#35mm: a musical exhibition

[amaliatheartist]

Look closely

[hollow-prior]

3 Criminally Underrated Musicals (And why you should listen to them)

1) The Mad Ones

[Image Description: Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's The Mad Ones. It shows an empty road disappearing into the distance under a starry sky. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

You know that feeling of driving fast down an empty road with the windows down, the wind whipping through your hair? You know that feeling of being able to do anything you want, like the world is right at your fingertips, just waiting for you? You know that feeling of sitting in the middle of the woods with a good friend and thinking about how incredible it is that you live on the same planet at the same time?

Well, this is that feeling.

The Mad Ones is about Sam, who just graduated high school, and her friend Kelly, who died in a car accident before she could graduate. It's about Sam's journey in remembering Kelly and learning to live in the moment without her. It's also about freedom, and expectations, and living life to its fullest.

Also it has the phrase "kidnapped by aliens with enormous genitalia". What's not to love?

Seriously, this is one of my all time favourites and it has a very special place in my heart. I love to listen to it on those rare days when everything seems to be falling into place and it feels like life is actually going somewhere.

From a writing perspective, this is just an incredible masterpiece. The lyrics just stir something in my soul and the friendship between Kelly and Sam is just <33333 (Heart). It deserves so much more love than it gets.

2) The Lightning Thief

[Image Description: The cover of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. It shows a blue brick wall with a yellow glowing lightning bolt symbol against it. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

Okay, so the books are iconic and the movies sucked and the TV show is looking good but everyone's been sleeping on the musical for far too long. I had my doubts at the beginning too, I'll admit it, but honestly this slaps.

Although it isn't an exact one-to-one with the books, the vibes are spot on which is the most important thing anyways.

Percy is a sarcastic little shit, Annabeth is a total smartass, and Grover is... well, the impossible-to-explain awesomeness that is Grover Underwood. As funny as it is, though, there are some moments that just hit you right in the feels. The Tree on the Hill, anyone? My Grand Plan?

Also the Luke reveal gives me literal chills every time. It's so SO well done, much better than any other depiction in my humble opinion.

The whole thing is just an excellent balance of feels and humour and has some truly iconic lines. Case in point:

Percy: "Grover, you're a good friend." Grover: "Awwww. Dude, I'm your only friend."

Mr. D: "Oh, you're alive. I suppose that's good news for you but it means a lot more paperwork for me, so don't expect me to be happy to see you. Of course, being alive is temporary..."

Luke: "The Hermes cabin takes anyone who hasn't been claimed. You know what that means... we're literally the reject cabin. Welcome to the dysfunctional family!"

[Literally just the entirety of Luke's part in Their Sign]

Grover: "You hurt his feelings. Tell the squirrel you're sorry." Percy: "I am not saying sorry to a squirrel." Annabeth: "He's very sorry. Tell the squirrel you're sorry, Percy."

Alright, anyways! This is the Percy Jackson website, right? It's great, just listen to it.

Moving on!

3) 35MM: A Musical Exhibition

[Image Description: The cover of 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. It's a red background with a black, ink-like camera design from above. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

God, how do I even begin to explain 35MM?

There's so much going on here in the best way possible. It's not a traditional musical, at least not in the way people immediately think of musicals.

The idea behind 35MM is that there's multiple separate songs, each based on a photograph. That said, there are some theories about the level of connection between the songs and if they're even connected at all. Either way, it's absolutely incredible.

The songs all have different themes including babysitting a murder doll, a homicidal prom queen, a vampire love story, the young love car crash tragedy that lives in my heart forever, and many more! If you're a fan of the strange, unusual, and vaguely unsettling, this is the musical for you.

Although the fandom is small, it's incredibly dedicated and there are some truly wonderful animatics on YouTube to check out as well as some theory threads on Tumblr, Reddit, and basically anywhere else if you look hard enough.

I made the mistake of accidentally introducing my English professor to this musical so now you all can be introduced too!

And now some honourable mentions:

Islander

Islander is an acapella musical done entirely by two women. It tells the story of an island nation that was split in half long ago, with two girls (Each from one of the halves) meeting for the first time. It has a super cool Scottish folk song-style of music to it and just an incredible plot.

Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde is the musical adaptation of the famous gothic story. It's intense and dramatic in all the best ways and I Need to Know always sends shivers through me. The voices are incredible and it's just AHHH!! Wonderful! Also Confrontation is a work of art and nobody can tell me otherwise.

36 Questions

36 Questions is kind of unique in that it's a podcast musical, meaning that there's no stage performance. In the most basic terms, it's about two people trying to fix their marriage with the whole '36 questions to help strangers fall in love' type thing. Part of one of the songs, For the Record, was a popular song on TikTok a few years back so it may be somewhat familiar to folks. Either way, worth a listen!

[cactus-cactus-cactus]

35mm fanart in the year of our lord 2024?? Crazy stuff!!

Redraw of this piece from Nov 8 2021 the side by side is making me rabid btw. She’s purple now 🫶

[imcherie]

Condolences to the Alex Brightman lovers who don’t know about 35mm: a musical exhibition…. 🙏🙏

[mobylace]

God loves Luanne! / Praise be! / Amen!

[astarsghost]

A design of Luanne from the music Leave Luanne bc this musical has been on my mind lately

[thegeekcollective]

... random idea

ballad of sara berry with either linda monroe or zoey chambers in honey queen

[susiephone]

i will use every new fandom as an opportunity to talk about 35MM and get more people into it so.

slay the princess enjoyers. (do we have a fandom name yet?) "good lady" is 1000% the smitten's theme song

[yourfaveisafearavatar]

Luanne from Leave Luanne/35MM: A Musical Exhibition is an Avatar of the Desolation.

[pohutukosplay]

Pōhutukaryl Cosplay as Raquel Ongaku Cosplay as Sara Berry 35mm: A Musical Exhibition: "The Ballad of Sara Berry"

photoshoot with Eyes of Yevich Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā September 29 2024

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Leave Luanne (35MM: AA Musical Exhibition)

Leave, Luanne/Why don't you march out that door?/Southern woman, he ain't no good to you/Leave, Luanne/Louisiana wants war/But it's you dying on her ruby plains/And yet loyal Luanne remains

"It's such a messed up song, with such a satisfying ending. It tells the story of a woman named Luanne, who's stuck in a horrifically abusive marriage. One night she finally tries to run away, but her husband catches her, and instead of going back with him, she drowns herself. The song ends with her vengeful spirit coming back and trapping her former husband in never-ending torment and the song states that she does the same to any man caught abusing their wives. It's got such great vibes, absolutely amazing instrumentals, and I may or may not have named a character Luanne in reference to the song."

Letterbomb (Green Day)

Where have all the bastards gone/The underbelly stacks up ten high/The dummy failed the crash test/Collectin' unemployment checks/A flunky only along for the ride

"This song represents the ultimate resignation of a rebellion. The protagonist’s relationship has failed, with his girlfriend giving up on him. His revolution failed, and all the punks are too burnt out to care about the problems they once rioted about. All that’s left to do is accept his defeat, give up, and go home I tend to listen to this song when the world seems hopeless, which is not uncommon with the rise of global fascism. On one hand, it helps me wallow in my own misery, which is always nice. But it also brings me comfort to know that the political landscape has looked hopeless in the past, and authoritarianism has threatened us on multiple occasions, and yet the world didn’t end and enough of us survived to keep moving on."

[archive-of-fear]

Name: The Ballad of Sara Berry

Source: 35MM: A Musical Exhibition

Category: Song

Alignment: Slaughter

Lyrics:

Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen Sara Berry was a popular b*tch. (Mm-hmm.) Hot bod, hot boy, cheer captain, plus she was rich. (Oh, yeah.) That girl had everything till hiccup and hitch: Julie Jenkins lost a leg in a wreck. (Am—pu—ta—ted!) The nominations for Prom royalty came (Uh-huh.) Our Sara's senior year, and Queen was her claim— (Uh, duh.) Till gossip stirred the student body would name Julie Jenkins, Queen of the Prom. (Pi—ty—vote!) "Sara," her father said, "Life is a Prom I know you won't disappoint me and Mom…?" You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown You thirst for blood from the roses in hand Whoa, you spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance As they crown you Queen of High School Land (Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.) (Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.) So obsessed, our Sara near lost her mind To life un-Prom-related, Sara was blind; She shoved her squad, her clique, her boyfriend behind— Still Julie had a hold on the lead. (Poor, poor, Julie...) Soon Sara's sanity was hung by a thread Her B.F.F.'s proclaimed her socially dead 'Til then, at last, her boyfriend texted and said: "I'm taking Julie to the senior Prom." (Love, love, Julie...) "Sara," her father said, "Why be so calm? There's just no future for a Princess at Prom…" You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown You thirst for blood from the roses in hand Whoa, you spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance As they crown you Queen of High School Land Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen! Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen! Some girls are rational but Sara was not She stared in mirrors thinking one single thought: (Julie) There's seven reasons this crown's not good as got— (Anne, Eunice, Raquel, Marianna) And so the night of Prom, mercy! Thus went her plot: (Patricia, Quiara) (Thus went her plot!) "P" is for Patricia drinking poisoned punch "R" is for Raquel dashed on a rock-- crunch! "O" is what Anne said when Sara bludgeoned her brains And "M" is Marianna's marinated remains But! But! "Q" is for Quiara, quiet, drowned in the pool And "U" is for Eunice's pieces spread round the school But "E's" are for the easy way in five minutes tops A one-legg'd girl can bring an "N" for end by calling the cops. (What a b*tch.) You got your silver, Sara, you got your crown You got their blood on your roses in hand Whoa, you donned the sash and scepter, doing a dance As you crowned you Queen of High School Land! Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! (God save the Queen...) Down on your knees before the Queen (God save the Queen!) Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! (The Queen of High School Land...) Down on your knees before— (Oh! The Queen of High School Land!) They wrapped your wrists in silver, they took your crown As they washed your bloody fingers and hands Into a tight straitjacket, small padded cell Screaming, "I'm the Queen of High School Land!" Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! At least in your head, you're Queen of High School Land! (Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh!) Oh pity the dead, you're Queen of High School Land!(Down on your knees before the Queen) Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry. Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.

[imagonista]

Doodled this today. Based on the song "Leave Luanne" from the musical 35mm. I haven't listened to every song in the musical, just a couple, including this one. Definitely recommend (though many of the songs of dark themes)

(Trigger warnings for the song: r*pe, domestic abuse, su*cide, and revenge)

[cactus-cactus-cactus]

I am so eternally grateful that in this world of hazbin edits to deep cut Alex brightman songs I’ve not seen a SOUL do crazytown. The one song he ACTUALLY sings about being trapped in hell and we’re SAFE 🙏🙏🙏🙏 35MM NATION STAYS WINNING

[imcherie]

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!! MY LIFE IS WORTH LIVING!!!

[blinkycravesviolence]

this was a thumbnail but its awesome so im posting it here