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ivysangel · 8 months

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drop the mean girls review! my friend wants to go see it and i need to know how much to mentally prepare myself

sunnie (@fic-over-cannon)

Okay, so I need to preface this by saying I'm a huge Mean Girls fan. I've seen the movie dozens of times. I've seen the show on Broadway once and left the theater begging my mom to take me again, and then I cried when the show closed before I could see it again. I've also seen the Mean Girls sequel on multiple occasions (unfortunately). I'm also a fashion lover, music lover, and the enjoyer of some tasteful political incorrectness in a movie like...Mean Girls (2004). I'm not a movie buff or an expert critic, but I am a girl who has spent hours putting Rachel McAdams’ Regina George on mood boards and listening to Taylor Louderman's performance of 'Someone Gets Hurt' from the Mean Girls Original Broadway Cast Recording. With all of that being said, here's my review.

(proceed with caution: spoilers and supreme level hating, cw: mentions of weight)

First of all, the pacing just felt kind of off? I think it's because there were so few scenes set outside of the high school, and I think that has something to do with them cutting 9 songs from the original soundtrack and even the ones they kept; some were still cut short. Which took away some of the best parts of the movie. For instance, Gretchen's part in 'Meet the Plastics' was one of the most memorable parts of the soundtrack, and it was cut down to the one introductory line that wasn't even delivered by her, Karen's part, too. How are you going to call the song 'Meet the Plastics' and only have Regina sing it? I'd also like to mention that in the original song, there's a line that Regina sings, she says, "I never weigh more than 115," and they change it to "that filter you use looks just like me." now, there are two explanations for this, first, they wanted to keep it going with the social media theme which runs rampant throughout the entire movie or they wanted to be mindful of what they put in the movie considering the audience consists heavily of women and young girls. However, there is so so so much emphasis on Regina's weight during the entire rest of the movie (like, I honestly feel more than normal, but I'm not sure) that if it is the latter, it just completely defeats the purpose of removing that line, so I'm really hoping it's the former.

Cady can't sing, or at least I just found her voice, so...not good? Something about it just wasn't giving nuh uh. She also wasn't a convincing mean girl, a convincing socially awkward, not-aware teen girl who had been homeschooled her whole life? Yeah, she nailed that, but a MEAN girl, nope, not convincing at all. This is also where the pacing was off to me. I felt like she was a mean girl for 0.5 minutes, and that, paired with the fact that she just wasn't convincingly mean? Didn't really do it for me.

They also made most of the insults more palatable? Which was fine at times. Like yeah, you should probably refrain from saying slurs in the big year of 2024, but trading social suicide for "socially ruinous," What the hell? How old are we? I just think it's a little funny bc the word suicide isn't okay (apparently), but Kevin G performing a song where he talks about how he basically uses geometry to be good at sex is more appropriate? Like, I don't know what the thought process was, how they decided on what was getting put on the chopping block and what wasn't.

Also, Gretchen gets a solo, and ik it's in the musical, but it feels so incredibly out of place in the movie, like SO out of place. Also, Gretchen is Latina, apparently? Which isn't a problem in the slightest, but it's just mentioned once and never referenced again ever...like at all...not even in passing. They threw in the "this was a gift from my abuelito" for brownie points and called it a day.

Cristopher Briney is one of the most unattractive men I've seen in a while, which is why it's so hard to see so many close-up shots of his face since he's supposed to be the super heart throbby Aaron Samuels that these girls are fighting over. "Cady, tell him his hair looks sexy pushed back." he has a prematurely receding hairline; let's keep the hair down while he still has it. Also, he has no singing lines in the movie, which is so...bc he has them in the original musical. The ending of the original version of 'Someone Gets Hurt' is sung by both him and Regina. Like you hired an ugly man who can't sing to play the sexy heartthrob in a musical? Oh ok.

The fashion was so genuinely terrible. I was mortified. MORTIFIED, I TELL YOU. Regina making fun of other people while she was walking around in #those outfits. I can't even begin to describe what she was wearing half the time, but it was so bad. Ironically, the outfit she wore when she was shunned was like??? one of the more palatable ones, along with her prom dress and the outfit she wore during the burn book scene, which was a nod to Rachel McAdams' Regina George (that was cute). But the outfit she was first shown in...those ugly fucking shoes???? The furry black sweater and highlighter green pants???? What the fuck is going on!!! Everyone was dressed head to toe in shein and cider, and it was obvious. I think the problem with a lot of remakes these days is they develop costumes using trends from a specific era of social media, but those trends so quickly go out of style. Micro trends are the reason why shows and movies set in high school almost never hit the nail on the head, that and the fact that they use influencers as guidelines for how teenagers act when most of us are normalish? idk that's a whole different convo.

i kinda tuned in and out after the gym scene, like idk man i was just mad at that point. I guess I should list some redeeming qualities now?

Tim Meadows reprising his role as Principal Duvall was amazing ofc; his comedic timing is great, and kudos to him for acting through one classic, one flop, and one box office banger that should've been kept in the drafts. Avantika is beautiful, stunning, amazing!! There was nothing about her acting as Karen that really did it for me, but I love her so bad I can't hate on her. Reneé Papp is a fantastic singer like who's surprised? No one? Exactly. They also got Megan Thee Stallion and Chris Olsen to make cameos in tiktoks during the movie, which was funny. It had its good moments, but I really just think for me personally, as an enjoyer of both the original movie and the original musical adaptation, this fell so so so flat. Of course, my opinion doesn't reflect the opinions of everyone, and you may very well love it!! I do definitely urge you to listen to the original versions of 'Meet the Plastics' and 'Someone Gets Hurt' because those are so very good; also, Auli'i Cravalho's rendition of 'Revenge Party' was very good, and I really like Jaquel Spivey as Damian.

Anyway, that's it!

update: forgot to mention the extremely obvious product placement and the way they changed one of the lines in revenge party from “what’s regina doing, what’s regina wearing, is she dating aaron” to “what’s regina doing, what’s regina wearing, is she texting aaron” which is totally harmless but it irked me so bad bc they’re trying sooooo hard to be with the times or whatever and it just ??? like !!! they’re trying TOO hard bc dating was perfectly fine in the context of the plot that’s why it was put there in the first place!!!!

another update: more pros, principal duvall still has a hand injury (funny i like it) AND TINA FEY REPRISING HER ROLE!!! BIG PRO!!! also there’s literally a whole song in the og musical dedicated to the plastics realizing they’re sentient beings that don’t have to rely on regina…and they just cut that out lol? also listen to the og revenge party bc there’s a whole bit where regina cheats on aaron and it’s wildly different in that version (it was better and funnier too) but like i said…they made the movie more palatable.

#★ sunnie ★#★ messages from friends ★

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popblank · 1 year

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1776 at the Ahmanson Theatre, my thoughts three months late:

I already liked the musical & have a DVD of the film, but the reviews were pretty mixed on Broadway so I was worried about being disappointed. But I ended up being surprised when I really enjoyed it way more than expected. Part of that was just seeing nontraditionally-cast actors in these roles, which would otherwise not happen outside of some one-off thing like Miscast or Broadway Backwards. (I am a little worried that the mixed reception to this revival means I may never see a version of the show like this again.) Also this production is all about highlighting uncomfortable juxtapositions, and it’s fun to go see something that gives me complicated feelings and gets me to try to take it apart.

The show starts off by making it very clear that these actors are putting on the roles (literally stepping into the shoes) of the Founding Fathers, rather than “being” those characters. The conscious stagey-ness that I took to be part of that “putting on the roles of these 18th century white historical personages” approach did take a little bit of getting used to. The choreography of “Sit Down, John” and “Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve” had the cast constantly reforming into various tableaus that seemed to to be mimicking the arrangements and poses of neoclassical paintings. However I think this worked against ”The Lees of Old Virginia” – I expected that song to be a little goofy and over-the-top, but when everything before it already felt a little over-the-top, trying to dial it up further didn’t have the the contrasting effect that it might have had. Other songs that were staged in a bigger and more dramatic way than I expected were “Momma, Look Sharp” and “The Egg,” though those were more effective. “He Plays the Violin” was more overtly sexual than what I recall from the 1972 filmed version but again was not as egregious as I had feared based on Broadway reviews. “The Egg” is a song that took me a long time to appreciate when first listening to the Original Broadway Cast recording; it is possibly the cheesiest song in in a show where multiple other songs are reliant on dad-joke level puns. This production decided to go with maximally earnest All-American cheddar by projecting inspirational montages of protests for civil rights and the like, with a good dose of air guitar. It sounds kind of ridiculous (and it was kind of ridiculous) and it worked on me, but within the show it felt tonally a bit out of place.

The ending: I think I get what it was going for – leaving the audience with a final moment that represents the compromises and hypocrisies that were part of the nation’s founding and how we look back on it. But I think if it had found a way to create a stronger emotional moment (e.g. by a contrasting effect or just by being a little less subtle, since the show was not all that restrained earlier) it might have been more effective.

Cast: Liz Mikel as Benjamin Franklin and Oneika Phillips as John Hancock were perfect as far as I’m concerned – funny and profound and authoritative. Brooke Simpson kicked things off by giving an compelling and non-perfunctory land acknowledgment that made me want to go learn things, and was also good as the Courier. Also liked Gisela Adisa as John Adams and Kassandra Haddock as Edward Rutledge. One fun thing was realizing how the casting/character portrayals made me think of what type of person I usually think of in authority roles; for example, it’s probably not someone with a squeaky voice and pigtails (as Roger Sherman of Connecticut is played by Anissa Marie Griego). But really, why shouldn’t it be?

Costuming and styling - lots of interesting details and choices. Coats were great all around but I particularly liked the one John Hancock wore. Josiah Bartlett wore a sheer shirt that showed top surgery scars; Edward Rutledge wore a corset; Col. Thomas McKean had flowing hair and leather pants.

Audience: the reaction definitely seemed mixed, not unlike when the Oklahoma! revival tour was here last year. I saw the show twice, and during my second viewing at least six people in my row conspicuously disappeared after intermission.

In conclusion: It may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it tremendously and regret that I did not have time to see it yet another time before it left town.

#1776 #1776 musical #1776 revival

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soulgreys · 2 years

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Nathaniel rateliff backup singers

#Nathaniel rateliff backup singers code

This bit from Paste Magazine’s ‘10 Reasons Hamilton Dominated 2015 and Will Own 2016, Too’ doesn’t sum it up perfectly, I don’t know what would:įamously, composer/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote the music and lyrics for In The Heights, which ran on Broadway from 2008–11) was on a beach vacation nearly a decade ago, read Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography of Hamilton, and was shocked that no one had yet turned it into a hip-hop Broadway musical. It’s not that I wasn’t at least tangetially aware of the musical’s existence, I just never thought about it at the right time to check into a recording. I have a predilection for musicals, particularly those constructed around a modern musical style, so the surprise here is not that I like Hamilton, but rather that it took six months after its release for me to realize the recording was out there. Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) ‘Joy Rides’ is a great lead-off track, ‘Monument’ is a steady hit, and I love ‘Vitals’, ‘Used To’, and ‘Best of Intentions’.

#Nathaniel rateliff backup singers code

I spend about 25–30% of my time at work writing code and this album sets a great tone for that work. Does this mean I’m totally new to Mutemath’s music? Of course not, it just means I’ve never binged on it like I have the last couple of weeks. Vitals is the first MUTEMATH album that’s ever found its way into my library (thank you, Apple Music). Vitals by MUTEMATHĪccording to Wikipedia, Mutemath have been making music together since 2003. The ACL performance linked above and this Tiny Desk Concert performance should be plenty to help you decide if your in the mood for some Night Sweats. As they often do, NPR Music has you covered for a great raw introduction to an artist. That’s quite a lead in – and I’m not saying Nathaniel Rateliff is in that company, but good lawd that boy can sing. In her glory years, Aretha Franklin musically conversed with her family of backup singers, the Sweet Inspirations Otis Redding upped his own unbeatable energy in dialogue with the Memphis Horns. One of the central musical relationships in soul music is between a band’s lead shouter and the other voices supporting her or him. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (self-titled)Īnn Powers, where are you taking me right now? The album starts out in hyperactive, but the pace slows a bit once it hits ‘A Change of Heart’ without becoming a complete drag a shift that appeals to me but be forewarned if that’s not really your thing. The genuinely accomplished If I Believe You finds Healy’s loneliness climaxing in an understated sax solo. People listen across genres, argues Healy, so his band ought to deliver that breadth.Ĭonsequently, I Like It When You Sleep tries to do it all – not just brash 80s funk and pop-house chant-alongs (The Sound, a withering look at a relationship), but shoegazey dream-pop (Lostmyhead), mawkish piano ballads (Nana, about Healy’s departed grandmother and the nonexistence of God) and gospel-tinged slow jams. With his mop of Michael Hutchence hair, his semi-ironic leather trousers and slight air of Johnny Borrell, singer Matt Healy makes no apologies for the band’s prettiness, their pop ambitions, their self-aware derivations, or the sheer variety of the 1975’s latest output. Kitty Empire, writing for The Guardian, sums it up pretty well: It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I was immediately struck by the Eighties nostalgia that flows throughout the entire album (much in the same way as Haim’s Days Are Gone and the recent CHVRCHES release, Every Open Eye). On a whim, I decided to spin it up one day at work and I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t particularly anxious about the release of this album, only vaguely connecting The 1975 in my foggy memory with one of their breakout hits, ‘Chocolate’, from a couple of years ago. Anyway, I spend a fair amount of time in Apple Music and there was a lot of hype surrounding the release of this album within the app, primarily because there was an exclusive live concert streaming on Apple Music. I’m going to go all When the Dawn … on them and just call it I like it … from here on out if you don’t mind. I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it by The 1975 Here it is, my co-opted reviews of: the new album from The 1975, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Vitals by MUTEMATH, and Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Rather than try to spit out a thousand rambling words about the four albums that I’m currently obsessing over, I thought I might go all linked list on you and just pull out a blurb from my favorite review on each album.

#Nathaniel rateliff backup singers

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reginaofdoctorwho · 4 years

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if anyone wants to recommend musicals to me I would fucking adore that. Until then, here are some suggestions:

Love in Hate Nation-- LET’S GO LESBIANS! 1960s sapphic love story taking place in a girls’ reformatory. Also, trans girl played by trans actress!!! Some of the amazing songs are “I Hope” and “Oh Well”. Susannah Son wants to be a singer, her performative activist boyfriend is gross and also wants her to marry him so he’ll have better options politically. Sheila Nail is so fucking cool and I love everyone in this. My brain cuts out about this I’m so sorry babes. There is not a cast recording but there IS an original cast bootleg on youtube.

Holy Musical B@man!-- If you liked the goofiness of 1960s Batman and Robin, but think “man, these guys should’ve been able to swear! And also should have had a candy themed villain!” this is the musical for you. Also if you’ve heard of the very queer Harry Potter musical that JK herself tried to sue over, it’s made by the same group <3. As usual with Team Starkid, whole thing is up for free on youtube by the creators.

Firebringer-- Speaking of the same group... Cave people sapphics who I think are bi or pan. I love them and they’re all so dumb. Also, if you’ve seen the “I don’t really wanna do the work today” vine, that comes from this. I do not remember any of the second half other than one of them taking the ring the other is proposing with... to propose. And the “*blows kiss*” “fuck no, Zazz” “duly noted”. Kind of like a shitpost musical. Once again, free by creators. Actually, check out any of their musicals.

The Prom-- In Indiana, Emma just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, and in response, the PTA cancels it. With some help from some broadway actors looking for good publicity, they manage to pull it off. So, to summarize, teen lesbian gets gay uncle who knows what she’s going through!! This musical makes me cry every goddamn time. There is a movie now, and I’m very happy about that because *high profile gay rep on netflix*, but I personally did not like the direction they took with it. They put a weird amount of emphasis on biological rather than found family in the movie, and were a little too forgiving when it came to trauma from family for being gay. Also, they took away Emma being butch. This was sadly (loosely) based on a recent true story from I think 2012. Also, was the first gay kiss in the Macy’s parade. You know those movie musicals the straight girls in theater like? The music is similar, but gayer, and for some reason that makes me so fuckng happy. I think it’s because non-queer people have had musicals for so long, and those normally have a 60s vibe, and the music in this does too and it feels more classic?? Sapphic promposal song (het at the beginning). “Unruly Heart” and the end of Act 1 will break you. Please ignore the bad wigs.

Spies Are Forever-- GAY SPIES GAY SPIES GAY SPIES!! Curt Mega (played by... Curt Mega) lost his partner Owen during a mission. Now, he’s just trying to get back into spying like Owen would want. I fucking weep every time. Also, a song about comphet (at 6:36)!! And here is a video essay on how it relates to the Lavender Scare. I want you all to know that everyone also headcanons the femme fatale spy in it as either a lesbian or aroace, which uh, makes sense. Also high quality videos put up by creators. They had Jewish people making fun of Nazis while writing this, but “Not so Bad” is... kinda bad. “Torture Tango” has so much goddamn sexual tension and becomes devastating.

Hadestown-- If you know the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it’s like that, except capitalism part 1. Orpheus is a poor musician, Eurydice dies, just like the myth. Except, the Great Depression post-apocalyptic setting that works better than it probably should. There are actually 3 soundtracks: the concept album, off-Broadway, and Broadway. I personally don’t like the concept album purely based on vibe. Off-Broadway has an absolutely gorgeous sounding Orpheus, and if you’ve heard of the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn Out the Dark, then you’ve heard of surprisingly amazing Broadway Orpheus Reeve Carney. The Fates are gorgeous and I’ve decided they’re queer. Tony’s performance link here. Explores relationships, with Hades and Persephone’s aging relationship mirrored by Orpheus and Eurydice’s relatively new one. Anyway, unionize.

Jasper in Deadland-- If you know the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it’s like that, except capitalism part 2. Jasper is a teen who’s best friend Agnes is pretty much the one good thing left in his life. His mom left, he got kicked off the swim team (he’s manic pixie dream boy in this, especially for swimming), and Agnes dies at the beginning trying to show Jasper that she’s brave and he should be too. So, he bravely ventures into Deadland to find her, meeting Gretchen the tour guide along the way. He also finds out that since he’s still living, he can bring memories back to the dead. Songs like “Stroke by Stroke” (he’s uh, definitely a teen, guys) and “Living Dead” (I shared a prinxiety animatic of that on here a while ago).They blend Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Christian, and whatever Dante’s Inferno counts as together to create Deadland. Story’s kinda hard to follow from the soundtrack, so if u wanna learn how it all ties together message me.

Death Note Musical-- Okay babes, here’s where it gets tough. It was written originally in English, and there is a spectacular English concept album, but the only productions have been in South Korea, Japan, and I think Taiwan. Listen to it anyways, find a bootleg of it with english subtitles. It has so much gay tension and also a truly ethereal character who seems to be a lesbian who is also either demisexual or demiromantic. If any of y’all saw the anime like me, it kind of cuts out the arc after episode 26. I personally thought it was actually a better story for it.

Alice by Heart-- Okay, this one makes me fucking cry every goddamn time. In WW2, these poor goddamn kids are all alone in the Tube System (is that what y’all call it? genuinely asking here) with none of their parents but still some grownups. Alice’s best friend Alfred is dying of tuberculosis, and to try to have one last thing together they start reading Alice in Wonderland, only for Nurse Hart to rip it apart to try to separate healthy Alice from dying-from-TB Alfred. It doesn’t work, and Alice proclaims she “knows it all by heart”, She tries to linger in the story with Alfred to have more time with him, he keeps trying to move it along because he’s dying and wants to finish it one last time. Themes are growing up and grief I guess.

Last I checked, there is a bootleg for all of these on youtube. Have fun!

#love in hate nation #holy musical b@man #firebringer #the prom #spies are forever #hadestown #jasper in deadland #death note musical #alice by heart #i know more gay ones too if u want that

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fairytales-magic · 4 years

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Hiya! So I’m just getting into musicals after my friend sent me two songs that were absolute bangers from Heathers and I’m pretty sure you like musicals so do you have any recommendations? 👀 if not that’s totally fine!

Oh. HOney.

Do i know musicals?!?! (i’m so sorry in advance, but you’ve opened pandora’s box)

Strap in, i’m your humble tour guide!

A Beginner’s Guide to Musicals

Now, its hard to organize these all but i’ll do my best. I orignally had MANY others on the list, but it seemed smarter not to overwhelm you with too many different genres, so i kept it simple. I also will recommend some songs out of order before listening to the show from the beginning, but that’s just

Some are gonna be movie musicals, so just bear in mind, but if you want the broadway version i can oblige! A couple personal favorites i highly suggest are:

Wicked

The backstory of the Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good, before the events of the Wizard of Oz.

Listen, if i had to choose one show to see on Broadway, its this one. When the u.s. tour came to my city, i was beyond excited. And when my in-laws got orchestra seats for us to see it in, i all but cried. :D I could quite literally write an entire essay about the show deep diving into the costumes, the set and stage design, the tech and lights, the script adaptation, etc...

The music is iconic in its own right, and its just so much fun and full of heart! Start right at the beginning with No One Mourns The Wicked and The Wizard and I are brilliant places, but legit with any of these songs you can’t go wrong. There are even reprises in the show they didn’t put on the soundtrack but 1000% should be there, its just that good!

Full soundtrack available here!

Phantom of the Opera

Ah yes! An oldie but a goodie. Its almost all singing, but boy is it worth it! I actually recommend watching this, cause it’d end up being the same runtime and you get the added benefit of seeing everything going on. But the whole movie soundtrack is available on YouTube, of course (the prologue is super slow, just fair warning, its a lot more for visuals than musical). The Phantom of the Opera title song is a great starting place. Music of the Night (immediately following POTO) and Think of Me are some of my top favorites, but really this whole soundtrack is just *chefs kiss*. Oh! And All I Ask of You just melts my heart! Also, of you want a great stage production soundtrack, the 25th Anniversary at Albert Hall starring Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo is fantastic as well!

Also also, i know where to watch both movie and stage performances, so just lemme know if you’d like that. :D

Hamilton

Ok now hear me out! I honestly also didn’t like Hamilton when it first came out. And i didn’t for a long time. I’m a more traditional broadway connoisseur, plus the only rap i really listened to was Eminem. But even there i’m super selective, and i made the mistake of listening to the intro song first.

Don’t be me.

Sometimes you need the familiar first before you get to the place where they branch off (in this case, throwing in some rap verses).

Hamilton in 7 Minutes is an amazing a cappella compilation of the entire soundtrack, plus the animatic someone drew for it is phenomenal. After that i highly HIGHLY recommend Helpless and then You’ll Be Back, oh and The Schuyler Sisters! This show is just as quirky and sweet as it is emotional. And i get its not for everyone, but i’d be remiss if i didn’t at least mention it.

Newsies

Inspired by the real-life happening of the Newsboys going on strike in 1899 New York.

Oh man, how do profess my love to thee? Mainly an all boys cast (but the ladies who have songs in it are *chefs kiss*), the choreography is as incredible as the music itself, and boy howdy is the music great! Jeremy Jordan is the butter on my bread and as Jack Kelly, just lives rent free in my head on repeat. If he sang to me every night, sleep would never be an issue. xD Carrying the Banner, King of New York, and Watch What Happens are great ways to start off this party. And here i shall grace you with the whole Live soundtrack (i didn’t like the audio quality for the regular recorded one i found, but its still the same cast so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

The whole stage show was professionally filmed and lives on Disney+ currently btw! (so go watch it! The tap numbers and spoon playing in it give me LIFE)

Heathers the Musical

The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerburg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass…but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

I’m so glad you already like this! The music really is a great banger and the story surprisingly manages to be both edgy humor-wise and serious when the moments call for it. Its a lot of fun and i’m surprised by how much i like it. If you haven’t already listened to them, Beautiful is the intro and is really good, and also Candy Store & Big Fun!

The Little Mermaid Musical

The movie and musical that need no introduction! I was really surprised by how much i liked Broadways soundtrack for the show, and how short-lived its time on stage was. It really doesn’t get enough credit for how much creativity went into everything. And what an all-star cast too! All the original songs from the movie are there, and i think they did a really good job expanding them even more, especially Under the Sea. Her Voice (10/10 just melts my heart) i’ll also recommend beforehand but honestly you don’t need too much. Just go straight from the start and head onward, you’ll really enjoy it!

The Sound of Music

Man i’m getting nostalgic. Another oldie but goodie! My mom, sisters and I loved watching this movie growing up (along with Oklahoma, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Singin’ In the Rain, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, and just...every musical in our collection ;P). Funny, sweet, romantic, heartwarming, its got it all! The Sound of Music kicks everything off, and from there you can’t go wrong, but this is another movie musical i highly encourage watching! Also i just wanna throw in The Lonely Goatherd now cause its so much fun, so why wait?! ~~

Ok whew! I think that’s it (for now). It took a while to find links for everything, but we did it! Please holla at me if you have any questions or concerns. :)

Oh yes, and if you would like to see any of these masterpieces via recording, i may or may not have such knowledge for your viewing and/or audio entertainment.

#i edited this list like 5 times #trying so hard not to vomit so many shows at you all in one go #every time i keep thinking of another one like 'aw man i forgot to add Joseph and the Dreamcoat or Cinderella'#if you want like a round 2 list i got that also #xD #(tbh i have a whole word doc full of musicals i adore and love and keep adding more to every day)#this is like my overall collection of well-known musicals that got me started in the theatre world #looking at this i'm also realizing these are all shows i'd really want to perform in at some point in my life #a bookdragon answers #dillislazii #broadway #musicals #wicked #the phantom of the opera #newsies #heathers the musical #hamilton #the little mermaid #the sound of music

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ask-smoliza-schuyler · 4 years

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So #Hamilfilm is coming out in less than 6 hours...

And all of this talk about Hamilton once again reminded me of this account that I made years ago. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Hamilton and how it changed my life and I wanted to post a little something, even if no one reads this.

I was in 8th grade when I absolutely fell in love with the musical Hamilton. I have loved theatre all my life but this obsession was different - this show meant the world to me and consumed every single moment of my life. I know I’m not the only one who felt this way, and I know this for a fact because of this account. I couldn’t tell you what inspired me to make this but I did and it was one of the best decisions of my life.

I was never a person with a lot of friends growing up. I’m very outspoken and have these big ideas that would rarely come to fruition, annoying those around me. I also only would talk about theatre because that is what I loved. It’s what I wanted to do with my life. So when Hamilton came around, I was ready to become hooked on this game-changing musical that would forever affect the world of Broadway. All I did for months on end was listen to the cast recording and talk about all the amazing intricacies of Lin’s work. Then I found Hamilton RP Tumblr.

The community was so kind and welcoming that I felt like I fit in immediately. The next thing I knew, I was in a Kik groupchat with people I had never met in real life but had interacted with through this account. These people were just like me and held that same love for Hamilton and theatre that I did. They understood me and it made me feel seen. Life was rough for me in middle school, but no matter what was happening day to day, I knew I could talk to these people about my problems and they would listen and help. I remember being scared to tell them I was only 13, but they didn’t mind at all. I look back and remember thinking they were all so old and mature, but they were just high schoolers (and some college kids) who I now know knew nothing about the world (because I definitely don’t).

I am 18 years old now. I am going off to college in the fall to pursue my B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. And I truly don’t believe I would be here today without those people who changed my life. They acted as a reminder that there were people in this world who were like me and that I wasn’t alone. There was a point to this thing we call life and I was determined to see it out. I was in a bad place at the beginning of my sophomore year and decided to reach out to them again because they always knew what to say, but the groupchat had died and they were all gone.

The sad truth is... we grow up. We find solace in fandoms and devote every fiber of our being to them, but at the end of the day, there is more to life than obsessing over a single thing. My “Hamilton phase” ended around the end of 2016. I was lucky enough to see the original cast in person (twice in one day bc my mom won the lottery for the matinee!!) and see the Chicago production as well as one of the tours. But once I saw the show in person, I realized that this was just a show and there are so many more to come. It was time to let go myself and start a new journey. Clearly, that journey involved more theatre though because here I am ready to become a performer.

So thank you to the Hamilton fandom for always being there for me, in times of laughter, sadness, and the in between. Enjoy the proshot tomorrow and remember all the good memories this show brings you. We are so lucky to be alive right now and to have the capability of watching this work of art.

And if you are one of the people who was in that groupchat with me all those years ago, thank you for being my friend and making me realize that I am not alone.

This is Baby Mom signing off <3

#hamilton #hamilfilm #hamilton proshot #hamilton disney +#hamilton the musical #musical theatre #theatre #broadway #lin manuel miranda #hamilton rp #eliza schuyler #thank you

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letterboxd · 4 years

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Satisfied?

We examine what Letterboxd reviews of Hamilton reveal about the musical’s cultural currency in 2020.

In this absolutely insane year, when our love of movies feels helpless in the face of pandemic-induced economic collapse, some extremely good decisions are being made on behalf of audiences. Studio Ghibli on streaming platforms. Virtual screenings to support art house cinemas. Free streaming of many important films about Black experience. And: Disney+ releasing the filmed version of Hamilton: An American Musical—recorded at the Richard Rodgers Theater in 2016 with most of its original Broadway cast—a year ahead of schedule, on Independence Day weekend.

“Superlative pop art,” writes Wesley of the filmed musical. “Hamilton wears its influences and themes on its sleeve, and it’s all the better for it. Lin-Manuel Miranda and his team employ an unlikely cocktail of not only hip-hop and showtunes, but also jazz (‘What’d I Miss?’), British-Invasion pop-rock (‘You’ll Be Back’), folk music (‘Dear Theodosia’) and Shakespeare (‘Take a Break’) in service of developing an impressively vast array of themes. This is a testament to the power of writing, an immigrant narrative, a cautionary tale about ambition, a tragic family drama, and a reevaluation of who decides the narrative of history.”

2016 may only be a half-decade ago, but it feels like an eon in American political years. With theaters dark and America’s long record of racism under urgent scrutiny, the complex smash-hit lands back in the spotlight at an interesting time. Is Hamilton “the most offensive cultural artefact of the last decade”, as Lee writes? Or “timeless and wholly of the moment”, as Tom suggests? The answer, according to a deep read of your Letterboxd reviews, is “all of the above”.

First things first: why now?

Sophie has a theory:

“Disney executive: Hey we’re losing a lot of money because our parks are closed. How do we start making money again?

Other Disney executive: It might be nice, it might be nice… to get Hamilton on our side.”

Sure, business. Still, it’s historically unprecedented that a Broadway show of this caliber (a record-setting sixteen Tony nominations, eleven wins, plus a Grammy and a Pulitzer) would be filmed and released to the public while it’s still, in a Covid-free universe, capable of filling theaters every night. Will people stay away when Broadway reopens because they’re all Disney+’d out?

No chance, reckons Erika. “I’d still kill to see Hamilton live with any cast… I get why producers are afraid that these videos might hurt ticket sales, but I’m fucking ready to buy a ticket and fly to NY one day just to see as many shows as I can after watching this.”

Not every musical fan has the resources to travel, often waiting years for a touring version to come near their hometown. And even if you do live in a town with Hamilton, the ticket price is beyond many; a daily lottery the only way some of us get to go. So Holly-Beth speaks for many when she writes: “I entered the Hamilton lottery every day for almost two years but I never got to be in the room where it happens… however, this 4K recording of the original cast will do very nicely for now! Finally getting to see the context and performances after obsessing over the music for years was so, so satisfying.”

“Finally” is a common theme. Sydnie writes, “I love this musical with every fiber of my body and it was an extraordinary experience finally getting to watch it in Australia”. Flogic: “To finally be able to put the intended visuals to a soundtrack that I’ve had on repeat for such a long time: goosebumps for 160 minutes.” Newt Potter: “Now I fully understand people’s love for this masterpiece of a musical!”

I’ve got a small query for you.

Where’s the motherfucking swearing? Unsurprisingly, Disney+ comes with some limitations. For Hamilton, it’s the loss of a perfectly placed F-word.

“I know Disney is ‘too pure’ to let a couple of ‘fucks’ slip by,” writes Fernando, “but come on, it’s kind of distracting having the sound go out completely when they sing the very satisfying ‘Southern Motherfucking Democratic Republicans!’ line.”

Will agrees: “Disney cutting ‘motherfucking’ from ‘Washington on Your Side’ felt like sacrilege akin to Mickey Mouse taking an eyebrow pencil to the Mona Lisa.”

Nevertheless, sings Allison:

“Even tho Disney stripped the story of its f***s, Don’t think for a moment that it sucks.”

(Yes, she has a vegan alert for Hamilton.)

Does it throw away its shot?

The crew filmed two regular shows in front of live audiences, with additional audience-less sessions for a dolly, crane and Steadicam to capture specific numbers. The vast majority of you are satisfied. “It’s the most engaging and expertly crafted life filming I’ve seen since Stop Making Sense,” writes ArtPig. “The film does an incredible job of placing you right in the action. It feels like the best seat you could get in the theater. You can see the sweat and spit.”

“Translates perfectly onto the small screen,” agrees Ollie. “There’s a level of intimacy that feels hard to replicate in any other filmed production. We see those close ups, the passion and gusto behind every actor’s performance.”

“Shockingly cinematic for something filmed on such a small stage,” is Technerd’s succinct summary, while Paul praises director Thomas Kail: “He knows when to back away along with moving nearer when appropriate, and the choices always serve to govern the power and stamina of the performances.”

Though cast members’ voices were recorded on individual audio tracks, Noah had a few quibbles with the sound quality. “Some of the audio capture is off in the recording, sometimes voices being too soft or too loud. It’s not immersion breaking, but it is noticeable enough to irk me a little in pivotal moments. Some of the shot composition doesn’t fully work either. Of course nothing is going to be as good as seeing it in person.”

Robert, recalling another recent cinematic escapade of musical theater, lets his poetry do the talking:

“This will do for now until the true movie’s made, Though if Hooper directs, there’ll be an angry tirade.”

I think your pants look hot.

Hamilton fans have their cast favorites, but something about being able to see Jonathan Groff’s spittle and Leslie Odom Jr’s scowls in 4K has you losing it all over again. Several specific shout-outs we enjoyed:

“Daveed Diggs the Legend! Go watch Blindspotting (2018), it’s one of the best movies ever!” —Kyle

“It’s hard to believe anyone will ever top Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr. I already loved him from the original cast recording, but seeing his full performance in all its glory was just godly.” —Erika

“Thankful that it was made possible for me to view with such clarity the phenomenon that is Renée Elise Goldsberry and spectacular Phillipa Soo.” —Thea

“Daveed Diggs was electrifying and Jonathan Groff was absolutely hilarious. If they interacted together the stage would’ve combusted from the sheer will of their talent.” —Nick

This is not a game.

On one hand, the release of Hamilton is sweet relief for music theater nerds riding out the pandemic. A generation of kids knows every word by heart, rapping (this version of) American history like it’s no thing. On the other, the Obama-era musical already feels behind-the-times, even for many Hamilton lovers, and the filmed version has brought that into sharp focus.

“I listened to the OG cast album about 50 times when it came out, the production is about as good as I’d always hoped,” writes Josh. “Since then however there’s been a very important and broader reckoning with the failures of neoliberalism and the Obama years ([from] which this has to be the most emblematic piece of art) and for me personally a drifting further to the left that has resulted in a very different relationship with the material. So my feelings today are a bit more complicated.”

“Hamilton is extremely non-committal about its politics,” writes Sting. “It doesn’t examine much of what Hamilton dictated besides ‘he wants complete financial control of the country’ (which would sound like a fucking supervillain in any other context, including reality).”

That lack of political commitment, reckons Morgan, is what helped Hamilton as a musical become so popular: “It’s fun. It’s catchy. It interweaves trendy and socially relevant artistic tools to infer a subversive subtext, while simultaneously sanitizing and, at times, flat out fabricating the historical narrative and downplaying the brutality of the true origin story, for the sake of appeasing those in power. Classic Bill Shakespeare stuff.”

History has its eyes on you.

Much criticism lies with the fundamental storytelling decision to make a modern ruckus about America’s Founding Fathers, the men (including Alexander Hamilton) who in the late eighteenth century united the thirteen colonies and co-wrote the Constitution. Undisputed titans of history, they also have blood on their hands, and HoneyRose writes that the musical “glorifies these men, and paints them as self-sacrificing heroes, and honestly normalizes and validates slavery, as well as the behavior of slave owners.”

Stevie, who saw the Broadway production as well as the filmed version, confesses: “I’ve tried (I’ve really tried) to understand what makes people lose their minds over this but I’m still completely baffled by the hype… These were horrible men and a romanticism of them through song and dance just seems entirely misguided.”

Sean is not convinced that Hamilton is a hagiography. “I can’t imagine anyone watching all of this and thinking it paints a portrait of the Founding Fathers as anything other than childish, greedy, venal and self-aggrandizing.” Wesley agrees: “I don’t think Hamilton is trying to be a history lesson, so much as a lesson about how we think about history. It’s a compelling human story told in a revolutionary way.”

That “revolutionary way” is the musical’s central conceit: that of a cast-of-color playing the white founding fathers as they bumble towards independence. Journalist Jamelle Bouie, who regards the musical as “fun, exciting, innovative and, at points, genuinely moving,” wrestles with the “celebratory narrative in which the Framers are men to admire without reservation. Through its casting, it invites audiences of color to take ownership of that narrative, as if they should want to take ownership of a narrative that white-washes the history of the revolution under the guise of inclusion.”

It’s complicated for Matt, too: “It’s widely agreed upon that the show encapsulates the Obama era better than anything, how it coddles white liberals with a post-racial vision of history in a superficial sense, overlooking the insidious and oppressive systems that they benefit from (hearing the audience clap to ‘Immigrants, we get the job done’ unsettled me). Of course hopefully its legacy will be that it opened up more Broadway roles for POC. But I really think that the show doesn’t make Broadway more appealing and accessible to POC, it just makes hip hop more accessible to white people, a launching pad of course to listening to Watsky or something.

“No hate though to anyone that’s completely in love with this, it’s definitely worth seeing despite any hang ups.”

I wanna build something that’s gonna outlive me.

The story doesn’t end, just because the music does. Kai_Kenn has a suggestion: “I have been a part of discussions that dissect the culture that created Hamilton, as well as the culture that Hamilton created, and whether or not Hamilton appropriately addresses the modern issues [that] the cult following proposes it does.

“This is an ongoing discussion that I am trying to be an active listener in and, if you consider yourself to be a conscientious consumer of art, you should too.”

Noah is on board with that: “Reflecting on the past and focusing on the future are not two mutually exclusive actions. Both are a must, regardless of who you are or what you do. A five-star experience in a four-and-a-half-star film. I think that’s just fine.”

Top 5 books you read in 2019:

the Tales of the City series - Armistead Maupin

Less - Andrew Sean Greer

Orlando - Virginia Woolf

How I Learned to Drive - Paula Vogel

tie!: Torch Song Trilogy - Harvey Fierstein / Too Much is Not Enough - Andrew Rannells

5 good/positive things that happened to you in 2019:

I came out as bi/pan to friends and family after a long period of conscious and unconscious questioning, and in general just accepted myself for who I feel I am. In the process I got much better at talking than I previously had been, which was good and necessary.

I had fun times by myself as well as with friends! I love my friends and spending time with them, but it felt nice to do things by myself that appealed to me. Some of the highlights were a Mary Shelley/Frankenstein exhibit, a photography exhibit inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando curated by Tilda Swinton, and a play about St. Vincent’s Hospital.

I supported as much queer art as I could, and it felt great. There’s a reason pretty much all of my favorite media listed on here has queer themes or performers. I’m hoping to broaden my reach in 2020, and have already made steps to fix my blind spots.

As part of getting better at talking to people, I opened up about my insecurities about dating and relationships, and found a lot of support from those around me. I’ve made some really great bisexual friends who have been invaluable to me in helping me feel validated and supporting me in a really unique way.

I decided to start trying to get better at things I’ve always wanted to! Since I’ve always wanted to read more poetry, I bought a few collections and look forward to finding things I like and trying new things.

#cait i know you're gonna yell at me bc you can't resist a meme i'm sorry #about me

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scouthearted · 5 years

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How To See Theatre Cheap!!

What’s the number one complaint I see about theatre from people both into it and who want to get into it but haven’t yet? It’s the price. I get a lot of friends who don’t understand how I can afford to see so much theatre, or who just assume I’m personally rich. Really, being a third year theatre student has just granted me a lot of knowledge about the tips and tricks on how to engage with this art form for cheap... and sometimes even free.

Bootlegs are the obvious choice that I know most people know about as far as cheap and accessible theatre goes. However, even if you wanna say “fuck you” to rich producers, know that bootlegs put the theater itself at risk, and can impose huge fines on them, which can bankrupt smaller theaters... just because they didn’t catch someone filming! Because of this, it’s not the most ethical choice and it’s especially bad if you want more theatre to be accessible. I’m choosing to keep this masterlist bootleg-free for that reason, and while I encourage people to add on their own tips and tricks, I ask that they also follow that rule!

Note for the super broke: tips and tricks that are 100% free are in bold for quick reference! Bolded but starred are those that may be free, or are free with caveats.

SEE THEATRE IN PERSON:

Usher. Contact your local community and small professional theatres and see if they are looking for volunteers. Many times, those that need volunteer ushers allow them to see the show for free! Ushering is easy and a good opportunity to get to know other theatre fans. Keep in mind: there may be a dress code or physical requirement for the job.

Shakespeare in the Park. TONS of cities across the world do this... if you don’t see your city on here, that’s not a dealbreaker either, as my city is going into its 26th year of SitP and still isn’t on the list. It’s a great chance to see Shakespeare performed, an absolutely different experience than reading Shakespeare in high school English.

High school productions. Often, these are a lot better than you might expect, especially if you are near a performing arts high school or just a school with a good theatre department. High schools often do big-name shows, usually for $10 or less per ticket!

College productions. They operate similarly to high schools, but with (usually) a larger budget and better talent pool. They may also be more experimental or obscure in their season selection. I recommend attending shows at schools that have a theatre major, as those productions often are classified as “pre-professional...” think professional theatre with lower prices, often under $15 a ticket.

Hamilton lottery. If you live in or relatively near NYC, London, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, or San Francisco, you can and should enter the lottery to win two $10 tickets. You can enter every single day, and I’ve personally known people who have won, so the chances may not be as small as you think!

Pay What You Want Theatre Nights*. Often, community and smaller professional theaters will have nights where you can contribute as much or as little as you choose (some theatres have lower limits, but not all). These nights are often ones that aren’t as popular for audiences, such as Wednesday or Thursday, but they’re a great way to see things cheap.

Improv class graduation performances. Improv classes are becoming a huge thing among people who want to socialize without drinking. Often, these classes will conclude with a performance that’s open to the public and super cheap (my local improv school has $6 shows). Check local improv theatres or acting schools for more details.

Local festivals. Some local festivals are home to children’s performances (such as are orchestrated by Missoula Children’s Theatre), local improv, free musicals, etcetera. They’re a great place to scope out a little bit of the scene.

Discounts! If you’re a student, a senior, active military, or a veteran, you are almost guaranteed to get a discount. Other discounts may be available... see the next point.

Call and ask! If you can’t find any ways to see cheap theatre on your local theater’s marketing or website, don’t be afraid to call and ask for deals, promotions, or opportunities not listed. Theatre professionals want butts in the seats, and we want people to be engaging in this art form! We’ll do our best to help.

Playwrights Welcome*. On the off-chance you’re a member of the Dramatists Guild, you can see shows at certain theaters for free. A full list of the participating theaters is at the link, as well as further details on the program. You do have to pay Dramatists Guild dues, so not very free... but if you’re already a member, take advantage of this!

LEGAL RECORDINGS

Movie musicals. Yes, I know, we hate them, but they’re readily available and easy to get for cheap on DVD, or streaming online legally. Check out The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, and many more. Many are available on Netflix!

BroadwayHD. This streaming site is exclusively for high quality professional theatre. If you have $8.99 a month, you can watch SO MUCH theatre. They also do individual rentals, but it’s more expensive to do an individual rental than to just pay for the month. The selection used to be small, but is growing quickly, and showing your support might convince other productions to put legal recordings up!

National Theatre Live. Performances from an absolutely fantastic theatre, broadcast to movie theaters around the world. Tickets run a little more than a movie ticket, but less than a live theatre performance, and they’re INCREDIBLE.

DVD and Blu-ray selections. Often, shows are in fact recorded and available for purchase, usually older or closed shows. While the article is a little bit old, the linked article makes some suggestions, but more can be found with a little bit of looking (or check out this wikipedia article).

PBS Great Performances. Opera, musicals, concerts, plays, dance, and more... the complete theatrical experience, for free on PBS. You can watch some of them free no-strings-attached online, too, but others require a subscription service.

Starkid. This theatre company does parody and original comedic musicals (with surprising depth!), and they’re posted on Youtube for free. There’s a ton to choose from, and they’re a really good time and a great gateway if you’re intimidated by the PBS stuff.

AUDIO RECORDINGS

LA Theatre Works. Performing plays in the style of radio plays, you can stream some very good stuff if you’re interested in just listening. It’s a lot like a podcast! I also recommend poking around on their website to find more shows than on this page (and if you ever get a chance and have a little more money than this, they tour and you can see them live. It’s really cool!).

Off Book: The Improvised Musical. Think Starkid, but audio only, smaller casts, and also, completely improvised. Every week, the podcast weaves a brand new improvised musical, along with a guest or two (including people like Travis McElroy and Felicia Day).

Audio plays* (like what LA Theatre Works are doing) are a little tricky to find sometimes, but a little research can get you a long way. Here’s some that I found just in trying to dig more up, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and the famous production of War of the Worlds. Audible is known to have a growing selection of audio plays, if you’re okay with using and paying for Amazon services.

THEATRE EDUCATION

Podcasts. Continuing on the audio theme, there’s a ton of amazing theatre podcasts that can teach a lot about the business and the art form alike. Here’s a list of twenty podcasts ranging from the explicitly educational to the news-oriented. Note, it’s about five years old.

Theatre classes*. These are often astronomically too expensive for this list, but there is a little trick (though your ethical mileage may vary). Many theatre schools offer a free first class, like a trial offer. This is meant to help the student and teachers alike determine if the class is a good fit, but it’s also a great chance to go and learn something for a couple hours. You may then decide not to pay for further lessons at that theater, or you may decide you like it so much you want to splurge!

Guest workshops and masterclasses. If you don’t want to do the above, or if you have exhausted your local theater options, be aware of guest workshops and masterclass opportunities near you. While proper classes often run in the hundreds of dollars for a six to eight week course, these one-off classes can be as cheap as $10 sometimes, with the majority I’ve seen where I live being around $25 or so (the upper limit I I placed on things that make this list). You may be surprised at who is leading your class, too (plenty of Broadway actors run classes), and if you want to pursue theatre as a career, a masterclass or workshop looks nice on a resume.

Playing Shakespeare. The entire series can be found on Youtube, and it’s a series one of my professors personally recommended for those who want to learn how to do Shakespearean roles better.

Youtube in general. Honestly, just looking up “theatre masterclass” brings up a ton of credible and amazing stuff.

Volunteer. Learning by experiencing is truly something you can do, and there’s plenty of community theatres that would die for a good volunteer. Even if you don’t want to be on stage, there’s plenty of technical positions that cater to any and all skill sets.

#please boost this I worked for three hours I'm dying #theatre #theater #masterlist

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cynicaljapanophile · 5 years

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HPHM Theatre AU Headcanons P. I

I'm shit at writing and my memories of theatre are bad but here we go with some high-quality trash headcanons about the HPHM cursebreaker squad as theater nerds

Hana Kim(MC)

Doesn't remember why she joined in the first place

Is that kid that always gets the lead role no matter what

Really likes musicals but doesn't like performing in them a lot

If someone messes up she makes everyone start over

Hold the record for fastest costume change

Once changed in a dark room with Talbott in it

Memorizes dance routines in five minutes

Can't sit still when she's getting her hair and makeup done

Once auditioned for a play Merula was auditioning for just to spite her

She only wears cast t-shirts

She is always stressing out the stage manager

Owns 11 pairs of jazz shoes and 14 pairs of tap shoes

Regularly calls people by their characters names

Charlie Weasley

Joined because of Andre and Bill

Does "Basic" things

Paints sets

An incident happened a few years ago known as the cord incident

Doesn't like to speak about cord incident

Gets upset when people leave the costumes around

No one other than the main cursebreaker squad has seen him get upset

He spent a week making posters and 3 days putting them off only to be told it was canceled

Rowan is still traumatized

Sits in during auditions

Can actually sing

He just has bad stage fright

Is usually stressed because he's always working with idiots but when his family comes by with Fred and George...

Fred and George were responsible for the cord incident

Is concerned how seriously how everyone takes amateur theatre

Questions his decision to join every day

Rowan Khanna

Joined with Hana and Ben

Her acting is 7/10 and her singing is 6/10

Performed once as the understudy of an understudy

Isn't a fan when they have little kids perform in their plays

Doesn't perform but is really passionate about theatre

Has written three original stageplays

Holds record for second fastest clothing change

has a personal grudge against Merula and doesn't try to hide it

Gets annoyed when Merula "drags on"

When this happens she just moves the spotlight

Might have had something to do with the cord incident

Has played RATM on the sound system at full blast

Gets genuinely excited during performances

Listen in onto Merula talking shit about everyone through her mic

Regularly sleeps on set

Is just happy to be involved

Bill Weasley

Probably one of the main actors

Is always stressed by the literal three second changes

Almost broke his arm trying to change

He sprained his ankle though

He is terrible at musicals

It isn't even as if he is a bad singer

He just can't hit those high notes

"How the fuck did you hit that note"(Probably directed towards Penny)

Probably that guy that says you shouldn't take theatre seriously and you should just have fun but will get frustrated quickly if you mess up the choreography

Gets to excited

Is obsessed with Les Mis

MC : We did Les Mis a year ago stop singing."

Really popular

Ben Copper

Has the voice of an angel but screams like a siren on stage

Has terrible stage fright

Originally auditioned for a role in The Sound of Music but fainted and just decided to become a stagehand

Helps with makeup

He unintentionally calms everyone down

He doesn't perform but he gets the most stressed

Will ask the same question twelve time s

Gives the occasional singing lesson

Helps Bill out the most

Is a really good actor

Acting is 10/10 and his singing is 10/10

Ben is just 10/10

Was once an extra and nearly threw up

He's an amazing actor and singer...

But he can't fucking dance

Despite this, he really likes elaborate dance numbers

Works with Charlie and Rowan the most

Gets excited once everything starts

Is appreciated like he should be

Nymphadora Tonks

Originally actress but started to be a stagehand lately

The theatre does a lot of musicals and romance plays so she doesn't perform as much

Is tone deaf

She never checks in

When she does get a role she never practices

But can recite all of her lines perfectly opening night

Always wears wigs

Is a fan of newer musicals

Wants to do a "horror" play

Has done nineteen roles

She also can't fucking dance

Makes bad "creative" decisions

"Why is the tree pink"

Encourages everyone

Can cry on demand

Is really good at improv

First timers at the theatre are always confused because she is only referred to by her last name

Is popular, especially amongst kids

Tulip Karasu

Joined because her mother kept telling her to join an extracurricular activity or get a job

Can't act to save her life

She is also a trash singer(I love her but... She can't fucking sing)

She usually just paints sets

But when doing sound design hse does dumb shit

She once blasted All-Star on the sound system

When the theatre did The Frog Prince she replaced the frog puppet with Dennis

Always gets in trouble with the stage manager

Never works with Merula

Occasionally choreographs dance numbers

Originally a prompter

But the stage manager "fired" her when she found out she was feeding the actors wrong lines

Penny Haywood

Is always typecasted

She prefers musicals to plays

Knows how to tap dance

She has relatives on Broadway

Owns 19 pairs of tap shoes

Has never missed a cue

Does a lot of improv

Is bad at memorizing her lines

Has stolen a prop

Called Merula by her character name for a week because she forgot her name

Is terrible at painting props

Is occasionally the prompter

Helps others practice their lines

Andre Egwu

Is the only costume designer

Is always judging everyone's fashion sense

Will give them death glares hen giving them their costumes

His "office" is covered with corkboards with pictures of colors and outfits connected with string and tape

Has a costume planner with 173 sticky notes

Has acted once or twice

Is extremely passive aggressive

At the end of every rehearsal, he questions what he's doing

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #hphm #rowan khanna #ben copper #bill weasley #charlie weasley #nymphadora tonks #tulip karasu #penny haywood #andre egwu #hphm mc #hphm headcanons #hana writes #myposts

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raybansandcoffee · 5 years

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Adventure of a Lifetime: Chapter Three

Find the Character Bios and first 2 chapters HERE.

*****

I woke up the next morning to sun coming in my bedroom window and the sound of the kids through the monitors I had in each of their rooms. Their sleep schedule versus mine had been one of the hardest adjustments of parenthood for me. I groaned before climbing out of bed, quickly using the bathroom and going into the nursery to grab Axel.

"Good morning, Axe Man. How's my favorite little guy?" He put his hands on my cheeks. He did this every morning. I was convinced it was his way of telling me he was fine and he loved me. I got his diaper changed before we headed into Ellie's room to get her. "Ellie Bellie, are you ready for breakfast?"

"Can we have waffles?" she asked.

"Of course we can have waffles." We got her into the bathroom before heading downstairs for breakfast. Once we were in the kitchen I got them in their seats at the island and started on the food. Luckily there were some frozen waffles in the house so I didn't have to make waffles from scratch but I did decide to make them some scrambled eggs.

"Where's Savy?" Ellie asked.

"She went to spend the day with some friends since we won't be home. What do you think if we skip your piano lesson today since she's gone?"

"OK! Can we play instead?"

"For a little while but remember we need to leave so we have time to get to Ava's house for our play date." By the end of breakfast, I had two tiny humans covered completely in syrup. I cleaned them both up and we went to the family room for some playtime. Seeing them interact, especially as Axel got older, warmed my heart. My sister was three years older than me and then my step-brother came during my Dad's second marriage. They were two people I couldn't do without and I loved that I got to watch these two build that with each other. Your siblings were the people who would be there to support you through anything and these two had been through more than most people could imagine. I snapped a quick photo of them as they laid on the floor laughing.

*****

To: Samantha Madigan-Fitzpatrick

From: Charlotte DeLuca

Subject: First Day of Summer!

Hey Samagator!

We miss you extra today. It's the first day of summer and the kids are so excited. We are having a playdate with Ellie's best friend from school, Ava, and going swimming at Ava's house. We are enjoying a little playtime at home before heading over there. Watching Axe and Ellie on the floor as they lay and have their conversations and giggles is one of the happiest feelings. I honestly can't describe it. I get it now. You always told me kids were different when they were yours. I fucking hate it when you're right.

I got through the first draft of the score I'm working on. I'm going to let it sit for a few days before I send it off to the powers at be to see what they think. It's my biggest project this year. You'd love it. The film is a small indie project, with an amazing cast and the perfect emotional storyline to put music too. Exactly the kind of project that is our sweet spot. I've spent so many hours at the piano this week that I honestly considered putting my hands into buckets of ice. A day away from work at the pool is going to be the perfect escape.

Alex would be pissed if I didn't mention Ava's Dad is ridiculously hot and I'm fairly certain is single. I'm trying to focus on the idea of maybe making an adult friend that isn't family, someone on the other end of a FaceTime, phone line or email, or well Savy since she's typically the only other "adult" I speak to on a regular basis. I tried, I really did, to make friends with the Mom's from Ellie's school but I just don't fit in there. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is but there's just a disconnect between me and the other women. I tried to find a local playgroup to take Axe to, I found one at the library and went and it was strange and mostly nannies. I did have lunch with your Mom this week, it was great to see her and nice to have an adult conversation where I didn't feel like I was parenting Savy or waiting for my WiFi connection in the basement to die.

Well, I better go. I've gotta get the kids bathing suits rounded up, pack a bag of crap for Axel and find a swimsuit that I don't look hideous in. We all miss you like crazy.

Love you forever and for always,

Charlie

*****

"Alright tiny humans. Let's go upstairs and get ourselves ready for a day of fun. If we are on our best behavior tonight we can have pizza for dinner."

"Peessa!!" Axel shouted back. He was really great at repeating words though most of the time it still sounded nothing like what he was trying to say. I picked him up off the floor before blowing raspberries on his tummy making him let out the perfect giggle. His giggle was my favorite sound in the entire world. It had gotten me through the worst year of my life. It was the best medicine ever created. I grabbed everything each child could possibly need for swimming, what felt like a million extra diapers, snacks, things that kept them from having complete and utter meltdowns, and finally got Ellie into a bathing suit with a cover-up dress over it. I drug them into my room and put them on my bed to watch cartoons as I tried to figure out what to wear.

"Why do I do this? Ugh. I hate trying to figure out if I look terrible with no one around," I was talking to myself while putting makeup on. I'd found a bathing suit that I didn't feel completely hideous in after spending far too much time standing in my closet trying on every bathing suit I owned. When I lived in LA I spent my summers living at the pool. Alex's house had the most amazing pool so most of our summers were spent enjoying the gorgeous weather, the company, and food. Sam also had a pretty great pool though significantly smaller and less of a kid's dream than Alex's. I had a pool at my condo and honestly spent time most days there when I needed a break from working. My phone vibrated on the granite counter. I glanced down to see Jeremy's name pop up.

Are we still on for today?

Yup! I have Ellie in a bathing suit (which was quite a task), grabbed one for Axel and have finally gotten the few minutes I needed to get myself out of my pajamas covered in the syrup from their breakfast. We should be leaving here in like 15ish minutes. I just need to grab Axel's little travel playpen, he will definitely need to nap while the girls hang out.

Don't worry about packing anything. I've still got some of Ava's stuff around that you can use. I'm the oldest of 7 and have a lot of nieces and nephews so every kid thing you could imagine needing is here. Just bring yourselves.

Are you sure? It's no big deal. My best friend got the coolest shit for this kid when he was born.

I've got you covered.

Okay then. We will be there in a little bit. I just have to get them wrangled into a car.

"You're gonna do great, Charlie. You are not a lunatic. You're a completely normal person. Today is going to be a good day."

"Today is going to be a great day!" Ellie replied. "It's going to be a great day because we are going to have a lot of fun and pizza for dinner because I promise I'm going to be on my best behavior."

"Ellie Bellie, have I told you yet this morning that I love you?" I asked as I picked her up and hugged her tightly. She had started to give me positive thoughts in the morning when we'd sit and get her ready for school. She heard me one day embracing my inner theater nerd. I'd been listening to the Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway recording and had even gone so far as to say 'Dear Charlie De Luca, Today is going to be a good day and here's why...you have two wonderful kids who you love and who love you who are experts at putting a smile on your face. You're alive, you're breathing, and you're going to be okay.' Ever since then she'd tell me good things in the morning. She'd also started to dance with me to musicals in the mornings, it was some special girl time we had each day.

"I love you too." She buried her head in my neck hugging me. "You look really pretty in the swimsuit you picked." I'd ended up with a two-piece that had a black and white striped high waisted bottom and ruffled black top.

"Thank you, munchkin. Let's get me in a dress to cover this up and get in the car to go to Ava's." I threw a dress on over my bathing suit while also throwing clothes I could wear after time in the pool to at least drive home in. We got everything in the car, Ellie into her car seat, Axel into his and were on the road headed to Jeremy and Ava's house. My phone started to ring and the screen on the dash showed it was Alex calling. "Everyone say hi to Auntie Alex."

"Hi!" Ellie screamed from the backseat really excitedly. Her little brother let out his signature giggle instead of saying hi.

"Hey, kids. Are we all on our way to our playdate?" she asked.

"We are. We are pulling out of the driveway right now."

"And you managed to find a bathing suit without having a complete meltdown and calling me this morning panicking in your closet? I'm proud."

"I did. I went with the ruffly high waisted two pieces one from last summer."

"Oh, that one is cute and much more appropriate for a playdate with kids than the one I was going to suggest."

"Yeah, the super revealing bikini is not playdate appropriate. It was barely all-inclusive Mexican vacation appropriate."

"You looked hot in it."

"I definitely wouldn't now. A year of essentially eating like a child because of children has me not looking my best. I need to set up a gym in the house or start running through the mountains like a weirdo or something now that it's warm."

"Put a pool in. You used to swim laps in my pool every morning before anyone in the house was even awake to realize you'd snuck in." It was true. I didn't live far and often times my condo pool was filled with people early who were using it for a workout so I'd sneak over to Alex's house and do laps in her pool when we had decent weather instead of going to the gym.

"Yeah, because that is affordable and totally makes sense when I live in the mountains and had a period of time this winter where the snow was taller than I am."

"My 10-year-olds are taller than you. It's not hard to accomplish. You can afford to add a pool. Maybe put it on a wishlist for next summer. You know it will be nice for you and the kids."

"It would be but it's not a priority right now. My top priority is having my house ready for your entire family and my family to be out here soon."

"Did you finally hear from Frankie and Tony?" Alex asked.

"Yup. Tony called me yesterday morning. He's coming out to stay for a while though he won't give me any firm dates on anything. I'm sure Mandi is driving him crazy and he's not even been home a month yet."

"Oh, guaranteed." I loved my step-mom but she could be a bit much and my poor little brother was probably going insane living at home. He had just graduated from college and wasn't used to being home with the parents. He hadn't completely decided what was next though Dad was hoping law school and eventually becoming a partner at his firm. Tony's maternal grandparents were loaded and honestly, the kid would never need to work a day in his life because of his trust fund. He was brilliant and graduated with honors in both of his majors but he had spent his entire childhood focused on school and wasn't sure what he wanted to do next. He told my Dad he was going to take a year before deciding on if he wanted to go to law school, grad school for something none of us would be able to predict, or get his MBA and in the interim he was going to move out with me and help with some of the business aspects of my job that I hated most. I hadn't offered him a job but my brother knew he could convince me of anything because I loved him more than I loved most people because he knew when he shouldn't be providing commentary on my life. Our sister, Dad, his Mom and my Mom definitely did not.

"Frankie also called me yesterday after Dad told her that Tony was moving to Tahoe with me. Her whole clan is coming out. It will be good. One big celebration."

"Any of your parents coming?"

"No, Dad has a big trial coming up that he's working all hours of the day on, most of the time he calls me it's when he knows I'm not sleeping and he's on his way home from the office. Mandi, of course, wouldn't come without him. I truly don't understand her, she's been married to him for most of my life yet lately she will rarely do anything with me or Frankie without Tony or Dad and very rarely if it's just Tony. Mom is of course off on some lavish vacation with her current love interest. I think she called me from Amsterdam last weekend."

"Well, your brother and sister being there will be good. Plus the kids will all be together and you'll get to have some comic relief from Ryan and Tony."

"So true. They are the best at making me laugh." My brother-in-law was the perfect addition to our family. He took such great care of my sister and their kids while also being a decent role model for my brother. "It will also mean that Ryan will do his best to stop Frankie from grilling Tony and me about him moving here. Tony needs a break. All he's done his entire life is school. He needs to be an f-ing kid for a while."

"Just don't let him hit on my daughter."

"I'll do my best but she could do worse than T."

"I know she could but I need her to focus on school not the cute boy above the garage." My watch buzzed on my wrist signaling I needed to make my final turn into a driveway that was long enough I couldn't see the house from the road. I buzzed at the gate and the gate unlocked. Even though our gate had a camera I usually harassed anyone who buzzed it to goof off instead of just letting them in. "Okay. My dear friend Siri has informed me we've reached our final destination." The house came into view. "Holy shit."

"You said a swear word," Ellie said from the back.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"His house is huge and gorgeous."

"Well have fun and report back later."

"I will. Talk to you tonight." I stopped the car as I saw the front door open. Jeremy came walking out as Ava ran in front of him towards the car. Ellie knew how to get herself out of the car so before I knew it she was running past Jeremy into the house with Ava.

"Hey slow down you two," he called. "Do you need help with anything?" He had walked over to me.

"I think I can get it all," I replied as I grabbed Axel from the backseat.

"Hey there, buddy." Jeremy's demeanor changed from being polite as he greeted us to the complete mush everyone turned into when they saw Axel.

"This is Axel."

"Hi, Axel." I watched as the little guy reached towards Jeremy. He rarely reached towards strangers like he wanted to be held but he didn't even remotely hesitate. Jeremy took him from my arms so I could close the door and grab the bag I had for me and the kids from the back. "He is so cute."

"Thanks. I think he's pretty great." I followed Jeremy into the house where we found the girls playing together. We went towards the kitchen where there was lunch set up for the kids.

"I didn't figure you'd want macaroni and cheese but it was Ava's request today."

"That's a good choice, Ava. I love macaroni and cheese." Jeremy must not have been kidding about having stuff for kids around because there was a high chair waiting for us so that I could help Axel eat. The girls happily chatted away as they ate quickly so they could start swimming. "Thank you for having us and letting me bring Axel with. Savannah was super excited about having a day off."

"No problem, he's a pretty cool kid." We were sitting by the pool watching the girls jump into the pool over and over again. "Ellie is a really great swimmer."

"So is Ava. I guess it pays to grow up in houses with pools."

"True. Do you also have one?" he asked.

"We don't but LA had a pool."

"Aha. Yeah, my house there has one too. I feel like not having a pool in LA is against some sort of city ordinance."

"So true. My condo in LA has one. I usually opted to use my friends' pools though. I mean I was at mine a lot but any chance to get out of my tiny condo was great. One bedroom seems so cramped when your friends all live in giant houses in the hills."

"You were in a one-bedroom with both of them?" He asked.

"Oh no, that would not have worked. I'd have lost my mind. I still have the condo for when I need to go back for work because it means I don't have to stay at my Dad's. Though at this point I'm fairly certain my younger brother has probably located the spare key and used it to escape his Mom." Jeremy laughed which made Axel laugh. "That's right Axe Man. Uncle Tony is silly and Nana Mandi makes all of us a little bonkers."

"Half brother?" He caught onto me saying 'his Mom' which meant he was observant.

"Yeah, Tony just graduated from college. He's the youngest of us. My sister Frankie is three years older than I am. Our Mom and Dad split when I was probably 8, Dad met Mandi, they got married and added Tony to the mix."

"I get that. My youngest sibling is the same age as the girls. He was born the same week as Ava."

"That has to be weird, right?"

"A little weird. But I get it. My Dad wanted more kids. I'd love more but I don't know if it's in my cards. What about you?"

"I never pictured myself having any kids. I was going to be the fun aunt that corrupted the children. Kids hadn't been in my cards at all. My best friend always told me they were different when they were yours which is a BS thing that everyone tells a woman who doesn't want to have kids. Turns out she was right. I hate it when she's right. So I guess someday maybe but for now, these two are all I can handle alone. Right Axe? You're just too much for just me to handle so we can't add another one." He giggled at me and I smiled.

"Is their Dad not in the picture?"

**********

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I love a good cliffhanger! Which I know makes me SUUUUUPER evil.

Diving more into Charlie and the kids has been fun. The way conversation flows between she and Jeremy easily. The fact that Axel IMMEDIATELY thought Jeremy was cool is also pretty telling. Kids and dogs smell fear, it's something I've learned over the years. I'm childless by choice and intend on remaining that way. Outside of my niece and nephew kids are a little intimidating for me during periods of their lives. And usually they either want to be around me to make me anxious or they start screaming at the top of their lungs when there's even a thought of me holding them.

I must admit "Dear Evan Hansen" is one of my absolute favorite musicals so for Charlie to use it as a motivator for her mornings is something I also try to do. "Dear Charlie DeLuca, today is going to be a good day and here's why ___" I can picture her saying that in the mirror every morning and filling in the blank with what she's going to focus on.

Jeremy is an interesting character for me to develop as well. Admittedly, I LOVE Jeremy Renner. He's an incredible actor, musician, and those eyes are too beautiful for words. While I am using Jeremy as the inspiration of the character I can't really say that I believe the way I write the character to be anything like Jeremy in real life as I do not know him personally and I respect that he does the best he can to keep his private life private. So this may or may not be a version of him that reflects reality or that suits everyone, though I hope people enjoy reading it.

xx. AM

@baker151910 @alicenwrites

#jeremy renner #jeremy renner fanfic #jeremy renner fan fic #jeremy renner fanfiction #jeremy renner fan fiction #fanfic #fanfiction #fan fic #fan fiction #lizzie olsen #elizabeth olsen

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fluidityandgiggles · 6 years

Text

Sleep Is For The Weak - Chapter 10

Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 5, Last Chapter

Writing Masterlist - for previous chapters not otherwise linked, Read on AO3

Notes (I guess): It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Well... I hope so...

Yeah, it took me a month to get this chapter on the road, but... I can’t really be blamed. Well, I can, but let’s be fair, I’m in India right now, I have almost no wifi and I’m mostly relying on data (I ran out of data while writing this and now have to wait forty minutes to get data again... oops...), I managed to get The Schmuel Song from The Last Five Years stuck in my head out of boredom, and really I planned to update much earlier but sometimes... chapters get stuck.

I’m sorry I’m updating this late... I hope the fact that this is the longest chapter yet A N D that something y’all have been waiting for is going to happen will make it up!

As always, all the thanks to @broadwaytheanimatedseries for the original idea, to @whatwashernameagain for her original story and for being such a sweetheart, and to @winglessnymph, @asleepybisexual and @anony-phangirl for all their help, even if it’s just listening to my ideas and giving feedback (you’re all wonderful and I love you so much!)

Tag list (sort of): @bunny222, @ab-artist, @secretlyanxiouspersona, @your-username-is-unavailable, @virgilcrofters, @why-things-go-boom, @ilovemyspoopydad, @violetblossem, @maybe-i-like-the-misery

(Wanna be tagged? Just lemme know!)

Trigger warning: period appropriate transphobia (the early 00s were not exactly trans-friendly). This chapter is a bit lighter, but keep this in mind.

—————

Saturday, December 21st, 2002

Christmas at the Harris shoebox was never that festive to begin with.

There was always some sort of rush hour-type boost in sales on and off-Broadway, or at least that's how David explained it to Remy when he was younger, so he would only really be home if he only had matinees or if, God forbid, Christmas (either eve or day) fell on a Monday. And Remy was always busy with school, at first with his program in Columbia and then his project at Bronx Science and now…

Well, now was no different. Christmas Eve was going to be on a Tuesday, next Tuesday to be exact, and Remy was too busy reading ahead in his psychology books.

India dropped him off in Manhattan on her way to Johns Hopkins. They got out a day early to go from Boston to Manhattan - Remy didn't have exams that day anyway - and stayed over at Remy's overnight before the second half of the ride. "They", of course, also included India's girlfriend Jenna, who was the one driving. She was a wonderful human being and Remy honestly couldn't believe he never met her before. It felt like they knew each other for ages! (David wasn't happy when two twenty-something year olds crashed on his couch that Sunday night, without warning, but Remy told him they're leaving first thing in the morning. He still wasn't very happy at that, but maybe going with it was the best option here.)

"You know who I ran into on my lunch break today?" Remy raised his head and took off his reading glasses (he was starting to need glasses for more than reading…) to look at his father, who - at eleven forty-five at night - finally got home from tonight's show. "Come on, ask."

"Who did you run into on your lunch break, dad?"

"Do you remember Michelle Tan?"

Of course Remy remembered Michelle Tan. She took chemistry and engineering and always looked down on him as if learning psychology made him less than her. Not to mention that when he showed up to graduation with short hair - his first step towards socially transitioning, really - she kept saying the nastiest things to him about how inappropriate it was.

"What about her?"

"Nothing, she just asked how you're doing." David threw himself on the couch next to Remy, taking off his shoes and opening his shirt in the process. "I said that you're doing alright and that your degree was going okay."

"Oh. Okay."

"...that's all you're going to say? Oh okay?" Remy pulled his shoulders. What else was there to say, really? "Thought you'd be a bit happier that—"

"Dad, Michelle Tan is the one who came to me after graduation and told me that short hair is undignified and that just because I think it makes me more of a boy doesn't mean that I am. Do you really think I'd be that excited about you running into her on your lunch?"

"I didn't know. I had no idea."

"It's okay."

David was working on a new show by Tony Kushner. He promised Remy that he's not going to spoil anything to anyone this time (though let's be honest, he said that about Dancing At Lughnasa in 1991, and Rent in 1996, and…). He stayed out late for the workshop, and barely had any time to care for himself. He never did whenever a new show started.

Remy could forgive him for forgetting stuff.

However, this neglect was absolutely and utterly unacceptable.

"Can you take a day off tomorrow? I mean, it's just the workshop, I doubt Eliza would mind it if you didn't come." David hummed in agreement. "So it's decided. Tell Eliza you're not coming tomorrow. We're gonna, like… do absolutely nothing tomorrow. We'll go somewhere fancy, like that diner on—"

"Since when are pancakes fancy to you, Remy?"

"Since I don't get to eat them anymore because I don't have time and I'm not using boxed mixes, thank you very much!"

"We can go to Hard Rock Cafe."

"Dad, Hard Rock isn't fancy. Sorry to disappoint. I just want to go to Times Square, to be honest…"

And then he turned on the TV and put a recorded episode of South Park. And Remy gave up. He went back to his book, to remember the teacher who made them read Oedipus Rex in English class, to get pissed at Freud who said that all men secretly want to fuck their mothers and called it the Oedipus complex without even knowing (probably) that Oedipus didn't want to fuck his mother but the moment he found that out he stabbed his own eyes out and exiled himself, accompanied by his children, which prompted the start of Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.

Remy always felt bad for Antigone. But that was a personal issue.

——

"Remy? Remy! Hey, Remy, I'm here, and you're here, and—"

These sort of calls have been going on since about five minutes after David paid for their lunch and he and Remy started making their way to the subway back home. They started right around the… Martin Beck theatre? Yeah, around there. Remy was kind of scared to turn around and look who that is, until his dad told him to, so he did.

Emile was dragging his older sister and her dog behind him and he was getting really close.

"I didn't know you'll be here right now!" Emile's face was flushed, hidden under the hood of his fluffy mustard yellow coat. His glasses were covered in raindrops and all fogged up.

He looked absolutely adorable.

"Sweetie, what are you doing here?" At the hurt face, Remy quickly added "I'm just curious, that's all. Did you bring Mycroft too?"

"Well… no, I didn't. Mycroft stayed home. I can't bring him on holiday vacations. Our neighbors are looking after him, though! They're very nice and they're technically his grandparents! Well, kinda. I got him from a litter their bunnies had. It's a long story. And we were at the Man of La Mancha matinee just now! Julie and I have tickets to The Lion King at seven, and my parents are going to The Full Monty. It's a holiday tradition!"

Well then… hmm…

"Oh, you haven't met my dad yet!" Emile almost started jumping. "You have to—"

Someone tapped on Remy's shoulder. "I thought we're going home, not talking to cute boys on the street?" David asked jokingly.

"Hello, sir! I'm—"

"That's Emile, Dad. He's a friend. I told you about him. And his sister Juliana."

"But she's buying books so we're going to wait for her!" The tiny blond said oh so excitedly. He could never not get excited, it seemed. Remy loved that about him.

"What did you say her name was?" At David's raised eyebrow, Emile started jumping even more.

"Juliana! Yoo-li-a-na. It's Dutch, not English. She's named after our great-grandmother who died in Auschwitz. It's a really sad story, if I do say so myself—"

"Munchkin, we gotta go." The aforementioned woman who just got out of the bookstore grabbed Emile's hand and gave it a short squeeze. Her accent was even harsher than Emile's, but… Remy couldn't complain. He heard her speak before. He met her before. "Remmington, nice to see you again."

"You too, Julie. And Ladybug." At the sound of her name, the dog started wagging her tail quite happily. Remy never got to see her off-duty, but he assumed that this was the closest he'll ever get to.

"Mom and Dad are waiting. You coming or what?"

As the three went away, Emile waving goodbye quite enthusiastically and lending his sister a shoulder to lean on (Remy only recently found out why he did), Remy struggled to find the words to explain to his dad what just happened.

Thankfully, he didn't ask. Instead, David said "so that's your boyfriend, huh?", took his hand and pulled him in the direction of the subway. They still had to get home today.

——

Monday, December 23rd

"So we're staying here until… I think the fifth," Emile rambled on the phone. Sure, it was eleven thirty already, but… free minutes were more important than proper sleep schedules. Not that either of them had any of those. "After that were going to Missouri, my dad is taking me to Glore, you know—"

"I have no idea what Glore is.”

"It's a psychiatric museum. And after that we're going to California! To Disneyland, and then the murder museum."

Emile kept rambling about his plans, and he was so loud, Remy could hear his dad tell him to quiet down a couple of times. He was just so excited, and it was always so endearing…

"So what I'm trying to say is," Emile rambled away. "Would you like to hang out sometime? We could go see a musical! Like, umm… Rent! We can go see Rent! I haven't seen the new cast yet… I heard that Jai Rodriguez is awesome though!"

"I don't know… I can't really afford that—"

"Nonsense! What do you have me for if not for this sort of thing?"

"Remy, either you hang up now and go to sleep so you can deal with your grandparents tomorrow," David grunted from the couch, where he tried to sleep, "or I do it for you."

"Alright, boo, how about the twenty-seventh?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Okay. Good night, Em."

"Good night!"

Remy didn't tell Emile that he actually saw Rent off-Broadway before. And… didn't exactly like it. Maureen, the only bisexual, was presented as promiscuous and very selfish (though that might've just been her personality, he had no idea, Jonathan Larson died before he could ask him) and Angel, the only character he ever truly identified with - a gay, genderqueer drummer who is HIV+ - is really the only main character to die, leaving the most wonderful and wholesome relationship in the show broken and sad and with a bad ending, while the horribly dysfunctional Roger and Mimi - both also HIV+ - got to have a happy ending.

And really, what type of bullshit was that? Gays have already been so villainized in the media, Remy did not need another one.

But he'd go. Just to be with his best friend. He really wanted to.

"Are you ready for the ride to Jersey?" David asked jokingly. Neither of them was ever truly ready for the six-hour (at best) long ride on the interstate to Red Bank. David's parents were, to say the least, terribly nosy and had no tact. Adding to that the fact that his cousin Gilbert (his aunt and her husband had a terrible taste in names, Remy decided rather early in life) wasn't going to come home for Christmas from his boarding school in Nova Scotia, also known as the only sensible member of the family with whom Remy could actually hold a conversation would not be home for Christmas…

This holiday was going to be a disaster.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

——

Tuesday, December 31st, 2002; 9:54 p.m.

Christmas was horrible. But Emile made it better.

This was how Remy described the holiday on his call to India on the thirty-first.

"What I mean is… you know the feeling when your family is just so bigoted and— yeah, okay, I'm sure you know that feeling." India laughed on the other side of the phone. It made him feel… strangely better. "So, like… my family are horrible, okay. My grandparents are, like, the worst. My grandma can't stop sticking her nose in everyone's business, and like, usually it's fine, it's not that bad, but last week my cousin wasn't home so she had more criticism to give to everyone else so she chose to pick on my sexuality, and like—"

"Pick on your sexuality?"

"She literally said ‘why can't you just be who you were when you were sixteen, you may not carry the family name but you will continue the bloodline'—"

"What twisted mind would say something like that?"

"My grandma, sweetie. This is my grandma."

India actually laughed at that. Remy could hear confused sounds from the other side, which he assumed belonged to that Jackson kid she talked about a couple weeks ago.

"Is she also the type of person who would say that Jenna is a nursing student because she's black and a woman?"

"I wouldn't put it past her to act like Professor McKenna. But anyway. So that's my grandma, and my grandpa is… he's deaf and senile. You can imagine what that's like."

India hummed. "Sounds like a fun holiday."

"Well, after coming back Emile and I went to see Rent. I still hate that musical but it was fun to watch it with him. And my boyfriend only called once like, three days ago. And I mean, rude much?"

"I'll bet. I got to talk to my psychiatrist, and… guess what."

"I'm scared of guessing."

"I'm gonna get my first doses of blockers and estrogen real soon, if everything goes right." Remy tried to avoid the tightness in his chest. "I know, I know… you've been waiting for this too."

"Is it weird that I can't wait to get mine but I'm still scared of when you'll get yours?"

"No, absolutely not. I totally understand. We all have a fear of change, peach. Some of us more than others. But it's going to be such gradual change that you won't even think of it, okay? It's exactly how I explained it to Jackson. Even when I get top surgery, which will probably be the most dramatic change, it's not going to be such a big shock. I promise."

India had to end the call rather quick after that. Apparently some doctor needed to talk to her about some stuff, and he could hear her grit her teeth before saying her goodbyes - the doctor called her "Mr. McGinty" - so it must not have been good.

He had a… sort of date, with Emile, at Times Square later. His sister was going to this bar in Greenwich right after the ball drop, so until then, she said she'd chaperone - as if they needed one. But Nathalie had some rules and stuff so they had to have her around, or else.

Whatever that else would be.

"Dad, I'm going out!" A hum of agreement came from his dad's room. Okay then…

Remy got his bag and his phone, sent a quick text to Chris wishing him a happy new year - he probably wasn't going to see it until Remy pointed it out to him when they got back to Boston - and left.

(He probably should check on his dad, but he was going to be alright. Two and a half years sober now, and he had his cartoons. He was going to be okay.)

——

11:57:11 12 13 14... p.m.

"I'm cold!"

"You're from Minnesota, Emile."

"I don't see your point."

Emile was wrapped in his own yellow coat and Remy's black coat (well, one of his three black coats; this particular one he got on a trip to Disneyland when his dad worked on the national tour of some musical, he already forgot) and was still freezing. How in the…

"Do you want to go to Starbucks and get a hot chocolate?"

"Is Starbucks even open at this hour?"

"There's one on fifteen hundred. It's open twenty-four hours."

"...okay, fine." Remy offered his hand and Emile quickly wrapped his arm around Remy's, allowing him to lead the way.

1500 Broadway wasn't the closest to the ball, but Remy was sure that they could make it there and back.

Maybe it was a bit of wishful thinking, but he was going to be an optimist this time.

11:58:28 29 30 31… p.m.

"We never told Juliana that we're going," Emile muttered through chittering teeth. "My mom is going to be so mad—"

"Emile, babe, calm down. We're almost there."

The huge building was already in their line of sight, and Remy couldn't feel happier. He could totally use a latte right about now, and Emile obviously needed a hot chocolate and a cookie. The poor thing was seconds away from becoming a human icicle.

He didn't want to be responsible for his best friend suffering from hypothermia, after all.

"You see that huge building over there?" Remy couldn't make out if Emile was nodding under all his layers or what.

"What about it?"

"We're gonna go to Starbucks in there, okay?"

"You're an addict, you know that?"

Remy didn't listen. So he liked his Starbucks, so what.

He dragged Emile behind him.

11:59:38 39 40 41… p.m.

The line was moving awfully slow for some reason. Remy had no fucking idea why so many people were at Starbucks so close to the ball drop…

Well, he was being a bit of a hypocrite.

"Can we get something to eat too?" Emile whispered to him, standing on his toes. The black coat from Disneyland was back in Remy's possession. The building was warm enough.

"Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, sweetie!"

Sweetie. Holy shit

"Schmuel would work till half past ten at his tailor shop in Klimovich," Emile sang to himself. Remy remembered that song very well. Norbert Leo Butz had a very… interesting way of singing it.

Then again, he never heard anyone else sing it.

He would ask Emile where he heard that song later.

"Forty-one years had come and gone at his tailor shop in Klimovich—"

"Ten, nine, eight…" oh crap.

Remy grabbed Emile's shoulder, shutting him up momentarily. It took just a couple of moments for either of them to fully realize what was going on before—

They kissed.

If there were fireworks they were blinded by the fluorescent lights and deafened by the loud cheers all around them, but they still kissed.

Kissing his blond was very different from kissing his boyfriend. Not that it felt wrong or anything, just... different. Nothing forced, nothing too overpowering. It was lovely, and sweet, and Emile was as soft as always. Nothing felt wrong there.

Not even the little voice that said that Chris won't like it. He wasn't there. He didn't need to know.

And so, they kissed.

——

Wednesday, January 1st, 2003

00:17 a.m.

"You saw The Last Five Years?" Remy asked, a cup of latte warming his rather freezing hands as he walked Emile back to his hotel (Juliana left them to go to a party in Greenwich Village).

"I didn't go to school for anything but my exams from mid-April. I saw that musical so many times, I kinda lost count."

"Oh, okay. Cool."

#kylo cant write #sanders sides #remy/sleep #emile picani #remile...? remile #keep him safe #sleep is for the weak #the remy centric prequel #tw: period appropriate transphobia

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gdelgiproducer · 6 years

Text

DOTV AU: An Exercise in Alternate History (Part VII)

Parts I, II, III, IV, V, and VI offer more detailed context. (To briefly sum up why these posts are happening: alt history – as in sci fi, not “alternative facts” – buff, one day got the idea that DOTV could have turned out hella different if Jim Steinman looked for a star lead in other places, decided to reason out how that might work.) This is still getting a good response, so I’m gonna keep the train rolling.

Parts of the AU timeline established so far:

Instead of stopping at recording two songs from Whistle Down the Wind on a greatest hits compilation, Meat Loaf wound up taking more of an interest in Steinman’s new theater work than he did in our timeline, and through a series of circumstances found himself volunteering to play Krolock in the impending DOTV when Jim poured out his woes to him about needing to find some sort of star to attract investors. At a loss for any better ideas, Jim accepted Meat’s impulsive proposal, but not without resistance from his manager, David Sonenberg, who proposed Michael Crawford as an alternate candidate. Through quick thinking on Meat’s part, and inspiration on Jim’s, Crawford left the room accepting an entirely different role than he walked in hoping to get, leaving Krolock still open for Meat.

There was a brief speed bump, when Meat disliked Jim’s English script for the show, but after meeting with the original German author Michael Kunze and convincing Jim to compromise, things were on the road to being back on track… at least until 9/11 occurred.

Following a brief hiatus, everyone involved met to re-assess their options. The current game-plan was to put the new script on paper, schmooze with potential investors or producers, and put together a new creative team. Preferably not all at the same time, but with the crunch on, they’d do whatever needed to be done.

So far, the schmoozing has gone well, but everybody that Meat, Jim, and the crew would like to be involved is tentative. The newest conclusion is that they need to show them there’s a working show, and a concert of selections from the score seems to be the route they’re taking, possibly financed by an unlikely source.

Continuing the alternate DOTV timeline, a little differently this time! This time we get a feature on the concert from the New York Post’s own Michael Riedel. Take it away!

VAMPIRES: NEW MUSICAL BLOOD by Michael Riedel

If you’ve heard the buzz on the Rialto of late, you’d be forgiven for wondering if you were having a particularly nasty acid flashback. Dance of the Vampires, a new $15 million musical of the macabre based on the 1967 Roman Polanski movie The Fearless Vampire Killers, is already a monster hit in Austria and Germany, and it’s starting to gather steam here in the States as well, with some... we’ll call it unlikely... star power attached. After all, what other musical (even in a preliminary concert presentation) can boast Courtney Love as an emcee slash investor, and such disparate names as Meat Loaf and Michael Crawford as co-headliners?

Admittedly, Meat Loaf’s presence is slightly less surprising, as the driving force behind the show is Jim Steinman, who wrote Mr. Loaf’s classic Bat Out of Hell albums as well as the lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind. He has written the score and is co-adapting the book for Vampires with playwright David Ives (All in the Timing), who is also currently at work with Steinman for Warner Bros. on a musical version of Batman, from German dramatist Michael Kunze’s original script. He also co-directed this concert with Starmites composer Barry Keating, though early reports that Steinman would be co-directing the eventual Broadway run with Jane Eyre creator John Caird have ultimately been dismissed.

“Roman directed it in Vienna, but he can’t work here because of his legal problems,” Steinman said, referring to Polanski’s indictment for statutory rape in the 1970′s. “He may be the first director who can’t work over here because of a statutory rape charge.” When queried about who then would be directing the New York run, Steinman was tight-lipped, but among those in attendance at the evening’s proceedings was Urinetown’s Tony-winning helmer, John Rando, who is now rumored to be in talks for the slot. Said Rando of the new show, “It takes the vampire myth and pokes fun at it, but it also embraces it. Its message is about the excesses of appetite. It has wit and an edge to it. I’d love to be involved!”

The presentation (at the 499-seat Little Shubert Theatre, about half a mile west of Broadway; events like this cause us rightfully to wonder why it doesn’t see more use) for a by-invitation-only crowd was kicked off by Ms. Love, Hole rocker and widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, in memorable form. Says a source in attendance, “You could sum it up in two words: too drunk. She was literally falling over. She wasn’t coherent at all.” Managing to gather herself enough to announce that Dance of the Vampires is a musical for people “who think musicals suck,” she didn’t manage to say much else of importance. “It just became a little too sloppy, and she was removed.” Insiders report that Steinman’s manager, David Sonenberg, who is also one of the show’s producers (and a first-timer at that), worried that those involved would be seen as taking advantage of a troubled addict. Ms. Love’s performance did little to dispel this perception. Lucky that representatives from noted L.A.-based promoter Concerts West, major music manager Irving Azoff (who numbers The Eagles, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Christina Aguilera, and Sammy Hagar among his clients), film and music mogul Jerry Weintraub, and Broadway’s own Barry and Fran Weissler were in attendance; a cash infusion from such sources may well be needed to save face if she can’t “live through this,” to twist a phrase from her 1994 album of the same name.

In addition to Sonenberg, already attached to Vampires on the producing side are Andrew Braunsberg (another first-timer, who also produced Polanski’s 1971 film version of Macbeth), Leonard Soloway, Bob Boyett (Sweet Smell of Success, Topdog/Underdog), Lawrence Horowitz (Electra, It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues), and Barry Diller and Bill Haber’s USA Ostar Theatricals. Boyett, a TV producer turned legit entrepreneur, used the phrases “trial by fire” and “going to war,” perhaps because while some novice producers just put up the money, get the credit and run, Boyett says he’s been taking the process very seriously: “I went to all the meetings and learned, like it was grad school.” While some Hollywood types find Broadway “less cutthroat,” Boyett finds it “more restrictive.” He mentions the sheer physical space of the theaters but also all the rules and regulations: "I’ve dealt with unions all my life, but I do find Actors’ Equity is very restrictive to the creative process.” Further, he regrets that Vampires will not have an out-of-town tryout. “I loved the experience of taking Sweet Smell of Success to Chicago,” he says with real enthusiasm, as if the project ended happily. “It was helpful to have the critics say what they did.” Not that Boyett thinks the right message from the critics got to the creative team.

As for Boyett’s teammates, Bill Haber attended on behalf of USA Ostar, and although he wouldn’t consent to a formal interview, he couldn’t resist answering one question -- and it has nothing to do with Dance of the Vampires. Why is Haber’s other fall production, Imaginary Friends by Nora Ephron, being called a play if it has six songs by Marvin Hamlisch and Craig Carnelia? “It has nothing to do with how many songs there are,” he shot back. “It has to do with the fact that if you took all the songs out, it still works and you still have a play.”

And all this before we even get to the show itself. Vampires is your typical erotic musical about an innocent girl (played this evening by impressive newcomer Mandy Gonzalez, currently standing by for the role of Amneris in Aida and late of Off-Broadway’s Eli’s Comin’) choosing between two lovers, in this case an older, aristocratic vampire (Loaf, whose appearance here marks the first time he has worked with Steinman in theater since the early Seventies) and a hunky young grad student (Max von Essen, who reportedly also appeared in the Steinman/Caird-helmed reading in April 2001) under the tutelage of a rather intensely wacky vampire hunter (Crawford). Given the level of Loaf’s obvious commitment to the piece, it is surprising that his manager (Allen Kovac, of Left Bank Management) was a no-show, and in that light, rumors that Loaf has yet to formally sign on the dotted line for Vampires (in spite of previous announcements to the contrary, no less) prove even more curious. Calls to Kovac’s office were not returned. The rest of the cast, boasting some fine voices indeed, was filled out by assorted Broadway names and members of Meat Loaf’s long-time touring band, The Neverland Express, which also provided accompaniment for the evening under the crisp musical direction of veteran rock bassist Kasim Sulton (best known for his work with Todd Rundgren and Utopia, among others).

Speaking of the music: the score, as per Steinman’s usual style, is appropriately big and Wagnerian, with plenty of luscious, operatic melodies, including one familiar favorite that sticks out like a sore thumb: Steinman’s famous “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” under whose operatic pretensions I swooned as a teenager. “I couldn’t resist using it,” he says of a song that goes, ‘Once upon time there was light in my life / But now there’s only love in the dark.’ “I actually wrote it for another vampire musical that was based on Nosferatu, but never got produced.” Close listening to the CD sampler for interested investors also reveals a rehash of the vigorous “Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young,” his song for the film Streets of Fire, which I saw in Los Angeles in 1984 and sent me racing along Mulholland Drive to keep up with the propulsive beat.

As for the new stuff, maybe 50′s rock ‘n’ roll with a 70′s preen isn’t what the 80-year-olds who constitute Broadway’s audience want to hear (and Jim’s rock-mock-Wagnerian shtick admittedly tends to play better in London and Las Vegas than in Manhattan), but my sources say they knew from the first number -- an angelic trio with a beguiling (what did they used to call it?) melody and some expert (the Andrews Sisters used to do it) harmony -- that this would be my kind of score. Frankly I’m glad; since the prehistoric vinyl days, Steinman has been the guy I keep calling for to rejuvenate, or just plain juvenate, the Broadway musical, in a world where the musical theater establishment pronounces old ABBA records a hip pop sound.

The book, while reportedly in better shape than the April reading, is something else again. From the excerpts on display last night, the mix of bawdy humor and eroticism still needs fine-tuning. Says Sonenberg, “By the time we open, it will be a new version of the show, significantly changed with a view toward a New York audience, but right now it plays very much like the original in several respects.” Adds David Ives, “The German production is probably more faithful to the film, but it’s a fairly humorless show, with people getting hit on the head with salami. And I’ve been brought in to take out the salami and put in the chorus girls, without veering into camp in the process. Now it’s just a question of finding the balance, which, needless to say, isn’t easy. But I like what we’ve accomplished so far: Meat’s character is vastly different, a much more multifaceted, dynamic, complete figure. We’ve also made other changes and cuts and restructured the show into a book musical, with dialogue; the original is all sung. I think we’ve made it a much more interesting story.”

Time, as always, will be the ultimate arbiter of fate.

#tanz der vampire #Taniec Wampirow #Vampyyrien tanssi #tanzblr #tanz network #tanz discourse #Dance of the Vampires #le bal des vampires #Vampirok Balja #Dans der Vampieren #vampiiride tants #vampiru no dansu #Jim Steinman #Roman Polanski #Michael Crawford #Michael Kunze #alternate universe #bal vampirov #meat loaf

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emeraldskulblaka · 6 years

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Top five underrated musical theatre actors/actresses? (In case you'd like to share I'm not sure??)

It's so great you're asking this now!! Perfect time.

What I'd like to say in advance - this is just based on what I see on my dash/when I search for people in the tags here on Tumblr. I have no idea about their recognition in the acting business.

In no particular order...

1. Laura Michelle Kelly. Surprise surprise. I feel like everyone has heard of her, but never paid much attention to her since she hasn't been in popular shows like Wicked, Phantom, Hamilton, Heathers, etc.

Her big successes were in the West End a while back - her Olivier Award win in 2005, ... although she has originated a few roles, she's mostly known for Mary Poppins, somehow, and that she played Sylvia opposite Jeremy Jordan as J.M. Barrie. I can only hope more people will discover her now because of Christian Borle and Me and My Girl.

Not only is she an extraordinarily talented singer and actress, she's also a ray of sunshine and a real cutie pie who cares a lot for everyone and everything.

I know I post a lot about her haha, that's why I kept this relatively short

2. Scarlett Strallen. It was International Dance Day two days ago, so I decided to watch a few A Chorus Line clips, and remembered Scarlett had played Cassie in the London revival. The obsession started anew. I originally discovered her when I found an audio of her in Candide with Fra Fee at the Menier Chocolate Factory 2013. And rediscovered her when my Michael Ball obsession started, because of an audio of them singing All I Ask Of You. And now - I don't know where to actually start. There's no way one person can be THAT talented. She can do it all. Mary Poppins? Cunegonde? Cassie? Sibella? Clara? Yes.

While I'm not the biggest soprano fan (at least, in the classical sense, i. e. Cosette's voice. There are exceptions, and it doesn't affect my view of the characters at all, but I don't really enjoy it that much any more), Scarlett has that gorgeous darker soprano voice - you really need to listen to her sing.

Plus, she's a real-life angel. Look at her.

Anyway, she's on Broadway RIGHT NOW, in Travesties!

Her two sisters, Summer and Zizi, are also fantastic. You might know Summer as Meg in the OLC of Love Never Dies and Zizi is currently starring in Strictly Ballroom in London.

3. Sifiso Mazibuko. He's an understudy in the West End production of Hamilton and played Burr when I saw the show. I (and especially @priority-palaven, since she only knew the OBCR and Leslie is... just Leslie who has that lush smooth voice) had pretty high expectations, and they were met as closely as somehow possible. What a guy. Plus, he came out at stagedoor and signed my programme yay!!! I'm sure he has a great career ahead of him and I'll make sure to share more of him!

4. Michael Ball. He's that musical theatre veteran you can find at every Phantom and Les Mis anniversary, on several cast recordings, and on tour with Alfie Boe. But tumblr doesn't talk much about him. There are a handful of blogs that love him, but otherwise - nothing. He's known for ALW musicals, and I'm aware it's cool to openly hate ALW and his shows. But look at the guy himself. Two-time Olivier Award winner, Olivier Awards host, went from Marius and Raoul to Edna and Sweeney. Has the time of his life every time he's on stage, and shows it. Has a puppy face. And the sweetest smile. He's a star, and hearing him sing Love Changes Everything has changed my life.

5. Drew Sarich. He's been - everywhere. Lestat? Tanz der Vampire? Sister Act? Les Misérables? Love Never Dies? Hair? Rocky? He can do anything. Maybe it's because I found a post with a lot of video gifts with him a while ago, but I've grown really found of him. My favourite Graf von Krolock, even though I've seen Kirill Zolygin live... I don't have that much to say about him though😅

Performers who have gotten really popular recently and therefore didn't make the list: Eva Noblezada, Rachelle Ann Go, Shoba Narayan, Lexi Lawson, Jordan Donica

Thank you for the ask! Ask away any time :)

#ask

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