#Michael Jackson musical coming to Broadway

[smthabsolutelyunhinged]

~ INTRODUCTION ~

HI MY LOVES, IM EMI <3

she/her. pansexual. cisfem. pisces sun. cancer moon. white. american. INFP. 4w5. hufflepuff. marauders stan. james potter + remus lupin + pandora rosier kinnie. aspiring writer/author. artist. bookworm. music lover. halloween enthusiast. broadway lover. massive fan of anything whimsy/gothic/romantic/etc. at some point i might link my spotify/pintrest, but idk yet.

IMPORTANT INFO UNDER THE CUT <3

*i am a minor (17), but i do interact with nsfw content at my own discretion. i am perfectly ok with asks/requests for nsfw headcanons—or thoughts about existing nsfw headcanons—for characters from my fandoms (please understand that while i allow them, i might choose not to answer them based on my own comfort levels at the time of receiving them). HOWEVER as of this moment, i do not actively write smut/nsfw one shots, fan fics, drabbles, etc.*

[any of this can change at any point and i will make it known if it does, but for the time being i do ask that any nsfw requests be for headcanons/thoughts about hcs only].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

please do ~ dm me (please i’ll literally marry you idc, also talk to me i’m cool), asks, anonymous asks, reblog (obviously), comment, like, send me random thoughts/ideas/headcanons/music recs, interact with me in any way that isn’t like hateful/gross/weird (i’ll cry. dont do it. i’ll cry and it’ll be your fault.) {flirting is allowed tho - i’ll flirt back and then marry you, again idc‼️} also moots and anons are allowed (please do) to come up with other nicknames/use petnames/etc {i like them, i’m a chronically depressed, anxious, words of affirmation girlie with family issues, and i like the validation :)}.

please don’t ~ be weird, hateful, creepy, or gross in any way because i will block you immediately, (and release my scary, aggressive, friend *cough cough ace cough cough* on you, and they will bite you (not in a hot and sexy way either)).

<3 shows ~

the vampire diaries. criminal minds. one tree hill. the originals. outer banks. the 100. gilmore girls. supernatural. heartstopper. boy meets world. downton abbey. chesapeake shores. daisy jones and the six.

<3 movies ~

twister (1996). little women (1994/2019). hocus pocus. princess and the frog. the harry potter movies. the hunger games. divergent. twilight. coraline. the nightmare before christmas. notting hill. two weeks notice. a cinderella story (2001). the princess diaries. scream (the og trilogy). st elmos fire. the dark knight. pride and predjudice (2005). the many adventures of winnie the pooh. titanic. five feet apart. pirates of the carribean. captain america: civil war. avengers: infinity war. sense and sensibility. the addams family. the family man.

<3 books ~

daisy jones and the six. the harry potter series. the inheritance games trilogy. shatter me. frankenstein. the picture of dorian grey. warrior cats. tales from redwall series. the hunger games trilogy. divergent trilogy. the twilight saga. the chronicles of narnia. the land of stories. the cheerleaders.

<3 other fandoms & music ~

marauders, one direction, harry styles, taylor swift, sabrina carpenter, lana del rey, michael jackson, hozier, noah kahan, abba, fleetwood mac, chappel roan, olivia rodrigo, daisy jones and the six, the weeknd, childish gambino, shawn mendes, jonas brothers, guns and roses, birdy, etc.. (i can almost always find something to like about music- so i listen to a lot of it aside from whats listed)…

<3 tags ~ i might not have actually added these yet :)

#emi thinks - headcanons, fandom thoughts, and fandom ideas

#emi rants - rants and rambles about any and everything

#emi writes - anything i write even tho i havent posted any yet

#emiasks - questions for you guys, questions to the void, anything of that vibe

#emithirsts - me simping over people that don’t exist, being thirsty on the main, that’s it-

#my loves - asks, anons, etc

#gayfroggie<3 - noni’s tag

*there will be individual tags for moots if you want them, so just pick/ask for one, and i’ll assign them <333*

*i currently don’t have any specified anons ~ all emojis are available so if you want to be one just ask :)*

<3 moots ~ i’ll add more as i get them >:)

@xaviisconfused @dilutedmayowater @therewasnofloorbtw @aesthetic-writer18 @crybabygh0sty @noh07

[have-a-hiddles]

Papas' Favorite Music

I was trying to think of what the various Papas all like to listen to (besides their own music, of course). I'm taking into account what we know of their personalities, their ages, overall vibe, etc. Granted, Copia will probably be the most detailed since he is the one we know the most about thanks to the Chapters.

Primo: Dude is nearly a generation removed from his brothers. He was already a teenager in the sixties, so his taste skews towards the hippie movement. Although I doubt he was active in anti-war protests, I think he likely enjoyed the resulting music. Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones. Was dude at Woodstock? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe... Strangely, he is NOT into Elvis at all. Not that he hates him or anything, but he will change the station if Elvis comes on the radio. Jailhouse Rock is the exception to this rule. Also really likes Johnny Cash and wishes to Satan and all of the Kings of Hell that his range was as deep as Johnny's. Modern music? Today's music often leaves him a bit empty since it's so mass-produced and lacks much complexity. There are some exceptions. Adele, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, even some Taylor Swift.

Secondo: Mister I Must Be Edgy himself, Secondo is one of those people who detests anything deemed "popular" by the masses. As such, he actively dislikes The Beatles, The BeeGees, the Monkees, etc. Any artist/band that had screaming teenagers after them, really. That being said, he did latch on to the burgeoning hard rock/metal genre. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath. There were two main exceptions to his hatred of popular music: Queen and David Bowie. He's not entirely sure if it's because the music is actually that good, or if he just really wants to fuck David Bowie and/or Freddie Mercury. (He did both, by the way, although not at the same time, much to his regret.) Want to see him singing into a hairbrush like a teen girl? Play Under Pressure.

Terzo: He likes EVERYTHING. He doesn't give a shit what genre a song is from; if he likes it then he fucking likes it! Shakira? Yeah, his hips don't lie either, gorgeous. Backstreet Boys? Yes, please! Britney Spears? Hit HIM baby one more time! Taylor Swift? Well he was definitely trouble when he walked in. Dolly Parton? Jolene, Jolene, JOLENE, JO-LEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEE-EEEEEEEN! Opera? You can try to tear Marriage of Figaro from his white-gloved hands. Broadway? Homeboy will belt out Defying Gravity with the best of them. Disney? He will make you WEEP with his rendition of When You Wish Upon A Star. He even likes bands that constitute his "competition". Rammstein? JAWOHL. Nightwish? He will happily walk the Elvenpath. Random internet hits? He literally harassed Secondo with What Does the Fox Say? for three weeks when the song first came out. And Baby Shark. If a song spawns a meme, Terzo is all over that shit. And, yes, he has Rick-Rolled pretty much everyone at one point or another. Copia continues to fall for it. However, he LIKES that song, so the joke's on Terzo.

Copia: Speaking of Copia; much like Terzo, his tastes defy genres. He is very much into anything with a theatrical bend. Broadway and movie musicals are his bread and butter, including Disney/Dreamworks/etc soundtracks. He will put on entire one-man versions of shows to an audience consisting entirely of his pet rats. He ALMOST has that rap in Hamilton down. You know the one. There is a debate on whether taking Copia to Walt Disney World at any point would be a fantastic idea or a terrible one. Because he absolutely will sing at the top of his lungs the entire time and may frighten some small children. And yes, he absolutely has cried listening to Terzo sing When You Wish. With that as the foundation for his music tastes, he mostly likes music that tells a story or that has an accompanying music video that plays out a story of some kind. Think Meatloaf, Michael Jackson, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds To Mars, etc. That need for a story does spill over into his own music videos; Rats, Danse Macabre, Hunter's Moon, and Jesus He Knows Me. (I consider anything released after 2018 to be Copia's writing, with the exception of Mary On A Cross and Kiss the Go-Goat since they are Nihil's songs in-universe).

Fun Unrelated Fact: If my math is right, Primo is a baby boomer, albeit a young one. Meanwhile, the other three are thick into Gen X territory. Splains a lot, eh?

[tiredboi51]

Yes I had a Be More Chill fixation about 5 years ago, yes it's come back because I rediscovered George Salazar through the Percy Jackson Musical

Yes I'm rewatching videos I watched to much during my fixation, there's context to why I'm saying all this

Baby girl-ified michael, using a screenshot of a scene from the official Broadway performance on closing night of BMC

The references

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Sunset Boulevard

September 30, 2024 | Broadway | St. James Theatre | Evening | Musical | Revival | 2H 30M

For eight minutes, the show opens up to a single actor shrouded in gold streamers and blinding spotlight. Nothing is said. No one moves. Eight minutes. Nothing. We sit there in uncertain silence. It just keeps going. And that genuinely might have been the best eight minutes of the whole damn show.

In stripping this lavish and opulent musical down to its bare essentials, it does nothing but reveal just how brittle and unremarkable its bones truly are. Known for his minimalist direction style, Jamie Lloyd has plucked this well-known tale out of time, space, and context until just a hollow shell of anachronisms remain. The stage has no set pieces save for a massive projection screen that rises and falls. Costumes are reduced to basic black outfits one might expect in a dance call for Chicago, and principal characters nearly indistinguishable from the plentiful ensemble. Much like the direction of A Doll's House in 2023, actors are instructed to deliver the majority of their lines and lyrics downstage center, facing the audience rather than one another. Anything not delivered in this manner is spoken facing upstage to a roving camera that projects cropped close-ups onto the massive screen in incredible high definition. With jerky choreography and dead-eyed stares, often shrouded in fog, the company resembles a community dance hall presentation of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with none of the enthusiasm or creativity.

Read more below the cut

Verdict: ALW Memorial Landfill

A Note on Ratings

Company numbers are presented in either horizontal (a la A Chorus Line) or vertical (think Corny Collins intro without the fun) lineups. The decision to have actors almost exclusively avoid speaking or looking at one another robs the story of, well, most of its story and nearly all interpersonal relationships. This may come as a shock to Jamie Lloyd, but sometimes shows include props and sets and stage business to tell the story in addition to the written script. Without this, Betty and Joe share no chemistry, and their relationship is neither interesting nor developed. With nothing to look at, the show has only a tepid book, unimpressive lyrics, and a plodding score to show. And when the only two (maybe three) halfway tolerable songs are so overbaked, yet underwhelming, what's the point? (And I hadn't realized just how oddly placed and seemingly unearned these Norma solos actually were, but that's a separate story.)

As Norma, Nicole Scherzinger is objectively a gorgeous woman and talented singer. At 46, she looks as if she has just stepped off the cover of Vogue with nary a line, wrinkle, or eye bag in sight. And as a certified old woman lover, I am devasted. Her voice is undeniably strong, but her uneven and untrained acting ability significantly weakens the plot. She crafts a Norma plucked from the Real Housewives ranks with club gyrations, twerking while on all fours, and occasional valley girl-occasional Disney theme park melodrama cadence. And maybe that appeals to the younger generation and to the gay man who shrieked "yes queen" at the top of his lungs two rows behind me in the middle of her solo. Who am I to say? She got two standing ovations. But in what should be her tour-de-force song, the six minutes of "As if We Never Said Goodbye" seems to almost drag. Even I'll admit that it's a stirring number, but Betty Buckley Nicole is not.

The young British actor, Tom Francis, is fighting for his life on that accent work, and his performance was generally forgetable for me. It was a particular shock though that he's younger than I am, because you could have told me that both he and Nicole were in their late thirties and I'd have believed it. The issue with a younger man that looks older, and an older woman who looks young is that all of those age gap dynamics integral to the story are non-existent. Even the actor playing Max is four years younger than Norma and doesn't look like he can play older than mid-forties anyway. Which begs the question as to how he could have possibly made (and groomed) her when she was a seventeen-year-old rising star? Betty is a thankless role, and the young actress making her debut struggles to hit pleasing notes in most of her numbers. Her final love song with Joe is far more comfortable for her vocal range, but by then I'd already written her off.

The show begins with opening credits that announce "The Jamie Lloyd Company presents... Sunset Boulevard" in stylized font and the cast credits roll. Most of the projections look like enhanced close-ups out of the "Bohemian Rapsody" music video. And it seems like Lloyd took Sondheim's advice on "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" too close to heart. The act two projected opening has Joe leading the camera throughout the entire backstage area and out onto the streets of Manhattan. On one hand, after over an hour of staring at nothing, the sudden sights of the city is a delight. On the other, it serves no narrative purpose and seems like a lawsuit and OSHA violation waiting to happen. The actor goes across 44th street and into Shubert Alley and I, for one, cannot wait to see the disasters that happen. At least four other theatres are in the immediate path. You can already see several videos of crewmembers shoving and blocking pedestrians, nearly knocking an older woman with a cane to the ground in one. And oh yeah, in the backstage bit, an actor is holding a chicken. Because...? Sure, why not? Fuck it.

You may have all seen the curtain call where the leads are absolutely drenched in blood. Is the murder satisfying? Well. I had been looking forward to the final killing blows all show as some kind of cathartic release. But it is deeply underwhelming. It happens almost entirely in blackout with exactly two instances of flash bangs where Nicole is visible for a split second with her arms raised and bloodied. That's it. No feral and unhinged fight choreography. No stabbing. No fun. Now, I've seen a lot of bloody curtain calls. An off-Broadway show just this past spring showcased an incredible office rampage scene where it was brutal and bloody and looked so real even sitting in the front row. So, this was a deep disappointment. All I wanted to see was a hot older woman murder a man and they barely even delivered on that.

As I excited the theatre after what felt like the longest two-and-a-half-hours of my life, I trailed behind an older gay couple on the way back to the subway. One remarked to the other that it felt eerily reminiscent of an NYU midterm presentation directed by an undergraduate who would drop out of the program by spring term. I do not disagree. In 228 Broadway shows, I just might put this as the worst thing I have ever seen.

But hey, different strokes. There are lots of rave reviews coming in from audience members who have the stomach for this sort of thing. It's a divisive piece. And I would rather chew glass than watch another minute of this show ever again.

[d-criss-news]

‘Hazbin Hotel’: Darren Criss and Co. on Their Heavenly Musical Number

--------

And speaking of Broadway talent, Hazbin Hotel enlisted the services of Darren Criss, star of Glee and the Broadway musicals How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, to play Saint Peter, a salty angel with a soaring voice. His jubilant musical number “Welcome to Heaven” is an early standout on the show, and you can get a first look of it here:

Welcome to Heaven Full Song | Hazbin Hotel | Prime Video

“By the time this gig came around, recording studios, particularly ones that catered to voiceover, had already been used to implementing pretty thorough Covid protocols. So, both I as a performer, and the ones in charge on the other side of the proverbial booth (even though they were from a remote location via Zoom), already had it down to a science,” explains Criss.

He adds, “I will say, as a sidenote: it was a pretty cool surprise for me to be voice directed by Richard Horvitz, who is something of an animation and voiceover-world cult favorite, and whose work I’ve loved for years. I had no idea he was the voice director on my episode, but as soon as he started talking, I recognized the voice immediately and had myself a little fan moment… That was nuts.”

“Welcome to Heaven” was also composed by Sam Haft, lead singer of The Living Tombstone, and Emmy nominee Andrew Underberg (Hailey’s on It!), who tailored the song to Criss.

By the time we were into this episode, we needed to deliver demos for two songs a week, so we said to ourselves, ‘If you’re being welcomed to Heaven, it’s a celebration. What’s more celebratory than Saint Peter singing like Michael Jackson over a jubilant Nineties-style house track?’” Haft and Underberg explain. “At that stage, we had learned that Saint Peter would be voiced by the absolutely incredible Darren Criss, who has a much younger, sexier voice than you’d expect to come out of a biblical character from the first century, so we wanted to make the most of that juxtaposition.”

[shelfthe-reader]

alright cabinet, if the only musicals i've watched are spring awakening, dear evan hansen, hamilton, and the percy jackson musical, where should I start?

So I’m not the BIGGEST slime tutorial (iykyk) person so I have NO CLUE the best links for those but here are my favorite movie-musicals you can find on Streaming

Disney+

Newsies (1992)

Newsies (2017) These two would help you understand some of my reblogs lmao

Hamilton

Into the Woods (contrary to popular belief, it’s not as bad as it could have been, and this is the only role James Corden has EVER been decent in)

West Side Story (one of my all-time favorites; I love this version more than the OG)

MAX

In The Heights

Singin In The Rain

Mamma Mia

The Color Purple (2023)

Hulu

Mamma Mia/Here We Go Again

The Color Purple (2023)

As for cast albums, here’s a playlist of the “official” opening songs to all of MY favorites (this IS NOT a finished playlist, especially since people keep dropping cast albums) (you will NEVER see Phantom or Les Mis or Chicago etc etc on here) (But again, this is an ever-evolving playlist on opening numbers so who knows)

Right now, the albums I have on repeat (Note: NOT the same as favorites) are Hell’s Kitchen, The Outsiders, Suffs, 35MM, Bonnie & Clyde, Water for Elephants, and Almost Famous

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITES are Come From Away, Newsies, The Outsiders, West Side Story, RENT, Parade, and & Juliet (as of Monday July 1st)

The Shows I’ve Seen on Broadway (in order)

School of Rock

Come From Away

Hadestown

Six

Paradise Square

& Juliet

Aladdin (music is Menken so thats all it had going for it lmao) (Michael you were great tho)

Parade

The Outsiders

The Heart of Rock and Roll (music was good, plot was out of pocket)

National Tours

Six

Anastasia

College Theter

Newsies

Rent

Into the Woods

Community Theater

Anastasia

Newsies

Beauty and the Beast

Bye Bye Birdie

Aladdin Jr.

School Musicals

Godspell

The Sound of Music

Newsies

Frozen Jr

Shrek Jr

And I was in Tuck Everlasting (Youth Edition) so that’s fun too

I think I’ve covered all my bases so if you have ANY QUESTIONS please ask me also if you want to do like a listening party for any of these I wouldn’t say no lmao

[justforbooks]

Cissy Houston

American gospel, pop and soul singer who co-founded the Sweet Inspirations

The career of the American singer Cissy Houston, who has died aged 91, exemplified the vital force underlying so much modern popular music: the close relationship between African-American sacred and secular idioms, specifically the influence seeping from Black gospel music, with its deep emotional roots and eruptions of ecstatic fervour, into the fabric of R&B, soul and pop.

Houston spent 30 years as the “minister of music” at the New Hope Baptist Church in her native Newark, New Jersey. But she also sang, often with her nieces Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, on many of the great pop hits of the 1960s and 70s, from the Drifters’ On Broadway through Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman, Dusty Springfield’s Son of a Preacher Man and Paul Simon’s Mother and Child Reunion to David Bowie’s Young Americans.

As a founder member of a vocal group known as the Sweet Inspirations, she toured and recorded with Elvis Presley. After leaving the group in 1970 to raise her family, she pursued a solo career, recording albums and appearing in New York night clubs, which reached its peak with two Grammy awards for her traditional gospel albums Face to Face in 1997 and He Leadeth Me the following year.

She also became known as the mother of the singer Whitney Houston, whose enormous worldwide success, following her appearance in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, attracted attention to a private life that included a turbulent marriage to the singer Bobby Brown and problems with drug addiction.

Whitney, who had begun her singing career under her mother’s tutelage in the New Hope choir, was found dead in the bath of a Beverly Hills hotel in 2012, aged 48. Three years later Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, a singer and reality TV personality, died after being discovered in similar circumstances, aged 22.

Cissy Houston was born Emily Drinkard, the eighth and last child of Delia Mae (nee McCaskill) and Nitcholas “Nitch” Drinkard, natives of Georgia who moved to New Jersey in the 1920s. Delia died when Cissy – a childhood nickname that stuck – was eight, followed 10 years later by her husband. Cissy went to live with her married older sister, Lee Warrick, whose children included Dionne and Dee Dee, both only a handful of years younger than their aunt.

Virtually from infancy Cissy and her brothers and sisters had been encouraged by their parents to sing in church. They formed a vocal group, into which Cissy was enrolled when she was five. “I used to get so mad,” she told Rolling Stone magazine in 1978. “We’d be out playing in the sun with the other kids and my older sister, Marie, would make us come in for rehearsal.”

The Drinkard Singers achieved national renown, eventually appearing at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Folk festival. In 1954 Cissy took charge of the New Hope choir, which increased from 15 to 60 voices during her years in charge.

A first marriage in 1955 to Freddie Garland brought her a son, Gary, but ended in divorce. In 1964 she married John Houston, an army veteran who became her manager and with whom she had two children, Michael and Whitney.

By the time the second marriage brought her a change of surname, she was working regularly as a backing singer on pop recording sessions, in demand for her three-octave range. With the two Warrick sisters (who would alter their spelling to Warwick) and a friend, Doris Troy, she formed a unit that was soon busy in New York studios providing backing vocals on hits by Solomon Burke, Chuck Jackson and many others.

When all three of her colleagues left to pursue solo careers, she replaced them with Estelle Brown, Sylvia Shemwell and Myrna Smith. Among their regular employers was the Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, who recruited them for sessions with Franklin, with Cissy providing the coloratura soprano flourishes featured on Franklin’s Ain’t No Way in 1968. Wexler also gave them their name, which formed the title of their most successful single, Sweet Inspiration, a top 20 hit when released on Atlantic in 1967.

While bringing up her children, Cissy continued to record and make occasional appearances. Although she made several solo albums for a variety of labels and producers, she was never able to match the solo successes in the pop charts of the Warwick sisters or Troy. But when Burt Bacharach recorded his own versions of some of his greatest hits in 1971, he chose her to sing One Less Bell to Answer, Mexican Divorce and All Kinds of People. In 1976 she was featured in Gospel Fuse, a gospel opera composed by Carman Moore and performed with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

On the 1989 album Whitney, which would sell more than 20m copies around the world, she joined her daughter for a duet on I Know Him So Well, from the musical Chess. In 1992 she and Jackson were reunited for a fine R&B album titled I’ll Take Care of You. By the time she achieved her Grammy gospel successes, secular music was occupying less of her time, although in 2006 she, Whitney and Dionne Warwick recorded a song called Family First for the Hollywood rom-com Daddy’s Little Girls.

In 1998 she published her autobiography, How Sweet the Sound. Fifteen years later, in Remembering Whitney, she told the harrowing story of her long but unavailing struggle to help her daughter overcome her various problems.

Both her marriages ended in divorce. She is survived by her two sons, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

🔔 Cissy Houston (Emily Drinkard), singer, born 30 September 1933; died 7 October 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[foster-the-world]

A good thing

A good thing about my husband is he prefers the chocolate side of the black & white cookies. I eat the white side and leave the chocolate side for him.

Feeling extra tired tonight. Today I talked to the nurse in my office who started Nov 6th. She said she's still not up and running, yet. She has yet to do an in person assessment on her own. She's done a few telemed visits on her own. THREE MONTHS?? She still doesn't have all of her equipment (laptop, etc) I feel like I could do an assessment on my own right now. I do not want to sit around for another three months. Blah. I can handle a month of being way under used but THREE MONTHS?? Again, I think I will like the job when I am on my own but do not want to spend three months not working. People have made comments about me going down to pick up a coffee order - max five minutes. Which is an insane thing to question - even if I actually had work to do. So its not like I can go on long walks, etc. Again, I knew to expect some of this from a city job. I think I'm going to like the work once I'm actually working. Three days doing home visits and two days in the office sounds like a good match. But three months of no work sounds truly terrible.

Went to Trader Joe's to get $50 worth of cupcakes/cake donations for the Black History Month celebration at school on Friday. The theme is historically black universities. Bee's grandma - who went to Howard - was supposed to come but she's in the hospital. Bummer. She'll be fine but still sucky. Anyway, if you need food donations for something Trader Joes will normally donate $50 a monthly basis. You have to find the person in charge of nonprofit donations for that store. Then bring in a letter with your Tax ID and explanation of what you will use it for. Easy Peasy.

Our daycare owner offered up free Michael Jackson on Broadway tickets. We are going tmrw night. I wouldn't pay to see it but I am looking forward to it.

I don't get the Taylor Swift obsession. She's fine. Good for her for finding love but her music just doesn't do it for me. I don't hate it but don't love it. So far, the girls aren't super into her. I'm hoping it stays that way. Now Tracy Chapman is an obsession I can totally get behind. She's so beautiful. You can tell what a bright light she is. No one can do it as well as her but I liked Luke Comb's parts in the song.

[xx-obliviousfantasy-xx]

My ideal party list so far:

My friends and family

Bo Burnham

Weird Al

Tom Lehrer

Chelsea Peretti

Jordan Peele

Funky Frog Bait

Stanzi

First Mate Prance

Thomas Sanders

Beyonce

Rihanna

Jhariah

Joshua Kyan Alampour

MatPat and his family

Ben Schwartz dressed as sonic

Dante Basco

Mae Wittman

Tara Strong

Cree Summer

Zeno Robinson

The entire Obama family

Yara Shahidi

Drake

Kendrick Lamar

Metro Boomin

21 Savage

J. Cole

Childish Gambino

Tyler The Creator

Anna Akana

The Beibers

The Weekend

Selena Gomez

Demi Lovato

The Smith Family

Chris Rock (only if the Smiths come)

Jojo Siwa

Kylie Prew

Avery Cyrus

Hayley Kiyoko

Jordan Fisher

Lemon Demon

Jack Stauber

Will Wood

True Damage (LoL)

Zendaya & Tom Holland

Samuel L. Jackson

Hayao Miyazaki

Toshiko MacAdam

Yayoi Kusama

Takashi Murakami

Lirika Matoshi

Stuart Semple

Malala Yousafzai

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Bill Nye

Mae Jamison

Dana Terrace

Rebecca Sugar

N.D Stevenson

Henry Selick

The three recent spider men live action and Shameik moore

Dove Cameron

Hailee Steinfeld

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Michael Eisner

Michael Dante DiMartino

Bryan Konietzko

The entire cast of hamilton

Every former and current member of Starkid

The entire original Broadway cast of Beetlejuice THE MUSICAL

West End & Broadway Six cast

Freddie Wong and his brother (Jimmy)

Anthony Burch and his sister brother (Ashly)

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Pemberton

Alan Meken

Tape Face

Jesus Christ

Lakshmi

Hera

Cthulhu

And all of the muppets. Not all of THE muppets, but every muppet.

And I would love to publicly NOT invite:

Kanye

Elon Musk

M. Night Shyamalan

Albert Kim

Galen Tipton

Shiki-TMNS

Anish Kapoor (with a card with a picture of Cloud Gate painted in the pinkest pink labeled "Pink Millennium Bean")

Butch Hartman

Tim Burton

Everyone in the kardashian family, not including their children

Ingrid E. Newkirk

Jk Rowling

Kalvin Garrah

Mickey Mouse (but invite Minnie Mouse)

[fearsmagazine]

TEETH - Review

SYNOPSIS: “Dawn O’Keefe is an evangelical Christian teen with a powerful secret not even she understands – when men violate her, her body bites back. Literally. From Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) and Anna K. Jacobs (POP!),TEETH, based on the cult classic film of the same name, is a fierce, rapturous, and savagely entertaining new musical crackling with irrepressible desire and ancient rage – a dark comedy conjuring the legend of one girl whose sexual curse is also her salvation.” - Press Release

REVIEW: In 2007 filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein, the son of artist Roy Lichtenstein, unleashed his tale of a contemporary American female teenager who discovers her body possesses a physical secret when she encounters male violence, vagina dentata; a myth that is found across cultures and eras, about a vagina that has a lethal set of teeth.

In the stage adaptation of Lichtenstein’s vision, Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson successfully retain the story's essence while making it fresh for a theater audience. In this adaptation, the lead character, Dawn's home life is restructured, with her father now portrayed as a charismatic preacher and her brother, Bard, still grappling with issues from their youth but influenced by technology rather than as a heavy metal/skinhead. These changes create a more dynamic structure for their dysfunctional family unit. Notably, the myth plays a more central role in the stage adaptation, and the supporting cast of teenage promise keeper girls serve as a Greek chorus. My guest and I both felt that the staging had a feel of Stepehen King’s “Carrie,” his novel, DePalma’s film and maybe the rival of the play. TEETH reaches its climax in a visually captivating and chaotic clash of religious conservatism and feminism, expertly staged in a way that surpasses Frank Oz's never fully realized ending in the film adaptation of "Little Shop of Horrors." Incorporating many of the contemporary social sexual issues in our zeitgeist with satire makes for an extremely entertaining and thought provoking theatrical experience.

The musical numbers were a delight. The combination of traditional Broadway musical songs and 70's and 80's pop songs in Jacobs' music was excellent. Jackson's lyrics added to the story and provided a splendid blend of humor and drama. While some of the lyrics were risqué, they never felt as shocking as something from "South Park" by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Jacobs and Jackson provided some magical musical moments that showcased the entire cast's vocal abilities. Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly did a remarkable job in creating dance routines, despite having to work in horrific moments at times.

The production design, set, lighting, SFX, and sound designs are all of Broadway caliber. The stage design employs impressive elements with subtle movements that contribute to the narrative. At certain moments, all of these elements come together to create a truly magical theater experience. The set design takes advantage of every inch of space in bringing the story to life. Most of the play's costumes are effective, they become more creative and interesting in the final act.

The cast of TEETH is nothing short of brilliant. Lead actress Alyse Alan Louis shines in her portrayal of Dawn. Her performance effortlessly blends innocence, comedic timing, powerful vocals, and a nuanced handling of sensual scenes. Meanwhile, her male counterparts—Steven Pasquale, Jason Gotay, Will Connolly, and Jared Loftin—face a daunting task. Not only do they create memorable characters, but they also navigate multiple roles and costume changes with ease, all the while delivering captivating musical numbers that showcase their talents. This ensemble cast is truly exceptional, and one can only hope that they will grace us with a cast recording of the show.

Michael R. Jackson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winner of "A Strange Loop," has created a show that is consistently selling out. My guest, who was initially unaware of the show's premise and the creative team, was astounded upon learning about it at the end. They were also unfamiliar with the source material, which left them with a strong desire to seek it out. From my perspective, any adaptation that inspires viewers to seek out the original work is a significant accomplishment. "TEETH" ranks among my legendary theater experiences, akin to my cherished memories of attending the original Broadway productions of "Little Shop of Horrors," "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Misérables," and "Hadestown," that come to mind. "TEETH" offers an unforgettable and haunting theatrical experience that should not be missed.

TEETH contains intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and strong language. Age Recommendation: Teeth is appropriate for audiences ages 17+. The play runs approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes with no intermission.. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 PM, with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $120.00 plus $2.00 fee. Tickets are now on sale at https://my.playwrightshorizons.org/events. For more information, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/teeth/#play-body.

Review By: Joseph B Mauceri

[fitzpirations]

haven’t really been on here in ages- had all these articles I was going to share and proper nerdy posts to make but really who has the time 😔

Also gave up all my socials for Lent and felt I’d get stuck on here if I returned. Made a year at my job @ the streaming service the other day which has been… idk how I feel about it. I still work a weirdo late shift so I may or may not be in the office now, sitting alone, getting the setting sun on my cheek. The schedule is not conducive of socializing. Have thoughts on the Tony noms,, although mostly petty ones as I have been so uninterested in just about every musical this season and only technically saw DOWAR, (off-Broadway because I feared I couldn’t recreate my magical/chaotic night @ the Atlantic) and Prayer for the French Republic V pleased for their collective noms. Re: Days of Wine and Roses-Idc that they closed. Where’s their best musical? Orchestration? Some of these nominees… I have to remind myself New York, New York was up for a TON last year. Sorry to all involved but BOY was that show,,, tragic to me. Had the bones on a surface level but refused to come together for me every step of the way. My friend won the lotto post-Tonys and we went on a lark, and our lukewarm feelings translated into the show announcing its closing that very night. My power, if you will.

volunteered @ my local theatre for a night and left wanting to cry because I’ve been getting v into ~acting craft~ recently, and all the community people are so nice but I can’t do any work on any production,, so sad but nice to be asked to stage manage a One-Act Festival,,,

I do background work on my weird Monday off from work & had two really cool experiences recently! Worked on a film with less than 30 others w/ a huge, half up-and-coming star that I’m pumped about- did they even look my way? No. But they were locked in & it was a real cool set-up. Would it have been nicer if the costume and prop and makeup people didn’t rub fake dirt over all of us extras? Yes. But I got paid the union rate and met some really cool people, including a gentleman 33 years sober who was greatly moved by Days of Wine and Roses! And you know what? He brought up the show, not me.

also did a fancy streamer show I’m quite stoked on- got placed right in the action in the scene, the lead walked right up to me as he swapped with his stand-in and said hi, which is such a minimal thing (and I don’t do it to leer @ stars or w/e) but he thought he was sitting next to me the whole scene and was being friendly. The seat next to me was unfortunately empty by design, but there were a ton of takes where the only people visible were the two actors & me. Which,, is crazy. Like they cleared the room and I was just sat there. Can’t give context, but boy was I actually acting for once. To the extent I was sure I was doing too much. But no one said anything, except the friends I made hours prior on the bus during our early call time, who were thrilled on my behalf about the great placement.

trying to join the union now which is crazy, and maybe a mistake, but the hourly pay is better than my full-time job at a v reputable media company. Know my worth or something? Even if I worked on just the occasional Monday, it’d be great money, and better gigs/placement on jobs. And who knows, maybe I’d put in for even better gigs. Right now I’m chained to the 3pm-11pm, and the dogs I walk in the morning.

saw Prayer for The French Republic with my friend a while back which we sobbed through & had a truly enriching convo on life & religion and such at dinner afterwards. I also saw Teeth at Playwrights which was a wild treat, it was still in previews, literal Michael R. Jackson was in the lobby, my mother felt bad I was going alone and INSISTED I bring her with,, imagine how I felt when my tickets were center SECOND ROW and not in the fourth row, and I was sat next to my mom watching vagina-has-teeth, the musical. She was crazed when we left. I warned her prior, but once she committed to going with me, it was pointless to remind her the concept of the show. Quite the time! It’s one thing to be close enough to occasionally make eye contact with the actors, and another to be locked in an intense gaze with Steven Pasquale as he plays a pervy gynecologist, plunging his arm into someone. Was shaking in my boots. They’re hinting on moving it somewhere which I am against! but as long as it lives off-Broadway it can still rock, I think.

anyway anyway. Trying to write more and be more around art & dig myself out of this rut I’m stuck in. This time last year I was fruitlessly waiting to hear if I got a Stage Manager fellowship with the City Center. It was a nice thought at the time! Maybe one day. The market is so weird I’d have to win the lottery and have a generous offer before I’d be comfortable actually quitting my job for something else. I’m unsure. Feels like I’m wasting away, in friendly enough company at least.

been reading War and Peace (or trying to!) which I jokingly refer to as WAP to myself. Tolstoy would get a kick out of that one, I’m sure. Enjoying Matt Koplick’s Broadway Breakdown podcast which may sound very geeky to admit but he’s very well-informed and isn’t afraid to have a real opinion on modern theatre! Maybe that sounds conservative-coded, but I mean he is never downright cruel, but willing to say some shows were bad (and why! In academic detail) and I’ve got into some great peices & performers listening to his work. I recommend. See also: BdJ on the Drama podcast recently, I am not a frequent listener by any means- the only other one I think I’ve caught was Kelli’s back last year? But what a great listen. (Seriously)

anyway anyway. I love a long-read. I think my writing is half-nonsensical here, but here we are. I enjoy the tiny little community of people I follow on here. Trying to go back to this blog’s roots- inspiration! Art! Action!

[fullmetaldevil-blog]

For grins I took a poll on Twitter to see if people want to know of the playlists I use for my various AUs and the results were a solid YES. So! Without further delay, here are the two primary playlists for Stitched and Green Eyes.

Now if you have questions as to why I chose the specific songs then feel free to ask. (Yes some songs apply to both aus)

Green Eyes Playlist:

The Whole "Being Dead" Thing by Alex Brightman, Original Beetlejuice Broadway cast.

It Terror Time Again, Scooby Doo and Zombie Island

Hard Times Come Again No More, Poxy Boggards

Bore Her to the Ground, Poxy Biggards

Beetlejuice (Main Titles) theme, Beetlejuice soundtrack 

Beetlejuice theme, Beetlejuice Cartoon

Once Upon a December, Anastasia 

Get Out, DaGames, Hello Neighbor

Ghostbusters, Ray Parker jr, Ghostbusters

Cleaning Up the Town, The Bus Boys, Ghostbusters

On Our Own, Bobby Brown, Ghostbusters 2

Higher and Higher, Howard Huntsbury, Ghostbusters 2

Bailamos, Enrique Iglesias

Leave Me Alone, Michael Jackson

Remains of the Day, Corpse Bride

The Headless Horseman, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Jack’s Lament, Danny Elfman, Nightmare Before Christmas

Oogie Boogie’s Song, Ed Ivory and Ken Page, Nightmare Before Christmas

Good Tonight, Daniel Pemberton, The Bad Guys

Calamity, Miracle of Sound, The Bastion

Hauling for Home, Poxy Boggards

Milford Haven, Poxy Boggards

Stitched Playlist:

Hard Times Come Again No More, Poxy Boggards

Red is the Rose Loch Lommond, Poxy Boggards

Hauling for Home, Poxy Boggards

Good Tonight, Daniel Pemberton, The Bad Guys

Who Will Know, Shiro Sagisu, Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira)

On Our Own, Boddy Brown, Ghostbusters 2

Rag Doll, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’

The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss), Cher

Slave to the Factory Line, DaGames, Poppy Playtime

Shop Around (Single Version), The Miracles

Evil Food Eater Conchita, MEIKO

I Swear, All-4-One

Beetlejuice (Main Titles) Theme, Danny Elfman, Beetlejuice

Bendy Beats, Kyle Allen Music, Bendy and the Ink Machine

Bailamos, Enrique Iglesias

Cupid, Sam Cooke

Under the Boardwalk, The Drifters

白夜 〜True Light (White Night True Light), D.N.Angel

Never Can Say Goodbye, the Jackson 5

Greensleeves, Rosalind McAllister

Somewhere, The Tymes

Oh! Rival, Porno Graffitti, Detective Conan and the Sunflowers of Inferno

Everyday With You Girl, The Classics IV

More Than a Woman, the BeeGees (Tavares version), Saturday Night Fever

Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley

[kickmag]

Trevor Noah Hosts Black Theater Night At A Strange Loop

Tuesday night Trevor Noah hosted Black Theater Night on Broadway at A Strange Loop. The television host loves the show and has seen it multiple times. "I’ve now been to A Strange Loop four times and it’s funny [but] every single time I come I feel like I’m focusing on something different, I’m learning something different and there’s a different part of the play that almost gets revealed to me."  Playwright, Composer and Lyricist Michael R. Jackson, creator of A Strange Loop; Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly and Musical Director Rona Siddiqui joined Noah and cast members James Jackson, Jr.; L Morgan Lee; John-Michael Lyles; John-Andrew Morrison; Jon-Michael Reese; Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey for the discussion.

Noah also said: “What I find interesting about it, in particular, is the first time you watch the play, for instance, you may think, depending on who you are, ‘Oh, this is a play about Black and white.’ The second time you watch it you may go, ‘Oh no. This is a play about religion and how it controls people’s lives and how it tells us how we should be or shouldn’t be.’ Then it becomes about acceptance. Each time it feels like there is a different layer. And really, the more I watch it, I realize it almost feels like a commentary on all these little prisons, all these structures, all these systems and I guess the most confining one being our minds.”

A Strange Loop will play for seven more weeks before the final show on January 15th, 2023. Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer-prize-winning play centers around Usher who is a queer Black writer writing a musical about a queer Black writer writing a musical.

For more information and tickets check out A Strange Loop Musical. 

[saintsnosferatu]

Oftentimes I contemplate the phrase, “You are what you love”. Does this mean we are—as human beings—defined by our profound love for others and other things? I suppose if there’s one thing that truly defines who I am, it would probably be my endless admiration for different forms of art; living and unliving, from classic to modern ones. I believe art does not only inspire people, but also connect people together.

Among the many passions I pursue, I often find myself lost between the pages of a book, scenes of movies and series, or melodies of songs very often. Let it be known that I’m also particularly fond of paintings, true crime, myths, aesthetics of dark academia and goth culture, broadway, and foreign languages. My passion is never limited, and I also believe it’ll only keep growing with time.

If curiosity got the best of you, you’re welcome to unveil this post further and let it provide you with information about my interests in specific.

Having spent a few years in English literature—years of discussing and dissecting different forms of literature, I find myself always coming back to my roots. Literature, although I’m mostly a reader instead of a writer, but I suppose you might see me write something every once in a blue moon. When reading, I usually find myself getting lost in the genre of romance, mystery and thrillers. I also read fantasy, though it's not my go-to genre. I'm trying to branch out to classics too as of recently, and I’m open to recommendations. Despite being a slow reader, due to my current job, reading is something I’m very passionate about. You might see me post about them on my account or refer them subtly in some parts of our conversations.

When my brain is unpleasantly messy, classical music takes part in my pursuit of peace. Some other times, I’d settle for jazz and some others. If you take a peek in my mind, you would hear a lot of Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, Hozier and Michael Jackson repeating over and over. I’m a casual listener of many other artists, so feel free to mention one or two, maybe a conversation will bloom from there.

Movies and series have been my sweet escape since I was young. I always take time to get into them when I am not busy so I wouldn’t say I have watched every movie there is, but I’ve watched a lot of them. There is a variety of genres that have captivated my interest, but here are some movies and series to get to know me:

Corpse Bride (2005). Coraline (2009). The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), Inferno (2016). Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003). The Hobbit. Fantastic Beasts. Les Misérables (2012). The Hunger Games. Pride & Prejudice (2005). Midnight in Paris (2011). Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Before Sunrise (1995). The Crow (2024). Beautiful Creatures (2013). Percy Jackson. The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010). Anastasia (1997). Frankenweenie (2012). Alice in Wonderland (2010). Abigail (2024). The Invitation (2022). The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Van Helsing (2004). Underworld. Scream (1996). Monster House (2006). The Holiday (2006).

Criminal Minds. Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. The Vampire Diaries. Supernatural. The Originals. BBC’s Sherlock. Gravity Falls. YOU. The Walking Dead. Stranger Things. Teen Wolf. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

More to be added as I consume more and more forms of art. Even as of now, I believe this page won’t be enough to list down many of the things I am fond of. Feel free to come back every once in a while to see the list updated, you will always be welcomed here.

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age of Broadway Divas: Duets, Trios, and Other Crossovers

While I wait for my matinee show to start, here's our final compilation just six hours before our season finale. If you've been following along with this series, you'll notice how much overlap there is in the theatre. Everyone has been with, or sung with, or played the same role as everyone else. Here is just a taste of the sublime combined talents of our favorite Broadway Divas. And yes, this is my petition to have a musical episode.

#1: "Lily's Eyes," (The Secret Garden) Miscast 2022 - Audra McDonald and Kelli O'Hara

I watched this, and my soul transcended space and time. Performed at MCC's 2022 Miscast gala honoring Christine Baranski (of course), Audra and Kelli have a brief tiff about which soprano is worthy of Soprano Island before joining together to sing the most resplendent duet you will ever experience in your life.

The Secret Garden opened on Broadway in 1991 starring Rebecca Luker as Lily. Kelli and Audra are singing the parts of Lily's husband and brother-in-law respectively. And like Lily, Rebecca Luker has since passed away. Knowing that they are singing not only to honor Christine, but also to Rebecca, their dear friend and fellow soprano, is yet another layer of heartbreak. I love this song.

#2: "Move On," (Sunday in the Park with George) Princetown concert 2022 - Audra McDonald & Michael Cerveris

Former co-stars reunited in Princetown last year to sing this impromptu duet from the Pulitzer-winning Sunday in the Park with George. Sunday is filled with sublime music, and "Move On" is one of the best. In it, Dot appears to George, the grandson of Georges Seurat, and encourages him to move on with his artistry and stop worrying about perfection. The show itself is beautiful and complex, and a proshot is available for your convenience.

Audra and Michael had previously done a three-day, semi-staged production of this show in 2004, also featuring Patti LuPone as Yvonne/Blair Daniels (the role Christine Baranski created in the original pre-Broadway workshop). Interestingly, this trio would move on to take part in the Lincoln Center Broadcast of Passion in 2005 with Audra as Clara (the Marin Mazzie role), and Patti as Fosca (the Donna Murphy role).

Michael Cerveris would play Giorgio multiple times in his career, including the 10th Anniversary concert with Marin and Donna.

#3 Tonight: Quintet (West Side Story) - Lucky to Be Me: The Music of Leonard Bernstein (2010) - Kelli O'Hara, Donna Murphy, Michael Cerveris

Speaking of Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy, and joined by Kelli O'Hara, this audio comes from a 2010 concert celebrating the music of Leonard Bernstein. The youtube video incorrectly attributes this to a 2012 concert, but it is not.

"Tonight (Quintet)" is, of course, from West Side Story, where Bernstein wrote the music, and Sondheim wrote the lyrics. Because this was a concert, certain singing parts are taken by those who would not sing such parts in a full production...anymore. (Lest we forget Natalie Wood in the movie.)

Donna sings Anita, and Kelli sings Maria, the two young Puerto Rican women in the show. And I think we'll leave that there. Michael Cerveris sings the part of Riff, and they are joined by Cheyenne Jackson as Tony.

Also featured in this concert is the amazing, incredible, beloved soprano Victoria Clark, who has starred opposite all three of our Gilded Age actors at one point or another. As the Margaret to Kelli's Clara (Light in the Piazza), the Sally to Donna's Phyllis (Encores! Follies), and in Titanic with Michael Cerveris. Theatre, it's all connected.

#4: LoveMusik (2007)

A little more on LoveMusik. While I've already detailed a little on my Donna Murphy post, here's some more about Michael Cerveris, two-time Tony winner. As Kurt Weill, Michael was nominated for a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award, but did not win any. While the show itself was given mixed reviews, the performances of Donna and Michael were almost universally praised.

The 2007 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical included three Gilded Age nominees. Debra Monk (Curtains), Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade) and Donna Murphy (LoveMusik). All three lost to Christine Ebersole of the Grey Gardens variety. Fair. I suppose. However, Audra and Donna tied for the Drama Desk. And there WAS a wonderful clip of their award ceremony online for years, except now that I need it for this, it's been taken down. Of course.

#5: "At the Ballet," (A Chorus Line) - Audra McDonald & Kelli O'Hara

Joined by Megan Hilty, Kelli O'Hara and Audra McDonald performed "At the Ballet" from A Chorus Line at a Lincoln Center Marvin Hamlisch tribute in 2013. Audra showcases a robust lower range I simply adore. Unfortunately the lower key change leaves Kelli's soprano in an awkward place, but I love her anyway.

A Chorus Line is one of the musical theatre greats, and while "At the Ballet" is often overshadowed by "What I Did for Love," it's my personal favorite. The original stage show ran for 6,137 performances, and was nominated for twelve Tonys, winning nine. After Follies, this is the show I most want to see fully staged. A 50th Anniversary revival was rumored back in 2016 for 2025, but I'll believe it when I see it.

#6: The Ladies Who Lunch (Company) - Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration - Christine Baranski & Audra McDonald (ft. Meryl Streep)

Legends. Icons. Divas. What more can I say about "The Ladies Who Lunch," performed by Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, and Meryl Streep, mother to Louisa Jacobson? As the story goes, they had done so many takes that by this time, they were well and truly on their way to being drunk. And yet, Audra McDonald still sounds more exquisite than anyone on earth.

I watched this when it premiered "live" on YouTube during the early days of the pandemic. Several Broadway stars who would go on to The Gilded Age are featured, including Kelli O'Hara, Laura Benanti, Nathan Lane, and Michael Cerveris.

It has been almost four years, and I have still not recovered from this song's placement in the concert. Picture it: you have just been emotionally wrung out by Donna Murphy's revelatory "Send in the Clowns," sung whilst seated in front of an Al Hirshfeld print of Passion, with her cleavage out in true Mrs. Astor fashion. And then suddenly there's jaunty Company music, and an illustration of the great Elaine Stritch with her martini glass high. And then there is Christine Baranski in a bathrobe and a truly massive glass of red wine. And you think it cannot get any better. And then the second verse hits and there's Meryl Streep with a cocktail mixer. AND THEN Audra Fucking McDonald. They put those two songs back-to-back and expected me to recover one day? As if.

Bonus: "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" (2018) - Nathan Lane & Christine Baranski

While not a musical performance, I would be remiss if I didn't direct your attention to this masterpiece. Did you ever think you'd hear Aunt Agnes gunning to see Ward McAllister's dick? No? Well, here it is. Terrence McNally wrote "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" specifically for his 1991 original cast which included Christine as Chloe and Nathan Lane as her brother Sam. And they are going through marital troubles with their respective spouses. Nathan and Christine reunited in 2018 to perform this scene for McNally's 80th Birthday.

But the Gilded Age connection doesn't stop there:

In 2019, The New York Times Magazine ran a special "America 2024" issue, as a tribute to Terrence McNally. The whole thing is a fantastic read, and I'd recommend it. In it features photoshoots depicting scenes from several of McNally's plays, including "Lips Together, Teeth Apart." And look who's here: Donna Murphy as Chloe (the Christine Baranski role), Broadway's Leading Man Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Shannon as Sam (the Nathan Lane role), and Katie Finneran.

And on one of four covers for this issue, Celia Keenan-Bolger.

With that, the conclusion to my little Diva miniseries. I hope you've found this as entertaining as I have. And if you'd like me to go into more detail about anything you've seen throughout this series, let me know, because I have so much more gossip and drama that I had to restrain myself from adding.

LINK TO MASTERPOST

[lboogie1906]

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born rapper, record producer, singer, and actor. He was the former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz. The group maintained a sizable audience in the US through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released were produced by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, his cousin Pete Rock, and Eddie F. He released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.

He was born in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, his family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, where he was raised.

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first groups signed to Uptown Records, with him as the frontman and only rapper. Their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success; Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits.

He performed a guest rap on Janet Jackson’s hit single “Alright”. It was the highest-peaking song that he had performed on the Billboard Hot 100. He appeared on Michael Jackson’s single “Jam”, and gained a higher profile by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv. He then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning to the music charts with Nuttin’ But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, he returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. He collaborated with B.B. King on his album Deuces Wild, rapping in the song “Keep It Coming”. He was referred to in the song “Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G., and appeared in his music video for “One More Chance”.

He developed the boy band Soul for Real and was the executive producer and principal writer of several songs on the group’s breakout album, Candy Rain. He became a Senior Vice President at Universal Music. As an actor, he is known for his role in The Cider House Rules, where he plays a migrant worker. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence