Pay attention to the man ‘Behind the Curtain’

Dim lights behind a drawn velvet curtain illuminate the frantic final moments before showtime. Backstage shadows make last-minute adjustments, and one silhouette stands center stage. Thousands of voices chant in unison, “Todrick! Todrick!” until the stage lights go on, and a single voice drives the crowd into a sea of screams.

In July 2016, Todrick Hall’s full-scale original musical “Straight Outta Oz” premiered in Vancouver. “Behind the Curtain,” a documentary directed by Katherine Fairfax Wright, tells the story of the 32-year-old entertainer, and opens with that scene at his Vancouver premiere. Rewind the clock to one month earlier, and the show was just a concept.

“I’m like a bad stage mom … to myself,” Todrick said in the documentary. “Behind the Curtain” brings viewers through the rise of a black, gay singer, songwriter, dancer, and self-made YouTube sensation. The film also follows the creative process of turning the 22-track visual album “Straight Outta Oz” into a stage show over the course of three weeks. The documentary screened during Pride Week at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival in mid-July.

Candid shots and raw soundbites string together moments from Todrick’s past, present, and early-to-rising career. He was a semifinalist on “American Idol,” and nearly cast on the show “Glee,” but these fleeting flirtations with fame didn’t stop him. In 2006, he joined YouTube, and started creating parodies and original videos that showcased his talent in just about all genres of music, dance, and comedy. Many of Todrick’s videos went viral, and his loyal following, now at over 4 million, is a testament to his tremendous talent and work ethic. He’s also a role model in the LGBTQ community as an individual who overcame struggles to find true happiness in his identity as a gay black man.

“‘Straight Outta Oz’ is my ‘Lemonade,’” Todrick said in the film. The album and stage show was inspired by Beyonce’s visual album “Lemonade,” which told a story using music, poetry, dance, and videography. And so it began.

The stage show opens with the number “No Place Like Home,” which premises Todrick’s story and alludes to struggles growing up, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, he’s a brainless, heartless coward, with no power …” The visual album is a theatrical timeline in Todrick’s growing up, falling in love, coming out, and finding acceptance. Ms. Fairfax Wright sprinkles clips from the tour and visual album throughout the documentary.

When Ms. Fairfax Wright was asked to make the film, she didn’t know who Todrick was. She researched and quickly learned he’s a force to be reckoned with, and meeting him sealed the deal. “We had great rapport from the get-go,” Ms. Fairfax Wright said. “I started filming a couple days later because his visual album was already underway.”

Ms. Fairfax Wright worked alongside Todrick every step of the way. “From the film, you get a sense I was there every waking second,” she said. Everything from Todrick’s energy and humor to his motivation and drive rendered that time together well spent. “He’s always on, and he’s always working, and he expects that from those around him,” Ms. Fairfax Wright said. “I wanted to properly document, and he wanted to be properly documented.”

According to Ms. Fairfax Wright, Todrick creates natural goals for himself, and rather than adjust them because they’re difficult to achieve, he makes them happen. Todrick’s drive and pace are two of his most notable qualities, she said.

“Behind the Curtain” reveals Todrick’s journey as a rising star, as one of the first gay black self-made entertainers in show business. Ms. Fairfax Wright had more than 200 hours of footage to work with, and similar to Todrick’s quick turnaround, she had only nine months to piece it all together. The documentary premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2017, and has since screened at film festivals all over the nation.

An indication of a good film is one that you’re still thinking about weeks later. Ms. Fairfax Wright achieves this with “Behind the Curtain,” leaving audiences empowered, curious, and deeply connected to an individual they probably hadn’t heard of before. “That’s what’s fun,” she said. “In a sense, I’m creating new fans for him.”

In 2012, Ms. Fairfax Wright directed the film “Call Me Kuchu,” which explored the struggles of the LGBT community in Uganda. “It’s the project that legitimized me as a filmmaker,” she said. It’s also the project that led her to documenting LGBTQ subject matter.

Now based in L.A., Ms. Fairfax Wright is originally from Boston, and was a frequent Vineyard vacationer. She was excited to hear the film made it to the Island’s festival circuit.

“The more people that can find home in Todrick’s work, the better,” she said.