#rachel potter

[writedreamlie]

[d-criss-news]

therachelpotter: D23!✨ To say I’m honored is an understatement… but I was truly over the moon to have the opportunity to join my sister in disney-cast-member-and-broadway-hood, @ edenespinosa, to announce a new line up of parades and spectaculars for the disney company at @ disneyd23!

It was EXTREMELY special for me to have the honor to announce the new nighttime parade at @ waltdisneyworld - my late brother was a staple Peter Pan in the old electrical parade, and Peter will make a reappearance in this incoming “Starlight.” You can see a little Peter Pan soaring above us in the background. John is definitely smiling. 💚

AND THEN I had the incredible honor of representing NASHVILLE for the brand new country version of “Try Everything” for the finale, with @ ptxofficial!!

Ran into some familiar faces - hi @ darrencriss and the incomparable @ iamsusanegan! saw Billy Crystal backstage and had to stop myself from hugging him. 😂 Speaking of hugging, got to see and squeeze my @ kylekleiboeker and @ ashley24taylor!

Thank you Jordan Peterson, @ matthewpselby, @ clennertzmusic and Disney for having me. It was a dream come true. And, thank you @ nathanpadgettcomposer for writing a beautiful song for me to sing for @ tokyodisneyresort_official. And my manager extraordinaire, @ zachmichael. We’re all in this together. 🫶🏼 #d23 #starlight #disneyland #disneyworldresort #d23expo #fantasysprings #magickingdom

[acaplaya-musings]

VoicePlay Visuals - Classical Chaos (part 1/2)

(The video itself obviously isn't a two-parter, but this post is! You can go to part 2 here, and there'll also be a link at the bottom of this post.)

VoicePlay's "Classical Chaos" video publically released on the 29th of June, 2024 (well, the 28th of June for Americans I suppose, but I've been going off of my own timezone for all my other posts - no point changing now), and it features the one and only Rachel Potter, back with VoicePlay for the first time in two and a half years!

The arrangement, creative direction, and editing of this video was all Layne (with a bit of additional creative direction from Tony), and some have said this is an accurate look into what the inside of Layne's brain is like😂 Layne took snippets of a dozen different classical music pieces (ranging from "somewhat known" to "definitely well-known"), and turned them into a super original, super amazing acapella medley, and created a very entertaining and amusing video to go with it! And the video is what I'm here to talk about!

Also, if you somehow haven't figured it out yet, the Classical Chaos video is somewhat of a sequel to VoicePlay's In The Hall Of The Mountain King video they did back in September of 2022. You can find my VoicePlay Visuals post for that video here!

Anyway, enough introduction, let's get into this!

First of all, had to get a shot of that bat flying past - it's a cute touch - and second of all my goodness let's talk about set design because WOW. This is inside Pattycake Studios, believe it or not! Seriously, Mountain King I think maybe just had a handful of real trees that were dragged into the studio and then they used a hanging backdrop with a forest on it in addition? But this is heaps! (Someone in the VP Discord said apparently there were 39 trees used, damn)

This forest also did double duty, as Pattycake Productions also used it for their new Villains Lair episode, Ancient Relics (hey, might as well make the absolute most of it!), and unlike VP's video, that actually does have credits for set design! The trees themselves are credited to Orlando Art Squad, Djon Pearson, Layne, Tony, and also Big Oaks Ranch!

(Also I'm fairly certain that moon in the background is the same moon lamp/spotlight that Geoff used for his Jack's Lament video)

Eli's here! He uses the spellbook to re-summon all the others (I think), but how/why did he reappear I wonder? (Grundel magic perhaps 😝 (yeah they're playing creatures called "Grundels", I think maybe Layne came up with the name?))

"Advanced Conjuring And Other Spells (Beginners Do Not Attempt)"

Dang, I guess music really is magic after all! 😉😁

I can't read sheet music to save my life, but this appears to be the sheet music for Toccata & Fugue In D Minor (it's the first piece in this medley, and I googled what the sheet music looked like and it seems to line up).

Geoff giving a little smile and wave at Eli is very cute, and reminds me of the way Kathy waved to Geoff at the end of Golden Hour, which in turn reminded some people of Rachel's little wave in the Kiss The Girl segment of the Little Mermaid Medley, another video where Geoff got painted blue, so I guess it's a full-circle moment really!

Also yes, their appearances have been tweaked slightly since Mountain King (both Geoff and Layne have different horns, Eli and Geoff have different 'shirt' things, and Geoff's skin is more blue than it was last time), but I have many other things to talk about, so I shan't spend too much time on this.

The queen has arrived! Or rather, should I say, the White Witch!

Pfft I love Cesar's face here 😆

Man I really love Rachel's makeup and costuming here, she always looks amazing in VoicePlay videos! Also definitely Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark vibes

(And of course shoutout to Rick Underwood and Renette Feren for makeup and prosthetics for everyone in the video!)

Geoff is Planning Something(tm) 😝

The fire in this video works similarly to how the cauldron did in Mountain King in regards to colour coding, but while the cauldron only appeared to change colour whenever someone added something to it, this fire changes colour whenever a different person starts singing lead vocals! E.g., white for Rachel, as shown here. (I'm not sure how tough this was to pull off in editing/post-production, but it turned out amazing!)

The queen White Witch is busy casting spells and doing witch stuff! Do not disturb and definitely do not touch the spellbook!

(Also Cesar manages to be as adorable as ever in this video 😄)

🎶I could put a spell on you and you're done for!🎶

No wait wrong fandom 😝

Eli: "Ooh maybe while she's distracted I could-"

Rachel: "NOPE don't even think about it!"

Layne: "Lol rip tough luck"

(But seriously *pfft* @ this screenshot 😂)

Wait for it...

"WHERE IS THE BOOK?"

Even Layne is like "oh dang" 😂

Geoff got a hold of it! (good for him) Using what I can only assume is the power of Looney Tunes Logic! 😝

Geoff: Hey look I got this cool book! Isn't it neat? The other three guys: GIMME! Rachel: *Big Mad*

Okay I do kinda love the huge grin on Geoff's face here - it's very him, and he's having fun!

(Also notice how the fire has turned blue now that he's singing!)

Geoff holds up the book...

...And suddenly he no longer has the book!

Unfortunately for Geoff (and Rachel), he's not the only one with the power of Looney Tunes Cartoon Nonsense Logic! 😝😂

(Also the fire has changed again!)

Okay I have to talk a teeny bit about the music here because 1, I love how Geoff's "wait where did it go" head turns are perfectly timed to the "doo-doo," backing parts here, and 2, as I said in my Thoughts And Commentary post, I find it very amusing that Layne's section here is The Blue Danube, considering he just yoinked the spellbook from Geoff, who is Very Blue 😂

*pfft*

"Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious-"

Aww look at that mischievious-but-lovable grin!

And look at what's happened to the fire! It's still mostly orange, but with a bit of green on top! Kinda like... a carrot! Layne The Carrot Lord strikes again! 😆

Rachel: "Yeah I'll have that back thanks"

And I've officially hit image limit, so that's part 1! Now you understand why I made this into two posts, not one? You can go find part 2 here! See you there!

[jules-has-notes]

Attention — VoicePlay music video

Love stories don't always have happy endings, and breakups aren't always the end. Relationships can be messy or even outright unhealthy for everyone involved. Luckily, some musicians are really good at conveying those complicated emotions in ways that are resonant and beautiful. In this instance, VoicePlay reunited with Rachel Potter for a screamingly catchy version of Charlie Puth's new hit song.

Details:

title: Attention (feat. Rachel Potter)

original performer: Charlie Puth

written by: Charlie Puth & Jacob Kasher Hindlin

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci & Hannah Juliano

release date: 13 July 2017

My favorite bits:

using boomwhackers in place of the opening plucked electric guitar line

that slow build of tension and harmonic layers

when the rhythm section kicks in at the beginning of the first chorus

so many crunchy harmonies and counterpoint moments

the way each of them expresses a slightly different attitude to the subject of the lyrics — Rachel's vulnerability, Eli's exasperation, Earl's frustration, Geoff's pity, and Layne's guardedness

that percussion breakdown leading into the bridge

that soaring harmonized riff on ♫ "mi-i-i-i-i-i-IIINE" ♫

everyone letting loose for the final chorus to create a glorious flood of sound

Trivia:

This video was filmed at a local tapas bar called Ceviche, which closed two years later. It was across a plaza from the Ballroom at Church Street where Layne, Earl, and Tony had filmed the castle interior scenes for PattyCake's "Beauty and the Bieber" at the beginning of the year.

There is a minor editing goof at 1:23. Eli is shown on screen, but the vocals heard are still Earl.

The silliness in the YouTube description this time is: "You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round, throwin' that turtle on my name. Who throws a turtle? Seriously…" 🐢

Since Rachel lives in Nashville, they scheduled filming of both this video and their "Moana medley" video for the same weekend to minimize the amount of travel needed.

They got some love from buddy Chris Rupp, which earned him a little mutual appreciation.

[mythigal1966]

Classical Chaos - VoicePlay ft. Rachel Potter

[haethealhell]

new voiceplay vid had me even more in love with rachel potter and these absolute dorks guys i didnt think it was possible for rachel to be scary and sexy at the same time but here we are

[ambular-d]

VoicePlay Premiere: Classical Chaos

[thehappysorceress]

She Used To Be Mine from Waitress (acapella) - VoicePlay ft. Rachel Potter

[nerdhappenings]

Moana Medley - Voiceplay ft. Rachel Potter

[playvoices]

Thank you for lovin' me! Thank you for bein' there!

[thisonewhocanbreathe]

“we need more complex female characters” the second women start showing a glimpse of emotion y’all call them over-sensitive or annoying. smh.

[writedreamlie]

It's official. I go here now.

[d-criss-news]

evenmorecontent: D23 is such an exciting and tremendously produced event. It's also a sort of homecoming, getting to see so many faces I've been blessed to share time, life, and work with.

Here's a sample of what we got to see. (4/5)

Photos by Richard Harbaugh - @ imagegroupla for @ disney

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: A Chance To Fly (Wicked Medley)

You'd be hard pressed to find a Voiceplay arrangement that took more time to create/finish than this one. This was Geoff's creation (he arranged it, came up with the video concept, co-directed it, and collaborated on lighting design), and he apparently worked on this for years. I don't know how long exactly, but I'm fairly certain he vaguely alluded to it in a live Q&A he did on his channel in 2020, when someone asked if Voiceplay was planning to do any Broadway stuff. And based on comments I've read on reaction videos, I believe he's worked on it since sometime in 2019 or so?

But anyway, as spectacular an arrangement as it is, I'm not here to talk about it! I'm here to talk about the video which accompanies it, which was released on the 26th of November, 2021, and features the awesome Emoni Wilkins (in the role of Galinda), and the wonderful Rachel Potter (in the role of Elphaba) (and yes, this is another rare six-vocalist video for Voiceplay, though this time it's 4 members + 2 guests, rather than 5 members + 1 guest). One of the comments says that this is apparently Rachel's 10th collaboration with Voiceplay, though I can only count 7 previous ones (or 8 if you count Just Sing (she was in that too right?)). But regardless, what a veteran!

Anyway, the medley itself clocks in at about 7 and a half minutes, so enough backstory - there's a lot to get through!

Group shot! Love the giant clock backdrop, very cool (and very accurate/appropriate of course)

(Note that I've never seen Wicked, not even a bootleg, but I've listened to the soundtrack a few times on the odd occasion, and I know how the story goes)

(Also this video really highlights the height difference between Layne and Eli, the tallest and shortest of the group, respectively. Apparently Eli isn't actually even that short - he's like 5"5/165cm (which is about how tall I am) - it's just that everyone else in the group is taller than him, whether by a little (like Cesar), or a lot (like Layne, who's 6"1/~183cm)

I adore Emoni and Rachel's makeup looks in this one. Shoutout to Rick Underwood for doing amazing things yet again!

(Also that's a super gorgeous necklace that Rachel is wearing and I want it)

Super massive shoutout and kudos to Geoff and Eli for the lighting on this one! This is top-tier stuff! And so much variety throughout the video in terms of colours and light levels!

Cute earrings, and also face jewels! (Those things can be an absolute pain in the backside, both in terms of applying and then getting them to stay there! I'm assuming Rick used some special skin-safe "glue" product to make them stay in place, and/or some setting spray afterwards?)

Get it, Rachel! 🙌👌

Geoff is handsome as ever, of course

Firstly, go off, Eli! And second of all, Rachel looks so freaking enamoured by Eli during this part, which obviously would be because he's filling the role of Fiyero, the love interest of Elphaba (whom she's acting/singing as here), but also it's just a little bit amusing too 😁

"Think of it as personality dialysis!"

Cesar being adorable 💜

Layne popped a bubble! (With matching "sound effect" of course) (Also I only just realised earlier while watching this that Layne is wearing a tie, just that it's mostly hidden/tucked in)

"And with an assist from me, to be who you'll be, instead of dreary who you were- well, are"

Nothing but respect for my Wonderful Wizard! (He did nothing wrong 😁😝)

I love him your honour

(Gonna do a Geoff Hair Study for this one too, but won't include it in this post, because frankly this post is long enough ^^;)

(Also just realised that Geoff is also wearing a tie that is mostly hidden, and wait hang on a minute, that means that his shirt is actually fully-buttoned-up? Gasp!)

I know I'm going quite heavy on screencaps (and we're only halfway through the video, heck), but I had to share these blink-and-you-miss-it shots of Cesar and Rachel 😄

Cesar: "KILL THE WITCH!"

Geoff (noted bass singer and sometimes sea witch): Uh oh 😬

(Joke stolen from a YouTube comment, but it was too good not to include)

"Because I knew you," (🥺🥺🥺)

The urge to take a million screencaps of the Defying Gravity section at the end is strong. It's so good on all levels!

The quality as an individual screencap is not the best, but still, I'm calling it another "Voiceplay money shot", and such a cool way to end the video!

As I am typing this, the trailer for the Wicked movie (or part 1 at least) has been out for a few days, but I'm yet to even watch it, and I probably won't see the movie, because honestly I don't see how they could make any of the musical numbers better than this. And this was just a medley! And acapella! Re the movie, I'm a little uncertain on how to feel about Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and I'm definitely skeptical about Ariana Grande as Galinda. Rachel and Emoni killed it though, as did all of the guys of course! Well done Geoff, this was definitely worth the hard work and the long wait!

[jules-has-notes]

Manila, Philippines — VoicePlay & Rachel Potter live performances

When VoicePlay and their buddy Rachel Potter released their "Moana medley" video in the summer of 2017, it went a bit viral and brought them a number of new fans, especially among young kids and their parents. A year later, one of those families invited the six singers to perform at their daughter's birthday party in Manila, with the added incentive of a public show for more of their Filipino fans. A trip to the other side of the world was an opportunity they weren't about to pass up. Even if it did require a full day of travel each way, everyone agreed that the experience was well worth it.

.

VoicePlay knows how to start a show with a bang, and this song gives each member a moment to shine.

Details:

title: Any Way You Want It

original performers: Journey

written by: Steve Perry & Neal Schon

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

The boys kept the good times going with some bouncy prog rock and a little audience participation.

Details:

title: Mr. Blue Sky

original songs / performers: "Mr. Blue Sky" by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO); [1:03] "Blue Skies" by Ben Selvin & Charles Kaley (as The Knickerbockers)

written by: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Jeff Lynne; "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

Next up was a more modern groove that let the fellas show off their harmonies and diction.

Details:

title: Ride

original performers: Twenty One Pilots

written by: Tyler Joseph

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 18 August 2018

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VoicePlay kept things a little mellow for one more number with the first song that this lineup recorded together.

Details:

title: Scars To Your Beautiful & All Time Low mashup

original songs / performers: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion (see also: acoustic version) [NOTE: The original lyrics are more explicit than VP's version.]

written by: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara, Warren "Oak" Felder, Sebastian Kole, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, & Justin "DJ Frank E" Franks; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion, Mark Williams, Raul Cubina, & Travis Mendes

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

Their cover of Disney music was what brought the guys to the Philippines, so it was only natural for them to include this energetic mashup of the Mouse's Broadway tunes.

Details:

title: aca-Disney medley

original songs / performers: "Kiss the Girl" by Titus Burgess as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid (2008); "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor; [0:24] "A Whole New World" by Adam Jacobs & Courtney Reed as Aladdin & Jasmine in Aladdin (2014); "Rude" by Magic!; [0:53] "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" by Scott Irby-Ranniar, Geoff Hoyle, & Kajuana Shuford as Simba, Zazu, & Nala in The Lion King (1997); "Trumpets" by Jason Derulo; [1:34] "Seize the Day" by the cast of Newsies (2012); [1:41] "Arabian Nights" by James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie and the cast of Aladdin (2014); "Fireball" by Pitbull, featuring John Ryan

written by: "Kiss the Girl" by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken; "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor & Kevin Kadish; "A Whole New World" by Alan Menken & Tim Rice; "Rude" by Magic!, Adam "Messy" Messinger, & Alex Tanas; "I Just Can't Wait to be King" by Elton John & Tim Rice; "Trumpets" by Jason Derulo & Jon Bellion; "Seize the Day" by Alan Menken & Jack Feldman; "Arabian Nights" by Alan Menken & Tim Rice; "Fireball" by Armando "Pitbull" Perez, "John the Blind" Ryan, Andreas Schuller, Ricky Reed, Joe Spargur, Tom Peyton, & Ilsey Juber

arranged by: VoicePlay

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

The reason Rachel wasn't on The Sing-Off with the boys back in 2013 is that she had already been selected for The X-Factor, and this is the song that got her there.

Details:

title: Somebody to Love

original performers: Queen

written by: Freddie Mercury

arranged by: Rachel Potter

performance date: 18 August 2018

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This video contains two songs, each with a new performer in a featured role. For the first, J.None steps into Tony's Phantom shoes. For the second, Rachel picks up the torch of self-love from Emoni Wilkins.

Details:

title: Phantom of the Opera

original performers: Sarah Brightman as Christine Daaé & Michael Crawford as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (1986)

written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe, & Mike Batt

arranged by: Layne Stein

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

title: I Love Me

original performers: Meghan Trainor, feat. LunchMoney Lewis

written by: Ricky Reed, Gamal "LunchMoney" Lewis, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Meghan Trainor, & Thomas Troelsen

arranged by: Layne Stein

performance date: 18 August 2018

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The three pieces in this video are all fan favorites that show off the guys' skills and sense of humor, and are sure to get your toes tapping.

Details:

title: Elvira

original performers: The Oak Ridge Boys

written by: Dallas Frazier

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

title: Percussion solo

original performer: Layne Stein

written & arranged by: Layne Stein

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

title: A Crimpella

original songs / performers: [6:12] "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was); [6:24] "Witch Doctor" by Alvin & the Chipmunks; [6:31] "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; [6:35] "We Go Together" from Grease!; [6:42] “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men; [6:50] "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas; [6:59] "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard; [7:01] "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa; [7:06] "Jock-A-Mo" (aka "Iko Iko") by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford; [7:15] "Mahna Mahna" from The Muppet Show; [7:26] "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin" by Journey; [7:50] "Goofy Goober Rock" from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie; [7:53] "MMMBop" by Hanson; [8:05] "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede; [8:09] "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock; [8:14] "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka; [8:22] "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen; [8:36] "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga; [8:42] "Can't Get You Outta My Head" by Kylie Minogue; [8:48] "Limbo La La" by James Lloyd; [8:51] "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie; [9:10] "Wanna Be Starting Something" by Michael Jackson; [9:16] "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam

arranged by: VoicePlay

performance date: 18 August 2018

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It would've been a shame to leave out VP's very first collaboration with Rachel, especially since it gave the crowd a chance to hear Layne tackle that rapid-fire rap verse.

Details:

title: I Knew You Were Trouble / As Long As You Love Me

original songs / performers: "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift; "As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber, featuring Big Sean; "All Around the World" by Justin Bieber, featuring Ludacris

written by: "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, & Karl "Shellback" Schuster; "As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber, Nasri Atweh, & "Big Sean" Anderson; "All Around the World" by Justin Bieber, "Sir Nolan" Lambroza, & Nasri Atweh

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

They had to cap things off with the medley that resulted in them going to Manila, and it certainly makes a fantastic ending. It's also fun to see how they adjusted the arrangement to integrate J.None and create a fuller sound in a live setting.

Details:

title: Moana medley

original songs / performers: "Where You Are"; [0:46] "How Far I'll Go"; [1:47] "You're Welcome"; [2:54] "Shiny"; [3:54] "Know Who You Are"; [4:36] "How Far I'll Go (reprise)"; [4:55] "We Know the Way" by the cast of Moana (2016)

written by: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, & Opetaia Foa'i

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

performance date: 18 August 2018

.

Additional photos

[Geoff isn't in the meet-and-greet photos because the poor guy had food poisoning and needed to go sit down after they finished singing.]

.

Private party

[mythigal1966]

Classical Chaos - VoicePlay ft. Rachel Potter