#like i get the off broadway cast is the most popular but

[sleepboysummer]

just so u guys know.. u can literally draw the rtc characters looking however u want... they have no canon appearance.. because (get this) it is a LIVE SHOW and actors are not cast depending on looks..

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Worth The Wait: Part One

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~900

Warnings: fluff

Request by anon: Hey so every one know that Jensen like Batman, so i have this ideas where the reader is Jensen wife and popular actress who is casted to play Cat woman with Robert Pattinson or other one and the reader never tell Jensen because she want to be a surprise or something like that and she bring him to the premiere where was the Batmobile and him was just fanboy? Fluffy between Jensen and reader 

Summary: You've been working on a movie you know Jensen will love to see, so you've managed to keep it from him until the world premiere. Now it's your chance to unveil the surprise.

Square Filled: hereditary for @spnonewordbingo (deleted bingo)

Author’s Note: we're all gonna pretend that the movie Batman v Superman had Catwoman in it. okay? okay.

x

This all started when your great-grandmother got scouted to be in short films in the early 1900s. Actresses weren't a big thing back then but someone took one look at her and knew she was meant to be on the big screen, whatever that meant back then. She was known all throughout the state as a big-time actress even though all the things she was in were silent films. She had a great facial profile that really embodied everything she was thinking and feeling. She started young but that’s what people did back then. They started their professions at a young age.

When your grandmother was born in 1934, your great-grandmother was already moving on to bigger and better things. She starred in the movie It Happened One Night, The Thin Man, and MGM’s musical/romance adaptation of Cat and the Fiddle. Those were just to name a few. Your grandmother saw what she was doing and wanted to follow in her footsteps, doing everything she could do be in television, the big screen, and in theater.

She got her big break when she got cast in Treasure Island and Fantasia with Disney. She got acting gig after acting gig until she had your mother in 1954. She took a few years off to be with her family but got right back into it. Your mother had a knack for theater and did her time on Broadway more than she did in film. She starred in musicals like Applause, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, Sweeny Todd, and Grease.

She had you in 1989, and you started singing and acting at a very young age. You got into commercials and TV shows from the get-go. Probably because you come from a line of Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winners. You tried not to let your line of succession lead you to getting good parts, but you’ve managed to get a small role in Jurrasic Park as a child, and into much bigger roles in Charlie’s Angels, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Saw I, Avatar, The Hunger Games, and many more.

You worked your ass off to be where you are today, and you’re actually working on putting your own album out because you’re striving to be the first EGOT winner in your family. You’ve gotten one Tony Award, too-many-to-count Oscars, and two Emmy awards.

To think you were the shy theater kid who only sang in front of people if you were starring in a play at school. After graduation, you got into a good acting school even though you didn’t really need it, but you still welcomed the challenge they put you through, even starring in most of the plays there. Now you’re a thirty-five-year-old woman with awards like no other, a husband who is just incredible, and an amazing career that is nowhere close to being done.

Your husband is also an actor, a big one for Supernatural. He’s been nothing short of amazing and you’re so proud of him and his work. It sucked at the beginning of his career since you two barely saw each other but the longer you did this, the more you settled into your own groove. You got to take the time off to be with each other a lot more.

You get to go to conventions with him and he gets to go to movie premieres with you. There is nothing you’d trade for this little life of yours. Speaking of movie premiers, you just got done filming your movie Batman vs Superman where you played Catwoman, but you refused to tell your husband anything about it. He is a big Batman fan, and if you were to surprise him with a Batman premier, he’d go feral. Jensen respected you enough to not go snooping when he knew you wanted this to be a surprise, and his friends respected you enough to not tell him about it.

Jenson has been bouncing in his seat since he entered the limo, and you’ve been watching with a wide smile on your face. When the limo gets to the red carpet, Jensen gasps at seeing everything Batman.

“Surprise! I’m Catwoman!”

“You got to be in a room with Batman?”

You two leave the Limo and smile at the cameras flashing in your face. Jensen doesn’t care if he looks like a little kid, he is going to be excited over anything Batman (even though you’re a tad more of a Marvel girl than DC). You’re trying to get in on one of their projects so fingers crossed! There is a section before the red carpet where people can take pictures with a real-life prop of the Batmobile.

Jensen loses his shit and rushes over with a giant smile on his face. You don’t care if a million people are watching or if it’s just you two, but you’ll always love the way he gets excited over things. He gets his picture taken with the Batmobile alone and then with you, and you pull him off to the side with a smile on your face.

“Is this a good surprise? Was it worth the wait?”

“So worth the wait. This is amazing.” Jensen leans in to kiss you but stops with a gasp. “Is that Michael Keaton?”

Jensen’s favorite Batman is Michael Keaton.

“Yeah, he showed up on set a few times. He’s a nice guy!”

“I’m nervous. Should I go up to him?”

“Yeah. He won’t bite,” you chuckle.

You escort Jensen over to Michael who is more than happy to talk to your husband. He hasn’t been this happy and excited in a while, and you’re glad to be part of it.

x

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[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eleanor Parker (Scaramouche, The Sound of Music)— Eulogized as a ravishing beauty who's looks were merely ornamental to her craft, feast your eyes on Eleanor Parker. Listen! I know you're thinking of the Baroness in Sound of Music and saying NO I won't protect the woman who tried to steal him from Maria but forget about that (like you personally wouldn't shoot your shot with Plummer)! The trailer for Scaramouche describes her character Lenore as "The glamourous queen of the nightlife of Paris. A flame-haired wildcat" and this is a woman who was able to pull off that role, and you get the vibe she was like that irl too. There's a story about her changing hair colors that never fails to make me laugh. Take note of her stunning eyes! Her amazing legs! And to see her in motion is to make note of the aura about her, she has an amazing presence. Fall in love with Eleanor Parker today, and make your vote count!

Sheila Guyse (Sepia Cinderella)—sheila guyse was a popular actress and singer in the 40s and 50s, appearing on broadway and in several independent films with all-black casts "For several years, Ms. Guyse (rhymes with 'nice') was compared to stars like Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Ruby Dee, black actresses who broke through racial barriers. But by the late 1950s she was out of show business, a result of some combination of health problems, a religious conversion and family obligations. [...] 'It wasn’t easy to be a glamorous movie star with people following you for your autograph and now you’re home making pancakes,' [her daughter] Ms. Devin said. 'She did it, but I don’t think it was easy.'" [submitted video below the cut]

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Eleanor Parker:

“When I’m spotted somewhere, it means that my characterizations haven’t covered up Eleanor Parker the person. I prefer it the other way around.” So shy she was actively nervous about winning awards in person, her personal life remains mostly behind the scenes. But on screen? she was a force majeure. It's a shame the role most people remember her in is the Baroness in The Sound of Music, but then again, it did make Christopher Plummer reminisce upon her passing “I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.”

Listen we all know Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews had insane chemistry but the Baroness deserves some love too! She has such a glamorous presence but not in a hard way

She will be known as the fabulous baroness in TSOM, but she was so much more than that. Just as comfortable in westerns or melodrama, the scheming other woman, and the beauty that wins the heart of every man in town.

Sheila Guyse:

[the-ace-with-spades]

Fic idea I'll probably never write:

Actor Bradley + still naval aviator Jake AU

Bradley was a theater kid and he was a really good theatre kid - his last high school won a national award for a musical he had the main male role and a play he's the main character and his theater club teacher encouraged him to send audition tape for acting schools. He does, just to get her off his back and he gets further auditions for Juilliard and Tisch, somehow.

Mav, who is trying very hard to change Bradley's plans to join the Navy by encouraging him to apply to as many colleges as he can, tells him to go, just in case he likes it. He gets a spot in Juilliard around the same time he finds out Mav pulled his papers from USNA. It's supposed to be just something to fill the time until he can join NOCS when he gets his degree, he doesn't actually think he'll be an actor full time, he just wants to be as far away from Mav and Ice as he can.

Things happen fast - he has his first Broadway role before he graduates. Within the next few years, he stars in an extremely popular TV show in one of the main male roles, he's got a side role in a box office breaking movie, and then he gets cast as the main character for a series of action movies (ala MI or FaF). He's one of those actors that does dangerous stunts himself and who is called a madman by most of his co-stars and gets a reputation as the crazy but absolutely the funniest and kindest guy ever who stars in way too many productions every year. Fans know him as the guy who engages in charity work, donates and promotes charities for orphans, veterans and minorities and as the guy that goes to random bars and sings musical numbers on untuned pianos. His main revenue are the popular action movies but he stars in more traditionally demanding roles for the challenge (dramas, tragedies, thrillers) and romantic comedies and musicals for funnsies and in indie movies way under his budget for the sake of artistic creation.

(Mav and Ice watched every single production he had been in, a few unavailable Broadway productions aside. Most of them, they have on DVDs.)

He had a lot of luck because his breaking side role was directed by one guy and that guy loved him and pushed him into many of his movies later and then the same happened with another two directors.

His career hits a tough point when his sexuality comes out (unwillingly). There are rumors and a lot of people who were fans of his action movies come around and talk shit about him and he decides to take a break from acting for a bit.

He's a year into the break when his friendly director calls and says he's got a military action movie for him. A movie about naval aviators, about fighter pilots. To be filmed raw, in real planes, in real flight, with real pilots.

Bradley says no straight away. But then his friend is like, I know you've got a pilot licence already and you fly planes for fun, don't you want to share the fun with the rest of the cast, don't you want to fly a fighter jet?

Bradley has always wanted to fly a fighter jet, that's what hurts most about it all, so he agrees.

He hasn't talked to Mav or Ice for over fifteen years when he finds out that the Dagger Squadron the cast got their assigned pilots from is led by Pete Maverick Mitchell and said Pete Maverick Mitchell is going to be performing the most demanding jet stunts needed for the movie.

Bradley's assigned pilot for the rest of the film is a very reluctant Jake Hangman Seresin.

Hangman doesn't watch movies and definitely not action movies. He's a romantic comedy kinda guy because his life is an action movie with ad breaks for paper work and training. So he doesn't know Bradley and like hell he's going to be flying for some hollier than thou actor - he's going to put him in his place and make him puke as many times as possible the minute he sits in his backseat.

It doesn't work. Bradshaw doesn't puke once. He's almost impressed.

He's definitely impressed when Bradshaw stops by the Hard Deck, looking absolutely not like someone who earns millions every year, wearing an old Hawaiian shirt, an old pair of jeans, sunglasses and a worn out Casio watch, and Nikes that have seen better days and sits down at the piano with Jake's squad and bursts out songs after songs, sounding like a freaking angel. He has to leave when people start asking about autographs from left and right.

Maybe Bradshaw is hot, whatever. He still doesn't think he's a big deal, he's probably a mediocre actor at best, some pretty boy with rich parents that could send him to acting school and who probably grew up with money that could buy him a career.

They have problems working together, obviously, and Bradley is like, fuck that, and tells him the address of a private airport and tells him to show up at four.

Jake thinks he's going to make him fly a small private plane for the sake of bonding but instead Bradshaw packs into the passenger seat of a new piston sport plane and starts it off. Doesn't explain anything, just takes Jake up in the sky, ignores his chatter until they're in the air space where he can do some funny bits and maneuvers.

At some point, the plane tells him Bradshaw is pulling 6 Gs.

In the end, Bradshaw tells him, "I don't care what you think of me, I just want you to fly the goddamn plane like I'd."

And okay, maybe Hangman starts finding him a bit hot.

He googles him. And watches some of his movies. And his rom coms and his musicals and he reads and reads and maybe Bradshaw isn't that bad.

They start to talk between film takes and then he takes Bradshaw to relax to a taco stand where he won't be recognised. Then to an ice cream place, and bowling, and surfing, and then again and again, until finally, Bradley lands at Jake's house.

In Jake's bed.

Everything would be absolutely fine but not even a few days later not only tabloids find out all about Bradshaw's gay navy romance - his sexual orientation being a topic Bradley's been avoiding as much as he could in the past year - but also about all the things he's told Jake during their dates, like about Goose and about his (unnamed) Navy gay parents and about how tough it was for him in college and then how tough it was being in the closet while in the industry.

Obviously, Bradley thinks the worst about Jake and how all that info surfaced.

(this gets somehow resolved but I didn't think that far - they get together and Bradley reconciles with Mav and Ice and they have an awkward meet the parents moment when Hangman finds out)

[six-costume-refs]

Hey so I’m a lil confused on what happened with the West End Alts situation, all I know is that because they reduced from 9 to 8 shows a week, the alts no longer consistently have at least one day a week on right? But then I hear about how there’s something up with the alt costumes too? Is it possible that you can summarise bc all I’m seeing is fallout across various instas

Hey! So...there's a whole lot. Quick note that I've been on hiatus the last few weeks so apologies for taking so long to reply to you (and I know I have many more unanswered asks on this to get to as well, so apologies to y'all and will do so when I have time).

I did briefly hop in from hiatus to post this, which I would suggest reading. I was light on details because I simply did not have time to go into it more, but it gives a base for a lot of what I'll say here. First things first, the show schedule. Most West End shows perform eight shows a week: 6 days of shows with 1 day off, and 2 of the days have an extra matinee added. It's meant to be optimal for tourist audiences and families. But Six is a much shorter show with an unconventional format that originally wasn't really trying to appeal to those traditional musical theatre audiences, and so a lot of their marketing promoted them more as a fun night out pop show rather than a West End musical. With that and the shorter show in mind, they operated a nine show per week schedule (they've also had some similarly unique scheduling and marketing in the US, particularly for Broadway and the Vegas run). However, the way that pay is set up under the UK actor's union (Equity) is based on the more conventional West End schedules, with actors contracted for either eight show weeks or twelve show weeks. So Six has had all their actors on eight show week contracts, and covered the one show disparity between eight-show-contract and nine-show-schedule by requiring that all actors have to have one show off per week. This meant that each role would have to have a cover perform for at least one show per week. Hence, the West End alternate system was born! But it's been almost five years now, and the outlook for Six is very different. The West End production is very successful, very established, much more polished, and hugely appealing to a more conventional tourist audience. They don't need to focus on setting themselves apart like they originally did; they've long since established themselves as a tenet and huge force of the West End, and much of their marketing now focuses on that status. (A really good comparison for anyone who is from the US and was into theatre about ten years ago is how Hamilton shifted their marketing - they started out as another unconventional, "risky" show that really leaned into those features as part of their marketing, but as the show became more popular and mainstream they've long since started to focus on ongoing success and tourism.) So, yes, right now, they are trialing an eight-show-per-week schedule. Without the ninth performance, they do not need scheduled alternate shows and so they are temporarily not happening during this trial period. Which sucks, but the switch to eight shows is a good thing and is one of many examples of how they're shifting their operations for that longevity by optimizing financials. It's also much more sustainable for everyone involved with the show, because Six is very intense and overuse injuries are rampant. But, again, they are promoting this as a trial period. It gives them time to see how it works financially and to see how the cast functions with this performance schedule (including if more covers could be needed in the future). They'll re-assess, probably in Jan/Feb, and see what happens then. I'm personally expecting that they will keep an eight week schedule, but it's also wholly in the realm of possibility that they might do so and still re-introduce some level of scheduled alternate system, depending on what needs/concerns they find. (Right now the UK Tour principals each have a show off every other week with alts scheduled for their first covers on alternating weeks, while Broadway/NCL swings out each principal for one show every few months, so there are definitely systems for some scheduled swing-ons that are significantly reduced from the weekly alt system. And of course the alts will be on for any injuries/illness/vacations, of which there have already been many). It's also worth noting that because this is a shorter trial period, the contracts will likely have to be renegotiated in some form. So....the costumes.

We've seen some pretty clear evidence for them in the theater, starting in tech week. Naomi and Hannah both posted their makeup; both of them got glitter eyeshadows for both of their principals plus a third glitter that matches the color of an alternate costume (Naomi orange, Hannah light pink). They also both got palettes that were inclusive of both their queens colors' and those alternate colors: for Hannah it's a pink palette that some other Howards have used in the past, but for Naomi the dominant color is oranges and it's a very blatant departure from what makeup they've given Cleves principals/alts in recent years so I really don't find there to be an easily argued alternative explanation. And Hannah got three lipsticks, in the exact same shades that they normally assign for Howard, Parr, and pink alt. We've also seen blue, orange, and pink alternate costumes in the theater, but weeks after the previous' cast's costumes were loaded out and stored in one of their maintenance areas. I've posted about all of that a fair bit in this thread, although note that it hasn't been updated in about a month and is now out of date. But starting about two weeks into this current cast's performances, there have been a couple messages/statements about both alt costumes and covers that seem to imply they don't exist, which I think is what you saw. However...I think they've all been worded oddly and far too carefully, plus the very tangible evidence of alt makeup, plus the existence of alt costumes was also denied in 2021, so I've been incredibly skeptical. But earlier today on live Hannah said they aren't contracted to have second covers for the moment, which is pretty clear but with a providence that that may not always be the case. That also ties in with a theory I've been forming over the last few weeks: that Six is still undecided on whether these alternates will have additional covers, but has had the costume team make all the provisions necessary so that covers can be very quickly added when those decisions are made. This also allows the costume team to move on - most of them are working on Starlight Express these next few months and likely wouldn't be able to return to Six at the drop of a hat for all the prep needed to alt costumes later on. Setting everything up in advance for that possibility is just more efficient for everybody and would allow the alts to quickly learn/debut new tracks if needed. To me, those plans most likely mean: - That the alternates were fit with pre-existing alternate costumes that are now altered for them and stored in the theater - That the alternates were given makeup for all three queens, such as the glitters/palettes/lipsticks that I talked about above - That the alternates were given wigs/hairstyles that intentionally have more versatility in their rigging/cuts to be repurposed for a wide variety of queens if needed (which does seem to be the case, and is not how they'd be set up if they were purely intended to be worn as we've seen them used so far for their first covers) (Also noting that if they're not formally contracted for any additional covers, they cannot be formally rehearsing them; that's why I expect that if they were to add any additional covers it would be finalized and contracted when the performance schedule is for convenience's sake) However...again, this is purely a speculation/theory of mine based on what I've seen and some of the very careful wording (but does seem supported by Hannah's). And even if I'm correct, Six preparing for the possibility of second covers/alternate costumes does not necessarily mean that that will actually wind up in use. Once again, Six is moving to a longer-term focus and in some trial periods to see how they can maintain the show going forward, so some of the production management will still be in flux in the coming weeks/months.

[chaifootsteps]

??? the person saying it was cause the pilot cast "werent good singers" is so confusing to me. isnt it normal to hire a second voice actor for singing when thats the case? i know theres plenty of cartoon shows that have done that.

wouldnt it be cheaper too? the pilot cast (or new non-broadway stars) wouldnt be exepensive to get and by only paying the broadway talent for songs would be waaaaaaaaaaay less than paying for for *both songs* and *every single other line* given the more famous the talent the more they tend to charge for their time and work?

Going off the fact that Addict was the most popular video Viv ever put out, it's also full of shit. Of all the excuses die hard Viv stans like to make for her, I think this is up there among the most disrespectful.

[in-newjersey]

So here are my thoughts on my first time seeing a live BMC production!

Making this non-rebloggable, I am not a real theater critic and I do not want to draw any attention to this actual cast on an anonymous blog to strangers on the internet

For starters, casting!

I respect the variety going on here and the degree of diverging from famous character appearance-tropes. Tiny Latino Jeremy who's as fit as a gymnast and can (and does) do acrobatic spin kicks sometimes? Love it. Plus-size butch-esque Brooke? 10/10. Genderfuckery long-haired Michael who gesticulates with a huge fan through most conversations? Hell yeah. Pink-haired Nirvana-grunge-style trans guy Jake? Now we're talking. Christine a head taller than Jeremy? Awesome.

I will not get too into describing actual real people on here much more than that but in general it was wonderful to see a wide range of character-actor types inhabiting these roles. As someone involved in The Fandom, even though I have frequently expounded upon the mutability of character traits per the text, you do still absorb a general idea of what the characters "look" like; so it was a fun twist to have literally none of the performers fall into those tropes.

I will also say - and this is not a read - that I am no longer going to assume I'm too old to play any of these characters, because I guess that's the magic of community theater lol

On to Thoughts, which I will loosely group by characters:

Rich was fucking awesome. Like I was impressed by the singing skill across the board, but this guy fucking killed it at every turn. I looked at my friend I went with after The Squip Song and we both were like OH OK. Rich also wore mostly KISS T-shirts? Like the shitty glam rock band? But yknow, work. Excellent voice (if casting were a little more 'stereotypical,' he probably would be an excellent Michael). Emotionally, he was on the more explosive side while SQUIPped, melting toward just charmingly cute once in 'real Rich Goranski' mode.

The aforementioned Jake was an interesting take on the character. Definitely leaned more into the kind of douchey side of things, but did at least at one point seem genuinely into Christine (although the actor was very much leaning into the interpretation 'yeah he has multiple interests and he honestly likes them all in the moment but gets bored quickly, and that includes girlfriends'). Is that kind of shitty? Yes. Is that a realistic take on what a rich popular 17 year old might be like? Also yes. Nirvana-fan Jake was not a concept I thought of before but I was down for it (though I discovered later on the cast instagram page that the guy playing Jake said that his version of Jake thinks Nirvana is a clothing brand which, like, galaxy-brain take lol).

THE SQUIP!!!!! Actually cycled through Keanu Reeves costumes, which I loved. Started out in Bill & Ted, then Matrix, then POINT BREAK of all things, before landing on a pretty-impressive-for-the-budget version of the light-up circuitry priest robe thing from the Broadway style. He had the hair and beard pretty close to present-day Keanu too, which made him both line up with the resemblance and seem significantly older than the other characters; voice-wise, this guy was clearly a skilled baritone, which meant his delivery on some of the more rock-style songs was a bit unusual, but not bad. This SQUIP was suave at the right parts but did NOT shy away from being scary: the 'take me inside you' part with Brooke during Upgrade was staged very menacingly with regards to how he was physically moving around/behind Jeremy. The Play was delightfully sinister, leaning HARD into the SQUIP as literally puppeteering everyone: saying their lines and moving his hands like marionnettes throughout, keeping things very creepy and villainous.

On the topic of the play, the fight choreography kicked ass. Mr. Reyes's ALL THE WAY TO BROADWAY rant was delivered while he yanked Jeremy off the ground by his shirtfront and then threw him furiously across the stage, genuinely concerning and upsetting to watch (especially as the SQUIP was miming the same actions and lines behind him, obviously in control of Reyes's body) (I literally said 'oh fuck' out loud when it happened and got a Look from the presumably-grandma in the row ahead lol). The fight choreography during Two Player Game Reprise was also solid: the guy playing Jeremy was FIT and did a lot of impressive acrobatic kicks and such, and the person playing Michael being a lot taller and larger worked well with letting him like bounce off, lift him up for spin kicks, etc.

And in general, I respected how much this production was willing to let certain moments be dark. The Play in general was pretty horror-movie-climax; I also respected that the costuming did indeed look like so-so high school mockups of a modern zombie movie. But the whole number was eerie, SQUIPPED character movements and voices became unnervingly smooth and robotic, and positioning the SQUIP as the puppetmaster in the middle, literally moving the characters around, just sold the whole thing wonderfully. Very appropriately leaning into the horror part of horror-comedy.

Similarly, Do You Wanna Hang? was scary. AS IT SHOULD BE. My friend who came with me compared it favorably to the car scene in the movie 8th Grade, where you're just On Edge the whole time you're watching. The actress playing Chloe did a good job with it, that's an uncomfortable thing to portray but she went for it and it paid off in the moment.

Chloe and Brooke had a fun dynamic: the styles of the costuming/performers did add some interesting dimensions. Chloe was, as usual, pink and perfect and feminine, head-cheerleader vibes; Brooke was short haired and dressed a lot more masculine. Brooke had a very earnest sense of vulnerability to her, and excellent comedic timing during Do You Wanna Ride and The Smartphone Hour, as well as just the minor background-acting moments. They leaned pretty hard into the 'Chloe will take things just because Brooke wanted them, because she likes that Brooke is always a little jealous of her, and thinks that that's friendship' and, like the portrayal of Jake: is that a shitty thing to do? Yes. Is that a realistic thing teenagers might do, especially poisoned by toxic ideas about femininity and power? Also yes.

Which is a good spot to add, the ensemble was small (4) but they were serving it. The band appeared to be octogenarian church volunteers (oh, yeah, this was at a church??? Wesleyan Methodists, so the cool liberal branch of American Christianity) so I will say that with what they had, they were making it work. It would have been served well by a second keyboardist and/or guitarist to do the trumpet parts (it was drums, bass, guitar, and piano). One of the ensemble members, a tall goth-femme person with hot pink hair, played the role of the theremin by doing the melodies in remarkable and ethereal bel canto. And honestly, work.

Jenna Rolan was fun: could belt for the gods, had some pretty-intense Crazy Eyes thing going on that really sold the comedic moments and made her appropriately frightening as the Final Boss in the squipped battle at the end, styled like an early 2000s-lesbian-coded-soft-goth best friend archetype. No notes, 11/10.

The actor playing Mr. Heere/Reyes/Stockboy did a fantastic job of making those three seem separate, and as I mentioned above, really made Mr. Reyes come to life in a dynamic way. Sidenote, this production changed all references to Hobby Lobby to Michaels, which I found both funny and appropriate. Fuck Hobby Lobby, we all hate Hobby Lobby.

Back to characterizations, Christine was sweet and straightforward. Not as quirky or dynamic as Stephanie or a lot of other actresses make her, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Very gentle and smooth voice, she just really likes theater and wants someone to like the real her. They went with ballet-style choreography to introduce her during More Than Survive, which is always a wonderful touch for the way the music swells. There were points where I think a little more creative movement or a wider emotional range might have worked well, but the take on the character was consistent.

I am going to keep that positive thread through the next sections: while I might not have agreed with the interpretation through the text, I do respect going in a starkly different direction to how most productions and fans usually take such things.

I have enormous respect for the performer playing Michael for radically making it their own. The cast bios had pronouns, and Michael's performer was they/she/he, which as a fellow they/she/he who would love to play Michael someday was rad to see. They kept the CREEPS shirt and a hoodie with a lot of patches (albeit a black one with red accents), but that was about it. Michael had light-up cat ear headphones and a huge black fan which he used throughout, alternated between baggy sweatpants or just a floor-length hippy skirt, usually high-heel ankle boots, and some kind of green bathrobe thing for The Pants Song? Characterization, again, respect for making such an iconic character so heavily different. This Michael was not....very emotional. He was usually snippy and sarcastic in a very erudite and matter-of-fact way, at pretty much all points in the show. Not a lot of emotional range going on: this is a Michael who is in some combination of 'doesn't give a shit' and 'not going to let this bother me,' which came off....interesting. The chemistry this created with Jeremy was a starkly different one than we usually see. The original productions - and most since, and the majority of fandom depictions - imagines a Michael and Jeremy who, at their core, love each other a lot. However that manifests of course varies, but you Usually get the impression that (even with a little bit of codependence), these two genuinely love each other and spending time together, which makes moments in the show either heartwarming or devastating to see happen between them.

Not these versions of the characters.

Which didn't make it bad, but it did shake things up. This Michael and Jeremy didn't give deep-love-friendship so much as they gave 'we sat next to each other in 1st grade and don't have other friends. so. I guess we're best friends, huh.'

Which is an INTERESTING and somewhat bleaker, but not unrealistic, take on them. That, sadly, summarizes a lot of friendships, especially at that age and with the sort of vacuum of suburbia on your social sphere (nevermind how a lot of society discourages boys from emotional connection with their friends; if anything, the fact that this Michael was definitely queer might suggest that Jeremy even pulled back emotionally because he didn't want to seem gay or give this Michael the wrong idea). It definitely sells Jeremy feeling lonely, even with his best friend hanging around. Two-Player Game came across a LOT better than I was prepared for - I have waxed about how it's a hard number to pull off - not in spite of, but almost because of this. Like, sure, they've played through this game a million times before, they know every beat, they love it like they love each other, right? even though they seem.....kind of bored. Or at least like they're waiting for something else to happen. College? Girlfriend? Different friends? Just wait two years. Whatever.

To get critical, I will say that this dynamic did not really help Michael in the Bathroom. The fight beforehand and the song itself did.....not really lend themselves to a not-very-emotional friendship between them. The singing was perfect, so not faulting that: it's THE big song of the show, so that's a lot of pressure and the performer had a splendid voice, but the snarky-not-caring-that-much attitude didn't quite do it for me - Michael didn't seem sad or upset so much as pissed off, but still fully keeping it together (despite the lyrics saying otherwise). Tonally, the 'wish I'd offed myself instead' just sounded sarcastic ("wow, SORRY I CARED AT ALL, could've just killed myself for all you seem to care" kind of vibes) THAT SAID, it was consistent with the rest of the characterization, so I admire it as a very specific acting choice. There were also characters on stage - presumably outside the bathroom door, listening in - that turned a good portion of MITB into a comedic number; as I have said before, not my personal take on how that should go, but the audience was laughing along with it! So that's the wonderful mutability of theater.

Strangely enough, this actually made Michael and Jeremy's relationship at the end of the story work out just fine? The SQUIP experience kind of sparked a "wow we really do care about each other, huh" realization from both of them. Again, mad respect for taking such a different approach to such a well-worn character relationship.

So, overall, I am very happy I got to see this. Love to support live theater, love to be surprised by a story that I thought I knew pretty well inside and out, came away with plenty to think and talk about. If you can, go support your local community theater!

[seriouslycromulent]

One of the things I like most about the new Night Court

... is how it seems to be turning into a popular gig for comedic actors to do a quick and fun sitcom appearance. Which in a way, is in keeping with the spirit of the original.

So many character actors, comedians and comedy legends made their way onto the original Night Court over its 9 seasons that it's nice to see some folks are taking the new one as an opportunity to do the same.

So far, in 2 seasons, we have seen (and this is not all of them, just the folks I can remember off the top of my head):

Wendie Malick - as the unstable woman from Dan's past who is trying to destroy him

Dave Foley - as the valet to Gurgs' Duke boyfriend

Rhys Darby - as the Duke boyfriend

Jenifer Lewis - as the Anna Wintour-esque fashion magazine editor

Richard Kind - as the down-on-his-luck Broadway producer

Melissa Villaseñor - as Neil's old high school crush

Betsy Sodaro - as the churlish janitor who didn't want to help save Dan's favorite bench

Jackie Hoffman - as the mean keeper of the government bureaucratic forms who forced the court to hire her son

Faith Ford - as Abby's mom

Melissa Fumero - as the scary PTA Karen mom from the school Wyatt's daughters attend

Gary Anthony Williams - as the recurring/semi-regular employee Murray Flobert*

Jim Meskimen - as the voiceover for the Shot Clock Showdown basketball game

Stephnie Weir - as the podcast host trying to sling mud for ratings

Kurt Fuller - as the skeevy DA who tries to manipulate Abby and later get her suspended

Julia Duffy - as Abby's boyfriend's mom [added on 28-Mar]

And of course, the show is also in a wonderful position to give other actors a small onscreen role as defendants in the regular court cases that don't get much backstory or are just there to set up a joke or two. For actors just starting out or who usually play background characters, this is a nice little gem on the resume.

I'm not sure how many seasons the new show will get, but as a fan of sitcoms and lighter entertainment fare that I feel our society desperately needs right now, I'm just happy that the show can make such a positive contribution to the TV landscape again.

*Since he's a semi-regular, he probably shouldn't be included on this list, but I'm a huge fan of Gary's so I wanted to show him some love. Plus, he's a great addition to the cast.

[therecordchanger62279]

The Wizard of Oz: The Rock Opera!

     Sometimes my brain has a mind of its own. This idea came to me from I know not where. But I kind of liked it, so I thought I’d share it.

     Imagine The Wizard of Oz as a Rock Opera. The opera begins when Dorothy, who lives on a farm and is a singer, and wannabe Rock star takes some LSD, and goes on a trip. She meets Elton John on the yellow brick road who gives her a pair of blue suede shoes. She wears a denim mini-skirt, and a leather jacket with the blue suede shoes, and Elton tells her to take the yellow brick road to Oz to see The Wizard of Oz who happens to be a band manager. Along the way she meets The Scarecrow who, she discovers, is a guitarist. She asks him to join her with the idea of forming a band. Along the way, they meet The Tin Man whose axe is a bass. He’s a bit rusty because he hasn’t played in some time, but they give him a bottle of Jack Daniels to lubricate him, and he loosens up, and gets his groove back. Further down the road they encounter The Cowardly Lion who plays a mean drum kit. Later on, they come to a forest, and meet a group of flying monkeys who climb on their backs, getting all of them hooked on heroin (which is where the phrase “monkey on my back” originated). They finally reach Oz, and The Wizard, after enhancing their talents, signs them to a contract. He gets them a record deal, but steals their advance money from the record label, and takes off in a balloon with all their cash leaving them penniless in Oz. Stuck in Oz, the band turns to street crime while Dorothy becomes a prostitute at a bordello called The Witches Castle. She becomes the most popular girl there with the clientele, but when she tries to leave, the Madame, a real witch, stops her with the use of magic. Her band gets wind of it, and breaks into the castle, and rescues her. On the road out of Oz, the foursome meets the Madame’s sister, who happens to be a good witch, and has the power to send them all back home if only they will denounce drugs, and illicit sex, and give themselves to God. They all agree, and after returning home, break up the band, and go their separate ways. Dorothy continues to sing spirituals at county fairs, and carnivals. Eventually she meets a circuit preacher, a man named Brother Love, who decides to feature her in his Traveling Salvation Show. And they all live happily ever after.

     Elton John could play himself. I see Billie Eilish as the Madame (or bad witch), and Taylor Swift as her sister (the good witch). Maybe Lana del Rey could play Dorothy. The preacher, Brother Love, might be perfect for Neil Diamond. The Wizard could be played by Jimmy Fallon, and the band members I’ll leave to a Hollywood casting agent. Of course, the soundtrack to the whole thing could be Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album since it already fits the storyline. I think it has potential. Soundtrack album, film, and then maybe a Broadway play. Merchandise tie-ins are a must, too. Somebody send me some money, and I’ll get right to work on a script.

© The Recordchanger 2024

[a-trick-or-two-with-lepers]

Hair Song Ranking - by Production!

I'm back again with a somewhat coherent tumblr post! Can you believe it? Anyway, I know I've already done a Hair song ranking, but this time, I'll be talking about multiple productions: the Original cast recording (1968), the 1979 movie soundtrack, and the Broadway revival cast recording (2009). I know, same formula as my Godspell post.

I am aware that the film version omitted a TON of songs, but I'll be keeping those songs in the ranking anyway. I tried to match the songs up as much as possible, so I left out some that only appeared in one version. Also, massive spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the movie- it departs from the original script in several major ways, and I think this impacts the message of the story both negatively and positively. (My asks and DMs are always open if you want to have a conversation about it 👀).

And now: my unsolicited opinions!

Aquarius- Winner: 1979 Movie. I mean. Can you blame me? This is, like, the most ethereal opening to a movie ever. The arrangement in this version is my favorite of any recording I've heard of this song. The extended intro leaves plenty of time for the audience to get excited- the bass and brass hit every time- and by the time the vocals come in, you'd better be ready to be astonished. The soloist is amazing. 'Aquarius' is by far the most popular track from the musical, and Renn Woods, who was just 19 at the time, sings it with such power. I'm a big fan of Sasha Allen, who sings this song (as well as many others) in the revival cast, and Ronnie Dyson's original take is iconic, but Woods only got one song in the show, and I think she deserves all the recognition for it. I highly suggest taking a look at this article if you'd like to know more about her experiences.

Donna- Winner: 1979 Movie. I was 🤏 this close to giving this one to the revival cast; Will Swenson is one of my favorite portrayals of George Berger. But not even he could hit the notes Treat Williams (rest in peace 😔) managed in this song. I also enjoy the instrumentation and backup vocals of this one the most. It's gonna be really hard to compare Treat to anyone else- he's top tier, for me.

Hashish- Winner: 2009 Cast. I almost gave this to the movie again, 'cause I do think it did the best job at what it set out to do, which is, I assume, make the audience feel like they're in the blunt rotation. Only thing with that is, this song is on the same track as 'Donna' in the movie soundtrack, and it pisses me off, because whenever I wanna listen to the former, I have to either sit through the latter (which I'm not too fond of) or use one of my precious Spotify skips! So, I'm gonna go ahead and say I like the revival recording best. Like I said, this track isn't my favorite, but I like that this recording in particular gets straight to the point and doesn't drag it out.

Sodomy- Winner: 1979 Movie. Ok. I know I'm riding high on the movie soundtrack right now. I'm aware of my bias. But it's not my fault they put a fucking church choir in this song. It sounds SO GOOD, and for what?? Also, love Donnie Dacus. He's so damn cute in the movie, and I really like his voice. It's just strong enough not to sound breathy, but not so strong it overwhelms the track. Woof, my beloved 🥰

Colored Spade- Winner: 1979 Movie. Or as I know it: ".....😶..... and president of the United States of Love!" Also, yes, another movie win. I can't defend myself anymore. The recordings are just so clean. Whoever played bass for this one really went at it. Not to mention, Dorsey Wright put his whole Hudussy into his performance. I will say, there's a weird noise at the end of the recording- I can't even explain it, but it's funny as hell. Go listen to it.

Manchester England- Tie: 1979 Movie/2009 Cast. Yeah, I couldn't choose with this one. I'd say the movie has a slight edge over the revival cast- mostly because it's gay as hell and has both Treat Williams and John Savage singing. I do love the revival version as well, though, because I think it's more what the original composition had in mind. The fake British accent-shtick is missing entirely from the film. Actually, this is one of those songs where the meaning in the stage version is completely different from the film version. This makes it really hard to compare them. So, you get a tie. (Side note: I need to watch this clip from the movie at least once a day to stay healthy. Doctor's orders).

I'm Black/Ain't Got No- Winner: 1979 Movie. Shit, man. You can't put Kurt Yaghjian in a song and expect me not to go crazy about it. (Peep the profile pic). Once again, the arrangement of this version rocks my shit to an absurd degree. Every soloist SLAYS it, the instrumentation is crisp as hell, and this version actually combines songs that are usually broken up in most stage productions. I'm not saying it's necessarily better because of that, but it certainly makes it easier to listen to cohesively. Also, I don't know. The choreography for the scene just matches so well with the tune. And yes, I know I shouldn't judge a movie based on its cinematography when comparing it to stage productions, but it's really hard to ignore with this one. Even without that, this is one of my favorite songs from the movie. It's genuinely perfect. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Also, John Savage is just really adorable when he sings "I'm invisible." Sue me. At least I'm honest!

Sheila Franklin/ I Believe in Love- Winner: 2009 Cast. This one isn't in the movie soundtrack, so you're safe from its reign for now. Woo! Anyway, Caissie Levy slays. The original cast may have gotten this one if it included the little intro where everyone sings their bit about Sheila- I love that part. But I think the revival cast deserves this win.

Air- Winner: 1979 Movie. "But tumblr user a-trick-or-two-with-lepers, this one wasn't even in the movie!" Ok, and? It's on the soundtrack, and it's the best one. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. It's a damn shame this didn't make the cut, 'cause Annie Golden did a great job with it! She sounds absolutely adorable. The other two versions are almost hard to listen to for me. It's not like I think the singers did a bad job- they're both very talented and I don't hate their versions- but the song is written to be somewhat annoying, I think. The voice Kacie Sheik puts on for Jeannie can be a bit grating at times. Maybe that just means I'm more of a vocalist-enjoyer than an actor-enjoyer, but in terms of listening value, this one goes to the tragically unused movie version.

10. Initials- Winner: 1968 Cast. An original cast recording win! Yay! I don't even have a problem with the other two versions, I just think it's really funny that this particular recording came out while LBJ was president. Dissing a current president in your broadway production has to be one of the boldest moves I've seen in musical theater history- though, this show broke a lot of musical barriers, so I'm not surprised.

11. I Got Life- Winner: 1979 Movie. I don't know why I spent so long thinking about which version was my favorite for this one. The movie version is like, one of my top tracks on Spotify. The whole scene is fucking perfect. I know this is supposed to be a Claude song, but Treat Williams as Berger owns it. It ranked number two in my 1979 Hair song ranking, and I stand by that placement. It has become one of my favorite movie scenes. The absolute joy that emanates from his performance is really inspiring. I will say, I like how they kept the 1948/1968 bit at the beginning of the OG cast recording, and Gavin Creel sings this song really well in the revival, but I'd be hard pressed to give this win to anyone but the one and only Treat Williams.

12. Going Down- Winner: 2009 Cast. This is another one that wasn't in the movie soundtrack, and I am PISSED that we never got to hear Treat sing this. Regardless, Will Swenson has the charisma cranked up to 1000 here. I adore how he growls out "Lucifer." This has become one of my favorite tracks from the 2009 recording. It is NOT believable that this man, or anyone playing Berger in these versions, is a teenager, but I've never cared about stuff like that. Well, except for the travesty that is the Dear Evan Hansen movie. Yeesh... Anyway!

13. Hair- Winner: 1979 Movie. The title track! I can back this one up, I swear. First of all: this is usually a Claude/Berger song, and while I really wish John Savage sang more in the movie, a second Woof solo is always appreciated. They keep more of the harmony in the intro, which I appreciate. This particular version of "Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees" lives in my head rent-free at all times. I wish they'd used Hud's solo in the soundtrack, but I'm not too mad about it. Treat is, once again, hitting those high notes, and my ears thank him for it. Also, this is the only version that doesn't drag out the "why don't my mother love me" line, and I don't know why, but I kind of like it better that way?

14. My Conviction- Winner: 2009 Cast. This song is so cute. I love that someone of an older generation shows support in this show! And she's(?) trans?? Or a crossdresser. Never was sure which it was. Either way, I think all the performances of this one were really great, but Andrew Kober did it best in my opinion. Still, I'd love to see the unnecessarily horrified reactions to this in the 60s.

15. Easy to Be Hard- Winner: 1979 Movie. Yeah, I knew this was gonna win before I even started making the list. I'm sorry, I truly do love both other versions, and whenever I sing this song I use the original key, but the movie version is simply just. 😚🤌. That plucky thing they do with the guitar is so beautiful. The meaning of the song is amplified by how different the scene is from the stage versions. And the singer. THE. SINGER. FUCKING INSANE. Her name is Cheryl Barnes, and she owns my entire heart. This role isn't in any other version as far as I'm aware, and she doesn't even have a name. She just pops up and is like "hey lemme just blow you all away real quick." Fuck you Hud for being mean to her and her little baby. Still mad that he didn't get more flack for that on-screen. Point is- this performance is the best. I don't even like Jennifer Hudson's version more than this one, which is saying a LOT, 'cause I love that woman.

16. Don't Put It Down- Winner: 2009 Cast. This used to be a 'skip' song for me. But after listening to the revival recording more, I can safely call it one of my favorites. The harmonies are really clear in this version, and I find the satire of it really amusing. Crazy for the blue, red, and white! What a shame that they made it instrumental in the movie.

17. Frank Mills- Winner: 1968 Cast. I just found out this was sung by Martha Plimpton's mother??? I love her! This version is absolutely adorable. I really like her voice, and I think it captures Crissy's character really well. No shade to Allison Case, though; her version is just as, if not more, beautiful. The original just happens to be my favorite in this case. Also, I noticed how few wins they were getting and I felt bad.

18. Hare Krishna/ Be-In- Winner: 2009 Cast. This is one of those where I'd honestly be fine adding any of the versions to my playlist. The original seems like the perfect thing to get high to, and the movie version is accompanied by a literal drug trip scene, but this version is the clearest and most listenable to me. The harmonies are really present. I really like when they all sing, "Burn it, Berger, burn it!" Also, Dionne and everyone singing "Aquarius," is really beautiful and haunting. They're hyping Claude up, and then he doesn't burn it, and hhhhhggngnnnnngggghhh it's just really good.

19. Where Do I Go?- Winner: 1979 Movie. Is anyone really surprised anymore? This is hand-down my favorite song from the movie. Let me tell you why. The instrumentation at the beginning is like an auditory orgasm. The cinematography- I know, I know!- is really thought-provoking. The way every single person walking through New York just turns around, in sync, and stops, like they've suddenly realized how meaningless their lives are... And let me tell you. I fucking a-d-o-r-e John Savage's voice. I know most people won't- it's kind of whiny- but for some reason, I just can't get enough of it. It's so tragic that he didn't get more solos in this movie. Anyway, I have a whole ass analysis of this song on my blog, so check that out if you're interested. I also wrote an almost 40k word ao3 story using it as title fodder. Yeah, I'm shamelessly plugging my fanfiction. If I'm aware that I'm cringe does that make me less cringe?

20. Electric Blues- Winner: 2009 Cast. I almost gave this to the movie, because that really is my favorite version... for the most part. I think it goes on too long- I know that's because it fades into Claude's drug trip, but it gets tiring to listen to (for my short attention span, that is). That doesn't mean I don't really like the revival recording, though. Everyone has great energy, and this recording actually made me appreciate the song a lot more. Also, the end is really funny ("What the fuck! I was singing!")

21. Oh Great God of Power/ Manchester England (Reprise)- Winner: 2009 Cast. As far as I'm aware, this is the only one that actually has this song on the soundtrack. The original just has the Manchester England reprise. Anyway, I love this version to death. The first half is so gorgeous. I love how obsessed everyone is with Claude because, same. Also, I really like how they all sing "I believe in God!"

22. Black Boys- Winner: 2009 Cast. It took me a long time to warm up to this song. What made me finally like it was this recording. The scene in the movie was... strange, to say the least. But the women in the revival cast do such a good job with it. It's a bop!

23. White Boys- Winner: 2009 Cast. I know we're on a revival streak, but it felt wrong to split up the two boys songs. Besides, this is probably the best version of the three. Sasha Allen is fantastic as always. As much as I love Nell Carter's voice, the military recruiter guys singing in the track is too goofy for me to take it seriously.

24. Walking in Space- Tie: All. I knew this was gonna be a hard one to rank. I love all the versions so much. So, I'm just gonna take the easy route and talk about all three of them. The original is such a cohesive tune. It plays so smoothly, and I really enjoy everyone's vocal performance. It doesn't feel overdone at any point. The movie version is a bit long for my taste, but it's so good that it honestly has a right to be long. This part of the film drags a bit, but maybe I just don't like watching people suffer through war training. It's definitely impactful in that sense, though. I really like the first soloist; she has this lilting soprano vibrato that's very pleasant to listen to. I also like how militaristic the men chanting the colors sound in this version. Sasha Allen is the first soloist in the revival recording, and of course, she's perfect. She belts the whole thing, unlike the other versions' soloists. Her voice gives me massive chills, especially when she puts a bit of growl into it.

25. Four Score/ Abie Baby- Winner: 1968 Cast. All the love to Nell Carter and Sasha Allen, but this version is my fav. It's the least serious, which I think is what is was written to be. The soloist is doing this sing-talking thing, which I love, and she's funny as hell, especially at the end. ("Bang?! Ahahah, bang? Shiiiiit, I ain't dying for no white man").

26. Three-Five-Zero-Zero- Tie: All. Again, I'm not sure how to choose which of these is my favorite. It's just a really good anti-war song. Each one of the versions does it justice. I really like when a song makes me learn something, and I learned a lot from this song. For example: I learned what Viet Cong means, and I also learned that this song references a really interesting anti-war poem from the 60s titled 'Witchita Vortex Sutra.'

27. What A Piece of Work is Man- Winner: 2009 Cast. It was really hard to pick my favorite of the three. I didn't wanna hit you all with another tie, so I went with the revival cast. I think it has the smoothest transition into the Walking in Space reprise. The vocals are very clean as well. I wish they had kept this song in the movie; it's so pretty!

28. Good Morning Starshine- Tie: All. Dammit! I lied. I need to add another tie. They're all so good! The harmonies in the original are really, really nice. The movie version just puts me in such a good mood, and Beverly D'Angelo's voice is amazing! What a shame she didn't get more vocal parts in the movie. I really like how the harmonies start layering as everyone in the car gets into the song. This was one of the only moments I actually liked how they characterized Sheila in the film. But it was the revival recording that made me actually like this song- enough to want it in my playlists. Caissie Levy just has such a good voice. I also just love this song because it represents the last moment of hope and happiness in every version. It almost makes me want to cry, but I'll have to save my tears for this next song...

29. The Flesh Failures/ Let the Sunshine In- Tie: All. Welp. There goes my good mood. Fuck. This song... it doesn't matter who sings it. I will cry. Every time. It's so perfectly composed. In the original, when Claude sings his last few lines, he gets drowned out by the chorus, which symbolizes his meaningless death. Of course, the differences between the stage versions and the movie are stark, considering Berger dies instead of Claude, but the power of the message remains the same. The cinematography of this scene in the movie is so genius, it actually hurts to watch. The young men- the teenagers, the children- marching into the gaping maw of the warplane, Berger among them, singing a reprise of Claude's song. He knows now that he isn't seen as an individual by these people. He's a weapon. Disposable. He could be Claude for all they care. Fuck. It hurts just to think about it. The revival recording, though, might be the hardest to listen to. When paired with Aquarius Goodnights/ Ain't Got No/ Yip up the Sun, it never fails to make me sob. And I mean sob. The way Claude sings "Ain't got no" followed by gunshots, the way Berger screams for Claude, the brokenhearted singing of Sheila when she realizes Claude has died... I can't. I literally have to stop at Good Morning Sunshine when I'm listening to any of these albums if I want to continue having a good day, or else I'll be thinking about it all day. I truly believe this is the most intelligent and heart-wrenchingly stunning song ever written. Let the motherfucking sunshine in.

Well Gee Willikers. That was a ride. I love Hair like I love life itself, but BOY does that last song get me. Thank you SO SO SO much if you've read this far. I love you and I am kissing you tenderly on the forehead as we speak. I'm definitely in a bit of a Hair fixation right now- some may even call it hyper- and I had to have a somewhat productive outlet for it, so here you go! Hope you enjoyed ❤️

[thelikesoffinn]

I watched an american musical with a friend of mine and was once again reminded how different american musical theatre culture is compared to that in my country here in Europe.

The following happened: While we both really enjoyed the show, my friend turns to me towards the end and opened our conversation with

Friend: "Oh, but you know. The person that plays REDACTED."

Me: "Yeah, what about them?"

Friend: "Are they an understudy? They're not as good as the others. Their singing is still a bit lacking."

Me: *pokerface because I know that said person is definitely not an understudy and I also know why my friend would think they are*

Thing is: In my country, getting into musical theatre is extremely difficult. There's a lot of qualifications you have to meet and it's a long journey until you are fully there. That, of course, means that almost all of our actors and actresses are incredibly well trained and have, like, masters degrees in musical theatre with minor qualifications in dance, writing or music. (If they don't have those, which happenes rarely but does happen, they're basically Mozart of Musical Theatre and blessed with insane skills.)

And in the US that's not always the case. Not to say that most actors don't have that sort of education, but I've noticed that it's comparatively easier to get into the musical theatre scene even without all that prior shit.

I mean, I have read a vita along the following lines more than once so far:

Taylor 'Hunky' Jordan was born on october 12, 1999, in Santa Ana, California, as the child of a lawyer father and an accountant mother. As a child, he always dreamed of becoming a professional football star, and he spent all of middle - and high school preparing for his career as the best wide receiver ever.

After highschool, Taylor attended UCLA to get his degree in biochemistry while continuously honing his skills as a wide receiver thanks to his football scholarship.

His dream, however, was shattered just a day before his graduation. Slipping on a banana peel, Taylor injured his knee, thus loosing his dream of a career as a wide receiver.

Now forced to reconsider, Taylor decided that hey, I like to sing under the shower and I've seen high school musical! And if Troy Bolton could do it, so can I!

Now, at the age of 24, Taylor finally landed his first big role as "Generic Male Lead" in "Popular Broadway Musical" after starring in but two off-broadway productions!

Which is great and all, but you know what most vita's in my country look like? Here:

Oliver was born on the twelfth of December 1993 in RANDOM VILLAGE by RANDOM PROVINCE. From the start his parents knew he was meant to become an actor. His first words were "Then I defy you, stars!" And he was holding the script to Andrew Lloyd Webbers "Starlight Express" as he was born.

This was only cemented after seeing their four year old son perform the leading role in "The Rainbowfish" with his kindergarten group. Following that afternoon, his parents decided to hone their sons skills by sending him to Dementor Academy of Fine Arts in MOUNTAIN VILLAGE, where he would be trained in singing, dancing, acting, writing and algebra.

During school, Oliver starred in multiple shows and gathered enough experience to be accepted to Very Renouned University of Fine Arts in BIG CITY. There, under the instruction of his skilled instructors, he spent five years training hard to earn his masters degree in musical theatre.

While studying, he starred in many many many many productions as ensemble cast as well as understudy and walk-in-cover roles, polishing the skills his parents helped him hone even further.

Now, at the age of 30, he at last managed to land his first big role as "Male Lead" in "Musical That Has Been Extremely Popular In This Country Since The 80's" and we're all looking forward to see what the future will bring.

So needless to say, our main cast is often older, very skilled, and has a lot of experience. And that shows.

That is why my friend, to bring it all back, asked if that one person is an understudy. She mostly watches local musicals and is thus used to stellar performances, and anything less than that is mostly something done by understudies who are often still studying.

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

HAUNT GENERATOR

Opening this weekend:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice--To the list of Gen X-era movie favorites getting very belated sequels, the sweetly macabre 1988 comedy Beetlejuice may now be added. You may remember the title character (spelled, outside of the title, like the red giant star in Orion) is a manic ghost who specialized in exorcizing the unwelcome living from haunted houses. Like Clive Barker's Candyman, he could be conjured into the world of the quick by speaking his name aloud three consecutive times, after which he would wreak havoc.

It's one of the signature roles of the great Michael Keaton; probably his greatest comedic triumph. The film also featured a breakthrough performance by Winona Ryder as the endearing, self-consciously "goth" heroine Lydia, and was a showcase for the visual and comic style of director Tim Burton. It's unquestionably a classic of '80s popular cinema, and it gave rise to a TV cartoon, video games, comics, a long-running stage show at Universal Studios theme parks, and eventually a Broadway musical that put Representative Lauren Boebert into an uncommonly good mood.

None of which necessarily means, of course, that a sequel was required. But one has been made, directed by Burton, starring Keaton, Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara, and scored by Danny Elfman. It has, in short, the stamp of authenticity, and this many years later it's a bit surprising that the original makers have managed to infuse, if anything, even more craziness into it.

Ryder's Lydia, now widowed, is still able to see ghosts, including the occasional startling glimpse of her old nemesis. She's the host of a paranormal TV show produced by her intolerable boyfriend (Justin Theroux). Relations between Lydia and her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenny Ortega) are tense, but circumstances bring the two of them and Lydia's stepmother Delia (O'Hara) back to the old house in picturesque small-town Connecticut. Before long, the boundary between our world and the Kafkaesque, DMV-style bureaucratic afterlife has been breached, and the title ghoul is trying to insinuate himself back into the picture.

What ensues, strung along a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar from a story by Seth Grahame-Smith, are more of Burton's elaborate yet non-sequitur slapstick set pieces. The gross-out content is slightly higher here than back in 1988, but it works. The original, you'll recall, had a fixation with Harry Belafonte songs from which its most memorable sequences arose; the new movie is likewise enriched by similarly out-of-nowhere musical interests, even more grandly staged. There are sequence here that achieve true, weapons-grade silliness.

Ortega is touching, and there are other effective new additions to the cast, like Willem Dafoe as an afterlife cop--he was a movie cop in this life--with an exposed brain, or Arthur Conti, excellent as a local kid who charms Astrid. Best of all is Monica Belluci, formidable as the enraged ghost of the leader of a "soul-sucking death cult" who has an unhappy history with our titular hero. The scene in which she pulls herself together with the help of a staple gun is a Burton classic.

Keaton, though used somewhat sparingly, slips easily back into his role, tossing off asides in his muttering natter (or nattering mutter?) with the same moldered aplomb, and moving with the same light-footed exuberance, with which he conducted himself three decades ago. Ryder is also perfectly convincing as the middle-aged version of Lydia; tinged with a hint of emotional desperation in her interactions with Astrid.

I know it sounds ridiculous, and maybe I'm just projecting, but I thought that Ryder, O'Hara and even Keaton brought a subdued, rueful undercurrent to their performances, as if stirred-up memories of the first film's events had awakened genuine emotional pain. Don't misunderstand; if it's there, it's done without the slightest heavy-handed intentionality; it may not even have been conscious on the part of the actors. But it deepens both this film and the original.

[sunhlland]

talking about flopping and how tom never gonna be successful when he’s only 28 is crazy, most well known actors don’t get the peak of their career until they are in their late 30s, i guess people seeing how his peers getting more famous and be casted in big movies but tom already reached that stage in his career lol 💀 i don’t see any of them an oscar winner yet so what is this fuess about

aside from the fact that the success of a project isn’t his responsibility specially when he is a young actor who according to hollywood is just a marvel actor! they will reject him but it doesn’t prove anything

he is literally drama school kid who did musical theatre growing up, he can do whatever he wants but it’s not something on his radar yet

" tom never gonna be successful when he’s only 28 is crazy "

Starting here...the man is already successful, famous and very popular.

" i guess people seeing how his peers getting more famous"

more fame? yes, they're getting fame but they never surpass the popularity and fame that Tom currently enjoys, despite his two years off the stage LMAO.

you know, those same "fans" tell R&J flopped when the damn play sold out in 2 hours...and if it goes to broadway it will be the same result, that sounds like "success" to me... do you know what the salary of this "flopped actor" in Hollywood is currently? I can assure you that he earns more than most of Twitter's favorite actors.

so...

[troubleabroad]

STRANGE & UNUSUAL

Could really get used to waking up to the manhattan skyline everyday. We walked down a few blocks from the apartment to the chelsea highline. The chelsea highline was once home to part of the railway system of new york, however it has now been converted into a little over 2km of urban parkland sitting above the hustle and bustle of a section of manhattan We got the usual fuel to start our trip, street vendor hotdog, and started the walk along the old train tracks of the highline. Its quite impressive what they’ve managed to do with just an old train line. Its full of gardens, greenery, little stalls with food and drink options, art installations, views of the city and hudson river. Quite a peaceful place amongst the craziness that is manhattan. We strolled along the tracks until we reached the end, and our next stop, the Chelsea Market. Some of manhattans best and most popular food can be found here. From high class sushi, pizza, tacos and even pasta bars that roll the pasta in front of you! We had a look at a couple of the little pop up stores they had there, then it was time for the main attraction. Food. For me, it was straight to the seafood merchant for a lobster roll. Ive never had a lobster roll before, so the idea of a maine lobster roll really got me going. The restaurant, if you can call it that, was super impressive, with its own fresh oyster bar next to a fresh sushi bar and then up the back the lobster station. People were tucking into a bit of everything, but most had gloves on and were attacking lobster claws like they were going out of fashion. I made it to the ordering counter and ordered my lobster roll. First impression, a lot smaller than i was expecting. But size isn’t everything, As i know all too well. It was delicious. Mix of sweet and savoury, with a nice bun holding it all together. If they weren’t megabucks back home i could make it a staple of my diet.

Buggalugs not being a seafood eater was not taken by anything on the menu, but that’s okay as she was set on hand pulled noodles. So further into the market we went, where ewe found the noodle merchant and its mile long line. But this is what were here for, so we took our spot and waited for our order to be taken. Once at the front, buggalugs placed her order, while i felt like a garbage guts, so headed back to the seafood fellas for some sashimi. We reconvened with our food and dug in. If the lobster roll was excellent, the sashimi was perfect.

The lady over charged me, so threw in some extra pieces. Bless her cotton socks. The hand pulled noodles were also excellent. Good amount of heat, chewy, fresh and really nice lamb with it too.

Rolling out of the market we decide that the 30-45 minute walk was not going to be possible. So it was into and onto the New York Subway. Has not gotten any cleaner since i last rode it. But there’s something about the combined smell of urine, stale water and dirty train brakes that makes it feel safe homely. We boarded the train and made it back to time square in one piece, we even somehow got off at the right part of the station and made it street side! Not far from where we got off was the official ticket sales desk (for tightarses) for broadway shows. Theres always something happening on broadway, but as an experienced broadwayer, I’ve seen a lot. (Im artist you know), we decided on a new show, Beetlejuice! Thats right, your favourite Tim Burton film has been adapted into a stage show. Which is written by Australia’s own Eddie Perfect! (The same man who played warnie now writes broadway shows). Theres not much point detailing the show, you’ve either seen beetlejuice, or you haven’t. So you know the story or you don’t. I don’t need to retell it. What i will tell you though, is that it was exceptional. Casting, writing, length, costumes, scenery was all 10/10. I highly recommend getting a ticket (get a ticket to new york whilst you’re at it) After the show we walked the blocks of New York back to get some more late night pizza, then to CVS (The local pharmacy) to purchase some drinks. Because this is america, and you van buy alcohol from the pharmacy. It truely is the land of the free! We’ve got a relaxing day tomorrow, buggalugs is off to the museum, whilst I’m hitting up greenwich village.

[six-costume-refs]

2022-23 Broadway Wigs

Starting off by mentioning that all the Six wigs are individually designed for their actors, with exact colors/textures/styles decided by what’s most flattering on the individual queen. That means that any new cast (especially in the US) could have totally new designs, new elements or colors/shades, or pre-existing elements but in a new combination. There are also times when wigs are totally standardized with the only change being the colors to match the individual queens’ hair (this is most commonly the case for Howard). And when I refer to US wigs or what’s typical for each role, I’m exclusively referring to mainland US (Broadway + tours). NCL is a totally different team and set of wigs.

There have also been quite a few changes between opening and the present. Anything that changes the overall look or design I’ll note, but anything in the vein of minor thinning or a very minor trim that isn’t particularly influential I won’t. Just know those things always happen a fair bit with new wigs.

Hailee Kareem Wright

Hailee has a full ombré wig in shades of dark browns. Middle part with Dutch braids on either side. It’s longer and with a flatter back and sides than many Aragon wigs.

US Aragon wigs have some of the most variance depending on the queen. This wig is definitely noticeably individualized for her (and I have to give the design team props for this, it’s definitely one of my favorite Six wigs). The basic design is near-identical to Bre Jackson’s wig with the ombré and Dutch braids, but it pretty significantly differs from Adrianna Hicks’, who had primarily black wigs with very dark brown highlights and no braids.

Leandra Ellis Gaston

First of all, a moment for the braids!!!! Truly was not expecting this and it was SUCH a welcome surprise.

Leandra has a full wig with hip-length box braids that are narrower at the front of the scalp but chunkier in the center back. Color mix is primarily black but has some very dark brown in there. Other than the braids(!!!) the middle part and space-buns are standard for US wigs.

Bella Coppola

This wig is actually very interesting. At first glance it’s a very typical Seymour wig but it’s a pretty significant departure from US Seymour wigs and more in line with UK: the beehive has only really been seen in UK (which I talked about here), both the US and UK used to use center parts but this past year the US has been using side parts, and US has typically shifted towards a shorter wig than Bella’s. Color is more unique too; most of the US (+NCL wigs) have had a little bit more of a red/strawberry/warm brown tone, while this one is more in line with the blondes popular in the UK (lot of factors here at play that I’ll get into another time). There’s still more of a golden tone than the more platinum that UK usually goes for, but it is overall more in line with UK.

They’ve also changed the wig slightly over time: the size of the beehive has been increased and it seems like there’s been a shift towards tighter curls rather than the usual looser curls it started with (which are more in line with we’ve been seeing from other US casts lately).

Nasia Thomas

Nasia’s wig has braids coming up from the sides and back to swoop into the top section that’s been left loose and to the right. Red highlights as (almost) always. It has been significantly thinned down with time (opening bottom right as opposed to top row from their performance a few weeks later).

The style is a significant change from Brittney Mack’s hair, who had her own braids with bleached highlights but no loose section and red added in only some of the time. The tour principals have had more of a mid range - braids up the sides/back and red highlights like Nasia, but the top section is still braids centered on the head rather a loose section to the side. The tour alts’ wigs all vary quite a bit with nothing identical but some similar elements.

Zoe Jensen

Very standard US Howard ponytail with nothing particularly new or notable. Pink dyes differ a bit from queen to queen but that’s really the only variance for her!

Taylor Iman Jones

Alright, here’s the one everyone’s been asking about. Taylor has a full black wig with some warm dark browns mixed in. She debuted a totally new hairstyle for Parr, completely different from anything we’ve seen before. At opening, the hair on the front right of her head was pulled over to the side and back, with all the hair on the left side of her face + the entire back bottom half down or to the side in loose curls. Since then they’ve thinned it out very substantially; the section on the left side of the face functions more like a ponytail (more like we’ve seen with Roxanne Couch’s old side ponytail wig or Sydney Parra’s wig) and the amount left loose at the bottom has been slimmed down.

A post on the alts (including Marilyn Caserta) will come a bit later - they haven’t all debuted and a few wig designs have been changing around.

—————————————————

Top-bottom, L-R:

Hailee: 5 Dec 2022, Daniel Rader; 19 Dec 2022, Today Show; 5 Dec 2022, Jennifer Broski; posted 9 Dec 2022, @/sixthemusical

Leandra: 5 Dec 2022, either Michaelah Reynolds or Daniel Rader (credited as Reynolds by Leandra but Rader by Six); 19 Dec 2022, Today Show; 5 Dec 2022, Michaelah Reynolds; 5 Dec 2022, Daniel Rader

Bella: 5 Dec 2022, Jennifer Broski; posted 8 Dec 2022, @/bella_coppolala; posted 9 Dec 2022, @/sixthemusical; posted 22 Dec 2022, @/sixthemusical

Nasia: 19 Dec 2022, @/taylorimanjones; 19 Dec 2022, Today Show; 5 Dec 2022, Daniel Rader; posted 25 Dec 2022, @/nasiathomas

Zoe: @/lanazoejensen, @/carrington_spires

Taylor: 5 Dec 2022, @/peachez.nyc; 5 Dec 2022, Jennifer Broski; 5 Dec 2022, Michaelah Reynolds (Six credits as Daniel Rader but on Reynolds’ page); 5 Dec 2022, Jennifer Broski; @/hausofiman; 19 Dec 2022, Today Show; 19 Dec 2022, @/nasiathomas; posted 4 Dec 2022, @/sixthemusical

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Since it's New Years, could you each tell us what your favorite fic of 2021 was?

LYNNE

A Summer Story by Kb.Ellen

When an injury forces Kurt to take the summer off from his dream job as a principal dancer with the NYC Ballet, he’s anxious to recover and get back to life as he knows it. But can a tiny town in southern Arkansas, a joyful aunt, a town full of good-hearted people and an intriguing local handyman make Kurt reassess what his dreams actually are? Welcome to Cassville. Rated M.

Christmas in Cassville (one shot follow up)

Welcome back to Cassville! Here’s my take on a Christmas past, present and future: What could have been, what was, and what will be. Three Chapters. In A Summer Story Universe.

~~~~~

One More Night by @gleefulpoppet

[AU] Based on the wildly popular fan-made video “One More Night” by Alison447. 

High school is a caste system where kids fall into certain slots. Popular kids are up in the penthouse, which is where Rachel Berry reigns supreme. She’s got the hottest guy in school and everything she’s ever dreamed of right in front of her. The Invisibles are on the bottom floor. That is where you will find Kurt Hummel, daydreaming about his first kiss and trying to survive the torment each day brings at the hands of bullies and cowards. And then, there is Blaine Anderson. Is he everything he appears to be? Straight, in love with the most popular girl in school, and set to take the lead in the school play? Or is there more to him than anyone knows?

~~~~~~~~~~

HKVOYAGE

Crowded House by  kellyb321 

All of your favorite Warblers and a few new faces, too. Follow our boys as they start their lives in NYC, each couple facing their own challenges, heartbreak, self-discovery and redemption. Stick around as they realize support, acceptance and most importantly, true love can all be found in one big Crowded House. Heavy on the Klaine and Niff.

My note: Completed in 2021. In my top ten favorite Klaine fics of all time. 

~~~~~

One More Night by @gleefulpoppet

[AU] Based on the wildly popular fan-made video “One More Night” by Alison447. 

High school is a caste system where kids fall into certain slots. Popular kids are up in the penthouse, which is where Rachel Berry reigns supreme. She’s got the hottest guy in school and everything she’s ever dreamed of right in front of her. The Invisibles are on the bottom floor. That is where you will find Kurt Hummel, daydreaming about his first kiss and trying to survive the torment each day brings at the hands of bullies and cowards. And then, there is Blaine Anderson. Is he everything he appears to be? Straight, in love with the most popular girl in school, and set to take the lead in the school play? Or is there more to him than anyone knows?

My note: Gleefulpoppet’s story did the famous fandom video justice.

~~~~~~~~~~

LILYVANDERSTEEN

I’m afraid I’ve barely read any fanfic in 2021. However, I did read a few very cute oneshots.

Christmas Eve by WildHurricane

It's Christmas Eve and a snow storm blows through the streets of New York City. Blaine is stuck at the restaurant where he works. While it doesn't look like they'll have any guests, at least he has his friend, and the chef of the restaurant, Tina to keep him company. Together they sit back, relax and start goofing around. Right when they're being the most silly, he walks in - Broadway’s newest star. He's cute and has a beautiful voice, and Blaine has never heard about him.

~~~~~~~

Stay Sweet Anderson by kurts_still_here

Blaine loves the holiday season… except that he always ends up alone on Christmas day. But when a very demanding customer walks into his grandma’s bakery one day and places a very complicated order, his luck may change. 

~~~~~~

2 times Kurt and Blaine’s coworkers almost find out they’re together and 1 time that they do  by @nineofhearts

The title says it all. Kurt and Blaine are coworkers. They started dating pre-pandemic, but didn't tell any of their coworkers because they didn't want to make it weird. Then COVID sends them all home, and, after an initial panic about how they'll make this work, they find their own spaces in their apartment.

Eventually their co-workers find out.