#Prince of Egypt west end

[pinball-glizzy]

HE’S WEARING THE FUCKING DRESS

[patheticblorbloscholar]

[come-see-our-show]

why is tzipporah not played by a Black woman

[umisha]

The Prince of Egypt - London Musical

Ages ago now I went to see the West End production of the Prince of Egypt. And I've honestly not been able to stop thinking about it since.

I went back and watched it like three times. I watched the cinema release and I listen to the spotify album religiously.

So imma organise my thoughts here.

Before I saw it the first time I was kinda worried I'd be disappointed or that it wouldn't live up to the animation. I think the first time, I was inspecting it so much that I couldn’t enjoy it as much. But I still loved it to the point where I went again (musical tickets are expensive).

The story and characters were slightly to the animation. And when I first watched it I wasn't sure if I was going to like these changes. But honestly, I think the changes somehow managed to make the story 10x more profound. 

If you watch the interviews of the cast on YouTube, I think it's mentioned that they focus on humanising the characters. And to see them more as normal people experiencing the extraordinary. And you really sense that watching it.

The one thing that used to bother me about the film is the part where the first born in all of Egypt are taken. And I think adding Moses’s distress towards this made it seem so much more human. And well raw in a painful sense. There is a part in the song where Moses compares himself to a solider blindly following orders and I just loved having this inner conflict added. 

I think the main change I enjoyed was Remases character. They moved away from a stubborn villain character of the animation. And made him this misguided and lonesome character.

There's a particular scene that stuck with me, where Ramesses’s father dies and Rameses wife’s first reaction is to bow to him as pharaoh. The actor looks at her almost as if to say “what the hell” before turning to comfort his mother who instead of taking his hand also bows down to him. And he just kinda drops his hand. I don’t know but I could real feel his loneliness in this moment. Feel that he almost lost his mother in becoming pharaoh. And how this changed all his relationships.

There was also more fleshed out women characters than in the animation. The queen, Moses' adoptive mother, plays a much bigger role. There was a scene during the plagues where she speaks to Moses and it's just so painful on both sides. Then there's also the addition of Nefetari (Rameses' wife) who is also an interesting character.

Other than these changes in story and character writing, I also really enjoyed the way the stage was set up. So, the stage was quite simple and there were very minimal props. Most of the movement and scenes were created by an amazing ensemble. Like really, they played elements such as fire, sand and water as well as a chariot and horse and a variety of characters. It was really something.

Also the music (I almost forgot the most important part). There were some new songs and some adaptations to the soundtrack but all were amazing. Honestly I could write a whole post on just the music but this is already too long. Maybe another time.

The animation used to be one of my comfort films that I was watching on almost a weekly basis. But after watching the musical I've barely watched the animation. Because the musical was actually SO good that the film just doesn't hit the same. It’s just a shame it's not running anymore.

[loverofcartoons]

So I watched the Prince of Egypt proshot

It wasn’t good

The Bad

The characterizations

Moses and Rameses father Pharaoh Seti is portrayed much more Jovial. In the film is was very stoic and strict which is reflective of him in the Bible. In the film he is honestly pretty scary. In the stage production, his yells at rameses once, but immediately joking around right after.

The Pharaoh when confronted by Moses about the death of the Hebrew babies, states that it wasn’t something he necessarily wanted to do but needed to. The sentiment that “they were just slaves” is absent, which lessens the cruelty of the crime.

As Moses runs into the desert, he clearly isn’t as upset with his father as he should be. The line “ask the man I once called father” is missing during this scene. After Moses left, the pharaoh banishes him but begrudgingly. We see him still grieving Moses absence as he dies.

Rameses is portrayed much the same way throughout the play. Even once Moses returns to beg for the slaves to be set free, Rameses is seen as kind hearted, actually wanting to grant Moses request but is stopped by his wife and the Priest. It isn’t until Rameses son dies that we see a turn in him, but is clearly still being influenced by the priest. In the end, hesitating to kill Moses and sends his soldiers back, letting the Hebrews go.

The costume design

As I understand these costumes were changed for this specific production, but gosh they are bad. They are a strange mix between British royal garb and ancient Egypt Halloween costumes.

All of the royal outfits just feel incredibly out of place

The songs (but mostly The Plagues)

This was the biggest hit for me. They changed Moses and Rameses verses in The Plagues. The Chorus stayed the same the verses were completely changed. The charged emotion that had been there before lost completely. If you want to hear for yourself, go give it a listen on YouTube or Spotify and hear for yourself.

The rest of the song from the film were kept in tact and performed perfectly fine. The new songs are honestly very forgettable. The Act one Finale, Never in a Million years and Heartless seem to be the best among them, but are still just ok. The music itself felt like it belonged in a D tier Disney movie, not a Bible epic.

The absence of dramatic resonance

The stage production has a habit of making the quiet dramatic moments loud or rushing through them entirely. The scene were Moses mother sings a reprise of All I Ever Wanted is supposed to be quiet and comforting, instead, it is belted out. It seemed that every time there was a scene where two characters were talking about something serious, they were just trying to get to the next scene. Never giving the audience time to sit and feel the moment.

The burning bush scene is one of the most impactful scenes in the movie. Although the stage production handles it interestingly enough, using dancers to interpret the fire and all of there voices as one sing the word of God, the scene is too short and throws away the quiet majesty present in the film.

The good

The choreography

The choreography and the dancers themselves were the best part of the whole show. The dancers were often used to tell the story that is difficult to tell on stage. They are the fire, the river, the Red Sea, the desert sands fighting against Moses. They are the hieroglyphics on the walls and the Midianites dancing with Zipporah. It was gorgeous to look at.

More inclusive

For those of you who were not aware, the film cast of Prince of Egypt was astonishingly white. In this production almost every member of the main cast is a person of color.

This production also tries to put more focus on its female characters. They actually introduce us to Rameses wife Nefertari. Showing that they were forced into marriage by both of their families. Moses wife Zipporah is also given slightly more emphasis. There is an added scene of Zipphrah and Moses flirting while Moses watches the sheep, enabling us to see a bit of their courtship which is complied into a montage in the film. While fleeing with the Hebrews, she has an emotional moment expressing how much she will miss her family, never being able to see them again.

Moses and Rameses mother is also given an extra scene during The Plagues, pleading with Moses to stop and see reason.

Conclusion

The prince of Egypt musical looks spectacular with its stellar choreography, staging and lighting, but falls insanely flat with its costume design and script. They took an amazing, epic story of two brothers at odds that felt almost Shakespearean at times, and made it feel entirely childish. It’s almost as if they didn’t think the audience could handle the original interpretation and decided to water it down.

If you, for some reason, have Broadway HD and love the film, give this one a pass.

[girl4music]

God this looks and sounds so fucking powerful.

I can’t believe I’ve only just discovered this now.

What the hell am I doing with my life to have not known this existed already? Crazy. Shame on me.

[notaplaceofhonour]

He wrote the music* & lyrics on both, but the screenplay for The Prince of Egypt was Philip LaZebnik (who also wrote Road to El Dorado, Mulan, Pocahontas), based on a story treatment by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, and Wicked’s book** was Winnie Holzman, and

*with Hans Zimmer on TPoE’s score

**as in the musical’s script, not to be confused with the novel it’s based on, which was Gregory Maguire

idk if anyone has compared them but, as two Stephen Schwartz musicals that center around the falling out between two people who were close at a younger age where one demands freedom & justice while the other benefits from the status quo, I feel like there’s something that can be said about Wicked and The Prince of Egypt as complimentary stories. in this essay i will

[bunnwich]

I just found out a Prince of Egypt Musical exists, and one of the addition songs— 'footprints on the sand'— really gives me Leona vibes

(Spotify link to the song)

https://open.spotify.com/track/40PqpFQdrylghRZgY36W8G?si=wATkespmQyar931PNnNc8A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7MOGTYjo3ifwHDBf0EBE71

(Genius lyrics)

https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-the-prince-of-egypt-footprints-on-the-sand-lyrics

So since you're— at least in my view— one of the Leona experts, I was wondering what your thoughts would be on it!

Not that it fits perfectly; no song ever really fits 100%, after all. But I think it has strong Leona vibes

Leona VS The Weight of Insignificance

(Ahhh sorry I am just getting around to this.;-; BTW DFGHJK I’m flattered that you consider me a Leona expert??)

So this is pretty cool because I didn't realize there was a Prince of Egypt Musical? I’m a big fan of the animated movie and of musicals so I’ll have to listen to the rest someday!

So, I think in general the theme of “Footprints in The Sand” is about the idea of “trying to leave a mark” in life, but feeling like it won't matter in the long run and also exploring the insignificance that we all feel as people.

That being said, I can see why this song made you think of Leona! It brought up some feelings about what being second-born in a royal lineage means and how that can make someone feel insignificant just in concept. The spare heir if you will. 

It's interesting because it also made me think about how Leona has such complicated feelings about his title too?

Like on the one hand, he feels like he's “forever in the shadow of Falena” but at the same time, I DO think a small part of him secretly enjoys the mobility of not having the reasonability of king and therefore the first few lines of the song before it fades into him sounding more melancholic made me think of this.

(AND ALSO since we’ve seen how he would handle being king in his Chapter 7 Dream OOF.) My thoughts on that: X

The second son– My father's wrong (THIS LINE TOO) It's got to be the easiest role on Earth Just play around Just play along Enjoy the bounty of my birth So what's today's amusement For this second son? Which one shall I choose from so many kinds of fun?

I think it leads back to the age-old conclusion about Leona’s character (that his dream really hammered home), is that being king is NOT what he truly wants and it more comes to feeling worthy as a person as if he has to “justify” his own existence of feeling useless. It’s more about the kind of attention he craves. To be useful, respected, adored. 

The song mentions the fear of not leaving behind a legacy and feeling the weight of your own insignificance as a person. I can see how both the characters of Moses and Leona both struggle with “finding their purpose” and not being able to see their own worth like others who care about them do. 

It made me think of the song (also in Prince of Egypt) “Through Heaven's Eyes” which I feel actually continues this theme. The idea that even if you can’t see your OWN value that everyone—has their own innate value as people—and that in itself is meaningful.

A single thread in a tapestry Though its color brightly shines Can never see its purpose In the pattern of the grand design And the stone that sits on the very top Of the mountains mighty face Does it think it's more important Than the stones that form the base?

For Leona—the people he acts as a mentor to like—Ruggie, Epel and Savanaclaw as a whole—have a pretty high opinion of him despite his flaws. And the fact that he can’t always see that and appreciate that value that he unconsciously and consciously brings to them reflects this. He has and will leave an impact even if it's not as “important” as a king. And he could do even more good if he actually tried to do so.

I think it’s a lesson we all struggle with TBH, the whole: seeing our inherent value as people and it’s def why I think Leona is a more relatable character than he first appears in twst. :3

Thank you for sharing with me though! I love finding stuff like this! I hope you have a wonderful day/night!💚

[pinball-glizzy]

Seti I and God telling Moses the same thing is such a deep cut

[patheticblorbloscholar]

No you don't understand Rameses followed Moses across the desert. He longed for his brother. Even after the liberation of Moses and his people he wasn't angry, he was hurt and felt the betrayal but he just wanted his brother. Say what you want that man cared about his brother. Moses could make all the mistakes, all the wrong choices and he would want him by his side.

I am not over them nor will I ever be.

[come-see-our-show]

my beef with the west end prince of egypt is not even funny

[hushcaringdemons]

A Druidic Demonolator's Guide to Invocation

I have been asked many a times to kindly offer guidance on how to do ritual invocation for demonolatry. I will oblige those inquires now, and all future ones by revealing how I personally do invocations as a syncretic theistic Satanist and Druidic Pagan. This is only one individual’s example. Yours will surely be different based off of tradition, experience, and preference. (Please with all gratitude credit back to Hushcaringdemons when sharing.)

THE SACRED CIRCLE

In order to conduct ritual, one must call upon the elemental forces and balance the spiritual energies within and without you. This sacred space is brought into existence by the might of your own Will. It serves as a gateway between the Mundane and the Spirit World as well as a stabilizing force during your ritual workings (especially if this involves working with a spirit like a Daemon). Depending on the tradition, a wand or a ceremonial dagger is used to summon and direct energy. A hand with the pointer and middle finger extended can fill the role of a ceremonial tool if one is absent. A scared circle can be cast pretty much anywhere.

THE WATCHTOWERS

Watchtowers refers to the cardinal direction (East, South, West, North, and Center), their elemental association (Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit), and the spiritual entities that represents them. Calling upon the spirit of the Watchtowers instills their power in your circle and rite. What spirit is called upon varies between traditions as well as practitioner preference. Direction and elemental associations are very open to interpretation, especially in the case of Pagan Gods where it is largely a modern invention. It is the metaphor that matters here.

THE WORD OF POWER

Choosing a Word of Power to shout at the end of prayers, blessing, or invocations serves as a release of spiritual energy in accordance to your Will. Give it focus and some oomph. Like Watchtower spirits, Power Words vary by tradition and preference. Examples include:

Amen - Useful for practitioners with leanings toward Traditional Ceremonial Magic. A Jewish word meaning "So Be It" inherited by Christianity and Islam. If one comes from a culturally Abrahamic background and is unbothered by that, it is a perfectly serviceable word.

Amun - It is a common falsehood in magic communities that the true origin of the word Amen comes from the name of Amun, a High God of Ancient Egypt whose dominion is the deepest and most hidden parts of the cosmos. I list it here as an example because calling upon the highest, and preferably most primordial, entity or force in your pantheon sends out your magic intent to those parts of the universe. For me, that name would be Satan who I view similarly representing the hidden and the primordial.

Awen - Useful for druidic practitioners such as myself. Awen is divine inspiration in the Welsh bardic tradition. Neo-Druids have expanded it to encompass the animating force of the universe.

A STANDARD RITUAL INVOCATION

Now, lets put all of the above components together. The following instructions will be using my personal invocation as a template.

Turn to face East, and use your ritual tool to point outward. Starting from the East, the direction associated with the sunrise and new beginnings, is a common way to start Sacred Circles through out traditions. Beckon:

“HAIL LUCIFER, Prince of the East. Spirits of Air anoint thee for thou art Truth and Enlightenment amoung them all. HAIL AND WELCOME.”

Turn to face South, and use your ritual tool to point outward. It is another common tradition to use clockwise motions in order to create. Beckon:

“HAIL ASMODEUS, Prince of the South. Spirits of Fire anoint thee for thou art Passion and Desire amoung them all. HAIL AND WELCOME."

Turn to face West, and use your ritual tool to point outward. Beckon:

"HAIL LEVIATHAN, Prince of the Wests. Spirits of Water anoint thee for thou art Chaos and Rebirth amoung them all. HAIL AND WELCOME."

Turn to face North, and use your ritual tool to point outward. Beckon:

"HAIL BELIAL, Prince of the North. Spirits of Earth anoint thee for thou art Filth and Fecundity amoung them all. HAIL AND WELCOME."

Hold your ritual tool high over your head, and state:

“HAIL SATAN, Master of Darkness. All Spirits are within thee.”

Say the following as you move clockwise, weaving all the elements and directions together with your ritual tool:

“Thou art the Adversary, the Black Goat, the Ram-Headed Serpent.

All that is Above, and all that is Below.

All that is Hidden Without, and what is Hidden Within.”

At this point you should have completed your circle. Hold your ritual tool high over your head again. Stand tall and proclaim:

“What is hidden in me! Myself! I am God!”

(This is technique I stole from LaVeyan Satanism. A little puffing up of the ego helps with energy building.) Maintain your erect pose as you conclude the invocation:

“By the Might of the Four Watchtowers

And by the Binding Power of the Baphomet,

I proclaim this ritual circle cast.”

Use your ritual tool to draw a sigil in the air such as the pentacle or pentagram, and declare:

“It is my Will, and it is Done.”

Complete the invocation with your Power Word. Congratulations, your Sacred Circle is cast, and you are now ready to proceed to your ritual.

[jisreal64]

I’m stealing this poll from a different user, but I don’t care. What is your favorite sub-genres of Broadway and stage musicals?:

[girl4music]

Hmm… well this one was a bit out there. Didn’t quite hit in the same way as the movie but then it probably wasn’t supposed to. Kudos for trying I guess.