#Jamie Burns

[hipsternumbertwo]

VHS Christmas Carols Opening Night

[wordsfail]

[zanephillips]

MATT BOMER as JAMIE BURNS The Sinner 3x06 'Part VI'

[ebadoodles]

It’s Time for VHSmas! 🎁🔥🎄

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

STARKID JUST UPLOADED THE FULL HOUR AND HALF CUT OF VHS CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE

Thats the interconnected trilogy of Gift Of The Magi, The Little Match Girl, and of course A Christmas Carol

and if you haven't seen it live or ever bought the digital ticket...ITS SO GOOD

This is a temporary upload, a gift from Starkid in these tough times. WATCH IT NOW WHILE YOU CAN

can not stress how good and fun and heartwarming this show is!

[the-spaced-out-ace]

Utterly obsessed with THIS casting confirmation specifically

[fictionalheroine]

VHS CHRISTMAS CAROL: LIVE!

[misagenda]

Listen Up Starkids

if you continue taking advantage of Team Starkid’s tireless generosity and loyalty

they will no longer work as hard to provide accessible theatre and FREE content to fans

but more importantly, it’s fucking disrespectful

just look at the many faces of disappointment ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

feel shame & do better

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

VHSCC OH MY GOD

(no spoilers)

Starkid nation, you aren't ready.

So let's start with the obvious. Look, I spent thirteen years growing up with Starkid. That initial Michigan gang are deeply special to me and I will always miss Dylan, Brian R., and Corey in any show they aren't in. And this one's no different. But just as Janaya came in and took over Belle from Britney so flawlessly, Curt, Brian, and AJ were all WONDERFUL in their new roles. The gentle-but-high-energy, truly decent, romantic himbo charm Curt brought to our Springsteen boy Jim (you all are going to LOVE Jim, I promise) perfectly offset the defiant, sneering anger of Young Scrooge in "That Scrooge." Brian's reactions (particularly to the "rather take my own life" line) were so funny and some of my favorite parts of the show. And AJ... this is now my favorite thing AJ has ever done. And that's saying something. The smaller casting shake-up moments (Joey as Fezziwig, other little line re-distributions) were so fun as well!

The new act 1 is PERFECTION. I was actually surprised by how absolutely hysterical it was? Like, I won't tell you what was up with that clip on Instagram of Brian, Lauren, and Joey doing a freak-out dance, but I can tell you that their whole Act 1 deal threatened to steal the show every. Single. Time. I already mentioned Curt as Jim, but you will also love Della, who is so funny and real and truly carries us through the start of the show (Janaya is a STAR and she Curt have brilliant chemistry). Ali did a terrific job of balancing the sadness and hope that are both at the center of the devastating little Match Girl. And Jamie's Grandma... well, honestly I have no idea how to talk about Jamie's song without giving stuff away.

But the real star of the show in Act 1, as he should be, was our man Clark. I can't emphasize enough how much he nailed the writing of this whole new act. I mentioned that the new stuff is hilarious, but it's also deeply heartfelt, and also sad exactly when it needs to be. Like, the transition after Jamie's song? I can't really talk about it yet, but what that moment does with emotion is unreal. And, as expected, every song is a banger! My one complaint about this show, and it IS a big one, is that there is no cast recording of the Act 1 songs. I want to listen to them all the time.

But the good news is, I CAN listen to Christmas Carol as much as I want! The classic that started it all is back, with so many people reprising the hell out of their truly iconic roles (God I love the VHS Cratchits), and better than ever. I traditionally hate change, and I love the version of VHSCC Live! we already have so much, but I think I somehow loved this version even more? The staging is alive and clever and there are some additions and changes, particularly in "Final Ghost"/"Christmas Day," that frankly blew my mind and somehow managed to elevate the material even further. I can't wait for the digital ticket to come out so that I can talk about them. To put it simply, James Tolbert mastered his Starkid directorial debut like you won't believe. I'm so proud of him and grateful for the larger role he's taken in Starkid since they moved base to LA.

Also, the Ghost of Christmas Past is extra unhinged this year? Jaime pulled out all of the impish stops and it was the BEST.

Basically, everyone more than delivered. I haven't talked about Meredith yet but she rocked it in the band and continued to validate the hell out of my opinion that "3 Spirits" is the dark horse best song in the show.

And a special shout-out to June Saito for continuing to be a costuming GENIUS. I always love her work and this production is no exception. I honestly wanted to give the return of the Bob Cratchit costume its own round of applause.

You know, the world is a mess and everything is pretty much terrible. It's been a hard year in an impossible decade. But every once in a while you come across some art that takes all of that, acknowledges the truth of it, and somehow pulls back the curtains to harness the joy and hope that's still there under the rubble. To me, Starkid in particular has always been about finding and holding onto the hope and the beauty and humanity that allows us to endure an existence that can so often feel bleak. And VHSCC is maybe the most perfect encapsulation of that idea.

So thank you Clark, James, Meredith, Brian, and everyone who worked so hard on this little bit of magic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Let's make a little light.

[mutt-the-miracle]

i dont wanna spread rumors but..i heard from a friend of my friend that youll be haunted by three spirits? christmas spirits on a mission, and they’re coming for you 😳

[hipsternumbertwo]

VHS Christmas Carols (Nov 21-24, 2024)

[honeyspawn]

I finally watched VHS Christmas Carol Live last night, and I loved it! I wanted to give some initial thoughts:

The music SLAPS! Like, so good! I'm not usually much of an 80's pop person, but honestly it was bop after bop the whole time. Bah Humbug, That Scrooge, Christmas Electricity, and Priceless were all highlights for me. I think what sold it for me was how lyrically tight it was, and how strong the emotions were. Telling a story entirely through song is no easy feat, but they absolutely nailed the structure and pacing.

Speaking of the emotions, Christmas Carol has been adapted so many times, that it's really important to hit all the emotional beats to sell the spirit of the story, and VHS delivers. I feel like many adaptations go all in on the misery, regret, and sorrow of the story, and only really bring the cheer and warmth in at the very end. VHS really embraces not only the somber parts of the tale, but the joyful parts too. Fezziwig's Chistmas party, Fred's party, and the Crachit's family dinner all really portray the joyfullness of the season and how that joyfullness can come from many places. It really strengthens the message of the story in a way that adaptations focused only on the bleak aspects miss.

In terms of actual story decisions, VHS really sticks to the classic story very closely and does it really well. Actual story changes are few and far between, but the ones they included I really liked. I loved the addition of the couple who are thankful that Scrooge died because it relieves their debt. It really highlights that Crachit and his family are not the only people affected by Scrooge's greed. Many adaptations either like to forget he's a landlord, or don't unpack the ethics of landlords, so it was nice to see some sort of acknowledgment of Scrooge's less direct and more systemic impact. I also really liked how Scrooge delivered the turkey to the Crachit's in secret, and didn't give Bob his raise until after Christmas instead of barging in unannounced. I had never really thought about it before, but in most versions he does just kind of barge in on their celebration and make a big production of giving Bob a raise. I like how he let them have their celebration in peace and spent more time with Fred.

The performances were all killer. I know it kinda goes without saying at this point, but everyone in the cast in Starkid shows are always so talented. Special mention to James Tolbert, because I feel like he doesn't get enough recognition for what a talented actor, dancer, and choreographer (and director) he is. This was also my first time seeing Janaya Mahealani Jones in anything, and her Belle really blew me away. Other stand-outs for me were Dylan Saunders' Scrooge, Lauren Lopez and Joey Ritcher's Crachits, and Jaime Lyn Beatty's Ghost of Christmas Past, but really everyone knocked it out of the park.

June Saito's costumes! The 80s themeing was outstandingly executed, and the quick changes were really impressive. I've gotten used to the more realistic and toned down costumes that fit the Hatchetfield shows' setting (which are also fantastic, not trying to minimize those), but between this and the LiB's in NPMD, it's wonderful to see June Saito get to really go over the top. Special mention to Marley's costume (silver chain pants? silver chain pants!), the 3 spirit's silver and blue color themeing, and that sequined suit jacket Scrooge wears at the end of the show.

Overall, really good. Might pay for the VHS Carols digital ticket later today and watch it.

[gone-to-oregone]

hello! need a little help with something. reblog this with your favorite starkid photos (bts and candid/not stage/show photos only please). group photos or individual, silly or headshot-worthy, whatever!

[kairithemang0]

we need to give Jamie Burns more love she’s so talented and underrated

[dailydoseofkimwhalen]

Daily dose of Kim Whalen #98 (Plus a bonus dose of Curt Mega, James Tolbert and Jamie Burns)