#great gatsby just... happened on stage really

[ohmyoverland]

Water for Elephants was a much better musical adaptation that The Great Gatsby tbh

[thegreatgatzbi]

i finally caved and listened to the only tracklist i could find for the great gataby musicaland By God This Sounds Like Shit. Dear Fucking Lord.

maybe they changed things up after that recording but LORD ALMIGHTY it seems like they just didnt understand the story at ALL from what i could bare listening to.

[vivitalks]

Last night I saw the Great Gatsby musical. Before I went, I reread the Great Gatsby book (for the first time since 11th grade!) to get a refresher on the source material and the original story. Having the book so fresh in my mind made seeing the musical really interesting, and now I am going to do something I never thought I'd do, which is post some lengthy meta about The Great Gatsby. If you haven't seen the musical, this post may still be interesting to read, but it does contain some mild spoilers, so I leave that up to you. If you also haven't read the book, godspeed lol.

There's a lot I could talk about here when it comes to the way the book was adapted for the stage. But there's one particular thing I want to zero in on in this post, and that's the "unreliable narrator" of it all.

In the book, Nick Carraway is our narrator. He's an unreliable narrator practically by default - the idea is that he's retelling events that occurred two years prior, from memory. But even knowing that Nick is probably not reporting all events and characters with complete accuracy, it's hard to know which parts exactly are wrong, or what might have happened in reality, because even though he's an unreliable narrator, he's still the only narrator and this is the only version of events we know. We're forced to take Nick as our surrogate and take him at his word. Until the musical.

(I wondered how the show was going to deal with the fact that the story of Great Gatsby is not only told by an unreliable narrator but also by an outside perspective - generally speaking the events of the Great Gatsby aren't happening to Nick, they're just kind of happening around him. Yet he's the voice of the story, so in that way he's central to it, and I was curious how they were going to balance that fact with the fact that Gatsby is functionally the main character.

I think they struck a really good balance in the end. Nick's beginning and ending lines, lifted verbatim from his book narration, frame him clearly as the anchor of the story - I think that's the best word for it; the audience jumps from scene to scene, many but not all of which contain Nick, but we know that Nick is always going to be where the action is, or that he will at least know about it. He may not be the main character, but he's an essential character. But I digress a little bit.)

The difference between the way the story is imparted to the audience in the book versus in the musical boils down to this: in the book, Nick "plays" every character, so all their dialogue and actions, their mannerisms and the way they're described and reported, it's all informed by the beliefs Nick holds about them. Whether he means to or not, his biases paint certain characters in certain lights, and because he is our eyes and ears to the story, we have no choice but to absorb those biases.

But in the musical, every character is literally played by a different actor. Nick can only speak for himself. Nick can only tell his own parts as they happened. He may be "telling" the story, but we're watching the story. We have the benefit of an unblemished perspective on things - we can watch the events the way they actually unfold, regardless of how Nick believes or remembers they went down.

This difference - between Nick as the narrator and Nick as merely his own voice - is crucial in how the musical develops each character, some of them fairly different from how Nick described them in the book. And there's one book-to-stage change - a fairly small one, all things considered - that, to me, illustrated this difference perfectly.

There's a line towards the end of the Gatsby book. Something Nick says in narration, after his final conversation with Tom Buchanan, talking about how Tom gave away Gatsby's name and location to George Wilson (which ultimately led to Gatsby's death). Nick writes:

"I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…"

When I read this line in the book, I couldn't help vehemently agreeing. Screw those rich assholes! Money does corrupt! Tom and Daisy ARE careless wealthy people! It was easy to side with Nick, not only because he was the only perspective on the situation that I had, but also because he said this in internal response to a conversation with Tom, who, I think we can all agree, is a major jackass and a deeply unsympathetic character.

But in the musical, this line is spoken aloud by Nick. And he says it to Daisy, in her house, as she's packing up to skip town after Gatsby's death. In fact, he doesn't just say it; he shouts it, visibly and audibly outraged at her audacity to lead Gatsby on, ghost him, skip his funeral, and then move away to avoid the fallout. Nick is angry and highly critical of Daisy. But because we're no longer confined to his shoes, we also get to see Daisy's reaction - not as Nick remembers it, but as Daisy actually reacts. And because of that, we're able to really see, and confirm, that "Daisy is rich and careless" is not the full story.

I have to credit Eva Noblezada for a phenomenal performance (duh). Daisy in this scene is emotional, grieving, and it's clear she has been trying to contain these feelings for the sake of her husband and her own sanity. She's remorseful, not that Gatsby is gone necessarily, but that she allowed herself to entertain the fantasy of running away with him, only for it to be torn from her. She is trying to make the best of her unavoidable reality. And then Nick tears her a new one, calling her careless, accusing her of destroying things and being too rich to care.

And as I watched that scene, I was no longer wholly on Nick's side. I understood that this situation was so much more complex than Nick's chastisement acknowledged. Sure, Daisy wasn't innocent, but she also wasn't the callous rich girl Nick made her out to be. She did love Gatsby. And she also had a whole life with Tom. She had a daughter. She was a woman in the 1920s! That's a kind of life sentence even wealth can't erase.

The way Daisy responded may not quite have landed with Nick (if we consider the kind of fun possibility that the musical is the events as they happened and the book is Nick retelling those events as he remembers them two years later, then clearly Nick's disdain for Daisy's actions overtook whatever sympathy he felt for her), but the musical gave Daisy the opportunity to appeal to us. The audience. Having this omniscient perspective of things allowed us to draw our own conclusions, and I found myself a lot more sympathetic towards Daisy when I could both see and hear how she responded to Nick's verbal castigation.

In the book, Nick is the narrator. In the musical, Nick is a narrator. But he's no longer the sole arbiter of the story. The audience got to make our own judgements on the events as we witnessed them. Every one of us was a Nick - beholden to our own biases, maybe, but at least not beholden to his.

[king-of-colors]

happy birthday jeremy jordan!!

because it's his birthday, i drew jay gatsby climbing back over the fence after only tea. because i thought it was funny and it turned out better than i expected. colored version and uncolored.

also this. rip the quality (i traced the set pieces on the side and his silhouette guys, no i'm not that good at drawing)

now i'm going to yap about jeremy for far too many paragraphs, feel free to scroll past lmao

some of this may be inaccurate or out of order (or incoherent) because, honestly, i don't remember all the details of my jeremy journey (instinctively went to type 'jordan'-)

okay, so, although i've only known who he is for about seven months, i guarantee that watching hazbin hotel is one of the best decisions i could've ever made. because then i learned about jeremy, fell in love with his voice, then watched newsies. and so my love for musical theater was born and now i'm a complete and utter theater nerd (as many people who know me can tell you lmao).

because i have far too much free time, i will now construct a vague timeline of when i watched/discovered things jeremy's in. like i said, far too much free time.

i watched hazbin on april 1st and 2nd, binged it pretty fast lmao. completely didn't know beforehand that it was a musical, so that was a nice surprise. and, yeah, this lucifer guy, love him to death (haha). then this video popped up on my youtube home page, and i really like hazbin, so sure why not.

fast forward a bit, i looked at jeremy's imdb or wiki page and wait- huh? he's in tangled the series?? (which is actually a really funny coincidence, because a few years back, early on during the pandemic, i watched the first episode of tts. which is indeed the one with varian. so i'd actually heard him before). so i figured, why not watch that, i know jeremy jordan has a great voice.

sometime around here, i start watching yt vids of jeremy's performances. she used to be mine, it's all coming back to me now, all those. also gave the english concept album of death note a listen, since i'd seen it on jeremy's wiki page.

it's the end of april now, and i'm going somewhere with no wifi for a little over a week, so i download tts. (funny story, i accidentally didn't download the last two episodes, so i started s2, and was just confused. like huh?? i didn't see that happen.. my dumbass didn't realize that i was missing episodes until i was like a bit into s2. tragic)

few days in, i remember that i actually have newsies downloaded somewhere, and hey isn't jeremy jordan in that? (recognized it from aforementioned yt vid on hazbin actors) so i watch it and fuck yeah that was pretty good, loved the set especially.

(here's when i added santa fe to my playlist. before i watched newsies, actually.)

fast forward through may (honestly, may was a blur lmao). i finished tts, was briefly obsessed with wicked, discovered a few more projects jeremy was in (lsoh, b&c), found out he could've been in the greatest showman, watched la la land, finally gave chappell roan a listen. stuff like that.

june (and also july)! and, what's this? the great gatsby? (the first three releases) loved past is catching up to me, didn't realize roaring on was noah ricketts, etc. then the bonnie & clyde proshot (i managed to find a slime on yt, unfortunately it got deleted. i do have it downloaded if anyone wants it)

august. watched the last five years (i didn't know it was told backwards from her perspective and forward from his because i didn't read the summary. do you know how confused i was 💀)

september! one of the best months of my life ngl. saw the great gatsby on the 13th (and hamilton on the 25th). saw the whole cast except for noah ricketts (dan rosales was brilliant though). it was amazing bro, no other notes really. when i first saw him on stage, i nearly died, and then he started singing and i actually did /pos. everyone was so good, i can't even

and, yeah, here we are.

i don't know why i decided to make this post help 😭

if you read all this, thank you? i guess?

have a nice day and, idk, stop scrolling tumblr, take a break

[im-out-of-it]

PSA: SNEAK PEEK 3x11

now that 3A is done and we have grieved everything, let’s see what’s in store:

this dumbass storyline where we all have to feel bad for jace I WONT DO IT (yeah love so good that they didn’t tell anyone jace came back from the dead and created more problems, such a great love) (and I’m tired of people making excuses for him) (also I’m tired of Izzy saying “I understand” girl stop)

I mean Magnus literally sacrificed his magic but yeah go ahead and treat it as nothing. I’m sorry but it’s such a fucking disservice to Magnus. Jace is going out and getting himself killed like yes he’s allowed to be upset by what’s happened but go get help instead

Alec being a top tier boyfriend

Magnus has a lucky one

and I hate this no magnus magic storyline (I just wish it were better) but it brought us some great moments. I personally wanted it a different way

Alec, how dare you?

he’s one of the greatest directors and Alec will appreciate that. I’m so ashamed of Alec and I apologize for him in advance (great gatsby is a classic)

it does take too long so my heart goes out to Magnus

ALEC 🥹

it gets us one of my favorite intimate small moments

Alec: what could stop you from kissing me? CRIME

it’s okay, we will all see how they get 👀 (if anyone has been keeping an eye on my miniseries collection, I may have overdone it and partially why I didn’t want to do season three content for Magnus and Alec)

I really love how Magnus gets in this episode. all of Magnus’s life, he has been the one to help everyone. he had his magic and he didn’t feel so empty and useless without it. it’s nice to see Magnus go through this stage of “who am I without my magic” and how he handles that. I do wish more was focused on this aspect. I relate so hard to it

this is the shit that makes me mad. so Maia isn’t allowed to take time off after her abusive ex came back to town and made shit worse? and I’m sure Izzy didn’t mean it in this way but the way she says it- GIRL STOP. you literally went away after the whole yin fein thing and were one of the reasons Magnus got swapped with valentine. so don’t try playing that. “sometimes people need to be around people. Simons like that and so am I” NO NO NO WE ARE NOT DOING ANY OF THIS. I hated how they wrote Izzy in this scene and I still do

GIF CREDITS FOR SNEAK PEEK 3x11:

gif by lightbanewoods

gif by stydiaislove

gif by shadowhuntertvsource

gif by cinematv

gif by cinematv

gif by userarmand

gif by duckflyfly

gif by meliorn

I still have a bunch left to do but I will be starting 3x11 shortly and no I’m not looking forward to it 😭

[randomsufff]

Ok fuck it- I keep seeing the Great Gatsby pop up (thanks Gravity Falls lmao) and recently saw The Great Gatsby on Broadway and I need to spill out my thoughts on this musical

I’ll hold off my grips with it compared to the book till the very end- since I know a lot of argument around this musical is that it’s an adaptation and the adaptors are liable for taking creative liberties. Which- yeah! That’s valid! But I’d argue that in order to adapt something successfully, if you’re gonna make huge (and I mean HUGE) changes to the source material, it’s gotta somewhat follow some reason that makes sense for the characters and/or adds some layer or depth to the story or else you get something like HBOs Velma. But more on that in either an entirely other post or later depending on how long this gets

Read bellow if you want a really fucking long, detailed description of the show and what I think it did right and very, very wrong.

I will say- as a TLDR rn- I thought the show was just…ok. Like- “yeah that show sure was a musical.” kind of ok. The good songs and amazing spectacle of a few of the numbers kinda cancel out the bad pacing and really questionable narrative choices the show made. Also- hearing Eva Noblezada sing live changed my life.

OK- so I’ll start out by saying- I believe we had basically all the original current cast except for Jordan Baker was played by Traci Elaine Lee (who was absolutely phenomenal so I’m not too sad about missing Samantha Pauly)

I really thought the show was ok. Like I don’t hate it vehemently but I don’t love it either. I feel like the only reason it’s so famous is because of its two powerhouse leads (Hot take? Maybe.) Anyways, I don’t know how to go about this so we’ll go list form

1) PACING WAS ATROCIOUS

Again, not even comparing it to the novel- the pacing felt really off and didn’t even make much sense story wise. Like we would rush past certain information and then linger on scenes that didn’t really need to be lingered on? At least to me, I felt like there was other stuff the show should have prioritized showing- CAUSE THATS THE THING WITH THIS SHOW- is that they TELL not SHOW a LOT of information- so it kinda just feels like you’re being tossed plot without experiencing it.

For example, literally as soon as the show starts, Nick and party goers just throw all the information about Gatsbys party and being mysterious at the beginning by telling us and not showing, like he never shown to be cryptically hanging around in the first like 20 minutes of the show (at least that I remember- there was a lot happening in the opening number 😭) . Which sucks because they did this REALLY COOL thing right before the show started where Gatsby was standing there and was immediately gone as soon as a screen passed. LIKE YOU COULDN’T HAVE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN WHEN THEYRE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT HIM???

(Also- recently saw a rehearsal (?) video where Gatsby like actually opened the opening song “Roaring On”, and that would have been great if they kept that! Because looking back, I felt like Gatsby had the least amount of stage time. Which probably I sn’t actually true, but it really felt like it. Like where is the main guy??? His first appearance (after his little disappearing act) is like, 20 minutes into the show. Idk for something that’s called “The Great Gatsby” he sure wasn’t on stage a lot. )

Then a couple scene later, Gatsby reveals to Nick- a man he JUST MET FACE TO FACE- that he’s in deep love with his married cousin and asks him TO HIS FACE that he wants him to set up a meeting with her. And then they move on. Like???

If you watched the show, maybe this’ll make sence to you, maybe this won’t, but it feel like they rushed past everything in the original source material, and only expanded and talked at length the aspects they wrote in.

Also the ending was so. Incredibly. Rushed. Like we don’t even get to see Daisys reaction to killing/hitting Myrtle. As soon as the fight at the Plaza ends everything else happens in like 15 minutes. Are you kidding me. WE DONT GET TO SEE DAISY ACTUALLY HIT MYRTLE. They did the ol’ “Bright lights get shined at the audience as character pretends to get hit” but that’s it! Literally THE REASON why Gatsby is killed and we don’t get to see it or their reactions in the moment. They just… tell us what happened instead of showing it to us. (“Daisy tried to swerve to the next lane but there was a car coming- and then… she just peeled off. She’s packing now…” YOU COULDN’T SHOW THIS TO US???) No idea of how Daisy or Gatsby reacted immediately after, only the next day. No rambled and frightened dialogue of their game plan, no glimpse into Daisys psyche where it’s shown she’s not going to choose Gatsby after all. Nothing.

Oh! And guess how long Gatsbys funeral was? Like a minute long. Just Nick sitting next to a casket in the background while party goers, Jordan and Wolfsheim dismiss Gatsby with a throwaway line. Like bro… that’s your main lead character… shouldn’t you give him, idk , at least more than a minute on stage when he dies? And like yeah I get that that’s the point that he’s forgotten, but I thought it was going to be more prominent than that! Give me Nick standing solemnly next to a casket thats dead center on a completely empty stage while he narrates how no one showed up. How despite the riches and infamy, no one, not even Jays own father (cause literally no one was by the casket on stage but Nick) showed up for his funeral. Instead of weirdly dismissing it like it’s not important?

2) NICK AND JORDENS “RELATIONSHIP”

Nah this actually pisses me off because there’s literally no point in this being so highlighted when it literally goes fucking nowhere.

So their relationship arc goes like this: Jorden says relationships sucks because she wants to be an independent woman in the 20s. Nicks like, I am not looking for a relationship but if we were in one I’d let you do all those things. They flirt, almost kiss, flirt more, do kiss, Nick says “let’s get married /j” Jorden says “yeah let’s get married /srs”, they get ENGAGED, they fight after discussing if they inadvertently caused Myrtle’s death (Jorden intentionally let Myrtle know where they were going that night), break up, and never speak to each other the rest of the show.

HELLO? What the actual fuck was the point of this then? If you wanted to expand Jorden to be the independent, feminist, girlboss *cough lesbian cough* that she is, just let her stay single?? She doesn’t need to be with Nick if you want her to be a part of the main cast.

The main problem I have with this is that the musical put wayyyy too much emphasis on it. And it’s so funny because there’s this big, dramatic, movie-esc pause Nick does after he says “I don’t want to marry you”, and sorry to the people who genuinely gasped, but be fr, are we surprised??? Jordan has been saying from literally her first line that men/marriage sucks, and that she would never do that willingly- then when she get married to a guy she knows for, at most? 1-2 weeks (idk how long the musical take place over), I’m supposed to take that relationship seriously????

In fact, I felt like their relationship often overshadowed Gatsby and Daisys, which shouldn’t happen, because the whole fucking shows about Gatsby.

For example, they steamrolled Gatsby and Daisys reunion with a budding Jordan and Nick plotline, for some reason??? Like they literally show Gatsby and Daisy seeing each other, have them say a few sentences wistfully reminiscing their first meeting, then have them go inside the house while their silhouettes are shown talking while the audience stays with Nick and Jorden OUTSIDE as they joke and almost kiss each other. HUH??? How are you going to literally push your years-long, slow burn yearning MAIN ROMANCE reunion to the side for a budding relationship that came out of nowhere and frankly dosent need to exist? And since we’re not going book accurate, you can actually SHOW how Gatsby and Daisy fall back into each others orbit, how their conversation went. But no.

It got so bad that I honestly can’t tell if one of the themes of this musical is something about marriage because of how much they pushed the “married/ people in a relationship” dynamic. Like what are you trying to tell me? All marriages are doomed??? I don’t even know (mayhaps just me being aroace)

What grips me the most is that they don’t even get any closure. Like they literally never speak to each other after that night Myrtle is killed. (Mostly cause the show ends literally 5 minutes later). The whole show they put these two together, build up their romance, show them having cute and funny moments together… all for what? For nothing?

AND I DID LIKE THEM. They were a cute couple, and their chemistry and jokes together were funny and charming. Their dynamic was interesting too, with Jordan wearing the pants, so to speak, and insisting she maintain her freedom while in marriage/ a relationship which wasn’t heard of in the 20s. But for all that to end because Jorden didn’t want to tell the cops Gatsby and Daisy possible ran her over/they’re partially responsible??? Like they INVESTED. SO. MUCH. in this relationship (to the point where they got ENGAGED???) that it feels so stupid and dumb for it to end like “wow you’re heartless :c I don’t want to marry you anymore :ccc” “well too bad, L, you’re guilty too asshole. Bye.”

AND what really grinds my gears is that if they cut this whole shit out, or at least made it more in the background, it would give more time to flesh out the few other problems I have with this show

3) SONG… EFFICIENCY (?)

Ok last point that’s not as much of a complaint as the others, but it was still something that bothered me. Some of the songs just say nothing/ repeat stuff we already know. Mainly thinking of (and sorry to people who like these songs- I’m not saying they’re bad! They’re just not a lot of info there) “For Her”, “Go”, or “Shady”

Like “For Her”, he’s just saying “I did [list of things involved with his fame/money] for her” for 4 minutes and you don’t even know who “her” is until like, the last line. Like this could have been a perfect opportunity to deep dive into Gastbys upbringing/ past, but the most the musical goes into Gatsby’s past is that he was in the war. Like you don’t get the sense that this man worked his way literally from the ground up for this woman. It’s just so repetitive that, even though it was Jeremy Jordon, I was getting bored halfway through.

AGAIN, this is not slandering Jeremy Jordan (JJ stans please spare me), you could have the most amazing Broadway singer sing with the best technique, but if it’s a dull, repetitive song, PERSONALLY, I’d be bored. They could have just combined this with another song, or as I suggested, add more purpose to the song and maybe put it later in the musical.

Similarly, “Go” (and, AGAIN, love Jeremy and Eva) was super repetitive and could have just been reduced to dialogue.

And “Shady”, though also a really good song, frankly could have been cut out. For some reason the musical really wanted Wolfsheim to be a main antagonist/prominent character and gave him this song- but there’s nothing in it that wasn’t already implied in the first Act and it really has nothing to do with any of the other characters, other then a vague “Jay and Daisy” gotta keep their affair secret (which… yeah I think we know that, but also to compare that to… hiding dead bodies and minding your own business- it’s???? Idk what they were going for)

(Tbh- I conversed with my dad who also mainly wanted to see the show for Jermey Jordan and Eva Noblezada and he said that none of JJ songs were that memorable, which I kinda agree with. He’s a great singer, a very talented man, but the songs he was made to sing in this show were not it. Just nothing of substance or catchiness. Which SUCKS. Because how are you going to get someone like Jeremy Jordan and not have him sing an absolute banger? But weirdly, none of his songs (maybe except “Only Tea” which I really liked) stood out which I’m so disappointed about.)

—————————

Ok that’s all just as it’s own thing (mostly) NOW MY FUCKING PROBLEMS WITH IT COMPARED TO THE BOOK

1.B) NICK AND GATSBY’S FRIENDSHIP

THIS IS THE BIGGEST ONE- Nick and Gatsby friendship is so fucking integral to the original, and it feels like it didn’t even exist in the musical.

Like regardless on whether you ship them or see them as friends- Nick was Jays only fucking friend. He was the ONLY ONE who truly cared about him and went to his funeral when no one else did. In the book, Nick did So. Much. just because he wanted to for Gatsby. Gatsby had to ask Jorden to ask Nick to set up his tea meeting, he attempts to charm and lavish him in trips, and even tries to pay the man to get him to agree. But Nick refuses and is even offended that Gatsby would pay him money for such a thing and immediately accepts the night he finds out. And they actually hung out! Like a lot! At least before Jay asks him for the tea request. And though it could been because he wanted to make it easier for Nick to say yes, they were friendly with each other, and felt like actual pals. Nick genuinely was worried about Gatsby at the end, and even tried to warn him about what he was attempting to do multiple times.

In the musical that bond is just… not there. They rush past meeting each other, they never hang out one on one, and any interaction between them seemed slightly aggressive or politely concerned, like one would be to a stranger, which they technically are!!! The only reason he agrees to Gatsbys plan is basically petty revenge against Tom for punching Myrtle and being an asshole to Daisy/ in general. (Which- I feel like a move thats so out of character for Book!Nick cause he also dislikes Daisy.) Like Nick never learns Gatsbys backstory here (I don’t think he ever tells it, not even to the audience).

The “ you can’t repeat the past” line seemed more aggressively exasperated in delivery then the more soft concern for a close friend I initially read it as. And the “you’re worth more then whole rotten crowd put together” line didn’t really hit as hard because they don’t feel like close friends and nowhere in the show has Nick expresses this pedestal he puts Gatsby on like in the book.

Literally the only times they’re together alone is their initial meeting, and setting up for tea at Nicks. Every other time either Gatsby is with Daisy or Nicks with Jorden. They could have at least put together a cool ass montage of them hanging together, using those moving panels, going through diffrent activities as Jay introduces himself with his Oxford and army line, instead of dumping it all on him on their literal first meeting in his study.

(Also noted that they made it so Gastby owns the property Nick lives on and is renting it out for the man. Idk why they did this- to make it so Nick is indebted to Gatsby??? Also Gatsby vaguely threatens/ says something with a condescending/threatening aura (???) before Nick leaves after Jay ASKS A MAN .5 SECONDS AFTER MEETING HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME FACE TO FACE for the tea set up. Like there was a moment where he held onto Nicks hand as they shake goodbye, held his eye and said a line (I forgor) and kinda stood there staring him down before Nick awkwardly left. LIKE WHAT WAS THAT???? WHO ARE YOU???? WHY??? Literally doing everything to make sure no one can ship them)

2.B) THEY STRAIGHT-IFIED MY BOY.

NICK WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU. It felt like they wanted to take away any whiff of an implication that this man is gay. Like literally no build up to Jay and Nicks friendship, no meaningful scenes between the two, going head first and completely committing to Jordan, AND THE MR MCKEE SCENE BEING LIKE THAT.

AND MR MCKEE, IM SO, SO SORRY WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO YOU. They made him to be some predator who harasses Nick the whole party scene. And this could have been so. easy. to fit into the queer lens if the actor who plays Nick (Noah J Ricketts, fucking what a talented man) acted interested in Mr.McKee but was actively restraining himself and trying not to engage in order to save face in front of Tom and Co. (Please, please, please- making a prayer circle and manifesting that one of the later actors does this down the line) But noooooo, Nick is shown to be mildly uncomfortable while McKee follows him around (in an unfortunately a banger of a song) EVEN THOUGH IN THE BOOK NICK ACTIVELY ENGAGES WITH HIM IN HOMOEROTIC DIALOGUE AND EVEN GOES TO BED WITHBNANJSBSJB

3.B) Jordan’s Purpose

Already touch this before but what the hell was the point of Jordan here. I love the “cool independent woman in the 20s” angle they were going for, but then why the hell would you immediately shackle her to a romantic relationship with Nick when that goes against literally everything she stands for. And I’m not saying she can’t get in relationships, but the speed in which SHE of ALL PEOPLE, was like “Yes I want to get married to you for real” make me…

Sure it was said in the novel that Nick and Jorden were together, but he was always flighty about her; saying he was attracted to her but also hated some of her qualities (dishonesty and heartlessness). It wasn’t the main focus like it was here (I can’t even remember much of their relationship in the book tbh) and they didn’t invest so much in it as they did in the musical that it didn’t feel out of nowhere or too much of a big deal when they broke up. Like it fr felt like the musical held up a “Gasp Now” sign when Nick said he doesn’t want to get married to her cause they wanted that moment to hit so hard for some reason???

AND. There was an ACTUAL PURPOSE to Jordan relationship with Nick in the book (a representation of the wealth he was attracted to then repulsed by [*cough* also contributing the “Nick is Queer” lens *cough*]) they… kinda? did it in the musical? And it would have been boosted by Nicks new naivety in the musical, but it falls short because they never speak again, or really explain Jordan’s value on wealth and herself is why it went wrong other then a “you’re heartless” line that feels out of nowhere. (Idk maybe I was too focused on how pointless that relationship felt that I failed to noticed if Nick had a Big RevelationTM here on Wealth and Jordan)

4.B) Character Differences

Some of them are great, like there’s more dimensions to some, but some character choices, I’m like- that goes against everything they’re supposed to represent in the book.

Like I found it so weird how willing Daisy was to run away with Gatsby in the musical when in the book it was more obvious, at least I read it so, that she was holding back a bit and was never going to run with Gatsby that far. Like wdym Gatsby could have had it all if he just ran with Daisy then, WDYM HE SAID NO BECAUSE OF HIS PRIDE???? HUH? WHERE did this priority of PRIDE come from???? When Daisy’s RIGHT. THERE. Like she was sobbing, begging him to run with her. In what universe would Gatsby turn that down???

Like many people say, this seems like it’s supposed to be a love story between Gatsby and Daisy, but in the book it’s pretty obvious how Daisy isn’t as committed to Gatsby then she is Tom cause of their Old vs New money.

And Myrtle? Why did she suddenly turn back to George? I felt like the only reason why that happened is cause the creators wanted shock and tragedy factor. Like “aw she finally found peace in where she is but oops now she’s dead”

And it would have been good if they actually showed why she thought this beyond the 3 minute song, cause that’s not enough time for someone who only chased after money to do a 180. Like, sure she figured Tom would just move on from her (YES EVERYONE CHEERED, GREAT CHARACTER MOMENT) but George isn’t shown to be that great either in his last moments with her. I mean he locked her in the house? Bathroom? and was pretty violent towards her. Sure we learn earlier that he’s doing a lot for her but we never SEE it. He sings to US the audience about his dream to move them out and live a nice life but not to HER which could have been a cute point of connection but nooooooo.

They also made Nick like, kinda naive. Like he really likes Daisy and Jorden and I guess Gastby (though it’s not shown) compared to his counterpart who know how money corrupts and kinda hates everyone (even Gatsby at points). Any I feel like they could have done well with making him naive to that fact, to really make this a tragedy (like Hadestown esc) but they fell short somehow. I think it’s cause the ending was so rushed. Like there wasn’t enough time to show the consequences of everyone’s actions and how hurt and changed he is. It all flys by in like 7 minutes.

—————————

Ok now we’re done being cynical- here are the good things I liked

1.C) The woman are 3-Dimensional yay/ Nicks also here

Myrtle’s song (Second-Hand Suit) is phenomenal. Great way to introduce more character and backstory to someone who originally had none.

Also, again, loved Jordan’s independence angle (if only they WENT SOMEWHERE WITH IT) and I lowkey loved the “well Tom cheats why can’t you” line and Daisy’s whole attitude as she one ups Tom in the dinner table scene. Also Daisy was already kinda complex in the book, but it really shows how turmoiled she is here and that’s interesting,

And despite how I kinda ragged on it, I really did like Nicks personality throughout the musical. He was sooo humorous in a way he wasn’t in the book. Also, thinking about it, his nativity is an interesting spin on his character that I really would have liked if it was executed properly.

2.C) The songs fucking slap

I can’t lie, most of these songs are bangers. I have half of the songs on loop. Not to mention the actors who sing them are absolutely incredible. I won’t lie, I was mostly interested in this musical cause of Jeremey and Eva; and Eva, holy shit, is an absolute powerhouse to witness live. I was So. Surprised by how effortlessly she sang notes and how clear and crisp they were (“Absolute Rose” was… idk what it was about that song, but I’m obsessed with how she sang that song, [except the “open” part? Idk it grates me for some reason???] even though it’s not my favorite song) Like she truly embodies Daisy Fay and it was incredible to see that in person.

However, the rest of the cast was so incredible too, ESPECIALLY MYRTLE (Chilina Kennedy). Holy Fuck is that woman amazing at singing. Her two songs she sang absolutely ate, like I’m obsessed with her voice. Wolfsheim (Eric Anderson) and George (Paul Whitty) also had amazing voices.

Also NICK??! Holy shit, I’m so sorry you’re not in like any promotional stuff cause you fucking killed it. The way I’m obsessed with how he sings “If only I’d knew then, that I would never be the same” in “Roaring On” and how he sings “The Met” is amazing

3.C) Visuals- kinda

Some of the visuals were ok tbh- kinda boring- but the ones that went big, WENT BIG. Of course “New Money”, “Roaring On” and “The Met” are the ones that stand out the most in my mind. “New Money” and “Roaring On” are exactly what you probably think it is, big dance numbers with sparks and huge lights. But I loved “The Met” cause the furniture slid around and literally moved around Nick while people drifted in and out of the room. It was just great to watch visually.

4.C) THE ENDING NUMBER HOLY SHIT

I. Love. Love. LOVE. How they brought back the opening number, and the theme of party goers going on from party to party to show how unimportant Gatsby was to the world, and how everyone moved on.

Like, Nick stood in the center of the stage, reciting the end of the book, in tears and voice cracking, as the ensemble in the back slowly get revealed and are just having a grand ol time looking for the next party. Just- chills. It was amazing conceptually and they pulled it off so well.

If the musical got nothing else in terms of structure going for it- at least they got the last minute right cause omg, I love when media has opposing moods in the same scene, and they did so well here.

—————————

Overall, yeah. Not horrible but I don’t love it. The lack in plot and nonsense relationships and complete disregard of the book didn’t totally ruin the musical cause I had a good time and liked the songs and such but I would not go back and re watch it.

I think of you know nothing about the book or anything about The Great Gatsby other then there’s a guy named Gatsby and he’s great and you just want a nice sounding show, you’ll probably like this, but people who are burdened by the knowledge of the book will be hung up on a lot of things I mentioned here.

Always, long ass post, congrats to anyone who actually read this real informal review. I haven’t gone into how this is a pretty bad adaptation, but I’ll have to do that in another post (if people want to see that) and another time cause this took my literal hours to type out.

(Tbh I might just do the adaptation essay anyways, cause I’ve written at least 4 papers on adaptation in media [and how Groundhog Day the musicals the best Movie to Musicals adaptation] and I love that shit)

[lonelyroommp3]

3, 7, & 37 for the musical asks!

3. what is the newest musical you love? it's not technically the newest because its korean language version has been around since 2016 but going by american theatre wing Best New Musical rules, i've really been enjoying maybe happy ending lately. and by "really enjoying lately" i mean i listened to it once the other week and cried so hard i got scared and haven't gone back. also listened to the dead outlaw EP the other day and really liked it but i wouldn't say i'm at the "i love this musical" stage yet 👍🏻

7. Who is your favourite musical theatre actor? honestly i am not really a Favourite Musical Theatre Actor person anymore. we all remember the number of times i stage doored the view upstairs just for andy mientus. we know i used to be that person. but now i've done drama school and i know people who are working professionally, some of them in BIG shows getting award noms and frequent theatre subreddit namedrops etc and i just feel so weird about stanning or even closely following the careers of any mt actors now. partly because it's like okay, they are just some guy. secondly, what if i work with them one day. i could give a cop out answer here and name some living legend like patti lupone where even people in the industry would shit and throw up at the opportunity to meet her but honestly i'm just trying not to be that guy anymore

with that said, i have reliably enjoyed jamie muscato's work in everything i've seen him in and i am tempted to go and see the great gatsby just to watch him flop deadstyle into the orchestra pit

37. Is there a musical lyric, line, moment etc. that lives in your head rent-free? about five billion different things all ready to emerge at the most annoying possible moment given any vaguely relevant circumstances. i had what you want from legally blonde stuck in my head for an entire 2 hour plane journey the other week because i happened to be flying jetblue (thank you!)

[bokettochild]

Ok so I sent the thing about the great gatsby so let me type it instead sorry about that. The one you didn't understand

I went to see the great gatsby on Broadway I'm a big theater nerd so I kinda was just trying to rant but voice typing doesn't like me.

So I feel like if malon and time brought the chain to see the great gatsby time would kinda be like an air port dad but...city like? Like "do you have your tickets? Is that alcohol free? What if that fell down? Legend why do yoy like this jeremy jordan? We're is the parking malon! Why are people cursing to much" like that

Mean while malon is amazed at what the city looks like she is in awe like "why is the buildings so tall? I think that person waved at me" she is like a kid but she also is keeping an eye on hyrule and wild to make sure they're not running off. Four is just holding malons hand.

Legend is the whole reason their there because he has been dying to see jeremy jordan and eva noblezada on Broadway so both of them in one play? Kill two birds with one stone. Legend is giddy the whole time but like it's not obvious Maybe only to hyrule.

Wind hyrule and wild are like "Oh what's that? Can I touch it? Look shiny! What does that say" their running away giving time a panic attack. Twilight has a literal leash on the three of them.

Twilight and sky are just talking about school and their lovers. Well warriors will add a comment here or there.

Once their in the theater.

Legend is just like star struck when he see jeremy and eva on the stage. Like malon has to physically shut his jaw.

Malon is enjoying the show she likes how it is in the 1920s but she had been close to hitting time four time already because he had no clue what Is happening he is not following anything. Like time mind is just wrecked theirs lights on but no one is home.

Warriors wants to know how they all do their make up that's the only thing he cares about he doesn't care about the drama even though you would think he does all you hear from him is "I gotta ask how they did their make up"

Sky passed out the first five minutes of the show.

Twilight is trying his best not to choke wild because wild hasn't shut up from the beginning of the play he is making refrances and all that.

In the play their is a a sex sence that happens and malon would be like "wars! Cover winds ears and eyes!" In panic

legend Is trying not to laugh at malons panic but he is also covering hyrules eyes but is very in vested.

Four is unfazed by aby of the show.

Then for Mt second rambled I was trying to talk about what Broadway shows I think would fit each linked Universe character.

Like for time either Westside story or the notebook book.

I feel like for warriors newsies or mama mai but like if he was a newises boy he would act out katherine.

I feel like legend would either fit six dear evan hanson or the great gatsby just because it fits him so well or bonnie and clyde.

Wind is the greatest showman or high-school musical.

Wild and twilight I feel like are a bit of descendents but also a bit of Westside story.

Four is hamilton just with all the different personality's.

Hyrule i feel like Cinderella.

Sky I feel like he would a mix of newsies or the waitress because he would just relate with it with sun.

Hope this makes sense.

Much better! Thank you so much! I saw Broadway and really wanted to read it, so I'm real thankful for the second go!

Legend being a theatre nerd that drags the whole family down to see his favorite actor (Jeremy Jordan, heck yeah!) is something I love, and while I've never seen that musical, I'll bet he's loving the whole thing!

The oldest three just chilling and chatting while corralling the rest is gold to me LOL

Hevane help the whole theatre if Time and Wild are sitting next to each other, or worse, with Twi between them. they're both so lost and chatty, and Twi just wants to watch the musical! I'll bet food is the only way to shut them up, and he's plying them both with it so he can hear at least some of what's happening.

The whole family starts slapping each other in the face when things get R Rated. How they missed that while buying tickets, they're not sure, but apparently amidst all his fussing, Time forgot to actually look up anything about the play, just the theatre, the town, the roads, and everything else LOL.

I honestly have no clue which musicals best suit the boys, and have only seen a few, but I love the thoughts you had, at least as far as the ones I actually recognize!

[more-than-tender-curiosity]

this became v long and rambly sorry!

music was decent but unremarkable overall like none of it was particularly memorable. they made the orchestra pit the pool which was kind of cool and the valley of ashes set was nice. other sets were meh imo. the performers were the only reason the entire show wasn't completely flat. esp eva noblezada and the nick i saw (i saw the u/s). they just did not give jeremy jordan much to do except be in love w daisy in their scenes together so his presence just felt kind of awkward on stage. samantha pauly was decent as jordan but the amount of time spent on nick and jordan (mostly them being v In Love and getting engaged) seems to have ended up leaving nick and gatsby on the cutting room floor. like nick and gatsby talk once when gatsby tells him about daisy and asks him to set up a meeting, they interact a bit when gatsby is panicking right before seeing daisy, and then they talk right before gatsby dies. 2/3 are completely about daisy and literally nothing else which is esp irritating given how uninteresting nick and jordan are in their scenes. even the numbers that were meant to be classic splashy broadway dance numbers were really boring (and i say this as someone w a deep fondness for splashy broadway dance numbers) and didn't feel particularly rooted in the time period, which is a missed opportunity imo. i didn't really like much of the choreography either as someone who has no real knowledge about dancing lol -  it just wasn't fun to watch. they tried to use wolfsheim as narrator-adjacent in the 2nd act opening which was incredibly boring. they also try and create tension by having wolfsheim threaten gatsby bc he's hasn't been doing his job or w/e and it does not work at all. myrtle and george's separate numbers in the 2nd act were better than most of the rest of the show. esp myrtle's bc she has a come-to-jesus moment about tom right before getting killed which has more impact than the entire rest of the show. they move the beautiful little fool convo (as a song) to the end which was baffling to me bc nick is like "you're just hiding away w your money when gatsby got killed bc he took the blame for you murdering someone" and then daisy sings about hoping her daughter's a beautiful little fool like ?????? girl wtf are you talking about. it just felt so out of place. found the writing for daisy v frustrating bc they did the thing where they try to make a character more likable by dulling or removing their flaws and end up just removing anything that makes them interesting. tom was so flat. even the way any scene w him was directed was flat, esp when he hits myrtle. no impact at all you barely even notice it happen. i was bored throughout most of the show. i get what you said about it being beautiful but empty but even the parts that could get by on that had no entertainment value.

Oh holy shit it’s worse than I thought. I knew they made nick straight, which yeah fine okay I can step outside my Stupid Gay Nick world long enough to accept that straight nick is the norm, whatever, so disappointing but whatever—

But he and jordan are like. Engaged?…really? Mr. I Wont Be Rumored Into Engagement? Getting engaged to a woman in the spotlight? Who he can’t even admit to loving fully? Are you goddamn motherfucking joking with me right now?

And like. I get that there’s no real villain in the great gatsby and that’s the point, it’s the system not the people whatever. But you mean to tell me they looked at tom, that fucking asshole, and then *didn’t use him to colorize the scenes?* You expect me to believe anyone else is ‘good’ in this when TOM BUCHANAN’S greatest sin is being boring? Where’s the fucking bottom line? Where’s the depth of character?

And then…nick and jay don’t even talk but three goddamn times?

Huh?

What?

I’m serious. Even canon nick fucking carraway admitted to hanging out with him often.

And also WOLFSHIEM AS THE NARRATOR??

Like. It’s very important that nick is the narrator. He fits such a very very specific niche of a character that he just cannot be replaced without damaging the integrity of the story as we know it, which is clearly cut and dry the story they aimed to tell. Do you think fitz’s choice in OPENING THE BOOK discussing not jay and daisy but NICK’S ‘GOOD’ CHARACTER was just an accident??? Hello??? Is anyone seeing this?

I can’t even. Like. Huh???

God it makes me SO mad they fumbled daisy too. In a modern gaze we have sooooo much more room to explore her character and they just fucking. They fumbled the goddamn bag. The failed her, and I’ve already talked about how unfair it was to cast Eva in a role defined by its whiteness. God. I just. Oh my god

[get-your-fuckin-star-bitch]

Every time something dumb happens in the world that gets onto the news, every time someone famous does something absolutely ridiculous, I think about how history is going to look at it in the future.

I think about what we know about the past, our most basic understandings of different events from different time periods. Things get forgotten, yes. We weren’t there, we can’t go back and get the full story. But the stuff we do “remember” matters.

The 1920s are generally associated with art deco style architecture and interior design, Gatsby-style parties… and the Great Depression. Prohibition. The rise of the mafia in america. All a huge turning point for American culture.

The 40s are often mixed up with the 50s, the 50s are mixed up with the 60s, and the 60s are, in turn, mixed up with the 70s, in terms of styles and culture. This is most likely because the 50s were sort of a transitional period between the 40s and 60s in that same respect, but that’s not what matters.

What’s important is this: that is the legacy we have constructed around those decades.

And what about the people?

I mentioned how McCarthy’s remembered in the post I reblogged before this one. In case anyone’s unfamiliar with him, (I dunno, there could be kids on here), McCarthy was a government official back in the 1950s — specifically between 1950 and 1953, if I remember correctly — who is infamous for abusing his political power in order to frame certain people he didn’t like as “communists” who were secretly plotting to stage a communist uprising against the government and selling state secrets and generally just being “scary bad people”. He did this to keep people out of positions of power, and was very successful in doing so, until he tried to accuse a military man of being a communist, thus screwing himself over. Royally.

Does anyone know how people viewed him before all of that went down?

I don’t.

But perhaps that’s just me. I’m sure there’s information to be found on how well-respected and critically acclaimed he was beforehand, (or hated, who knows), but to me, he’s just McCarthy, the man who began and fueled the Red Scare.

And what about people we don’t have any information about anymore?

What about the legends of Greek mythology fame? Who was Hercules, really? Odysseus? Helen of Troy? What were they like, as people, beyond their stories? We don’t know, because our understanding of them begins and ends with the first and last lines of the tales that were told about them.

They were people.

They lived. They died. They did other things beyond that.

So… what I’m trying to say here, is…

I really, really hope that all anyone remembers about Elon is that he was the idiot who made the Cybertruck. It would be really gratifying to me. I hope that’s all my friends’ kids end up knowing about him.

I hope you are remembered for your failings. For the masterpiece of hate you helped to create. For nothing else, and for forever, until even that memory is consumed by rot.

[natgoodmans]

Hi! How are you or have you been? I'm so sorry I haven't replied. I meant to for the last few days but I guess I got too tired. It has nothing to do with you at all..sometimes I just get overwhelmed with replying. I'm so glad you're excited about your trip later this month. I hope you have the most amazing time!

Oh wow cool. I'm sure plays are good but some of them seem so dramatic at times and at least with musicals, the songs break up the drama lol. I forgot that I also watched the play proshot or film that Jeremy Jordan was in called American Son which was a drama and that was good. Cursed Child was in the middle and not too serious either which I think are better..but I guess it would just kinda be like watching one long serious movie with no songs. Stereophonic has songs too so I think it will be easier not to get distracted or lost I guess. I hope you love it and I'm really interested in the band recording an album plot as someone who loves music. But I think something like the play that goes wrong which is a comedy would be fun as a play too. Haha omg..that would be awful to fall asleep during a show haha. That also reminds me to ask you if you have or would ever walk out of seeing a show? Its something I would never do but apparently people do it all the time haha. I feel like that happens because they go in blind or something which I haven't really done either. What about you?

It's really hard to say who I would cast in the SMASH musical cuz they already had Broadway actors in the show haha. Like Megan Hilty seems like the perfect Ivy so idk and it would take me a while to think of a good Karen. That's such a cool fun fact omg. Christian Borle was also great in his role and would be tough to replace in my opinion. I haven't given it much thought but what about you? Definitely someone with a lot of stage presence and star power. I am excited for it cuz I love the tv show and songs mostly and think it has potential to be good.

I totally get what you mean about the cast in a show and it is interesting to me. I think Moulin Rouge is sorta like that with Aaron It's also a reason stunt casting exists too. I do agree the leads make this show good and I honestly haven't thought about the show or music since I heard it but I will always love Jeremy. I still sing Outsiders and the Notebook frequently though so idk maybe you're right. I thought if read the book it might make me like it more but for you it's the opposite lol. I do see why the other version is more appealing based on Florence music, the casting and the Hadestown vibes. I've read a few general reviews and people seem to like it. I think I'm going to watch the Bonnie and Clyde proshot this weekend so I'm excited for that!

I still do wanna read the book though at some point and that might be the reason why I like Outsiders so much honestly. It has made me revisit that story that somehow means more to me now than it ever did. I honestly don't remember much of the book but it made me wanna do a reread lol. Idk if you will be able to rush for it cuz I hear the fans or lines are crazy but I would be so jealous if you did and curious what you would think, but it makes sense you wanna read the book first and watch the movie to compare. I think it does change a few things but like in a Newsies way or maybe it just sorta reminds me of it for some reason lol. I've actually seen a few stage clips and the staging does look really cool. I think I would definitely see this and Gatsby if I could but I have to hope for a bootleg.

Ooh I think what I would revive is such a hard question. My main or original answer would have been Sweeney Todd and that is another show I would definitely wanna see live..and with Aaron ugh...but I have seen some of the bootleg lol. The new Ragtime cast seems great though and I hope that would transfer to Broadway at some point. I like the idea of Gypsy with Audra that's coming too and then there's Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger. Also the last five years is finally coming to Broadway and I'm interested in that cuz I'm unsure of the casting at this point. I think generally something like Hairspray could be fun and I always like West Side but I guess the last revival wasn't good. Next to Normal recent cast would also be a good choice I think if it went to Broadway. There have been so many good revivals lately though like Merrily, Sweeney, Into the Woods, Company, Parade and Camelot to name a few. What about you? I'd be curious to hear your choice. I will send more in a part 2.

hi friend!! i'm good! how are you? 🤍 don't feel bad at all, i always love hearing from you — whether that's immediately, or five months later 🤍

august is going to be a busier month for me too, so really, no pressure to reply right away — i know you've mentioned doing shorter asks too, which is also totally fine! we do not have to do very long asks all the time! whatever you want/feel comfortable with is okay 🤍

i'm a big fan of proshots in terms of making theatre accessible but i am so bad at remembering to watch them ... i totally forgot about american son, and i still haven't seen cursed child. i also still haven't watched the come from away proshot and i love that show. oops. it took me until earlier this year to finally watch the waitress proshot. and... i have actually walked out of two shows before, fun fact. one of them was because of a family emergency and the other one ... well, i fell asleep at a show, we left at intermission since it was ap/ib testing season and i was super stressed and was definitely just like "i'd rather rest at home than see a musical" only to find out my mom's car got broken into! it would take a lot for me to leave a show early i think, unless the show's content was like harmful/disturbing/triggering/etc., i don't think i really would leave a show early unless it was for health reasons or an emergency! there are shows where i try to go in blind if i can! like i'm going into oh mary as blind as i can be — i have very little recollection of cats (especially not this new production), and i've decided not to look into stereophonic (and have also not listened to stereophonic since pre-tonys) any further so i can go in as blind as i can be! there are shows i've gone in completely blind for: oklahoma (i know...), hadestown, the play that goes wrong, kiss me kate — obviously some tryouts i've seen (come from away, jasper in deadland, bliss, austens pride)... i'm sure there are others that i'm just forgetting about but i do really love seeing shows blind (or as uninformed as i can be).

i have no idea who would be a good ivy/karen! i do think it'd have to be some brand new actors (younger ones), but i can't think of someone who would be perfect for ivy, or karen, or anyone really. i feel like i don't really know any of the "young" people on broadway anymore 😭

and yes! i love aaron but i really wish he would leave moulin rouge 😭 i've heard he isn't as tuned into this role as he used to be / is kind of just there which makes me really sad, but also he is just too ... old for it! and i'd love to see some new faces at moulin rouge. i think liam pearce would be great in it! i also actually really want to see him as orpheus (same with john cardoza). i'm in a bit of a reading slump (and also taking a break from classics until i finish my current one) but i really want to get to the outsiders before the year is over and then i can finally get into the musical!!!!!!! i still haven't seen the bonnie & clyde proshot either although i really like it (but i do think jeremy is too old for clyde now — just like i think he was way too old for jack kelly in the newsies proshot haha). unfortunately i'm not able to see it this time :( just no time in the schedule but it is touring! i know they're starting off their tour in tulsa oklahoma, which is super cool! (it's also why i didn't prioritize it this trip)!

god i am SO jealous of everyone who is seeing NYCC ragtime... like seething with jealousy actually! i saw a regional production of ragtime (which i also went into blind! and SOBBED through the entire show) here in seattle and loved it so much. i'm super excited for gypsy with audra and am curious to see who they'll end up casting (i would love for it to be joy woods especially since i don't know how much longer the notebook has on broadway). i'm so :// about the last five years casting! i really, really wish they had cast a jewish actor for jamie. and i also just think that the last five years is such a small, intimate show that it's going to be hard to adapt on a broadway stage. but maybe i will be proven wrong!

west side would be fun with a good cast and well, completely unlike the mess that was that revival 😭 !! i would loveeeee a next to normal revival and that would get me on a plane immediately. and yes i do think we've been very fortunate in revivals lately! i've been on a merrily kick lately, like i simply have not been able to stop listening to it. but i'm always on a sondheim kick 🤍

i feel like i'm always like i want a revival of something and then the show was on broadway less than ten years ago. but god, i would kill for a the bridges of madison county revival with katie rose clark and aaron tveit. i think i would love to see a the wild party revival and a drowsy chaperone revival (god i love drowsy), crazy for you, the secret garden and a chorus line!

see you in a bit for part two! 🤍

[justineps]

“To the most quiet but biggest hearted teacher assistant any teacher could ask for,

Justin Santos, write.

If there is any farewell advice I could give to you, please write, write, write. I have graded your essays for two years, and I have been observant in your ability to speak your thoughts through debates or even presentations and they just do not correlate whatsoever. But did you know? Some of the best writers and also my favorite authors are unable to speak what is on their mind. When I asked the class to write which book they enjoyed the most out of all our assigned readings, many chose The Great Gatsby, East of Eden, but you were the only one to choose, Into the Wild. This book was not part of the school’s academic curriculum and actually a personal recommendation I chose to insert to entertain the spirits who wish to wander and feel like they have no direct path in life. Your major for CSUF is Business Administration but I believe this is just a choice based on your academic gradings. There may be some daunted trauma that lies within you that prevents your nerves from flowing free into the air allowing your mind to be in synchronization with your verbal thoughts, but on paper, I felt as if there were so many to you that you wanted to let out but you were always one to do the minimum in order to get through the next stage. You may have not noticed but I observed how quickly you graded my students’ papers, used the red pen to correct any grammatical errors and fixate them without any doubt that I would reprimand you for doing so. One day, I wish to hopefully see some article, book, paper, written by Justin Santos so that I would be able to gleefully be proud of myself that my intuition about your mind was rightfully so. Thank you for being modest and shy and always smiling if you made a mistake, I could not have asked for a better student assistant to have observed over the past two years. Please keep in touch, and remember the memories our AP English homeroom has shared.

P.S. I know you did not read East of Eden, but have no clue how you managed to receive a passing grade, let alone for the written test questions, which is why I hope to see a book by Justin Santos before our time together passes.

Always with a “plethora” of love,

Ms. Linda Bush.”

My mother had kept this and after years gave it back to me. What did Ms. Bush see in me? Should I reach out to her? Or should I let her know I actually have been writing in a journal everyday. I’ve died two years ago, figuratively, and semi-literally. I say semi-literally because I believe I had a heart failure for about 3 hours, I went outside to get air and I woke up on the floor 3 hours later, thinking I was on my bed. If that was the closest thing to what death feels like, its a bit surreal. There’s no last few seconds, no “wait, I want to say..” it just.. kind of happens. You lose consciousness. And the reason I woke up 3 hours later? I still dont know why. I’m too stubborn to get it checked up. I’m too .. myself to feel like a bother to anyone and think that no one would really care because in the end, no one really does. And I’ve learned to grow completely fine with this over the two years. It has been the loneliest two two years of my life, but I needed it. i dont have any animosity in my heart towards anyone, I dont think i am nearly the same person I was two years ago and as cliche as that sounds, only those that wish to find out and meet me once again will be the judge of that. Theres so many hatred and malicious intentions that humans bear out there in the world, that I really aim to spread the opposite.

I turn 32 in a week, and although my name is still the same, I would gladly like to meet anyone in my past and reintroduce myself.

My name is Justin Santos, and for some reason through the thick of it all, and lonely countless crying nights, am still here.

I am someone who dreams with his eyes open.

[lizzygrantarchives]

Radio.com, August 16, 2013

As a remix of "Summertime Sadness" brings her to radio in a big way, we sit down with Lana Del Rey to discuss the past and the future.

By 10:30 p.m, almost 100,000 people have filed out of Chicago’s Grant Park following the first day of Lollapalooza 2013, held a couple weeks back. As the mass of coming-down kids move toward the exits, Lana Del Rey sits at a picnic table backstage, just far enough away from the noise. It’s so dark where she sits that until you come close enough to catch her eye, the only thing you can really see is the cherry of her cigarette. This post-festival scene is in stark contrast to her “pretty crazy” headlining performance earlier that night.

“I had to go around the world for two years just to have an audience in Chicago,” she told Radio.com. “I mean, I could just have been unpopular forever, that probably would have been a lot less tiring.”

A year and a half later, after all the panning and parodies of Born to Die have come and gone, there’s a touch of fame PTSD in how Lana Del Rey speaks about herself. She references her “not great welcoming into the American public eye,” but the truth of the matter is, we’re in the midst of the second coming of Lana Del Rey. When tastemakers grow tired, artists of a poppy temperament can try the most mainstream, “of the people” medium: radio.

Those who wrote off Lana Del Rey may be surprised to learn that she has a No. 1 song on a Billboard chart (Dance/Mix Show Airplay) this week. And a Top 5 (Hot Rock Songs, where she has multiple songs charting). And a Top 15 (Digital Songs). And, most noteworthy of all, a Top 20 on the Hot 100, where French house DJ/producer Cedric Gervais’ remix of “Summertime Sadness” currently sits at No. 16. Originally released on Born to Die, “Summertime Sadness” has been given new life through its remixes, with Gervais’ version racking up adds at Top 40 stations nationwide throughout the last month.

Meanwhile, “Young and Beautiful,” Lana’s contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack, is receiving airplay on alternative, not pop, stations. Radio isn’t quite sure what sure what to do with Lana Del Rey, but stations are playing her nonetheless. And not surprisingly, she couldn’t be more thrilled. She discussed all this and more in a meandering chat, including her plans for a new album, which she says have been thrown off by the recent barrage of leaks of her songs.

“To be honest, what really happened was, three years ago somebody remotely accessed my hard drive, so even songs I’ve never emailed to myself [were accessed],” she explained. “There are hundreds of them.”

Seeing your set tonight, it’s clear that your stage performance is more elaborate now than it was when you first started touring behind Born To Die, particularly because of the video vignettes. What were trying to achieve with this incarnation of your live show?

Well, I’m sort of influenced each day by whatever I come upon. Like I don’t listen to that much new music, but I actually really love Father John Misty, who kind of reminded me of my roots. I went back to listening to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, whose life path really influenced my life path 10 years ago when I was 18. For the visuals, sometimes before the songs even come to me, I definitely have a picture first of something I want to paint with words. I remember when I was 16 and I read Howl by Allen Ginsberg; that was the first time I kind of realized you could paint pictures with words and I wanted to do that.

I actually kind of met my directorial soulmate with Anthony Mandler. I always give him these mood boards and storyboards that he goes through and makes all of the visions I have come to life. He never says no and he asks me why do I want it to be about the kindness of strangers, like in the case of “Ride” [the video/short film] — why am I with different men and things like that? I tell him it’s not about being submissive to men or anything like that. It’s about not really knowing anyone close to you who can help you, and being really lucky enough to finding people who you just meet randomly, who can take care of you until you can take care of yourself.

This is to say, the visuals kind of come from ideas that I think are important. But when it comes to the live show itself, that’s the one thing I really don’t think too much about. I’m kind of traditional in that way, where I don’t have much of a magic show. I’m just kind of there to sing and I don’t have too too much to say.

Something that struck me tonight was that I was standing among all of these young girls and I heard at least five times, “I want to be her.” This whole festival is full of girls in flower headbands like you’re wearing right now. Are you aware of these things?

Wow. Well, my reaction is that it’s pretty surreal considering I didn’t have a great welcoming into the American public eye. I kind of feel lucky enough to have written those songs for myself and to tell my own story to myself. I think it’s important to be a witness to your own life through writing. And for me, I thought that would be where it’s really going to end because I’m not going to be accepted — that is my fate. But I’ve learned to go along with things. I toured all over Europe, which was totally madness — a lot of people, big crowds. I was kind of leading a double life, ’cause I’d come home to America and things were very quiet — I’d go about my day and take care of my brother and sister who live with me. So in a way, I’m just glad that nothing’s going wrong.

Considering this young female audience you have, do you feel any pressure to be a role model?

Well I think the good thing is, I do actually aim to live my life with grace and dignity, if anyone felt like emulating it. I know I look a certain way sometimes, or cast a certain vibe. But I really don’t like to be in trouble. I like to live a good life, it is important to me.

At a certain point, though, doesn’t your act become performance art?

Well it’s kind of become that. When the audience gets bigger, it becomes less for you and more of a performance, even though I’m not really a natural performer. I love to write, I love to record in the studio – that’s what I love.

Speaking of, are you working on any new music right now?

I was until my record got leaked last week, ’cause my life is like completely invaded. But yeah, I’m writing songs that I really like right now. They’re really low-key and stripped back, all sort of West Coast inspired. The further along I’ve gotten, the more I stay working with like the same four people. Like Dan [Daniel Heath, who co-wrote “Blue Jeans”], who’s not into pop music but rather, a composer for scores and studied under Hans Zimmer. Him and my boyfriend Barrie [Barrie-James O'Neill, of Glasgow folk-rock band Kassidy]. But I want to work with Lou Reed, and I’d like to kind of keep things low-key and cool.

I think the thought was that some of those leaked demos were of songs you wrote much earlier in your career.

Well some of them were, but some of them, like “Black Beauty,” weren’t…

Are you going to move forward with work on them, or do you feel too discouraged because of the leaks?

I do feel discouraged, yeah. I don’t really know what to put on the record. But I guess I could just put them on and see what happens. Each time I write… I’ll never write a song if I don’t think it’s going to be perfect for the record.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.

That’s the way I kind of do it, which means I don’t write all the time. My muse is really fleeting. Sometimes it’s six months. I don’t really push it. ’Cause you have to go do things to write about. You have to go get into to trouble to write about it. (Laughs)

Do you feel like where your life is at right now is more conducive to writing music more organically than before Born To Die came out and you were so shrouded in hype?

Yeah, I didn’t like that. I don’t think it’s been conducive to writing, being on the road and all that. I don’t really feel inspired to write at all, but beforehand, when I was in Brooklyn for nine years… I was kind of a night owl and just walked around and met weird people. That was me picking up life experiences and meshing them into my own. That really did it for me. Actually, Lollapalooza is my last live commitment. It’s too bad ’cause it’s been such a long time since the last record. I really feel like I need six months to live again, time to be like, normal or abnormal. I don’t have anyone writing anything for me. It’s such an internal well and if it’s not full, it’s just not full.

You could work with outside songwriters. Are you open to that kind of thing a bit more now?

Yeah, I’m more open to it now, ’cause personally I’m not really feeling it. (Laughs) Like this guy I worked with eight years ago, Steven Mertens, who made my first record [editor’s note: David Kahne is credited as the producer of her debut, 2010’s Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant; Mertens is a member of the Brooklyn band Spacecamp]. He knew me really well. So I’d like to maybe go back and get reminded of why I thought I could be anything other than a writer. I’d like to maybe just go back and see what’s there.

Let’s talk for a second about new music you have released relatively recently. Did you write “Young and Beautiful” specifically for The Great Gatsby soundtrack, or was that a song you had previously penned but not released?

I wrote a different song, but when Baz Luhrmann heard it, he asked me if I could I write a memory cue for Daisy. So I sang him a chorus of “Young and Beautiful” that I had already — just a chorus — and he thought that’d be good for her. I wrote the whole thing after I watched her garden scenes.

Were you happy with how it was incorporated into the film?

Yeah. I mean, I’m always wary about super big projects that have a lot of glitz. But something weird that happened, was that “Young and Beautiful” got picked up by alternative stations. I come home [from touring Europe] after four months and “Summertime Sadness” is on the radio, too. So I’m grateful for that, ’cause I love that song.

I want to go back to something you said earlier. You acknowledged that you didn’t have a great welcoming into the American public eye, but now, a year and half after Born to Die came out, you’re connecting with a new audience via the “Summertime Sadness” remix at Top 40 radio.

It just reinforces the fact that… not that nothing really matters, but that other people’s opinions don’t really matter because it can change on a dime. And if people are so ready to change, maybe they don’t have the strongest character. I’m not as interested in flip-floppers. I kind of feel blessed the more I go along. I have a young brother and sister, and it’s gotten really basic for me and become about the family. How are we all going to live together if I’m on the road? Are they going to come with me? Will I ever go home again? Probably not.

My new product manager, whom I’d never met before, brought me a SoundScan to show me that “Summertime Sadness” was being spun, a lot of times in L.A. and in New York. It kind of just doesn’t feel like it’s mine, ’cause I’ve had such a hand up to my face for so long.

Originally published on radio.com with the headline Lana Del Rey on the Leaks, the Imitators & the Haters.

[wtheckzukasubs]

quick but late update

I feel I disappear, I don’t even know when was the last time I told you guys what is going on (in summary, nothing lol). As time passed, my backlog of subs decreased, so I don’t have anything ready for times like these when I know I’ve been away for too long.

(Warning for babbling)

And this is a happy thing, but a bunch of new translators have come up and subbed streams are often happening with works of those who prefer to leave their works to a more controlled environment. I get them. I used to feel frustrated some translations were nearly inaccessible to shy people like me, but the truth is that discord servers made it all easier, to a point I even wonder if in return my subs became less accessible, as you’d have to know how to rip your DVD or record from Sky Stage or find less licit copies and download them (by the way, you can use subs without ripping from your disc through some video players (I think VLC can do it now) but I recommend you do get the file on your computer for the disc to last longer), instead of just tuning it to the latest stream. But I can’t stream them for you, I’m very about that. It’s the main reason I make it clear anyone can stream using my subs as long as it’s not a paid event, I do want everyone to enjoy Takarazuka.

(End of the babbling, hopefully, I shouldn’t have come here medicated...)

What I really wanted to post about are the updates:

I intend to adapt Tsuki no Hokage to the new Tsukigumi version as soon as it airs on Sky Stage (I don’t think we’ll get a Bluray of it any time soon as Paru and Ami have barely graduated from shinko). Let’s hope I’m still around!

Great Gatsby, thanks to everything that has been shared to me and even the help with the golf stuff, is almost done, there’s like twenty minutes left plus revising it, which I’m terrible doing... but you guys are used to the lack of quality by now.

I intend to sub Rain on Neptune if I can get the closed captions whenever it airs (just saw it won’t be in April, I’m hoping for May). And I also intend to sub Blackjack (maybe even do the original with Yan). I also wish I could find something I want to do other than the latest Tsukigumi shows, but I am supremely happy whenever the other shows get translated so I can just enjoy them subbed. This has allowed me to tackle on the works I’ve wanted to show my friends for years, but maybe I also got a bit lazy now the main ones are done (there’s Yukinojo, but I’m too much of a coward to attempt anything with the script).

And those are the news I had to tell!

[olderthannetfic]

Death of a Salesman anon here

Fucking THANK you for validating me about what a bastard willy loman was. I wish I could say all of that to my english teacher without her taking it as personal sleight

but I also feel like I should clarify. we did have an opt out system. they just didn't let us use it. basically for that assignment what was actually supposed to happen was that students (A level english lit students) could pick literally ANY two books they wanted and compare themes in them for their grade. Except my school was like no youre gonna compare the great gatsby(which i love) and DOAS (which i hate) because the teachers couldnt afford for students to read books they weren't familiar with and then get a low grade from an outside invigilator and make the school look bad. which fair enough but it still makes me mad how I suffered with that play for 6 months when I legit didn't have to. the other section of students got to do cloud atlas and atonement! i would have killed for that!!!

and while we did watch the movie for the play it was overall such an unrelatable story. and for a class of 17/18 year olds a little dry.

sigh. maybe this is more about standardized testing and students getting good grades than it is about creating interest in literature.

also Im very happy and pleasantly surprised that you liked DoaS as a kid. dont hear that often!

--

But that's the point. Aaaaaaaah!

(Your English teacher was a dumbass.)

My school used to have this week where we did trips or random fun classes (we could pick from a selection), and I went up to Ashland, OR a few times. It was one of the plays they were putting on once. I feel like I've seen it on stage another time, but I can't recall exactly when.

With good actors who really play up the toxic dynamic where Willy is like Happy but wants to be Biff (and/or Willy's older brother) and thus has fucked over both his kids and himself, it's a good play. It does probably help that Willy doesn't remind me of any family members though.

I find it extremely dry on the page, and 1940s wangst about the American Dream only speaks to me if it's film noir and cynical as fuck. But if you're 3 feet from the stage and great actors are wringing emotion out of it, it isn't dry at all. I don't think this particular one would work nearly so well on screen.

This does sound like the usual story of standardized testing ruining education. It sucks. What the teachers should have done is read like 4-6 books and told you guys to pick two or told you to pick between 3 possible pairs. I'm sure they could have found something besides just DOAS and TGG that talks about the American Dream. It's not exactly a rare topic in American literature. Heh.

I remember the 6 months issue well too. Even a book one loathes is probably okay if it's a couple of weeks of class. Nobody needs to spend and entire semester on the same work though. That, to me, smacks of forcing kids to read books that are too hard for them still or just crappy teaching.

[nightofnyx8]

I'll play the emoji game. Here are my questions: 🛒 🎶 🌞💖 💌

Hi friend! Thank you for the ask! Really looking forward to your next update soon on that wonderful angsty fic of yours! ❤

-

🛒What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Hmm, imagery is a pretty big one for me. One of my dear friends called my writing "cinematic," and it's always kind of stuck with me. I have such a clear picture in my head when I write, and I want my readers to see as much as it as possbile without being overbearing.

My favorite type of fics to write are along the hurt/comfort line. The wonderful thing about good angst is that it makes the sweeter moments all the more special. I'm also fond of AUs, but I have to be in the right mood to write one :)

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I do! In fact, music inspires a lot of fic ideas for me! I often listen to soundtracks when I write, and the one that's been on repeat lately is the soundtrack to A Series of Unfortunate Events with Thomas Newman as the composer. Some of my favorites on that track are The Baudelaire Orphans and The Letter That Never Came.

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

Ahh, my schedule is so crazy that I often just write whenever I can find the time to squeeze it in. I have more time in the summers, but that's a teacher's life for ya. Although I will say my favorite times to write is when it's raining outside. Nothing calms down my mind more than hearing the rain pattering against my desk window.

💖 What made you start writing?

Hmm, I wrote some fanfiction when I was 13, but it was mostly because I loved to read. Even now, I find the best way to get over my writer's block is to pick up one of my favorite books. I like analyzing how different authors write, with their prose and characterization and imagery. In fact, All the Things We Cannot Say happened because I read the Great Gatsby for the first time in years, and I found the writing style to be so beautiful that I wanted to try my own hand at it.

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

I love them! Nothing brightens my day than to see that someone not only read my little old fic, but left their own thoughts on it! And for someone to quote their favorite lines from the fic? Boom, instant friend. Of course, I'm very lucky as the comments I've gotten have all been very kind, but I'm certainly not opposed to feedback. That being said, a lot of that happens in the editing stage, where I have some mutual friends who can give me some good honest feedback.

fanfic emoji ask