#nicholas joseph strauss-matathia

[isogenderskitty]

if i had a nickel for every time a nick strauss character ended a starkid musical by running off to venice between the years of 2009 and 2010 i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice

[perlukafarinn]

Most notable Starkid cast members?

Starkid has had a lot of different cast members in their shows through the years and I started wondering who has been in the most shows and how many shows someone would have to be in for them to feel like a "proper" Starkid. I could have looked up to see if anyone has compiled this information but instead I decided to do it myself!

I went through the cast lists of all fourteen live stage shows they have uploaded to their channel (so including VHS Christmas Carol but not Nightmare Time or any other digital series) and here's what I found:

(behind a read more because this got looong and also so you have time to guess which actors have been in the most shows!)

1. Jaime Lynn Beatty (12 out of 14 shows). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 1. Lauren Lopez (12). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Nerdy Prudes Must Die. 3. Joey Richter (11). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Nerdy Prudes Must Die. 4. Joe Walker (9). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Firebringer. 5. Dylan Saunders (8). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 5. Brian Holden (8). First appearance: Me & My Dick. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 5. Corey Dorris (8). First appearance: Me & My Dick. Latest appearance: Nerdy Prudes Must Die. 8. Meredith Stepien (7). First appearance: Starship. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 9. Joe Moses (6). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Ani: A Parody. 9. Jim Povolo (6). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Twisted. 9. Denise Donovan (6). First appearance: Starship. Latest appearance: Firebringer. 9. Jeff Blim (6). First appearance: Holy Musical B@tman!. Latest appearance: Black Friday. 13. Julia Albain (5). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: Ani: A Parody. 14. Brian Rosenthal (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 14. Britney Coleman (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 14. Devin Lytle (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 14. Richard Campbell (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 14. Lily Marks (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 14. Nick Lang (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Sequel. Latest appearance: Ani: A Parody. 14. Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia (4). First appearance: A Very Potter Sequel. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 21. Darren Criss (3). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 21. Tyler Brunsman (3). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 21. Sango Tajima (3). First appearance: A Very Potter Musical. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 21. A. J. Holmes (3). First appearance: Me & My Dick. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 21. Arielle Goldman (3). First appearance: Me & My Dick. Latest appearance: A Very Potter Senior Year. 21. Chris Allen (3). First appearance: Holy Musical B@tman! Latest appearance: Ani: A Parody. 21. Rachael Soglin (3). First appearance: Twisted. Latest appearance: Firebringer. 21. Robert Manion (3). First appearance: Twisted. Latest appearance: Black Friday. 21. Clark Baxtresser (3). First appearance: Ani: A Parody. Latest appearance: A VHS Christmas Carol. 21. Jon Matteson (3). First appearance: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. Latest appearance: Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

Then there are a handful of people who have only appeared in one or two shows, most notably Bonnie Gruesen, who played Hermione in the first two Potter musicals, Will Brenner, who debuted in Nerdy Prudes Must Die, and Mariah Rose Faith, Angela Giarratana, Curt Mega, Kim Whalen, Kendall Nicole Yakshe and Bryce Charles, who have all appeared in two or more Hatchetfield projects.

A couple of observations:

Some of the actors listed have also been involved behind the scenes, with Nick Lang writing almost every show with his brother Matt Lang, and Jeff Blim and Clark Baxtresser writing the music for several shows.

I was shocked that Rachael Soglin has only been in three Starkid shows but I guess it goes to show that the size of the role also plays a part in how much of a "Starkid" every actor feels.

[intothewickedwood]

Starkid Dreamcast: Heathers The Musical

Veronica Sawyer - Jaime Lyn Beatty

Jason "J.D." Dean - Darren Criss

Heather Chandler - Mariah Rose Faith

Heather Duke - Britney Coleman

Heather McNamara - Denise Donovan

Martha Dunnstock - New Actor

Kurt Kelly - Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia

Ram Sweeney - Joe Walker

Bill Sweeney / Big Bud Dean / Coach Ripper - Robert Manion

Paul Kelly / Mr. Sawyer / Principal Gowan - Brian Holden

Mrs. Sawyer /Ms. Fleming - Meredith Stepien

[makethestorylast]

Day 7: Song You Cry To

This is almost sad enough to cry to if you ignore bloody shirtless Brolden. But close enough, right?

<<click for better quality, reblogs appreciated>>

[fallingforboyswithmicrophones]

I forgot that Brian Holden didn’t originate Penguin in Holy Musical B@man. I’m so used to hearing him sing during the Rogues medley instead of Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia.

[kickitupanotchbug]

Sirius: You're all that's left of what I knew You must know somewhere it's true! Do you understand me? Harry: (Spoken) Yeah, I do.

[Those Voices. AVPS.]

[fangirlstarkid]

anyone but me ever feel really daring humming a song from mamd in public???

[melchron]

I really miss Nick Strauss right now

[flamingthespian]

“How’s ya doin’, Flopsy?”

“Oh, hey there, you Old Snatch!”

[ill-be-your-wife-zazzalil]

someone please tell me which episode of potion masters corner is funniest i honestly refuse to decide myself

[youremyonlyhope]

MAMD

Ok seeing all the rewatchers1000 posts has inspired me to rewatch Me and My Dick too.

It’s literally been a decade since I last watched this. I definitely was in high school. I think I’ve only watched this musical twice maybe 3 times, though I do genuinely love it.

It’s so strange that as a completely naive teenager whose introduction to most sexual jokes came from this musical, and is now greysexual, that the musical still managed to take hold of SUCH a special place in my heart.

Now let’s see if the Old Snatch is still my favorite character or not. I know I used to adore her.

Aww Joey’s a BABY. Oof the sound quality. I don’t know why I had my volume so low. “I love you more than anything... my Dick.”  Joe’s a baby too. “Never even seen a booby” why did that line just kill me. “Good grief” aww. The head tilt! I’ve listened the Apocalyptour soundtrack so many times over the years, that I’m not used to them actually finishing the sentence “It’s me and my dick!” Tell me why I’m singing along to Dick’s lines and not Joey’s? Awwww little baby Jaime. “And if we’re late for class, well I guess that’s ok!” “Is she gone?” “Yeah! I’m gone!” Oh my god she’s a salad. I can’t remember, did we make that into an insult like we did for toaster...

I’m also drinking a hard pear cider that I discovered my bodega sells earlier this week. It’s delicious.

Aww there’s a bit of the trumpet from Listen to Your Heart in the scene transition! The audience reaction to Miss Cooter’s name. Yesssss Ready to Go. Legitimately one of the best StarKid songs to this day. “AgNOooo3″ Aww Ali. Literally a baby. She was the reigning youngest StarKid for so long. “...and it’s only when the Silver and the Nitrogen find all THREE Oxygens that they finally solve the case!” “...Calm down.” Amazing.

God I forgot how short some of these parts were back when YouTube didn’t let you post more than 10 minutes.

Oh shoot how did I only just noticed the “This video is for big StarKids only!” in the description. That’s so cute. They tried. They did not succeed in keeping away the little StarKids.

Ok wait one more interruption before I press play on Part 3. I just noticed that the video says 12 years ago. I just gagged. Ok moving on.

Alle-Faye! She’s so good. Yessssssss The Old Snatch and Flopsy.  “Wide Receiver” I can’t. God I’m so used to the SPACE version that I nearly went straight into Flopsy’s verse after the Old Snatch’s. “What, I ain’t!” Brolden your voice. “Whiles, we’s, waits to be delivered, go ahead cry me a river, we agree that there’s no quid pro quo” That line has always been my favorite for some reason. I just love the jazzy rhythm. The whole jazzy vibe of the show is amazing. “Save your tears for lubrication!” Amazing.  “I know there’s so much more to what I think I see” I keep singing the new soprano line they used in Homecoming. “TOTES JUST TOTED!” amazing. God. That’s such a good song. It’d be the perfect opening number for the show, if Me and My Dick wasn’t the title number and needed in order to explain the concept of the show. Also I never realized that Corey, Arielle, Lily, and Richard are the only “ensemble” in the show. I don’t think I ever realized there were only 12 people in this entire cast... how many were in AVPM... now I gotta check. There were 17. Also there’s 13 in the cast, AJ just isn’t in Ready to Go. Also, Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia. Fave.

“I heard Joey Richter ate his poop because his Dick told him to” What. “He looks like an old lesbian!” I forgot that joke. “I WANNA HAVE CARIBBEAN STUDY WITH YOU!” Iconic. Oh wait. It just hit me that of the 4 (or 8 if you count the genitalia) main characters, 3 (6) are women. Though of course, 2 vaginas are played by men, so it does come out to 4 and 4 for actors, but character-wise, it’s 6 and 2. That’s fun. Somehow this managed to be the most woman-dominant show other than Firebringer, in a way. “Thank you so much, for giving all that up, so I can have that with Vanessa and not with you” Amazing. I forgot that Devin has an operatic voice in this song. This song now makes me think of the time StarKid had a fan join Joe in singing this song at LeakyCon a few years ago. Purposefully to prank a fan with having to sing the least-well-known StarKid song. I will admit it is forgettable. Also the fan somewhat knew the song and stumbled through it pretty well, so all the StarKids were like “That went so much better than we though! We wanted to make a joke but you did it!” at the end. I love that Richard’s entire point in this show is just to make fun of Joey.

Aww. Every StarKid show needs an outdated reference. This time, it’s “I thought you’d go all Britney on me and have a spaz attack.” The sword of Gryffindor is in there. “A stiff outer lip” That probably went over my head as a teen. “Don’t be a stranger” “Never!” Love her. The slow building laugh at “She’s got long, beautiful, flowing hair.” Oh my god sorry I can’t get over how young Joey is, he’s a baby. “Are you nuts?” “A little” adorable. “We’re like Batman and Robin, or Superman... and his dick!” Amazing.

”And by pecker I assume you’re referring to a p-p-p-p-p-p... a cock” Nick my god. Knowing that Devin and Nick were really close friends in college (if I remember the story correctly, he coined “devdevnumnums” at orientation when they met and that was her tumblr url back in the day) makes this song even funner to me. God I love the Old Snatch. Oh my god the pearl necklaces. A costume piece that went over my head. ”Oh you must really be wet... behind the ears! With naiveté!” Lines that went over my head. OH MY GOD. TIFFANY HAS A RED ENV2! I HAD A RED ENV2 IN 2009! Oh my god just squeaked. What a throwback. Aww the Old Snatch.

I haven’t mentioned the blue headband yet, but I love the blue headband so much. “Don’t worry, no one’s gonna have sex with you while I’m here” *sincere nodding* Amazing. I forgot that line until about 2 seconds before it happened. “Do you want me to give you a back scratch?” “No we’re fine.” “No thanks.” I’m dead. THE TEXTBOOK. “She wants to have sex with us.” “She does?” “Yeah.” “Nice I did it!” Amazing. Oh the camerawork when Dick looks to his left for someone else. I’m glad they thought ahead with the camerawork even for their second show. AHHHH THE SOCK. I JUST SCREAMED. LIGHTING A MATCH?? I remembered Flopsy coming out like a monster about a second before it happened. “I’m not gonna fucking sing with you!” Another line that came back to me only just before it happened. Also, Brian looks really pretty with the make-up and the wig. I remember watching that entire scene when I was 14 and PRAYING my parents wouldn’t walk in and ask what I was watching. I was cringing the entire time, but this time it’s funny (and still made me cringe a bit because it’s meant to be awkward).

Awww here we go. The first scene of MAMD I ever saw because I wanted to know why everyone loved AJ so much. “I wish I was born without a dick. Or as a girl or something.” 2009 StarKid is accidentally sort of trans-inclusive for that one line. Sort of. I remember being SO confused seeing Dick run away out of context when I watched only this scene. And In context it’s still shocking. Aww the heartbeat. “Why hello there Joey.” AJ’S A BABY!!! HE’S SO YOUNG!! HE’S A BABY! I literally just squeaked. Oh my god he’s so young. “Wow the nine of hearts!” “That’s right the king of hearts!” “Ew!” “Read this. It’s a Jane Austen novel Joey.” Oh my god I was just talking to one of my coworkers about how obsessed I am with Jane Austen. Why did StarKid stop referencing her in their musicals?  Oh it’s Sense and Sensibility. So is Vanessa the Willoughby and Sally is the Colonel Brandon? Am I overthinking this? Am I slightly tipsy from 2 ciders because I have no alcohol tolerance? I’m gonna go with: they’re trying to draw a parallel there with the Marianne love triangle but making it Joey. I think it works. To my half asleep slightly tipsy mind. “Sometimes, your one true love turns out to be the person you initially... disliked.” Yes definitely, I forgot that line, but I caught on to that parallel correctly. I am SO HAPPY. “When did Jane Austen say that?” In half her novels Joey. Why specifically 223%? I cannot get over how little AJ is! He’s such a baby! He’s so young. Oh my god. So cute. I can’t. BRB gotta see if I can find an example of one of those old AJ Holmes Appreciate Day posts from like 2012 oh my god.

Ok so way back in 2011 and 2012, when a whole bunch of us had our own little group that posted constantly on the StarKidPotter FB wall (before FB introduced Timeline and messed up our system of posting), we used to do an AJ Holmes Appreciation Day and just post things about how awesome AJ was, but in like Chuck Norris 2010s style jokes. I just went back in my Facebook activity to see, and I wrote things like “Apple Juice is only firetrucking delicious because its initials are A.J.” and “AJ Holmes dares to disturb Goyle’s slumber!”

But the one that is relevant and I think I’m probably most proud of: “AJ Holmes doesn’t listen to his heart, his heart listens to him.”

Ok that’s my StarKid fandom history/walk down memory lane/intermission done. On to Act 2!

WAIT A SECOND. I am not done. I had posted “JK Rowling didn’t come up with the idea of Harry Potter, AJ Holmes whispered it into her ear.” and basically, did I accidentally predict A Very Potter Senior Year in 2011... StarKid, should I ask for royalties? (I’m kidding)

OK NOW I’m done and going on to Act 2. Also I have a headache now, which means I shouldn’t have drunk that second cider, I should have saved it for another time. Oh well. I’ll power through.

Oh my god. Dick on the street. Oh my god Nick saying “Fuck you!” over and over. I’m DEAD. Darren’s cameo oh my god. Corey and Arielle are amazing. “Wait that’s just a curtain” Oh, the 4th wall breaks. “Ever since I rescued Weenie from a bird” A BIRD. I FORGOT THE BIRD. Do we get to see the bird? The Land of the Dicks is such a great jazz song. Also flashback to me talking to some girls on the StarKid Takes Manhattan line who were younger than me and them saying “I’m worried they’ll sing a song from MAMD. My mom’s going to come to the concert, and she doesn’t know about that show.” and I said “Don’t worry. They only do Ready to Go or Listen to your Heart live. I mean, it’s not like they’re gonna sing Land of the Dicks. Hahaha” And then Lauren sang the Land of the Dicks. Which was AMAZING, but I remember turning to one of them when the opening started and mouthing “I am so sorry...” God Land of the Dicks is genuinely SUCH a good song oh my god. I hope AJ and Carlos are proud of it. Also oh my god. I gotta throw out some appreciation for Corey. Who honestly did not get the appreciation he deserved from the fandom until we started the Hatchetfield musicals. But I loved him so much in this show. Also Arielle is always such a pleasant surprise. I always forget how prominent she is in this show. I wish she did more things with StarKid. Was she even at Homecoming...

Joey’s face at nincompoop amazing. “Too bad you’ll never be a leading man because of that JAW of yours.” AWWWW. NOOOO WE LOVE THE JAW. “You’re forgetting the most important prop!” 4th wall breaks. “The hour is nigh!” Oh my god. “I don’t wanna see or be seen by anyone today.” Wow. Far too relatable. “THAT IS WAY TOO OVERWHELMING FOR A TUESDAY” the number of times over the last 11 years that I’ve thought of that line... The flower in the shoe and Old Snatch’s “Hows romantic.” I can’t. Oh my god. I just remembered “Raise my children!” “Sometime the best thing to say... is a kiss.” “Good line Joey!” “What?” “The fuck!?” That was the FUNNIEST line to me. “Did everybody hear that? Joey Richter has a limp little dick!” Oh Richard. “Oh my props.” Old Snatch oh my god. “Tiffany, doll, I love ya. But you are the dumbest fucking person, I have ever met, in my entire life” I love that line. And I love that the audience is laughing so hard they drown Nick out before he even finishes. I love the Old Snatch so much.

“Sex sex sex pussy pussy sex pussy sex pussy sex.” “Pussy. Sex.” I’m dead. This whole “pussy time” speech in insane. And so the incel movement began. “The president of the United States can’t even order out for some pussy or else he’s gonna get impeached.” “LEWINSKY.” Oh my god. I definitely did not know who Monica Lewinsky was when I was 14. Amazing. Actually maybe I learned who she was from MAMD... honestly, that’s a very real possibility. “What’s a pussy gotta do when she wants a dick? She just says ‘dick please?’ and the sun is blocked out by dicks.” I remembered sun blocked out line only seconds before it happened, and I was already laughing so hard. Also the caption says *indiscernible, it’s just too funny* for the next line Corey says since it’s completely drowned out by laughter and lost to history. Oof the “sex change” joke didn’t really age well. “Let’s go do jazz squares.” I love how Corey hits Arielle’s head with his hat so hard her beanie flies off.

“You’re a fatty. Joey look at me when you cry, you’re fatty.” “And what a poor choice of shirt.” “It’s the only one I have.” Oh my god Ali taking the tickets. Ahhh the caption says *wind carrying away all of Joey’s hopes and dreams* I’m dead. “Can the choir class come into the room yet?” “Because Joey Richter is CUH-RYING IN HERE.” oh my god. I thought about that line a few weeks ago for the first time in years and it killed me. And “I think he needs to be picked up” adorable. I can’t handle it. “Um, Joey, I love you.” “Thanks friend, I love you too.” Ahhhh help. Oh the audio got so much clearer suddenly for Sally’s confession. “I want all of you, Joey Richter. And all I can give in return is myself. I wish I could give you more.” Awwwwwwwww. That line. “But I... there’s a... wait I....... Shit.” The “shit” on cue with the music, amazing. Ahhh I forgot how cute of a song Even Though is. Hey, StarKid, why cut the parts mid-way through the song!? Stupid YouTube...

“Maybe she is the person who we initially disliked!” Hey we got there. “Listen to your heart.” “NO. You screwed everything up last time.” “And I could very well screw it up this time!” Lily as Sally’s Heart. Adorable. That little curtsy at “and now twenty-first century!” is so cute. I’m glad StarKid didn’t do the usual take-off-her-glasses-and-she’s-pretty route for Sally. “Well that’s probably because our hearts are dancing a waltz to a song in 4/4 time.” I love that joke and oh my god the caption says (Everyone appreciates the joke) amazing. Also I love that the Hearts are like... grasping and letting go of their hands in beat to the heartbeat. Miss Cooter coming out from between her legs oh my god. Joey kissing Miss Cooter. More things that initially went over my head. AHHHH THE WAY SHE PUSHES HER BACK DOWN THROUGH THE LEGS. I SCREAMED. “And that is not the man I see lying in a heap below me.” Yesssss Alle-Faye! Yes AJ! Nick in the background with just a sweatshirt over his Snatch dress, I can’t. “Someone tell him where his dick is” “He’s out to find his dick” That is the most ridiculous number in the show, and somehow it’s the only one that doesn’t have dancing genitalia in it.

“Take a douche, cutie.” “You eat until you are as fat as you are ugly.” “That’ll take forever.” Awww noooooo. “I know there’s someone out there who still thinks you’re beautiful.” “...Mom?” “No, she doesn’t think that” Ahh my heart. “Yeah it’s me, the Old Snatch!” I love her. There are some awkward cuts in this scene that make me wonder if lines were cut, or if it’s just how they edited the two camera angles. I remember singing this song on the street once while explaining MAMD to a friend. It didn’t help explain it. I love Lily as the High Council Pussy. “Pussies from the West are bringing snacks.” Such a fun song.

Oh my god. I will not repeat what the caption just called the High Council Pussy. I will instead call her what the lyrics in the description said, the High Council Pussy. Oh my god. “Rabble rabble rabble” StarKid should bring that back. “I’s dos! The Old Snatch” “The Old Snatch?” “Yeah that’s right, the Old Snatch.” I love her. I can’t handle the caption putting her name for every single line. Oh my god. I’m gonna just call her the Grand Pussy. I cannot. Ok so the Old Snatch says her name out loud. I do not remember that. And that word definitely went over my head as a 14 year old. Oh my god. “Love! My esteemed colleagues. LOVE!... For a dick.” I’m dead. The flopping with the rabbles, I’m dead. “She’s wasting our pussy time” Bringing back that joke. The Old Snatch has Snatch Scouts? Can we hear more about them?? “Because if I’m wrong and a dick can love, what does that say about you?” OH NO. OH NOOO. NO DON’T HURT MY GIRL LIKE THIS. “A dick won’t set foot in there twice.” NO. NO OLD SNATCH YOU’RE PERFECT. “Elder Vag” Ok see, I much prefer that title. Ok the Old Snatch taking off her wig... made me want to make a joke... but I can’t remember the word I’m thinking of and I don’t feel like googling it. I figured out that the word was merkin. The caption said (Flopsy queefs) and I died. “I’s woulds” “The Old Snatch!” “That’s right. The Old Snatch.” Best running joke. Best character. “Hey you, Old Snatch.” “That’s me. The Old Snatch.” I die every time. I forgot that Flopsy’s real name is Myrtle. “We’s gots works to do.” I’m not gonna make the joke. The Flight of the Pussies. I cannot. Also yesss Alle-Faye’s vocalizations (I’m 95% sure it’s Alle-Faye singing the high part).

“He has a dick, it’s not his dick!” Oh Joey. “I got a picture of him, you wanna see it? I take pictures of him.” Oh my god Joey. “There’s a big singing, dancing dick in front of you Joey. I think anything’s possible.” I mean. He really has a point. Ah Corey’s so good. This whole song is SO good. Dick stiff-arming Weenie is amazing. “Get that sad bishop out of here.” Yessss Corey. Awww there’s a gentle instrumental reprise of Me and My Dick playing in the background as Joey tried to get Dick back. Oh I forgot they actually reprise the song!

TIE HIM TO A CACTUS!??!?!? I literally couldn’t remember if the bird comes back, it does. Aww the ba-dum-tss at the Heart pun. “That’s the only way we can work it out. And if we’re all in this together, you can bet on it that we’re breaking free.” “Fabulous!” “Looks like the boys are back!” Will people understand how amazing that joke is in 20 years? Is this another doomed to be outdated joke? I remember when I did Kiss Me Kate in high school, someone had to outline all the 40s jokes so we’d know why they were funny, will someone one day make an outline of all the StarKid jokes from the 2010s to explain them? “Cause I’m just a little boy and you’re all walking pussies.” Amazing. “Today I’ve seen dicks and pussies, walking and talking and flying around.” “You Old Snatch.” “I am the Old Snatch” Love her. I never noticed Joey wiping his hands. “Guys follow me, I’ll take you back to our dimension.” Amazing. “And I want more than that, no. I deserve more.” Yes you do, you Old Snatch. I sort of need to know the backstory now of Big T’s old person and how they ended up being Tiffany’s first time. Tobias and Gladys?? I forgot their names. Ali flying back in with the tickets. Amazing. See I know the audience is laughing, and StarKid probably intended that last little Me and My Dick reprise to be funny between Big T and the Old Snatch, but it’s genuinely sweet. I’m really happy that the Old Snatch gets a happy ending.

”Miss Cooter did you just come in through the window?” “No you’re crazy, go back to sleep.” I don’t love Heaven on Earth as a song, but it’s still fun. Oh my god. I just screamed “JOE” out loud. Because all show I’ve been like “Don’t we see Rick’s dick at some point? Who plays Rick’s dick?” And just now I was doing a mental tally of the 12 13 cast members and I’m like “None of them can play Rick’s dick, they have their own roles to play in this finale. But I KNOW we saw that dick... who was it...” And then JoMo walked onstage. I really just screamed “JOE” out loud when I saw him. Oh my god. Once again the pearl necklace joke went over my head as a 14 year old. I love the audience reaction though, they finally all notice the necklaces at that moment if they didn’t notice them already. Ok I never understood the Palace of Auburn Hills joke. I assumed it was something going over my head when I was younger, but I just googled it and it’s actually just a Michigan joke. Also does JoMo come onstage and then immediately just go off? He’s gone. ”HYOOO!” so cute.

Aww and the Darren version of Ready to Go for the credits.

“And Joey Richter as himself” amazing.

Aww, Darren’s version of Even Though for the rest of the credits.

Ok so the Old Snatch is still the literal best character that StarKid has ever made. I love her so much and I love how Nick plays her. She is my favorite character in any StarKid show I think to this day.

CLARK WAS ON KEYBOARD?!?!?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?!?! CLARK!?!?!?!? YOU WERE HERE THIS EARLY?!?!?!?!?! oh my god. I legit just screamed “CLARK!?” seeing his name.

Also I think I always knew Darren was playing Guitar in the show, especially if he was there to do the cameo, but for some reason it didn’t really hit me until I saw his name just now. That’s so fun.

And Carlos! Yay! I wish Carlos had been able to do more stuff with StarKid.

Sorry, I’m still reeling from finding out that Clark has been in their bands for this long, for basically the entire time. I really thought he didn’t show up until around Starship. I am also ashamed that the fandom didn’t even truly know of his existence until SPACE Tour when he stole all our hearts in the Jim and Povolos section. And even then he wasn’t appreciated until Firebringer.

(Update a few weeks later: I found an old post of mine from 2012 where I acknowledge that Clark has been around since at least MAMD, so I guess at some point over the last decade I forgot that I already knew he’d been around this long.)

While rereading this post, it suddenly hit me that whenever people would ask what my StarKid dream role is, I’d always say Sally’s Heart. Honestly, it still is one I’d love to play.

I’m glad I rewatched it. It definitely is different now as an adult, especially an adult who’s older than all the StarKids were when they did the show. Some parts did not age well in the slightest, but it’s still very funny and the music is incredible thanks to AJ and Carlos (and Darren).

[now-two-people-are-mad-at-me]

Recasting tgwdlm with other starkids

Paul: Clark Baxtresser (I first got the idea because they're both tall, but I'm starting to like it)

Emma: Ali Gordon(I think she could kill the whole sarcastic part)

McNamara, Sam, Mr Davidson: Brian Holden (I just think they have the same chaotic energy. I also considered Nicholas Joseph Strauss Matathia)

Ted : Nick Gage (tell me you don't see it and I won't believe you)

Nora, Charlotte, Deb: Meredith Stepiens (particularly Nora, but I think she's one of the only who has the range to play those three characters that fast. I hesitated with Britney Coleman, but I have no idea how she would perform Charlotte)

Greenpeace Girl, Alice, Melissa, Zoey: Tiffany Williams (they don't look alike and I have no idea if they could sing each other's song, but the general vibe is perfect)

Bill: A. J. Holmes (definitely the hardest, because Bill is at once a father, but also a nice guy, kind of awkward)

Hidgens: Joe Walker (No arguments in here. Just the sequel of to dance again)

[awigglycultist]

Brian Holden and Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia are absolutely hilarious

[jackie-talks-about-starkid]

Me and My Dick (Rewatch #2, 9/15/2020)

YouTube publish date: November 12, 2000

Number of views on date of rewatch: 2,129,928

Original Performance Run: October 29-31st, 2009

Ticket price: ?

Director: Matt Lang

Music and Lyrics: Darren Criss, AJ Holmes, and Carlos Valdes

Book: Brian Holden, Eric Kahn Gale, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang

Cast album price and availability: $9.99, iTunes

Album release date: January 6, 2010

Parody or original: an original (I suspect that the plot may have been influenced by King Missile’s “Detachable Penis” but that’s just a hunch)

Main cast and characters

Joey Richter - Joey Richter

Dick - Joe Walker

Sally - Jamie Lyn Beatty

Miss Cooter - Devin Lytle

Vanessa - Ali Gordon

Tiffany - Alle-Faye Monka

The Old Snatch - Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia

Flopsy - Brian Holden

Joey’s Heart - AJ Holmes

Musical numbers

Act I

“Me and My Dick” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Joey and Dick

“Ready To Go” by Darren Criss

     Characters: Company

“I’ve Seen You Around Here Before” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Dick and Miss Cooter

“Nothin’ Like A Dick” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Old Snatch and Miss Cooter

“Listen To Your Heart” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Joey’s Heart and Joey

Act II

“Land of the Dicks” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Weenie, Big T, and the Lost Dicks

“Even Though” by Darren Criss

     Characters: Joey and Sally

“Gotta Find His Dick” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Joey’s Heart and Company

“The Council of the Pussies" by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: The Old Snatch, High Council Pussy, and The Council of the    Pussies

“Flight of the Pussies” by AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

"Big T's Temptation" by  AJ Holmes and Carlos Valdes

     Characters: Big T and the Lost Dicks

"Finale" by Darren Criss

     Characters: Company

Notable Notes:

The cast album became the first ever student musical album to chart on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums the week it was released (x)

The album debuted at #11. It was a place above the original cast album for Rock of Ages.

Cultural Context: 2009

Me and My Dick was performed the same year that StarKid did A Very Potter Musical

Barack Obama gets sworn in as president of the US

Glee airs its first episode (Darren auditions for Finn and doesn’t get the part)

Michael Jackson dies on June 25th

Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift’s “Video of the Year” speech at the Video Music Awards

Avatar (the one with the blue people, not Avatar: The Last Airbender) becomes the highest grossing movie of all time

The “Miracle on the Hudson” happened on January 15th

Personal Thoughts:

When one first hears of a comedic musical about pubescent high schoolers and their singing penises and vaginas, one does not think, “Wow, what a sophisticated concept that dissects the relationship between gender roles and sexual identity in modern day society,” but that’s what StarKid Productions’ Me and My Dick is truly about. At first, having the main character’s genitalia being completely separate but complementary entities to the teenagers at the center of the storyline seems jarring and like it was only done for comedic purposes, but the longer and more complicated the plot gets, the more obvious it seems to be. The main character, Joey Richter and his relationship with his Dick is a very compelling one. Throughout the musical, Joey struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality as a teenage boy. At the beginning, Joey himself reflects the average stereotype of the sex-obsessed male teenager whose primary interest is getting laid rather than achieving emotional fulfillment. Later, when his Dick becomes interested in his neighbor Sally’s Miss Cooter, Joey and his Dick have a fight about what that attraction means for their relationship and eventually separate, before eventually coming back together once Joey develops a relationship with his Heart. Joey himself is his own entity, with his own thoughts, feelings, and goals, and his struggles with his Dick and his Heart represent very real internal struggles that many teenagers, and especially teenage boys, have with themselves, their sexuality, and their personal emotions. 

Joey’s Dick, as well as the other character’s sexual organs, represent the subconscious sexual identities of each character. For Joey, his sexual identity cannot be fully realized or appreciated by himself because he has not fully matured as a sexual being. Unlike Sally, Joey does not realize that in order to achieve sexual fulfillment, he needs to not only be physically attracted to someone, but also experience an emotional connection with someone, which is something that Dick AKA his sexual subconscious realizes before Joey and even his Heart do. This journey is the perfect example of the dangers of a sex-oriented society, and how that kind of society damages the well-being of maturing men and women. In Western society, the ideal sexually mature man is defined by his sexual prowess and dominance. If he can have sex with a bunch of hot women and not worry about how emotionally in-tune he is with himself and his personal relationships, then he is the ideal man. Society teaches men (and women) from a very young age that a man’s defining trait is his sexual attitude towards others. 

The ideal sexually mature woman, on the other hand, is represented by the character Tiffany, who is arguably the most sympathetic character in the musical. Through the perspective of her vagina, lovingly referred to as The Old Snatch (aptly named as Tiffany’s sexuality represents the general mistreatment of women’s sexual selves in society), we see that Tiffany is the unfortunate byproduct of such a male dominant sexually oriented culture. The only time Tiffany has ever experienced true sexual fulfillment was during her first time having sex with an unnamed male character she was in love with. However, it was later revealed that this character used Tiffany only for his own sexual enjoyment and did not truly love her, intensely hurting Tiffany’s feelings and resulting in her being used to getting treated as a sexual object whose existence is only beneficial for men’s pleasure rather than her own emotional and sexual fulfillment. 

Another, more subtle, detail that emphasizes this theme is Sally’s opening section in “Ready to Go.” While singing, Sally already knows that she has a crush on Joey, but her low self-esteem and worries about her own attractiveness lead her to become sexually repressed, to the point where her vagina, Miss Cooter, has to ‘fall in love’ with Joey’s Dick in order to Sally to realize that she not only experiences, but truly desires having sex with Joey. 

What I love about the representation of the character’s and their respective sexual organs is that they are tethered to one another through some kind of leash-type object that allows for the penis or vagina character to be connected to their person but freely move around and act as their own character without them. While this is beneficial for the actors and entertaining for the audience to see these beings take on a life of their own, it also compliments the theme of sexual identity and maturity very well. By choosing to have penises and vaginas tethered to, but not completely physically attached to their teenage counterparts, it communicates to the audience that the sexual identity the genitalia represents in of course a very important factor of the person’s life and individuality, but ultimately not the be-all, end-all of who a person truly is. While Dick, Miss Cooter, Old Snatch, and other characters go through their own journey, the most important development is the ones that their human attachments experience. The sexuality of the character is an integral part of who the character is and how they navigate their life, but in the end, the most important thing is that the human characters go through their own development in which their sexuality compliments, but never dick-tates (sorry, I had to). 

The ultimate take away from Me and My Dick is that in order to be a fully realized individual, one has to recognize and accept all parts of themselves, instead of just focusing on their physical sexual selves and ignoring their personal feelings, or overemphasizing their emotional feelings while ignoring their physical, sexual needs. 

“[Dick] is a part of you like I am, Joey. You need him and Sally needs him” - Joey’s Heart <3

“We gotta start thinking of love and sex as a team effort. We can’t just pine over a girl we can’t get or be in a constant pursuit of sex. We need to listen to each other because that’s the only way it can work out” -Joey Richter

[maybeginny]

TeamStarKid Descriptions

TeamStarKid: a bunch of thirty-ish year olds acting like children by making fun of other franchises but they're on a stage and they’re hilarious

Members (not all, but a lot, of them):

Nico Ager, Julia Albain, Rachael D. Albert, Chris Allen, Nick Anderson, Joel Arnold, Julie Ballard, Clark Baxtresser, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Jeff Blim, Mary Clare Blake Booth, Michael Bou-Maroun, Pat Brady, Cory Braun, Adam Brunetti, Tyler Brunsman, Mike Burke, Jamie Burns, Richard Campbell, Joe Carroll, Phil Chester, Amalea Chininis, Kavin Chung, Britney Coleman, Mason Cormie, Brant Cox, Darren Criss, Sam Crittenden, Matt Dahan, Corey Davis, Drew DeFour, Kevin DeKimpe, Denise Donovan, Corey Dorris, Jess Dumbroff, Ilana Elroi, Jason Emmendorfer, Erdem Ertal, Max Evarard, Mariah Rose Faith, Elona Finlay, Justin Fischer, Josh Fleury, Andrew Fox, Scott Fussey, Paul Gabriel, Nick Gage, Matt Glenn, Arielle Goldman, Ali Gordon, Gordon Granger, Lisa Griebel, Hayley Hanway, Samara Harand, Michael Hart, Andrew Hill, Jeff Himes, Brian Holden, AJ Holmes, Justin Hong, Jade Ingardona, Sam Johnides, Marta Johnson, Nick Kabat, Eric Kahn Gale, Max Kaufman, Proma Kholsa, Jon Jackson, Bob Joles, Craig Kidwell, Bruce Kiesling, Angela F. Kiessel, Justin Kono, Mike LaFond, Justin LaForte, Scott Lamps, Jen Lang, Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Mark LeGrand, Lauren Lopez, Chris Lorentz, Corey Lubowich, Evanna Lynch, Devin Lytle, Robert Manion, Jon Matteson, Lily Marks, Ryan McDiarmid, Lana McKinnon, Jama McMahon, Kaley McMahon, Curt Mega, Alle-Faye Monka, Joe Moses, Yonit Olshan, David Orlicz, Lauren Pais, Alex Paul, Devon Perry, Sarah Petty, Eric Pidluski, Tony Pisaneschi, Madeline Platt, Amy Plouff, Jim Povolo, Ryan Proch, Carolyn Reich, Corey Richardson, Joey Richter, Molly Rife, Claire Roche, Josh Romero, Brian Rosenthal, Cami Ross, June Saito, Jacob Saleh, Lena Sands, Dylan Saunders, Matt Script, Pierce Siebers, Christopher Smith, Teia Smith, Bonnie Socha (née Gruesen), Rachael Soglin, Miles Spagnola, Katie Spelman, Mike Sportiello, Meredith Stepien, Taylor Stanton, Jack Stratton, Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia, Emily Stromberg, Ruby Summers, Jade Svenson, Mark Swiderski, Sango Tajima, Emily Thomas, James Tolbert, Anna Troiano, Ronnie Vail,  Carlos Valdes, Meryl Waldo, Joe Walker, Lauren Walker, Russ Walko, Andy Warren, Kim Whalen, Liam White, Tiffany Williams, Clara Wong, & Marguerite Woodward

*this list most likely does not include all of the StarKids

Productions:

Little White Lie: a YouTube show about bands but Duder's a spy

A Very Potter Musical: Harry Potter but Harry is an ass, Ron is a jerk in love, Hermione is bullied, and Voldemort is hot and in love in Quirrel

Me and My Dick: Joey Richter plays a sex-crazed version of himself but it's a musical with singing dicks and vaginas

A Very Potter Sequel: Harry Potter but they go back in time and the actor who played Voldemort in the first one plays a chubby little fuck but is still hot

Starship: the little mermaid but with bugs and in space

Holy Musical B@man!: Batman but Dylan Saunders' voice fucking slays and instead of the Joker they have Sweet Tooth who makes a lot of candy puns

A Very Potter Senior Year: Harry Potter but Harry is even more of an ass, Voldemort is even hotter, and you will cry

Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier: Wicked but for Ja'far and Aladdin is a dick

ANI: A Parody: Star Wars but the villains are the heroes, Darth Vador is not threatening, Tarkin is in love with a stormtrooper, Jar Jar is lovable, and they pod race again

The Trail to Oregon!: the game but the characters are named by the audience and they are all idiots

Firebringer: cave people but with revolutions, love, and fucking awesome choreography

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals: a musical about a guy who doesn't like musicals but a meteor crashes in his town that turns everything into a musical

Black Friday: a horror comedy commentary about capitalism and corruption but Dylan Saunders is BACK and fucking bops (i will add everyone who worked on this incredible musical to the list of StarKids as soon as i have time, sorry)

*this list does not include tours, concerts, reunions, The Harder They Fall, Hobbit, Hobbit 2, Yes, I am Afraid of the Dark!, 1 Night 2 Last 3 Ever, Airport for Birds, Movies, Musicals, & Me or their YouTube Short Comedy Sketches for the sake of simplicity

Tin Can Bros: a separate but similar theater company created by a few StarKids but they are still StarKids

Members:

Corey Lubowich, Joey Richter, Brian Rosenthal

Productions:

Spies are Forever: a musical about spies but they say the word spies way too many times and the plot twist will smack you and call you a bitch

The Solve It Squad Returns: Scooby Doo but they avoid copy-right infringement by changing all of the names and they are aged-up and depressed

*this list does not include Alive! On Stage!, Seriously Not a Joke, We Didn’t Plan to Kill Our Guest, Idle Worship, Flop Stoppers, Wayward Guide, Choose Our Destiny, or their YouTube Short Comedy Sketches for the sake of simplicity

If I forgot or am wrong about something, please let me know so I can fix it

[kickitupanotchbug]

literally nobody:

my brain: Hey... have you thought of Those Voices from AVPS in a while?

me: could we NOT