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leleamo · 5 months ago

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Part 27

— Go to the explosion site and take the crystals? — Panther said, looking at Chita with Ray in her arms, who fortunately wasn't bleeding as much now. The people of the village were walking around the destroyed place. The snake commander, along with some soldiers, were listening to the conversation.

— Yes, that's what Krystal said. Can you do that? — Wolf said over the radio.

— Of course, just wait a little bit. — Panther turned off the radio and walked over to his beloved. — Honey, we need to go to the explosion site. Krystal's orders.

She stood up, with difficulty because she wasn't used to Ray's weight in her arms. — And where am I going to leave Ray? I can't just leave him here and

— My dear, look around, they'll take care of him- — No! Let's go together! — The commander said with a smile like his soldiers. The rest of the people looked at them, confused. — We know what that thing was that our empress turned into! and we know very well how to solve this problem!

— and we want to save our empress!! — said one of the soldiers, the rest of the people nodded courageously, and Panther and Chita looked at each other, then smiled at each other

So, everyone ran to the site of the explosion, when they arrived, they acted as if they were happy and excited about the situation, that was not common for them, but they certainly loved helping Anabel, while Panther removed the last crystal and turned on the communicator, a snake looked at Chita, with its eyes on Ray, the snake approached, touching her shoulder and saying "don't worry, he'll be fine, just like I was fine the last time this happened" the snake said looking at the circle, now without crystals, and left Chita, who... didn't quite understand what she meant...

— ready Krystal, crystals removed — Wolf said on the radio, flying over Anabel

— perfect! now her skin must be weaker! let's shoot everyone together! the real Anabel must be inside! Someone will need to go in there... — everything Krystal had said came from the mysterious voice in her mind

— I'm going there — Slippy said, looking at Anabel sadly, but with hope!

— Great plan, Krystal — Fox said proudly of his girlfriend — okay! everyone! follow me! — he and the others accelerated in their ships, got ready, and shot! the shots hit Anabel, who definitely felt it hard, moving slowly, in pain, could see her skin opening, revealing the inside of her body to be a huge storm, the shots stopped, and Slippy advanced into the storm.

the place was not very visible, with black clouds, carrying thunder and lightning, flying lower, he saw Anabel, sitting, wet from the rain, surrounded by small crystals and crying...? the arwing landed and Silppy got out, going towards her

— Anabel...?

— Silppy...

— what happened? Andrew said you went with Molino during the fight in the village..

— That creep promised to stop everything if I went with him... all so I would get stressed out about what he said..

— What did he say?

— That I'm useless, that I failed my only mission, that I failed you guys who-

Slippy took her hand, with a cute smile on his face — Anabel, relax, it's okay, Molino is gone, you haven't failed anyone, and accepting to go with him just to save your people will never be failing your people...

The empress smiled, feeling warm inside and slowly calming down, the storm slowly dissipated... she stood up — You speak well, Slippy, let's go...

Slippy blushed a little, but anyway, he got into the arwing and she sat on the wing

— Don't you think it's better to get in? It's safer

— there's clearly no room for someone as big as me there

— eh... hehe, true

Taking flight, they left there, distancing themselves, while the carcass of the chinese dragon slowly transformed into light, which exploded, in silence, while the bright light spread throughout the universe...

Now, Star Fox, Star Wolf, landed in Radia, near the circle, everyone screamed with happiness, running to their empress who slowly descended from the wing, she received hugs, praise, and thanks to the heavens for being alive.

"Madam, the light passed through here!" said one of the snakes, creating a smile on Anabel's face, she looked at everyone from Star Fox and Wolf, and announced lovingly

— Please, a moment of everyone's attention, for a long time, my family lived with this power and connection to the crystals, even coming from melancholic feelings, thanks to the powers of the crystals here, we always have a moment of happiness after these monstrous storms, and one of them is this...

Slowly over the sky, very small points of light fell on them, as if it were snowing, but it wasn't cold, it was warm, like a hug from a family member, one of these white and shiny dots fell on Fox's hand...

— What is this...? — Fox asked

— I don't know

— Neither do I

two familiar voices came from behind Fox, he turned around scared, they were the voices of his parents, not only their voice, but their bodies too! transparent and bright as crystal

James and Vixy, ladies and gentlemen! Fox burst into tears and went for a warm hug

Falco, who was at his side, was startled, but smiled awkwardly — cool, we're seeing spirits, and it's a good thing my parents aren't here... heh

— Mommy!! — Slippy said, almost falling off the arwing to hug his mother, a chubby little frog shorter than him — this is a miracle!!

while the little frog jumped for joy, Anabel and her grandparents looked

— is this your suitor? — asked the strong blue Chinese dragon, seeing her granddaughter blush

— Grandma, be quiet— she said, while her grandfather glared at Fox and Krystal with hatred

Krystal looked around, hoping not to find her parents among the dead but...

"They're already dead, dear, just like me" the mysterious voice said, as a strong light came out of the crystal on Krystal's forehead, the light formed into a fox lady, very similar to Krystal, only older

— Grandma... was that you?

— Hehehe, I lived here for a while in my life, and if I wanted to be somewhere before I died, it was with my granddaughter... come here

the two hugged each other warmly, and went to look for Krystal's parents among the crowd

Wolf watched James from far, while Yanter was by his side

— Aren't you going to say hi to your old boss, Wolf?

— I can see your parents from here, why don't you go talk to them?

— haha- wait, SERIOUSLY?!

she ran to her parents, almost knocking them over with her hug, she cried with joy without being able to speak, between the laughs and cries of joy, James called for his old friend, he missed her too, and so did she.

— brother! — the little chameleon said hugging her brother, Leon

— hi little thing! long time no see!

— please, don't tell me you killed her — Panther asked scared, the girl looked eight years old

— hehe, no, but it was my fault, I was the one who decided to run away from home with her, by the way... shit, my parents haven't died yet? I'm going to pay them a visit in Corneria... hehehe

— you don't say that with your sister around- Ahu! — Panther felt a blow on the back of his neck, he turned around and saw a dead dog, apparently one of Chita's coworkers — what happened? shouldn't you be with your leader?

— I saw from up there how you treated her! You better take good care of her or I-

— Oh, save your time and leave me alone — he heard her snort, but he didn't care, he smiled as he watched Chita cry at the reunion of her deceased teammates

And Andrew was happy, holding Ray in his arms, Ray who had his wounds healed by the miraculous light, both happy, hugging each other lovingly

— Then I shot Molino in the head and bam! His brains flew everywhere!! Hahah!!!

— Oh, how disgusting, Andrew!! Hahaha!

— See? I told you I was going to free you!

— Thanks man... huh? — Ray noticed someone in the distance, he seemed confused... it was Molino.

— No... I failed..?? No, no... — Molino was shaking, but he bumped into someone he didn't want to, Andross — Ah!! Master! I'm sorry, I- I tried!! I tried with all my life!!!

— ... pathetic. — was the only thing he said, and he walked away, leaving Molino alone and in tears...

— wow... — Ray said

— well done, hey! now that everything is over, I think it's time for you to start over, only with me! let's live in this infinite universe together!!!

— hehe... I'd love to!

now, slowly the spirits disappeared, returning to the afterlife, it was time to go, Chita had to go along, but she promised to meet Panther, and Yanter, she wanted to go with her brother, to try to solve her cigar problems in Corneria, and Anabel said goodbye to Slippy with love

now, back to Corneria, with the end of this adventure, it was time for a new adventure! but that would be for another day...

The end!

#star fox #star fox au #star fox oc #star fox radiation

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ryosmne · 4 years ago

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OMG SIA!!! IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! 🤩💜👏✨

200 people that appreciate and love your talent [including me ofc 😜]

I would love more about Dancer!Sukuna Please 🥺. Maybe Sukuna and MC end up late at the studio rehearsing the new choreo but since it’s just them the mood is less strict and more fun and flirty!! 💃🕺

About me? Well, since I found out your Tattoo Artist!Sukuna my brain has been in brain rot Sukuna state 25/8 lol 😆 but tbh, I don’t regret it 💅✨, funfact I’m a fashion student and my pronouns are she/her 😬.

Anyways, I’m so proud of you! And I know you’ll reach even more within the time and the amazing works you come up!!! ✨💜✨

Thank you so so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it a lot 💜💜💜

I completely forgot I had made Dancer! Sukuna headcannons, so thanks for reminding me :D I'm glad I could infect you with my constant thoughts of Sukuna as a secretly really soft tattoo artist 💕. Again thank you so much I'm all giddy and happy :> and I'm sorry it took a bit long, college was a bit of a bitch but I'm getting back on track :D will definitely revisit Dancer! Sukuna too. Hope you enjoy reading and have a good one :> 💗💜💜💜

Choreographer/ Dancer! Sukuna x F!reader

Warnings: a bit of suggestive content, language, that's all.

"You're dragging your left foot again."

Of course y/n was dragging her feet at this point, the studio was supposed to be closed, but her and Sukuna stayed late, a common practice amongst them, cause Sukuna wants to show her the choreographies that don't make the class, today was a bit different though.

"What's with you, I've showed you the routine three times and you're still messing up the footwork"

Y/n grasped choreos really fast, usually by two ties she'd have everything down tonight wasn't the same, she didn't really know why but she was much more nervous that usual.

"I don't want to keep you here if I keep messing up, I'm sure you've got better things to do and I've got class tomorrow"

Sukuna gave her a little laugh, this girl was an open book. "What's the fun in going home so early? We haven't even gotten to the good part yet and you better be designing those sneakers I asked two months ago in your 'class'"

Good part? Y/n questioned in her brain, fearing that her oh so lovely trainer would have her do flips. Again.

"My legs hurt, give me a break."

"Come on, you're always so whiny, let's just do it together"

Together?

Sukuna turned the music on again, that guy who lives upstairs would definitely make another noice complaint, but Sukuna couldn't care less. This scene has been stuck in his mind for days and a guy with a stick up his ass isn't going to stop him from actually living what he's been replaying in his head, dying to actually experience.

"Come here"

Y/n didn't need to be told that twice, and hurried over to him, Sukuna grabbed her shoulders and placed her Infront of him as gently as he could, he's a big guy.

"Ok, follow my lead"

He did his usual five, six, seven, eight and quickly begun moving.

Y/n followed along as best she could, her muscle memory kicking in, she found it easy to execute everything Sukuna was showing her for about an hour and a half.

She barely even noticed the intimacy of their moves at first, untill Sukuna's hand found her waist and pulled her back to reality. His presence was almost suffocating and the way his eyes never left hers didn't help either, but y/n tried her best not to mess up from his constant distraction. One way to do that is to play along, but what would happen if she did? There was undeniable chemistry between the two, everyone could see it, rumours were spreading in the studio that something was going on with them and the little crowd that gossiped and fawned over them doing their thing only added fuel to the fire.

Sukuna and y/n moved in perfect harmony, the sharpness he had complimenting her softness, their styles are so different but they work so well together, their eyes still locked, Sukuna found y/n's expression impossible to read as the song was close to an end, but he only wanted to saw her in closer just so he could figure it out.

The song was over much sooner than either of them wanted, the final poses being a bit too close for comfort, with y/n laying under Sukuna, who stared down at her with a grin plastered on his face

"Would you look at that? you should've said you wanted to do it together from the beginning, you didn't miss a single step."

Y/n let a groan out as he rolled off of her.

"My legs are killing me."

"I can think of a few ways to loosen up."

Y/n reached over to him and smacked him on the arm too tired to try and argue with him.

How was he not out of breath after this many hours and still in his usual teasing mode, one can never know.

"You should make them blue, like that top you wore yesterday, hightops."

"What?"

"The shoes, I want them in blue."

"Didn't you want purple and orange Chita print last time?"

Both of them were sweaty laying there staring at the ceiling.

"I didn't think you took that seriously."

#jjk sukuna #au ryomen sukuna #au sukuna #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #ryomen sukuna x reader #sukuna x reader #choreographer Sukuna #a happy ryosmne #ryosmne 200 followers event #jjk drabbles #ryomen sukuna #sukuna #sukuna drabbles

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unpopularwiththepopulace · 4 years ago

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Chicago at Long Beach, LA, 1992: A Story of Bebe Neuwirth, Choreography, Riots, Revivals, and Relevance

Recently and rather excitingly, more footage made its way to YouTube of the 1992 version of Chicago staged at Long Beach in LA, featuring Bebe Neuwirth as Velma and Juliet Prowse as Roxie.

Given its increased accessibility and visibility, this foregrounds the chance to talk about the show, explore some of its details, and look at the part it might have played as a contribution to the main ‘revival’ of Chicago in 1996 – which has given the show one of the most resonant and highly enduring legacies seen within the theatre ever.

This Civic Light Opera production at Long Beach was staged in 1992, four years before the ‘main’ revival made its appearance at Encores! or had its subsequent Broadway transfer, and it marked the first time a major revival of Chicago had been seen since the original 1975 show disappeared nearly 15 years previously.

This event is of particular significance given its position as the first step in the chain of events that make up part of this ‘new Chicago’ narrative and the resultant entire multiple-decade spanning impact of the show hereafter.

But for all of its pivotal status, it’s seldom discussed or remembered anywhere near as much as it should be.

This may be in part because of how little video or photographic record has remained in easily accessible form to date, and also because it only played for around two weeks in the first place. As such, it is a real treat on these occasions to get to see such incredible and unique material that would otherwise have been lost forever after such a brief existence some 30 years ago.

This earlier revival of the show still feels like what we have come to identify “Chicago” as in modern comprehension of the musical, most principally because the choreography was also done by Ann Reinking. As with the 1996 production, this meant dance was done “very much in the master’s style” – or Mr Bob Fosse.

The link below is time-stamped to Bebe and Juliet performing ‘Hot Honey Rag’. As one of the most infamous numbers in Broadway history, it’s undoubtedly a dance that has been watched many times over. But never before have I seen it done quite like this.

https://youtu.be/4HKkwtRE-II?t=2647

‘Hot Honey Rag’ was in fact formerly called ‘Keep It Hot’, and was devised by Fosse as “a compendium of all the steps he learned as a young man working in vaudeville and burlesque—the Shim Sham, the Black Bottom, the Joe Frisco, ‘snake hips,’ and cooch dancing”, making it into the “ultimate vaudeville dance act” for the ultimate finale number.

Ann would say about her choreographical style in relation to Fosse, “The parts where I really deviate is in adding this fugue quality to the numbers. For better or worse, my style is more complicated.” The ‘complexity’ and distinctness she speaks of is certainly evident in some of the sections of this particular dance. There are seemingly about double the periodicity of taps in Bebe and Juliet’s Susie Q sequence alone. One simply has to watch in marvel not just at the impressive synchronicity and in-tandem forward motion, but now also at the impossibly fast feet. Other portions that notably differ from more familiar versions of the dance and thus catch the eye are the big-to-small motion contrast after the rising ‘snake hips’ section, and all of the successive goofy but impeccably precise snapshot sequence of arm movements and poses.

More focus is required on the differences and similarities of this 1992 production compared against the original or subsequent revival, given its status and importance as a bridging link between the two.

The costumes in 1975 were designed by Patricia Zipprodt (as referenced in my previous post on costume design), notably earning her a Tony Award nomination. In this 1992 production, some costumes were “duplications” of Zipprodt’s originals, and some new designs by Garland Riddle – who added a “saucy/sassy array” in the “typical Fosse dance lingerie” style. It is here we begin to see some of the more dark, slinkiness that has become so synonymous with “Chicago” as a concept in public perception.

The sets from the original were designed by Tony Walton – again, nominated for a Tony – and were reused with completeness here. This is important as it shows some of the original dance concepts in their original contexts, given that portions of the initial choreography were “inextricably linked to the original set designs.” This sentiment is evident in the final portion of ‘Cell Block Tango’, pictured and linked at the following time-stamp below, which employs the use of mobile frame-like, ladder structures as a scaffold for surrounding movements, and also a metaphor for the presence of jail cell bars.

https://youtu.be/4HKkwtRE-II?t=741

Defining exactly how much of the initial choreography was carried across is an ephemeral line. Numbers were deemed “virtually intact” in the main review published during the show’s run from the LA Times – or even further, “clones” of the originals. It is thought that the majority of numbers here exhibit greater similarity to the 1975 production than the 1996 revival, except for ‘Hot Honey Rag’ which is regarded as reasonably re-choreographed. But even so, comparing against remaining visible footage of Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera from the original, or indeed alternatively against Bebe and Annie later in the revival, does not present an exact match to either.

This speaks to the adaptability and amorphousness of Fosse-dance within its broader lexicon. Fosse steps are part of a language that can be spoken with subtle variations in dialect. Even the same steps can appear slightly different when being used in differing contexts, by differing performers, in differing time periods.

It also speaks to some of the main conventions of musical theatre itself. Two main principles of the genre include its capacity for fluidity and its ability for the ‘same material’ to change and evolve over time; as well as the fact comparisons and comprehensions of shows across more permanent time spans are restricted by the availability of digital recordings of matter that is primarily intended to be singular and live.

Which versions of the same song do you want to look at when seeking comparisons?

Are you considering ‘Hot Honey Rag’ at a performance on the large stage at Radio City Music Hall at the Tony Awards in 1997? Or on a small stage for TV shows, like the Howard Cosell or Mike Douglas shows in 1975? Or on press reel footage from 1996 on the ‘normal’ stage context in a format that should be as close to a replica as possible of what was performed in person every night?

Bebe often remarks on and marvels at Ann’s capacity to travel across a stage. “If you want to know how to travel, follow Annie,” she says. This exhibits how one feature of a performance can be so salient and notable on its own, and yet so precariously dependent on the external features its constrained to – like scale.

Thus context can have a significant impact on how numbers are ultimately performed for these taped recordings and their subsequent impact on memory. Choreography must adjust accordingly – while still remaining within the same framework of the intention for the primary live performances.

This links to Ann’s own choreographical aptitude, in the amount of times it is referenced how she subtly adapted each new version of Chicago to tailor to individual performers’ specific merits and strengths as dancers.

Ann’s impact in shaping the indefinable definability of how Chicago is viewed, loved and remembered now is not to be understated.

An extensive 1998 profile – entitled “Chicago: Ann Reinking’s musical” – explores in part some of Ann’s approaches to creating and interacting with the material across a long time span more comprehensively. Speaking specifically to how she choreographed this 1992 production in isolation, Ann would say, “I knew that Bob’s point of view had to permeate the show, you couldn’t do it without honoring his style.” In an age without digital history at one’s fingertips, “I couldn’t remember the whole show. So I choreographed off the cuff and did my own thing. So you could say it was my take on his thoughts.” Using the same Fosse vocabulary, then – “it’s different. But it’s not different.”

One further facet that was directly carried across from the initial production were original cast members, like Barney Martin as returning as Amos, and Michael O'Haughey reprising his performance as Mary Sunshine. Kaye Ballard as Mama Morton and Gary Sandy as Billy Flynn joined Bebe and Juliet to make up the six principals in this new iteration of the show.

Bebe, Gary and Juliet can be seen below in a staged photo for the production at the theatre.

The venue responsible for staging this Civic Light Opera production was the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach in Los Angeles. Now defunct, this theatre and group in its 47 years of operation was credited as providing some of “the area’s most high profile classics”. Indeed, in roughly its final 10 years alone, it staged shows such as Hello Dolly!, Carousel, Wonderful Town (with Donna McKechnie), Gypsy, Sunday in the Park with George, La Cage aux Folles, Follies, 1776, Funny Girl, Bye Bye Birdie, Pal Joey, and Company. The production of Pal Joey saw a return appearance from Elaine Stritch, reprising her earlier performance as Melba Snyder with the memorable song ‘Zip’. This she had done notably some 40 years earlier in the original 1952 Broadway revival, while infamously and simultaneously signed as Ethel Merman’s understudy in Call Me Madam as she documented in Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

Juliet Prowse appeared as Phyllis in Follies in 1990, and Ann Reinking acted alongside Tommy Tune in Bye Bye Birdie in 1991, in successive preceding seasons before this Chicago was staged.

But for all of its commendable history, the theatre went out of business in 1996 just 4 years after this, citing bankruptcy. Competition provided in the local area by Andrew Lloyd Webber and his influx of staging’s of his British musicals was referenced as a contributing factor to the theatre group’s demise. This feat I suspect Bebe would have lamented or expressed remorse for, given some of her comments in previous years on Sir Lloyd Webber and the infiltration of shows from across the pond: “I had lost faith in Broadway because of what I call the scourge of the British musicals. They've dehumanized the stage [and] distanced the audience from the performers. I think 'Cats' is like Patient Zero of this dehumanization.”

That I recently learned that Cats itself can be rationalised in part as simply A Chorus Line with ears and tails I fear would not improve this assessment. In the late ‘70s when Mr Webber noticed an increase of dance ability across the general standard of British theatre performers, after elevated training and competition in response to A Chorus Line transferring to the West End, he wanted to find a way he could use this to an advantage in a format that was reliable to work. Thus another similarly individual, sequential and concept-not-plot driven dance musical was born. Albeit with slightly more drastic lycra leotards and makeup.

But back in America, the Terrace theatre could not be saved by even the higher incidence of stars and bigger Broadway names it was seeing in its final years, with these aforementioned examples such as Bebe, Annie, Tommy, Juliet, Donna, or Elaine. The possibility of these appearances in the first place were in part attributable to the man newly in charge as the company’s producer and artistic director – Barry Brown, Tony award-winning Broadway producer.

Barry is linked to Bebe’s own involvement with this production of Chicago, through his relationship – in her words – as “a friend of mine”.

At the time, Bebe was in LA filming Cheers, when she called Barry from her dressing room. Having been working in TV for a number of years, she would cite her keenness to find a return to the theatre, “[wanting] to be on a stage so badly” again. The theatre is the place she has long felt the most sense of ease in and belonging for, frequently referring to herself jokingly as a “theatre-rat” or remarking that it is by far the stage that is the “medium in which I am most comfortable, most at home, and I think I'm the best at.”

Wanting to be back in that world so intensely, she initially proposed the notion of just coming along to the production to learn the parts and be an understudy. Her desire to simply learn the choreography alone was so strong she would say, “You don’t have to pay me or anything!”

She’d had the impetus to make the call to Barry in the first place only after visiting Chita Rivera at her show in LA with a friend, David Gibson. At the time, the two did not know each other that well. Bebe had by this point not even had the direct interaction of taking over in succession for Chita in Kiss of the Spider Woman in London. This she would do the following year, with Chita guiding her generously through the intricacies of the Shaftesbury Theatre and the small, but invaluable, details known only to Chita that would be essential help in meeting stage cues and playing Aurora.

Bebe had already, however, stepped into Chita’s shoes multiple times, as Anita in West Side Story as part of a European tour in the late ‘70s, or again in a Cleveland Opera Production in 1988; and additionally as Nickie in the 1986 Broadway revival of Sweet Charity – both of which were roles Chita had originated on stage or screen. In total, Velma would bring the tally of roles that Bebe and Chita have shared through the years to four, amongst many years also of shared performance memories and friendship.

They may not have had a long history of personal rather than situational connections yet when Bebe visited her backstage at the end of 1991, but Chita still managed to play a notable part in the start of the first of Bebe’s many engagements with Chicago.

After Bebe hesitantly relayed her idea, Chita told her, “You should call! Just call!”

So call Bebe did. One should listen to Chita Rivera, after all.

Barry Brown rang her back 10 minutes later after suggesting the idea to Ann Reinking, who was otherwise intended to be playing Velma. The response was affirmative. “Oh let her play the part!”, Annie had exclaimed. And so begun Bebe’s, rather long and very important, journey with Chicago.

In 1992, this first step along the road to the ‘new Chicago’ was well received.

Ann Reinking with her choreography was making her first return to the Fosse universe since her turn in the 1986 Sweet Charity revival. Diametrically, Rob Marshall was staring his first association with Fosse material in providing the show’s direction – many years before he would go on to direct the subsequent film adaptation also. Together, they created a “lively, snappy, smarmy” show that garnered more attention than had been seen since the original closed.

“Bob Fosse would love [this production],” it was commended at the time, “Especially the song-and-dance performance of Bebe Neuwirth who knocks everyone’s socks off.” High praise.

Bebe was also singled out for her “unending energy”, but Juliet too received praise in being “sultry and funny”. Together, the pair were called “separate but equal knockouts” and an “excellent combination”.

Juliet was 56 at the time, and sadly died just four years later. Just one year after the production though, Juliet was recorded as saying, “In fact, we’re thinking of doing it next year and taking it out on the road.”

Evidently that plan never materialised. But it is interesting to note the varied and many comments that were made as to the possibility of the show having a further life.

Bebe at the time had no recollection that the show might be taken further, saying “I didn’t know anything about that.” Ann Reinking years later would remark “no one seemed to think that the time was necessarily ripe for a full-blown Broadway revival.” While the aforementioned LA Times review stated in 1992 there were “unfortunately, no current plans” for movement, it also expressed desire and a call to action for such an event. “Someone out there with taste, money and shrewdness should grab it.”

The expression that a show SHOULD move to Broadway is by no means an indication that a show WILL move. But this review clearly was of enough significance for it to be remembered and referenced by name by someone who was there when it came out at the time, Caitlin Carter, nearly 30 years later. Caitlin was one of the six Merry Murderesses, principally playing Mona (or Lipschitz), at each of this run, Encores!, and on Broadway. She recalled, “Within two days, we got this rave review from the LA Times, saying ‘You need to take the show to Broadway now!’” The press and surrounding discussions clearly created an environment in which “there was a lot of good buzz”, enough for her to reason, “I feel like it planted seeds… People started to think ‘Oh we need to revive this show!’”

The seeds might have taken a few years to germinate, but they did indeed produce some very successful and beautiful flowers when they ultimately did.

In contrast with one of the main talking points of the ‘new Chicago’ being its long performance span, one of the first things I mentioned about this 1992 iteration was the rather short length of its run. It is stated that previews started on April 30th, for an opening on May 2nd, with the show disappearing in its final performance on May 17th. Less than a fleeting 3 weeks in total.

Caitlin Carter discussed the 1992 opening on Stars in the House recently. It’s a topic of note given that their opening night was pushed back from the intended date by two days, meaning Ann Reinking and Rob Marshall had already left and never even saw the production. “The night we were supposed to open in Long Beach was the Rodney King riots.”

Local newspapers at the time when covering the show referenced this large and significant event, by noting the additional two performances added in compensation “because of recent interruptions in area social life.”

It sounds rather quaint put like that. In comparison, the horror and violence of what was actually going on can be statistically summated as ultimately leaving 63 people dead, over 2300 injured, and more than 12,000 having been arrested, in light of the aftermath of the treatment faced by Rodney King. Or more explicitly, the use of excessive violence against a black man at police hands with videotaped footage.

A slightly later published review wrote of how this staging was thus “timely” – in reference to an observed state of “the nation’s moral collapse”.

‘Timeliness’ is a matter often referenced when discussing why the 1996 revival too was of such success. The connection is frequently made as to how this time, the revival resonated with public sentiment so strongly – far more than in 1975 when the original appeared – in part because of the “exploding headlines surrounding the OJ Simpson murder case”. The resulting legal and public furore around this trial directly correlates with the backbone and heart of the musical itself.

I'm writing this piece now at the time of the ongoing trial to determine the verdict of George Floyd’s murder, another black man suffering excessive and ultimately fatal violence at police hands with videotaped footage.

I think the point is that this is never untimely. And that the nation is seldom not in some form of ‘moral collapse’, or facing events that have ramifications to do with the legal system and are emotionally incendiary on a highly public level.

Which perhaps is why Chicago worked so well not just in 1996, but also right up to the present day.

Undoubtedly, we live in a climate where the impact of events is determined not just by the events themselves, but also the manner in which they are reported in the media. Events involving some turmoil and public outrage at the state and outcome of the legal system are not getting any fewer or further between. But the emphasis on the media in an increasingly and unceasingly digital age is certainty only growing.

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iamnotusnavi · 4 years ago

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Let's Dance

Chapter Three

Lin x Reader

Warnings: Just some drunk chita rivera dancing💃

A/N: WOW... Finally in part three. Love you all. Thanks for the support. I hope ur all doing great, enjoy this:)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

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“Wow, this place looks awesome.”

You and Mandy finally reached the party. You saw the place and took in everything. Mandy went on and said a small “bye” to head to the dance floor. She was so ready; she took a drink with her. She then left you there and you decided to go to the bar. You got a sour amaretto and sat there watching everyone.

Janet, Mandy, and most of the cast were on the floor, Andrea was talking with the other producers, and everyone was having a blast. You didn’t notice Lin coming through the door. He was staring at you. You were looking elegant in your dress and his eyes were fixed on you until someone interrupted and asked him to give a small speech.

You watched everyone from the bar as Lin was giving his speech. Everyone in the cast cheered, clapped, and there were a lot of “wepas” thrown around. When he finished, everyone went back to dancing and having fun. You then focused on drinking your drink. As you were doing that, Lin was headed towards you.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Congrats for getting your show on Broadway.” You told him.

“Congrats on your Broadway debut. Can I sit here?” He asked to sit by the chair beside you.

“Sure”, you answered back. He then asked the bar tender for a drink and when he got it, he raised his glass and said,

“Cheers to getting on Broadway.”

“Cheers.” With that, you both drank.

You and him then proceeded to talk like you guys always do. Making fun of him and vice versa, the playful banter. You were done finishing your drink and he looked hesitant on saying something, but he changed his mind. Then he started to talk.

“You wanna dance…with me?” He asked a bit shyly. You swore you cannot get more smitten to this man.

“S-sure.” You could hear your heart thumping loud. He got off the bar stool and offered his hand to you with grace.

“M’lady.” You snickered a bit and took his hand.

You two walked hand in hand to the dance floor like you guys did in “The Club” performance, but this time there was no acting, it was real. You were really nervous about being in front of everyone with him. He then started to lead you in the dance. It was salsa being played by the party band. He took your hand and you guys started dancing. His hips started moving and you were trying to keep it together. He really does dance like a drunk Chita Rivera.

You guys continued this for a few minutes and you got a bit more comfortable and confident. You were really impressed by his dancing. You guys had a few laughs and were meeting other people on the floor. At one point, you saw Mandy from the other side of the floor and she was giving you the look that she gave you a while ago in the dressing room.

“Why not just tell him you love him?”

The words Mandy told you in the dressing room were repeating and repeating in your head, but you tried looking all right because you were still in front of Lin. You were an actor, but apparently if something was really bugging you, it seemed obvious.

Lin was concerned about how you looked and what was inside your head. He was about to ask when the song ended, but the next song was played and it was slow. You still had a face that was saying you were worried and didn’t pay as much attention. So, Lin took matters into his own hands and pulled you close to him. You were shocked by his action, but it felt right to be held close into his chest. After a few seconds of the song playing, he decided to ask what was in your head.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” You answered back.

“You look worried, what’s wrong? Is it me?”

You were freaking out inside. You wanted to tell him “of course it was you” but it might wreck your relationship with him as your friend. You tried to think of a response and this was what you managed to say…

“Oh no. It’s just life and all its problems.”

“Tell me about it.” He responded. Thank goodness you were in the clear. You then continued.

“It’s just there’s someone on my mind and I can’t seem to get him off my head.”

“Fuck” was the first thing Lin said in his mind and thought. He thought your chances of him getting you were screwed and he might as well just leave, but he still had a little hope.

“So, who is he?” He asked.

You then almost froze on the spot. You were sure your cheeks were red, but thank goodness you were able to hide it.

“Oh, he’s someone I know from work.”

From this point both you and him were freaking out and thinking hope has dissolved into the New York Summer wind. You guys didn’t say much for a few minutes, but you felt Lin holding you closer and tighter. You felt more comfortable and leaned into him a bit more. When you both were placed like that, it felt as if the world and the problems surrounding you didn’t exist. It felt like it was only you and him and it felt right. You felt safe.

Lin felt the same about it too. It felt right to him for you to be in his embrace. Lin then proceeded on thinking of what to do after this dance. It was getting late, but he still wanted to be with you. He then got an idea.

The song ended and you both clapped for the band. They were amazing tonight. When that finished you were asked by Lin.

“Y/N, do wanna come over by my house a bit? I know your house is far and it’s too late for you to go home by yourself. I have some drinks there if you want?”

This was not a chance you can pass up. You can’t throw away your shot. You then said,

“Sure, let me just tell Mandy my goodbyes.”

You then made a bee-line to Mandy. She was a bit wasted, but still had her thoughts in check.

“HEyyyaaa Y/N. How are you and that ray of sunshine?”

“Mandy shut up. Hey, I won’t be coming with you guys going home tonight.”

“What, why?”

You took a deep breath and continued,

“Lin invited me over to his house.”

“She’s FinaLly getting laaaaaaaaiid.”

You were a bit annoyed, but in her current state, doing anything would be useless.

“Bye Mandy, see you on Sunday.”

“USE PROTECTION KIDS.”

She really is wild, but that is what makes her awesome. You continued to walk back and spotted Lin standing by a table with his hand on his head waiting. He then spotted you and stood up straight.

“Are you ready?” He asked. You looked around and the party was still going strong.

“Yup.” With that, you both left the party on midnight.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter❤

#lin manuel x reader #lin manuel miranda x reader #lin manuel #lin miranda #lin manuel miranda #lmm #lin #linnamon roll #lin trash #lin fic #fic

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scarletarosa · 4 years ago

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Durga

Hindu goddess of power, strength, courage, war, justice, righteousness, determination, protection, salvation, and divine wrath

Maa Durga is the power of the Universe and is Mother Shakti herself. She is Jagdamba, Mother of the Whole Universe and one of the most powerful manifestations of the cosmic mother, Shakti. She is also known as Ambika (Mother) and Chandika (Fierce). She is beyond everything, beyond all space and time. It is this devi who brings peace, compassion, love, and justice into disorder, while punishing all those who bring evil. Durga is the Divine Mother Goddess who presides over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth and contains absolute power. Her name means ‘the invincible, unconquerable, and unassailable one’ and she is completely free of fear, allowing her to accomplish whatever she desires.

With the guidance of Maa Durga, we can be filled with her courage and determination so that we can face any obstacle in our paths and become strong at heart. She is blindingly beautiful, with footsteps that shake the very Earth. Her roaring laughter fills the skies and sends chills down the spines of her enemies. Durga is known to be so powerful, that in one myth, she is even described as destroying an enemy with a mere sigh. She was born from pure power and righteous anger, with unmatched might. As the annihilator of pain and fear, she holds the name Durgatinashini, which means “The One Who Eliminates Sufferings”.

Durga is said to be the truest manifestation of Adi Parashakti along with goddess Parvati. Though it is Durga who not only plays the role as the unbeatable warrior, but also as our Mother. So while Parvati represents Shakti’s peaceful and nurturing aspect, Durga is her active and fiery aspect. Durga is deeply nurturing, loving, and protective, but is a terror to her enemies. She is connected to fire, and so is called Jwala or Jyotawali Maa, meaning “Mother of the Divine Flame”. Durga is Karma, Mahamaya, and Moksha (enlightenment).

Maa Durga’s appearance is that of an alluring young woman dressed in a red silk sari (symbolizing action) and is sitting upon a lion or tiger, representing that she is ready to battle evil at all times and that she is ultimate courage. She has either ten or eight arms with which she holds her magical weapons- a trident, a rope, a thunderbolt, the shield of knowledge, a chakra, a lance, a bow and arrow, an axe, a mace, and a conch-horn for heralding her victory in battle. She may other times be holding a lotus flower and a sword along with the other objects. Durga is shown with having three eyes, which symbolize the earth, moon, and fire. Her many arms represent the fact that she constantly protects everyone from all directions.

Durga Slays the Asura King, Mahisha

When the buffalo-asura Mahisha was causing turmoil, none of the gods were able to defeat him due to his boon that he would not be harmed by any of the gods’ weapons. So the gods then came together and combined their powers, which created a blindingly radiant golden light which then formed into the invincible Durga- a direct manifestation of Adi Parashakti (in some versions, the goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati merge to form Durga). The Matrikas then began to arm the warrior goddess with their magical weapons- a trident to awaken the fullness of her inner-power, a rope to bind illusion, a thunderbolt, the shield of knowledge, a chakra, a lance, a bow and arrow, an axe, a mace, and a conch-horn with which she would blow to herald her victory in battle.

Durga then rode to the top of a mountain upon a lion and awaited Mahisha to see her. As planned, when the asura king saw the goddess, he was dumbfounded by her beauty and majesty, becoming completely intoxicated by her sexuality and raw power. This caused Mahisha to lose all logical thinking and he proposed marriage to Durga. To which the warrior goddess announced, “I will marry only he who can defeat me in battle.” Lost in his lust and eagerness, Mahisha attacked the goddess with his army without much focus. Finally, after a long and fierce battle, Durga struck down the asura king and blew her conch in triumph. Thus, peace was restored and the gods held Maa Durga in great praise. The tale of this great battle is a metaphor for the war we wage against our ego (represented by the asuras) in order to bring our Divine Selves to light.

Kali emerges from Durga’s Rage

In the Devi Mahatmya, Kali is described as manifesting during Durga’s great battle against the asura Raktabija. As Durga battled him, each time a drop of Raktabija’s blood hit the ground, it formed into a clone of himself. This deeply frustrated and enraged Durga so much that from her forehead emerged the fearsome Kali, with a beautiful youthful form, pitch black skin, wild hair, and wearing nothing but a garland of human heads and a girdle of human arms. The destroyer Kali then began to devour every drop of blood from Raktabija, and fiercely slew all of his duplicates, allowing Durga to finally be able to vanquish him. With help from the eight Matrikas, the entire asura army was annihilated. However, Kali was still drunk on blood-lust and began massacring onlooking worshippers, drinking their blood. Here we see the uncontrollable nature of Kali, how she consumes all in the end of time, sparing none.

Seeing this act of slaughter, Shiva came to the battlegrounds in order to calm his wife (as he is wed to Shakti). He lays himself on the ground before her as a corpse, symbolizing how Shiva is lifeless without Shakti. When Kali ends up trampling onto his chest, she realizes that she is standing upon her great love. This causes Kali to calm down and take the form of Bhadraka, the tranquil form of Kali whose skin is the colour of a dark blue lotus, and is pleasant in expression. She steps off of Shiva’s body and thus ended the battle’s slaughter. In triumph, the Matrikas danced and became drunk on the blood of their enemies. This glorious battle serves as a metaphor that Durga, Kali, and the Ashtamatrikas (eight mother goddesses) have complete power over life force, symbolized by blood.

Thus, Durga the Unlimited Power and Mother of the Universe is the eternal protector of mankind. She is beyond weaknesses and fears, and assists us in our struggles to help us to become strong as well. She destroys vices from our hearts and purifies us with her love.

Epithets: Abhavya (the fearful goddess), Anantaa (infinite one), Bahula (she of many forms), Balaprada (giver of strength), Bhavini (the beautiful one), Bhavani (mother of the universe), Brahmavadini (the omnipresent), Buddhi (embodiment of knowledge), Buddhida (bestower of wisdom), Chandi (fierce one), Ambika (mother), Chita (preparer of the death bed), Vaishnavi (the invincible), Sarvasuravinasha (destroyer of evil), Jaya (victorious one), Bhavya (the magnificent)

Offerings: honeyed tea, cow’s milk, lotus flowers, passion fruit, red berries (any), figs, pineapples, ghee, red sandalwood, mahogany wood, tiger eye stone, orchids, pearls, red jade, silverware, gold emblem of the Goddess (Shakti), Durga statue, vanilla flowers (and incense), cobalt element; incense of dragon's blood, cinnabar, jasmine, or musk

#durga #jagdamba #hindu gods #hinduism #shaktism

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wrathofmadelinekahn · 4 years ago

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January 2021 Music Wrap-Up

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to listen to at least 3 new (to me) albums a month and diversify my music taste, since my Spotify Wrapped this year was basically “You Are Not Immune To White Men Telling Stories, feat. Guitars”, and what better way to keep myself accountable than to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known on the Internet?

I’ll be posting my new listens at the end of each month, give or take a bit (please yell at me if I haven’t done so bc cyberbullying is my love language <3) with a bit of background as to how I found them and my thoughts!

So, in no particular order:

1. You Knew by Mother Falcon

I’d had “Marfa” off this album in a playlist for years, but finally gave in and listened to the whole album last week after going down a YouTube spiral which included their Tiny Desk appearance. One of the few albums in which I like the SOUND of it more than the singing- I wish I knew more about music so I could describe how incredible what they do sounds, but I’ll settle for glorious cacophony. Favorites are “Marigold”, “Dirty Summer”, and “Marfa”.

2. Odetta Sings of Many Things by Odetta Holmes

Forever grateful to @woolstation‘s Folk playlist for having “Troubled” on there, true king shit. HOW have none of you ever told me this woman is everything I’ve been searching for for as long as I’ve had eardrums in the womb?!!! I never want to hear about Joan Baez’s weird boyfriend again, we stan only Odetta, ‘Queen of American Folk Music’ in the Ames household. Genuinely cannot pick a favorite, basically the whole album.

3. West Side Story (Original Cast Album)

Ok, I vaguely remember listening to this in 2016 but was too mentally ill to APPRECIATE it, so I’m counting it as a new listen. Being Puertorican, this was basically The Only Representation I knew of in popular American media growing up unless you’re counting drug dealers in cop shows or that one racist joke in All In The Family that I heard as a kid and STILL think about to this day, so I knew the Big songs from the different revival albums but hadn’t heard the original cast until Saturday, January 23rd, also known as Chita Rivera Day in our hearts and @kissofchita‘s dash. To celebrate both queens I put it on and listened to the whole thing 3 times in a row. I laughed, I teared up (saved the actual tears for watching Chita sing “America” <3), and fell head-over-heels in love. It’s definitely in my top all-time Broadway shows.

4. Song To A Seagull, Joni Mitchell

After months of James @if-only-angels-could-prevail banging pots and pans to the tune of Blue, it was actually Spotify’s Discover Weekly that gave me the first dopamine hit I needed to say “Hey, that Joni lady’s on to something here!” Her voice is truly a once-in-a-lifetime sound, I can’t even begin to describe all it manages to evoke in a split-second. This is her first album and I have been assured that it only gets better from here, which is bonkers to think about since, as stated in the beginning, Storytime feat. Guitars Is My Shit. I have no doubt that I’ll be slowly but surely making my rambling way through her discography. Favorites are “I Had A King”, “Night in the City”, “Nathan La Franeer”, and “Cactus Tree”.

5. Stay Alive by Laura Jane Grace

Again I owe James my whole life and wig. I was already an Against Me! and Devouring Mothers fan (it might be an overstatement to say that Transgender Dysphoria Blues was instrumental in keeping me alive through the darkest days of suicidal thoughts, dysphoria, and anxiety in 2018-2019, but not much of one), but had no idea Laura Jane had done a quarantine album until they mentioned it the other day and I immediately listened to the whole thing. I feel like this album will be a slow-burner for me; she’s always poured her heart and soul into every word she writes and sings and I know from experience that when her work hits, it’ll knock me off my ass in the best way possible. Even though she’s talked about not wanting to be seen solely as A Trans Artist and I will support everything she does, my wildest concert dream is to see her perform True Trans Soul Rebel live.

#monthly music wrap-up #mother falcon #odetta #west side story #joni mitchell #laura jane grace

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bittersweetmelxdy · 5 years ago

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Hi again! Thank you so much for answering my ask! Can i ask a scenario for victor with a (super hero?) S/o who can control animals and talk to them and use their natural habilities? Like bread under water like fishes, run super fast like a chita etc? Thank you!

You sent this months ago and guess who only now got around to it, me! Jokes aside, thanks for you continued patience dear, hope you enjoy this, it was interesting to imagine MC with another Evol, apart from precognition, so I had fun with this, hope you like it xxx

Title: a hidden side of you Pairing: Victor x MC Words: 1,438

Victor at first did not believe you possessed an Evol, and thereby was fully committed to be your knight in shining armour. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe you couldn’t survive on your own, but he was surprised you had survived this long on your own. He had literally seen your clumsy self knock into the same table twice, in the span of five minutes, and you would have done it a third time if he had not moved it out of your path of movement. So, Victor felt he of all people knew the extent of your abilities, but like always, you never failed to surprise him.

You rocked back and forth on the balls on your feet, tapping the cellphone in your hand as you waited for Victor to answer.

“Hello?” Victor’s deep voice answered.

“Victor?”

“Who else would answer my phone, idiot?” Victor deadpanned, chuckling as he heard you huff and he could see in his mind’s eyes your puffed out cheeks, and pout on your lips, “Do you need something?” he asked, his tone more tender.

“Are you free on Wednesday afternoon?” you asked, worrying the nail on your thumb anxiously.

You could hear Victor tapping his pen on either his papers or his desk, and you deflated knowing Victor was keeping you waiting on purpose, checking his schedule slower than necessary just to mess with you.

“I’m free.” Victor finally replied, and you let out a quiet sound of excitement, and over the phone, Victor felt a smile tug at the corners of the lips, “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, just pick me up at 2 on Wednesday.” You stated happily.

“Alright, see you then.”

“See you, love you Victor.”

“...”

“Victor?”

“Hmmm?”

“You going to say it back?”

“...”

“Victor!”

Victor laughed for a minute, “Dummy, love you too.” and you hung the phone, smiling as you went back to work.

Wednesday rolled around before you knew it, and once work was over you were dusting off your skirt, checking your hair in your pocket mirror, as you felt someone sling their arm over your shoulders.

“Wow Boss, you dressed a little too nice for a simple pre-shooting outing.” Willow teased, wiggling her brows at you teasingly.

You blushed, ducking your head, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Willow whistled, “I see... your using the company as an excuse for a date.” she continued to tease, her volume alerting Kiki and Anna who were close by.

“A date?” Kiki asked, “Wait, is this why you said you were fine going by yourself? You sly girl.” you rolled your eyes, as they continued to poke fun at you, when Anna cut in.

“Alright, I think her ride’s here, so let her breathe.” Anna smiled at your grateful look, and you waved at them as you left.

“Tell the CEO, we said hi!” they called, as the company door swung shut.

Reaching Victor’s car, you opened the passenger side door and climbed in, giving Victor a quick kiss on the cheek as greeting and then sitting down and clicking the seatbelt. He smiled wryly at you, watching as you inputted the address into his car’s GPS system, theatrically trying to hide the screen from him. He played along, pretending to be more confused as the ride went on and the city blended into the countryside, relishing in how proud you were that you had kept this such a secret. Once he had parked the car, and killed the ignition, he turned in his seat to look at you.

“So, why are we at Loveland’s animal research centre?” Victor asked.

“Surprise!” you beamed, shaking jazz-hands at him, “We’re doing a documentary, so they said they’d let me walk around today, before we start shooting.”

Victor nodded, and then the two of you left the car to enter the facility, he actually knew exactly where you were going, as you had mentioned to him excitedly over the phone weeks ago how you had secured the approval for the documentary. But it was more beneficial for him to feign ignorance, especially since he got to see the expressions you made. One of the researchers gave each of you a pass, and since the animals were all in enclosures, you were free to walk around freely, they would only monitor you on the video surveillance.

You and Victor walked around, and you filled him in on the history on the animals as you passed, stopping suddenly in front of an enclosure containing chameleons.

“These were rescued from some rich family that were keeping them as pets as mistreating them. You said softly pressing your hand against the glass, Victor seeing the empathy in your eyes, moved closer to you, wrapping a hand lightly around your waist.

“Do you see them?” he asked, trying to distract you slightly from your sadness.

“They’re a little scared, so they’re hiding.” you said, pointing a little further into the thicket, “Hey, don’t worry, we aren’t here to hurt you, in fact we’re going to make a show about you guys, so please come talk to me.”

Victor furrowed his brows, confused by your choice of words, but watched raptly as you looked to locate the cameras, as once you knew they wouldn’t see you, you stepped closer touching a branch one of the chameleons was on, and he was beyond surprised as he watched your hand changed. Your skin tone shifted before his eyes, changing from its usual tone until it resembled the wood of the branch, in colour and texture, your hand becoming almost an extension of your arm. The chameleon shuffled slowly over to you, before crawling onto your finger, it made a series of noises, and Victor watched, still shell-shocked, as you appeared to understand exactly what the creature was telling you.

“Wait, you understand it?”

“Him. Victor, him.” you corrected, “But yes, I do, he says he happy to meet us and he’s very happy here in the facility,” you turned to the chameleon, stroking it gently with your other hand, “I’m very happy to hear that, I know you’ve suffered.”

You spent more time with the chameleons, introducing yourself to each of them, before moving on to the other enclosures. As there were still other researchers walking around, Victor didn’t question you, afraid someone may overhear you, but he continued to observe as you displayed other abilities normal people wouldn’t be able to do. But once you were back in the car, he didn’t start the car, and the two of you sat in silence for a couple minutes.

“Um Victor, are we going home?” you asked.

“How long?” he asked, “how long have you been able to do all that?”

“I’ve always been able to talk to animals and use their abilities,” you admitted, “It’s my Evol.”

“And you couldn’t tell me?” Victor said, softly, his voice barely audible, hurt clear in his tone.

His stare was becoming a bit too much for you, and you looked down at your hands, fiddling with your fingers nervously, “I’m sure you know that most normal people don’t possess an Evol. So, when I was little, all the other children saw me as a freak and bullied me for it. So, I stopped using my Evol in front of others and pretended I didn’t have one.” You looked up at Victor, self-depreciatingly, “That didn’t stop me getting bullied in high school, but you can’t have everything, right?”

Victor reached across the console, and wrapped his arms around you, bringing you close to his chest, and breathing in the scent of your hair. You wrapped your arms around his neck, reciprocating the hug, and as you could tell Victor was struggling with his next words, you patiently waited.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere, so you don’t have to hide from me.” Victor smiled into your hair as he felt you nod into the crook of his neck.

Retracting from you, Victor started the car, and you began to feel a little shy having unloaded your past onto Victor and clasped your hands tightly in your lap. Before you could spiral into your thoughts, Victor placed his warm hand atop yours, coaxing your hand to turn over so he could interlace your fingers as he never took his eyes off the road, and continued to drive safely. You squeezed his hand in gratitude, and the two of you made your way home in a comfortable silence, hearts much closer than they had been before.

#mlqc scenarios #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mr love victor #mr love li zeyan #love and producer #evol x love

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d-criss-news · 5 years ago

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When it was announced that The Rosie O'Donnell Show would be back for one night only with a guest list of about 15 million Broadway talents, many of us wondered, would it be a return to the glory days of her multiple Emmy-winning daytime talk show or more like her ill-fated attempt to resuscitate the primetime variety format on NBC in 2008. It turned out to borrow from both those predecessors while evolving into something completely different — a low-tech lovefest that felt like eavesdropping on a group chat among friends looking out for one another in a time of need.

It was spontaneous, messy and blighted by some of the worst audio glitches imaginable. Yet it was often affectingly intimate, and even over an endurance-testing three-and-a-half commercial-free hours, also strangely addictive. The lack of slickness seemed to carry through to the relaxed manner of the guests, and their refreshing unpretentiousness.

Conceived by actor-producer (and occasional tech-support helpmate) Erich Bergen and live-streamed on Broadway.com and the website's YouTube channel, the show was a benefit for The Actors Fund, the charitable organization founded in 1882 that supports performers and behind-the-scenes theater workers. It raised more than half-a-million dollars, O'Donnell announced at the end of the marathon, sitting in a Hamilton hoodie and offering a champagne toast in a glass emblazoned with the face of Barbra Streisand.

She conducted the entire show from behind a laptop in her New Jersey garage, its floor spattered with the paint spillage of countless craft projects. "I'm a little bit of a Broadway nerd, I admit it," said O'Donnell, establishing her dual role as host and superfan.

Part of the show's unique pleasure was seeing favorite Broadway performers chilling in their own homes, almost all of them dressed down, with little visible attention to makeup or hair, and zero concern about unflattering angles. It was a great equalizer, proving that even artists who can hold packed theaters in the palm of their hands with a song are housebound and trying to make the best of a bad situation just like the rest of us — staying close to their families, killing time, learning to cook, wondering how long this unnerving isolation will last. Or how much longer we can put off that shower.

It was kind of comforting to see Idina Menzel sitting by her microwave and confessing, "I guess I'm going a little bonkers," while lamenting a failed lasagna attempt and sharing the challenges of homeschooling her son when she's no math genius. Likewise, hearing Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker talk about watching Columbo reruns or catching up on The Crown, while SJP begged for no spoilers on the final episode of The Sopranos, which she may now get to at last. Seeing Annette Bening on her Los Angeles balcony wearing a "Make America Kind Again" baseball cap was as much a tonic as watching Neil Patrick Harris do a card trick with his adorable twins. And who doesn't want to meet Gloria and Emilio Estefan's cute rescue dogs or hear about Lin-Manuel Miranda's kids' reaction to their first exposure to Singin' in the Rain?

Then there were the musical interludes.

Where else could you catch Patti LuPone, in magnificent voice, singing the urgently upbeat 1930s standard "A Hundred Years From Today," unaccompanied while sitting by the jukebox in her basement? Or Kelli O'Hara nestled into an armchair honoring Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday by wrapping her crystalline soprano around "Take Me to the World," a hymn to unity from Evening Primrose? Or husband and wife Audra McDonald and Will Swenson duetting on the Charlie Chaplin evergreen, "Smile," from their Westchester living room? Or Darren Criss pouring his heart into another Sondheim classic about the desire for connection, "Being Alive," from Company, accompanying himself in a lovely pop arrangement on acoustic guitar from the sofa of his Los Angeles home? And while sound problems plagued Barry Manilow's selection of hits, ending with "I Made It Through the Rain," I was tickled to see his Judy Garland Kleenex dispenser.

Many of the song choices were thoughtfully apropos of the current crisis, offering comforting reassurance of the eventual return of resilience and togetherness while people in major cities all over the country self-isolate as the infection rate of the coronavirus pandemic continues to climb. Maybe Tituss Burgess at his home keyboard singing "The Glory of Love" is exactly the kind of uplift we all need right now.

Even in the seemingly random numbers, the entire enterprise was characterized by a spirit of generosity and sharing.

Kristin Chenoweth celebrated a Starbucks romance in "Taylor the Latte Boy." Matthew Morrison goofed it up on ukulele to a mashup of "The Bare Necessities" and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from his Disney Dreamin' album. Alan Menken whipped through a medley of his songs from The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors, among others, at the piano. Ben Platt, also at the keyboard, did Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love." And Adrienne Warren, the sensational star of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, growled out "Simply the Best" from her bathtub. That was on the third attempt during a particularly troublesome audio patch, by which time her bubbles were history.

Prompted by O'Donnell, more than one guest reminded viewers that The Actors Fund is not just about Broadway artists pulling star salaries but also stagehands, makeup artists, wigmakers and ushers who work in what is very much a gig economy. The organization provides emergency financial assistance, social services, affordable housing, healthcare and insurance counseling and addiction support.

"Everything's a one-off," said Tony-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, who serves as chairman of The Actors Fund. "That's how we get by, and many people are living on the edge right now."

"We're all just one, two, maybe three paychecks away from bankruptcy," added Billy Porter, whose mother is in an Actors Fund nursing home. "In this community, our whole job description is insecurity," said Judith Light.

Porter, along with Lea Salonga and longtime activist Light recalled how Broadway was on the frontlines of another life-threatening struggle during the early days of the AIDS crisis. All of them urged viewers to stay strong and take the time to reflect on the value of solidarity.

While O'Donnell has never been shy about her opposition to Donald Trump and everything he stands for, the show was remarkably light on politics, with just the occasional dig slipping through. She opened with a little celebratory "Yay!" while admitting she had missed the president's daily coronavirus press update, and then explained that she and her guests were not there to talk Trump. When Harvey Fierstein, O'Donnell's 2005 stage husband in Fiddler on the Roof, reminded her of all the election work still to be done, she said, "Let's all just know, we deserve a leader who tells the truth." And the delays in making coronavirus testing more widely available prompted a comment that the government should have gotten busy on that back in January when the writing was already on the wall.

Mostly, however, the hastily revamped Rosie O'Donnell Show was about bringing people together at this time of anxiety and isolation, as the host reconnected with artists whom she has championed since her reign as the Queen of Nice. "Everyone in the community loves you," she told Chita Rivera in a particularly effusive greeting. "You are our queen mother!"

Many of the performers would have been decompressing after rehearsals or Sunday matinees if the Broadway shutdown hadn't happened — Criss in American Buffalo, Broderick and Parker in Plaza Suite, Warren in Tina, Lauren Patten and Elizabeth Stanley in Jagged Little Pill. Sunday would have been LuPone's opening night in the gender-flipped revival of Company. Gavin Creel, who abruptly ended his London run in Waitress to fly home and is in isolation in a cabin in upstate New York, revealed the fear that he might have contracted the virus, given that several others in the cast have fallen ill, with one of them testing positive.

The show bridged the gap separating us from artists whose work we normally experience on the other side of the footlights. Most of us will never again get to see Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber exchange greetings in song on the birthday the two composers happen to share. From those celebrated veterans to rising-star newbies, the common denominator here was everybody facing the crisis just like us, reaching out a hand of friendship, albeit from a mandatory safe distance.

#darren criss #rosie o’donnell #rosie o'donnell show livestream #the hollywood reporter #press #march 2020

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leleamo · 7 months ago

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part 19

our two teams, Star Fox and Star Wolf, along with Chita Chinchin (who came sitting on the wing of Panther's ship) returned to the village.

while the moon shone in the sky, everyone had dinner calmly, Fox was talking to Anabel

— impressive, so that's what I always saw flying and walking around my lands, it's terrible how someone from your planet could suffer the consequences here, tell her I'm sorry... — Anabel said as she watched Chita shyly eat her food

— don't worry, Anabel, Chita must know that the mutation is not your fault, and in the end she is still alive, and will return home — Fox was next to her, smiling and happy, even though it wasn't over yet

— and as for the other invaders...?

— after dinner, I promise to start making a plan to end this

— Thank you Fox, for your loyalty and help in this difficult time for my tribe, and even if you leave after this, I would love to welcome you here on my planet again... especially Slippy, he... is really adorable...

With a silly laugh and a flushed face, the conversation ended and Fox went to eat

After dinner, it was time to start a plan, and Wolf started talking

— I don't know if we have much to defend, Molino's army-

— my army.

— eh, Amdrew's army that was stolen by Molino only has acid, they literally attack with acid, we are fast enough to dodge, but I don't know if our ships can handle it if they are hit...

— Hmm... my lady, with your knowledge about this beautiful world, would you know of any plants that would survive acid? — Panther asked while stroking Cheetah on the cheek, who seemed quite happy with the affection

— hm... I don't think so... sorry... I mean, the plants here are as alive as the beings here, so it wouldn't change much, especially since they aren't always in contact with acid so... no ...

— Ah, I have an idea!— Amdrew got up from his chair with an arrogant smile— let's make that idiot Molino show up here with the entire army, you all distract him and- wait, maybe I need Ray for that, I'll be back soon!!

Amdrew ran out of the place and left, no one really understood, just Slippy, who didn't seem very excited about the end of this plan...

part 18 - part 20

#star fox #star fox au #star fox oc #Star Fox radiation

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aliveandfullofjoy · 6 years ago

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2019 Tony Awards Trivia

This is the stat that I’ve seen get the most attention, and it’s a really cool one: Jeremy Pope, who’s nominated in Leading Actor in a Play for Choir Boy and Featured Actor in a Musical for Ain’t Too Proud, is the sixth actor in Tonys history to be nominated in two different categories in the same year. Pope is only the second to be nominated for both a play and a musical in the same year, the first actor of color to achieve this distinction, as well as the first member of the LGBTQ+ community. The others are: Amanda Plummer (Leading Actress in a Play nominee for A Taste of Honey and Featured Actress in a Play winner for Agnes of God in 1982), Dana Ivey (Featured Actress in a Musical nominee for Sunday in the Park with George and Featured Actress in a Play nominee for Heartbreak House in 1984), Kate Burton (Leading Actress in a Play nominee for Hedda Gabler and Featured Actress in a Play nominee for The Elephant Man in 2002), Jan Maxwell (Leading Actress in a Play nominee for The Royal Family and Featured Actress in a Play nominee for Lend Me a Tenor in 2010), and Mark Rylance (Leading Actor in a Play nominee for Richard III and Featured Actor in a Play winner for Twelfth Night in 2014).

A few notable firsts: Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!) is the first actor who uses a wheelchair to be nominated for a Tony. Paddy Considine (The Ferryman) is the first actor with autism to be nominated for a Tony.

Heidi Schreck (What the Constitution Means to Me) is the third person in Tonys history to be nominated for Best Play and Best Actress for the same show in the same year. She joins Anna Deavere Smith (Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992) and Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde).

Oklahoma! is one of the landmark American musicals and, as of yesterday’s nominations, has received a total of seventeen competitive nominations and a special award in 1993. The only competitive award the show has ever won is for Featured Actor in a Musical in 2002 for Shuler Hensley.

Director Rachel Chavkin only has two Broadway credits to her name, but both shows led the nomination count in their respective Tonys ceremonies: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 received twelve (eventually winning two), while Hadestown scored fourteen nominations.

Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown) is the 41st woman nominated in the Best Score category. If she won, she would be the seventh woman to win (joining Betty Comden, Lynn Ahrens, Lisa Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Jeanine Tesori, and Lisa Kron), and she would be only the second woman to win the award as a solo composer, following Lauper in 2013.

Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud) is the first black woman nominated for Best Book since Lita Gaithers in 1999, who was nominated for It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.

If either Kiss Me, Kate or All My Sons wins their respective Best Revival category, they would join The King and I, La Cage aux Folles, Death of a Salesman, and A View from the Bridge as the only shows to win Best Revival twice.

Some of the roles nominated this year have previously been nominated for or won Oscars. These roles include Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), Michael Dorsey (Tootsie), and Sandy Lester (Tootsie), while the roles Howard Beale (Network), Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), and Julie Nichols (Tootsie) have all won Oscars.

A few actors are back with a returning Tony nomination after a lengthy gap: Annette Bening (All My Sons) received her second nomination, her first coming in 1987 for Coastal Disturbances; Fionnula Flanagan (The Ferryman) also received her second nomination, with her first coming from further back in 1974 for Ulysses in Nighttown. Mary Testa and André De Shields both received their third nominations (she for Oklahoma!, he for Hadestown), the first for each of them since their last nomination in 2001 (she for 42nd Street, he for The Full Monty).

Some roles that received nominations this year that have previously been nominated or won: Chris Keller in All My Sons (Benjamin Walker in 2019, Jamey Sheridan in 1987), Larry in Burn This (Brandon Uranowitz in 2019, Lou Liberatore in 1988), Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate (Kelli O’Hara in 2019, Marin Mazzie in 2000), Curly in Oklahoma! (Damon Daunno in 2019, Patrick Wilson in 2002), and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! (Andrea Martin in 2002, Mary Testa in 2019).

Ain’t Too Proud is the first jukebox bio-musical nominated for Best Musical since Beautiful in 2014, and the sixth ever nominated, joining The Boy from Oz (2004), Jersey Boys (2006), Fela! (2010), Million Dollar Quartet (2010), and Beautiful (2014).

With his double nominations for Tootsie and Beetlejuice, William Ivey Long remains the most nominated costume designer in Tonys history, with 17 total. This is also his second year with two nominations, having also been nominated for both La Cage aux Folles and A Streetcar Named Desire in 2005.

This is the first time ever that there are six nominees in the Best Score category. To Kill a Mockingbird is the eighth non-musical play to be nominated in this category, joining Much Ado About Nothing (1973), The Song of Jacob Zulu (1993), Twelfth Night (1999), ENRON (2010), Fences (2010), Peter and the Starcatcher (2012), One Man, Two Guvnors (2012), and Angels in America (2018). This is the first time a non-musical play has been nominated in this category in consecutive years.

Kelli O’Hara received her seventh Tony nomination for Kiss Me, Kate, her sixth in the Leading Actress in a Musical category, tying her with Sutton Foster and Bernadette Peters. Chita Rivera still reigns supreme in that category, with eight nominations.

The Prom is the 14th musical to get multiple Leading Actress nominations. The others: New Girl in Town (1958), Company (1971), Follies (1972), Chicago (1976), Annie (1977), Dreamgirls (1982), The Rink (1984), Black and Blue (1989), Guys and Dolls (1992), Side Show (1998), Urinetown (2002), Wicked (2004), and War Paint (2017).

If Tootsie wins Best Musical, David Yazbek will be the fourth person to work as composer on back-to-back Best Musical winners, joining Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees) and Cy Coleman (City of Angels and The Will Rogers Follies).

With both Ain’t Too Proud and Hadestown, This is the fifth time that two shows received at least two nominations in Featured Actor in a Musical. The others are Fiorello! and The Sound of Music (1960), The Producers and The Full Monty (2001), Hairspray and Movin’ Out (2003), and Something Rotten! and An American in Paris (2015).

Scott Ellis (Tootsie) has broken his tie with James Lapine to become the director with most nominations for Direction of a Musical without a win.

With his nomination for Kiss Me, Kate, orchestrator Larry Hochman is a nine-time Tony nominee and is now second behind Jonathan Tunick as the most nominated orchestrator of all-time.

Peter Nigrini is the first person in Tonys history nominated for both Scenic Design of a Musical and Lighting Design of a Musical in the same year. He’s nominated for Ain’t Too Proud’s set with Robert Brill and for Beetlejuice’s lights with Kenneth Posner.

Some stats on how many times the ten nominated directors have been nominated before: this is the tenth directing nomination for Gary’s George C. Wolfe (previously won for Angels in America: Millennium Approaches in 1993 and Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk in 1996, and previously nominated for Jelly’s Last Jam in 1992, Angels in America: Perestroika in 1994, Caroline, or Change in 2004, The Normal Heart with Joel Grey in 2011, Lucky Guy in 2013, Shuffle Along in 2016, and The Iceman Cometh in 2018); this is the ninth directing nomination for Tootsie’s Scott Ellis (previously nominated for She Loves Me in 1994, Steel Pier in 1997, 1776 in 1998, Twelve Angry Men in 2005, Curtains in 2007, The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 2013, You Can’t Take It With You in 2015, and She Loves Me in 2016) and To Kill a Mockingbird’s Bartlett Sher (previously won for South Pacific in 2008, and previously nominated for The Light in the Piazza in 2005, Awake and Sing! in 2006, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in 2009, Golden Boy in 2013, The King and I in 2015, Oslo in 2017, and My Fair Lady in 2018); this is the fifth directing nomination for Ain’t Too Proud’s Des McAnuff (previously won for Big River in 1985 and The Who’s Tommy in 1993, and previously nominated for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1995 and Jersey Boys in 2006) and The Prom’s Casey Nicholaw (previously won with Trey Parker for The Book of Mormon in 2011, and previously nominated for The Drowsy Chaperone in 2006, Something Rotten! in 2015, and Mean Girls in 2018); this is the second directing nomination for Hadestown’s Rachel Chavkin (previously nominated for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 in 2017), Ink’s Rupert Goold (previously nominated for King Charles III in 2016), The Ferryman’s Sam Mendes (previously nominated with Rob Marshall for Cabaret in 1998), and Network’s Ivo van Hove (previously won for A View from the Bridge in 2016); this is the first directing nomination for Daniel Fish (Oklahoma!).

#tonys trivia #tony awards #tonys 2019 #trivia

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deal-right · 5 years ago

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Soooo

I took this guy down today.

It was one of the first, if not the first, iIIustrations I did digitaIIy, but I wanted to hang other stuff on my waII and it was getting oId so it was time for it to go

That “other stuff” is this drawing I did for @danlg-stuff .

I’m very happy with how it came out so I wanted to have it up there

I aIso added some fanart I’ve gotten over time to the cork I have in front of my drawing tabIe <3

It........ Seems deaI’s the most popuIar character I have x’D (I chose two of those drawings to be of Deal so that’s just haIf true but). Anyway, starting from top to bottom they’re form:

@petite-pumpkin (from art fight, thank u!! she looks so bright in your style)

@myebi / @comyet (from a raffle, I love it so much <33)

milvilla (on tw and insta, that bookmark was a commission I did on a con <333)

Goshikle (on DA and Insta, it’s the one with deaI posing Iike a rockstar <3)

And the one on the bottom is from my sis @minane (that one’s been there for a Iong time now but I won’t ever take it down ashfjksf)

I gotta print a coupIe more, but that’II be for another day

Edit: I forgot a pic aghfjksalf

here’s a drawing of Erika by @danlg-stuff (my fav drawing of erika EVER I Iove it so much aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa) and a fanart of Deal by Chita (she’s doing an amazing webcomic <33 you can read it here, she’s doing an amazing job https://tapas.io/series/Burning-Shadow)

#it's hiIarious that there's so many deaI drawings #she's my spoiIed chiId #and I won't be abIe to teII her story untiI waaaaaaaaay Iater on in the comic GASHJKFSAG #motivation number 324 to keep on drawing pages: get to draw my favourite christmass treee #have you see her hair #you just need to hand a coupIe Iights there and there #xmass for u #her bow counts as a mistIetoe

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unpopularwiththepopulace · 4 years ago

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Here Lies Jenny: Bebe Neuwirth’s under-remembered masterpiece?

While Bebe Neuwirth is often remembered foremost for her presence in worlds like Chicago, Cheers or Fosse, there’s another piece in the tapestry of her work that brings many notable threads together and is equally significant to her.

Here Lies Jenny is the somewhat under-discussed piece of theatre that in fact has connections to all three of these aforementioned things, because of the people she worked herself on creating it with, and deserves to be brought up with slightly more comparable frequency.

A moment then to explore some of the history of this elusive but important show.

Here Lies Jenny, recalled as a “surprise off Broadway hit”, opened at the Zipper Theatre in downtown Manhattan in May 2004 and ran there for five months.

The show was an interpretive revue of the music of German composer, Kurt Weill, born out of an idea Bebe had herself. It was shaped by collaboration with close friends – with its initial genesis assisted by Leslie Stifelman (the show’s pianist, who she’d worked with on Chicago), direction by Roger Rees (who she’d long known and worked with since their time on Cheers together), and choreography by Ann Reinking (who was Bebe’s closest dance companion in the Fosse universe).

Set in a dark and shadowy looking barroom, the piece followed Bebe as the central, amorphous female figure named ‘Jenny’, supported by three male cast members and a pianist, through an evening of carefully selected Weill songs. Alongside Bebe and Leslie on stage were Gregory Butler and Shawn Emamjomeh, as two rough denizens of the bar, and Ed Dixon as the general proprietor.

There was no linear storyline to the show and no spoken dialogue, but Bebe described how the evening unfolded “in a very logical and emotional, fulfilling way.” All of the songs presented “[described] the interaction between these five people there, that make it necessary to sing the next song.” Rather than taking a group of songs by a particular composer and imposing a narrative on them, the songs were interwoven together to create an “impressionistic and realistic painting of this person’s life.”

To give a summary of the show’s arc, Jenny initially descends the wire staircase into the bar, with little more than a frightened expression and a small bag of wordly possessions. Accosted by the two forceful patrons, she’s flattened down both physically and emotionally. The men depart and return throughout, and the emotional core of the piece fluctuates from song to song as each number evokes a different picture and interpretation of a circumstance or feeling. As reviewers put it, “she’s sometimes bold, sometimes reticent, until she leaves…with what seems like a modicum of self-possession and hope,” and “climbs that long staircase on her way into the world again.”

The idea for creating Here Lies Jenny came out of Bebe’s own desire to put together a piece of theatre and an evening of performance of her own. It was a notion intensified by growing external interest, or as she recalled, “people have always said to me ‘Do a show, do a show, do a one woman show!’”

But for a while the form the piece would take was unclear. Bebe knew she “didn’t want to do a revue”, and she didn’t want “the usual cabaret thing… [or] ‘Bebe and Her Boys.’”

“I generally hate one women shows,” she would remark, “unless it’s Elaine Stritch or Chita Rivera or, you know, Patti LuPone.”

According to Bebe, she’s “much more comfortable as a character doing something. I'm not comfortable just being myself and singing in front of people.”

On and off for around two and a half years then, Bebe had been considering how to approach this matter while putting together some music, predominantly that of Kurt Weill, with musician, conductor and friend from Chicago, Leslie Stifelman.

Leslie suggested bringing in a director, so Bebe turned to Roger Rees – a person she regards as “not just a great actor,” but also “a fantastic director”, with a “very interesting creative mind.” Showing Roger the songs, he “realised that they all described women, or aspects of women, or different times in women’s lives.”

Roger thought it would be interesting then to combine all of these varied sentiments and have them channelled through one specific woman, in one specific location, to present a complex but diversely applicable tapestry centred around the emotional interiority of one tangible female force.

The show is “fragmented, prismatic…less narrative than poetic,” according to Roger. It’s not prescriptive. Rather, it evokes strong feelings and allows the audience to interpret them into their own individual and personal narrative for this woman. It poses questions and provokes thoughts. Who is this woman? Why is she here? Why is she here now? Is that a child? Or is that just a wish for a child? What did she have in this life before we meet her and what has she now lost?

It is indeed an unusual entity, and atypical from other more standard revues, cabaret acts, or works of theatre. A “self-described Japanophile”, Bebe explained how it played in the “Japanese aesthetic concept known as wabi sabi.” Of this she would elaborate, “There’s no direct translation, but it’s about the beauty of things as they age, embracing what’s painful in life as well as what’s joyful.”

It is certainly a piece that contains beauty as well as pain, which itself is a complexity and dichotomy often ascribed to Kurt Weill’s music.

When initially finding and working on songs for what was to become Here Lies Jenny, Bebe noticed being drawn to the work of one composer most strongly.

Like Bernadette Peters talking about how she gravitates to selecting Stephen Sondheim’s material for her concerts, Bebe would say simply, “all of the music that I loved the most was Kurt Weill music.”

A revue in 1991 called Cabaret Verboten (also with Roger Rees), that sought to recreate a Weimar Republic cabaret and re-conjure some of the decadence of pre-Nazi Germany, increased Bebe’s exposure to Kurt Weill’s music and was where she “first became captivated by the composer”. Building on this strong connection and deep appreciation in the years since then, Bebe would assert of his music, “it resonates for me.”

“Neuwirth knows Weill’s music isn’t for everyone,” one reviewer wrote, “but she won’t apologize for it.” She sees its capacity to be “appreciated on many different levels,” and has described it on varying occasions as “unflinchingly honest”, “very fulfilling to perform”, not just “arch and angular and Germanic…[as] many people think”, but as having “great lyricism and tenderness”.

Bebe feels a strong affinity for Weill’s music in part because of its “ability to convey the truth completely and fearlessly and without artifice”. For example, “If you're talking about heartbreak, [his music] goes to the absolute nth degree of what that really means. The way he shows that is with fearless lyrics and the bravery to make the music as beautiful as it can be.”

“Maybe the way I appreciate it speaks to the kind of person I am,” she would say. “I’m very bright but not an intellectual. I like things in a visceral, passionate and spiritual way.” And to Bebe, Weill’s music certainly provides that – which was why devising this show was of such importance and significance to her.

Bebe said also that “the show offers the broad range of Weill's songwriting talents.” This is indeed a truism, with the work of no fewer than ten different lyrists being showcased across the nearly two dozen songs during the evening, including Berthold Brecht, Ira Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner, Langston Hughes, and Ogden Nash.

The different styles and languages of Kurt Weill’s music mirror Weill’s own history and geographic progression through the world. Born in Germany, “Weill, a Jew, had to flee the Nazis at the height of his popularity. He fled to France and then to the United States, where he became a citizen in 1943.”

His songs reflect the world in which he was living. For instance, ‘The Bilbao Song’ is a tale of sometimes gleeful, sometimes regretful nostalgia and comes from a collaboration with Berthold Brecht in German. It is performed here only in English through the use of “Michael Feingold's now-accepted translation”. The Brechtian-ism is a feature of this production as a whole that was remarked on at the time, being appraised there was “more than a dash of an alienation effect at play,” with material being sung for example behind grilled windows or facing away from the audience.

His French material is alternately reflective of the musical identity Weill tried to devise while having to reinvent himself from scratch in France. Bebe performs one of these French numbers here, entitled ‘Je ne t'aime pas’, which has its own poetic lyricism, and indeed mournful significance, given the translation of the title as ‘I don’t love you’.

Alternately, jazzy, Broadway glamour is comparatively evident in some songs like ‘The Saga of Jenny’ from musicals that arose in America on the Great White Way out of the era of Golden Age of the American musical in the ‘40s to the 60’s.

This show was ambitious then, in its mission of exploring a wide range of the composer’s musical contributions across multiple decades, countries, styles of music, and lyrical collaborations.

Beyond his own musicals, Kurt Weill’s music has been notably seen elsewhere on Broadway or in the theatre world via interpretations such as songs in concerts with Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone, Ute Lemper; or full stage productions with Donna Murphy as Lotte Lenya in Hal Prince’s 2007 Lovemusik; or Lenya’s recordings herself.

Much of Kurt Weill’s legacy lives on through his wife, Lotte Lenya, who was seen as his “chief interpreter… [and] largely responsible for reviving interest in the composer” after his death.

Like Lotte with her “whisky baritone”, Bebe is able to convey meaningful interpretations of Weill’s music through her vocal richness and skilled acting choices, carefully controlling factors like timing, pronunciation and syllabic stress.

An example. Bebe does the most satisfying version of ‘The Bilbao Song’ I have heard. There’s a line in this song that states: “Four guys from ‘frisco came with sacks of gold dust,” in which the last portion of the phrase is repeated a further two times. Bebe emphasises the third “SACKS, of gold dust?!” in the dramatic manner stylised through my punctuation in attempts at recreating its phonology, which contrasts against the two previous readings. This gives the line a salient narrative purpose. It conveys not just an observation, but a tale of surprise and incredulity – who on earth would walk into a bar carrying entire sacks of gold dust?

It may be seemingly just one small detail, but it has a large impact. Other versions that intonate all three repetitions of this line the same miss this engaging variation and feel flat in comparison.

This song would justly so later become a staple of her concert material – along with others like ‘Surabaya Johnny’ and ‘Susan’s Dream’.

But there is unfamiliar territory traversed in Here Lies Jenny too. The rendition of Ogden Nash’s lyrics with ‘I'm a Stranger Here Myself’ is ‘new’ – and it’s exquisite, in its melodic, lilting and playful but darkly seductive swirling sentiment.

Another notable number in need of individual mention would be ‘The Saga of Jenny’. There are two Kurt Weill songs most strongly associated with the ‘Jenny’ moniker – this, and the also well-known ‘Pirate Jenny’ from The Threepenny Opera, which Bebe had done a production of in 1999. The latter was trialled in early versions of the show but ultimately didn’t “serve the piece as well as other…moments could,” so was taken out. Fortunately, Bebe would later work it into her concerts.

The former made it in, and provides the exciting opportunity to get to hear Bebe’s take on this song as made well-known by a number of respected performers. ‘The Saga of Jenny’ appeared initially in Weill & Gershwin’s collaboration for the musical Lady in the Dark in 1941, starring Gertrude Lawrence. The song has since gone through innumerable reiterations, such as via Ginger Rogers in the 1944 film adaptation of the same name; Julie Andrews’ big-production performance in the Gertrude Lawrence biopic Star! in 1968; and other high-profile concert performances like via Ruthie Henshall, Christine Ebersole, Lynn Redgrave and Ute Lemper; along with Lotte Lenya’s own recordings.

Further extending the song’s life was ‘The Saga of Lenny’ – a version devised with new lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Lauren Bacall for Leonard Bernstein’s 70th Birthday in 1988. All of these are on YouTube and I would testify are worth a watch.

In this show, Bebe performs the number with the bravado of a war-time songbird. She strides around with an old-school 1940s microphone back and forth across the stage as she progresses through the song’s distinct chronological sections, grounding the show centrally back to its identifying moniker and characterising an eponymous, engaging and multiply varied ‘Jenny’.

When not bound to microphones, Here Lies Jenny also involved the use of Ann Reinking’s “minimal but inventive” choreography to create striking visual images. Though perhaps not resembling the fast-paced, razzle-dazzle of Chicago, these patterns of movement are at times no less impactful. Bebe is dragged fluidly across a countertop, rolled sinuously down pairs of legs, centred in a dark tango (that one review likened as a potential metaphor for a ménage à trois), or spun backwards upside down onto Emamjomeh’s shoulder in the air – to name a few notable moments.

Not a dance show by any strict sense, all of these demands are nonetheless physically taxing. This is a matter of importance given the timing of the show.

What Bebe had long deemed a “peculiar” hip from her early twenties, begun causing notable pain when it “went from peculiar to downright bad in 2001” during Fosse on Broadway. It was recorded the “pain continued during [this] high-concept Kurt Weill revue” in 2004, such that performing this manner of movement in the show can have been no trivial feat. The next three years brought subsequent arthroscopic surgery for cartilage removal, and then total hip replacement.

That being considered, the show was able to run in the highly demanding manner it did for five months straight because of Ann Reinking’s assiduously crafted choreography.

The Zipper Theatre was the “funky downtown Manhattan space” that housed the show for that time. The timing of the production and the nature of the theatre played integral parts in the piece’s characterisation.

Roger took Bebe to see the theatre when they were devising the show, and to Bebe, it felt right. “There is this creative gesture that we are making and the gesture is completed if it’s in this place.” Not in some new, shiny theatre; but here, with a darkness and sense of history that created an evocative mood similar to the tone of the whole show “as soon as you walked into the building.” This was aided by the show beginning at 11pm each night – “absolutely an artistic choice” – given that what “happens between these five people, happens very late at night”, in a shadowy time of day filled by darkness and secrets.

Here Lies Jenny ended its run in New York in October 2004. But this did not mark the end of the piece. Bebe and her troupe took the show to San Francisco in the Spring the following year – after a seven month interim that included filming thirteen episodes of Law and Order: Trial by Jury, the aforementioned hip cartilage removal, and subsequent recovery.

The show was not deemed flawless by everyone who reviewed it. Some thought it too dark or wished for less abstraction and ambiguity. But as one article would conclude, “Faults aside, it’s hard not to recommend a show devoted to Kurt Weill,” ultimately providing a “unique and polished evening at the theatre.”

Roger Rees would reflect on the show, “Weill & Neuwirth work so well together” because Bebe’s “high standard of performance” means she is able to “delve deeply and go on forever” into material he likened to being as complex as Shakespeare.

It “demands a great deal from a performer, and she is equal to it,” Roger said. “She’s very deep in herself. There’s nothing made up about [her], which is a rare and beautiful thing. The match between performer and material is exquisite.”

This would likely mean a lot to Bebe, as the show itself meant a lot to Bebe. And still does several years later. She would cite it in 2012 as the “role she wish[ed] more people had seen”, as to her, it “was a beautiful, unusual piece of theatre”. Altogether, it was something ineffable and “bigger than the sum of its parts”.

“It’s something I've wanted to do, and I did instigate it,” she said, of putting the show together. But that’s not to say it was easy to helm matters. “For me to be in charge, makes me very uncomfortable.”

That the show got made at all then Bebe would recognise as “a testament to how deeply I love the material and how inspired it makes me.” Her trust in people like Leslie, Annie and Roger enabled the creation of such a project from the ground up that wouldn’t have otherwise existed. Thus, to borrow a phrase from Stephen Sondheim, it was the combination of both personal drive, and also the shared collaboration of four people who all “love each other very much” that ultimately ‘made a hat where there never was a hat.’

It was even further an important show to her, because it was “a very private thing.” She’d describe Jenny as a very physical and emotional role – “the most personal of anything I've done.”

It clearly holds a special place in Bebe’s own heart. Undoubtedly, it would be poignant to revisit again. As we look to the near future of theatre with shows that could feasibly be staged as events start coming back, in tandem with the publicly expressed desire of people wanting to see Bebe back on stage again, this pre-existing, modestly-sized, inventive piece would be no bad suggestion.

How about a Here Lies Jenny reprise when theatre returns?

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iamnotusnavi · 4 years ago

Text

Let’s Dance

Chapter One

Lin x Reader

Warnings: A little bit of ✨hurt✨, but I swear it’s not much.

A/N: WOWWW...it’s been so long. I’m so sorry, I’ve been busy this week (and the weeks before that). Yes, I have drawn myself to finish this chaptered story. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

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*Knock Knock*

“Y/n?” Someone called in a red bolero shirt and a hat.

“Oh, hey Lin” You said sweetly. Mandy, your co-star, was looking at you like a Cheshire cat.

“Are you guys ready for-“, the show caller cut you off.

“5 minutes to curtain call, 5 minutes to curtain call.”

It was opening night for “In the Heights”. It took 10 years for Lin to finally get it on Broadway and you were proud of him. You auditioned for the role of Carla months before but instead got the role of Vanessa. When you stepped into the rehearsal space, everyone there was friendly. Everyone in the cast was your friend especially Lin. You and him really hit it off right away and became close friends really quick. After months of rehearsal and his years of hard work, the futhamucker finally made it to the opening night on Broadway.

“Are you guys ready?” Lin asked looking cute and standing on the door frame. You were really swoon.

Before you could even reply again, Mandy decided to answer the question.

“HELL YEAH”

With that, Lin smiled at you and Mandy before he left for the back of stage. As soon as you guys were both alone, Mandy decided to break the silence.

“Would you stop looking at each other like that?” Mandy said with annoyance present in her voice.

“Like what?”

“Ay Bendito!” She then continued, “With the googly moogly eyes at each other. Why not just tell him you love him.”

“Mandy, I swear to-“

“You both look at each other like that. All blushing and whatever. Also, it’s obvious to everyone already.” She cut you off from finishing your sentence. You took a gasp for air and tried to calm down.

“Mandy, if you say that one more time, I won’t tell you anything anymore.” With that you guys left your dressing room and went backstage.

While walking there, you thought about the scene that happened a while ago. Yes, you had a crush on the writer, actor, and basically your boss of “In the Heights”. Ya know, the one you were gonna perform and perform with. Everytime he came into the room; you were feeling giddy and smitten towards the man. I mean to be fair he was cute, handsome, not to mention smart, and an all-around great and nice young man about your age. Every time you had rehearsal for “Champagne” or anything that has a close distance performance with Lin, you always felt nervous and blushed, hard. Performing “No Me Diga” with the ladies was your savior in a form of a performance. You had time to calm your nerves from all the feelings you got carrying near Lin.

“Lights up on Washington Heights, Up at the break of day. I wake up and I got this little punk I gotta chase away. Pop the grate at the crack of dawn. Sing while I wipe down the awning, Hey y'all good morning.”

With that you went to work.

------------------time skip to after the show--------------------

During “It Won’t Be Long Now” Robin who was playing Sonny, was getting low at you and it honestly made you laugh. His dancing never failed you. Short after came Lin with his “drunk Chita Rivera dancing skills”. You tried to contain your laughing because you were aware that you were still on stage. As you faced Lin while he was dancing, he decided to wink at you and you were so sure that you were blushing. Thankfully you had to do a scene with just Robin and Lin didn’t see your face turning red like a tomato.

After the song, a different scene was on and you were backstage. You took the time to freshen up and think about what had just happened. You still can’t wrap your head around it considering you were having a huge crush on him. You suddenly remembered, “Champagne” was coming soon and you had mixed feelings about it.

--------------------Skip to Champagne------------------

You mentally prepared yourself for this backstage. You finally got your nerves together and sang the first lines of the song.

“So, I got you a present, I went downtown to get it. Doing anything tonight?”

“Cleaning”, Lin responded following the script.

“Done for the day”

“No way.”

“Cause we got a date.”

“oKay.”

“Before you board that plane”, You chuckled-sang the line because of the way Lin said “okay”. You then continued.

“I owe you a bottle of cold Champagne. Yeah, cold Champagne.”

“Yeah, bottle’s all sweaty and everything you went and got this”

“Pop the champagne.” As you sang the rest of your lines, the few minutes flew by quick. You were actually having fun performing this song. A few lines passed by and you got to the climax where Vanessa tries to persuade Usnavi with reasons to not leave the barrio. You suddenly remembered you had to kiss Lin. You were suddenly nervous. You then coped with it by redirecting the energy to the song.

“I'm going down to West 4th Street; You can take the A.” You sang with more emotion.

“What are you trying to say?” You saw his face looking like he was concerned. You wished it were genuine, but it was just acting.

“You're leaving the country and we're never gonna see you again”

“What are you trying to say?”

You noticed he sang his line with a bit more curiosity than normal, but you decided to ignore it.

“You get everyone addicted to your coffee and off you go”

“Vanessa, I don't know why you're mad at me”

“I wish I was mad.” You then took all your emotion and packed it up as you turned around. You pulled his collar and kissed him. You wished it were real, you wished you could tell him your feelings, but you knew you had to keep it professional. During the few seconds of both of you kissing during the scene, you felt Lin pulling you towards him more. You were about to melt in, but as soon as you were about to, you remembered, this was just acting. You pulled yourself away from him and sang your last line for Champagne.

“I'm just too late.” A part of you was happy inside about how the performance went. Gladly, it was successful, but a part of you was feeling a bit numb. You’ve done a hundred or more rehearsal kisses with him. Why did it feel different this time?

You then parted ways from the stage. As you left you had to act down, but it didn’t take much effort. You were sad about the thought that it was just acting. You wished Lin had felt the same meanwhile, you didn’t know, but he was feeling the same thing too.

As “When the Sun Goes Down” was being sung by Chris and Mandy, you were re-evaluating your thoughts. You tried convincing yourself that it was just acting and you should move past it, but it felt too real, too strong.

The song Chris and Mandy were singing was moving towards the end. You then prepared yourself for the “Finale” and got yourself together for the final performance.

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A/N: I’M SORRY IT’S SHORT. Please forgive me for this unsatisfying monstrosity. I swear I’ll release the next one next week. SEeEE yA THEn!

#lin manuel x reader #lin x reader #lmm #In the Heights #lmm x reader #lin #lin manuel miranda #lin manuel #lin miranda #lin fic

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