A musical theatre Tarot, or, lazing on a Sunday afternoon

I’m a fairly new student of the Tarot, and to learn and memorize the Major Arcana*, also to put myself to sleep at night, I’ve been imagining Major Arcana lineups in different ‘verses. I also got all my chores done this Sunday afternoon, and here’s what I did for fun.

As you might know, the Major Arcana are archetypes, emblematic of big events in life, roles a person might play at points in time, or attributes that a person might have. So it’s easy and kind of nerdily enjoyable to fill the 22 positions with characters from various lineups,  like an Old Testament MA, or a Shakespeare MA.  Or, like this:

Avengers Tarot

So, apropos of nothing, here’s my afternoon’s entertainment, the Musical Theatre Major Arcana. I’ve included a few key words for each of the 22 cards of the MA (according to the classic Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, on which the images on most other Tarot decks are based) to make it easy for you to decide if you agree.

0.   The Fool- new beginnings, adventure, new challenges, innocence, ignorance- Oh, there are so many that fit into this category: Candide (Candide), The Young Man (Celebration), Pippin (Pippin), Seymour (Little Shop of Horrors)

1. The Magician- strength of will, intellect, wit, control, ability to achieve- The Leading Player (Pippin), Professor Harold Hill (The Music Man)
2. The High Priestess- intuition, revelation, hidden knowledge, initiation into mystery- The Witch (Into the Woods)
3. The Empress- motherhood, abundance, physical creativity, mature beauty- Edna Turnblad (Hairspray)
4. The Emperor- masculine power, leadership, authority, fatherhood- Mufasa (The Lion King)
5. The Hierophant- traditional religion, orthodoxy, spiritual advice- Arvide Abernathy (Guys & Dolls)
6. The Lovers- attraction, love, coupling, mental and spiritual harmony- Tony & Maria (West Side Story), Georges & Albin (La Cage aux Folles)
7. The Chariot- triumph over obstacles, success, motivation, rapid forward movement- J. Pierpont Finch (How to Succeed…)
8. Strength- integrity, courage, prevailing with gentleness instead of force- Eliza Hamilton (Hamilton)
9. The Hermit- counsel, prudence, a mentor or teacher- Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music)
10. The Wheel of Fortune- the inevitability of changes in luck, chance, ebb & flow of fortunes- Zach (A Chorus Line)
11. Justice- the law, equity, fairness- Javert (Les Miz), Mama Morton (Chicago)
12. The Hanged Man- indecision, patience, suspense, waiting for an outcome- Judas (JCS), Aaron Burr (Hamilton)
13. Death- ending, change, and sometimes, uh, death- Sweeney Todd
14. Temperance- self-control, moderation, adapting to surroundings- Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
15. The Devil- bad things, materialism, overindulgence, greed- Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors), Max Bialystock (The Producers), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd)
16. The Tower- destruction or a cataclysm which makes personal change inevitable- Hedwig Schmidt Robinson (Hedwig & the Angry Inch)
17. The Star- inspiration, hope, selflessness, great love- Maria Von Trapp (The Sound of Music)
18. The Moon- intuition, mystery, the occult- Grizabella (Cats)
19. The Sun- material happiness, success, happy reunions, positivity- Annie (Annie)
20. Judgement- awakening, renewal, nearing the end of journey, dawn of a new day- ALL the Dorothys
21. The World- the Fool, transformed into wisdom; intellectual and worldly success, triumph, liberation- Gypsy Rose Lee (Gypsy)

*there are 5 parts to the basic 78 card Tarot deck: the four suits of the Minor Arcana: wands, swords, cups, and coins or pentacles. It’s easy to see how the standard deck of playing cards is thought to descend from these four suits. Then there are the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, AKA, interestingly, the Trumps. The Tarot deck as we know it today evolved from decks in Medieval and Renaissance Europe and Northern Africa that were built for gaming and gambling; etymologically, it’s thought that the word “trump” is a variant on the word “triumph”, as the face cards beat all other cards. Hmm.