Someone Gets Hurt Reprise (Mean Girls)

 This musical in particular is very hit and miss for me. I enjoy about half of the songs offered and will listen to them on rare occasion, but this is far from my favorite musical based on a non-musical film. (I don't think anything can top Legally Blonde; I still have other ones I enjoy but that is neither here nor there). There was a song I heard on shuffle the other day that I feel worth talking about from this show. A reprise that stands along and to some may even outshine the song that it comes from.

This song is forty-seven seconds long, but this song proves that you do not need an overly long ballad to prove a point. The song is a confrontation at an emotional peak that even though it is ended with a classic punchline from the film it is adapting leaves the listener feeling an emotional impact. The lyrics are a flurry of hurt and anger that many, myself included can resonate with, collimating in a revamp of the original song's chorus in a powerful way. 

The song not only propels the plot towards its emotional climax but has the characters going into a point that we don't know where they will end up. Damage has been done and there is no going back, this song does lead to another song that I like for the character with a moral tied to it later on which is great. The song being "I'd Rather Be Me" which I will have to cover at some point in the future. 

But today I wanted to shine a light on this powerful little reprise and show how a song's length does not dictate the impact it can leave. This moment of vulnerability, hurt, and anger wrapped up into this short song is nothing short of well written. There is not a lot to say here as the song is less then a minute but this one is worth a listen. The song is way more impactful then ever expected

Mean Girls The Musical

 October 3rd also known as Mean Girls Day, the comedy classic about navigating cliques, highschool, and finding yourself, all while being incredibly quotable and funny the entire time. I have loved this movie since I was in high school, so when a musical was announced I was beyond thrilled, but then I listened to the album and my thrill died quite a bit. I have not seen this show live yet, but I have decided to give the album another try as there is a film version of the musical in the works. Will I warm up to this musical or was it far too fetch for me? 

The musical for me is still a mixed bag, there is a lot of quality numbers in here but for every "World Burn" or "I'd Rather Be Me" there's a "Revenge Party" or "Who's House Is This". The best way to describe this musical is that it is like a rave, sometimes the crow is all jumping in unison and sometimes it is more akin to a mash pit. With the people in crowd being the lyrics and melodies, sometimes the lyrics are stepping all over each other and do not fit will.

They feel rushed at times or like the songs are trying to cram too many words in one long stretch of the song without many rooms for a break. There are also sometimes where the rhymes, near rhymes, or a line does not rhyme at all and it does not land. Like in the aforementioned "Revenge Party" there is a line that tries to just use the word cake twice to make it fit twice and connect with a line later on and it does not work. The wording sometimes is jumbled, and it feels like those performing it are trying to play catch up. There is plenty of potential in this show though so I feel like if it went through rewrites and stayed in production longer then something truly great could have come out of it.

That being said some of the songs do work, this show is not a complete dud. There are some fun upbeat songs, a killer villain song, and a few in-between. Not to mention one of the best reprises I have ever heard in the show, where the sped of pacing actually works because it fits the emotion of the music and left my jaw on the floor the first time I heard it. It is one of the most powerful reprises I have heard in a long time, so much so I will probably dive into greater detail on it later. This show is not without some decent high points and it would be unfair to it to focus just on the bad.

I hope the movie makes it truly different and works on some different aspects, similar to the In Heights where certain aspects are cut and even edited, in that case I think this show could go from okay, to really good or even great. 

Back From Summer Break!

 After the Tony Awards wrapped up I decided to take the summer off of this blog for a multitude of reasons. The biggest and first was burnout, with this and another blog being updated once a week, I decided to take some time for myself to recharge and let my creative juices return to me. I had some summer-based content planned that will be tweaked and then posted as summer wrap up content, so I did have some plans but decided to take some time for myself. Second was that there has not been a lot of waves made in the world of theater, perhaps a cast album here and there and show closing but theater news has been stagnant as of late. So I have decided that I still will be covering plenty of theater-based properties whether it is live, a book, a movie, pro shot and so on but also adding film to this list and other forms of art. Art is not just on the stage and I think it is time to branch out, theater will be my first love first and foremost but sometimes it's nice to just talk about other things. Musicals and theater will still have a major presence on this blog but also regular music and so on will as well, movies, animation, animated musicals and more. This blog is about to see a major shift and it just means more content instead of just theater content, alongside the theater content. 

Thank you all for understanding and it is great to be back, and now for that summer content as promised. 

The Tony Awards (6/12/2022)

 The Tony Awards are back and during their original June showing. Instead of recapping every piece of the night I will be talking about the night as a whole, and the good, as well as some bad that stuck out to me. Let's start with Ariana Debose, she did amazing, and her opening number will be on repeat on my phone for hours on end. More on her later, but still I had to just begin with how amazing she did. Congratulations to all the winners, but also the nominees there was so much amazing talent tonight. There was no runaway show but rather all the awards were very spread out which was very awesome, at least when it came to musicals and the plays mostly.

Tonight, was also a big night for representation and that is important, to see the stage include so many people from the LGBTQ+ community, and different races. Making the stage brighter by sharing their lives with us, all of the acknowledgment of crew, understudies, and COVID safety workers was also amazing.  All of the shout outs to the understudies, and crew warmed my heart, and some even performed and that was incredible.

The Act One show confused me, I don't understand why the awards are now split in two, let alone the first one has little to no numbers or performances, maybe one or two tops. Angela Lansbury getting a lifetime achievement was a highlight, I still am baffled this isn't part of one show. It makes me feel like some awards are limited to a pre-show which isn't fair because every member of the cast and crew works to bring something to us. 

The performances that stood out to me that will stay with me were too many to count. There were only a couple that fell flat for me. The Stephen Sondheim tribute moved me to tears, and all of the performances were very amazing, except for two. Mr. Saturday Night was fun but dragged on a tad too long, but it still had quality to it. The Music Man on the other hand was the only weak performance of the night, it sounded clumsy and not all the cast was well utilized. 

Arina Debose did incredible, all of her performances were incredible, nothing short of amazing. Every performance was incredible aside from the two mentioned. Every performer brought their all and it led to a mostly unforgettable night. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the speeches were inspiring and great, and it was nice to see multiple shows win. Some of the performances were so powerful and it was wonderful that the Tony Awards might move away from shows sweeping and recognize multiple shows. 

I have seen worse Tony Awards, and this one was very good. Arina Debose should definitely host again, this awards show and the one prior were both incredible and reminders on why I love live theater. Last year and this year's shows were delightful, with only minimal confusion. 

My Favorite Shows That Did Not Win Any Tony Awards

 It's that time of year again, at the time of this post it is almost the night where theater takes the center stage, and as much as I want to make predictions, but I have not seen nor looked into the shows enough to form an honest guess. I am looking forward to seeing the show and the performances and I always enjoy the opening numbers. I instead wanted to cover a different topic, musicals that I really like listening to, that did not win any Tony Awards. These are shows I listen to, have seen a couple of in some form or fashion and really appreciate. All of these shows are worth your time and here they are, shining a light on some stars that deserve it!

Waitress

Well I found yet another reason to talk about this show, and I am sure I will find many reasons more. I adore this show . If you have not listened to it, this musical it is full of heart, charm, and has a very engaging story. The music is beyond upbeat, but also has some incredible and powerful numbers during it's more quiet moments. Infusing relatable feelings into an unforgettable soundtrack. If you ever have the chance to listen to or see this show, take it. It is as sweet as pie!

Seussical 

This is show is a ton of fun, combining a ton of timeless works into a fun and family friendly show. The show has a ton of comedy, a sweet message and is a great time for viewers young and old. The music is super fun and embodies what we love about Dr. Seuss books!

Merrily We Roll Along 

A sometimes-overlooked Sondheim show, that has a unique concept, starting at the end and working backwards. Showing the audience how the story got to where it was and ending on an optimistic yet bittersweet note. The show has some incredibly powerful numbers and a strong message about art, I highly recommend it, especially for Sondheim fans. 

Tick Tick Boom

The Jonathan Larson musical that is relatable, powerful, and nothing short of amazing. This may not have won any Tony Awards in its day but the movie adaptation that came out last year is a most. Preserving this fantastic show about the life of the mind that brought us RENT, full of relatable stories, memorable songs, and really great unforgettable moments, this musical is one you won't want to miss.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope your day is a showstopper! 

Let's Talk About The SIX Opening Night Album

Some shows last so long that we get original cast albums, revival cast albums, and sometimes covers or compilation albums. Sometimes we might get an album of a show when it is in previews and get a new one with updated songs or different instrumentals. But in this case a live performance album, something that is not the most common thing, one of my favorite Broadway albums of all time is a 25th Anniversary live performance of Les Miserables. I talked about SIX recently and it is one of favorite shows from the new season, I hope to see it live someday but until that day comes, I have this album so let's talk about it.

This album was recorded on opening night of SIX, for those who do not know this is the tale of ex-wives of Henry the 8th but through the lens of pop and showing the world that they were more then just their marital status to the monarch. I have praised already and how the musical is relatable, has great moments of humor, historical importance, while also being songs that reflect real feelings in a fantastic way. I love SIX and now we have another album, and it is fantastic. But the only question is, do we need this album as well when we already have the cast recording?

The answer is a resounding of course we do! This album is incredible and it is awesome for people like me who do not get to see the show to get a peek into what it is like live. Hearing the audience reaction to the parts I laughed at, hearing moments that made me cheer as well made me feel connected to a show that I hope to see someday.  Live albums are not the most common but whenever we do get one it is a real treat, and this is no different. This album was a blast start to finish, making the listener feel as if they were in the theater hearing it themselves. 

This album also has a ton of things the first one didn't, jokes, spoken lines and transitions. This adds so much and does not take away from the other album but rather stands alongside it. I loved this and now having a complete version of SIX has me hoping other shows will follow suit. Such as the Les Miserables album mentioned earlier, that one is essentially the whole show from start to finish in album form. Some of the jokes, improvised bits and more are on here and it makes this experience very much worth going through these amazing songs again.

Hearing the transitions and character introductions are the icing on the cake, adding so much life to the album. This and the first SIX album are not comparable but rather stand side by side, they are both worth the listen for different reasons. This when you want something extra, and the first if you just want the songs without any jokes or audience reactions undisturbed. Both are great for their own reasons and worth at least one listen. But trust me, they each are filled to the brim with bops and are easily to listen to over and over again.

The songs have this great feeling of this historical figures singing about real emotions, heartbreak, betrayal, self-doubt, identity and more bring these queens out of the history books and into our lives today. These songs are easily relatable to anyone who has been hurt by someone they are dating and filled with comedy and empowerment on such an outstanding scale that shows why we love theater. 

Thank you so much for reading, take care and I hope your day is a showstopper!

The Tony Awards 2022 Nominees, And My Predictions

 As of this morning the Nominees for the Tony Awards have dropped, and I am excited, as we approach June 12th where I will be covering the Awards, I will be looking into the cast albums of some of the shows given. It brings me great joy and excitement to see my favorite award show return and in full form, being hosted by the one and only Arina Debose. Seeing her as a host will be nothing short of an amazing treat, and I am counting down the moments to hearing her opening song.

In terms of plays, I will not be able to see any of them, for new and for revivals. That being said I have not been looking into the stage play scene as much as the musical scene. Stage plays are fantastic and are a cornerstone of the world of theater, but I do not have ready access to New York staged productions, I will mostly be going off of the cast albums I have access to, the buzz around each show I have seen, and any reviews.

That being said from what I have been listening to I think "A Strange Loop" is going to sweep, most years one show sweeps the entire time, and this seems to be the one. In terms of best revival, I will be pooling for, and I am predicting that "Company" will be triumphant. I am hoping that "Six" earns at least one award as that show is fantastic and deserves due recognition. 

I am ready for Cast Album releases but until then I am using West End Production recordings or older Recordings for shows like "Mr. Saturday Night". This is a very stacked year in terms of nominees from historical pieces, jukebox musicals, and original shows, I will be looking into many of the shows I can before the awards, and after the night is done. 

I am beyond excited to see not only who wins but the performances, wondering what songs are going to be picked to showcase each show, and it seems unlike last year all the content will be from this current season. I am excited to see the performances as they are peeks into shows that some, including myself might not yet have access to until a proshot or a tour come our way. The Tony awards always brought me excitement, and this one is no different. This time of year is always one of my favorites, new shows to discover, new albums, the awards, and the beginning of Summer. 

Who do you think is going to win? Do you think it will be a sweep or the awards will be spread out? And are there any performances in particular you are looking forward too? Who knows what surprises, jokes, and more will be waiting for us all, but it won't be too long until we find out. Thank you so much for reading and I hope your day is a showstopper.