#and i asked to see matilda the musical in the west end

[roaringroa]

just watched the brazilian production of matilda the musical and to the surprise of no one i cried. to the surprise of some, 4 times.

[justasillylad]

here is a random question in your ask box :)

which musicals have you seen live, and which ones do you want to see live?

OKK if we’re talking broadway/west end

i’ve seen frozen, hadestown, hamilton, sweeney todd, phantom of the opera, matilda, beetlejuice, SIX, and probably some others im not remembering!

for musicals i want to see, i would really want to see les mis, phantom and sweeney again, the outsiders, little shop, and ofc HEATHERSSS

[eddysocs]

To-Do List

Updated November 10th, 2024

There is no specific order I do my requests in. It’s just whatever strikes me in the moment. Requests will be removed from this list when they’re put in my queue/drafts until they’re ready to post.

🚧 = WIP (Work In Progress)

Ask Games

🚧 💕: Ship Moodboard - Matilda Northbrook x Ted Lasso 🚧

🍿: Favorite Movie - Matilda Northbrook

💕: Ship Moodboard - Arabella Of Prussia x Eloise Bridgerton

❌: Crossover - Alyria Polantis & Minnia Of Redania

❌: Crossover - Belladonna Stillwell & Eternity Whitmire

💉: Tattoos/Scars - Kira Kay

👗: Fashion Board - Alyria Polantis

❌: Crossover - Julia Jessup & Effie Larkin

❌: Crossover - Dez Shepard & Kira Kay

❌: Crossover - Bella Carlisle & Sally Barker

🏠: Interior Design Board - Mille Cartwright

💕: Ship Moodboard - Myra Wescott x Tilley Arnold

Fics

🚧 Psychobabble - Jodie Rourke x Cathy Brown (Requested by Anon) 🚧

To help her study, Cathy takes to reading her psychology textbook out loud. Jodie might not understand all the terminology, but she sure doesn’t mind listening to Cathy read.

Caught Out - Henrietta Parsons x Buster Brady (Requested by Anon)

While Agnes is in the kitchen talking to Dermot, Henrietta and Buster make use of their alone time, at least until Mrs. Brown catches them.

Bet On It - Josie Collins x Hawkeye Pierce (Requested by Anon)

When Josie scoffs at one of Hawkeye's pranks, it starts a prank war between them that the whole camp starts putting money on.

For The Night - Delphine Kincaid x Judge Turpin (Requested by Anon)

Turpin finds Delphine wandering the London streets late one night, and offers her a bed for the night, or longer…

Comfort In Her Arms - Kira Kay x Kim Richards (Requested by Anon)

After encountering some problems at home, Kira does what she always does and runs to Kim. Kim always has a way of making it all feel better.

West End Boys - Brennan Marks x Jamie Tartt (Requested by Anon)

After hearing him ramble on about this new musical he wants to see, Jamie takes it upon himself to score some tickets for him and Brennan.

Mine - Cinda Stackhouse x Eric Northman (Requested by Anon)

Once Eric decides to claim Cinda as his, he reveals a more possessive side that both surprises and delights Cinda.

Summer Breeze - Sadie Leigh x Norma Bates (Requested by Anon)

With Norman away for the day, Norma has a list of errands planned, but Sadie something on her own to do list first.

Weasley Family Welcome - Olivette Littletree x Molly Weasley (Requested by Anon)

Ginny, George and Ron all help organize a Weasley family picnic in order to officially welcome Olivette into the family.

Promise Ring Pop - Skye Leonard x Shaun Murphy (Requested by Anon)

When Shaun decides to propose, Skye definitely didn’t see it coming, nor did she expect a cherry flavored ring.

Gun Show - Angelica Morley x Alfie Solomons (Requested by Anon)

Alfie shows Angel how to shoot a gun, or so he thinks.

Marriage Bed - Heather Cohen x Clint Barton (Requested by Anon)

Heather and Clint are partnered up to go undercover as a married couple, and everyone finds it a little suspicious at how good they are at playing their roles.

How To Be Hers - Alessandra Blair x Cruella DeVil (Requested by Anon)

Alessandra begins her role as Cruella's submissive and learns what her mistress expects of her.

Public Display Of Pride - Roxette Ortiz x Carrie Black (Requested by Anon)

Roxette takes Carrie to one of her favorite pride events and it gets a little emotional for Carrie.

The Tell Off - Jodie Rourke x Cathy Brown (Requested by Anon)

When Cathy's professor oversteps his boundaries, Jodie and Agnes team up to put him in his place on Cathy's behalf.

Outside Looking In - Nessa Tolliver x Rebecca Welton (Requested by Anon)

Roy and Keeley's observations of Nessa and Rebecca's relationship.

Expect The Unexpected - Minnia x Jaskier (Requested by Anon)

Minnia is struggling with the early side effects of her pregnancy, and Jaskier steps up to put her worries and her body at ease.

Pretty As A Picture - Matilda Northbrook x Ted Lasso (Requested by Anon)

Ted takes Tildy out for a date/joint work outing, and they take in some museum exhibits, including one about the history of football.

New OCs

🚧 Name TBD - FD: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia - FC: Laura Slade Wiggins - LI: Dennis Reynolds 🚧

🚧 Allison Pontier - FD: Beetlejuice - FC: Vinessa Shaw - LI: Barbara Maitland 🚧

🚧 Serena Medford - FD: Beetlejuice - FC: Kathryn Newton - LI: Delia Deetz 🚧

🚧 Amarantha Renault - FD: Beetlejuice - FC: Samara Weaving - LI: Delores LaFerve 🚧

Preferences

🚧 Once Upon A Time OCs: How They Feel When They Realize Their S/O Is Their Happy Ending - Requested by Anon 🚧

Xena Warrior Princess OCs: Jealousy - Requested by Anon

True Blood OCs: Marking - Requested by Anon

Doctor Who OCs: Adventure They’d Most Want To Go On With Their S/O - Requested by Anon

Ted Lasso OCs: Where They’d Go On Their First Date - Requested by Anon

Wednesday OCs: How They’d Celebrate Halloween With Their S/O - Requested by Anon

True Blood OCs: How They’d Celebrate Halloween With Their S/O - Requested by Anon

M*A*S*H OCs: How They React To Their S/O Being Injured During The War - Requested by Anon

[novelconcepts]

ahoy i sent the matilda ask and must of hit anon on instinct oops. but i’ve just seen your answer! and yeah new yorks a bit far from australia as well so bootlegs have to do for me.

i’m excited you’re getting to experience matilda for the first time in full musical form though! the cast album is great - idk if you listened to the west end or broadway one but the production is a bit different between the two even if the lyrics are the same. they’re both very fun though, so i’m glad you had a good time with it.

can i ask how your recovery’s going? i hope well. can you put your hands above your head yet or is that still coming? wishing you well man and i hope you have a good time off for the holidays

Oh hello! Did not realize it was you, nice to see you again.

Recovery is good! I can lift like normal now (a minimal stretching sensation, but nothing painful), and I’m working my way to push-ups and the like as best I can. It feels good to be a person again. Thank you for checking in, I hope your holidays are excellent!

[sebastiancroftupdates]

Sebastian Croft: ‘I feel so fortunate to be in 4000 Miles, and a responsibility not to fuck it up’

If things had been different, Sebastian Croft might have found himself sitting in the audience watching Eileen Atkins perform in a new production of 4000 Miles. Instead, he is in rehearsals to star in the revival of Amy Herzog’s play alongside one of UK theatre’s foremost acting dames.

“I’d booked to see 4000 Miles multiple times when it was going to be at London’s Old Vic,” he says. “I was so excited to watch it.”

Atkins had been due to star opposite Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet, directed by the Old Vic’s Matthew Warchus, but Covid-19 scuppered that production in 2020.

Now, the play has found a new revival – still with Atkins, but this time staged at Chichester Festival Theatre and directed by Richard Eyre.

Croft now finds himself taking on the role that had been earmarked for Chalamet. It was, he says, “a no-brainer” to agree to being involved. “I’d have sold my soul to be part of it.” 

Croft, 21, is one of the UK’s fastest-rising stars. Following his big break as the titular Dickensian orphan in Sam Mendes’ 2010 West End production of Oliver!, he has had starring roles in musicals Matilda and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, and taken on Shakespeare in King John. He’s been BAFTA-nominated for the film of Horrible Histories and acted in Game of Thrones. Most recently, he’s brought to life the manipulative, closeted Ben Hope in Netflix’s hugely popular version of Alice Oseman’s queer graphic-novel Heartstopper. His Twitter account is jokingly called the B*n H*pe Hate Club.

In 4000 Miles, Croft plays Leo, who arrives at 3am at his grandmother Vera’s (Atkins) apartment in New York’s West Village. He’s just completed a 4,000-mile bike ride from Washington State, during which time he’s suffered a terrible loss. Over a month, Herzog’s beautifully understated play charts the distance and the closeness of their fractious intergenerational relationship. They communicate across faded door labels, stories of failed marriages and Vera’s faltering memory. It’s a well-shaded portrait of family.

Croft and I speak early in rehearsals, over a sometimes erratic Zoom connection. (He smilingly references a scene in 4000 Miles where Leo can’t get FaceTime to work.) On why he likes the play, he says: “It’s gentle and quiet. It asks a lot of questions and doesn’t answer them, which I love.” He’s fascinated by the intergenerational dynamic of two people who are “both quite far left, but she’s an old-school lefty and he’s new wave. There’s a lot of difference in terms of what they think is acceptable and not acceptable”. He finds that a “way more interesting�� set-up than if it were just conservative versus liberal.

Croft’s enthusiasm for the people he’s working with is palpable. He’s been running lines with Atkins at her home and describes her as “a master of her craft”.

He adds: “It’s a really wonderful experience to spend this much time with someone who’s been part of British theatre for so long.” Croft says he has taken on board Atkins’ approach “to keep it simple, rather than doing a lot of academic work on who these people are”, to avoid “putting things into the characters that aren’t in the script”.

He’s taking as much as he can from Atkins and Eyre. “The stories they can tell – you just want to sit back and absorb it all,” he says. “I feel really fortunate to be playing this part – and a responsibility not to fuck it up.”

Croft has been acting since the age of seven. The transition from child star to adult actor has an infamously long and rocky history. How has he approached it?

“I was actually quite conscious of it,” he says, “because I love acting so much and was terrified that it would just disappear.” Alongside Game of Thrones, he credits playing Arthur in Trevor Nunn’s 2016 production of King John at the Rose Theatre in Kingston as a “stepping stone”.

“I got to lean into being an actor, rather than a ‘musical theatre kid’. ” That journey, he says, is far from over. “I’m grateful for all the experiences I’ve had until now, but I’m incredibly aware of how new I am to this.”

Croft is of a generation of actors who have also grown up in the spotlight of social media. He has 560,000 followers on Twitter. He admits he’s still “trying to figure out” his relationship with such platforms.

“Like a lot of things in life,” he says, “there are good and bad parts. I think finding the balance is something we’re all still getting used to.

“But feeling connected to the people watching what you’re making is a beautiful thing,” he says, smiling. And a series like Heartstopper, he adds, has a “lovely community of people that connect to it in a way they wouldn’t be able to without social media”. Since it debuted last year, he and his co-stars have also used Twitter to support LGBTQ+ causes.   

From talking animatedly about Michael Caine’s autobiography to keeping a running list of inspiring quotes on his phone, Croft’s love of acting pours off the screen. Yet he used to worry that being dyslexic would hold him back. “A lot of time in school, you’re made to feel stupid about it.”

Now, he subscribes to fellow dyslexic actor Josh O’Connor’s view, “that it adds quite a lot to you, as a creative”. Taking longer than some to read a play can mean “you get more out of it”, he elaborates. “Once I’ve got the characters and the emotional arc, I tend to find getting the lines, the world of it, easier.”

After a run of TV work, Croft is relishing being back on stage, particularly the room for exploration in the rehearsal period. “We rehearsed for Heartstopper,” he says, “but that’s quite rare for film or TV.”

“In theatre, you get the time to just sit with a play. You get a greater sense of your character’s journey and the building blocks that need to be in place to get there.” He’s looking forward to “finding a different flow or discovering something new” each night. He thinks that it’ll be like “an intense game of tennis”, acting opposite Atkins.

For Croft, it’s all about honing his craft. A play such as 4000 Miles “is a great opportunity to learn, to get better and hopefully lay foundations for the actor I want to become. And that’s exciting,” he says. “Yesterday, someone asked: ‘How was rehearsal?’ I said: ‘I can’t wait to be back again tomorrow.’ ”

[redladydeath]

Hi! Again, Sorry if I'm asking too many questions. I was just wondering if you had any reasons for the casting of the Seven AU. For example, why did Vicki get cast as Matilda?

At the time I came up with the idea, Grace, Courtney, Vicki, Mallory, and Nicole were the only swings to have debuted in Six and Collette and Shaka had just been announced to be joining the West End cast. I didn't really have much of an idea for my queens' physical appearances at the time, so I figured it would be easier to use various Six actresses as a basis. The swings just made the most sense to me: there were seven of them at the time and since none of them had been promoted to principals yet, none of them were associated with any particular Six queen, leaving them free to be used as peripheral characters.

I picked Vicki for Matilda because she was the most prominent Cleves alt at the time and Mattie's got a bit of a Cleves thing going on

I picked Mallory for Jane because I'd only seen pictures of her as Boleyn and hadn't heard her sing and thought she looked like she had a soft, innocent vibe. If I'd had known how mature Mal's voice actually is, maybe I would've reconsidered.

I picked Grace for Elizabeth because Grace was the OG super swing and it just seemed appropriate to cast the most important cast member as the most important queen.

I picked Courtney for Mary T because she was the last West End queen remaining and I felt it was important for Mary to be a WE queen. Plus, Courtney's combined reservedness and emotional vulnerability just work perfectly for Mary.

I don't remember why exactly I picked Nila for Mary S. I think, like Mal, I hadn't seen/heard her perform yet and I just got soft but mature vibes from her Aragon and Parr pictures.

Shaka and Collette as Anne and Victoria were shots in the dark as they hadn't even joined the show at the time. Shaka smiles in her headshot while Collette looks kinda mysterious, so I figured Shaka would work for Anne and Collette could be Victoria.

I don't really abide that strictly by my original casting anymore though. Over the past two years my queens have gone through a good deal of development and have taken on more of a personality of their own, detached from the actresses I based their designs off of. Also, a couple minor, but significant physical differences have developed: Mattie's taller and broader than Vicki, Jane's got a higher voice than Mallory, Maisey's way taller than Nila, Victoria's way shorter than Collette, etc.

If I had to recast them, I'd probably pick someone a bit more steely for Matilda, a bit more innocent for Jane, someone sweeter for Maisey, and someone more youthful and bratty for Victoria. I still vibe Grace and Courtney as Elizabeth and Mary though, and even though there's a bit of a disconnect between Shaka's persona/voice and Halsey's musical style, I can't imagine casting anyone else as Anne.

Here’s the original sketch of them in case you’re curious. Once you know that this was drawn before Shaka and Collette had debuted, you can kinda see how their designs were completely off in their own direction while everyone else’s are kinda reminiscent of their inspiration’s costumes.

[corinnebean]

This is a long story. It’s how Broadway saved a couple lives. Julian’s is Part 1, Part 2 is here.

In 2014 when my marriage ended, Broadway was shifting from an odd new show to bursting with new ideas reviving the industry and genre. I could write several essays on the symbiotic relationship to pop culture that developed by the evolving acceptance of LGBTQ+ communities in mainstream media. This is about how that relationship ties to the branching of new leaves—the springs. 

In 2015, I took Julian to New York with me. Julian had just lost living with family except for me. We were in a bustling three generation household with my parents, my brother with Down syndrome, my spouse at the time, Julian, and me. I was no longer hiding my bisexuality after my child asked me pointedly about whether I liked “only boys” around 2010. But I wasn’t out, either. Being married to “a boy” made it convenient to be closeted and out at the same time. I was starting to untangle what being Autistic was, which was more untangling what neurotypical people were doing that I wasn’t. 

I could’ve gone to New York alone but Julian became my satellite early in life. I used to travel alone, but Julian asked to join me in my adventures at 5 and the deal was it was my trip but as long as Julian didn’t disrupt my adventure, we would go together. Julian used to be afraid of escalators and would scream to be picked up and taken on them—I said London would only be doable if Julian could do escalators. Julian spent four months overcoming the fear to come with me. I haven’t been anywhere alone since. Most important about this trip was that I took Julian to Wicked on the West End and I watched theatre absorb into Julian. 

I booked New York the following year and with it two tickets to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I played the cast recording beforehand with Neil Patrick Harris and Julian had lots of questions. We were always open about gender and bodies, so nothing too difficult except the coffee spit take when J asked if we would see Hedwig having her penis removed on stage. “No.” For those who don’t know “why Hedwig?” Darren Criss from Glee happened to be doing his run while we were there. Julian was enamoured with him and I’m a sucker for kids to understand that actors are not their characters and are actual people with actual lives. 

I wanted to book lots of shows, Fun Home, Matilda, Lion King, even Finding Neverland were all “we will check when we get there.” Julian just became obsessed with Hedwig and we ended up going three times. Only Hedwig. I can still hear my mother on the other end of the call chastising me “It’s your trip, too!” My mom didn’t see Julian seeing Hedwig. My mom didn’t get to see who Hedwig was to Julian. It was a no brainer to go three times. Julian saw Julian. And I saw the last strand of me thinking Julian was a typical child. When we came back, I relinquished all the rules I held around gender which were not a long list by that point. Julian was free to present however Julian wanted to before. Which was bow ties, for those who don’t recall. When we came back, I was no longer purchasing from the “suggested for boys” department for clothing. Julian wouldn’t wear clothes that were drab, red, blue, green or orange. Julian was wearing pink as much as I could find before from the one department, but now it was pink, sequins, glitter, rainbows, sparkles. The hair grew out quickly. Julian joined theatre camps on every school break. Within two years of Julian seeing Hedwig, Julian came out to me as not being a boy and asked me to not use pronouns.

If Broadway can give me a happy child who was able to see and be themselves, Broadway has my respect for life.

I know way too much about video games I don’t play, shows I don’t watch, YouTube personalities that are names I probably couldn’t spell if I tried. I have actively listened to Julian always. Whether it is something that is genuinely interesting or not. So I have heard a lot of cast recordings and have taken J to a lot of shows. We eventually saw a production of Matilda and many others over the year outside of New York (support local theatre, too!). We have held a Tonys date since seeing Wicked, complete with the ballot guesses (Julian “wins” most of the time for predictions). 

I am also required to be the other cast of many a musical when we commute or have three hours where I don’t have to do anything else. Hamilton, for example, Julian memorized within a week. All parts. And would get annoyed if I sang the wrong character. This is my life that not many people get to see. These are the memories J gets to have when I am gone.

[erikahenningsen]

MGTMTM seems kinda surreal, but I guess Hairspray was like that. I also heard there were talks about doing the same thing with Matilda. So are you up for it? I guess it will depend on the cast (actually that's a lie, I'll prolly see it regardless because musical movies are my guilty pleasure). And do you think it would have cameos from any of the original movie cast members?

I mean it’s an obvious cash grab—which isn’t inherently bad, but I have very low expectations for the quality of this movie. It’s kind of an odd choice because the show has been doing well enough financially to stay open (and they recouped) but isn’t exactly making a shit-ton of money. It's just a little weird to me. Personally I’m not into this movie’s existence, but it’s great for the people who can’t see the Broadway show or the tour (or the upcoming West End production). However, I don’t think accessibility is the motive here, and I am very skeptical that this movie will be as lucrative as the producers hope. I guess I can’t say very much about it since the only movie musical I love is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which is the lowest-budget movie you’ll ever see in your life.

As for original movie cast members—I’m sure if Tina asked, most would do a cameo. 

[silenthillmutual]

what musical you should watch/listen to based on your fave Danganronpa 1/2 characters

the series in general: just watch Fame

Makoto Naegi: Singin’ in the Rain. watch it even if he isn’t your favorite.

Sayaka Maizono: Legally Blonde. please don’t ask me how many of these i’ve seen because it’s a shamefully small number but the music slaps and I can see her singing the songs from this one.

Leon Kuwata: Damn Yankees. yes, there’s baseball musical. Leon would probably hate it.

Mukuro Ikusaba: Wicked. “I’m Not That Girl” is very very her.

Chihiro Fujisaki: Annie

Mondo Oowada: West Side Story. you should watch this anyway, but you should especially watch this if you are mlm. 

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Fiddler On the Roof

Hifumi Yamada: i’m not sure if he’s even anyone’s favorite or what, really, would fit him so i just kinda wrote down Hairspray because of the body positivity

Celes Ludenberg: there were like four i considered but in the end i think Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street fits her best. 

Sakura Oogami: Aida (i’m thinking of the song “Fortune Favors the Brave”)

Aoi Asahina: Annie Get Your Gun

Toko Fukawa: Chicago

Byakuya Togami: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying which is, i assume, his life story (or at the very least sounds like a book he would write)

Kyouko Kirigiri: Kiss Me, Kate

Yasuhiro Hagakure: Bounce

Junko Enoshima: Heathers, naturally

Monokuma: dear god, why The Devil’s Carnival; it’s short and please for the love of god read the trigger warnings

Hajime Hinata: Company. he just gives me strong Bobby vibes.

Twogami: Merrily We Roll Along

Teruteru Hanamura: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

Mahiru Koizumi: Newsies (this is such a low grab but like)

Peko Pekoyama: Gigi

Hiyoko Saionji: Into the Woods. she has big Little Red Riding Hood vibes to me.

Ibuki Mioda: American Idiot. like it’s a punk rock opera what more do you want.

Mikan Tsumiki: Spring Awakening, no real good reason why but something about the tragedy of it all seems to fit her for me

Nekomaru Nidai: i don’t know. i really don’t. like i’m just gonna throw Oliver! out there.

Gundham Tanaka: again kinda bounced around with this one but I think at the end of the day the best one for him would be Little Shop of Horrors, which you should absolutely watch if you have not seen it already

Nagito Komaeda: Les Miserables and please don’t ask me why

Chiaki Nanami: Matilda

Kazuichi Souda: Be More Chill. it’s what he needs tbh

Sonia Nevermind: i was gonna be that basic bitch that said [redacted] until my friend reminded me that Assassins exists, and that’s far more Soniacore

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu: Guys & Dolls. that’s not even a fucking question that’s just his personality. bonus points to you if you watch the film version which is not nearly as good but has Frank Sinatra in it and you get to look at Marlon Brando for like two and a half hours

Akane Owari: My Fair Lady. she’s got eliza doolittle energies.

Monomi: something real freakin nerdy like School House Rock Live (yeah, that’s a thing, no, i don’t want to talk about it!)

[emboldens]

            “when I ask you about your first love i am always secretly hoping that you will say your own name. now, wouldn’t that be beautiful – to above else have a heart that was proud of itself.”

BASIC INFORMATION

Full name: Marlene McKinnon Pronunciation: Nickname(s): Mars, Mack, Lena Birthdate: 05/27/89 Age: 30 Zodiac: Gemini Gender: Female Pronouns: she/her Romantic orientation: Lesbian Sexual orientation: Lesbian Nationality: British Ethnicity: Japanese on her mother’s side, Irish and English on her father’s side Current location: London Living conditions: Living in the moment! 

BACKGROUND

Birthplace: London Hometown: Wiltshire, England Social Class: Middle, formerly upper Educational achievements: Graduated secondary school with honors Father:  Brian McKinnon was a smalltime character actor and BBC show runner infamous for his divisive, often politically incorrect dark comedies. Although his personality found popularity within the small niche of cynics and unsuccessful satirists, having his wife’s career overshadow his own tore away at his insecruties. These frustrations were never explicitly expressed, but glimmers of his envy more often than not took form through the mean-spirited “jokes” and the occasional arguments he subjected his wife and child to. He passed away in 2008 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He once claimed that his biggest dream was to play James Bond. Up until his death, this statement was believed to be part of his comedy routine. It was not. Mother:  Midori McKinnon (nee Iizuka) born into family of wealthy hotel owners who’d moved to London for better business prospects. Their wealth gave her access to the theatre world, where she slowly and steadily thrived, landing supporting roles in West End productions of Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and Jesus Christ Superstar, in addition to her occasional stints at the Globe Theatre. By her mid-to late thirties, her career made a breakthrough in Hollywood, where she gained international renown for her grace, beauty, and intelligence. However, the poise she carried herself with did not translate as well off-camera, as she was subject to bouts of deep melancholy, stemming from an allegedly troubled childhood, a dissatisfaction with her marriage and her later estrangement from her daughter, and a family history of mental illness. She took the world by surprise when she took her own life at the young age of 45. Today, her performance as Ophelia in a 1991 production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is considered legendary. Her biggest dream was also to play James Bond. Sibling(s): None Birth order: Only child Pets: Two cats, Vita and Virginia, and a St. Bernard named Samus Previous relationships: Alecto Carrow, TBD Arrests: 3 Prison time: None

OCCUPATION AND INCOME

Current occupation: Bar owner Dream occupation: Wife of a lesbian Alpaca breeder Past job(s): Prior to opening a bar, she was a saleslady at Lush. Spending habits: Mostly thrifty, but occasionally makes large transactions for things she sees as investments for her business. In debt?: Yes Most valuable possession: Sentimentally? Her copy of Matilda, which was the first novel she ever read.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Physical strength: Average  Speed: Average Intelligence: Above Average Accuracy: Average Agility: Average Stamina: Average Teamwork: Prefers to work alone, as her issues with authority mostly get in the way. Talents/hobbies: With over eleven years of vocal training and the fortune of having a musical actress for a mother, Marlene can sing surprisingly well, boasting a four-octave mezzo-soprano range. She doesn’t tell anyone about it, because she likes surprising people at karaoke nights. Shortcomings: Fears vulnerability and commitment, has a tendency to appear frivolous due to her cheeky demeanor, occasionally self-destructive Languages spoken: English, some Japanese. Drive?: Yes Jump-start a car?: No Change a flat tyre?: Yes Ride a bicycle?: Yes Swim?: Yes Play an instrument?: Yes Play chess?: No Braid hair?: Yes Tie a tie?: Yes. Pick a lock?: Yes Cook?: Debatable

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

Faceclaim: Sonoya Mizuno Eye colour: Brown Hair colour: Black Hair type/style/length: Long, sleek, and straight Glasses/contacts?: Yes Dominant hand: Left Height: 5′7 Weight: 56 kg Build: Lean and fit Exercise habits: Weekly gym visits, jogging regularly Skin tone: Fair Tattoos:  Butterfly with shadow ( Right shoulder, 2007 ), Moon cycle band ( Left arm, 2007 ), Velociraptor skull ( Right hand, 2008 ), Pterodactyl skeleton ( Chest, 2009 ), Apatosaurus skeleton ( Left leg, 2010 ), Spiderweb ( Elbow, 2010 ), Van Gogh skull smoking ( Collarbone, 2011 ), Floral sleeve ( Right arm, 2012 ), Floral design ( Neck, 2012 ), Marlene Dietrich smoking ( Right arm, 2013 ), Semicolon ( Left wrist, 2015 ), Band-aid ( Above the heart, 2016 ), “It’s chaos. Be kind.” ( Above the left elbow crease, 2016 ), The Star and The Moon tarot cards ( Left arm, 2017 ), Junji Ito comic panel ( Upper back, 2017 ), Phoenix ( Thigh, 2018 ) Piercings: Outer conch, labret, and brow Marks/scars: None Clothing style: Casual, monochromatic. Not a big fan of dresses or shorts. Allergies: None Diet: Mostly, but not exclusively vegetarian Physical ailments: TERRIBLE period cramps

PSYCHOLOGY

MBTI type: INFP - A (64% introverted, 66% intuiive, 57% feeling, 69% prospecting) Enneagram type: Type 9 Moral Alignment: Chaotic neutral Temperament: Sanguine Element: Water Emotional stability: Marlene appears to be stable on the surface, but her repressed feelings of guilt, anger and grief over her broken relationship with her mother still linger within, making her prone to bouts of extreme despondency. Introvert or Extrovert?: Introvert Obsession(s): The Leaky Bucket will know when Marlene is on her period because on the first two days, the pub’s radio will exclusively play a single female artist’s discography on repeat. Last month, it was Mitski. The month before, it was Regina Spektor. On a month she denies existed, it was Taylor Swift. Compulsion(s): Humor as a coping mechanism, repressing negative feelings, self-awareness without self-improvement Phobia(s): None Addiction(s): Nicotine Drug use: When she was younger Alcohol use: Occasionally Prone to violence?: No Prone to crying?: On her monthly cycle, yes. Believe in love at first sight?: Yes, but to her, this is very, very rare.

MANNERISMS

Accent: English, London dialect Speech quirks: None Hobbies: Casual video gaming, interior design, music curation Habits: Sitting on surfaces that aren’t meant to be sat on, smoking Nervous ticks: Lip biting, staring at the ground, blinking, diverting the subject with crass humor Drives/motivations: Maintaining her current lifestyle. Fears: Cockroaches Sense of humour?: Almost anything goes. Puns are her guilty pleasure, though she won’t admit it. Prefers subtle humor over loud, straightforward jokes, but either is fine. Enjoys vulgarity. Loves banter. Do they curse often?: Moderately.

FAVOURITES

Animal: Wolf Beverage: Bubble tea Book: Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Colour: Red Food: Pork dumplings Flower: Plumeria Gem: Emerald Mode of transportation: Train Scent: Petrichor Sport: Gymnastics Weather: Sunny & breezy Vacation destination: Reykjavík

ATTITUDES

Greatest dream: Slow life. She aspires for nothing more than a peaceful existence with a person who understands her and her values. Greatest fear: the Duolingo Owl Most at ease when: Curating playlists for the Leaky Bucket Least as ease when: Somebody ( namely, certain Black family cousins ) threatens the security of her bar. Worst possible thing that could happen: For the Order to dismantle, or lose their ideals Biggest achievement: The Leaky Bucket! Biggest regret: Not reaching out to her mother before it was too late.

[paradise-bi-the-dashboard-lightt]

for the musical asks 2 10 15 21 22 34 35 and 36, godd luck trying to decide ;)

2) list your top 10 favourite musicals

This order is always changing depended on what I’ve recently seen, current crushes and what mood I happen to be in. So this list is my top 10 but the order may not be all that accurate

1) Wicked

2) Bat Out of Hell

3) Heathers

4) Kinky Boots

5) Strictly Ballroom

6) Waitress

7) Rent

8) Hamilton

9) Matilda

10) We Will Rock You

10) favourite actor/actress in a musical

Right now it is Sharon Sexton currently playing Sloane in Bat Out of Hell, what that woman does on stage with her voice and the rest of her performance is just an experience. But I also really want to mention Natalie McQueen, she just seems like a lovely person with a big voice and I’ve met her twice.

15) favourite musical that needs to be revived

We Will Rock You. I need to see this live. I just feel that it is a show that needs to be experienced in person, I have listened to so many audios and watched the video so many times.

21) favourite musical that means a lot to you

Wicked. It is the first show I ever saw, I thought I would never get to experience a West End show and for that to be it was just amazing. I fell in love with the whole show and Elphaba. It will always be my favourite because of how much it means to me.

22) favourite musical to sing along to

Right now it is Bat Out of Hell. There is no better feeling than singing along to that soundtrack at the top of my lungs. Those songs were meant to be played loud and sung loud. They are just so fun and I love getting into character and acting really dramatic while singing them because no one in that show has any chill.

34) favourite child character from a musical

Matilda, I love what the musical has done with this character. Loved the book and the film and I feel that the musical did it really well.

35) favourite teenage character from a musical

Veronica Sawyer from Heathers. Seeing Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica made me appreciate this character even more.

36) favourite adult character from a musical

I’m torn between Elphaba and Sloane. My ultimate fave and my new fave. They couldn’t be any more different but I just love them both for different reasons. 

[beckettsthoughts]

Flower ask: narcissus, hydrangea, gladiolus, heather, ginger!

narcissus - your best physical feature?

This is a pretty hard question, because I have a few different options. Either my eyes or my smile, I’d guess, though I have a historically rocky relationship with the latter. I’ll leave this one up to you, I think, because I’m finding it hard to decide.

hydrangea - proudest moment?

Oh god, that’s got to be my move to university. It was easily the most daunting thing I’ve had to do and while it was exciting and positive, there were obviously going to be hardships. Not only was I living independently for the first time, but I was doing that over one-hundred miles and several-hundred pounds away from my friends, family, and partner. Despite the fact that the adjustment was a challenge, I really enjoyed my classes, my societies, and I settled in really well. Looking back, even just back as far as this evening- walking home from a society with my friends, joking about our work and singing along to butchered versions of our favourite songs, trying to make one friend laugh so hard she cried just by shouting the name of a story into the temperate night- there’s nothing I would change. 

gladiolus - who do you look up to most?

Either my mother or my partner, honestly. They’ve both achieved so much, work hard and cope with various difficulties in their lives, and yet they both come through it all with love and compassion. I admire that about them both. 

Pete Wentz is also an option, something I’ve spoken about before. A little less sentimental, yes, but when you consider what he’s overcome in terms of mental health and media harassment to be at the point he is today, so unabashedly himself, I cannot think of a single reason not to admire him. 

heather - what’s your favourite musical?

I have a slight hyperfixation bias on this one, but it’s Cats! 

Cats was one of my biggest hyperfixations during my early teens, and it’s something I still slip back into an obsession with whenever I hear the songs or watch my DVD. The songs are so unique and I adore the choreography, the way the cast have learnt to move in such a feline manner. I love the characters and the story as well, and I distinctly remember a time in my life where I would watch the 1998 recording multiple times a day.

Other musicals I love include Matilda, Hairspray and Wicked. I’ve seen all of those live, as well as Oliver!, The Sound of Music, and We Will Rock You. Of the musicals I’ve not yet seen live, my favourites are the aforementioned Cats, Chicago, and Cabaret. I really love the soundtracks of Heathers and Hamilton, the latter of which I one day hope to be able to see on the West End.

ginger - least favourite food?

Vinegar. Not to go into detail, but vinegar is the reason I have a phobia of sickness. There’s a story there, but it’s not one I enjoy telling and for the sake of my own wellbeing I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go into it. Just know that vinegar, be it the taste or even just the smell, is enough to make me leave a room. 

[xornwaswrong-blog]

Bootlegs!

I would love to trade, but I can gift if you’re new to the bootleg world. I did not film any of these. Please don’t try to “trade” YouTube videos with me. Also, respect NFT dates. If I forgot to include one, please message me nicely and I’ll put it up. Feel free to ask whatever questions you need to ask. If you’re only interested in VOBs, please ask if I have VOBs of what you want, because I have them for a lot of the shows I have, but it’s easier for me to access my mp4s and I may forget.

Abbreviations I use: OBC = Original Broadway Cast OOBC = Original Off Broadway Cast OBRC = Original Broadway Revival Cast NFT = Not For Trade

3 Musketeers with Aaron Tveit

9 to 5 OBC

13 OBC

1776 (1997 Cast)

21 Chump Street

25th Annual Puntnam County Spelling Bee OBC

A Bronx Tale

A Christmas Story OBC

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder OBC

Aida with Idina Menzel

A New Brain Original Cast

A New Brain Jonathan Groff

Annie Get Your Gun Bernadette Peters

Annie Get Your Gun Megan Hilty

Aladdin OBC

Altar Boyz

Annie OBRC

Anyone Can Whistle Patti Lupone, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald (Ravina production)

Anyone Can Whistle Donna Murphy, Raul Esparza and Sutton Foster (Encores Production)

Anything Goes with Stephanie J. Block

American Idiot Broadway

American Psycho OBC

Anastasia Hartford

Anastasia OBC (NFT until Nov. 1)

Avenue Q OBC

Bandstand OBC

Bare the Musical Off Broadway

Bat Boy Kerry Butler

Beauty and the Beast OBC

Blood Brothers 1989 Proshot

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Broadway

Book of Mormon OBC

Book of Mormon Nic Rouleau Ben Platt

Book of Mormon London Gavin Creel

Book of Mormon Workshop

Bridges of Madison County OBC

Bright Star Closing Night

Bring It On OBC

Cabaret 1987 (Joel Grey)

Cabaret (Raul Esparza)

Cabaret (Emma Stone)

Cabaret 2014 OBRC

Camelot Richard Burton and Christine Ebersole

Carousel 1994 (Audra McDonald)

Carousel Live from Lincoln Center (Kelli O’Hara, Jessie Mueller)

Carousel (Steven Pasquale Laura Osnes)

Carrie (Off-Broadway)

Catch Me If You Can OBC

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Broadway

Chess in Concert

Chicago OBRC (Ann Reinking, Bebe Newirth)

The Color Purple OBC

The Color Purple OBRC

The Color Purple with Heather Headley

Come From Away OBC

Company in Washington DC (John Barrowman, Alice Ripley)

Company Raul Esparza Proshot

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime OBC

Dear Evan Hansen OBC

Debbie Does Dallas Sherie Rene Scott

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels OBC

Dog Sees God OOBC

Dogfight OOBC

The Drowsy Chaperone with Bob Saget

Evita OBC (Patti Lupone)

Evita Tour (Raul Esparza)

End of the Rainbow with Tracie Bennet

Equus with Daniel Radcliffe

Falsettos OBC

Falsettos Mandy Patinkin

Falsettos OBRC (2 angles and the proshot rip)

The Frogs Nathan Lane

Fun Home OBC

Fun Home Tour Kate Schindle and Carly Gold

Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Nathan Lane revival)

Grey Gardens OBC

Groundhog Day OBC

Guys and Dolls 2009 Revival

Gypsy with Tyne Daly

Gypsy Bette Midler movie

Gypsy with Patti Lupone

Gypsy London proshot

Hair (Encores with Idina Menzel and Jesse Tyler Ferguson)

Hair Actors Benefit Concert (This cast is crazy awesome, PM me for details)

Hairspray OBC

Hairspray OBC conductor cam

Hairspray Aaron Tveit

Hairspray Andrew Rannells

Hairspray OLC

Hamilton OBC

Hamilton OCC

Hamilton Javier Munoz u/s

Hamilton Javier Munoz & Lexi Lawson u/s

Hamilton Act 1 Andrew Rannells

Hand to God (Jim Parsons and Sean Hayes)

Hands on a Hardbody

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Heathers (understudy Heather Chandler and JD)

Heathers Full OC (bad angle, bad filming, only Act 1)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Off Broadway proshot, JCM

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Andrew Rannells

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Darren Criss

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Jason Cameron Mitchel (Crate Show)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Taye Diggs

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Lena Hall as Hedwig

Hello Dolly Bette Midler OBRC

Hello Dolly Donna Murphy (NFT until October)

Honeymoon In Vegas

How To Succeed… Daniel Radcliffe

If/Then Jackie Burns

In The Heights OBC

In The Heights Krysta Rodriguez

In The Heights London (a LOT of understudies, though. PM me for details)

Into The Woods 2002 OBC Off-Broadway

Into The Woods Regent’s Park

Into The Woods (Amy Adams, Donna Murphy)

Into the Woods (Heather Headley, Rob McClure)

InTransit Broadway

Jersey Boys with Andrew Rannells

Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour proshot

The King and I Donna Murphy

The King and I Kelli O’Hara

The King and I Marin Mazzie

Kinky Boots OBC

Kinky Boots Brendon Urie (starts at Sex is in the Heel)

Kiss Me Kate Rachel York proshot

La Cage aux Folles (both revivals)

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill

The Last Five Years Norbert Leo Butz and Lauren Kennedy

The Last Five Years OOBC

The Last Five Years Betsy Wolfe Adam Kantor

The Last Five Years Katie Rose Clarke Adam Halpin

Legally Blonde OBC (proshot)

Les Miserables (Sutton Foster as Eponine)

Les Miserables (Drew Sarich as Valjean)

Les Miserables (Lea Salonga as Fantine)

Les Miserables (Kerry Ellis as Fantine)

Les Miserables 2011

Les Miserables Dallas

Les Miserables 2014 OBRC

Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert (proshot)

Lightning Thief Concert

Little Foxes (Laura Linney as Regina)

A Little Night Music Bernadette Peters

The Little Mermaid (Broadway, not out of town tryouts)

Little Shop of Horrors Florida Tryouts (Alice Ripley, Hunter Foster, Billy Porter)

Little Shop of Horrors OBC

Little Shop of Horrors Jake Gyllenhaal

Love Never Dies

Man of LaMancha (2002)

Matilda w/Lesli Margarita

Memphis OBC (proshot)

Merrily We Roll Along Raul Esparza

Merrily We Roll Along 2013

Miss Saigon Lea Salonga Will Chase

Miss Saigon London Revival (Proshot)

Miss Saigon London Revival (bootleg)

Miss Saigon Broadway Revival

The Music Man (Robert Sean Leonard and Rebecca Luker)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Revival Cast)

Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 OBC (two of them, one from December)

Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Scott Sangland

Newsies OBC

Newsies Jeremy Jordan Kara Lindsay (proshot)

Next To Normal OOBC

Next To Normal OBC

Next To Normal OBC (Matinee, VOBs)

Next To Normal 2nd Broadway Preview

Next To Normal Alice Ripley, Jennifer Damiano, & Brian D'Arcy James’ Final Performance

Next To Normal Jessica Phillips & Kyle Dean Massey

On Your Feet OBC 10/17/15

Once OBC

Once with Arthur Darville

Once Upon A Mattress OBRC (Sarah Jessica Parker)

Pacific Overtures OBC (proshot)

Pajama Game Kelli O'Hara Harry Connick Jr.

Parade in Concert (Jeremy Jordan and Laura Benanti)

Parade 2009 LA Production

Passion Patti Lupone 2005 (Lincoln Center)

Pippin Toronto (proshot)

Pippin 2013 OBRC

Pippin with Kyle Dean Massey and Ciara Rene

Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary (proshot)

Phantom of the Opera Norm Lewis and Sierra Bogress

The Pirate Queen OBC

The Prom World Premiere

The Producers OBC

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Ragtime OBC

Reefer Madness OOBC (Kristen Bell)

Rent OBC Opening Night

Rent 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert

Rent Closing Cast with Renee Elise Goldsberry (proshot)

Rent Hollywood Bowl

The Robber Bridegroom (Steven Pasquale)

Rocky OBC (Andy Karl)

Rocky Horror Show OBC (Daphne Rubin-Vega and Joan Jett) [yes, that Joan Jett]

Saved! (Aaron Tveit)

Scarlet Pimpernel

School of Rock OBC

Scotsboro Boys OBC

Secret Garden Concert

Seussical (Rosie O’Donnel)

Side Show OBC

Sister Act OBC

Shuffle Along OBC

Something Rotten OBC

Something Rotten Rob McClure

South Pacific Kelli O’Hara (bootleg)

SpongeBob Musical Chicago Tryout

Spring Awakening Krysta Rodriguez (PM me for details on the understudies)

Spring Awakening Deaf West

Streetcar Named Desire John C. Reilly and Natasha Richardson

Sunday in the Park with George OBRC (Jake Gyllenhaal & Annaleigh Ashford)

Sunset Boulevard 2017 (February 24th)

Sweeney Todd OBC

Sweeney Todd Angela Lansbury proshot

Sweeney Todd 2012 (Imelda Staunton Michael Ball)

Sweeney Todd Concert (Emma Thompson, Christian Borle)

Sweet Charity with Sutton Foster

tick… tick… BOOM OOBC

[title of show]

Thoroughly Modern Millie OBC

Twelfth Night (1998)

Urinetown OBC

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike OBC

Violet OBRC (Sutton Foster)

Waitress OBC

Waitress Sara Barellies

War Paint OCC

War Paint Broadway previews

We Will Rock You (Kerry Ellis)

The Wedding Singer OBC

West Side Story with Karen Olivo OBRC

Wicked OBC previews

Wicked OBC but Taye Diggs is Fiyero

Wicked Kristin Chenoweth’s Last

Wicked Shoshana Bean, Jennifer Laura Thompson, and Joey McIntyre

Wicked Idina’s “Last performance” Joey McIntyre’s last performance (Shoshana Bean, Jennifer Laura Thompson, and Joey McIntyre)

Wicked Julia Murney Broadway

Wicked Victoria Matlock

Wicked Megan Hilty’s Last Broadway Show with Eden

Wicked Eden Espinosa’s Last Broadway Show

Wicked Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty LA

Wicked Stephanie J. Block and Analeigh Ashford

Wicked Dee Roscoli

Wicked Willemijn Verkaik and Katie Rose Clarke

Wicked Mandy Gonzalez and Andy Karl

Wicked Lili Cooper and Kara Lindsay

Wicked Laurel Harris and Kara Lindsay

Wicked Kerry Ellis

Wicked Jackie Burns (no fly)

Wicked Jackie Burns 2010

Wicked Donna Vivino tour

Wicked Donna Vivino and Ali Mauzey

Wicked Rachel Tucker and Jonah Platt

Wicked Kara Lindsay and Jennifer DiNoia

The Wild Party Encores!

Wonderful Town Donna Murphy

Xanadu OBC

You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown Revival

I haven’t watched all of these yet, so I may have some cast details slightly wrong (understudies and the like). Please PM me for trading. Be sure to follow me.

Wants:

Avenue Q with Rob McClure

Any Carousel I don’t have

Evita with Eden Espinosa (ready to kill to get this)

Last Five Years with Samantha Barks (one of the only audio trades I will accept)

Any Last Five Years I don’t have

Les Mis in general

Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 w/ Oak and/or Ingrid Michaelson once the NFT date passes

Any Natasha Pierre…. I don’t have

Next to Normal Marin Mazzie

Any Rent that I don’t have (especially if it’s with Sherie Rene Scott)

She Loves Me in general (not the 2016 livestream)

Sunset Boulevard in general

Wicked with Susie Mathers

Wicked in general

And generally anything I don’t have

[stageandscreen]

Matilda Sakamoto and Derrick Belcham — A Dance Film Collaboration

By now, you have probably binge-watched all the good films on Netflix and Amazon Prime, and you think there's nothing left on TV. Well, I've got great news for you, Dance Camera West presents the 2020 Virtual Film Festival, streaming until June 1, on OVID.TV It's a festival of short dance films from all over the world. We are going to talk about one of the films from the creative team of Matilda Sakamoto, and Derrick Belcham called If I Sound Happy, That's Your Mistake. Matilda and Derrick both lived in New York City and knew each other's work, but they had never worked together. One night, Derrick was at the Ace Hotel and saw Matilda performing the staged version of If I Sound Happy, That's Your Mistake. He loved the piece and approached her about making it into a short film.

Derrick Belcham: I loved it. She was incredible. They cycled it twice, so I saw Matilda do it two times, and I thought it was really beautiful. We all stuck around and had drinks afterward. We were both pretty serious about it at the moment, and we just decided to pick a date to start filming, and we just stuck to the date. Matilda Sakamoto: He was a great initiator on making it happen, very active, it was perfect. Mark Gordon: What impressed you most about Matilda's work? Derrick Belcham: Matilda has all kinds of natural charm. That is for sure, and she's an incredible dancer, but beyond that, she has so much self-awareness, and she's such a natural clown. I've respected her pieces in film before this, and Matilda is totally charming. Matilda Sakamoto: Thank you. Mark Gordon: Who are some of the choreographers who have inspired you? Matilda Sakamoto: There are a lot of Israeli choreographers right now that I think are amazing, classic Ohad . There are the European choreographers like Marina Mascarell and Pina Bauch. There's a ton. I try not to actively think about them while I am choreographing because I don't want to accidentally take something, move for move from a choreographer, from something that I have seen because I watch them, and I admire so much. There are influences in my work all the time from different people that I love. I try not to be like this is this move, and that is from them so that I am hopefully not inadvertently copying them directly. Because then what's the point of me making stuff?  Mark Gordon: Matilda has a chameleon-like quality; she changes with each project. Whether it's playing a nun in a pop star's music video or rocking out in an Apple AirPods commercial, she brings a freshness and energy to the screen that makes you want to dance. Matilda Sakamoto: I'm not the most physically gifted person in the world. I can barely do a cartwheel, and I am not turning a million times or anything like that, but the part I've always really connected to with dance, and that people connect with me on, is the emotional side of it or the performance side of it. I don't ever try to think that I am putting something on, but I feel it from the inside and hope that it shows on the outside.  When I asked Matilda about her creative process, she told me that she doesn't overthink it. The creativity comes in the form of a feeling, a sensation emanating from her chest. Matilda Sakamoto: I feel like I second guess myself a lot in life, and I overthink a lot of things. I said earlier that dance, physically, is not always . I've had to work really hard at it. But creating is one of the things where it's definitely a process, and it's hard. The thing that I think I question myself the least on, in a very liberating way, which makes it very hard to write grants and applications, but it's kind of just like the moment where when is right, it feels right, and there's no questioning it. It feels like a very specific feeling in my chest when I know that something is right. It will be even just tiny tweaks until it's there. Even with Derrick, he made the first edit, and then I came over, and we tweaked it. And a lot of the edits were tiny tweaks, but then there was that moment when I went, oh yeah, this is it. It's like a very specific feeling that's very hard to say in words, and it's not coming from a brain place. I feel like it's coming from a chest place. And that's how kind of approach my work because it's the only time I allow myself not to overthink, second guess, and feel bad about something. If I Sound Happy, That's Your Mistake follows a young woman who feels disconnected from the world around her. She puts vulnerability aside in an attempt to connect with others but rejected she experiences a more profound sense of loneliness In a telling scene from the film, she stands awkwardly in front of several tv monitors displaying her image. She looks nervous, uncomfortable. She fidgets as she tries to fit in. Someone is watching, a man, but he is unresponsive, he walks aways. She grabs her headshots and desperately offers them to him. But He leaves, and she is left alone Matilda Sakamoto: This whole piece to me has a feeling of like I'm trying to be what I think you want me to be, but it doesn't work and then in general, that person to me, I have a character where I am someone who is trying so hard to be cool but they can't so that's why they can't sit still. They're constantly shifting to be comfortable with themselves, but it's just not possible. It's kind of like, by whoever is viewing you. For years Derrick Belcham shot music documentaries and videos, but when he started working dancers, his perspective of the craft of filmmaking changed, and the experience opened him up artistically.  Derrick Belcham: I filmed in music. I filmed live performances in music, traveled around the world, and worked with a film collective is the side of it that most resonates, but it's a business called La Blogothèque. They started a music documentation style called The Take Away Show. The Take Away Shows started at a time where it was very important to have a lot of artifice in your music videos. The sort of shine of things was very important. And so they took bands out into the street and made impromptu, improvisational music films, and that informs the way that I made pictures, and so I made a one-shot, one-take documentary, sort of living film, with musicians. The first time that I filmed with a dancer, it added this brand new, sort of this point of interest and collaboration. The first film that I made was with a New York dancer named Melanie Maar. We went to Central Park and the Gazebo. A man named Kenta Nagai played a Japanese guitar, and Melanie danced, and they had a set-piece. But I never filmed a dancer before and so the gravity of her moving her body and me positioning myself so that the dancer and musician could be in the frame in interesting ways, that completely changed the way I felt about this kind of, as it occurs, improvisational filmmaking.  Derrick would go on to collaborate with several dancers. One, in particular, was Emily Turndrip. They worked on a film called Otis Walks Into The Woods. It was a process he would later describe as improvizing towards connection. Derrick Belcham: Part of our process was to talk about theme and do some role building or find a location, something like the Philip Johnson glass house where is set. Then go and work with improv, improvisational filmmaking, improvisational dancing, the choreography kind of playing with the innate properties, like props at the location. And then basically editing as you go. Seeing what's working and then trying to move towards a greater whole in the moment. Then you know how to get your coverage, and then, by the end of the day, you have something in the can, and then we would sit and basically figure it out in the edit. For something like that because it was purely an improvisational film. With Matilda, it was a very, very refreshing change for me in that it satisfied something that had been lacking in a lot of the films I'd made over the years because they were, in some ways, strictly esthetic pieces. But with Matilda, I saw something, like an opportunity to actually engage narrative, which is something that can be rare in dance film. I can have the appearance of narrative and have no narrative.  Eventually, this idea of narrative film, dance, and music would come together, in Leonard Cohen, the story of Thanks for the Dance. Derrick Belcham: That was a production spearheaded by Christoph Adbrick, who's the CEO of La Blogothèque. That was his passion project. He put together everybody involved in that from Leslie Feist to Richard Reed Parry, so many amazing people were involved in that. I had the opportunity to bring Bobby Gene Smith and Marta Miller on to do what amounted to this artistic bookend to this production because the Cohen record in question was, his son and he had been working together in the last years of . And they did all of these studio sessions together. This record, which came out last year, all of these beautiful , takes. His son with all these artists to create what became Lenore Cohen's record. We interviewed everyone involved, and then the dance segment visual representation of Lenord through time. Bobby and Marta playing lovers of Lenord at different stages of life—remembering him. And so we put his fedora in the room and rented out this space. And just sort of riffed on the song. And that became the beginning and the end of this documentary.  Mark Gordon: What would you like an audience to go away with after they see If I Sound Happy, That's Your Mistake?  Matilda Sakamoto: I don't want to dictate the way anyone is supposed to feel about it. I hope that people come away after watching it or seeing it, that they feel something that they don't let themselves feel in everyday life. They let themselves feel it while they watch it, and then whatever that brings after, I hope it's something good or something they needed to deal with. Derrick Belcham: I want them to fall in love with Matilda Just a reminder you can catch If I Sound Happy, That's Your Mistake streaming until June 1 on OVID.TV.    Read the full article

[namaste-cna-blog]

Day 30

“We want Gorkhaland”

As a rule, I like to think of myself as fairly well informed (for a layman) about the goings-on of the world around me. For example, I read as much of the news as I can - if nothing else, it beats working but it still looks like I’m busy when I’m in the office - and I try to cultivate a broad range of interests (albeit none in any particular depth), mainly because I think Henry’s Cat was definitely onto something. Claire and I also spend quite a lot of our time talking about The Way Things Are, even if much of it is with our heads in our hands (see 2016), but this last week has reminded us in stark terms how narrow our aggregate view of human affairs is.

Soon after we arrived in Darjeeling, we heard about “the strike”. Matilda, the lady who runs the guest house where we chose to stay (Andy’s Guest House - where else?), seemed surprised even to have customers, because the tourist trade had apparently been unseasonably slow for months. Seeing our - now standard - “Confused European” faces, she elaborated and told us that the town had only recently come to the end of a 104-day general strike; in her view, quite possibly a world record, although Wikipedia has been less than helpful on this point. A local political party called the strike as part of their campaign to form a new state comprised of Darjeeling and the surrounding area - within the Republic of India but separate from West Bengal, of which it is currently part. As we learned more from Matilda and, later, Ameet, who worked at the trek operators we visited to organise a long walk in the countryside, we began to understand the depth of this issue. Even after visiting for just a couple of days we felt there was something different about Darjeeling, compared with our limited experience of other parts of India, and many of the locals confirmed this, citing notable cultural differences in language, history, ethnicity, etc. But, as so often in any serious political struggle, the public have borne much of the cost of the campaign to recognise these differences institutionally - during the strike, all work was strictly prohibited, thereby completely halting trade during peak season for both tourism and tea production, no-one was allowed to sell food or other essentials, and all education was suspended. The inevitable result has been a crippling of the local economy - merely an inconvenience, one might think, even if an enormous one, as people dug into their savings, travelled to nearby towns to get supplies, and did their best to live off the land for a while. We certainly thought as much, until we were told that the authorities had killed around a dozen people and injured more for breaking the strike. At this point we felt distinctly chilly. There isn’t the space here to get into the gritty details of how the situation got to this point or what the implications might be, but this has clearly been a rough year for people in Darjeeling. And while I have neither the knowledge nor the understanding to offer any valid opinion on the merits or otherwise of granting statehood to Gorkhaland (although it seems that much of the argument has been lost beneath political posturing and opportunism on all sides), something has gone very wrong when you start murdering the people on whose behalf you claim to be campaigning.

Into this environment we blithely wandered, and found Darjeeling to be probably the best place we have visited so far. It is calm, it is fascinating, it is cool (in both senses), it is extremely welcoming, and it has an actual, real-life pub - with beermats! Ameet at Adventures Unlimited quickly became a very useful person to know, and volunteered to take us on a day of sightseeing before we headed off on our trek. His infectious enthusiasm made it impossible to refuse, and made the tour an unforgettable experience, particularly our visit to the Tibetan Refugee Centre where we spoke to people engaged in various handicrafts and played CD Frisbee with about the cutest kid imaginable. The trek Ameet organised for us through the Singalila National Park was bloody brilliant, not to put too fine a point on it: we spent five days walking through the most achingly beautiful landscape you can imagine (within sight of the Himalaya), staying in tiny villages along the way where we witnessed the most epic sunsets and sunrises (so far), eating enough food and drinking enough tea to sink a battleship, and all in the company of the best guide we could have asked for - Tenzi’s love of the mountains, his knowledge of the local flora and fauna, and the fact that he seemed to know everyone from Maneybhanjyang to Ghorkey, made him just the guy to get us around in one piece.

And we barely have room to tell you about the evening we spent with Ameet and his mates, making momos (dumplings) at his flat, dancing to Nepali music, trying to explain a traditional Sunday roast, and hushing up so his friends could tell their dad on the phone that they’d definitely be home “soon” (while we were feeding them their very first taste of beer).

What a place. Go to Darjeeling, you won’t be disappointed.

Shithead score: Andy 103, Claire 90

Condition of cards: Lateral creasing on a significant minority

Spin class, Darjeeling

Sunrise (or possibly sunset), Sandakphu

Everest and a cow, Singalila

BEANZ!, Singalila

Kanchenjunga in pink, Singalila

Makin’ momos, Darjeeling

[danguy96]

Are you a fan of any underrated/not talked about much Broadway shows?

Well, now that you mention it, there are quite a few that I’m a fan of.

If you’ve followed me for some time, you’ll know that I’m a fan of Heathers the Musical, but I’ve also been getting into Be More Chill: the Musical, and I’ve been a fan of Reefer Madness: The Musical as well (which actually shares a lyricist with Heathers the Musical, believe it or not). 

I’ve also listened and even recently seen a college production of Urinetown, and I’ve also listened to the soundtrack and seen a bootleg of Groundhog Day: The Musical (it had a run in the West End, and it ran in New York for a while this year, and it’s a shame it got snubbed at the Tony’s, because it won “Best New Musical” at the Olivier Awards). I’m also a fan of Chaplin: The Musical as well, which also sadly got snubbed at the Tony’s.

There’s also the recent musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which, in my opinion, isn’t as great as Matilda the Musical was (another adaptation of Roald Dahl book), but still had it’s moments and was pretty fun, all things considered (and to answer the questions of those who are wishing to ask, I’ve listened to the soundtracks and seen bootlegs of both the London version and the retooled Broadway version, and while I like some things from the version, I sort of like the London one more, and I wish they didn’t stray as far as they did from that version when retooling it for Broadway). Also, and I hope you don’t think I’m shilling myself with this, but I sort of came up with my own sort of “dream retool” of the musical, which take elements from both versions, as well as adding elements of my own (I doubt my version is ever gonna be staged, but it’s just that I wish I could see a staging of it, just so I could see how my, for lack of a better term, “vision” would play out, and I hope that doesn’t make me sound too conceited). You may read it and tell me what you think of it, if you like.

Basically, I find that if a musical is less well-known, talked about as much, or not as big as other musicals, there’s less bullshit going around, and I can enjoy it more.