#I blame Lea. She made me do it /j

[girl-who-says-hi]

I swear, when I started writing Crossed Lines & came up with Sophie's character, I had NO intent of writing Emilie selfcest. But then when I was writing chapters 6 & 7 it just?? sort of wrote itself? One of those situations where my brain just decided, "actually, this is how the story is going to go." And now Emilie x Sophie is just. a part of the plot I guess!?

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

March 30, 2025 | Broadway | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Matinee | Musical | Original | 2H 45M

Where to even start? There's a new Stephen Sondheim revue on Broadway with a massive cast and helmed by THE Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga? What more do you need?

Well.

To start, what about a cast full of...y'know, Sondheim's...old friends? No? What about at least a cast of noted Sondheim actors who have performed in his shows many times over their illustrious careers? No? Best you can do is a bunch of West Enders, some of whom are fresh from the cradle? Sure, fine, whatever.

The show's structure is baffling in its seemingly deliberate attempt to be so unorganized. There's no throughline in this revue. No snippets of dialogue to tie these songs together, save for an awkward little introduction at the very start. The first act fares better, with a nice variety, at least. The show is particularly effective in its ensemble numbers where the size of the cast really elevates the robustness of the chorus. But "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" is inexplicably a quintet of young performers, "The Boy From..." comes after a series of Follies numbers, but before "Losing My Mind," "Side by Side" is an encore performance after the bows. You can't do that. People leave. The second act gets so maudlin and sluggish with that series of solos, despite them all being some of Sondheim's best.

Let's talk some highlights though. Beth Leavel. What are we doing to put her in a revival of literally any Sondheim, I don't care what just let her do it. Mining beloved comedic numbers for absolute gold, she gives the best performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch" that we've seen on Broadway since, oh let's say Barbara Walsh. And her Electra in the Gimmick trio? She runs away with that song and rightfully gets the last laugh. Her off-mic ad-libbing while she displays her lights had me on the floor. They are criminally underutilizing her. Also, it's not relevant to anything else, but it's wild to me that she (and Kate Jennings Grant) ends up looking like a statuesque goddess in the lineup of particularly petite women in this cast.

Speaking of petite, the best of the west (in the cast), Bonnie Langford similarly delights. I did enjoy her "I'm Still Here" greatly, even if I don't appreciate the new lyrics as much as the old. That she and Beth are often paired up for the group numbers makes me absurdly happy. They're married, and I shan't be swayed otherwise.

Let's continue this below the cut:

Verdict: Well...I'm Glad I Saw It

A Note on Ratings

Lea Salonga, my Asian pride and joy. Every day I imagine a better world where she was cast in the revival (and it had a different director) of Sweeney Todd. And of course, her voice soars. Was not a fan of the "Loving You" arrangement at all though. What was that? I actually did like Kate Jennings Grant. She's the only one I've seen who does "The Boy From..." without going full Linda Lavin, and while it's not as funny, she has a good voice. But aside from that number, she really doesn't get to do jack else. I absolutely did not like anything Joanna Riding did on that stage. My only prior experience with her work was that I thought she made a better Sally than Imelda in the West End Follies revival, and her voice was good for what they have over there. Well, what the fuck has happened in the six years since then? Why is her voice like that? What is she doing? Why? What th-

The men. Well, they're there. And I kind of wish they weren't. They are taking precious time away from the real stars of the show (the women over fifty). The SOLE reason I didn't descend into a blackout rage when that man sang "Could I Leave You?" is because I simply looked away and played Donna Murphy's 80th Birthday rendition in my head. I still blame Michael Ball's bitch ass for this because he insisted on singing it in the original concert. The last person to sing this triumph of a Sondheim creation was the late great Jan Maxwell and I am furious that this is what it's come to.

As for Bernadette. I think there's something equally special and sad about seeing her in this show, and maybe there's something meta about the Lunt-Fontanne being just a block away. Growing old is a gift. Why would you ever go to such lengths to give it back? She can't move her face. She won't lower the keys. The opt up on the final note of "Losing My Mind" was just... It broke my heart, and not in a good way. And to follow that with Lea's triumphant "Everything's Coming Up Roses" felt almost cruel. This was the last show of the first week of previews. She has been doing this off-and-on for the last three years, and it shows.

And yet, to hear this music, to end with audio of him singing Love is in the Air," it's still healing in some way. When it's good, it's good. And when it's not, it's really not. And I have so much more to say about it, but I'm seeing it again late next week, so let's save some for later, shall we?

[nenasspot]

~~my faves so far in girls planet 999~~

I have literally downloaded an apk for the universe app to be able to vote since it isn't in available in belgium for some reason,, so I have deserved the right to ramble about my favorite girls on this program.

yes, there ARE 10 trainees here instead of 9, but that's because I have a 4th J-GROUP trainee I want to talk about. other than mnet, I did want to keep the ratio to keep it fair, so I have 3 faves per group here!

let's go!

K-GROUP: kang ye seo (4mintue's crazy)

I've talked about her before, so I won't go too into this one, but I AM a sucker for talent+a good attitude (looks at jinhyuk and hangyul out of the corner of my eye), and yeseo really ticks these boxes! she's also very very adorable and pretty :) right now, she's at position 2 on the show, so I'm hopeful for her doing well

K-GROUP: huening bahiyyih (apink's mr. chu)

if y'all know me, this one was to be expected... I don't want to be biased purely because she's kai's sister, but it rlly was inevitable. honestly, though, I have a soft spot for all of the huening siblings (we know lea and bahiyyih through youtube) because they're so sweet. I also feel like it's inevitable that bahiyyih turns out to be really talented if she takes after her siblings, but I feel like she lacked some confidence in her audition which I honestly can't blame her for. I hope she gets a confidence boost!! her vocals and dance were both very stable, but due to the lack of aura or presence it didn't really stand out. so with some practice and getting used to this situation, I feel like bahiyyih will get pretty far! I hope she gets a good part in fiesta, because that could really leave a good mark.

K-GROUP: seo young eun (nct127's kick it)

HER KICK IT PERFORMANCE BLEW ME AWAY

that's sUCH a hard song to pull off, let alone for girls, let alone for girls who literally 10 seconds before were introducing themselves so bubbly. I really cannot wait for what she will do in the future and I'm also so happy for her that she's in top 9 right now. she really deserved it. her dancing and her voice are both very alluring, so she catches your eye and hoLDS it. she demands attention when she performs. I hope she keeps up her streak. I also really like her teammate ji ah, so I'm voting for her cell and not young eun's.

K-GROUP: choi yu jin (hyuna's bubble pop)

it takes so much confidence to present yourself like this, so I can't even imagine how it must be for an idol who has debuted 7 years ago. I felt really bad for her, but yujin is also an absolute angel as far as I know, and as we have established I like good attitudes. the calm way in which she handled that call-out made me really respect her even more. she will be pretty popular, so I'm currently not voting for her, but I'm voting for her cell instead!

J-GROUP: sakamoto mashiro ((g)i-dle's dumdi dumdi)

even if I'm not that big of a fan of the song, I can recognize how absolutely stable her vocals were while doing that choreo. aside from that, her talent has been proven before by being part of yup, so she has had a thorough training and I feel like she'll be quite strong!

J-GROUP: nonaka shana (blackpink's boombayah)

she looks so so sO sweet and her voice was clear as glass during that boombayah performance! she looks quite innocent but I feel like she'd be able to pull through with some reversed charms (like the girlies from the crazy stage did). I do hope she won't focus on purely cute, because that does get old for me fast. I wouldn't normally pick someone like shana out, but she grabbed my attention with her amazing vocals.

J-GROUP: oki fuka (mamamoo's gogobebe)

fuka did a lot of the rap bits in the stage, which really surprised me. it was stable and right, the opposite of what I expected her to do if you look at her profile pic (sorry!). she deservedly got top9 candidate, and I feel like she has some more to prove. I honestly fear for her a bit, but I hope the future performances make her stand out more!

C-GROUP: su rui qi (chungha's snapping)

I followed her in youth with you 2, so I was really excited to see her back! and she's just as good as I remember to be, maybe even better! she's really made to fill an ace position, and I feel confident she will. she's eye-catching and confident without seeming arrogant, a balance most struggle to find and which will be a strong plus going forward.

C-GROUP: gu yi zhou (hwasa's maria)

maria is such an incredibly hard song to pull off, with its advanced choreo and how the low pitch is followed by a full vocal line in the chorus. the way her and her teammate ate that without embarrassing themselves completely is sUCH a feat. gu yi zhou is also very very pretty and she really just stood out to me. I'm not too sure about her chances yet, so I look forward to seeing more of her hopefully!

C-GROUP: xu zi yin (sunmi's siren)

once again,, a super hard song to do, you either pull it off or you get ready to sink in the ground. even more so if the original singer is literally sitting right in front of you as you do it and is supposed to grade you after... I can't even imagine. xu zi yin also seems like quite the sweetheart, so I hope to get to know her better soon!

these are all of the girls I'm voting for right now! for cells, as I've said, I'm voting choi yu jin's and yoo ji ah's, and then also bahiyyih's since I'm sort of worried for her. I hope you'll give these and all other girls a lot of love during the program AND after!!! oh, and please tell me who you're voting (or just rooting) for in the reblogs/tags!

[heyhxxd]

Day one

SUMMARY: The day you met Grayson.

WORD COUNT: 1.1k+

WARNINGS: Swearing?

“C’mon we gonna be late for The Neighborhood!” The blonde girl yelled at you for the hundred time in the day, pulling your arm so hard you felt like she was going to tear it apart.

“I’m running as fast as I can” You said almost getting out of breath, following the girl while trying not to impact against all the people in the field.

“You’re not fast enough Amara” She said tired of you not running as fast as her. She was pretty excited to see The Neighbourhood live, it was her favorite band and you couldn’t blame her for that. But if we’re being honest, you weren’t hyped at all for them.

“Then you go and I’ll catch up, I really need to go to the bathroom” You told her, she gave you an angry look and let go of your arm.

“You’re never going to find me” She rested her hands on her hips.

“Oh but I will, I know you’re going to be in front of Zack so that’s a start” You let out a smirk.

“Ok smart girl, see you later then. Don’t get lost” She said don’t even caring anymore, she knew you and she was aware that you were not going to the bathroom, you just wanted to get lost and calm down for a minute.

“I won’t!” You screamed at her while she disappeared in the crowd.

And she was right you didn’t really need to go to the bathroom, you just wanted some time out from Lea’s craziness. I mean, you were really enjoying Coachella but her pace was a little too much for you and this was only the first day, you still had a lot ahead of you. You walked around the field while the sun reflected on your already tanned skin while you walked around the field, amused by all the colors and all the people walking around, taking pictures, drinking, and even making out in the middle of everyone. You were still getting used to the different lifestyle, though it wasn’t so bad, you where actually really enjoining it.

You looked down at your outfit, it was really pretty. A white lace top, baggy yellow pants, and white -actually, already kinda brown- sneakers that tied the whole outfit together. Maya had offered to pick your outfits for the festival and since she was studying fashion design you didn’t doubt it for a second.

All the walking in the sun was starting to make you thirsty so you walked to the nearest stand and asked for a bottle of water.

“Sure, it’ll be $5.99 for the large one” This shit is expensive as hell, you thought, while you looked through your pockets for your money.

“Fuck” You whispered when you remember Lea kept your bag when she asked for her ID when the crazy security guy told her she wasn’t 21 so she couldn’t buy a beer. You only had 5 bucks lying around in your pockets. “Actually, give me the small one” you chuffed and gave her the money.

“Actually, give her the large one” A really deep voice sounded from behind. You immediately turned around and saw a brown haired brown eye really tall guy, dressed in a white shirt and some really ripped ripped jeans giving the stand chick a dollar that she accepted more than happy with a flirty look on her face.

“I- um, what are you doing? I don’t need your money” You were angry, some random dude just paid for you and he didn’t even care to ask. The girl gave you a bad look and passed you the water. “No thanks” You told her and left, I am not going to give him the satisfaction, you thought, and walked away not even caring to back at him even though you felt his heavy look resting in your eyes.

“Hey!” You heard him screaming at you and picked up your pace, which if we’re being honest was completely useless since the guy was like really fucking tall compared to you. “You forgot your water” He said and handed you the transparent bottle, at this moment you were thirsty as hell and had no money at all to buy another one, but since you’re you and that meant you were pretty stubborn, you were not going to accept that water.

“Thanks but no thanks, I’ll just buy another one with my money” You kept walking.

“But you have no money” He let out a little smirk.

“Oh but I have, I just need to find my friends” You acted like you were looking for someone in the crowd, standing on your toes.

“I can help you find them” He insisted. He was actually being nice but at this second you were too angry to think about the fact that he was trying to help.

“Sure, why don’t you go to hell?” Yeah that was kinda hard. Whatever.

“I mean, I would but then I won’t be able to look at you anymore” He was trying to be funny, ok then.

“What’s your-“ You looked at him and actually noticed him. He was wearing a white shirt that made his toned arms stand out, some really ripped ripped jeans and a hanging earring on his left ear. You felt like someone had just punched you in the chest and were out of breath. His eyes were a really pretty light brown like his hair, his lips were big and red and- wait what are you doing Amara? You’re staring! “-problem?”

“Um... yeah” He bit his lip, looked down at the ground, and then back at your eyes. You felt the air getting heavier. “I just wanted to help you out, it was only a dollar, j- just accept it would you?” He passed you the bottle again only this time you accepted it. Was it his eyes? Or maybe his lips? Or it could be the way he looked at you? But all the anger inside you disappeared the second you looked at him, you couldn’t even remember why you were angry in the first place.

“Thanks” You whispered, you were about to repeat it because you thought he didn’t hear because all the noise around you, but he nodded.

“Well... I’ll get going” He said and waved goodbye. He gave you a last glance and walked away. You immediately fell bad, wrong, like something was missing.

“Wait!” You yelled as walked towards him. He turned around and you could already see a big fat smile trying to escape his lips. “I’m actually lost, could you help me find my friend?” You felt your face getting hot as he let out that smile, showing his perfect smile with his perfect white teeth.

“What did you said your name was?” He asked without breaking the smile from his face.

“I didn’t” You shrugged with a smirk on your face. “I’m Amara” He smiled and nodded.

“Nice to meet you Amara, I’m Grayson”