#Christine Sutton

[blackramhall]

bars by Akiyoshi Kitaoka from Christine Sutton

Blackram Hall: whodunit, noir, murder mystery, pulp, hardboiled, italian giallo, crime, spy stories, serial killers, vintage, manor houses, life and death.

[morbidloren]

Death's Garden contributor: Christine Sutton

Death's Garden contributor: Christine Sutton

Christine Sutton is one of the remarkable women I’ve met through the Ladies of Horror group on Facebook. For Death’s Garden Revisited, she wrote a wonderful essay about her visit to the St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery in New Orleans — and her interaction there with someone who might not have been of this world. Officially, Christine Sutton is the author of multiple novellas and short stories ranging…

[lowcountry-gothic]

Kacey Musgraves for The Bitter Southerner. Photo by Kelly Christine Sutton.

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July 15, 2023 (via Kacey’s Instagram Story)

[1day1coverart]

+ artist : Kacey Musgraves + title : Deeper Well (2024) + art direction : Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Christine Sutton, Mackenzie Moore, Ashley Kohorst + photography : Kelly Christine Sutton

[wiedzmacienia]

tag drop! connections p1

[radicellie]

this book is a great resource for historical feminist writings. i'll be finding their pdfs and posting every so often for anyone interested :)

The Book of the City of Ladies (1405), Christine De Pizan

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), Mary Wollstonecraft

Women and Economics (1900), Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Her Protection for Women (1589), Jane Anger

A Philosophical Satire (1691), Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz

Some Reflections Upon Marriage (1700), Mary Astell

The Petition of Belinda an African, to the Legislature of Massachusetts (1783), Belinda Sutton

On the Equality of the Sexes (1790), Judith Sargent Murray

Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen (1791), Olympe De Gouges

Appeal to the Men of Great Britain on Behalf of Women (1798), Mary Hays

[firstfallofsnow]

Kacey Musgraves by Kelly Christine Sutton for the Deeper Well album

[eyeballapproved]

Christine Sutton

[polkadotmotmot]

Christine McArthur - Sutton's Seeds: Herbs, undated - Embroidery on linen

[cometomecosette]

"Les Misérables" musical character interpretations: Éponine

Next in my series of characterization comparisons: every audience's darling, Éponine.

These five interpretations of the character are the main five I've seen in various performances. But they can also be combined with each other to create still other portrayals. For example, in the bootleg video of the US tour performance from 2000, Sutton Foster's Éponine is "the Wolf Child," but her natural charm and humor adds an underlying layer of "the Gamine Next Door." Whereas Joanna Ampil's Éponine in the same year's London video – from what I've seen of it – is also a "Wolf Child," but with the underlying fragility of "the Waif." And when I recently saw the current US tour, I thought Christine Heessun Hwang's Éponine was a cross between "the Gamine Next Door" and "the No-Nonsense Street Kid."

The Gamine Next Door

            This is a simple, straightforward portrayal of the musical’s Éponine, who projects an air of easy likability. First and foremost, she’s a spunky, sassy, cheerful street urchin, much like an older female Gavroche. She might occasionally hint at the true sadness of her life (i.e. “Look what’s become of me”), but she always quickly hides it behind a bright, cheeky smile. And as her name implies, her interactions with Marius have an air of a tomboyish “girl next door,” with free and easy playfulness and warmth. She might sometimes add a hint of flirting, but she never crosses the line into bad manners. This isn’t to say that she can’t be gritty when necessary: her “Attack on Rue Plumet” can be very fierce and angry, although she’s more likely than some Éponines to mix relatable fear with her defiance. Nor does her lighthearted veneer mean she’s immune to suffering. When she’s alone, she gives heartbreaking voice to her starry-eyed yearning for Marius and her abject anguish that he doesn’t return her love. Of all possible Éponines, this one is the most idealized compared to the novel’s Éponine, which obviously won’t suit everyone’s taste. But in general, audiences are guaranteed to like her, pity her, and relate to her. Teenage girls, in particular, who are in the throes of their own first unrequited loves, will embrace her as one of their own. 

The Waif

            This Éponine is the most vulnerable of them all. She’s likely to be small, delicate, and “kittenish” in appearance. She’s more soft-spoken than other Éponines too, although still with a powerful singing voice for “On My Own,” and with a gentler, more girlish demeanor. Of course, she does affect a tough, sassy veneer, boasts about her street smarts, and stands up to her father and Patron-Minette with all the necessary fierceness. But that veneer is more fragile than glass. She constantly seeks Marius’s attention with a look of wistful yearning – even if he fails to see it, we can – and when they interact, her teasing is obviously a cover for the shyness and awkwardness she feels, knowing how out of her league he is. Nor is anger and aggression her first response to danger. In “Attack on Rue Plumet,” expect her to try to reason with the men at first, and to only turn defiant when they won’t listen. Above all else, the audience will remember the tenderness of her longing for Marius and her raw anguish that he’ll never be hers. Where other ‘Ponines express their pain without crying, this one’s rendition of  “On My Own” will more likely be drenched in tears. Throughout the show, the audience will want to hold her. shelter her, and comfort her, so in “A Little Fall of Rain,” however sad the circumstances, they’ll be glad that Marius finally does.

The Wolf Child

            This feisty tomboy is very much a street urchin, not a street waif, and very much the Thénardiers’ daughter. She’s a grubby yet self-assured, iron-willed survivor, just like her father, and she has more than a little of her mother’s brashness and temper. Among Patron-Minette or with Gavroche, she’s clearly “one of the guys,” and when the time comes to fight off her father and the gang at Rue Plumet, her anger and ferocity are positively feral. Expect Montparnasse to get a good kick or punch if he dares to bring his knife near her throat. Her teasing of Marius is bold, boisterous, and physical: expect to see her pushing and pulling him around in a very unladylike manner. This girl is determined to gain his attention, and apart from brief moments of despair, she clings stubbornly to the hope that he’ll fall in love with her someday. But in “On My Own,” she’s forced to admit that she’s been fooling herself. She faces this sad truth with heartache, as all Éponines do, but with anger too. Anger at Marius for his blindness and failure to appreciate her, at the world for being empty when he’s not with her, and at herself for being vulnerable in this way, when she’s usually strong enough for anything. Of course, her story ends in tenderness, with her final moments of bliss in Marius’s arms. But what the audience will remember most are her toughness and her fiery passion.

The Wild Urchin

            This girl comes as close to the novel’s Éponine as the musical allows. Physically she’ll probably be dirtier than other ‘Ponines, with bad posture and skittish movements that recall an abused dog or a stray cat. And more than any other musical ‘Ponine, she gives off an air of mental instability. Yet she combines it with a lively, free-spirited nature, and the result is a wild, whimsical, childlike quality that’s strangely endearing, even as it earns pity. She “frolics about,” swinging her legs as she sits, playing with her skirt, kicking stones in the road, or casually lying down and stretching out on the pavement. With Marius she’s even more forward and unladylike than the Wolf Child, freely invading his personal space, and sometimes trying to flirt in a way that recalls her father with the girls at his inn. This might make even Hugo’s Éponine blush, but it drives home the point that her social skills are lacking. She strives hungrily for Marius’s attention, but between her upbringing and her mental state, she doesn’t know how to begin to win his heart. She’s also more ashamed of how awkward and “odd” she is than she pretends to be, which we see when she’s alone, along with her wistful dreams and the pain of her hopeless love. She’s a “crazy homeless girl” whom in real life, we might try to avoid on the street, but we’re forced to understand her, empathize, and care for her anyway.

The No-Nonsense Street Kid

            This ‘Ponine is less fierce than the Wolf Child, but she has a similar toughness, and though she’s quieter than other ‘Ponines, it’s not a gentle quietness like the Waif’s, but a hard quietness. Her usual demeanor is sullen yet stolid, unhappy yet resigned to her lot and ready to “tough out” anything. She stands up to her father and the gang with hard, calm defiance and mocking disdain, and though she can be sassy and playful like all Éponines, her humor is drier and more subdued than most. Her only genuine smiles are reserved for Marius. Yet she might be a mild tsundere toward him, as they say, teasing him in an “annoying little sister” style, but closing herself up and pulling away if he offers her too much friendship. She doesn’t expect him to fall in love with her; she knows it’s foolish to hope. But she can’t help but hope anyway. She wants to be resigned to living without him, but though she tries, she can’t conquer her anguish, yearning, and secret fragility. Even when dying, she’ll still be tough, walking away from Marius to try to take care of herself, only to collapse; only when Marius takes the initiative and holds her will she finally show him her inner tenderness. This is different from Hugo’s Éponine, as is her grounded personality compared to the free-spirited Wild Urchin that Hugo wrote. But this portrait of a “hard nut” slowly cracking is moving in a different way.

More comparisons to come!

[jgroffdaily]

https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/30289948.html?

A Playbill interview with Jonathan from 2008 - excerpts:

Audition song: It truly depends on the show. My favorite was singing the "Saved By the Bell" theme song at a Mamma Mia! EPA a few years ago. They didn't find it amusing.

Special skills: Belly dancing and popping my back out

Current show you have been recommending to friends: The last one I saw was 50 Words at the Lortel. It was great. Norbert Leo Butz and Elizabeth Marvel were incredible.

Favorite show tune: The one that's been in my head most recently is "Dividing Day" from Piazza

Most played song on your iPod: I don't have an iPod… don't be mad.

One CD you couldn't live without: Ray LaMontagne's "Till The Sun Turns Black"

Last book you read: "On the Road" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"

Must-see TV show: "Alias"

Last good movie you saw: "Rachel Getting Married"

Favorite board game: Clue

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Sutton Foster

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Youtube. And Beyonce. And both at the same time.

First stage kiss: Emily Fritz in our 8th grade play called Best in the West

Favorite pre-/post-show meal: I enjoy sushi before a show, and pretzels with cheese and Diet Coke after a show.

How you got your Equity card: Playing Nick Piazza in Fame at The North Shore Music Theater. I waited in line for 2 days to get seen for that show… I was so excited!

Worst flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap: Completely forgetting the lyrics in "Left Behind" in Spring Awakening. I just kept singing "All things… All things… All things…" over and over again. The worst was seeing the whole cast sitting on the lip of the stage, their shoulders shaking with laughter. "Totally Fucked" never rang so true…

Worst costume ever: My lederhosen that I wore as Rolf on The Sound of Music tour. They were great at first, but were never washed. By the end of the tour, I had stretched them out so much it looked like I pooped my pants.

Cats or dogs? Cats. I grew up with a lot of farm cats. As a matter of fact, I brought two Amish cats to the Chelsea Grill when I waited tables there, to prevent any rodents from coming into the basement. The cats are still happily living there.

Favorite cereal: Golden Grahams.

Who would play you in the movie? I'd love to see Christine Estabrook do it.

[3y3]

Christine Sutton

[lowcountry-gothic]

Photos of Kacey Musgraves by Kelly Christine Sutton, for The Bitter Southerner.

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July 16, 2023 (via Kacey's Instagram Story)

[sporadiceagleheart]

Emeline Grier Miller, Kimber Hibbs, Adrianna Hutto, Jayden-Jay Silvester, Emily Vitoria Tavares DaSilva, Mystique Genuine Pairama, Josie Burleson, Faithlynn Blankenship, Leena Arredondo, Sally Ann Chesebro, Paige Marie Nilson, Christine L.Ketchum, Andrea Lee Anna Castilla, Shirley Temple and baby Leroy, Ava Jordan Wood, Samantha and Tessara Crespi, Gabby Petito, Mei Leung, Dayle Okazaki, Joan of Arc, Mary Katherine Moore, Arthur Boyd Moore, Brianna Mariah Lopez, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Lily Peters, Olivia Pratt Korbel, Elizabeth Shelley, Sara Sharif, Charlotte Figi, Lucy Morgan, Star Hobson, Emilie Alice Parker, Catherine Violet Hubbard, Princess Sophie Hélène Béatrice, Louis XVII, Lois Janes, Sharon Lee Gallegos, Maite Rodriguez, Eliahna Torres, Jackie Cazares, Makenna Lee Elrod, Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Maranda Gail Mathis, Caroline Previdi, Charlotte Bacon, Olivia Engel, Olivia Dahl, Laila Marie Daniel, Paulette Gebara Farah, Barbara Tinning, Baby Abby Jennings, Olivia-Leigh Picton, Aisha and Lailani Ford, Caroline and Madison Rae king, Gillian and Jennifer Pollock, Madison Weeks, Violet Beckett, Kasi Sanders, Heather O'Rourke and Judith Barsi, Heather White, Jaclyn Dowaliby, Betty Jean Bartlett, Brianna Lynn Walker, Judy Garland, Darla Jean Hood, Frank Sutton, Jim Nabors, Eva Heyman, Lily Elsie, Nannie Tyler, Dicy Loud Ream, Emma Ochsner, Emma Ochsner Mundhenke, Little Darcy-May Elm, Mia Julianne Nicole Serrato, Sarah Shulze, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, Moa Leontine Björk, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, Rika Oudgenoeg, Makenna Grace Adcock, MaKenna Rae Fraaza, Mariah Lynn Sisco, Lesley Ann Downey, Sienna Maloney, Avery Nicole King, Angel Hope Herrera, Gerb Johansson, Th Princess Louise and Queen Victoria, Megan Rochelle Jenkins, Jennifer Sue Delgado, Soren Chilson, Joanna Pollock, Jacqueline Theresa Pollock, Robert Towne, Leona Gertrude Loud, Sirita Jimmina “BooBoo” Sotelo, Lee Williams rest in peace