her dance the performance of a lifetime. And how can they see her movements? Because of that flashlight her friendly neighbor bought on Amazon Prime, of course! The community cheers as she finishes her stunning performance in the snow. The camera pans up to the winter sky and we see the words “The show must go on” followed by the amazon prime logo.
This commercial is powerful for so many reasons. Of course as a performer I was automatically drawn into the storyline. But it is more than that. This commercial perfectly captures the heartache that the world has gone through this year, collectively. It presents our daily conflict: how can life continue through this tragedy? Everyone’s hopes, dreams, hobbies, and plans were destroyed by the pandemic. Everyone’s lives have been put on hold. Well…except maybe Jeff Bezos.
Overall, Amazon has not had the greatest reputation during the pandemic. Jeff Bezos is known for putting his workers in unsafe situations and not paying a high enough wage while his wealth grows by the second. There was a strong holiday movement to “Shop Small” and I was personally determined to be part of that change. That being said, shopping small costs more money and many of the products weren’t going to get to me in time for the holidays. As bad as it may look to admit this, The Show Must Go On advertisement made me believe that Amazon was in touch with the common person in this pandemic. The commercial actually made me feel better about ordering from the global mogul because it appealed to my emotional side and made me feel as if they “got it.”
The commercial uses very few words. This in itself is powerful and parallels how the world as a whole has gone silent. There are only two sentences spoken throughout the advertisement. The first announces that our main character is going to be the star of the ballet, and the second announces that coronavirus has closed schools until further notice. After that, the only thing that we hear is the musical soundtrack.
The lighting in the promotion tells its own story. When it begins, everything is bright. Once we hear that quarantine has set in, the shots get foggy. Then, when it is announced that the ballet show will be cancelled, the shots are in twilight and many are backlit, causing us to see most of the action close to silhouette. It is not until she is performing for her community that we are back to bright light — all thanks to the spotlight bought on Amazon Prime. With the help of others, we can stay in the light.
This commercial has the possibility of being shortened in order to post to other media outlets. There are many moments that can be cut out while keeping the integrity of the advertisement, that life goes on when we all come together. Let Amazon help.
Overall, this commercial proved that art is important. It is what brings us together. It even aired for the first time during a prime sports game, and still had a profound effect. The commercial itself is a piece of art. It is essentially a two minute short film. As our schools, parties, malls, restaurants and jobs stay closed, the world turns to art to keep it alive. I have watched this commercial multiple times, and continue to get chills every time we see her dancing alone on a rooftop as her community looks on. Amazon Prime brought us an epic story and made it relatable by making it look easy to achieve. And the ease comes with the use of their service. Amazon Prime makes things easy and brings people together, even in a pandemic.