#oh. oh. phantom of the opera?? the first one?? on the west end?? best show you will ever see in your life.

[sciderman]

Hey sci what are you favorite musicals

to the surprise of no one my favourite musical is probably book of mormon,, i think i just love the genre of musicals that make you belly laugh

recently i watched the spongebob musical and honestly... has no right to be as good as it is

underrated genre that are my favourite: showtunes about living in blissful denial. that involve pink sequins.

[zyalahmiscfandom]

An Unexpected Trip: Dhawan!Master x f!reader pt1

AN: This is total canon divergence. 13 didn’t regenerate and Yaz is still her companion (pls let me have this, I’m not ready to let go of them). Can be read as a stand alone story but goes better with my previous Master x Reader here.

MASTERLIST

You sat on the hexagonal steps of the TARDIS. The blues and reds of the lights mixing to create a beautiful purple hue. A light mist swept across your ankles, and a small smile spread across your lips as you watched the Master dance around the controls, even though you weren’t going anywhere exciting, he always piloted as if you were. It was one of the million reasons you loved him and the life he had gifted you.

“You don’t need to flatter me anymore dear,” The Master stopped and turned to you, “I’ve already agreed to your little trip idea.”

You blinked confused for a moment, before you remembered. He was bloody telepathic.

“Ugh Master, you promised not to do that.” You fake moaned, standing to join him at the centre console.

“Then don’t think so loud.” He booped the end of your nose, his tone only semi-chastising.

“Sorry, I can’t help it, I’m excited.” You started to buzz.

“Mmm I can tell pet.” He smirked turning back to the controls again. “All this for a silly little human play.”

“Opera.” You corrected. He stopped again, raising an eyebrow at your boldness. You knew that if anyone else had tried sass-back at him, they would be dead. With you however he found it adorably endearing.

“And besides it’s not just any opera,” You sauntered up to him, your eyes big,”It’s THE phantom of the Opera. The second longest running west end musical!”

“I know, you’ve told me before.” Annoyance started to creep into the Master’s voice. “Several times. In the past week alone. Hence why YOU’RE going.”

“And I am ssooooo, grateful for that,” You cuddled up to his arm, giving him your best puppy dog look. “Buuut, I thought it’d be nice if you came with me.”

You had tried for weeks to get the Master to agree to see Phantom with you. You’d gushed about the characters, the music, the set design, and how much you simply adored the show. When that didn’t work you’d talked about how the original book was inspired by true events, but that had just led to him suggesting you both go and drop the real chandelier at the Paris Opera house in 1896 instead. After a while you realised that asking the Master to sit silently in the exact same place for almost three hours was never going to fly, so you had acquiesced. Mostly.

“Pet…” The Master warned. “I told you,”

“I know, I know.” You sighed letting go of his dark blue tweed clothed arm in defeat. “I’m just playing. When the Master says no, he means it.” You turned to walk back to your seat on the steps but before you could the Master caught your face between one strong hand.

“Tsk, tsk.” He stared deep into your eyes. “Darling don’t you know it’s suicide to mock your Master.” Though his words sounded serious, the mischievous glint in his eyes told you there was no real maliciousness to them. One of the first things the Master had promised you was that he’d never intentionally hurt you, unless you asked him to.  

“No mocking,” You said through puckered cheeks, “Just wanted to have a normal trip with you for once.” You admitted.

He chuckled to himself, before letting you go, and pulling on the TARDIS break, jutting you both forward in the sudden stop.

“What about the beach on Doulcabis?” He countered.

“Oh yeah that was nice and normal, until the planetary army started bombarding us.”

“How was I supposed to know the Queen mother still held a grudge against me.”

“You stole her crown jewels and threw them into a black hole!” You laughed, amazed at his declaration that that trip still counted as a normal one.

“Hence why I’m letting you go to that silly little play of yours.” He motioned to the door. Clearly you were at your destination. “Now say thank you Master.”

You sighed, you knew it was foolish to try and trick the Master of all people into a real human date. Hell you weren't even sure you were dating.

“Thank you Master.” You smiled, giving his cheek a quick peck. Something you were only permitted to do in the TARDIS. “I’ll see you in three hours.”

“Try to have fun with out me.” He challenged.

“Try not to commit any war crimes without me.” You laughed back.

“Spoil sport.”

You gave him one small wave before exiting through the TARDIS’s fake wooden doors.

“Keep him safe T.” You asked the time machine as you stoked the HA HA plaque on the front door. A quiet hum churned out of the wooden facade and for the first time since you met the Master you walked away from the machine alone.

The Master had dropped you off a short walk away from the theatre. The distance was nothing compared to how much you seemed to run on a daily basis, but without him by your side it seemed so much farther than it was, and so much more lonely.

“Three seconds without the Master and I’m a complete mess.” You bemoaned to yourself, grateful that the Master couldn’t hear you now, because he’d never let you hear the end of it.

“Y/N?” An old familiar voice called from behind you. Confused you turned to meet the gaze of an older gentleman. It took you a second before you remembered, he was with the Doctor on your failed trip to the SS.Fairfax. You hadn’t seen him or the Doctor since.

“Graham?” You asked unsure. “Or was it Ryan? I didn’t really catch your name.”

“Oh uh it’s Graham.” He smiled gently, the older woman next to him, in a pinstriped suit and combat boots however seemed cautious. “And this is Ace.”

“Hi.” You smiled politely. Unsure of where this was going. “Um, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I kind of have a thing I’m meant to be doing, soooo…”

“Did the Professor send you to do something?” Ace perked up.

“The who?”

“She means the Doctor.” Graham answered. “And no Ace she’s not here for the Doc, Y/N’s with someone else.” The older man gingerly danced around the truth of your Time Lord companion.

“Who else would she be with?” Ace awkwardly laughed, “Not a lot of Time Lords out there with companions.”

“Maybe some of them have changed.” You unintentionally sassed back. You didn’t mean to be rude it was just from the Master’s stories it seemed there were several former companions of the Doctor who had been on his kill list, and you figured they probably wouldn’t believe you if you said he’d changed for the better.

“Not bloody likely.” Ace scoffed. “So if you’re not with the Professor, who dropped you off?”

“Uhhhh.” You blanched. You did not want to get into it in the middle of a busy London street, but your brain seemed to have broken. “Sorry, I’ve really go to go. I’m going to be late.”

You started to back away, waving awkwardly as you did.

“It was nice to meet you Ace, and Graham, always a pleasure. Bye.” You practically sprinted down the street, faintly hearing Ace yell after you.

You turned the corner and into a small alleyway, stopping to catch your breath against a brick wall. Checking your phone you saw you had five minutes to reach the theatre and it was still a ten minute walk. Would the theatre let you in if you were five  minutes late? You had gotten so used to the Master demanding your entrance to places and getting in, even when you weren't invited. You really were spoiled by the Master weren’t you.

Sighing you composed yourself as best you could, you couldn’t deny that the encounter with former Doctor companions had knocked the wind out of your sails a bit. You loved the Master, you really did, but you sometimes wished his name didn’t evoke hatred and/or fear from everyone who heard it.  

A part of you wanted to call the Master, have him come pick you up and never suggest normal trips ever again, but after the stink you’d kicked up to go see this opera, you’d feel bad about cancelling.

“Urgh, big girl time Y/N” You hyped yourself up, “We are a grown ass adult, we are not co-dependant!” You announced to yourself, only believing it a little. Straighting up you turned to head back out to the street, however a less than impressed Ace blocked the narrow entrance.

“I know whose TARDIS that was.”

“I’m sorry Y/N,” Graham emerged from behind the older woman, “But this is for your own good.”

“Fuck.”

*****

The Master’s knee bounced impatiently as he sat in the uncomfortable chair the humans had installed in their opera box. He was losing patience with this whole farce and he’d been here for only two minutes.

“Height of luxury ha!” He laughed aloud, looking back at the TARDIS he’d landed in the far corner of the box he’d secured for his Y/N. The only reason he saw fit to degrade himself and wait in this theatre was the surprised look on his darling pets face when she walked in and saw him waiting for her.

He imagined her eyes glittering and her perfect smile bursting across her face. She would become putty in his very capable hands, and he would prove again how he was the better Time-Lord and companion.

‘The Doctor could never make her as happy as I do.’ He thought possessively to himself. Y/N had told him several times that there was no competition between himself and the Doctor. That he didn’t need to be so hard on himself. She didn’t want the Doctor she wanted to be with him, yada yada, and yes he believed her, she couldn’t lie to him, no-one could, but still there was that horrid tiny voice in the back of his mind that told him he wasn’t good enough. Not for the Doctor and definitely not for Y/N, and he never would be.  

“Where is she.” He growled, his jittering leg becoming more restless by the second. “She should be here by now, praising my kindness, shooing my dark thoughts away.” He scratched painfully into his palm, a terrible self soothing action he thought he’d outgrown.

Dark thoughts started swirling dangerously around his mind. What if she’d left? What if she’d run away? But she promised forever. She lied. She hated you. She was afraid of you and ran way the first chance she got. This whole playthinghadbeenAndExcusetoEscAPEYOU!!!

“Shut Up!” He slammed his fists against his head, if he couldn’t will the thoughts away he’d beat them out of himself.  

A deep sound rang out from the TARDIS, pulling the Master out of his self-hate spiral, curious he entered the machine.

“What?!” He yelled. Another deep sound was the reply, soon the monitor lit up, showing CCTV of a boring London street. “Get to the point.” He chastised. The video sped up, showing a panicked looking Y/N hurry down a alley way, before being followed by two others.

“Y/N.” His brown doe eyes widened in horror as the video sped up again. Showing armed men enter the alley, before exciting with a clearly unconscious Y/N, and the two who had initially followed his beloved human.

“Dorothy and Graham.” His voice was laced with venom as he watched the Doctors former companions. “What am I going to do with you?”

[petersasteria]

Phantom of the Opera - Holland!Reader

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬.

* * * *

"Okay, let's try again on the lowest note that you can do. Alright?" Sam, your brother who is two years older, asks you. You look at your older brother and nod at him, "Alright."

Sam starts playing the notes for vocalization and you start to vocalize starting from the lowest note until your highest. Sam smiles as he's doing it and you smile as you vocalize. Out of all of your brothers, you and Sam got along most.

He claimed that you were his favorite Holland. You're his best girl, after all. He's your favorite Holland too. You understood each other and both of you have been open about a lot of things in your life. So when you told Sam that you wanted to be a Broadway actress when you grow up, he immediately dragged you to the piano and asked you to vocalize.

"What's that noise? It sounds like a dying bird." Tom, your oldest brother asks as he watches you and Sam. "Can you be quiet? I'm trying to run my lines here."

"Sorry, Tom." you say and look down in shame. You've always looked up to Tom, but he was never that fond of you. You wish you knew the reason, but life doesn't work that way.

"We were just vocalizing." Sam explains.

"Yeah and you do that everyday. No offense, but I think she's tone deaf." Tom chuckles.

"That's why we're practicing. Practice makes perfect, dimwit. That joke wasn't funny, Tom." Sam defends and stands up before walking to him. Tom and Sam look at each other. Sam had anger in his eyes and Tom had a smug look on his face.

"Hey, what's going on here?"  Dom asks as he entered the scene, getting in between the two. Sam steps back and sits back down, "He said that Y/N was tone deaf. We were practicing to help her improve, because I know she can do it. Tom's being mean."

Dom looks at his eldest, "Is that true?"

Tom just shrugs, "I said what I said."

That scene stuck with you forever until you grew up. Yours and Tom's relationship never got better. You were upset about it, but you had Sam. You had Sam and that was good enough for you. You and Sam only counted on each other; you were each other's best friend. When everyone favored Tom and gave him every love and spotlight, you had Sam as your only audience. You were his only audience too when he had a piano recital years ago.

So, it wasn't a surprise when Sam was the first person you informed about you getting the part of Christine for Phantom of the Opera in the West End.

"Wow, this is huge." Sam gasps. "I can't believe you never told me that you auditioned."

"I didn't want to disappoint you if I didn't get the part. Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise in case I did get the part. So, um, surprise!" you grin.

"I'm really surprised and I'm proud." Sam smiles brightly and pulls you in for a hug. "I'm kind of still upset that you didn't tell me. Who did you practice with?"

"Someone." you blush. Sam pulls away from you and puts his hands on your shoulders, "Is this someone a boy?" You happily sigh and lay down on Sam's bed, "Oh Sam, he's such a great guy. He's funny, sweet, and talented. He's also really smart. And he has these eyes that have the most striking color."

Sam lays down next to you and looks at the ceiling with a smile, "Will you introduce me to him? He seems great."

"I think you'll get along with him, Sammy. You and him have the same interests." you giggle. "I want him to be approved by my family, but your approval matters to me most, because you're the person who matters most."

Sam smiles, "You matter most too." Changing the subject, Sam faces you and you face him, "So, when's opening night?"

"In three months." you say excitedly. "I'm reserving you a seat in the front row."

"Thank you!" Sam smiles. "But are you going to tell them?"

You think for a while and just sigh, "I think this can be our little secret."

Sam nods, "Your secret is safe with me, love."

THREE MONTHS LATER...

"Sam, where are you going?" Harry asks. "And why are you all dressed up?"

"Just out." Sam shrugs. "Date night."

Harry nods, "Okay. Have fun."

"Thanks." Sam smiles as he walks to the door. Harry quickly stops him, "Hey, where's Y/N? I haven't seen her often."

"She's always been home, Harry. Have you been paying attention?" Sam claps back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. I don't want to be late." Sam looks at him one last time before leaving. A few minutes later, he arrives at the theater with a bouquet of flowers just for you. He quickly goes backstage, but the guard stops him.

"Sorry sir. You can't go in." the guard says with a smirk as they cross their arms. Lucky for Sam, you happen to pass by in a robe and he grins, "Y/N's my little sister."

"Nice try, buddy."

"Y/N!" Sam shouts. You turn around and grin and tell the guard, "It's okay. He's with me."

Sam smirks as the guard allows him in. Sam hands you the bouquet and you smile, "For MY angel of music."

You accept the bouquet from him and give him a hug, "Thank you, Sammy. I salute you for managing to slip past them."

Sam chuckles and pulls away from the hug, "I'll let you get dressed now. I'll be watching and I'm excited." He didn't give you a chance to say anything, because he leaves immediately to go to his seat.

-

You and your cast mates celebrate backstage after the show. You get dressed and say goodbye to your cast mates and tell them that you'll see them tomorrow night. Sam is waiting for you outside and you smile as you see him.

Sam looks at you and pulls you in for a hug, "Those voice lessons paid off!"

"Yeah, they did!" you grin and pull away. "All thanks to you. You're my phantom all along."

Sam chuckles, "Let's eat dinner. My treat for my star."

Of course, you were a success as Christine. Your family still didn't know and Sam has watched the show again with his girlfriend. He was so proud of you.

Eventually, there comes a point in life where a secret gets spilled. Your secret gets spilled through Instagram. With a famous brother like Tom, everyone can know who you are and you get recognized too. A fan recognized you backstage after the show and asked for a picture. Apparently, that fan is a niece of one of your cast mates. They posted it on Instagram and it spread like wildfire.

Of course, everyone in your family sees it and they were hurt that you didn't tell them. Especially Tom. He had to find out through his fan. So, he took it upon himself to reserve seats for him and the rest of your family. They didn't tell you, though.

When the night came, you sang your heart out not knowing that the rest of your family is watching.

"Flowers fade the fruits of summer fade. They have their seasons so do we. But please promise that sometimes, you will think of..." you look at the audience and gulp before vocalizing and ending the song.

"She's really good." Harry whispers. "I didn't know she could do that."

Tom nods in agreement and whispers, "Yeah. She sounds amazing."

After the show, you leave the theater and see your family outside. You stop in your tracks and just look at them, "What're you doing here?"

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Nikki frowns. "We would've went to see your opening night."

"This is where Sam went that night, right?" Harry states, but you didn't confirm. "I saw him all dressed up. He said he had a date. But I sensed that it wasn't a date, so I dropped it. This is probably the reason why I don't see you often at home anymore."

"I can confirm that." Paddy pipes up. "I saw her sneaking in once."

"I knew you and Sam were hiding something." Dom says with a sad smile. "I know because you're my little girl after all. I know you. So please just come clean and tell us why you kept it a secret and why you only told Sam."

You look at all of them and sigh, "Well, everyone always loved Tom. Sam was the only one who supported me. Besides, Tom said I was tone deaf so I didn't think of inviting him. I didn't think of inviting you either, because you figured you wouldn't want to watch it because Tom had nothing to do with it."

Tom frowns, "I was kidding."

"Words hurt, Thomas. And they stick with us until the end. You can never forget words that hurt you." you say bitterly.

"But we would watch it anyway, because you're in the show and it clearly means a lot to you." Nikki says.

"Well you've seen it now. So, let's just go home." you shrug, not making a big deal out of it. "You've never acted this way before so why start now?"

You start walking to the car as they follow behind you. Tom felt really guilty and the rest of the family didn't know that they were neglecting you. But you've accepted that a long time ago.

* * * *

lmao this was sad

[astrovian]

Richard Armitage interview on BBC Radio London for Uncle Vanya (25/10/20)

Full transcript under cut

Just a couple of days ago I was lucky enough to chat to Richard Armitage. He’s best known of course for roles in The Hobbit, Ocean’s 8, Hannibal, and of course, I was obsessed, absolutely obsessed on Netflix with The Stranger. Well, he’s about to star in the multi- Olivier-nominated play - in fact that’s tonight! We’ll find out if they win. Uncle Vanya – it’s filmed at the Harold Pinter Theatre during the pandemic, and uh, it’s incredible, it’s an incredible piece of theatre, and we’re all going to be able to watch it, which is a joy. And this is what we chatted about.

—

What a pleasure to speak to you for a number of reasons, because we can actually talk about how to bring theatre back to people’s lives, ‘cause I’m missing it desperately, but also talk about The Stranger. Let’s talk about Uncle Vanya first-

Yes.

-if we may.

Yes, of course.

Wow. What an incredible thing to do. Thank you for doing this, actually.

Yeah, I mean it was uh, kind of heart-breaking when we had to y’know, end our run six weeks early, and uh, the play was taking on so many kind of resonances of what we were living through, unexpectedly really. I, we thought the play was about, y’know, a man losing his livelihood, and then y’know, as, as the virus started to come into our lives and uh, the play started to change course really. So, and then, to sort of live through lockdown as well did and then come back to the play realising that’s exactly what these people have been doing, they’ve been stuck in a house together from summer through to the winter and going out of their heads. It again, it took on a whole other sort of energy, so a real privilege to be able to do that.

I mean, it is extraordinary when these old stories feel so relevant, and something a lot of people know, for people who don’t know something about it, we should explain a little bit about the story, but it feels like you’re talking about a story from today.

Well, it does. I mean, the fact is that Uncle Vanya, he’s the caretaker of this old estate and uh, he’s worked his entire life, um, supporting a property that’s not his, and then y’know, the owner who’s raised his daughter, Vanya’s raised his daughter for him, comes and says “right, I’m selling the estate for my retirement, um, and you’re all, you’re all out”. And it’s this devastating realisation that everything that he’s worked for is being snatched away from him. At the same time, y’know, my character is a doctor who is living through, trying to save patients during an epidemic, and uh, not handling it very well and turning to drink. And he’s also trying to save his little corner of the world that, y’know, is being deforested, so he’s planting trees and realising that the environment has such an impact on our health, um, *laugh* so it literally could’ve been written yesterday, um, and this was over a hundred and twenty years ago, so y’know, they knew. There was a huge movement in Russia at that time about, um y’know, how to, how to survive, and how to deal with the environment, and we seem not to have heeded any, any advice, really.

We, we never do though, do we? We seem never to.

Not really.

Well, many people don’t seem to. As you said, it just feels so relevant today. So when you, it must have been heart-breaking being in the show, the buzz was extraordinary, it was impossible to get tickets for. This way, I have to say, all the people who couldn’t get tickets, now we can all see it. I’m one of those people who couldn’t get tickets, as you can gather from what I’ve just said. Um, friends of mine went and said, “You’ve GOT to go!” but this is an incredible way to bring theatre to people who, like me are missing it desperately, and many other people who might not have gone to the theatre, who don’t live in London, who couldn’t have seen a show like this, so there is a plus side. I’m always looking for the plus side, I think. *Laugh*

Me too. I mean, I’ve always said that when a play is coming to the end of its run, putting together a film of it, and even a, a sort of audio recording of the play, I think is like an exit package. It’s worth doing for-

Yes.

-like you say, people that can’t go to the theatre, or maybe wouldn’t go the theatre because it’s like, y’know, it might be too expensive for them, and a cinema ticket’s a bit cheaper, they might be able to watch it on telly at some point. But y’know, hopefully they might watch it and think, ‘Oh God, that, that looked really good in the room, maybe I’ll go the theatre when it’s back’. But uh, either way, it’s still just great story-telling, and y’know right now I think everybody sort of wants to disappear into a, into a tale, and uh, hopefully, hopefully they’ll feel brave enough to go and see it in the cinema.

What does it feel like? I mean you’ve, obviously you’ve been in so many award-winning shows, what does it feel like when you’re, you’re waiting to hear? I mean they’ve all, there’s a number of Olivier awards that it’s up for, everyone was talking about this. Once again you were in something that everyone was talking about. Do you, do you feel slightly one step removed? I mean, The Hobbit, and obviously The Stranger, as you can tell I’ve got to go there because I LOVED it, I devoured it.

*Laugh*

Um, what does it feel like being on the outside of everybody talking about something that’s so - that’s such a part of you?

Um, to be honest, with – at the time that it’s happening, I, I sort of close my ears to all of that-

Oh, I love that. *Laugh*

-and try to live in it, rather than outside of it. That, that’s none of my business. But I do, I do pay attention after it’s over, and I love – y’know, I prefer hearing other people’s opinion of it, rather than reading about it myself, so, so I do enjoy the feedback. But when you’re in it, you’re in it. And to be honest with, with Uncle Vanya, we could tell that we were doing okay because the audience would let us know, and y’know that, the very, very first preview was such a kind of electric performance, and the audience were, were kind of laughing all the way through, which we hadn’t had in a rehearsal room. So that feeling is, is very, very precious, and uh, it continued like that through the run. But uh yeah, I tend not to sort of uh, pay too much attention while it’s happening, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, don’t read – everybody was saying-

No, I don’t read the reviews. *Laugh*

Do you REALLY not?! I bet you do sneakily sometimes.

I really don’t. I, I did it once, and it was – I y’know, I read one tiny miniscule negative thing about myself, and it was the only thing I remembered. And so I thought, ‘that’s a good lesson’. Don’t read the good stuff, don’t read the bad stuff. Read it at a later date, but at the time it does not help me.

Okay, alright. Well, I’ll tell you, they were all fabulous. Congratulations. All the reviews, absolutely incredible.

*Laugh* Thanks.

*Laugh* I cannot wait to see this. Now let’s talk about, if we may, The Stranger. I might have mentioned it a few times already in the past few minutes-

*Laugh*

-but it was one of those things I actually, I couldn’t stop. I loved it, I devoured it. And I sort of became slightly obsessed with it, it was BRILLIANT. Did you feel that when you were making it?

Yeah, and you know, again I, I was sort of in the middle of it, so I’m sort of focusing on the character’s journey, but Harlan Coben’s writing is very much in that vein – if you’ve ever read one of his books-

Yes, I have.

-you, you literally can’t put it down, and you can’t wait for, for bedtime so that you can pick it up again, and sometimes you, you get to the last chapter and you sort of, you think, ‘I’ve gotta space this out, ‘cause I’m just gonna devour the whole thing’-

Yes!

-so his writing matches that kind of uh, television format brilliantly. But I love it, and I, I loved what uh, Danny Brocklehurst did with that script. Y’know, he, he sort of elevated the book, and made it a kind of, much more kind of woven drama. So yeah, I love working on that kind of thing. And that is the type of TV that I will, I will watch on a personal taste level.

You’re happy to watch yourself?

No, I- *laugh*, I never watch myself, but I-

I like that, no please say that-

No, I- *laugh*, I never watch myself-

-I know that’s not what you meant, but that, it just sounded lovely that you’re happy to watch yourself in that one.

It, ugh, I haven’t yet, but I-

*laugh*

-I will eventually, *laugh*, um but it’s the kind of TV that I do, I do love watching. But no, again I’m, I’m not a good judge of myself, and ageing on screen is a REALLY hard thing to do.

You can watch that one, I promise you. Um-

Can I?

-may we go back to a part of your past that is, I’m fascinated by, that you – it was about music and musical theatre.

Mmm, yes.

And then you suddenly thought that that wasn’t enough for you, was that right?

Yeah, I mean I – it was at a time when there were, y’know, all of the big musicals were happening in the West End, and I, I saw kind of peers that would kind of move between Les Misérables, and then they’d go into Miss Saigon, and then they’d go into Phantom of the Opera, and I felt like I didn’t really want to, to follow that path. And I just felt that I wasn’t good enough, a good enough practitioner of either dance or song to, to feel that it was gonna be a sort of, that it was gonna have longevity for me, so I was already studying at the actor’s centre, and then I thought, y’know, I’ve gotta just y’know, go back to drama school and start again and do a classical training. ‘Cause that was the thing that was really exciting me. Um, and I’m glad I did it, but y’know, I still feel like in the future I might y’know, pick up that old hat again.

YES!

Yup.

That’s what I was going to ask! ‘Cause I’m a – I love theatre, hugely, as the way you can probably gather from the way I was talking at the beginning, um, but musical theatre is, I think, a very magical thing. And I think it’s possibly something that we all need as well, right now.

I agree.

So if you could – imagine – I’ve got a magic wand, okay?

Yeah? *Laugh*

And I am a magical music theatre fairy.

Yeah.

I could actually sing this bit, ‘cause I love musicals – *singing* “now you can do a theatre show”-

*Laugh*

No, I won’t sing it. Um, so you can do any theatre show on the planet-

Yup.

-any musical theatre. Which one is it, Richard?

Okay, so when we were doing our little warm-up before Uncle Vanya, Aimee Lou Wood and I used to sort of joke and fantasize about maybe doing Cabaret.

*gasp* Oh, yes!

Shall we, shall we send that out to the gods of the universe of theatre, to Aimee Lou Wood as Sally Bowles-

Oh, you can practice, practice, do a little bit-

-she’s got a GREAT voice.

Go on, just do us a little bit.

*Laugh* I can’t.

Oh, he’s not gonna do it, are you?

*Laugh*

I’ve made you – I can tell you’re blushing, which is great because I’m at one end of the computer and you’re at the other end of a computer-

You could do it, you sound great!

No, no, no, no.

Do you sing?

No, I’ve done it. Yeah, no, no. But musical theatre is a magical, magical thing, and I just – I, I love the fact that you’re open to all of that.

Definitely.

Now, let’s go to New Zealand on our next bit of travels. Um, what an incredible place to be for such an extraordinary film. I mean, The Hobbit, and everything that entailed, changing – I mean, for other people I’ve spoken to who were in any of The Hobbits, they all say that they felt it was such a MASSIVE part of their life, and they learnt so much doing it.

Yeah, I mean I never dreamed in a million years that I, I would get an opportunity to work on a project like that. And to work, y’know – I was a huge Tolkien fan for a start, and then when I saw Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, I was just, I was obsessed with it. And it’s not one of the reasons I pursued it, it kind of came to me, and I felt like ‘Gosh, why does he want me to play a dwarf?’ but um, getting the chance to go that country for so long, and work with that cast and him, and be completely kind of, sort of disappear into a, into a sort of a world and a character. And to be taken in a helicopter to the top of a mountain and, and y’know, shoot in places where human feet haven’t trodden – you know, it was, it was life-changing, it really was. And apart from the success of the films, which was a whole other thing, the actual experience of doing it was, it was unbelievable.

Aw, well, listen Richard, thank you. It’s such a pleasure to talk to you, I could talk to you for ages. And I can’t wait to come and see you in Cabaret. And congratulations-

*Laugh*

-on Uncle Vanya. Pleasure to speak to you.

Thank you very much.

[fairytales-magic]

Hiya! So I’m just getting into musicals after my friend sent me two songs that were absolute bangers from Heathers and I’m pretty sure you like musicals so do you have any recommendations? 👀 if not that’s totally fine!

Oh. HOney.

Do i know musicals?!?! (i’m so sorry in advance, but you’ve opened pandora’s box)

Strap in, i’m your humble tour guide!

A Beginner’s Guide to Musicals

Now, its hard to organize these all but i’ll do my best. I orignally had MANY others on the list, but it seemed smarter not to overwhelm you with too many different genres, so i kept it simple. I also will recommend some songs out of order before listening to the show from the beginning, but that’s just

Some are gonna be movie musicals, so just bear in mind, but if you want the broadway version i can oblige! A couple personal favorites i highly suggest are:

Wicked

The backstory of the Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good, before the events of the Wizard of Oz.

 Listen, if i had to choose one show to see on Broadway, its this one. When the u.s. tour came to my city, i was beyond excited. And when my in-laws got orchestra seats for us to see it in, i all but cried. :D I could quite literally write an entire essay about the show deep diving into the costumes, the set and stage design, the tech and lights, the script adaptation, etc...

The music is iconic in its own right, and its just so much fun and full of heart! Start right at the beginning with No One Mourns The Wicked and The Wizard and I are brilliant places, but legit with any of these songs you can’t go wrong. There are even reprises in the show they didn’t put on the soundtrack but 1000% should be there, its just that good!

Full soundtrack available here!

Phantom of the Opera

 Ah yes! An oldie but a goodie. Its almost all singing, but boy is it worth it! I actually recommend watching this, cause it’d end up being the same runtime and you get the added benefit of seeing everything going on. But the whole movie soundtrack is available on YouTube, of course (the prologue is super slow, just fair warning, its a lot more for visuals than musical). The Phantom of the Opera title song is a great starting place. Music of the Night (immediately following POTO) and Think of Me are some of my top favorites, but really this whole soundtrack is just *chefs kiss*. Oh! And All I Ask of You just melts my heart! Also, of you want a great stage production soundtrack, the 25th Anniversary at Albert Hall starring Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo is fantastic as well!

Also also, i know where to watch both movie and stage performances, so just lemme know if you’d like that. :D

Hamilton

 Ok now hear me out! I honestly also didn’t like Hamilton when it first came out. And i didn’t for a long time. I’m a more traditional broadway connoisseur, plus the only rap i really listened to was Eminem. But even there i’m super selective, and i made the mistake of listening to the intro song first.

Don’t be me.

Sometimes you need the familiar first before you get to the place where they branch off (in this case, throwing in some rap verses).  

Hamilton in 7 Minutes is an amazing a cappella compilation of the entire soundtrack, plus the animatic someone drew for it is phenomenal. After that i highly HIGHLY recommend Helpless and then You’ll Be Back, oh and The Schuyler Sisters! This show is just as quirky and sweet as it is emotional. And i get its not for everyone, but i’d be remiss if i didn’t at least mention it.

Newsies

Inspired by the real-life happening of the Newsboys going on strike in 1899 New York.

Oh man, how do profess my love to thee? Mainly an all boys cast (but the ladies who have songs in it are *chefs kiss*), the choreography is as incredible as the music itself, and boy howdy is the music great! Jeremy Jordan is the butter on my bread and as Jack Kelly, just lives rent free in my head on repeat. If he sang to me every night, sleep would never be an issue. xD Carrying the Banner, King of New York, and Watch What Happens are great ways to start off this party. And here i shall grace you with the whole Live soundtrack (i didn’t like the audio quality for the regular recorded one i found, but its still the same cast so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).  

The whole stage show was professionally filmed and lives on Disney+ currently btw! (so go watch it! The tap numbers and spoon playing in it give me LIFE)

Heathers the Musical

The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerburg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass…but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

 I’m so glad you already like this! The music really is a great banger and the story surprisingly manages to be both edgy humor-wise and serious when the moments call for it. Its a lot of fun and i’m surprised by how much i like it. If you haven’t already listened to them, Beautiful is the intro and is really good, and also Candy Store & Big Fun!

The Little Mermaid Musical

 The movie and musical that need no introduction! I was really surprised by how much i liked Broadways soundtrack for the show, and how short-lived its time on stage was. It really doesn’t get enough credit for how much creativity went into everything. And what an all-star cast too! All the original songs from the movie are there, and i think they did a really good job expanding them even more, especially Under the Sea. Her Voice (10/10 just melts my heart) i’ll also recommend beforehand but honestly you don’t need too much. Just go straight from the start and head onward, you’ll really enjoy it!

The Sound of Music

 Man i’m getting nostalgic. Another oldie but goodie! My mom, sisters and I loved watching this movie growing up (along with Oklahoma, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Singin’ In the Rain, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, and just...every musical in our collection ;P). Funny, sweet, romantic, heartwarming, its got it all! The Sound of Music kicks everything off, and from there you can’t go wrong, but this is another movie musical i highly encourage watching! Also i just wanna throw in The Lonely Goatherd now cause its so much fun, so why wait?! ~~

Ok whew! I think that’s it (for now). It took a while to find links for everything, but we did it! Please holla at me if you have any questions or concerns. :)

Oh yes, and if you would like to see any of these masterpieces via recording, i may or may not have such knowledge for your viewing and/or audio entertainment.

[thebadgerclan]

His Angel Of Music

Pairing: Severus Snape x student reader (READER IS OF AGE!)

Requested by Anonymous

Summary: Hogwarts’ production of The Phantom Of The Opera...

A/N: Two of my favorite things: Severus and and Phantom <3

Severus had returned to his post as headmaster after the war, this time being far kinder now that he didn’t have a facade to uphold.  He also had you by his side, something he was eternally grateful for.  You’d been his throughout the war, but time with you was far and few between. Once he’d been reinstated, he refused to hide your relationship, needing to have you as close as possible.  Your things now resided in his rooms and you slept in his arms each night.

There was backlash, of course there was, and Severus did his best to shield you from all of it.  It was March now, and it was all but gone.  Severus entered your rooms, a smile appearing on his face when he saw you.  “Hello, my love.”  You leaned into his touch, keeping your attention in front of you.  “What do you have there?”  “Oh, just the playbill from when my mum took me to see The Phantom Of The Opera in the West End.”  Severus had heard of the show before, though he had no idea that you’d seen it.

“Do you think we could put on a production here?”  Severus smiled, not only did he love you, it was impossible to say no to you.  “I shall see what I can do,” he responded.  The rest of the evening was spent like any other, sharing a hot bath before falling asleep in his arms.  The next day, Severus found you in the courtyard with a smile.  “Flitwick will be announcing the audition date soon,” he told you.  You smiled, running into his arms. “Really?”  “Yes, my love, really.”  Severus kissed you, ignoring the stares of the surrounding students.

***

Severus had never seen you work as hard as you had for this audition.  Every free period you had, you were in the Room of Requirement rehearsing.  The day of auditions, your nervousness could be felt.  Severus pulled you into his arms, once more uncaring of the curious glances.  “You are ready for this,” he said, kissing your forehead.  “You are talented, you are amazing, and I have complete faith in you, my love.”  You nodded, lingering in his arms for a moment more before entering Flitwick’s classroom.

About two days later, Severus stood during dinner.  “Professor Flitwick has asked me to tell you that the cast list for our production of The Phantom Of The Opera has been posted.  It may be found outside of Professor Flitwick’s classroom.  Congratulations to all of you who made it.”  Meal forgotten, you flew from your seat, running through the corridors.  It seemed the staircases knew that you were in a hurry, as they led you directly to Flitwick’s classroom.

On the doorframe, a piece of parchment was tacked.  It was the very first line, and you held your breath.  Christine Daaé-Y/N L/N.  The air left your lungs and you felt tears spring to your eyes.  “Oh my god!” you shrieked.  Your friends embraced you and you ran to the dungeons.  When you opened the door, Severus had two vases of red roses on the side tables, candles lit.  He entered the living room, a warm smile on his face.  

“Congratulations, my love.  I knew you could do it.”  Severus kissed you, tugging you close to him.  “Thank you.”  He uncorked a bottle of champagne and poured you a glass.  “I get the script tomorrow,” you said while sipping your drink.  “But I’m pretty sure I know the whole show by heart.”  “Nevertheless,” Severus said, topping off your drink.  “You must rehearse.”  “Of course,” you agreed.  “I’m so excited!”  “As am I, my beloved.”

***

After two months of rehearsals and tech runs, it was finally time for your first performance.  McGonagall and Flitwick had implemented the use of several advanced charms for the production, such as a levitation charm on the chandelier that would break at the end of Act I, a contained water charm for the boat scene, and many more.  The Great Hall had been transformed into an auditorium, dressing rooms backstage.

Severus knocked on the door, a single red rose in hand.  You opened the door, flinging yourself into his arms.  “My love, you are going to do so well, I just know it.”  “You think so?”  “I know so.”  He kissed you before leaving you to warm up, taking his seat in the front row.  20 minutes later, the lights dimmed and Severus swore his heart left his body when the overture started.  Sending a silent prayer to whoever was listening that you’d do as well as he knew you would, he settled into his seat, eager to see you perform.

***

You’d just come onstage, and Severus nearly wept.  You were radiant, your voice sending chills down his spine.  And here he thought he couldn’t fall more in love with you.  When Raoul entered, Severus couldn’t help the small flare of jealousy that coursed through him.  You’d told him that Christine was caught in a love triangle and that she kissed both of her male co stars. Severus was admittedly a bit upset by this, but then you’d kissed him, telling you that you loved him and only him, and he relaxed.

There were tears falling down his cheeks at curtain call, and when you took your bow, Severus leapt to his feet, cheering as loud as he could.  He tossed several roses to you, one of which you caught, blowing a kiss his way.  You and the rest of the cast retreated to the dressing rooms, and Severus waited outside your door.  When you emerged, he pulled you to him, kissing you long and sweet.  

“You were amazing, my love,” he praised, holding you close.  “Simply perfect.”  “You liked it?”  “I loved it.  The story was amazing, as was the leading lady.”  You blushed and took his hand, walking to the dungeons.  “You know,” Severus mused.  “In a way, I’m like the Phantom.”  “How so?”  “An ugly, older man living alone in the dungeons, wanting a young, beautiful, woman to love him.”  You squeezed his hand, standing on your tip-toes to kiss his cheek.  “There’s a few differences, though.”  “Oh?  And what are those?”  

“You are not ugly,” you said, shushing Severus when he tried to protest.  “And the ‘young, beautiful woman’ does love you.”  Severus smiled, holding the door to his rooms open.  “I adore you, Y/N.”  “I love you more, Severus.”

[jimlingss]

The Colour of Our Voices [4]

Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 4.5 OR Chapter 5

➜ Words: 4.9k

➜ Genres: 98% Fluff, 2% Angst, Slice of Life, Broadway!AU

➜ Summary: He wasn’t supposed to hear. He wasn't supposed to know. But the instant Jimin came into your life and pulled the curtains back, you couldn't hide backstage anymore. You were no longer merely a phantom of the opera.

cr.

Your breath is held in your throat. The phone rings.   It continues, the ringback tone dragging on and on like a terrible song of suspense.   Then, it stops. Your breath catches in your throat. There’s a crisp voice on the other end. “Ya-llow?”   “Hi.” You swallow hard, trying to collect your wits, but it takes too long.   “Hello?”   “Yes, s-sorry. Hi. My name is Y/N L/N. I was wondering if you guys were having any auditions to take clients in—”   “Sorry, we’re not. Have a nice day!”   You’re hung up on, not like an unwanted telemarketer trying to make their living. But there’s nothing you can do, so with a sigh, you continue down the list of agents. Most of them don’t pick up. You leave voice messages that go unanswered, exactly like the emails you frequently send.   Though occasionally, it picks up and it’s not just an automated voice.    “Please stop calling us!” The woman hisses on the other line. “We only take referrals.”   You’ve brought it up to the director again. But his brows always scrunch and he wears that visibly annoyed expression, giving an exaggerated sigh of feigned exhaustion. “Y/N, I told you what I told you. If you keep insisting on this matter, then I’ll have no choice but to be upset. No one likes it when they’re not being heard.”   And that’s the kinder version.   You’re spared on the speech that you need to work harder, that you’re not ready to be on actual Broadway, that you have a long way to go, that you need to be good as an intern first — like Jimin.   Of course, he would mention Jimin. You don’t doubt that he has some kind of star quality that you don’t have. Everyone seems to love him. He could probably get a referral if he asked. Or get an agent who would want to sign him within a day. Your envy is boundless.   “Okay, can you tilt your head a thirty degrees to the left?”   “Ummm…” The brunette tries to follow the instructions. “Is this thirty degrees?”   “It’s fine,” Namjoon mutters and puts an eye to the viewfinder. He snaps the shot on his Canon. The picture appears on the big screen seconds later. You muse that Jimin looks great with professional lighting and under the touch of a talented photographer. “Okay, now smile.”   Instantly, Jimin gives a toothy grin. His plump lips spread into his rounded cheeks, eyes crinkling into half-moons. He’s overwhelmingly cute and you feel your heart stutter in your chest.   Even Namjoon hums in satisfaction, turning his camera and snapping more pictures.   After a moment, a break is called and Jimin comes hopping over while Namjoon fiddles with his device.   “What do you think?”   “Yeah, it’s good.”   He leans over to the screen, unknowingly close to you, almost hovering over your body. The strands of his hair brush on your forehead as he looks over at the monitor. “You think I should put powder on?”   “No, you’re fine. It’s fine,” you correct and clear your throat. “You’re supposed to be yourself. No glamour shots. The casting directors want headshots that look like you. If you come in drastically different, it’ll hurt you in the long run.”   He hums and tilts to stare at you. “Thanks for showing me such a great photographer, Y/N.”   You smile. “Just take it as a lesson on how to get onto Broadway. Plus, it’s not me who’s taking the photos.”   “That’s right,” Namjoon pipes up and approaches, interrupting the two-way conversation. “You need someone who can capture your personality in two hours. It’s not such an easy thing.”   “Thank you for blessing us with your talent, Namjoon,” you tease.   “You’re welcome.” The photographer chuckles. “I’m just kidding. I’m happy to help. It’s not often that Y/N calls me up for a favour, and she’s certainly never. ever. brought anyone to my studio before, so of course I had to see who it was.” He eyes Jimin up and down as if choosing produce in the grocery store. “I can see it now. I can see the appea—”   You bump into his shoulder roughly. “Alright, I think we get it.”   “A friend of Y/N’s is a friend of mine,” he says.    Jimin dips his head in gratitude. “I’ll entrust all my headshots to you then.”   Namjoon laughs, delighted from the recognition. “I’ll be leaving town for a few months on business excursions, but when I’m back, you bet. Let’s get a few more done, Jimin. I think we should take outdoor shots too to get that natural lighting.”   “You got it, boss.”   You watch them walk off, practically kissing each other’s asses. Then you turn back to the monitor, looking at all the photographs again.   If you were a director looking at these headshots, Jimin would most certainly get the role.   //   It’s a streak of luck that your phone rings.   Usually, you’re the one dialing. Though this time, it’s not an agent who wants to connect with you — but it’s just as good.   “Hello, Ms. Y/N? You recently submitted an application for the role of a town girl in the production of Beauty and the Beast. We’re interested in speaking to you about it further. Would you like to come in for a formal audition?”   You could sob from unadulterated relief and happiness. But as overjoyed as you are, you don’t tell anyone just in case. You never know what could happen, and you don’t want to place others in an awkward situation if you end up with a disappointing outcome. So you brace yourself.   But Jimin can tell something great happened — your smile is infectious.    “Is everything alright?” He starts laughing when your giggles spill. Your face hurts from your grin. Even the director was taken back earlier at your newfound enthusiasm to take the morning coffee order.   “Oh, just you know, life. Sometimes things work out, huh?”   “Alright then, silly girl.” His eyes soften and his smile becomes gentle. Jimin steals another glance at you again. You’re humming, uncaring that the two of you are carrying over thirty coffee drinks on a brisk Monday morning, and that you’ll have to walk down three flights of stairs to hand them out. “You know, you look really...nice happy. I mean you usually look nice, but when you’re happy, I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying….never mind.”   Your cheeks become warm and you take a glimpse of Jimin. At the same time, he takes another glance and you both divert your vision after your eyes accidentally connect. “Um...thanks.”   Jimin’s distracted. Clumsy. He nearly trips off the curb of the sidewalk. But when he catches himself, he quickly rushes over to open the door for you. You try your best to hold back your laughter.   For the next few days, you practice your part by yourself, singing it over and over again, watching your own expressions in the mirror. You practice for the audition enough to become confident in your role, excited even. If you make it, you wonder what Jimin would say. He’s the only person who would celebrate with you.   He’s also the only person you would want to tell.    Once the afternoon of the audition arrives, you excuse yourself, telling Jimin that it’s a dentist appointment. But instead, you sneak from the basement of the building to the second floor, down the west wing.   There, it’s a whole other world.   The room is full of strangers, pacing around, holding the paper with their lyrics, but shutting their eyes to belt. They’re all warming up, melodic notes that sound jarring when it’s overlapping one another. Still, there are beautiful folks dressed in extravagant clothing, having probably spent time at the spa to get facials and get salon blowouts. It’s clear that many have bold personalities. That they’re not scared of eye contact.   You tug on your shrunken sweater, palms clammy.    You take a seat in the corner of the room in the uncomfortable chair.    The girl next to you gulps down her lemon water and leans over. “Intimidating, huh?”   “P-Pardon?”   “I was just saying how intimidating this all is.” She scans the premise and meets your eyes. “But it’s all for show. To make up for their lack of talent. You don’t need to flaunt your skills in front of other people if you know you’re good.”   You relax, giving a polite smile. “I agree.”   “I’m Yeonjeon.” She stretches out her hand.    “Y/N.” You shake it. “Nice to meet you.”   “Likewise.” The young lady oozes with the confidence you wish you had. She’s stunning, bright eyed and pretty smile. “What role are you auditioning for?”   “Oh, just a townswoman.”   “Really?” Yeonjeon cocks a brow. “I thought you would try out for Belle. I’m trying out for Belle. My agent called me about this casting call and I thought I would give it a try. I’ve always liked Beauty and the Beast as a kid.”   “Good luck then.”   She thanks you and just then, another auditionee exits the room and the woman holding the clipboard calls her name. Yeonjeon nods and gathers her belongings, casting one glance at you before leaving. “Hopefully we’ll be able to work together, Y/N.”   You wish her luck once more before watching her go off. Afterwards, you shut your eyes to try to calm your nerves, hiding your trembling hands and humming to warm your throat.    How many times have you been called back for a casting call like this? Not often. And you’ve never been called again to actually get the role.   It was easier back in community theater. They’d find a place for everyone who wanted one. It didn’t matter that you weren’t bold, loud, glamorous, charismatic...   You’re shocked out of your thoughts when you’re jolted, someone beside you poking your arm. “Are you, Y/N?”   “L/N Y/N.” The lady calls and you stand straight up, so quickly that you pull a muscle in your calf and the bag that was in your lap was now on the ground. The lady sighs. “Come right this way.”   “S-sorry, sorry.” You shuffle past the crowd to enter the large room after grabbing your bag again.    It’s a bigger room than you expected and a lot more people. It’s spacious with just a long stretched table facing the empty floor and exhausted faces sitting behind it. They stare back at you, unfamiliar as they judge you from head to toe, from your demeanor to how your hair is. It’s the director, the music director, the casting director, two producers and a reader — six of them slumped in their chairs, bored.   You swallow hard, approaching the center of the room where the masking tape is on the floor.    “Do you have a headshot and resume?”   “Y-yes, sorry.” You dig inside your bag, finding the papers wrinkled. You cuss inside your head and as you try organizing them, you accidentally trip on the carpet. Luckily, you don’t fall, but the papers go flying, coating the floor in white. You mumble more apologies, picking them up to hand them out. Your head is dipped, cheeks warm.   It’s only been five seconds, but it was already going badly.   “Can you introduce yourself?” one of them asks in annoyance when the silence stretches for too long.   “Y-yes, sorry. My name is Y/N. I have experience in working in community theater, both on stage and behind. Currently, I’m working as an intern at the production of Phantom of the O-Opera.”   You’re sweating at your hairline and you flinch when you hear a sudden snap, finding someone on the sidelines taking your picture.   “Alright then, Y/N.” The stern lady straightens out her blazer and puts down her pen, having jotted down some notes. “And you’re auditioning for the supporting role of a townswoman, so part of the female ensemble?”   “Yes.”   “Pardon?”   “Yes!” you exclaim in a louder voice.   “Then what song will you be singing for us today?”   “The Life I Never Led by the Sister Act the Musical!” You’re already straining your voice by yelling, but you pay no mind, quickly flipping the page after they nod and make hums of acknowledgment.   The man’s deadpans in a monotone, “Start.”   You clear your throat, steadying your breath. “I've never talked back, I've never slept late, I've never sat down when told to stand straight—”   One of their hands raise. You pause. “Can you sound more…” He gestures with his hand. “Light? Right now it’s very serious, and we’re looking for something lively.”   “Yes, of course, sorry.” You brace yourself and start again. But it’s happening again.   Your hands have a sudden tremor. You feel your heart picking up its pace, fast enough that you’re scared of getting a heart attack. Your face twitches against its will. Your mouth goes dry.    You feel dizzy. Like you might throw up before passing out.   “I-I've never talked back, I've never slept late, I've never sat down when told to stand straight. I've never let go and gone with the flow, and don't even know, really, why.”   The strangers are scrutinizing you. A cold sweat wash down your body, palms clammy, knees shaking. It’s an out-of-body experience and you cringe when you hear yourself go off tune. Everything that you’ve prepared yourself for goes down the drain. The self-assurance washes away, leaving in its place your most desperate state — a girl who tries hard but whose effort never shows.   Your voice even warbles against your will.    “I've never rebelled, or stood up and yelled, or even just held my head high. And all of the feelings unspoken, all of the truths unsaid, they're all I have left of the life I never led—”   You inhale a breath as the note finishes off. But before you can continue singing, the woman in the center raises her hand to silence you. It goes quiet immediately. The sound of scratching pens on paper seem deafening. Then finally, the woman looks up and clasps her hands together. “Alright, thank you for coming. We’ll let you know the final results.”   “T-Thank you.”   You leave feeling sick to your stomach. Outside the silent room is noise, others still singing and warming up, sounding a thousand times better than you. They’re stable, excited, assured.   You know you did poorly, and you’re not imagining it either. You never end up getting a call back from them. No denials or confirmations.    The radio silence is loud and clear.

It’s early in the morning with you crouched over sorting clothes in a bin that two pairs of feet shuffle forward. Your head moves back to find the girls that frequently flock to Taeyeon looking down at you.   The corner of her lips curl. “You went for an audition for Beauty and the Beast?”   “What?”   “I saw you,” the other girl sasses with a shrill voice and her arms crossed. “I was wondering why you weren’t here, but Jimin said you had a dentist appointment. Looks like you were lying to even him.”   “I—”   One of them squats down, meeting your eye level. “Do you really think you could make it? Thought you could sneak away and get yourself a big role to show the rest of us and make us feel bad? I don’t think so. Let’s be frank, you could never make it, Y/N. Shouldn’t bother trying. Why would you set yourself up for disappointment? But I guess the effort is cute.”   She stands and her friend smirks. “The director knows you were lying and trying to jump ship and run away from your job. He’s pissed. So good luck trying to keep this position, intern.”   They walk away and your eyes sting painfully.   Your hand balls into a tight fist, the clothes in your hands wrinkling. Your nails sink past the thin fabric into the palm of your hand. Your knuckles turn white. It’s a privilege to work here. A privilege.    You remind yourself of these things — that you will not punch them in the face. As much as you want to and as strong as the urge is, you won’t scratch their faces until they bleed and scream.   “Fucking bitches…” you mutter out from your clenched teeth.   At the same time, Jimin enters the floor. The timing is poor.   He’s a moment too late, but it’s enough to catch them walking away and enough for him to read your angered expression that he mistakes as emotional distraught. “Hey, what’s going on?”   Your ears perk once you hear the smooth timbre. Turning to find Jimin, you sigh and relax, rage fading. “Nothing. Can you help me fold this bin? I need to grab the other.”   “Alright.” Jimin nods slowly, watching your backside.   The director is indeed passive aggressive to you, making comments that you shouldn't lose focus on this job and whatever else bullshit he usually gives. But you don't care.   The weight of your failures are heavier on your mind.   //   “Today, we’re going to brush up on some singing techniques and then talk about building your acting resume.”   “I practiced.” Jimin smiles. “I swear.”   “Good.”   It’s humiliating, not because of other people’s perceptions of you. But it’s humiliating to yourself. You’ve always complained that no one would give you a chance, that all you needed was an opportunity, but once it was given to you, you messed it up. There’s no one to blame. Not your shitty life or because of the director. Not because of your bad luck or the world’s prejudice towards you. It’s no one’s fault but your own.   You’ve lost a great chance. How many more will be given to you?   How can you ever dream of standing on a world stage if you can’t even go through an audition?   Maybe the director was right. When you stand in his shoes, it’s clear that you don’t know what you’re doing, that you’re not ready. Far from it. Your ambitions are bigger than your capabilities.   You’re a sapling who wants to be a grand cherry blossom.   Perhaps that’s why those girls laughed at you — why they were so condescending when they found out you were auditioning. You’re a foolish imposter. A sapling that wants to be a blossom tree.   You’d laugh at yourself too.   “Y/N?”   “Huh?”   “I asked you how I did.” Jimin searches your expression with his own brows scrunched in concern. “I just sang.”   “Oh, sorry. You did fine.”   You’re too distracted to teach. You’re mentally distraught, fatigued — and you honestly just want to crawl underneath your covers for a while and wish your entire life would be fixed. Or at least until everyone forgot about you and you could start over.   But Jimin would never allow himself to forget about you. “Are you sure you’re alright?”   “I’m just….at a bit of a low point,” you admit, mustering a smile. “I’ll be okay. Always am.”   “It’s okay if you want to talk about it. I’ll listen to you.” His gaze is sincere and his attention is fully devoted to you. It goes quiet as you mull over your own thoughts, and then Jimin’s eyes light up, He digs into his bag for a flyer. “Actually, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about.”   He hands it to you and you unfold the corners.   The flyer is a dark blue with a streak of red, a young girl on it facing the horizon. You recognize it immediately. It’s the musical, Les Misérables.   Jimin smiles. “They’re doing auditions.”   “You want to try out?” Your eyes flicker up to him.   “I think we should try out,” he suggests. “It’s a good opportunity.”   There’s a thick lump in your throat. The paper in your hand crinkles where you hold it tightly between your fingertips. You wondered how many chances you would get after you blew them all. But with Jimin, came another chance.   Yet you’re still humiliated. You still feel like an imposter.   “I don’t...think I’m ready.”   He’s befuddled. “What do you mean?”   “You should try out for it, Jimin. I think I’ll sit this one out.”   Jimin grabs your wrist before you can get up. His hands curl around your flesh, but his fingers are gentle, his touch tender. His softened eyes search your expression again, and you feel your face get warm under his attention. “I don’t get it. Why would you want to miss this opportunity? Didn’t you tell me that you should always take whatever chance you get? I really have a good feeling about this one. I thought we could try it out together.”   “I just…..I don’t think I can do it.”   “Why not?”   “Because I’m not good enough!” you scream.   “You are!” Jimin stands on his feet and when he realizes he’s yelling, he lowers his volume. “I know that you know that you are, so that’s why I don’t understand. Are you giving up?”   “No.” It’s an outrageous question, but somehow your harsh whisper sounds like a lie. “I’m not giving up.”   “Then do this with me,” he coaxes. “We can try out together.”   For a second, you envision being on stage with Jimin, looking over during the grand finale and exchanging silent smiles with one another — but it seems like such a far-fetched dream.   “Are you really satisfied being a ghost singer and performing behind the curtain?” he asks.   “I’m not.” You divert your vision elsewhere. There’s a sudden pressure on your shoulders, and you can feel yourself break out into a sweat.   “There’s nothing wrong with trying,” Jimin tells you and makes it sound so simple. “If we fail, we fail together. If we succeed, we succeed together.”   You meet his vision, wondering why he’s trying too hard to convince you. You don’t want to be pushed — but maybe it’s what you need. “Okay. Let’s try.”   He smiles and you shove away your hesitance.   //   The pair of you get your applications completed together in the coming days, sending in headshots, filling out your sheets, preparing the reel. You practice small sections of the available script, singing while watching your expressions. It’s exactly what you did not long ago — but this time it’s with Jimin.   And his enthusiasm crumbles away your despair.   You might be a sapling trying to be a cherry blossom, but Jimin is a grand flower bed blooming beside you. He makes you just a bit more confident of budding your own flowers and reaching great heights.   The both of you submit your applications together, and anticipation bubbles at the pit of your stomach. As much as you try to keep it at bay, your hope creeps back in. Maybe this could be it...   And then your phone rings days later.   “Hello?”   “Hello?”    The voice on the other line is unmistakable. “Hi, is this Ms. Y/N?”   “Yes, it is. How may I help you?”   “I’m the casting director for the Les Misérables production here in New York. You recently sent in an application for an audition. We were wondering if you were still interested and willing to set up a convenient date to meet.”   “I-I….” You inhale a deep breath to fill your lungs. Your vision is blurred, eyes stinging with tears that threaten to shed, but you keep yourself composed and professional. “Yes, I’m still interested. I’d be happy to set up a date and time for an audition.”   There’s a flutter in your stomach. You feel like you might throw up — but it’s the first time that it’s for a good thing. Though instead of opting for spilling your food out from your guts in excitement, you find yourself throwing the front door open.   There’s one person that you want to tell. This time, you’ll follow your urges. You won’t hold back.   But before you can even knock on the door next to yours, you catch the brunette boy walking down the hall, having turned the corner of where the stairwell is. Jimin sees you too and his eyes light up. They shimmer in the corridor lights and he approaches with his hands dug in the pockets of his trench coat.   It takes too long. You run and meet him halfway.    “I...got a call.”   His smile expands into a grin. He hitches a thumb over his shoulder. “I did too. Just now, right?”   “Just now.” You confirm with vigorous nods, almost crying.   If it weren’t for him….   You hop up to Jimin on the tips of your toes, your whimper is muffled into his shoulder with your face dug into his coat. And your arms wrap around his torso. The boy’s surprised, stumbling back from the impact, but blissfully giggles when he realizes you’re hugging him. Jimin’s arms quickly encircle your waist. His cheeks deepen into a rosy hue and his smile softens even more.    He smells of lavender body wash and fresh linen.   “I told you that you could do it,” he teases gently in an intimate whisper.   Your gratitude is immense. You’re rendered speechless. You don’t know what to say, what to tell him. So you try to show him, squeezing him tighter.    You were going to give up — you could only take so many failures — you could only last so long in a state of limbo. But with Jimin by your side, you feel like you could achieve anything.   You finally let go of him, heart racing, making wild gestures. “We-we need to get started, Park. We have to go look for a song and start practicing. You told me we’re in this together, so why are we wasting time out here? Come on!”   You grab onto him, pulling him towards his apartment as his laughter rings in the air.   In the meanwhile, Jimin muses in his mind that he meant it when he said you were beautiful when you were happy. You’re practically glowing.   //   There’s more practice to be done, helping one another choose songs for the audition, giving opinions to improve certain parts, to use certain techniques. You’re more motivated than before, fueling your own morale instead of relying on his. You’re eager, especially knowing that you won’t be alone during the audition, that you won’t be entering a room of complete strangers.   Singing in front of Jimin wasn’t as hard as it used to be either. Your palms don’t get clammy, sweat doesn’t start dripping, your knees don’t shake. It helps a lot to sing directly in front of someone. And you’ve gotten comfortable with him. Jimin’s attention is still a lot sometimes, but you know it’s coming from a good place. He’s not so much scrutinizing as he is listening and savouring.   “What if they ask you to dance?”   He pipes up out of the blue while you’re making dinner at the same time as practicing.   “What?”   He repeats the question and smiles mischievously. “What would you do then?”   “I don’t think they would. I’m pretty sure there isn’t any dancing in Les Mis, Jimin. If there is, then not a lot.”   “Hey, you never know. They can tell you to do anything and you have to be ready for it.”   You scoff lightly. He’s still trying to convince you to teach him after all these months.   And you give in this time. You allow Jimin to pull you away from the stove. You’re timid, uncertain, but he places your hands where they need to be — both on his firm shoulders, while his own are light on your waist.    “Like this.”   “What if I step on your feet?”   “I’ll survive.” His eyes twinkle, playful. “Okay, step back once, then I’ll step forward. Now step forward and I’ll step back. One, two, three, one two three. Just follow my lead.”   You look down to your shuffling feet, making sure not to step on his toes. You feel silly, but it’s also easier than you realized. Maybe that’s just because he’s a good lead.    “Relax, I’m not that fragile.”   “I don’t want to be responsible if you get hurt.”   You raise your head, eyes connecting to his. Jimin smiles, and then twirls you suddenly, making you laugh. He holds your right hand, letting you sway back and forth. It begins to feel more like a swing dance than a slow one.    But the giggles are infectious and he pulls you close to him, enough for you to feel his body heat and for it to warm your face to your toes. You feel light, butterflies swooping from your chest to the pits of your stomach. And Jimin’s the very cause of it.   “Jimin!” You laugh, trying to pull away. “The water’s gonna overboil!”   He stares deeply into you, corners of his mouth pulling. “Just let it.”   “And burn down this apartment?”   Jimin shrugs, but lets go anyhow. “I wouldn’t mind.” You feel colder when he’s gone, though your fingertips still tingle with his touch. His hands were soft. “When the time comes, I’ll happily teach you how to dance properly.”   You know that time will come someday as long as you stay by Jimin’s side.

[queencarolinemikaelson]

A Mystery Never Fully Explained

//Klaroline AU Week// - Day 1 - All Human AU

x

There really was no two ways about it, Klaus Mikaelson was a diva.

A prima donna, even.

There was an urban legend in the theatre industry that once, while rehearsing his role as Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Klaus opted to sit his dressing room, rather than ‘save’ his leading lady from the wolf attack at the beginning of act two.

“I was just throwing the moron to the wolves,” Klaus allegedly said smugly, to the rightly irate director.

Yep, he was biggest drama queen in the theatre industry.

All who worked with him agreed Klaus was actually a soprano in a baritone’s body. Though they would never say it to his face. Nope, to his face, all were perfectly lovely.

Because, no matter how many three-year-old-esque tantrums he threw, or crazy demands he slung at a company, or assistants he fired, Klaus Mikaelson was still the best.

Contemptuous he may have been until the very last second, but once he was under the spotlight, he was magic.

No note, nor line was missed. His honey voice caressed every ear like a lover. His impeccable acting could bring to life every character from King Herod to Jean Valjean.

So naturally, when casting for a reinvigorated West End production of Phantom of the Opera, whom else was to set to play the titular character?

Rehearsals certainly weren’t easy for the crew.

The nature of the show meant already two divas needed to be cast for the roles of Christine and Carlotta. How were they to cope with a third.

But they had managed to make it to opening day without too many scuffles until – 

“What the bloody hell do you mean Bonnie’s in the hospital!?” Klaus roared. “Who is going to do my make up?”

“Have some compassion, Niklaus!” Elijah, Klaus’ brother – who also happened to be his manager, (and what was more pertinent, the only one who could make any sense of a tantrumming Klaus) – sighed. “She is in the hospital, after a car accident!”

“We are opening in three and a half bloody hours, Elijah! I refuse to have my Phantom butchered by some blonde-bimbo-beauty-school-drop-out, playing face paint, just because Bonnie decided to have an accident!”

“Oh be reasonable,” Elijah snapped, though made the mental note to tell Ms Bennett just how indignant Klaus was about working with anyone else. Surely that was some vote of confidence? “She was hit by a car!”

Klaus glowered, but didn’t return fire. Even Klaus, diva or not, knew car accidents were bad.

“There are two options,” Elijah said, after both men had a moment to calm themselves. “You can have your makeup done by the associate head of make up. This will require you to leave your dressing room, and join some of the other cast members.”

“I don’t mingle with the peasants, Elijah,” Klaus pouted, petulantly. “They chatter and natter about inane things, and I cannot focus on what is important. Which is the work!”

“Fine! The second option is you trust Bonnie’s substitute. A Ms Caroline Forbes, currently the head of artistry on Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera.”

Klaus rolled his eyes intensely. He hated Broadway. He hated working on Broadway. And with people who worked on Broadway. And just people in general, but that was beside the point.

“Brother, my feelings about Broadway aside, I’m not sure if you’ve seen a globe recently. But this is London. Not New York City.”

It was Elijah’s turn to roll his eyes – honestly maybe it was time to quit, and live as far away from Klaus as possible.

“I’m well aware of the geography, Niklaus,” Elijah groaned, rather uncharacteristically. “Ms Forbes, an old friend of Ms Bennett, is currently visiting London. Had tickets for tonight’s show, in fact, so is very well placed to aid us tonight.”

“Fine,” Klaus grumbled, after a moment of contemplation – though there wasn’t much to contemplate, no make up was so bad that he would endure the blather of other cast members. “This Broadway woman will have to do. But I refuse to be pleasant to her.”

“I would expect nothing more of you, Niklaus.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door of Klaus’ dressing room.

 “Ahh, that will be her.”

 “You did not just approve her to come backstage before consulting me brother!” Klaus growled.

“Well,” Elijah said, buttoning his suit jacket as he stood up, an air of finality in his tone. “As you so eloquently put it, brother you’re ‘opening in three and a half bloody hours’, there really isn’t any time for your arguments.”

Elijah strode away from the sulking Klaus, and greeted the woman on the other side of the door.

“Ms Forbes,” he said politely. “Please come in, and thank you so much for this, the company is indebted to you.”

“Please, call me Caroline,” Klaus heard a bright, cheery voice say, though she was still blocked from his sightline. “Anything for Bonnie!”

“And how is she after the accident?”

“Shaken,” the woman said, her bubbly voice suddenly laced with worry. “Her injuries are mostly superficial, but her arm will be in plaster for the next few weeks.”

“I see,” Elijah said, before they both came round the corner, and Klaus was able to get a good look her for the first time. “This is Niklaus.”

“Hi!” she said, smiling a smile so bright, he should have been wearing sunglasses. “Caroline.”

She held out her hand for him to shake, but Klaus just looked spitefully at it, before looking away.

Klaus couldn’t believe his misfortune. She was a blonde bimbo.

“Right,” Caroline said, a little disheartened, as she withdrew her hand.

“Anyway, Miss Forbes, I’m terribly sorry, but I have to dash. The world does not cease for Niklaus, although he’d like to believe it would. I’ll catch up with you both later.”

The two of them chuckled together, much to Klaus’ chagrin, and then Elijah left, the same way Caroline had just arrived.

“So,” Caroline said, sitting herself daintily beside him. “You and Bonnie have been working on some pretty cool techniques for your look.”

Klaus said nothing, just stared pointedly at her.

“She took me through her plans for tonight, anything you –”

“We actually open very soon, and I would very much appreciate it if you just got on with it,” Klaus snipped. “Though try not to talk, love. It will be a bit painful otherwise.”

“There’s no need to be rude,” she said, as she raised her eyebrows coolly. “I was just going to ask, if there’s anything you wanted to tell me before you get started. Latex allergy, warm ups that need doing, that kind of thing.”

“No, nothing to share,” he muttered. “And as if I would need to do warm ups.”

“Okay!” Caroline said brightly, trying to ignore his cockiness. “Then let’s get –”

“I do warm up, but not near the help,” Klaus interrupted. “If you want a free show then go back to Broadway.”

“Yep, I get the picture. I’m just going to –”

“Urgh, the quality of Broadway is nothing on the talent of those of us on West End.”

“Mmhmm, I understand, Broadway is the worst. But please –“

“In fact, I swear Broadway casting directors just goes to Times Square and nab any old riff-raff street performer to make up their ensembles. It’s lunacy _”

“Uh huh, I get it, Broadway suck, but Klaus I really –“

“I’m literally the best in the country. I have won multiple tony awards, even a grammy award. I have more original cast recordings under my belt than –”

In years to come, Caroline would swear herself black and blue that it was an accident. That it was a mere, yet mildly severe, slip of the hand brought about by loss of concentration because of Klaus’ continual ramblings.

And she would never live it down. But she would also be revered by many because she actually managed to make Klaus Mikaelson shut the hell up for once in his life.

For, at that exact moment, Caroline’s deft hands wiped fast drying liquid latex over Klaus’ mouth, and Klaus, who was completely stunned by the movement, did not move quickly enough before the latex dried.

Sealing it completely shut.

“Oh my god, Klaus, I’m so sorry!” Caroline said, with all the correct emotions. She certainly sounded convincingly mortified, until she followed up the with a quirked eyebrow and the comment, “though, try not to talk, love. It will be a bit painful otherwise.”

And, to Caroline’s amazement, Klaus stopped squirming, stopped trying to form words when his amplifier was completely blocked, and Caroline was finally able to get to work.

“What a happy little accident,” Caroline said, jovially, now a little more at ease that he wasn’t being so obnoxious. “Might just snap a little picture, I’m sure Elijah would appreciate it.” 

Klaus narrowed both his eyes at her.

“Oh? Don’t like that idea?”

Klaus just remained stock still, the menacing look still etched on his face.

“But you are so cute when you’re not talking!” Caroline joked, before quickly realising what she said, and going a lovely shade of magenta.

Somehow, Klaus managed to smirk, even without full use of his mouth.

“Oh don’t look at me like that,” Caroline said, with all the bravado of someone trying to dig themselves out of a hole. “You know you’re cute, why deny it?”

Klaus just shrugged, and dismissively inspected his nails.

“Fine, let’s get on with it,” Caroline said. “And if you’re a good sport, I’ll dissolve the latex before it’s time to sing!”

xxx

“All done!” Caroline beamed, happily inspecting her work.

It was a little under two hours since Caroline began Klaus’ transformation, and a little under twenty minutes since she freed him from his gag.

In the past twenty minutes, even though he had the option of railroading her for having the audacity to seal his damn mouth shut, Klaus found himself, funnily enough, keeping his damn mouth shut.

Experiencing Caroline as she worked was rather mesmerising.

She certainly wasn’t anywhere near just a blonde-bimbo-beauty-school-drop-out as he feared. She was very talented, extremely precise, and had an almost unparalleled eye for detail.

But further than that, at any given moment, her face was liable twist and change, letting him know exactly what was going on. It was rather endearing.

She filled the silence in with bits of chatter, about the different steps she was up to in his transformation, about her life, and just about many inane things really.

And, though Klaus despised the inane, coming from Caroline it felt natural and a little bit lovely.

“You do look fantastic,” Caroline said, proudly, spinning him around in his chair so he could more closely inspect her work. “Definitely like a weird dungeon dweller who’d fall in love with beautiful young things who sing to you!”

“Then you nailed the brief love,” Klaus quipped. “I don’t recognise myself.”

“Well, I would be worried if you did!” Caroline giggled, squeezing his shoulder briefly. “Then you would have to admit to me that you’re a weird dungeon dweller who’d fall in love with beautiful young things who sing to you!”

“I’d never admit it, love,” he said nonchalantly. “Though, I have to say sincerely, your work is impeccable. Bonnie’s work is excellent, but you’ve provided just an extra spritz of something else.”

“Not bad for a Broadway babe, huh?” Caroline winked, nudging him with her hip.

“Not bad at all.”

In that moment of eye contact that so often follows a tease, Caroline was stolen by the glint in Klaus’ eye.

“So umm,” she said, looking away. “Where to next for you, Mr Phantom, sir?”

“Warm up, last minute director notes, back here for a costume and touch ups.”

“I’ll stay here until you’re ready for your touch ups.”

“I look forward to it.”

And with a wink, Klaus was off.

xxx

A few hours later, Caroline was back in front of Klaus’ face, tenderly wiping away the residual make up.

The show had gone off seamlessly. And honestly, Klaus was so completely on cloud nine by how it all went, he was actually being pleasant to those around him.

And now he was with Caroline again, and that was a joy in and of itself. Though he’d never ever admit it to anyone.

Klaus couldn’t help noting how soft and delicate Caroline’s fingers, and the stroked along his skin at different places.

“Nearly done,” Caroline murmured, concentrating on removing a particularly stubborn strip of latex. “Nearly done.”

“Not a problem, love,” Klaus said, absently. “This is the most relaxed I’ve felt in months.”

“Opening night behind you,” she replied. “That’s got to be a relief.”

“Mmm.”

He shut his eyes, and felt himself get mildly lost in the sensations, until –

“Klaus,” she said, softly.

“Mmm?”

“We’re finished.” 

“Oh.”

“Umm,” Caroline said, searching for something to say. “I guess I’m done for the night, unless…”

“Unless?” Klaus prompted.

“Well, I’m really hungry, but I don’t know where is any good around here…”

“Are you asking me out?” Klaus smirked.

“What! No?” Caroline blustered. “I mean, I am asking you to go out, but not out. Not like on a date out.”

“Glad to hear you’re so indignant at the idea of a date with me,” Klaus teased in mock offence.

“I’m not indignant! Dating you would be fun, I think! But this wasn’t a date! I’m just hungry, and I thought you would be too!”

“Dating me would be fun would it?”

“Oh shut up. I’m leaving.”

Caroline grabbed her coat and huffily stalked from the room.

“But you’re hungry, and don’t know where to eat,” Klaus grinned, hurriedly gathering his own things so he could follow her out.

“I can google it, I just thought company might be nice,” she snipped. “Glad you arrested me of my illusions so promptly.”

“You wound me, love!” he laughed, catching her hand in his, and stroking a thumb along it gently – apparently her skin was as soft under his hands, as it was on his face. “Come on, let me take you to my favourite post show hang out. You’ll love it.”

Caroline stopped walking, and narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Not a chance, love,” Klaus quipped.

Caroline couldn’t help the wry smile stretch across her lips.

“Fine.”

And so it was, the two went to that post show hang out that night. And the night after that. And the one after that. Until Caroline had to leave, back to her home, back to Broadway.

And, in a mystery never fully explained, Klaus put aside his distaste for the iconic New York creative hub, and somehow ended living in New York, reprising his role as the Phantom on Broadway, only a few short months later. Before going on to perform many more incredible shows there.

It was a mystery.

Unless you were familiar with Caroline Forbes.

Then it wasn’t much of a mystery after all.

 xxx

This prompt came from ~somewhere~ literal years ago! “You’re the one person who can do my elaborate stage makeup so every night you spend half an hour in close proximity to my face and I am distressed”. I started writing this in 2015, and it finally was in a state that was nice and shareable. Hope you enjoyed! Happy AU week klaroliners!

[marleneoftheopera]

What do you think would’ve happened if Steve Harley was the first Phantom when the show opened?

Oh boy.

Alright listen, I can see what they were going for when casting him. He was part of a successful band, so they had some kind of a name in him. The Title Song, which is the only full song we have of him singing the role, is very rock-based, which is the kind of image you got from Harley. ALW himself once said that the show is rock n’ roll masquerading as opera. From the very small clip of Harley singing MOTN, it sounded like he was going for a more softer, “soulful” approach as he put it. Which I suppose could have worked to a point. And it worked for the music video; it was very popular when it came out.

But at the same time, the role really is written for someone who is a trained singer. I believe on the description they list the voice range as a tenor. And it does show, there are a lot of higher notes that just sound better if they are sung properly and not kind of glided through. I imagine if Harley had stayed on they either 1) would have written different musical arrangements so he could reach the notes which may just not have had that same punch and/or 2) have had him use more of a falsetto or higher range for the higher notes instead of belting them out more. If that makes sense, I am no expert on the actual vocal terms and all that.

Personally, I did not mind him in the music video. But I do not think the show would have had the same impact with him in it. Michael Crawford was undoubtedly one of the big reasons why people went to see the show, and the way he did it, it just seems that it was fate that he do it. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but Harley seems like someone who could have done it for a bit and then moved on, without making a huge impact besides “look the guy who was in a rock band is now on a West End stage, let’s go see him”. 

Now there have been similar castings like Harley, who have a similar voice too in my opinion. The biggest one would be Paul Stanley. Came from a huge rock band, obviously seemed like he really did love the show, and gave it his best. Vocally not the worst but not the best. At least he didn’t start screaming or anything; he knew what people wanted to hear and sang it as it was written. And he was very popular at the time, bringing a lot of press and fans of his own over to the show and introducing them to it. I figure something similar would have happened with Harley. Honestly I would not have minded if maybe for a few months or something a while after the show had been established as successful and all that if they had Harley do a run. Would have been interesting to see. But after he was let go and replaced “behind his back”, he probably wouldn’t have done it. Though Harley himself even admitted that Crawford was “brilliant”.

[blancasplayground]

One more post about Cats, because the experience is not leaving me anytime soon and I feel the need to work through some things. At the moment I don’t have anywhere else to publish this review, so it’s going up here exclusively. Maybe it’ll be read, maybe it won’t, but I’ll feel better getting it out.

This isn’t going to be short, so I'll include a cut for the sake of your dashes. Continue on at your own risk (and it goes without saying there will be spoilers, though if there’s a point at which something is so rotten it can’t be spoiled any further, Cats has surely reached it).

There’s a scene in Douglas Coupland’s novel Microserfs (bear with me, I promise this is relevant) where the main character’s girlfriend is giving him a therapeutic massage and she hits this one spot on his chest and he just starts bawling and can’t stop. This is a little while after they’ve had a talk about how the body is like a hard drive and can store memories in places other than the brain. He realizes he must have some repressed memories stored there. 

This is pretty much what happened to me at the beginning of Cats. 

I heard the first few strains of the prologue and they unlocked something inside me. I got all choked up and so bleary eyed I could hardly see. Maybe it was all those lyrics and melodies coming up to the surface after being dormant for so long. I didn’t know how much of it I still knew, but I found myself reciting the songs word for word (and even noticing when there were changes -- like I’m pretty sure they used the West End version of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, not the Broadway one I grew up listening to). It was like returning to a place you’d been to often as a child and thought you’d forgotten, but as soon as you get there the memories wash over you. It’s a little surprising and a lot overwhelming.

Or maybe it was because my mom loved it so much she played it constantly in our house during the years when it was popular. We even had a cat named Jelli (short for Jellicle), because she was “black and white” and “rather small” (I can still hear my mom’s voice reciting those words, in rhythm). My mom has been gone for three years now and I can’t help but wonder what she would have thought of the movie version. She didn’t see a lot of movies in the theater, but I think she probably would have gone to this. And been really confused, but never would have admitted it.

Maybe it was a little bit of both that brought on the waterworks. I don’t know. But one thing's for sure, it’s difficult for me to judge the movie without a bit of nostalgia interfering. This was a deeply personal experience for me. I’m glad I went alone.

For those who weren’t around or don’t remember when Cats first premiered on the stage, it’s difficult to explain what an absolute phenomenon it was. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was the Hamilton of its day. Not necessarily in terms of quality or critical acclaim (FAR from it), but certainly in terms of cultural impact and crossover from niche Broadway audiences to the public at large. Everyone knew the words to “Memory.” Radio stations played it. I could play it on the piano. Lots of people could. It was the longest running musical on Broadway until Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s next cultural phenom, Phantom of the Opera, surpassed it (it still resides at #4). It seems strange even to me, looking back on it now, but that’s how it was.

All of this is to say that going into the movie I was perhaps more predisposed to liking it than your average audience member. Oh, how I wanted to like it. Not just hate-like it out of some fascination with the horror show of it all, but actually enjoy it. Despite dubious casting decisions (I mean, Jennifer Hudson is a phenomenal singer, but far too young and beautiful to play Grizabella, an old mangy cat whose best days are behind her) and the unsettling blend of human faces with CGI cat bodies, I guess I was hoping the source material would somehow carry it through. 

Turns out, our fond memories of things we enjoyed as kids don’t always match up to the reality when we experience them in adulthood. The movie only highlights the musical’s built-in flaws, and then exacerbates the mess further with unnecessary plot complications, inattention to visual detail, a complete disregard for internal narrative logic, and a series of other bizarre choices that contribute to the overall feeling of being in the midst of a psychotic break while watching. I’m not sure drugs would even help. 

This review has already gone on far longer than I intended, and though I do have more to say on the matter, I’m too tired to write more now, so I’m going to end this here. To sum up, don’t bother seeing Cats, even if you have the morbid curiosity of the film’s titular creatures. You know how the saying goes.

[love-little-lotte]

POTO Manila 2019 Experience

I crossed one thing off my bucket list last March 2, 2019. 

Finally, finally, finally. I finally got the chance to witness my all-time favorite musical, The Phantom of the Opera, live. Anyone who really knows me knows that I am totally in love with this show. 

I first learned about the existence of POTO when I was 10, when I first read an abridged version of the Gaston Leroux novel. Then I watched the 2004 film, starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. Ever since then, I fell in love with the musical. I listened to the Original London Cast, with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, and Steve Barton. I watched the 25th anniversary, with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess. I streamed countless YouTube videos. I wrote down the lyrics, memorized them by heart, and sang along even though I couldn’t reach the high notes, not for the life of me. 

POTO became one of my passions, and (yes it sounds cheesy AF) also helped me become the person who I am today. It’s not my first musical (family friendly The Sound of Music is my first because my mom plays the Julie Andrews movie all the time), but it opened my obsession to musical theatre. Through POTO, I got to learn more about Broadway, theatre, and musicals. 

I have my brother to thank for this wonderful experience. This was meant to be a birthday and graduation present all rolled into one. And it’s actually the best present I’ve ever received. Not only did he pay for all of my expenses, he also accompanied me and took my pictures! Shoutout to him for making one of my major dreams come true.

This was taken on our way to the theatre. It was a one-show day, and the play was going to start at 2:30 PM. I heard from my friend (who already saw the previews) told me I should be there as early as possible so I can take a lot of pictures before most of the audience arrive. And since I want to take as many photos as I can, my brother and I left our hotel as early as 12 noon. 

I was so excited I even took a photo of the theatre while we were in the car. My heart was pounding the entire time. My head was reeling. I still couldn’t believe I was there. It felt like a dream I had before. And believe me when I say I dreamt a lot for this moment. 

When we got closer to the theatre, I saw a big poster just right outside. I gave out an excited squeal. “I got to take a picture of that!” I told my brother. 

And so I did. 

Before entering, we noticed there was some Phantom stuff just right outside by the entrance. Aside from the make-up closet (which is self-explanatory), I didn’t know what was inside of the rest of the boxes but I still took some photos nonetheless. I still had a lot of energy around this time. 

This was by the entrance: some posters of the musical productions that toured in Manila before. (From left to right: Chicago, Singin’ in the Rain, Les Misérables, Wicked, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music)

After entering the building, I saw this amazing backdrop and of course, immediately posed in front of it......

.....only to learn the words “The Phantom of the Opera” were cropped so I told my brother we had to go back so we can take a proper picture again. 

And there we go. 

We went to the second floor afterwards, which was where the theatre was located. And this was when the “taking of photos” spree began. 

Exhibit A: Mask, roses, and candelabras. Yep, that’s the whole show right there. 

I’m kind of bummed that they didn’t really have a photoshoot for the World Tour. I mean it’s nice to see Kelly Matheison from the West End cast because she’s adorable and gorgeous, but I would love to see some Meghan Picerno HD posters too. 

Don’t mind me, I’m just posing here with the POTO posters. 

Exhibit B: Ah love this shiny, sparkly mask. Yes, the pic is sadly a bit blurry. 

Exhibit C: My brother told me to go sit down on the floor and pretend to be Christine, but there was no way I’m doing that with that dress. I wanted to put on the cloak and the mask, but decided I should go with the rose instead. 

Exhibit D: “Look at yourself in the mirror, I am there inside!” This is my favorite picture, which also refers to my favorite part in the musical. 

Exhibit E: Yeah at this point I was running out of poses. Standing and smiling at the camera was getting boring. 

Oh, and would you look at this! A production of Cats in November 2019, starring Joanna Ampil! Isn’t that amazing? She’s one of my favorite theatre actresses and I would kill to see her sing Memory live.

Anyway, what’s up with the Philippines and Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals?

Yeah, what is up with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Philippines? We just can’t get enough of it. I’d definitely want to watch Love Never Dies when it comes to Manila, even though I’m not such a big fan of the story. The music is brilliant, as well as the sets and costumes. Can we please have Meghan Picerno as Christine Daaé in this production once again? (And maybe throw in Jonathan Roxmouth, too, cause people love him so much here.)

At this point, my brother already left me. He went back to the hotel while I sat on one of the couches, waiting for the theatre to let the audience in. I took a selfie with the brochure. I thought we were all given a program for free, but it turns out you still have to buy them in the gift shop. 

Yay! I’m finally inside. I was in the second row, which was very thrilling, especially since the chandelier was really close to me. I couldn’t wait for it to fall down at the end of Act 1!

Sadly, this is the only picture I had inside the theatre. I was so busy taking it all in that I forgot to take a selfie or something. I still couldn’t believe I was there.

I cried as soon as the overture began to play. There are three possible reasons why I did so: one, I can’t believe I’m really here; two, the music was so beautiful, and three, the light from the chandelier made my eyes hurt lol. But, whatever the reason was, I assure you, there were some tears.

My first genuine cry was during The Mirror scene, when the Phantom showed himself in the mirror. It’s just a super iconic scene, and truly one of my favorites.

But the major highlight for me was Masquerade. Sure, I was expecting myself to cry during All I Ask of You (Reprise) or the Final Lair, but Masquerade overwhelmed me. The costumes were amazing up close! I’ve mentioned a lot of times before that POTO costumes are my favorite things ever. The intricately-designed Elissa dress, the fan-favorite Wishing dress, the iconic white robe, and of course, my personal favorite Aminta dress.

But the costumes during Masquerade was the highlight. I didn’t know where to look because I want to take it all in! The ensemble were great, too, and there was just a big fat stupid grin on my face the whole time.

You know, live theatre isn’t that perfect. I can hear the whirring of the machines as they change the backdrop and their heels clicking loudly onstage. I see them spit at each other’s faces. But damn it, it was beautiful. It’s raw and real, which is what theatre is all about. 

Sorry for the bad angle haha. This was the cast I saw my first POTO production and I’m eternally grateful at them for giving me a performance to remember. I was just so excited to see that I’m going to watch Jonathan Roxmouth and Meghan Picerno! I’ve seen a lot of videos of them rehearsing, and they both sounded heavenly. I was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Jonathan Roxmouth didn’t fail me. His voice was soft and angelic, and he truly embodied the Angel of Music. I got chills during The Mirror scene, as soon as he sang the words, “Insolent boy!” His Music of the Night was a spectacle, and his height difference with Meghan Picerno also helped. I don’t know why, but I really love it when the Phantom’s a great taller than Christine. Meghan only reached Jonathan’s chest, so their iconic “hug” scene during MoTN looked really good. He also glanced at me during All I Ask of You (Reprise) as he sang the words, “You will curse the day you did not do, all that the Phantom asked of you!” So that truly “made my night.”

Jonathan also scared the crap out of me during the Final Lair. He was truly menacing and just plain scary. I love scary Phantoms, and he definitely delivered! When he said the line, “You try my patience! Make your choice”, he put his face really close to Meghan, and I could definitely see him seethe angrily at her.

But he gained my sympathy in the last part when he started singing Masquerade to the music box. At that point, I was crying my eyes out already. I hope the people in my row didn’t judge me too harshly! No matter how many times I’ve seen POTO, I always cry during the Masquerade reprise.

On a side note, Jonathan’s really adorable in the curtain call. He made a Korean heart sign just after he bowed. Korean culture is really popular in the Philippines for some reason, and he earned a lot of laughs and claps from the audience when he did so.

Meghan Picerno, on the other hand, was the sweetest and sympathetic Christine ever. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch since she’s the first Christine I saw live, and I’m a bit biased. Her crystal-clear vocals also didn’t fail. I’ve seen videos of her in Love Never Dies, and she was amazing there. Her Think of Me was just so pure, and her Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again made me teary eyed.

Meghan carried herself well. Not only was she a darling and innocent Christine, but she was also a fierce one too. During the Final Lair, when she said the words, “This haunted face holds no horror for me now, it’s in your soul that the true distortion lies”, her expression was not scared or anything. I just love that she could project a lot of emotions from Christine, and not only stick to one.

She also shared good chemistry with Jonathan Roxmouth, especially during The Point of No Return. The sexual tension between the Phantom and Christine was undeniable. The way they touched each other, even caressed each other in that scene was so, so, so good. It’s definitely one of the main highlights of the show for me.

And, of course, Matt Leisy was a darling Raoul. Just like his co-stars, his vocals were heavenly. His All I Ask of You is plain sweet. The way he hugged and twirled Christine at the end part of the song was also a major highlight for me. Also, he was very attentive to Christine, and he was protective of her - some important qualities that Raoul should have. In the Il Muto scene, when Christine started getting nervous that the Phantom was watching over her, I can’t help looking at Matt because he was so undeniably concerned and protective of her. And during Twisted Every Way, he was demanding, but at the same time, very considering.

Matt also worked well alongside Meghan. They balance well with each other. As a matter of fact, the three of them are great together. It’s obvious that they’re comfortable with each other onstage. The Final Lair was so thrilling, and it’s all thanks to them. I’m so happy that they get to be my first POTO Big 3.

Overall, the ensemble was great! I love them so much, and I’m extremely honored that I had them as my first ever POTO cast.

Also, bought two souvenirs from the gift shop! A really cute necklace (which costs 1,500 PHP/28.75 USD) and a tote bag (800 PHP/15.33 USD). I wanted to buy the charm bracelet, too, but I feel like I’m going to have more fun with the necklace, compared to it. 

And there you have it! This was an extremely long post, but I want to immortalize my first POTO experience. I’m still in cloud nine, even though it has been almost three days now. It’s truly an experience I will never forget.

[milkandhoneyoongi]

singing in the shower (yoongi scenario)

request: Yoongi fluff scenario, their s/o adores musicals. They cry a lot and sing very loud 😂 (A dying whale is singing the phantom of the opera...) 🦄

a/n: i know...literally nothing about musicals so i tried my BEST here but also look at his little CHEEEKS this is...it

you can always send me a request here and view my old imagines here

genre: fluff

word count: 570 words

warnings: none!

         Far too often, people deem Yoongi as being easily annoyed, but if they could only meet you. If they could meet you, they’d recognize that Yoongi is the most tolerating person you could ever meet.

Singing in the shower at 5 A.M. as you got ready for work? A daily occurance. Singing while dinner was being made? Yoongi swears it makes the food taste better. Crying after staring at the wall for a short while? Sure, it stopped Yoongi’s heart the first time but he couldn’t help but grin when he found out it was just over some character’s death.

Everything about you, Yoongi had learned to love, and that includes your obsession with musicals.

He came home one day practically bouncing with excitement, a wide grin on his face as he heard you wailing a song from one of your favorites in the shower. He could picture you using the shampoo bottle as a microphone, your voice traveling from the shower to the kitchen.

His managers had informed the group of their travels to London, and almost immediately he asked if you could come along. He thought back to the times of you watching recordings of Les Misérables being performed on the West End, and there was no happiness Yoongi felt stronger than when the managers told him you could tag along, and then even offered to hook you two up with some great seats.

“Yoongi!” You cheered, twirling out of the bathroom with dramatic flare. “How was your day, jagi?” He smiled, pulling you into his arms.

“My day was perfect.” You giggled, pulling one of your lips between your front teeth, eyebrows raised as if to say Oh yeah? He nodded. “I have some news…” he drawled out the last syllable. You perked up almost like a puppy. “We’re going to the West End.”

“No,” you shook your head. “Funny joke, Yoongi! Funny guy!”

“I’m serious, jagi!” He laughed, pulling you closer to him. “We have a few events in London and my manager is gonna get us Les Mis tickets.” You audibly gasped.

“Yoongi!” You playfully hit his shoulder. “No!”

His smile widened impossible further, his pale pink gums on display. “I swear! I told them about our anniversary coming up and they wanted to show their thanks for you always being so flexible with my schedule and stuff like that.”

“Jagi!” He could see you begin to shake with excitement. “You’re literally kidding!”

“I’m not!” It was in that moment, staring at the pure joy that graced your features that he truly recognized the impact your happiness has on his mood. Making you smile felt better than any feeling he had ever experienced before. A glaze of tears in a veneer over your eye you let out a squeak not unlike that of an overjoyed guinea pig. “Jagiya, don’t cry!”

“I’m crying because I’m so happy!” He brought his hands up to cup your cheeks. “Nobody has ever done as much for me as you have.”

“I love you,” he laughed, “This is the least I could do.” He pressed soft kisses to your face.

“I love you,” you whispered through your excited breaths. “You’re everything to me.”

“Gotta save some room in your heart for singing in the shower,” he teased and you pulled away from him with a lazy smirk on your face.

You dashed off, towel slipping, “I’ll race ya there!”

[drakorn]

My Current Top 10 Musicals

So, I thought I’d just make a little list of the musicals that I personally consider to be my absolute favourite ones at this point in time. This list will obviously change again when I find a musical that I like more than one on this list. Anyway, here’s my list, if anyone’s interested XD (Btw, I’m only talking stage musicals here, so if you see any musical that was also a movie, I am talking about the stage version).

But first...some honourable mentions that I still adore but didn’t make it into my Top 10: The Phantom of the Opera, Anastasia, Ludwig II, Mozart!, The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar.

PS: All of this is opinion-based. Of course, you will disagree with me at some point, that is just natural. And it’s great that everyone has different tastes!

10 - The Lord of the Rings: A LOT of people have not heard about this musical, but it actually exists. It’s nothing fan-made or anything, it’s an actual official musical adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, not the Peter Jackson movies but the actual Tolkien epic. It ran in Canada and the UK and was even supposed to make its way to Germany. Of course, it has changes in it because adapting the entire story into a three-hour stage musical is an impossible task. It’s also the only musical I know of that consists of three acts rather than two. There is actually a cast recording available with the main songs in it. Like, honestly, I personally just love this musical. For instance, take a listen to Galadriel’s big solo:

I know, I’m most likely in the minority here, but for me personally, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best musicals out there and it’s an absolute shame that it’s not performed more often.

9 - Wicked: I am an absolute fan of seeing the story from the antagonist’s point of view and understand all of their motives. Wicked is one of the best examples out there as it takes the classic tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and gives it a darker and more serious spin, mainly because the Wicked Witch of the West is now the protagonist. I know, this musical is loved by everyone and makes it into pretty much everyone’s top list, but...honestly, it really deserves it. The songs are amazing and the story is very touching, especially the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. I love villain origin stories, and to this day, the part where Elphaba decides to embrace her role as the antagonist of the story still sends shivers down my spine. No Good Deed still counts as one of my favourite villain songs. I have seen this musical twice and would gladly go again whenever I get the chance to do so!

8 - Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling: Ok, so this is a little bit of a controversial situation for me. I LOVE historical musicals. I just love them. However, this musical is REALLY not what you would call historically accurate. However, to me, it doesn’t really matter. When I look at it from a musical theatre point of view, it’s actually really entertaining! I have never seen this musical live, only watched the DVD and listened to the cast recordings but I would LOVE to see it live once. The songs are so good! While the story is not the best, the music is phenomenal in my opinion. And it also has one of the most catchy villain songs to be ever put on stage: Die Fäden in der Hand. Yes, this musical has MANY flaws, I don’t deny that. The cheesy and historically non-existent romance between Rudolf and Mary is not really the best thing to watch (seriously, why didn’t they include Mizzi Caspar instead of Mary, that would have made MUCH more sense for the love aspect). But it also has a lot going for it, like the actual songs. It is still one of my favourite musicals.

7 - Dracula: Many people consider Frank Wildhorn’s best piece to be Jekyll and Hyde. I personally think that Dracula is that best piece. Sure, it had a very wonky start and the majority of the good and memorable songs came along when the musical came to Austria, but it’s also the Austrian version that I got to hear and see first (not live unfortunately but hooray to cast recordings). It’s an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula...but more the Francis Ford Coppola film rather than the actual book. The romance aspect between Dracula and Mina is not the strongest part of the piece by far, however, when the story isn’t about the romance, the music is actually really fantastic! Oh, and it also has my favourite ever confrontation song: Zu Ende. I REALLY want to see this musical live. Why does it never come to Austria again? It had a fantastic run in Graz! And why can’t there be one German-speaking version of this musical that actually sticks to the gothic aesthetic? Oh well, a man can dream.

6 - Artus - Excalibur: Frank Wildhorn seems to be getting on this list very often, eh? Oh well, what can I say? I just love a lot of his source material. Artus - Excalibur is by no means an accurate representation of the Arthurian legend. However, what it does good is: it gives the tale its own spin. It doesn’t even try to be a step-by-step recreation, it’s completely its own thing. And I liked it. A lot actually. I saw it two times, one time in St. Gallen and one time in Staatz. Both times I absolutely loved it. It has great music and a solid story. However, the songs are by far the best part of it. It also has one of my favourite ensemble pieces: Morgen triffst du den Tod. This is one of those musicals I could watch over and over again without getting bored at all. Whenever it gets put on again, I will try to be there!

5 - Les Misérables: Ok, of course this was going to be on here. Les Mis is just the definition of an epic and emotional megamusical that is guaranteed to touch everyone’s heart at some point. Now, the fun thing is, the first time I saw Les Mis was in the cinema...when the movie came out in 2012. I know, shame on me, but I actually really liked the movie. When I was in London, I went to see the stage musical and I was blown away! It was so amazing and powerful! Javert is my personal favourite character. But I also saw Tam Mutu as Javert in London and this guy is just having a total blast in this role. Needless to say that Stars is probably my favourite song in the musical. Also, this musical is very relevant, even in today’s world, just like Victor Hugo said himself. The melodies are great, the story is great and the characters are great. What’s not to love?

4 - Rebecca: Not everyone’s favourite musical but definitely one of mine. I think, one of the reasons why I love it so much is the whole mystery and thriller aspect it has going for it. It truly captured the spirit of Daphne du Maurier’s novel and brought it on stage. The set design is beautiful, the music is great, you can’t go wrong with Sylvester Levay, and Michael Kunze once again delivered with a great script. Plus, the title song has got to be one of the most menacing songs in german-speaking musical theatre, especially when sung by the right actress. It’s a musical I would really like to see live...and one that I would wish, the VBW would finally bring back! Come on, what’s stopping you guys? Tecklenburg had a fantastic run last summer!

3 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame: I love it when Disney decides to just go dark for once. The movie is seen as Disney’s darkest animated movie. Well, it’s nice to see that the stage musical is also the darkest stage musical Disney has put on. While the movie still had a lot of the classic Disney tropes going for it, the musical gets rid of those and adds tragedy on par with Les Mis, meaning, keeping the actual book ending in the show. Also, a surprisingly large amount of Brecht and Greek Chorus was added to the show and it works really well! However, the Disney songs stay and it works as a great combination! Making Frollo the Archdeacon again adds so much more weight to the Hellfire song, and overall all the characters are extremely well-rounded. I have listened to the cast recordings and would really like to see this show live once!

2 - Elisabeth: As I said before, I absolutely love historical musicals. And Elisabeth is my favourite of those. It isn’t exactly told as a history piece but more of a dark retelling in a Danse Macabre style. Seeing the story being told from Elisabeth’s murderer’s point of view was a very clever idea. It also gave us the characters of Death and Elisabeth, some of the best musical theatre characters ever in my opinion. Every single character in this show has great opportunities to shine. The music is phenomenal and this piece single-handedly catapulted Austria and the VBW into the top charts of musical theatre producers. Also...it REALLY makes you want to be a history student! Honestly, it did that with me! As soon as I watched Elisabeth, I wanted to find out everything about the Habsburgs XD Also, this is probably the musical I have seen the most out of any. I believe to have seen it at least 15 times when it was last running in Vienna...and the fun thing is, I didn’t even like it that much when I saw it the first time! That WOW factor hit me later when I was listening to the cast recording...it happens.

1 - Tanz der Vampire: Was that really a surprise for people who follow my blog? Tanz der Vampire is my favourite musical of all time and will always retain this position. It is the piece that got me not only into musical theatre but in theatre in general. It got me into wanting to study Drama and Creative Writing, it sparked a lot of my current interests and influenced a lot of my life decisions. Tanz der Vampire has everything going for it: a great story, fantastic music, very good moral lessons, beautiful and lush sets and probably one of the best characters to ever grace the musical theatre stage: Graf von Krolock, undoubtedly the arch-nemesis of Erik Destler in the race for the rank of best cape-swishing gothic lover. It also has a very untraditional story, breaking clichés and tropes left and right, just as Roman Polanski intended. It has the perfect mixture of being dark and serious but also utterly hilarious. And it has probably one of the longest and most powerful solos of any musical in my opinion: Die unstillbare Gier. I want to see the musical more than I already have, which is 11. It’s just THAT good. For me personally, there is no better musical than Tanz der Vampire.

Ok, I know, a lot of people will disagree with me now, but as I said: this entire list is opinion-based. I would really be interested to know your Top 10 musicals :D 

[bwayboynyc]

Musical Theatre Themed Ask

I literally never do these on tumblr but how could I resist?? 

1. What was the first musical you saw?

It’s hard to remember. Either The Secret Garden or Into the Woods (Act I, JR version)

2. What musical got you really into theatre? 

The Phantom of the Opera. No shame at all. 

3. Who was your first Broadway crush?

Though I didn’t know he was mostly a musical theatre actor at the time, Gavin Creel in Eloise at Christmastime singing Gypsy had me SHOOK.

4. Name three of your current Broadway crushes.

Gavin Creel. Jonathan Groff. Patti LuPone.

5. Name four of your dream roles.

Piangi (Phantom), Boq (Wicked), Mama Rose (Gypsy), Ursula (TLM)

6. Favorite off-broadway show:

Currently? Who’s Holiday. Otherwise, tie between Heathers and Dogfight!

7. Favorite cast recording.

Evita Original Broadway Cast Recording. 100%. 

8. 2013 Tony opening number or 2016 Tony opening number?

2013. I still get chills. WE WERE THAT KID! (Also Debra Messing’s face still kills me cause SAME GIRL) 

9. Favorite show currently on Broadway.

Wicked. Loved it 10 years ago when I first saw it. I love it now. I’ll love it forever. Don’t come for me. 

10. A musical that closed and you’re still bitter about. Rant a bit.

BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. Listen up y’all, this is JRB’s BEST score. I LOVE Parade and TL5Y but BRIDGES IS FUCKIN LIFE. I cannot believe the show only ran 90-something performances. Kelli O’Hara used every single part of her perfect voice. Steven Pasquale was SHIRTLESS. The set was brilliant. DEREK KLENA. HUNTER FOSTER. OH MY GAH. Not to mention the story is so beautiful. It’s about love and life and wanting what you can’t have and WHO CAN’T RELATE TO THAT SHIT?! I’ll forever be upset about this considering I was planning on seeing it and it closed TWO WEEKS before I arrived in NYC that summer. TWO. WEEKS. UGH. Revival plz?? (Also Falsettos but at least I saw it!) 

11. Best stage to screen adaptation?

Tie between Dreamgirls and Chicago. Both brilliant. Though Chicago is actually much better than the actual stage show so maybe that’s my final answer. 

12. Worst  stage to screen adaptation?

Okay I actually really like the Sweeney Todd movie but come on... They cut all of the best songs, cut the entire chorus, changed the entire mood of the show.. It is just all wrong. 

13. Favourite #ham4ham?

Ummm... The one where Patti LuPone sings Give My Regards to Broadway. 

14. A musical you would love to see produced by Deaf West?

Maybe Next to Normal? Anything with a smaller cast that tells a really good story.

15. If you could revive any musical, which one would it be and who would you cast in it?

Okay I CANNOT pick just one. Mame with Kristin Chenoweth, or a colorblind A Little Night Music starring Audra McDonald as Desiree because COME ON. (Okay one more Sutton in Gypsy in 15 years)

16. If you could go to a concert at the 54 below, who’s would it be?

I’d love to see the upcoming Drowsy Chaperone reunion concert! 

17. Do you watch broadway.com vlogs? Which one is your favourite?

When I have time, yes! The two best are Fly Girl with Lindsay Mendez and Daae Days with Sierra Boggess!

18. Make a broadway related confession.

The Disney-fication/Hollywood takeover of Broadway makes me sick. Sure, we’ve gotten a handfull of great musicals from these but can we PLEASE have more original ideas on the Great White Way? 

19. What does Musical Theatre mean to you?

To me, Musical Theatre is one, (if not THE), most powerful version of storytelling. From an intense scene, to a powerful song, into an electric dance, nothing can capture the hearts and attention of an audience quicker than a really good musical. It’s all about escapism y’all. 

20. Express some love for understudies and swings!

The most hardworking and under-appreciated peeps in the business! Sometimes even better than the stars... just saying. ;) 

21. Best Disney musical:

A I D A. 100%. (Revival with Cynthia Erivo and Megan Hilty?) Hunchback is a close second. I LOATHE what they did to the books of both Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid, though the scores and new songs in these shows are lit af. 

22. Which Disney movie should be made into a musical?

HERCULES. Without a freakin doubt. 

23. Which musical fandom has the funniest memes?

Falsettos? Newsies? They’re all so funny to me! 

24. Name a character from a musical you would sort into your Hogwarts house.

Slytherin... Elphaba. The Witch (ITW). Eva Peron. Mama Rose. All the roles I want to play? Hahahah 

25. Name a Broadway star you would sort into your Hogwarts house.

Patti LuPone. 

26. Best on stage chemistry?

I gotta say it... I LOVE Sierra and Ramin together. Also Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale. 

27. A Broadway duo you love.

Bernadette and Mandy. Terrance Mann & Charlotte d’Aboise. Marin Mazzie & Jason Danieley. 

28. What book, tv show, movie, biography, video game, etc. should be turned into a musical?

I would love to see The Great Gatsby on Broadway. Also The Devil Wears Prada. 

29. If you could make a jukebox musical, what artist or genre would you pick?

Lady Gaga. The woman is practically writing showtunes people. 

30. Favorite role played by _________________?

Patti? Eva. Audra? Carrie Pipperidge. Kristin? Lily Garland. Kelli? Clara. Bernadette? The Witch. Carol? DOLLY. Not sure how to even answer this question I could do this for hours... 

31. What musical has made you cry the most?

FALSETTOS. Also Next to Normal just by listening to the OBC recording. 

32. What musical has made you laugh the most?

The Producers. The Drowsy Chaperone. Spamalot. Spongebob. 

33. Current showtune stuck in you head:

“I Can Cook Too” has been playing nonstop in my head all week. Idk. 

34. A musical that has left you thinking about life for a long time or deeply inspired you.

Falsettos.

35. Name a musical you didn’t like at first but ended up loving.

Godspell. Never liked it until I was in it! Now I adore it. 

36. What are some costumes you’d love to try on?

The Dolly Levi dress. WITH the headpiece. 

37. Favorite dance break.

Is anything better than the Anything Goes (revival) tap number?? Also the 42nd Street opening.

38. What’s a musical more people should know about?

SEESAW

39. What are some lines from musicals you really like?

“Don't be afraid it won't be perfect, the only thing to be afraid of really is that it won't BE.” (Company)

“Some people ain’t me!” (Gypsy)

“Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor” (Into the Woods)

40. Name a Tony performance you rewatch and rewatch.

Anything Goes (2011), Evita (1980), Opening Number (2013), Gypsy (2008), 42nd Street (1981), Opening number with Rosie O’Donnell, Patti LuPone, Jennifer Holliday, and Betty Buckley (1999).

[artistjojo1228]

Phantom of the Opera (US Tour) review

First thing’s first I am not a purist (at least I try not to be). I understand that when adapting anything, changes have to be made. Second, this isn’t part of my rambling reviews series because I’m reviewing a play, and I want to get this out sooner rather than later. I’ll also be doing this a bit differently than usual, having different sections for what I liked, disliked, and what I’m just okay with. However, I will say right off the bat that I really liked this production. Also, please keep in mind that my only glimpse of the West End production has been the 25th anniversary performance, so it might be best to take some of what I say with a grain of salt. Lastly, can we all please respect each others’ opinions? That would be very much appreciated.

Liked:

-The costume design (sans one thing that I’ll mention later) was pretty good. If there were any discrepancies between the Broadway production and this, though, I believe other people have probably covered it a lot better than I ever could.

-The singers were all really good. Honorable mentions go out to Katie Travis (Christine), Derrick Davis (the Phantom), Sarah Mossman (Carlotta), and Jordan Craig (Raoul).

-The set design was pretty damn awesome. Though, I can’t seem to find the words to sum it up, I can say that it was pretty impressive considering all the set changes involved.

-I felt the choreography was much improved from the 25th anniversary (sans one minor scene that I’ll get to later). For reference, I felt that the dancers in Hannibal were kind of flailing about, but in the US tour production, I didn’t get that impression.

-Damn, Christine grew a spine in the second act! I mainly found this to be a very positive thing because I can still remember all the times I’ve wanted to write about Christine being a strong woman rather than… well, how the 2004 film characterized her as a spineless ingenue.

-I felt Christine and Meg had a bit of a cute dynamic during “Angel of Music.” I liked that a bit better than what I saw in the 25th anniversary.

-The deformity makeup was appropriately disturbing.

- I liked how the managers and Raoul were actively reacting to the Phantom having taken over Piangi’s role.

-The chandelier falling into the audience (I was actually just a couple seats away from it).

-Raoul sounds a bit more… broken in the opening. It felt a lot more like he’d seen some stuff in his life.

Okay with:

-Raoul hitting the Phantom during “Wandering Child.” Look, I know what you all are going to say, and I was taken aback by it too. However, it kind of makes sense given that Raoul is younger and more immature, so I thought that would be something that he would probably do (besides, I like to think of it as payback for other productions where the Phantom slapped Raoul across the face during the final lair scene).

-The shadow effects were a bit wonky during the Il Muto scene, but they improved quite a bit when Madame Giry was telling Raoul about the Phantom’s backstory.

-The lyric changes in “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.” That is all.

- The new set design for “Masquerade.” I know it gets a lot of hate (as does the rest of the production), but I felt it made a rather appropriately ironic connection with the lyrics about hiding your true self. I don’t know maybe that’s just me.

-Andre acting more… flamboyantly than in previous productions. Whilst I don’t feel it was a change that was entirely necessary, it did get a laugh out of me once or twice…

-The staging of Joseph Buquet’s death scene. Yeah, it was still scary when the Phantom hung Buquet, but I felt it worked a bit better when we had no idea what was going on.

Disliked:

-Christine having a suicidal moment just before “All I Ask of You.” I mean, it makes sense in the context of how she’s seen a lot of crap in the last few days, but I didn’t really think it was that necessary.

-The entire staging of “Music of the Night.” I mean, seriously, what was with the damn blindfold?! I only really liked the fact that, for once, the Phantom just let Christine fall asleep on her own terms (I know some of you guys will hate me for this, but I never really liked the mirror bride). That, and Davis’ singing…

-The entire ending. I was practically begging for Christine to kiss him again, and it killed me when she didn’t physically give the Phantom his ring back. Also, I really didn’t like how the police caught the Phantom at the end, but I will admit that it made his last disappearing act all the more mystifying.

-The choreography for “Point of No Return.” Don’t get me wrong, sexuality (on all fronts) isn’t a bad thing. However, I feel that with something like Phantom, it should be done more subtly than in this production (if you want a reference as to what I’m talking about, take a look at the 25th anniversary).

-The unmasking scene. I already heard it was bad, and I was praying that they changed it back to the way it was before, but they didn’t (and I was all like, “Oh, come on! Didn’t you consider the fact that now is not the best time to be washing your face, especially since people are naturally curious?!).

-The choreography for “Masquerade.” It just brought back memories of how the choreography in the 25th anniversary’s version of Hannibal just flailed about. Also, the Red Death costume was such a letdown…

-More of a nitpick, I guess, but I just didn’t like the way Meg sang “Christine…” here.

Other random bits (not all relating to the show itself):

- I think there might have been a moth flying about the stage for a while…

- This was actually the first time I saw Phantom live.

- I really liked how these productions are starting to include people of color as well.

-I could actually feel the heat from the flames from my seat. It wasn’t very pleasant when the lit the whole stage on fire (“Thanks for half-blinding me!” -me snarking on the way back home)

- Those gunshots were freaking LOUD! (Seriously, I legitimately yelped at one point)

-All my post-show nitpicking might have gotten on my grandparents’ nerves

Overall, I felt this was an okay production. It might not be as amazing as the 25th anniversary, but this was certainly very enjoyable. I definitely understand some of the ire this production brings, but not all. Then again, maybe I’m a little biased since I’ve never seen either the West End or Broadway productions live. 80/100 B+

[peckhampeculiar]

Reflecting on his success

Former Nunhead resident Charlie Stemp has been nominated for an Olivier award for his role in hit musical Half a Sixpence. He tells us why he’s loving every minute of his newfound stardom

Words: Emma Finamore; Photo: Luke Wolagiewicz

“Probably my first memory is being on the New Kent Road. I always knew coming into London that when I was near the New Kent Road, I was near home. It was those traffic lights.”

Charlie Stemp is talking in a building only about half an hour’s drive from those lights (or a 20 minute journey, if you take the Bakerloo line) but metaphorically speaking it’s a world away: the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre, where he’s currently starring in hit musical Half a Sixpence.

Born in Camberwell and living on St Mary’s Road in Nunhead as a child, before moving to Elephant and Castle and settling in Blackheath, Charlie is a true south-east Londoner.

The 22-year-old has been nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for his role in Half a Sixpence – in the Best Actor in a Musical category – with the winner to be announced on April 9. It’s an incredible feat for anybody, let alone someone who says he hated dancing and drama when he first tried it at school.

Charlie went to a large secondary school with about 4,000 kids, but says it didn’t work for him – “I was just lost, it was a bit too much for me” – so he moved to a small theatre academy with about 60 pupils or so, above an Argos in Eltham.

“I was able to have much more of a personality,” he says. “But I was forced to do musical theatre – it was compulsory. I hated it at first, the jock straps and tights and ballet… I think I was told by society that dancing’s not for boys. Then I got over myself, once I realised it was OK to enjoy these things.”

Charlie can pinpoint the moment everything changed. He was in a dance class one day when a teacher came in and pulled the dance instructor to one side, pointing at him: “I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m in trouble’, like maybe I’d forgotten to put on the jock strap or something.”

He wasn’t – in fact he’d got an audition for Billy Elliot. He was cut in the first round for being too tall, but it was the beginning of his career. Charlie gave up rugby and judo – he was in the Team GB squad and fought for Kent – for tap class and dancing. “I never looked back really,” he says.

After GCSEs he headed to Laine’s theatre school in Epsom – “I loved it” – and landed a role in a pantomime at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford aged 18. Funnily enough, the first place he was paid to be on stage was the same theatre he used to watch shows every Christmas as a child (his nan lives nearby).

A year later, he landed a spot in Wicked in Victoria, and after that went touring the world with Mamma Mia!, surfing in Tel Aviv – “It was so hot, like melt your sandals to the floor hot” – exploring the Christmas markets of Luxembourg, seeing Portugal and France and making friends with pub landlords in Dublin. “It was just brilliant, I think I slept at one pub twice – they put me under the bar,” he laughs.

His Olivier nomination is propped up on the table behind us, but of all Charlie’s experiences so far he says the most exciting has been receiving a call from one of his heroes, Ian McKellen, on the phone just beside where we’re sitting. “I remember shouting down the phone to him, ‘Shut up, you’re not Ian McKellen?! No you’re not?!’” he says. “He was really lovely.”  

Press night for Half A Sixpence comes a close second, as Charlie (and his mum) got to meet Barbara Windsor. “I’m a big fan, I love the Carry On films,” he says. “She said she thought I was amazing, and that was so lovely. I said, ‘Miss Windsor, thank you so much,’ and she said, ‘Call me Babs.’ I said, ‘Yeah I will, forever!’”

Despite clearly being over the moon about the Olivier nomination accolade, Charlie is keeping it in perspective. “It doesn’t feel like hard work that’s paid off,” he says, “because I’ve just enjoyed every second of it.

“When we started in Chichester [where Half a Sixpence had its first run] everyone loved it, we would get stopped in the streets, in this little conservative town. But then to bring it to London, and for it to run really well, that’s as much an achievement as the nomination, I think.”

He talks about the particular challenges of moving a production from a smaller town to the West End. “People expect more here, when you bring something to town. There’s an expectation that it’s going to be good. People – at first – are distant and reserved, and that’s not a negative, you just have to rise to the occasion.”

It’s something Charlie (and clearly, the theatre critics) believes the Half a Sixpence team has successfully pulled off, despite going up against and being compared to musical giants like Les Misérables, Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera.

“I believe our show is as good if not better, because we bring something to the West End that nobody else has: old fashioned British charm,” he says enthusiastically.

Despite being updated, the musical is firmly rooted in modern British history. Based on HG Wells’ 1905 novel Kipps, it centres around a humble draper’s assistant called Arthur Kipps (played by Charlie) who comes into money after a surprise inheritance.

As his new-found wealth propels him into high society, he must choose between Ann Pornick, the childhood sweetheart he left behind, and the beautiful and classy Helen Walsingham.  

It was originally written as a vehicle for another famous south-east Londoner – entertainer Tommy Steele – in London in 1963, before hitting Broadway in 1965 and the silver screen in 1967 as a film adaptation.

“All the shows in the West End at the moment are just Broadway copies, shows that have done so well on Broadway that they just bring them over here and they do so well over here that they just keep churning out shows,” Charlie says.

“There’s always an audience for them, because everyone knows The Lion King, everyone knows The Book of Mormon. And that’s wonderful, don’t get me wrong – I’ve been in those casts and done those things and it’s so much fun.

“But to do something that you have created, and that you have been part of from the beginning is incredible. You feel so much more pride in it, because you’re an active cog in the machine instead of just doing exactly what the person 10 cast members ago did. It’s great.”

And the reviews seem to agree with him. His dad jokingly used to email Charlie all the bad reviews from the early Chichester days, and the good ones that had got his name wrong (“Charlie Stump” sticks out as a favourite) but he needn’t have worried – before long the rave reviews were rolling in, from both London and national papers.

The Telegraph called Charlie “one of those fairytale finds that’s the stuff of legend”, and said “in his elastic, fantastic company – and that of the terrific, 24-strong ensemble too – two hours whiz-bang-hurtle by”.

“For older generations it’s a classic that they can relate to, it’s part of their childhoods, and for younger people it’s just a bloody good show,” says Charlie. “The cast is incredible – two of my peers have already been nominated for Oliviers, both about four times each – and it’s such an ensemble show, so that’s great.”

The show features music from the late David Heneker – an award-winning writer and composer of British musicals – updated by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles, with songs about rain, garden parties and dreaming about pay rises in the pub.

Combined with a new story by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, it’s no wonder, really, that the show has been a hit in London. “We kind of have an ‘A team’ creatively,” says Charlie. “It’s the only show around with that Britishness, and we’ve brought it up to the 21st century.”  

But it’s not just the production that’s proved a hit, of course – it’s Charlie himself. “I enjoy it, I really do, and so does everyone else,” he says, refusing to be drawn into talking about his own individual talents and treating the whole thing as a team effort.

“I think that’s what people like when they come to see us –we’re having so much fun, so they start to have fun �� it’s our infectious happiness.”

And happiness is clearly the most important thing for him right now, in life as well as in his career. When asked what is next on the cards, Charlie says: “Honestly my motto is ‘just be happy’. I keep bugging my manager to be Bert in Mary Poppins, but I don’t mind what I do, as long as I’m happy.

“In this industry it’s so easy to forget that we only do it because we love it. We don’t do it for the money or the fame – we do it because we enjoy it. When money and fame happen it’s a bonus, but you do it because you love it. And I want to stay that way.” Despite all the “whiz-bang”, there’s a wise head on those young shoulders.

....................................

Half a Sixpence is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre on St Martin’s Lane and tickets are currently on sale up to and including September 2. To book call 0844 482 5140 or go to halfasixpence.co.uk