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twistedtummies2 · 1 year ago

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Top 10 Maleficent Appearances

Earlier this week, I decided to celebrate Founding Day for Disney by discussing my favorite appearances of their flagship character, Mickey Mouse. However, as anybody who knows me well will likely be aware, Mickey isn’t my primary draw for Disney. None of the Disney heroes are, really. For me, the biggest group of characters that fascinate me most with Disney are its Villains. And while there are many great Disney Villains that I love - Scar, the Evil Queen, Jafar, Cruella De Vil, and more - my favorite has always been, and likely always will be, the Mistress of All Evil herself: Maleficent. Originally debuting in 1959’s “Sleeping Beauty,” this dark fairy is arguably for the Disney Villains lineup what Mickey is to Disney as a whole. While not unanimously EVERYONE’S favorite Disney Villain, she is in the top ten for many, many people. More importantly, she is arguably the single villainess with the most clout Disney has created: in virtually anything that promotes the lineup, Maleficent is used, and usually has some sort of starring or majorly featured role. She’s often depicted as the leader of the villains, and it’s no surprise why: with her stone-cold demeanor, grandiose style, and absolutely REMARKABLE feats of power and menace, she is easily one of the most dangerous and despicable villains the company has forked out through their animated productions. Maleficent is not only my favorite Disney Villain, but quite possibly one of my top three favorite villains of all time, alongside Count Dracula and Batman’s Joker. And, seeing as Halloweentime is usually Disney’s “Season of the Villain,” and this IS still the 100th Anniversary of Disney itself…yeah. Now seems a perfect time to cover my favorite appearances this Dark Queen has had since her debut. On that note, no, the original Sleeping Beauty will NOT be counted here, simply because I think that’s cheating. This will be for all of Maleficent’s greatest roles since her cinematic premiere. With that said��here are My Top 10 Maleficent Appearances (besides Sleeping Beauty)!

10. Villains Mix & Mingle/Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular.

Our first entry on the countdown is a Halloweentime special stage show at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. This show has changed several times over the years, and with each revolution, Maleficent has been present in some form or another. The original version of the show, called “Villains Mix & Mingle,” featured Maleficent and Captain Hook as the hosts of the Event; it was basically a story-less mini-revue, dedicated to Disney Villains. The “plot” had Maleficent throwing a Halloween Party (I guess she was tired of not being invited to any herself), and summoning various Disney Villains to dance the night away. In the late 2000s, the show changed to have Dr. Facilier as the sole host of the event. Maleficent still appeared, but was now simply one of the basically mute villains attending the festivities. More recently, the show has not exactly vanished so much as evolved into a whole new production, known as “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular.” This much longer, slightly more story-based version has the Sanderson Sisters throwing the ball. Facilier, Maleficent, and Oogie Boogie are all featured in major supporting roles, while other villains once again show up as mute guests to the party. Halloween is the “Season of the Villain” at the Disney Parks, as I said before, and few villains match the spirit of the season as much as Maleficent does; if this stage show and its many iterations proves one thing, it’s that the Mistress of All Evil is as synonymous with Halloween for Disney as ghosts and goblins are. You simply can’t have a gathering of baddies in the autumn and not feature her at all.

9. Once Upon a Time.

I’ve always had sort of mixed feelings about the version of Maleficent from the TV series “Once Upon a Time.” This interpretation tried to make the character a much more sympathetic antagonist than arguably ever before. Her origins are shrouded in tragedy, and a major part of her motivations in the show comes from her seeking her long-lost daughter. (It seems to be a recurring thing to make Maleficent a mother or mother-like figure…I’m not entirely sure why.) Actress Kristin Bauer von Stratten brought her all to the role, and while I never liked her first costume design, the one that appeared in the “Queens of Darkness” story arc (pictured here) was a VAST improvement. My problem with this Maleficent is that they couldn’t seem to decide what kind of character she should be; I had no issue with the more sympathetic portrayal, on the whole, but it bugged me how they were always building her up as this figure of ultimate evil in many bits of dialogue, only to then whip around and show her as more tragic or more reasonable than other, very obviously worse villains. If you want to make her the Mistress of All Evil, go with that; if you want to make her a sympathetic villainess, that’s fine, too. But trying to do both at the same time? That’s a hard job to try and pull off, to say the least. I did come to like her more and more as the show went on, but I still don’t feel justified putting her up in the higher spots of this list.

8. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

This is an interactive attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, and perhaps the element most admirable about it is that it has...a plot. A real, true, honest-to-goodness plot! That’s something other entries on this list related to the parks tend to lack. The game has guests/players traveling throughout the park to find a variety of magic portals, through which they can interact. The story has the player(s) as apprentices of Merlin, trying to stop Hades from taking over the Magic Kingdom. The God of the Dead goes about finding various villains who, having been defeated and presumably killed in life, now take residence in the Underworld. He offers each one a chance to take back power, if they will help him in finding a bunch of special crystals needed for his plan. Maleficent is one of the villains Hades summons, but if you think the Mistress of All Evil has any intention of playing second fiddle to the Lord of the Underworld, think again. During Maleficent’s section of the story, she accepts Hades’ offer, but secretly plans to use the crystals for herself to take over the entire world, and then put Hades out of business, allowing her to become the most powerful villain in the universe. (Gotta give her credit for ambition.) It’s up to the guests to get past Maleficent’s many traps and minions in order to stop her, before either she or Hades can put their fiendish schemes into motion.

7. Dream Along With Mickey.

Yet another stage show from the Magic Kingdom! This production ran for ten years, between 2006 and 2016, before being eventually replaced by “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire.” The plot revolves around Mickey Mouse, Minnie, and Goofy trying to teach Donald Duck the importance of dreams and belief. About halfway through the show, the gang playfully pretend to be pirates…which results in the sudden appearance of Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. The two are naturally beaten by the intervention of Peter Pan…but just as it seems victory has been achieved and all is well, it’s revealed that the pirates are actually working for - you guessed it - Maleficent. The evil fairy arrives to terrorize the party, declaring her intentions to change the Magic Kingdom “into a Place Where NIGHTMARES Come True!” (I should probably mention that Maleficent’s appearance is highlighted by an instrumental version of “Hellfire.” EPICNESS.) Though ultimately defeated - because villains never prosper - Maleficent vows to return, warning the mouse, duck, and all “One day the Kingdom will stop believing, and all will be lost!” This is one of Maleficent’s biggest appearances at the Parks, in SEVERAL ways, and it’s a pity the show no longer runs at Cinderella’s Castle. Que sera sera.

6. Once Upon a Dream.

This book is part of a series called "Twisted Tales," published by Hyperion and written by Liz Braswell. Each one of these books starts off with some sort of eye-catching question and premise related to a famous Disney feature. In this case, "What if Sleeping Beauty never woke up?" The plot has it set that, after slaying Maleficent as the Dragon, Prince Philip goes to awaken Aurora, just like in the film...but then something goes horribly wrong. For some reason, instead of waking the princess with true love's kiss, the prince falls asleep, too! The plot then shifts, as we find ourselves in what seems to be a parallel universe, where Aurora is Maleficent's daughter, and the Mistress of All Evil is controlling the entire kingdom. It's quickly made clear that - as you may or may not have guessed - this is a dreamworld going on inside of the head of Aurora and all the other denizens of the kingdom. The Princess has to figure out a way to beat Maleficent - with Philip's help - and wake up from the nightmare. What's great about this story is that Maleficent is kept in-character. She remains cold, crafty, and above all, VILLAINOUS: she's still the bad guy in this story, and she feels, generally speaking, like the character we all know and love to hate. My only problem with this story is that it feels like it borrows a lot from another Disney movie, "Tangled," with Maleficent essentially in the Mother Gothel role, Aurora as Rapunzel, and Philip as Flynn Rider. (All of their names even sound vaguely similar, now that I think about it.) But there's enough different about it to make it interesting, and I appreciate the novel using the “Maleficent as a Mother” trope (which has, again, become unusually popular) while still deciding to make Maleficent the dastardly adversary we all worship and abhor by the end of the tale.

5. Fantasmic!

This is one of the most lauded, spectacular, and looked-forward-to shows at the Disney Parks. It’s currently still put on at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and there used to be versions done for Tokyo Disneyland. Maleficent’s role in the proceedings is nominally very small, but the impact her appearance makes cannot be understated. While every production over the years has made some changes, the premise of the show remains the same: Mickey Mouse guides us on a trip through his own little dreamworld, where his imagination reigns supreme, and every story ends happily ever after. Everything is fun and fancy free (ha ha), until the Evil Queen gets wind of what’s going on. Incensed, she summons various Disney Villains to help her “turn that little mouse’s dream into a Nightmare Fantasmic!” This culminates in the arrival of Maleficent: “Now you will deal with me, and all the Powers of MY IMAGINATION!” In every version, the grand climax of the show has Maleficent transforming into her dragon form, and SETTING THE ENTIRE DREAM WORLD ON FIRE. (Yikes!) In the midst of this fiery chaos, Mickey must step forward and remind the villains just whose dream this is, defeating the mighty dragon in the process. It’s by fair one of the “biggest” shows in Disney history, and certainly one of Maleficent’s “biggest” appearances (in more ways than one). I was very sad and distressed when I heard that, recently, the Disneyland version of the dragon experienced some...technical difficulties, so to speak. You can look up what I mean, if you don't know already. What this means for Maleficent's future in the production is presently hard to say for sure, but I think it's unlikely she'll be leaving Mickey alone for good anytime soon.

4. Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy.

Take notes, “Maleficent” movies and “Once Upon a Time.” If you want to try and provide a backstory to Maleficent, and make her more sympathetic, THIS is how you do it. While this book - part of a series by Serena Valentino, showing the backstories of various Disney antagonists (and the Beast...for some reason) - is not exactly perfect, it certainly achieves that aforementioned goal MUCH more successfully. In this book, Maleficent is still the elegant, dangerous, graceful enchantress we all remember, but we learn the reason why she’s so very wicked, and we also learn that her reasons for what she did in the film were much deeper than one might have expected. It also makes us see that the heroes of the story were not always so squeaky clean, and while it doesn’t totally vilify them - Maleficent is still decidedly evil in her actions, and they are decidedly good - it makes it clear that the line between the two extremes isn’t always as clean cut as we would expect. In short, this book is what I think those other versions, especially the Jolie-starring movies, tried to be: essentially Disney’s version of “Wicked,” taking a lot of the same themes and even some slightly similar story elements from those earlier films, but using them in a much better way than before. Again, it’s by no means perfect, as a book OR as a backstory, but it ultimately does much more and manages to work much better than other similar attempts. And since Maleficent is the focus, it once again stands as something quite unique in her catalogue of appearances.

3. Twisted Wonderland.

Okay, so, this is KIND OF cheating, but I'm sorry, I HAVE to talk about this game. "Twisted Wonderland" is a mobile video game, in which your character gets "zapped" into an alternate universe. In this universe, they find themselves at a School of Black Magic which was inspired by seven of the great Disney Villains. (I have no idea how THAT happened, but whatever.) Among them is Maleficent, but although she is referenced several times, the Dark Queen HERSELF is relatively peripheral: she's long dead by the time the story begins. No, the focus of the game is on the students and staff of the school - Night Raven College - who are all based on (and sometimes descended from) the classic villains in question. One of the most prominent characters in the game is a descendant of Maleficent: the half-dragon Prince of the Dark Fae, Malleus Draconia. What's great about Malleus is what's great about all the characters in the game, really: unlike the "Descendants" franchise, which has a slightly similar premise, these characters are not merely stock figures who ride the coattails of the classic baddies of yore. Instead, they keep elements of the original villains close, but enough is changed about them to make them unique and interesting figures in their own right. Malleus has Maleficent's sense of style and aesthetics, and like her, his fury is a dangerous thing to provoke. He’s one of the most powerful beings in the entire WORLD, in the universe of the game, able to control the elements through his sheer will…yet despite all that power, and his dark aura, he’s got a lot of soft spots and some noted vulnerabilities. He CAN be dangerous and intimidating, make no mistake: he's more than aware of his power and who and what he is. Underneath it all, however, he’s a very lonely soul who longs for a sense of real companionship and belonging. I really can't do this guy justice with just a short written description; you really need to look into this title and this character for yourself. Ever since I met him, he was a shoe-in for my Top Three.

2. Kingdom Keepers.

This novel series by Ridley Pearson is essentially a darker, Disney-fied version of “Night at the Museum.” In the books, it’s revealed that, late at night, when everything closes down, all the attractions and rides and so forth at Disney Parks come to life, and many of Disney’s characters come to life, too...both good and evil. Enter The Overtakers - a band of nasties (most of them Disney Villains) who want to, as their group title suggests, take over the world. (OF COURSE!) Maleficent is one of the key antagonists of the series: she is the second-in-command of the Overtakers, the only character outshining her being the devilish Chernabog. You could almost say she is the Darth Vader of the franchise, in comparison to Chernabog’s Palpatine. This version of Maleficent has one interesting differentiation from her original film counterpart: while the original Maleficent was a being of fire - able to transform into a dragon, vanishing in flashes of flame, etc. - this Maleficent is as frosty as her heart. Everywhere she treads, she emanates an aura of coldness; where she steps, ice forms, and she prefers to hide out in chilly places. She still has power over flame, of course, among all sorts of other magic, but it’s this constant, frigid aura that makes her stand out. Anytime our heroes - a group of teens tasked with stopping the Overtakers - venture someplace with even the faintest chill, they get worried, and anytime things get dark and cold in the atmosphere, the reader immediately gets nervous or excited, wondering when the Mistress of Evil is going to make her grand entrance. I really love these books, and I’d love to see Disney do some sort of movie or TV series based on them sometime. Personally, I’d pick Cate Blanchett or Eva Green for Maleficent, if they ever do…but I digress.

1. Kingdom Hearts.

As the secondary antagonist of this highly popular video game series, “Kingdom Hearts” has probably done more for Maleficent’s popularity than anything else she’s been in. Almost anytime I bring up this Evil Fairy, her role in Kingdom Hearts is not far behind. In the first game, Maleficent was really the main antagonist, until Xehanort’s Heartless (a.k.a. Ansem the Seeker of Darkness) essentially hijacked the climax from her. In that game, Maleficent assembled a gang of Disney Villains to help her take over Kingdom Hearts, and thereby gain power over all worlds. However, she overestimated her power to control the Heartless and the darkness inside her own wretched heart, and was ultimately destroyed by the aforementioned surprise main villain. This, however, was not the end for Maleficent: she was brought back to life sometime later, and since then she has continued to try all sorts of tricks and schemes to conquer the universe. Ironically, despite her grandiose nature, Maleficent’s desire for and knowledge about Kingdom Hearts is largely due to the machinations of the main antagonist of the franchise, Xehanort himself; however, the more she learns about the universe around her, the more dangerous she becomes. Even though she hasn’t had quite the prominency in later games that she had in the first, she’s always there, sort of creeping through the sidelines, plotting and planning her next big break to get the power she so desperately craves, and seems to feel she deserves. In many games of the series, she’s assisted by Mickey Mouse’s arch-nemesis Pete, and the contrast between the refined, intelligent, proud, and powerful Maleficent against the much more bungling and coarse Pete is actually quite a potent cocktail for humorous chemistry. All things told, it’s no surprise that the Kingdom Hearts games are My Favorite Appearance from Maleficent...outside of her original film, of course.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

The Angelina Jolie Movies. (I don’t like these films, to be honest, BUT the fact Maleficent GOT solo movies is worth mentioning, which is why I place them here.)

House of Mouse. (She didn’t have a lot to do, but the appearances she had were memorable.)

"Disney Villains: Maleficent" Comic Series. (A joint publication between Dynamite Entertainment and Disney...now I want to see Maleficent meet The Shadow. XD )

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. (Had to at least mention the one major ride/attraction she appears in at the parks, didn’t I?)

#disney #list #countdown #top 10 #maleficent #appearances #disney parks #video games #literature #tv #once upon a time #twisted wonderland #kingdom hearts #kingdom keepers #fantasmic #twisted tales

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dreamsky-sapphi · 4 months ago

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✨ Shop open for pre-orders ✨

Hi! I am officially starting my activity as a small business and here are 4 products I carefully designed as a start :3

Click on the image for the link to my shop!

Here are the 4 different products : ⬇️

✦ Revue Starlight Mini CD charm

Price: 25 $

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✦ MEDAL SUZDAL PANIC ◎○● Shaker Charm

Price: 25 $

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✦ Revue Starlight Nana & Mahiru acrylic keychain

Price: 10 $

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✦ Revue Starlight Kagura Hikari Double-sided Epoxy keychain

Price: 8 $

Reposts are appreciated ❤️

#revue starlight #starira #revstar #drawing #art #merch #preorder #shop #etsyshop #etsy shop #nanamahi #kagura hikari #hikari kagura #daiba nana #tsuyuzaki mahiru #artist #artist merch

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vintagestagehotties · 8 months ago

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FAQ

Welcome to the vintage theatre showdown! The Vintage Theatre Actress Tournament to determine the hotness of vintage theatre ladies will begin Saturday, April 13. Submissions are currently closed! Hot male actors will come soon, but I’m in a ladies mood at the moment.

Can I currently submit hotties?

Submissions for hot fellas are CLOSED.

How long will the finals last?

The semifinals will begin on Saturday, November 9th and last one week.

What are the criteria for contestants?

Your hottie must:

Have a significant theatre career - ie, more than two theatre credits to their name, have played leading or featured roles, won awards, etc.

Have had a decent chunk of their career take place pre-70s (ie if they made their stage debut in an ensemble in 1969 but then became famous in years to come, I’m not counting it). Similarly, a decent chunk of their career must have taken place post-1900 (ie if their last stage role ever was in February of 1900, not gonna count it).

Exceptions to the above will be accepted at my discretion - for example, maybe they only played one or two shows but earned a Tony Award. To take into account the racism of past theatre, exceptions will be made nearly always for the sake of inclusivity and diversity

What counts as theatre?

I am accepting performers from plays, musicals, revues, and operas. Other types of stage performers (for example, comedians and ballerinas) will be accepted on a case by case basis, provided a case could be made that their stage career involved a degree of acting. I’m accepting Broadway, West End, worldwide productions, tours, even regional theatre counts! One of my personal favorite submissions for the ladies tournament was a Peking opera performer!

What counts as vintage?

The timeline to be considered vintage for this tournament is 1900-1969. A fella can have a significant chunk of his career post 1970 or in the 19th century, but at least some of it has to be within this time frame.

Can I submit propaganda?

Yes! You can send propaganda to my asks or submissions, or you can tag me in reblogs or posts. However, I won’t be posting or reblogging any propaganda until the tournament starts except the posts I have queued to lead up to the tournament’s beginning.

What tags do you track?

I track the tags #vintagestagehotties and #vintagestagepoll

The #vintagestagepoll will be the tag for all of the polls, while #vintagestagehotties is for anything relating to the tournament.

Other tags include #propaganda, which is pretty self explanatory, #losers highlights, highlighting some of our performers who are gone but not forgotten, and #mini polls for fun miniature pools featuring our contestants.

Why did you use this photo/propaganda/etc…?

Propaganda is entirely submitted. I try to remain as impartial as possible and will simply post the propaganda that is submitted to me, however I will not use negative propaganda.

For photos I try to use the main photo submitted whenever possible. I try to make sure the photo is from the period that they were active on stage within the time frame (ex I didn’t use use a pic of Greer Garson from the 40s when she wasn’t doing any stage work, I didn’t use any pics of Sarah Bernhardt from before the 20th century, etc). Other than that I try to make sure that you can clearly see their face, it’s not too blurry, and there’s no watermarks (I have a watermark remover but if it doesn’t work I’ll use the image in propaganda and find a different main picture). I also prefer not to use pictures where stage makeup or wigs change their natural appearance too much.

If you dislike the photo used for an actress or actor, send me an alternative and I’ll see what I can do!

How will the pairs be selected?

For round 1, I pit similar decades against each other and then am more random in following rounds.

There is a lot of overlap between theatre stars and film stars, and a great many major vintage film stars had successful theatre careers as well. So, in order to avoid the last rounds turning into a hot movie star competition, early rounds will see the incredibly famous movie stars pitted against each other. This is in the spirit of fairness to give lesser known performers with only theatre careers more of a fighting chance.

Will there be future polls?

Yes! In addition to the poll for vintage stage men, I have a few others planned - vintage women in STEM is pretty definite, and I’m tossing around the idea of a silent film star poll, a vintage ballerina poll, a femme fatale poll, and a poll just for vintage opera stars. And to be honest there’s enough vintage stage women in the world that I could easily do a second tournament for them! And clearly I HAVE to do a Peter Pan actress poll in the very near future.

#vintage poll #vintage tournament #faq #submission form #hot vintage #vintage ladies #vintagestagehotties

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mitaharukai · 6 months ago

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Title: I believe it’s Kiss Day

Ship: Claudine x Maya (Revue Starlight)

Summary: “Today is kiss day” it’s all Kaoruko says, but it’s enough for Maya to google about the date and search for a certain ash-blonde to get a kiss or rather several kisses from her.

Words: 1k

Sneak peek:

“- Today is Kiss Day.

- Kiss Day? – Maya repeats confused, seeing Kaoruko grinning mischievously.

- Yep, Kiss Day, so I’m sure you know what to do.

Kaoruko tells the brunette, placing a finger over her own lips as she winks at her and disappears through the large doors leaving a confused Maya behind her. The top star wants to go after her and ask the blue haired girl what she meant clearly confused by the day, but instead, she just frowns and pulls her phone out of her pocket to google about the date.

As she walks through the hallway and goes upstairs, the brunette can’t help but read evertyhing about the date, an “O” of pure fascination forming on her mouth, before she reaches the top of the stairs and heads to her room, pausing for a moment staring at her door, then at the door across from hers biting her lips.”

#kuromaya #mayakuro #slight FutaKao #saijou claudine #tendou maya #isurugi futaba #hanayagi kaoruko #revue starlight #shoujo kageki revue starlight #Maya is very greedy and a kiss is not enough #sly Kaoruko telling Maya what day it is #Kiss Day

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droughtofapathy · 11 months ago

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The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Anne Morris (Katie Finneran)

Everyone's favorite unlikable snob, Anne Morris was last seen in season one, storming out of Aurora Fane's drawing room in full mourning regalia. Though Katie Finneran's husband may have found his way on the union strikes, she has not been seen on the show since, much to my eternal dismay.

Though seen here as the upright and haughty Anne without a humorous bone in her body, Katie Finneran is Broadway's gift to comedy. Yet another Diva with two Tonys to her name, she transcends categories. Best Featured Actress in a Play (Noises Off), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Promises, Promises), both knee-slapping comedies--a particular achievement when statistically dramatic roles are more likely to net awards.

Other notable stage roles include: It's Only a Play (Julie), Annie (Miss Hannigan), and one of the many Sally Bowles replacements in Cabaret, for which, alas, I have found no footage, and only one production still (but I think about it a lot). Most recently, she was in The Thanksgiving Play on Broadway this past spring. I saw it three times. It is quintessentially Katie Finneran unhinged. (And you should all read my fanfiction HERE)

#1: "Getting Married Today," Company (2011)

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Starting off strong with yet another Sondheim, Katie Finneran tackled the hardest Sondheim number to master just a few months after giving birth. Playing Amy, a bride-to-be with pre-wedding jitters, Katie delivers comedy gold with her breakdown performance. Anyone who has attempted this nightmare of a number knows that there is no recovering if you get tripped up.

While my favorite rendition of this song remains Madelaine Kahn, now and forever, Katie has the honor of taking second place. This is a mesmerizing performance, and I am terrified for her.

Katie has previously discussed the abject fear of performing this song, compounded with the trials and tribulations of having given birth, and leaking breast milk into the white dress.

#2: "Little Girls," Annie (2013)

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Continuing with Katie Finneran's musical theatre comedy breakdown, here she is as reviled woman and beloved character Miss Hannigan from Annie in the 2012 revival. Reviews were largely mixed, and Katie's personal experience was largely overshadowed by having an infant child to take care of, but it's a hell of a number nonetheless.

The show only received one Tony nomination for Best Revival, and lost to Pippin. And yeah, that tracks. After seven months into her run, Katie left the show to pursue a television role, and was replaced by Jane Lynch, who performed at the Tonys, and was then replaced by Faith Prince to close the show.

#3: "The Boy From..." The Lilly Awards Cabaret (2014)

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If you're sensing a theme, good. A character actress through and through, Katie enjoys songs she can sink her teeth into, and Sondheim always delivers. This particular number is the most well-known song from a little-known off-Broadway revue called The Mad Show with lyrics semi-anonymously written by Sondheim.

The song is a direct parody of "The Girl From Ipanema," and every character cabaret artist has covered it at some point. It's just a delight.

Katie also performed this song during a mini Gilded Age reunion on Stars in the House during their marathon Ukraine fundraiser. During the course of her time on the show, she flirted with Norman Lear, made out with Seth Rudetsky's husband, and proposed Anne, Dorothy Scott, and Agnes van Rhijn have a threesome in The Gilded Age season two. And I beg you to watch that clip HERE.

#4: "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing," Promises, Promises (2013)

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No full clip of this number can be found online, and that was both a massive mistake on the marketing team's part, and a devastation to me personally.

Thirteen years after Christine Baranski delighted Encores! audiences, Katie Finneran stepped up to the plate to deliver a truly unhinged performance which netted her a second Tony. The actress who originated the role in 1968 also won a Tony.

Here Marge MacDougall is a drunk, bold, and leggy barfly who dances on bars, and lifts Sean Hayes up and carries him around whilst dancing in heels. Yeah, Katie Finneran is also very strong. Unfortunately, the wildest parts of her fifteen-minute show-stealing time aren't in this clip. There is a bootleg out there somewhere, I've seen it, and I will dutifully keep looking for it.

#5: "Go To Jail," Broadway Bares XX (2010)

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Veering from musical theatre just a little, please enjoy this hammy sketch from the BC/EFA Broadway Bares XX Strip-opoly show of 2010. Though Katie keeps her clothes on, we're treated to a little surprise curtesy of fellow comedy legend Jackie Hoffman.

LINK TO MASTERPOST

#the gilded age #anne morris #katie finneran #promises promises #annie #sondheim #company 2011 #broadway #musical theatre

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mini-draws · 2 years ago

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minkuina for a friend’s birthday

#mini sketches #revue starlight #minku umibe #kuina moriyasu #minkuina

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little-wing-and-branching-vines · 3 months ago

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Hey listeners! I know I've been quiet for most of yesterday, but that's just because being there for support is just as important as being the center of attention sometimes. Sometimes! Also I was a little tired from my own party.

But that does not mean I didn't have the time of my life yesterday! Like yeah, we had plenty of concerts we broadcasted over the radio, but was so cool to see something that visual! And besides, I was still in party mode~ so tired or not I wasn't about to miss a chance to go all out for another night and have fun!

And props to Yvonne for even getting Nat to take part. Their song may have just been nature noises, but this gave Tierno an excellent opportunity to take his first foray into experimental dance!

#pokemon irl #rotomblr #pokeblogging #mini arc: euphoria revue kalos style

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upathos · 1 year ago

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she is 25mm tall

#its supposed to be for the revue of souls mini but #i cut off too much of her right leg so i will have to do it again but this one stays. as motivation. i suppose.#revue starlight #tendo maya #moon.png

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scotianostra · 5 months ago

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The Scottish actor Alex McAvoy died on June 16th 2005.

Most famous for two roles, Sunny Jim in the original Para Handy tales of The Vital Spark, through the 60’s and the teacher in Pink Floyds, The Wall, McAvoy was much more than a two horse trick! the two roles you might know him from.

Throughout his career he was a stalwart of Scottish theatre, especially pantos, starring at the top theatres in Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was also a master of mime.

In the earlier part of his career, McAvoy ventured into the world of variety and light entertainment, and was the first foil to the kilted Scottish comedy singer Andy Stewart.

The summer show promoter George B Bowie envisaged him as a future star comedian, and headlined him in the holiday-season revue of 1963 at the Barrfields Pavilion, Largs. But despite success in that field, he was not cut out to be a Scotland-based funny man; a wider field, especially in mime, beckoned.

As a schoolboy growing up in Scotstounhill, Glasgow, second eldest of a family of eight, McAvoy was always an artistic lad, creating small puppets out of colourful old clothes and running his own mini-puppet theatre. He also loved to act.

The wee boy who just had to become an actor enhanced his love of the arts by enrolling for classes at the School of Art in Glasgow’s Renfrew Street; his first job was in the big fashion stores of the city, increasing the profits of the owners by dressing their windows with all the delicate artistry at his command. Young McAvoy had a flair for the arts, even in the sterner world of retail commerce.

Inevitably, in the fabulous 1950s, when Glasgow was seeing a new interest in the dramatic arts, he just had to join other aspiring thespians at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow’s Athenaeum building. The burgeoning Citizens’ Theatre in the Gorbals needed trained actors, which is why young McAvoy found himself alongside such future performers as John Cairney and (set to be a gem of television presenters) Mary Marquis. He had the built-in creative sense but he needed the basic study and training. Live theatre, especially in so vibrant a nursery as the Citizens’, then housed in the old Princess Theatre building, was to hone the talents of the lad from Scotstounhill.

Just look at his credits. Small parts and big parts, character roles in Z Cars and Dad’s Army, and meaty parts in Sunday night dramas. Old lags or angry army sergeants, McAvoy could transform each role into something truly realistic. He was also a performer in musicals, some of you might remember the original TV movie for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1972, before the 80’s revival, McAvoy starred as Joseph’s father Jacob in that, a role I know myself having appeared in my school production in 1978 as Jacobs youngest son, Benjamin. Other notable appearances include The Bill, Minder and the Peter Capaldi film, Strictly Sinatra alongside such Scottish stalwarts as Una McLean, Brian Cox, Iain Cuthbertson, Tommy Flanagan and Kelly McDonald.

Not everybody knows that McAvoy’s role as the Teacher made him a familiar face from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, the 1982 global cult film with Bob Geldof as a burned-out rock star. It spawned thousands of items of memorabilia, and McAvoy’s animated character in the college cap was seen on t-shirts around the world, introducing him to millions.

His love of mime was intense, and he made a mark, naturally, in the busy world of Scottish pantomime, with featured roles at the King’s theatres in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The mime in pantomime had strong appeal. One day, borrowing from his actress friend Mary Marquis a French vocabulary and phrase book, he crossed the Channel to Paris to study and work in L'Ecole de Jacques LeCoq. It had been his secret ambition to go there for some years.

LeCoq was his idol, and friends at the school say his miming skill was such that he could make anyone know what he was saying without words. He became deeply immersed in the international world of mime and right up to his death was still in touch with that famous school.

McAvoy had been ill from leukaemia for some years, but retained his link with live theatre and, before being hospitalised, had taken on a cameo part on the London stage. He was a sensitive man of the arts to the end. He died on this day, 2005, in London, aged 77.

#scotland #scottish #history #actor

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