#broadway rants

[little-lovett]

there is SO much depth and beauty in the stories we hear in sweeney todd. a murderer who was once a doting father, so blind with hatred and anger towards the world that he couldn’t even see his own wife and daughter, staring him right in the face. a woman down on her luck and in love, trying so desperately to make a connection with a deeply broken and disturbed human. an unfortunately innocent and unknowing boy who ended up being the one who could sense the dark truth. a love at first sight that refused to die, even when torn apart by the disgusting perversion of a greedy abuser. sweeney todd is about all of these people, doing absolutely horrible things, all out of some form of love. that’s the beauty of sweeney todd. sweeney killed for a father and husband’s love. lovett baked real people with real lives into pies to maintain a shallow, lustful relationship she impossibly dreamed would bloom into true romance. turpin destroyed an innocent family because he could not contain his ‘love’ for a pretty woman and her daughter. toby slit a throat because his mother figure was all he had, and he loved her, simply and purely, as an innocent child loves a mother. their love is the purest of all in the story.

but my point is — yes, sweeney todd is about a murderer and his accomplice who cannibalizes and sells his victims. but it’s not. sweeney todd is about love. how love is even stronger and more dangerous than the deepest hate. it’s about how love can destroy people. this show is so beautifully, deeply, disgustingly human. and this dark, telling tale is somehow warped into some of the most gorgeous music to ever be written and made hilarious, lovable, and entertaining. musical theatre is truly magic. human nature is love and filth and greed. sweeney todd perfectly embodies both of these ideas.

[outsiderslore]

death’s at my door genuinely breaks my heart like wdym “i had no reason to live back in tulsa. sadness was all that i knew. i don’t believe in the death that you’re bringing, the reason i’m living is you.” umm what. bc johnny genuinely would do anything for ponyboy obviously INCLUDING k!lling someone for him. which is more then so many people can say about their friends. ponyboy was johnny’s family and it’s that aspect of their relationship that really hits me hard because they loved eachother more than anything.

[disintegratingtrees]

some people really need to learn about a little thing called ‘creative differences’. yes, I’m talking about you gatsby musical haters. look I love this musical to death but I also understand how different is from the source material. i did some thinking and I’m pretty positive it was to appeal to a larger audience and to speed up the story so it wasn’t a solid 4 hours. some people who dislike this production also hate on the wonderful cast, which I find ABSOLUTELY unacceptable and unnecessary. keep in mind that most of these hates are theater ‘experts’ or people who take things WAY too seriously. it just absolutely bothers me that some people taking time out of their day to hate on a literal musical that was made for nice fun and to bring back big broadway. some people really just need to grow up.

[highfalutin-son-of-a-gun]

do you ever just

wanna rant

but don’t wanna bother your friends

so you keep it to yourself

[spot-conlons-pimp-cane]

I wish we could get like a million newsies pro-shots so that i could see everyone who has ever played a newsie (incuding uksies cuz i havent seen it but i rlly wanna)

Like i adore Iain Young, but i also wanna see Aaron Albino

Same with Ben Cook and Ryan Bresslin (im sorry if i spelled his name wrong😕)

Like can we just have everyone who was in the newsies cast at any point do a proshot? Please and tha k you

[sondheim-girly]

Dear socs they could never make me ignore your complexity and treat u like one dimensional characters

[that-ari-blogger]

Iconic (Defying Gravity)

If you look up "iconic Broadway songs", you get lists upon lists of musical numbers, but there are a few constants. Beside One Day More from Les Misérables, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita, and Seasons Of Love from Rent, you will usually find Defying Gravity, from Wicked.

If you think about it, this is actually rather weird, right? The aforementioned songs are about preparing for death, dying, and looking back on life, respectively. Defying Gravity is about a witch deciding to fly. A story that is objectively fantastical (it depicts magic and flying monkeys in a place that definitely does not exist) stands next to stories of real-world history and events, and nobody bats an eyelid because... well... because it's just that good.

This is like a corgi winning a race fair and square against a ton of cheetahs.

I think it's worth examining just what Defying Gravity does to stand beside giants, and what story it is telling.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked)

Defying Gravity is a battle cry.

When you examine a piece of media, the first thing you need to understand is what it is that that piece of media is trying to achieve. For example, if you examine a commercial for toothpaste through the same lens as a commercial film, that commercial will fall short. Similarly, if you examine a song that is trying to get stuck in your head through a classical, technical lens, things get funky.

You can, of course, apply those different lenses if you want. That's the fun thing about art, there are few rules. But even then, you need to understand the purpose of the text.

Defying Gravity is a battle cry.

It is a song that calls to arms its listeners. It says to Oz that things will get better, if Elphaba has to tear down the world to make it so. And it tells the audience to get excited, because someone has just started shaking things up.

The song is a turning point in the musical. It is the end of act one, and it sets the trajectory of the second half of the story. It defines how the characters will behave going forwards. But also...

Defying Gravity is a breakup song.

I don't think the two are disconnected at all. Wicked is about reality and dreams colliding, and it follows the seeking of freedom. The twist is that for freedom, you have to give up your safety, and Glinda isn't prepared to do that, but Elphaba is.

This is a piece by @abd-illustrates (Youtube, Deviantart). Although I believe it's technically about No Good Deed, I feel it's relevant here and a spectacular feat of artistic merit that I had to put it in.

Wicked has been accused of queer bating by fans, and while I see that angle, I don't quite agree. I think that the romantic relationship between Glinda and Elphaba does happen, but the fact that it doesn't work is key to the story. They are doomed lovers, and this song is that breaking point.

What is more valuable to our protagonists? Autonomy or stability? Both characters pick different options, and that incompatibility tears them apart.

"Elphaba, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once? Instead of flying off the handle!

I hope you're happy

I hope you're happy now

I hope you're happy how

you've hurt your cause forever

I hope you think you're clever"

Glinda's perspective here is clear, she believes in the system she is a part of. She sees its flaws, but because they work for her, she sees them as strengths. And this is understandable, the system has only benefited her, so she is blind to its faults.

But understandable is not the same as agreeable, and I am inclined to follow Elphaba's logic here. The system is unjust, and directly in opposition to her goal of fairness and equality. She wants to make the world a better place, and now that the system's lies are revealed to her, she needs to take things in a different direction.

"I hope you're proud how you would grovel in submission

To feed your own ambition"

So, the sides are established, and this song serves as a battle of ideas. Both characters want their friend to join them, and its notable how they go about doing that.

Glinda falls on aspiration and references a previous song to get her point across.

"You can still be with the wizard

What you've worked and waited for

You can have all you ever wanted"

I feel the need to point out that Glinda wasn't present when Elphaba sang The Wizard and I, and yet she matches the tune and meaning almost perfectly. Elphaba hasn't merely told Glinda her dream, she has shared her dream with her, and confided in her that incredibly vulnerable side of herself.

Elphaba acted so differently in The Wizard and I than in the rest of the story, she was less guarded, and more childish with that naive hope that she holds onto throughout the entirety of the show. That hope just becomes less naive and more relentless.

Elphaba has shared that naivety and hope and whimsicality with Glinda, and it's that relationship that Glinda is calling on now. Remember us, remember our dream.

However, for all Glinda's canniness and understanding of the world, she doesn't understand people, and she doesn't understand Elphaba.

Elphaba wanted to meet the wizard for a reason. She had a motive behind her dream that superseded the specifics of how it would play out.

"But I don't want it

No, I can't want it anymore"

Notice the vernacular that Elphaba uses. She can't want to be with the wizard. In her mind, doing the right thing isn't a choice. To Elphaba, good is a force that has pushed her to where she is right now, and forced her to sing this song.

Essentially, Elphaba is a paragon hero and is actively unmaking the grey morality of the setting. Often in media, "realism" is shorthand for everyone being either selfish or misunderstood. It's a pessimistic worldview of life that I don't entirely agree with.

That does happen in real life, don't get me wrong. The vast majority of the world is made up of people who are capable of actions that are good, bad, or neither.

But there are people out there who are truly cruel and evil, trust me, I've met some of them. But I've also met their opposite, people who are kind and compassionate and do what they think is right because to them, there isn't another option.

Elphaba is that second type of person, and the musical has got its audience to take this for granted at this point. But it's worth remembering that this character is the Wicked Witch of the West, the cartoon bad guy of an iconic work of literature. The musical hasn't made her more morally nuanced; it has made the world more nuanced, and that has reframed this character entirely.

The song even reminds the audience of this fact through the ensemble, just to make the juxtaposition more obvious.

"Look at her! She's wicked, get her.

No one mourns the wicked! So we've got to bring her

Down"

This is actually foreshadowing for a later song.

Back to this part, the backing of the song has spent the majority of its run time playing elaborate movements, but for Galinda and Elphaba's talk about dreams, it simplifies. Galinda gets a bare trickle of that floaty harmony, but Elphaba gets next to nothing for her line. Mostly.

This, combined with the slowing down effect brought on by the fermata (the symbol that looks like an eye), gives the conversation an intimate tone. The two have just each other to hear, and nothing to get in the way. It also frames Elphaba's line as reassurance. There is a storm coming and she is telling her girlfriend that things are going to work out ok in the end.

However, the big chords come back in on the "anymore" and lead into the key change that covers the rest of the song. This is a metaphor for the change that is happening in Elphaba's mind. As she makes her decision on how to proceed, and recognises that things are now different, the slow build up to this song's finale is finally got underway.

The rest of this song is just a build up to a final crash of sound. It rises in a few beats with the choruses, as Elphaba tests her wings, so to speak. And the song gains momentum slowly as more instruments are added.

If you thought I wasn't going to at least reference Glee's multiple performances of this song and how in that series, Defying Gravity is explicitly synonymous with queerness and pride, welcome to the blog. I make analysis posts, maybe stick around if you like this kind of thing.

"Too late for second guessing,

too late to go back to sleep"

There are two separate ideas being intertwined here. First up is the reiteration of Elphaba's inability to stop. Once again, she is doing the right thing because someone has to do it, and soon it will be too late. But the duality of this phase links that idea with the revelation about Oz. She can't go back to sleep, she can't go back to ignorance. Now that she knows what she knows, she has to act.

"Too long I've been afraid of

Losing love I guess I've lost.

Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost."

This isn't particularly complex storytelling, but it's effective none the less. Elphaba is saying her realisations out loud to keep the audience up to speed. In this instance, she has been chasing acceptance, and now understands that she was never going to get it from Oz, and that what she would have to do to obtain a facade of understanding is not worth it.

The fact that my analysis of that phrase is just saying it again but slightly differently is a pretty good example of how effective the storytelling in the line is.

"I'd sooner buy defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity

And you can't pull me down"

The first chorus of this song is remarkably understated. It doesn't have the confidence of latter verses, and I will discuss why I think that is in a moment. The orchestra pulls back to a few instruments, and the drum plays a light rhythm on one of its... ok I my musical knowledge is a bit limited here. The bit of the drum that goes "tss tss tss", you know the one.

This gives it a light feeling that adds to the unsteady feeling of the chorus as Elphaba tests the waters and learns to fly. But she needs guidance, and support, and who does she turn to for that?

"Glinda, come with me."

This is the first time Elphaba has been thinking on the spot. Usually, she thinks everything through before she says it, but now she is running entirely on a single train of thought. I cannot stress enough how this thought process is literally: "love, kiss goodbye, Glinda". Historians will say they were close friends.

A leitmotif is a recurring musical phrase that represents a certain theme. For example, earlier in the musical, Galinda's "you deserve each other" musical phrase was repeated to show false relationships and false promises, and was also used in The Wizard and I to foreshadow the false promise of the Wizard and his gifts.

The Unlimited Leitmotif is used exclusively to symbolise Elphaba and Glinda's relationship. You can read that as platonic if you want, but there are some context clues that I would argue suggest otherwise. For example, it's called the "Unlimited" leitmotif for a reason.

As I have kept harping on about, the most valuable thing a person can achieve in this musical is freedom. This is a song about defying the laws of physics themselves. And the thing that Elphaba is offering Glinda here, the thing that is so defining for their relationship that it is literally the shorthand for it, is complete and total freedom.

Together, the two are unlimited.

The second chorus is sung together. Glinda gives Elphaba the strength of spirit to continue and is quite literally the reason she can fly in the first place.

But Glinda doesn't want that. She wants to feel in control of herself more than autonomy, and that's why the relationship falls apart. The two are doomed lovers, and it's not because one of them lies or cheats or any of that soap opera nonsense, but because they want different things out of life.

"Well, are you coming?"

"I hope you're happy

Now that you're choosing this"

"You, too

I hope it brings you bliss"

All in all, I think this breakup goes remarkably well. The two realise that their lives are taking each of them in a direction that the other cannot follow, and so they offer their goodbyes peacefully and get ready for the finale of this act.

Glinda even gives Elphaba a cloak to protect her from the elements as a final goodbye gift. Which, if you are keeping track, means that both the hat and the cloak, the Wicked Witch's most iconic visual elements besides her skin, were gifts from a very close friend.

I don't need to explain why the final chorus of this song is so good, do I? The music is phenomenal, the vocal performance is unrivaled, and it outright says half of the points I have been trying to make in this post.

I do think that the sheer skill on display here is important for the theming as well. Yes, the high note symbolises the flight and escape, yes it's synonymous with rising above petty grievances, and yes the rising is literally a reverse Deus Ex Machina. But it's also just the actress who plays Elphaba showing off and having a blast. There are no limits on her vocal performance, she doesn't have to rein in anything, and she can instead belt out a number as loud and powerfully as she wants because nobody is stopping her.

"As someone told me lately,

Everyone deserves a chance to fly"

This is a reference to something that the Wizard said to Elphaba, but when he said it, he was completely talking out of his arse. The Wizard, and a significant portion of Oz as a whole, parade around saying nebulously benevolent things, but they don't actually mean it. The Wizard has created a nation based around surveillance and oppression, there is no way that he believes in everyone getting a fair go.

The important thing to understand is that the Wizard's worldview is wrong. Everyone does deserve fairness. So his lie to appease Elphaba was in fact true. Elphaba's role in this is making that lie into a reality, by giving the people someone who will say things honestly and try to actually make the world a better place.

Finally, however, as the lights prepare to shut off and Elphaba rises into the distance. Glinda stands beneath her, looking up. She is now just another face in the crowd, but her sentiment stands in stark contrast to the rest of Oz.

Simultaneously, Glinda says goodbye, and wishes Elphaba good luck on the road ahead.

"I hope you're happy."

Final Thoughts

It needs to be understood that part of why Defying Gravity stands beside historical giants like Don't Cry For Me Argentina is the fact that it is fantastical.

Wicked is a musical about the relentlessness of hope. It is set in a world where anything is possible, and it brings that to life. Through the application of some truly impressive stagecraft, the actress who plays Elphaba genuinely flies for all to see.

This is a story that takes the impossible and makes it possible, and this is the song which cemented that theme in the minds of anyone who watched it. This song fully deserves its place as my second favourite in this musical.

That's right, my favourite is yet to come, and I'm enjoying watching y'all guess at what it is in the replies.

Next week, I will be looking at Thank Goodness and how it sets up the plot of the second act. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[goddess-lauvers]

K Howard: just finished the most saddening and heartbreaking song ever

Also K Howard: Anyways…. All I wanna do!

HOMEGIRL. YOU CANT JUST DROP THIS SONG ON US, THEN MAKE A JOKE ABOUT IT .. anyway i <3 katheryn howard

[wwaddless]

thinking about the two (professional) versions of rent that i watched and how one had Angel stay in her normal attire after her death and how the other put her in a suit.

like?? the symbolism of her being buried in a suit, because of course she would've been the 80s/90s were incredibly homophobic no drag queen being buried near a church would've been allowed to be in drag. or her favorite dress/skirt/outfit. she would've been placed in a suit because she's a man and there would be nothing anyone could do about it without potentially outing themselves and being put in danger (even if they are just an ally).

so, if she's buried in a suit no wonder she would appear in the suit as a ghost/angel/whatever she was haha. those are the clothes she's resting in so those are the ones she appears in forever, even if she doesn't like it. it's a reflection of how uncaring the 80s/90s were to queer people going through the AIDS crisis. nobody cared if they died because they were just those fucking queers

on the opposite side of that, appearing in her normal attire would be closer to how people who loved her remember her. they wouldn't remember angel wearing a suit, because that wasn't her preferred attire. that wasn't who she was and despite the rest of the world hating her for merely existing as herself, the ones who loved her and knew her refused to see her in a light she was forceable put in.

it also goes to show how even if they buried her in a suit, taking away her identity, nobody could really change her. angel was herself through and through regardless of how much the world wanted to change her. she died because of her identity but they still couldn't rip it from her dead hands.

anyways thinking about rent. sorry for the ramble-y post i just cannot stop thinking about it lol

[silly-little-gooses]

I did my research on what people thought were overrated musicals, so I wanted to do a study of my own.

[follow-the-ghostlight]

The way I have studied this musical since 2016 and have made it one of my longest standing hyperfixations is worrying, because I swear on my rare musical merch I have so many opinions and so many words. I love this musical so much that I plan to audition for a show a company 2 hours away from me is putting on. That is the closest I have ever gotten to being in or seeing this musical.

I have also convinced myself that the musical imploded cause of horrible casting decisions, because, like, HOW CAN YOU GO FROM MULTIPLE AWARDS AND BREAKING RECORDS TO NOW NOBODY’S EVER HEARD OF IT. More people have heard of WAY more niche musicals and it’s baffling to me. WHY oh WHYYY did they have to make the TV special that ALL OF AMERICA COULD SEE be the one with Hasselhoff. Why. Why did he have to be the one. To be frank, he sucks ass as this lead. Like, he’s maybe ok at singing, his acting is cheesy and hammy, and he is just absolutely not fit for that role at all. He’d do fine in an ensemble, but not the lead. He cannot bounce between tenor and baritone effectively, he does not sound or look like a different person when he “changes”, unlike Cuccioli and Warlow, his vibrato is out of control… I could keep going, but I won’t unless someone wants to hear it in dm or something lol.

And with the revival??? Why did they have to change the aesthetic??? Why did they have to make it over sexualized AND steampunk?? IT’S A GOTHIC MUSICAL!! IT IS NOT A PUNK ROCK CONCERT!! IT IS IN THE EXTENDED TITLE!!! I could go on forever about this. I am so mentally ill. I wrote a 4000+ word, 10-page, cited paper for fun about how it could be properly revived for broadway and although some of my thoughts and ideas have changed, I will definitely die on quite a few hills with the opinions I have. I’ll likely rewrite that paper over the summer or even make a video on YT discussing it, cause I wanted to make a Jekyll & Hyde iceberg video anyway. In any case, thanks for listening to my TED talk.

[little-lovett]

i adore sweenett not in the way that i think they actually love eachother and are a healthy couple at all. i just love them bc they are so silly and evil and trust eachother so deeply and rely on eachother and they were truly all the other one had. sweeney and mrs lovett are two very lonely people who found friendship and connection in eachother. their relationship is so full of longing and hurt and the attraction between them is there and it’s strong but the pain they are both experiencing is stronger. they were so close. they were almost almost almost there. sweenett is infuriating and beautiful and that’s why i love it. i don’t believe they loved eachother. i think they were a little in love with eachother, but only on the surface level. you cant deny sweeney loved her just a little bit. he’s got this woman at his feet, beautiful and enticing and loving, albeit extremely strange, annoying, and morally bankrupt. being without affection or a woman’s comfort for 15 years, of course sweeney found her feelings for him both frightening and tempting. mrs. lovett, on the other hand, is completely infatuated with him, refusing to acknowledge his flaws. she’s a widow and a hopeless romantic. sweeney was all she had. she was all he had. they did good business and had so much fun while it lasted before all the secrets poured out and they killed eachother. it was silly and scary and sad. i love sweenett — not exactly as a couple, but as a pair. a couple that almost happened and most definitely never should have happened. nellie lovett and sweeney todd: twin flames from hell

[tom-the-queer-artist]

~In defense of Hamilton~

So I hear a lot of people say that Hamilton is overrated.

And I'm gonna say it right off the bat, Yes. It is.

But you know WHY so many people liked Hamilton?

Did you ever think that it was because IT'S GOOD?

Yeah. So Hamilton is not my favorite musical, but it is one that I cherish very dearly, it is my 8th favorite musical.

I think Hamilton is very good show, with catchy music, good sets and actors, etc.

So I believe it doesn't deserve to get hated on just because people really enjoyed it.

thank u for coming to my ted talk

reblog if you think that Yorktown still slaps after 7 years because I do

[ender-of-the-sender]

GUYS PLEASE HELP

IM GOING TO LONDON IN 3 WEEKS AND I NEED TO KNOW WHAT SHOW I SHOULD SEE. I CANNOT DECIDE

IVE NEVER BEEN TO LONDON AND IVE NEVER SEEN A BROADWAY SHOW SO PLEASE HELP ME

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Literally not a single soul asked for more information about my idea for a Florence + the Machine jukebox musical of Shakespeare’s Othello (because, well, why would they?) but I have a lot of time on my hands so buckle up because you’re getting more information

(If you want to be able to better picture my mad rambling, I'd recommend playing the songs so you know what parts I'm referring to)

Opening number: 100 Years (from High As Hope)

We open on an almost empty stage with Desdemona slowly stepping into the spotlight as she sings the first few lines (I believe in you and in/our hearts we know the truth/And I believe in love and the/darker it gets the more I do); if we want to get super specific she’s wearing a white dress that’s a similar shape to the one Florence wears on the album art because just yes yes yes and also angel imagery for the win and ALSO over the course of the production her dress becomes pale pink or grey and then very gradually gets darker but in fact the nightdress she wears when she dies is back to white again. She does not bleed, people, she is the only character that dies without bleeding (!!!!!!!) and I will never shut up about that. Anyway, she sings up to the repetition of “and never, and never turn to night” with orchestral accompaniment and then when the “Then it’s just too much” line hits and the beat comes in things change. More lights come on and the chorus (wearing all black) move slowly into the stage; they’re tap dancing, creating the beat/ rhythm of the song. As they’re moving in Desdemona seems to show some level of fear towards them, constantly switching focus to see them approaching her on all sides; they represent the inescapability of her being the tragic hero. Notable: Desdemona is performing ballet and maybe some lyrical but I’m kind of imagining her en pointe for a lot of this; the chorus is performing tap. At natural breaks in the music and rhythm the tap dancers freeze in place for Desdemona to dance whilst she sings the next lines. On the second rendition of “then it’s just too much” vocal accompaniment to Desdemona’s melody begins and members of the chorus grab Desdemona’s shoulders and arms to pull her backwards, as she continues to sing she tries to break away from them and they follow her/she falls into other chorus members. They close in on her and she is completely covered until the rise in the music on the next rendition of “And then it’s just too much” when she reaches upwards and is lifted above the group, set down on the same line. The chorus continue to seemingly fight her through the next two lines. Then entrance of Othello comes on “I let him sleep, and as he does”. He does not sing yet. What we’re seeing here is more about Desdemona’s thoughts than it is actual events; Othello enters and takes Desdemona’s hand to briefly dance together, including him lowering her almost to the floor and then snatching her back to her feet again on “my heart bends and breaks so many, many times”. They stand opposite each other for “And is born again with each sunrise” and Desdemona reaches to touch his cheek. Othello catches her hand in the air and holds it so she walks with him as he begins to exit (he is walking backwards) and he sings the repeat of the line, but as they approach the wing he turns and exits alone, abandoning Desdemona on stage to be taken hold of by the chorus again in the following instrumental. For the final verse the chorus join Desdemona in singing but she is still the only main character on stage

Othello and Desdemona Duet: I’m Not Calling You A Liar (I should mention I’m not listing these in any particular order and also I do not have a copy of Othello with me rn to double check that I've got order right so I won't be trying just in case I get mixed up)

Gonna be so honest I feel like if you know the song then this one is self-explanatory, but I would also really love a quiet, sad, short reprise of it in the last scene with Desdemona on the bed reaching up to cup Othello's cheek and whispering "And I love you so much/I'm gonna let you kill me" before she dies

Emilia and Iago Duet: Back In Town

Iago and Emilia are alone on stage. The song begins after the exit of Desdemona at stage left and Emilia, who followed her almost to the wings, is subsequently standing alone at down or centre stage left and does not immediately know that Iago is standing somewhere behind her upstage right. Emilia steps slowly away from where she was been watching Desdemona leave and slowly starts to approach the audience as the music begins, and sings the first two lines believing she is still alone - Never really been alive before/I always lived in my head. Iago steps forward from the shadows and sings the next two lines (And sometimes it was easier/Hungover and half dead) taking Emilia by surprise, as though he is simply stating fact to her and she is forced to nod along and accept them . At this point Iago takes over the song and from now on sings most of it as a solo. He approaches Emilia across the stage and takes hold of her - notably by the wrist, not by the hand, to pull her in as he sings “I’m back in town why don’t we go out?” and on “spin” of the next line twirls her across the stage and straight into him so she falls against his chest and he is holding her up. The choreography continues in a relatively similar fashion as the song goes on; it is a slow dance, they are constantly close together, it is not entirely believable that Emilia wants to be there. To a casual eye it may appear that they are simply dancing together, but when you actually watch them you can see that her movements are always half a beat behind his, and always in the direction that he moves her. He never lets go of her for long, and in the brief moments of freedom that she catches she tries to move away as though it is part of the dance, as though she thinks she can hide her true intent beneath fluid motions that mimic his own, but every time he notices and forces her back. This is both a metaphor for their entire relationship and foreshadowing of her death. By the time he’s sing “And if you get spat on that’s just your big city baptism, you’re the star of the show” it is plainly evident that he is trying to convince her to do something for him. On this line Emilia finds herself with her back pressed against Iago’s chest as they both face out to the audience, his hand raised as though showing her a name is glowing lights, and she follows the movement of his hand with her head and with awe, eagerness, and the slightest edge of terror in her eyes. From here, as the lines continue, Iago turns and dips her slowly towards the floor. Emilia’s leg extends and he reaches his free arm to force her raised foot into pointe/demipointe; she is not committed to this dance, but he will force her to be. On the final lines Iago lifts her back to standing and pulls her close to him, moving her hands so she is clasping them together and he is clasping hers to his chest. He lifts her chin with his fingers so she is forced to look up at him as he sings “‘cause it’s always the same”. Still holding her chin, he looks out to the audience when he sings “I came for the pleasure but I stayed,” and it is Emilia who sings the echo “Yes, I stayed,” not at first looking at the audience but directly up to where his hand is now retracting from where he moved her to. She slowly turns her face towards the audience as they harmonise together for the final words: For the pain. On the final, low beats of the music Iago paces away and Emilia stumbles as she realises that he truly was the only thing holding her up. He exits stage right and Emilia sinks to her knees, watching him - a direct reflection of her watching Desdemona leave just three or four minutes ago on the other side.

Emilia Song 1: What Kind of Man

This will immediately follow on from the one above, thus beginning with Emilia knelt on the stage alone somewhere near centrestage right, looking out into the wings. She will sing the very opening lines exactly where she is, I envision only a very brief pause between these songs, and then slowly begin to stand and brush herself off so that she is ready to start walking towards centrestage by the time she is singing “I’d already had a sip, so I reasoned I was drunk enough to deal with it”. She sings alone at first; the stage is dark but for a spotlight on her, the orchestral accompaniment is relatively low to add emphasis to quite how complete her loneliness is in this moment - she is not safe, she does not know what to do, and the one person she can usually confide in and trust (Desdemona) is not only not here but also the very subject of the terrifying questions Emilia must now grapple with. On the higher background notes surrounding the line “and with one kiss” Emilia raises her hands and thrusts them towards her chest as though there is a blade between them, as though these hands belong to someone other than herself. She is both foreshadowing her own death with this movement, in the very pattern that her husband will commit it, and also presenting the image of her very first kiss with Iago being the thing that sealed her fate rather than anything within the content of the play: Emilia was doomed from the start, perhaps arguably doomed by the narrative, because her marriage is not one that she would have ever been able to survive. On that note I would really like to emphasise the youth of these characters so I would probably change “a fire of devotion that lasted 20 years” to “the fire of devotion that’s lasted all these years” so that we don’t get confused and tangled in the numbers of it. On this line (You inspired the fire of devotion/That’s lasted all these years) Emilia looks towards the wing where Iago exited with longing in her expression, but as she turns away her face hardens and her voice gains new vigour for the disgust and outrage with which she spits “What kind of man loves like this?”. And now we get the beat dropppppp. The music swells and gets louder; the lighting change is remarkable - lines spotlights running up and down stage, overlapping each other in places, and through them we can see the chorus moving into place. The slow, balletic movements of Emilia that have been the remnants of the control Iago instilled in her during Back In Town are abandoned completely in favour Contemporary as she paces backwards and the lights settle to illuminate the entire stage. The chorus are two lines of people all in black and Emilia, dressed in either red or grey I haven’t quite decided yet (maybe she is in grey and Bianca is in red??), is at the centre of the front line. The take up various positions with arms raised at strange angles and on the low notes of the background music turn their wrists until the beat hits - when they stamp their feet and snap their wrists into position. (Pls note I am not looking a score of anything I’m just listening to spotify so I might be badly screwing up musical terminology/details but I’m hoping you can gather which parts I mean) All participate in this until the lyrics begin. The “oohs” are sung by the chorus. When the lyrics begin Emilia steps forward to sing them, maintaining the same energy, and the chorus continue the same choreography until the repetition of “What kind of man” begins. As the repetition of these lines begins Emilia paces backwards and the two lines of chorus morph into a crowd that semi-circle close around her back. They grab Emilia on each beat, releasing her in between, and pull her in different directions as she sings (+the chorus are providing vocal accompaniment).At first it doesn’t particularly appear that she’s fighting them but as we exit the chorus to approach “You’re a holy fool all coloured blue” she does; she throws herself forwards on this line and the chorus are forced to relinquish her. She spreads her arms and the chorus are thrown backwards

Damn I just reached text block maximum whoops

The chorus are thrown backwards and spiral out to create a larger curve. Two chorus members take hold of Emilia’s arms to lift her and carry her a short distance upstage as she sings, raising and lowering her within the confines of the line “You do such damage how do you manage?” At the end of which Emilia is briefly lost in the crowd before she appears trying to force her way between two chorus members who are creating a wall in front of her, reaching out towards the audience as she sings “trynna crawl in back for more”. She gives in at the end of this line and sways sidewards as though fainting, caught by chorus members and lowered to her knees as she sings the repetition of the “and with one kiss” refrain. This time she remains on her knees for the first “What kind of man loves like this?” and then bound to her feet and continues to dance for the following. The chorus sing the following lines as Emilia dances I don’t have super specific moves in mind for this but continuing the same energy and the same style, I want everything about this to both vastly contrast and deeply reflect who she was in the previous song. Emilia begins to sing again for “But I can’t beat you/Cause I’m still with you” and the following verse, for which the chorus continue to provide vocal accompaniment. The chorus join her again when the What Kind Of Man chorus begins again. The dance and choreography continue in a similar fashion until the very last line; the chorus exit in a whirlwind and leave Emilia alone on stage as the music dies down to sing much quieter “What kind of man?” She has fallen still, her hands clutched closer to her stomach as though she is already holding the wound that will kill her

Ensemble song with Othello and other solos (maybe even to close act 1??): Howl

Starts with the stage empty except for Othello. The chorus slowly move in, all wearing flowy white costumes. The dance is one of slow, consistent movements during the intro music but on the accented notes they make sharper hand or leg motions before continues the same smooth line much slower as the music relaxes. Othello is mostly still during this but he does pace slowly into centre stage. Desdemona also slowly walks in during the intro, having returned to a long white dress instead of the pink or grey or something like that that she'll have been wearing in her previous scene. She moves very much like the chorus do, whilst Othello moves just as he usually does. Othello takes Desdemona's hands and pulls her in to dance with him as he sings the opening lines "If you could only see the beast you've made of me/I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free". It is very much that Othello is controlling the dance and Desdeoma is following him, an eerie parallel to Iago and Emilia during Back In Town. He spins her beneath his arm on the lines "Screaming in the dark/I howl when we're apart" and she leans back with her weight on one demi-pointe and in the arm he has around her, the othr leg extended. Othello sings "Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart" and leans into her, his other arm wrapping around her so the audience can barely see her. Desdemona drops into him and to her knees, now facing the audience kneeling directly in front of Othello, who takes tight hold of her shoulders and leans down towards her ear as he sings "my fingers claw your skin/try to tear my way in/you are the moon that breaks at night for which I have to howl". For most of this the chorus have been in pairs mimicking a similar dance to Othello and Desdemona, but now they have turned and are watching them, moving slowly closer. When Othello repeats the last two lines his voice is more desperate, clinging to Desdemona whilst she stares blankly out at the audience, barely seeming to notice his presence. On the rising repeat of "howl" the chorus closes in around them and pull the pair in opposite directions. Othello and the entire ensemble sing the word "howl" together. The following two lines are a repeat of this word, during which the dance becomes more rhythmic and Othello and Desdemona are moved to face each other on opposite sides of the stage. Though the chorus still appear to be attempting to separate them, they sing to each other across a gap that has formed down centrestage and are fighting to reach other. They exchange lines of the next verse as follows:

Desdemona: There's no holding back

Othello: I'm making to attack

Desdemona: My blood is singing with your voice

Othello: I want to pour it out

Desdemona: The Saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound

Othello: I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallowed ground

During this exchange they break free and meet in centre stage, taking up a dramatic dance that is mostly in hold. However, Desdemona pulls away from hold on her "The Saints can't help me now" line, and Othello draws her back in on his. Desdemona steps forwards, as though telling the audience, when she sings "like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins". Othello grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her in, leaning over her almost as though he would go to kiss her neck as he sings "I want to find you, tear out all your tenderness". Desdemona throws herself free as both of them sing the repeated "howl" lines, joined again by the chorus, but this time Desdemona's voice can distinctly be heard differently from the rest because she is not singing from any kind of power or passion but from genuine terror. By the end of this chorus Othello and Desdemon are in an almost violent dance together, half in hold and half out, big sweeping arm movements and I'm imagining that Desdemona's skirt would unpin to fan out and show a gorgeous wide black or dark red skirt that would properly like swish around whilst they were dancing and stuff (does that make sense???). They continue to dance without singing whilst the chorus, who are back in their pairs and dancing faster, more intense dances than before but none quite to the extent of the main couple, sing "Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers/Starts so soft and sweet and/turns them to hunters". I'm imagining that the chorus' skirts could also unpin in the same way so either Desdemona's would turn black and all of theirs would turn red or vice versa, but I want to kind of see some variety in the chorus outfits maybe (??) instead of them all being identical so I might have to put a bit of thought into that. Anyway the point is that after this line we get a big rhythmic chorus dancing moment and it looks super cool, they're singing the low "hunters" "howl into your heart" repetitions and moving their swishy skirts and dancing and then they part to show Othello and Desdemona again and Desdemona is now dressed in a super dramatic dress that is entirely the colour that was hidden inside her skirt and the skirt of this new dress is insane and Othello all but carries her to the front centre stage and he is all over her as he sings "the fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress/Until I wrap myself inside your arms I cannot rest/The Saints can't help me now" and everything kinda continues in a similar style with some gorgeous choreography. I'm kind of imagining there being a table on stage by the end because I want Othello to lift Desdemona onto it and her to lay down on it, don't ask me how the table got there I don't know, but this happens with the massive dramatic flowing over the sides of the table and onto the ground whilst the chorus sings "A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night/May still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright" and I'm picturing that they would sing these lines like they were a Church choir gathered around Othello and Desdemona, and they continue to sing the closing lines of the song as Desdemona stands up and Othello climbs onto to the table after her. He unpins the skirt and the fabric all falls away (removed from the stage by chorus members) like a waterfall so that he and Desdemona (who will be wearing trousers/leggings/a leoptard) beneath the skirt) can dance together on the table top whilst the chorus continue to sing, moving away from the choir-imagery and back to the earlier style. This continues right up until the very last line ("I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallowed ground") where Othello drops to his knees and clasps his arms around Desdemona's legs on the word "ground" and the curtain falls.

I am wondering if this would work for the act 1 closer????? But I'm not 100% sure where the interval would be

Emilia Song 2: Which Witch

If this isn't Emilia questioning herself for "betraying" Desdemona and whether or not she should give Iago the handkerchief then I don't know what is. I don't have loads to say about this one but the most potent lyrics for it in my opinion are these ones:

And it's my whole heart/deemed and delivered a crime/I'm on trial

Who's a heretic now/ am I making sense?

I'm miles away/He's on mind/I'm getting tired of crawling all the way

I'm not beaten by this yet/You can't tell me to regret/Been in the dark since the day we met/Fire help me to forget

And it's my whole heart/while tried and tested, it's mine

And it's my whole heart/burned but not buried this time

We'd have all of these lines (ie most of the song) whilst she's weighing up what she ought to do and she'd feeling really strong but then there's a small musical interlude where Iago comes on stage without her expecting him to, they speak briefly and she hands the handkerchief over; he walks away as she tries to ask him what he intends to do with it, chasing after him until he physically shoves her off and keeps walking. Emilia falls to the ground and as the music sweels again she sings the closing lines "Chained and shackles, oh/I'll unravel, oh/It's a pity, oh" [she gets to her feet] "Never to return/But I never learn/It's a pity, oh" and then repeats it with particular emphasis on the transition from "Never to return" to "Say I won't return". By the time she finishes the final rendition of "it's a pity, oh" the orchestra has almost completely died out and she wanders alone offstage humming the final few notes to herself

I could keep going...

Maybe I will at some point but I'm tired now