rivercommastone

[rivercommastone]

because sharks are smooth their skin reduces drag

[rivercommastone]

— the history of falsettos

[rivercommastone]

William Finn's ability to write about human imperfection was so sincere, profound and succinct. It has not and will likely not ever be replicated. I am reminded of such simple lyrics like

'This here is love, when we're talking face to face' or 'God only knows too soon I'll remember your faults, meanwhile though it's tears and schmalz'

He is, to me, the composer that best understood the humanity that lies in making mistakes.

[rivercommastone]

rip joseph pilates you would have loved cats (2019)

[rivercommastone]

one of my favorite this american life segments of late is about the people who played orchestra pit for phantom of the opera on broadway and how, like, a sizeable majority of them had literally been playing the show since it opened in 1988 (on broadway. I know it opened in 86 on the west end, you random pedants, but I am specifically talking about broadway musicians) because their contracts stipulated that they'd have jobs throughout the show's entire run... but nobody anticipated that phantom would become the longest-running broadway show of all time.

and none of these people wanted to walk away from a guaranteed job, so very few of them ever quit. they just kept doing the same show eight nights a week... for twenty or thirty years... and by the time it finally closed last year most of these musicians (who had been working together for DECADES) hated each other and really really fucking loathed phantom. I can't stop thinking about it. it's indescribably hellish to imagine but also the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life.

[rivercommastone]

[rivercommastone]

"One that doesn't have to prove it. To myself or... Anyone."

Julie Andrews as Count Victor Grazinsky in Victor/Victoria, the broadway musical (1995)

[rivercommastone]

[rivercommastone]

Costume Appreciation: Maria's Wedding Dress in The Sound of Music.

[rivercommastone]

Apparently Judi Dench got bored one day and they created a Les Mis barricade character for her in  May 2004 for just one performance.

Holy shit that must have  been hilarious to see.

[rivercommastone]

I cannot stand the parodies of modern major general, they're overdone and simply not as good as the original. They've done them about everything, whatever topic, big or small.

And when i notice one of them my eyes will always start to roll.

The diction's always slurry when they rush the complicated words, and adding many fricatives will turn it so cacophonous. The slanted rhymes are silly and they keep just making more and more, please someone stop the parodies of modern major general.

The scanning of the lyrics in the meter is unbearable, they emphazise the syllables in ways that are untenable, in short in matters musical, prosodic and ephemeral, i cannot stand the parodies of modern major general!

[rivercommastone]

ur gonna be popular

[rivercommastone]

glinda talking to her granny about all the crazy things that wanted criminal did: AND she stole my hat!

[rivercommastone]

*puts hands on hollywood exec's shoulders, staring unblinking into their eyes* listen to me. you will never get people who hate musicals to like musicals by making your musical less of a musical. if you hide the fact that your film is a musical in the advertising, you're going to get a lot of low ratings from people who hate musicals and went into your movie not expecting a musical and got one anyway. people who hate musicals will hate them no matter how realistic and diegetic and lowkey you try to make it. they will hate musicals even if you completely excise anything complicated, over the top, silly, or even slightly challenging. they will hate musicals even if you cut half the songs. they will hate musicals even if you cast that a-lister who can't sing worth a damn. stop trying to market to people who hate musicals. they're a lost cause. your audience should be people who love musicals. this half-assed middle ground pisses off both camps. just embrace the fact that your movie is a musical. lean into it. don't try and trick musical haters into coming to your film when you could be marketing to the theater kids. better cringe than a coward.

[rivercommastone]

Apparently my director went to see a production of West Side Story a few years ago, and the guy playing Chino forgot his gun before coming out for his final scene. Once it got to the big scene where he is supposed to shoot Tony, he screeched “Poison Boots” and kicked the actor playing Tony until he went down. The girl playing Maria then had to jerk the shoe off of Chino’s foot, and had to do the gunshot scene asking “How many kicks Chino? How many kicks, and one kick left for me”. 

[rivercommastone]

good neeeeeeeews! iiit’s goooood! the wicked movie is good

[rivercommastone]

they’re going to make two whole wicked movies and we’re still not going to see glinda and elphaba fuck