#specifically that's the reason I watched falsettos

[mothforpresident]

I cannot stress the importance of a good fanart in getting me into a fandom

[havanasroses]

my favorite christian borle onstage performances and why

1. orin & others, little shop of horrors

even though you know it's him playing these various characters, he brings such different humor to each of them that you can't help but decide that he's stolen the show from the moment he opens his mouth. i've never laughed so hard and watched + listened to so many bootlegs of a show just because i wanted to hear every version of one specific song (the meek shall inherit).

2. marvin, falsettos

this one speaks for itself. if he was nominated any other year (meaning, not against dear ben platt who absolutely earned it), he would have for sure won the tony. man deserves it for the emotion and care he brought to this character.

3. shakespeare, something rotten!

need i say more? he won the tony for a reason. the whole show was built around "or not toby" and i stand by it.

4. emmett, legally blonde

hahaha. i remember having very conflicted feelings when i found out about the behind the scenes (bc i love sutton with my entirety), but no one can deny his chemistry with lbb. such a good show and such great performances by a baby borle.

5. wonka, charlie and the chocolate factory

i remember the cast playing around so much in the creation of the show, mostly led and blocked by cborle himself. despite it being a flop, i enjoyed the show and his wonka, but mostly because of how much fun he had with the cast.

joe/josephine/kip, some like it hot

i'm going to surprise everyone and say that this is actually at the bottom of my list (had i incuded his other characters), hence why it's not numbered. you all know that i love slih to the ends of the earth, but not because of cborle. i'm going to be honest and say that it still makes me uncomfortable to watch sometimes when he's josephine, but i've explained before that my love for joe's familial relationship with daphne soars above it all for me. great performances from christian, but i have to say that this is by far the worst character he's ever had to play and that i don't think that tony nom was justified, imho.

[falsettos-tight-knit-family]

30 Falsettos Challenge in 2 Days (Part 2)

16) A Character You'd Want To Date: Whizzer. No questions asked. Next-

17) A Character You Want To Get To Know Better: As I said before, I'd love to know more about Charlotte as a character because I love the lesbians and I feel like even Cordelia got more fleshing out than she did.

18) Best Decision Someone Made In The Musical: Jason choosing to have his Bar Mitzvah in Whizzer's hospital room is something that still emotionally pains me every time I hear that song tbh

19) One Character You'd Want To Sing With: I'd take either part in any Whizzvin duet, especially if we're talking about Christian and Andrew's versions, they both have such good voices to harmonize with.

20) Favorite Cast Member: Andrew Rannells. I became immediately obsessed with other stuff he's done (I want to watch Black Monday and The New Normal so bad, but my family doesn't have Amazon Prime). Only when I watched the Thanksgiving side by side did I realize that the entire cast is incredibly chaotic in the best of ways and has such good chemistry together.

21) To Try To Convince Someone To Watch Falsettos, What Would You Show Them? I've already done this twice with my friends, the first thing I show them is a very specific compilation on youtube (Falsettos Act 1 Moments That Make Me Scream), because it's the same way I got into Falsettos to begin with

22) Which Act Did You Prefer? In terms of just music, probably Act 1 because I always lean towards more upbeat songs and it has less of a chance to make me burst out crying while watching/listening to it. But in terms of which I'd rather watch, I'd for sure say Act 2. The lesbians are there, you get to see Marvin and Whizzer get back together along with all of his and everyone else's character development, the story is absolutely heartbreaking, and I could go on-

23) Something That Makes You Passionately Rant: There's so many details between Unlikely Lovers through the end of What Would I Do that I feel the need to rant about. This is all stream of consciousness written at 2 am, so fair warning and I hope it all makes some kind of sense. So I talked briefly about Unlikely Lovers in another question, but ever since I saw someone point out how one of the reasons Whizzer probably wanted Marvin to go home was because he didn't want Marvin to have to wake up next to him if he died in his sleep, which I believe is true and the implication that he would rather spend what is hypothetically his last night alone, than for Marvin to have to go through that hurts me so bad- I already talked about the Cordelia part, but I will bring it up again because it is literally the first time we see her sad and it needs to be acknowledged more often. Jason praying to God and asking him for something for what appears to be the first time ("I don't think we've ever really spoken"). He doesn't know if God exists, but he's praying and hoping that if He does, He can somehow help Whizzer. In the Something Bad Reprise, when Charlotte says the line about AIDS being infectious, it feels like there's hardly a reaction on Marvin's end. As if he's already lost so much in the few weeks since learning Whizzer had it, that he's either numb/not surprised anymore or just doesn't care as much if he lives or dies if Whizzer will be gone by then anyway. I don't think there's much to be pointed out about You Gotta Die Sometime, but I do want to bring up how the end of that song immediately transitions into Jason's Bar Mitzvah. Whizzer finally let himself feel scared and just had an emotional breakdown over accepting the fact that he's about to die. He was sobbing by the time the transition happened and it's still noticeable as Jason starts singing. He's terrified that he's going to die, and now everyone he cares about is suddenly here. In his hospital room. All together here to celebrate one of the most important days in Jason's life, with Whizzer, who just two years ago was only known as Marvin's male lover. The one who broke up the family. Now he was part of the family, the one bringing them all together. Again, What Would I Do is just depressing even on surface level. I know everyone says they cry over "We're just gonna skip that stage" and i understand that, I'm much more emotionally damaged by Marvin's "I'd do it again. I'd like to believe that I'd do it again and again and again" which aside from showing how much he's grown since the beginning, he's not only saying he'd go through all that drama and heartache just to be with Whizzer every single time, but he also knows at this point that he is also most likely going to die directly because he was involved with Whizzer. And still, he'd do it all again for him (As I write this I am not okay-). Oh and also, in Days Like This, right before the song starts, Marvin very clearly puts on a fake smile to try and make Whizzer feel better and it really does need to be appreciated more-

24) A Character From Another Musical You'd Like To See In Falsettos: After that essay of pure sadness, I'm gonna go for the funny route and say Elder Price, not for anything story or even character related (because idk enough about the story or characters of BoM), but purely because it's Andrew Rannells² and I think the reactions to someone who looks just like Whizzer would be funny

25) A Character You Can Identify With: As much as I'd love to say Whizzer (and I do identify with him to an extent), it has to be Cordelia. Her general aura of happiness and energy, being the only one entertained by Marvin during The Baseball Game, and awkwardly laughing at Mendel's bad jokes, all are things I heavily relate to-

26) Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship: Whizzer and Jason's stepfather-son bond. I love them so so much, I wholeheartedly think that he was Jason's best dad of the 3. He came to his baseball game, despite being broken up with his father for 2 years and even when not part of the family, made it clear to everyone that he loves Jason ("I love baseball. I love Jason" "I love Jason, but this is not his venue"). He was the one who stood up and taught him how to swing the bat correctly and supported him fully, even though he knew as well as anyone that Jason wasn't great at the game. I will never be over this

--- 27) Favorite Quote/One Part Of A Song: Well the "kill your mother" line is taken from earlier so I'll say during Everyone Tells Jason To See a Psychiatrist, from when they introduced Whizzer like a Heather and through to the end of the song. The dramatic entrance, the head flick, Whizzer’s excited smile when Jason says he’ll go, Marvin mocking Trina’s hand movements during “they don’t make house calls” it’s all great

28) Something A Character Did That Pissed You Off: Marvin hitting Trina would be too obvious and the Chess Game was a metaphor, but Marvin in This Had Better Come to a Stop when he says Whizzer should "Always be here, making dinner, set to screw" and just being generally hypocritical (ex. "Whizzer screws too much to see what a joy's monogamy" sir you cheated on your wife and want to have both her and Whizzer at the same time. Idc if it's not sexual, it sure as hell isn't traditional monogamy)

29) A Photo/Edit/Manip That Makes You Happy: Here’s a couple of many behind the scenes pictures that make me smile (yes one is technically a gif)

Can you tell I love Andrew Rannells?

30) Something Else About The Musical You Want To Add (Wildcard): You know what I'm gonna simp in the wildcard- The way Andrew says a couple of his lines, specifically in the proshot, are randomly very attractive to me. I specifically mean "Hang up your clothes Marvin, breeding shows, Marvin" in TTOFL and "Sex and games in New York City" in A Day In Falsettoland. Also, idk if this is simp worthy or not, but the higher harmonies Christian hits in some of the songs (ex. Unlikely Lovers) are so pretty and super satisfying to listen to

[beanbeansson]

hi!

i’m bean :)

if you actually wanna know stuff about me then it’s under the cut, otherwise have a nice time on ma blog

i’m aroace, and specifically aegosexual and something very similar to bellusromantic but i don’t like that word much for some reason (i’m working on it)

i’m a brit, and i hate my country :) somehow i will still defend it at all costs. it’s a british thing you wouldn’t understand

i will literally be reblogging any random posts i like, i’m not organised enough to have more than one blog lol

fandoms i’m active in and some other bits and bobs i really liked are as follows (i’m gonna add more to this list)

tv shows

good omens - dead boy detectives - doctor who - gilmore girls - our flag means death - the umbrella academy -

tv shows i’m currently watching

brooklyn 99 - classic doctor who -

films

the princess bride - bohemian rhapsody - rocketman - mamma mia! - moulin rouge! - submarine - monty python movies - little women - dead poet’s society -

musicals

hamilton - hadestown - moulin rouge! - mamma mia! - rocketman (yes there is movie crossover here) - EPIC: the musical - something rotten! - falsettos -

music

queen - david bowie - elton john - the beatles - general classic rock tbh

other things

agatha christie books & movies & the tv series - greek mythology - random classic literature - shakespeare plays - various uk quiz and panel shows -

if you also like literally any of these things and are slightly bored then you should 100% just send an ask or dm about how great your media of choice is

most posts and or reblogs will be dw, go, and dbda, plus aroace stuff, but i would be delighted to talk about literally anything

fuck the government (though at least it’s not the bloody tories now)

fuck the patriarchy

fuck war (includes every war that has and will happen)

ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, i thank you for your time

:)

[thesinglesjukebox]

TOMMY RICHMAN - "MILLION DOLLAR BABY"

Depressing math problem: how many streams of this song would it take for Mr. Richman to achieve its title status...

[6.92]

Tim de Reuse: In the TikTok age, when something goes megaviral and catapults an unknown into multi-platinum status, it's usually got, you know, a sound in it: something momentary, immediate, salty and fatty yet ephemeral and light, instantly repeatable, easily recontextualized. What single melodic hook or sound-flourish defines this song's insane popularity? It has found a way to not need one, opting instead to appeal by oozing personality out of every measure. The instrumental is bracingly dry, bright and spiky, with all atmosphere created by an uncountable set of overlapping, processed voices, braiding around each other, leaving no clear single path for your attention to follow. My favorite touch: the crunchy, dissonant minor seconds that are punched out by that synth right in the middle of the mix. The miracle here is that of a stylistic confidence, in composition and sound design, insistent enough to be as addictive as any melodic hook. [8]

Alfred Soto: Watching this model of simplicity -- beatbox, awkward falsetto, fat Miami bass -- go top five made my year. Like other flukes it justified itself. I expect no follow-up. [9]

Kylo Nocom: Great in parts: sticky funk synths, a slowed vocal sample, and some whining backing harmonies make for an impressive, cross-generationally likable cross-section of R&B. Unfortunately, the tune itself is lacking in small but vital ways, and not for the "TikTok era" song-length reasons that so many pop listeners bemoan. The chorus has a slight awkwardness that makes for increasingly grating relistens; the verse is negligible. Richman might be Brent Faiyaz's protégé, but the falsetto errs too close to Justin Vernon shoutiness for my liking. His voice is best as pure texture, so check out the "VHS" version to hear this in its peak form: densely-boosted bass clashing against strained vocal runs in a bid for primacy. It's close to what pop's decades-enduring noise vs. melody juxtaposition should be in 2024, a lineage traceable all the way back to the Wall of Sound and beyond. Gripes with this song aside, I still have hopes that this guy's got it: a recent TikTok snippet has the melodic immediacy I wish was here. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: I don't like you praising Rick Rubin, so I initiate the beef. Fuck those faux Timbaland beats, let's see you push Danja's teeth! You better off hiding his falloff than worming up to me, he's Tim Mosley, I'm Tim Curry, I'm zapping peeps. [4]

Aaron Bergstrom: Just to be clear, when I say "this dude gives me Kreayshawn vibes," what I mean is "hell yeah bouncy novelty summer jam goodness," not "I would like to have an exhausting and ultimately meaningless conversation about race." Thank you.  [8]

Taylor Alatorre: Ariel Pink if he had grown up watching MTV Jams instead of 120 Minutes, except that actually sounds like something with the hypothetical potential to be cool. Tommy Richman was born in 2000 and not 1987, but "Ariel Pink if he had grown up watching curated YouTube playlists" doesn't have the same internal symmetry. This isn't the first digital native to exploit a pan-generational Pavlovian affinity with the 808 cowbell, and it surely won't be the last. [4]

TA Inskeep: I like the vibe he's going for, and I wanna love it ('90s R&B yes please), but this is a series of Casio keyboard presets in search of a song. [5]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Whenever someone unexpected lands a huge hit, I love looking back at their previous discography to see what made this song specifically click. (Just in case there's a One Hit Wonderland episode someday.) Many of Richman’s other songs exist somewhere at the intersection of Jai Paul, Chic, and Trilogy-era The Weeknd, which is theoretically a fun mix, but they’re largely hookless and nondescript. Where's the hook in “Million Dollar Baby”? Technically the chorus, but it's this production that really makes it bang. The ominous pitch-shifted chant (apparently just "do what I should think," according to Genius, which is a little disappointing). The beeps, which are doing a shocking amount of atmospheric heavy lifting. The "oooooohs". It all builds into a particularly grim kind of sleazy desperation. (This is a compliment.) [8]

Jonathan Bradley: What does the Commonwealth of Virginia have to offer us in 2024? Rumors of Drake's hidden progeny still echoing long after Pusha T first whispered them? A download-only Pharrell Williams album? Missy Elliott being accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? How about some rando signed by Brent Faiyaz exhuming the one-part soul, two-parts trunk rattler sound of UGK's country rap tunes and sending it to the upper reaches of pop charts around the world? That will do nicely, thank you. [9]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: However funky and fun this will sound all summer long, it’s in spite of Tommy Richman, who sounds underwater and gasping for breath.  [5]

Katherine St. Asaph: Tommy Richman, a rando whose every photo has the distinctive pose of a college freshman trying to look badass, was largely unknown before 2024 except for (checks Google search-by-date) a Complex roundup, an interview about how he idolizes Andy Serkis and Dennis Rodman, and probably some PR juice behind the scenes. This guy listens to some dirty funk and R&B, attempts to match its freak, and... doesn't fail? Must be my critical faculties that are failing. [6]

Ian Mathers: Okay, I'm aware the background genres are very distinct (fuckboy funk-rap here, fuckboy post-punk there), but am I the only one kinda reminded of that Artemas song we covered last month? There's a similarity in vibe (although Richman seems less odious), they both basically just figure out a good hook repeat it for a little over two minutes and that's it, and I suspect the natural environment for each is driving around the city at night in the summer. They feel like beefed up interludes or parts of songs (not a complaint, honestly!). Or am I just telling on myself by revealing I'm too old for TikTok? [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Every time I listen to this I feel like I'm moving further and further away from sanity. This is not a pop hit but a funhouse mirror version of one, a misremembered version of every year between 1989 and 1998 thrown into a blender and then reconstituted; Tommy Richman's falsetto is possessed by an amateurish sort of confidence that ought to have annoyed me to death after a month of this song's omnipresence. Yet every time I hear this song -- whether by my own choice or as it blasts at dangerous volumes from passing cars -- I am all the more endeared to it. The bass, whether VHS-boosted or not, activates something within me that disarms all critical impulse; I feel swallowed up by this groove as much as I enjoy it. It's the kind of song that defies analysis -- what am I going to do, write a 4,000 word essay on the transformative power of Tommy fucking Richman? Those stacks of harmonies, those radar synths and cowbell pops and dense chord stabs: they talk enough for me, self-evident of the delirious craftsmanship of this track. People valorize the garage rock and avant folk savants of the 1960s -- the Alex Chiltons and Norma Tanegas of the world -- and I get it; this feels something like that transplanted to the modern context, a little pop symphony that sounds not quite like anything else in the world. A small miracle of the song; let me stop writing before I embarrass myself any further. [10]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[6-atlas-6]

Redacted audio characters favorite musicals/plays

David - I can't even imagine this man watching musicals

Asher - legally blonde. I'm not elaborating.

Milo - 100% A THEATRE KID, also Chicago, obviously

Vincent - cirque de soleil, I feel like he has a short attention span so he'd love it, specifically Ka

Sam - I wanna say Avenue Q, I have no clue why

Avior - Surprisingly the sound of music. Idk I just feel like he'd find it comforting

Vega - didn't even know musicals were a thing, despises them

Gavin - Rocky horror picture show because why wouldn't it be

Caelum - Spirited. I feel like he loves Christmas

Lasko - Also a theatre kid and FALSETTOS. He cried. Many times. (me too) Probably also thought Whizzer was hot asf (me too)

Damien - 35MM. TELL ME the ballad of Sara Berry wasn't him (aside from the murder yk)

Huxley - Wicked. I don't have reasoning

Kody - Heather's. It doesn't sound bad until you realise it's probably cause he resonates with JD

Angel - Mean girls, forced Davey to watch it against his will

Baaabe - Hamilton. I don't like Hamilton but I feel like they would

Sweetheart - Kinky boots. Milo also loves it and probably showed it to them in the first place

Lovely - Six because they have good taste

Darlin' - little shop of horror's

Starlight - Wicked.

Warden - Also Chicago

Freelancer - Ride the cyclone because yes

I'm a theatre major so I'm right.

[nostalgia-tblr]

I got tagged by @fancy-a-dance-brigadier (❤)

3 ships: Doctor/TARDIS and then whatever two (inferior) ships last caught my attention. Like I'm a multishipperrrrr I'm too flighty and/or edgy to be defined by only three pairings maaaaaan. The Blorbo I Looked At Last/Someone They Made Eye-Contact With, if you INSIST on pinning me down like a dead butterfly in a museum.

first ship ever: not sure really BUT... okay, my first real Online Fandom was the Star Wars prequels, so possibly it was Obi-Wan/Anakin, but this one led me into wank because back in 2000ish there was a Yahoo list called Master/Apprentice (or somesuch name) but they specifically meant Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan but had never bothered to mention this fact anywhere so when a few of us started talking about the WRONG Jedi/Padawan pairing oooooh some people were Not Happy. How DARE we? HOW FUCKING DARE WE??!! Get off this list, get your own list, you filthy weirdos what are you doing shipping Obi/Ani what is WRONG with you???

last song: okay DON'T JUDGE ME but it was the Phantom of the Opera song from the famous musical Phantom of the Opera. no wait listen it's "a banger," it's like if Queen had temporarily gone goth and brought in a chick to sing the woman part of their new goth duet. (which they wouldn't??? because this is why God gave them their falsetto ranges??? we are SERIOUS MUSICIANS MY FRIEND???)

last movie: I think that'll be Thor: The Dark World (I feel like that's a bold movie title rather an italics one), which I needed to watch at some point for Fic Research Reasons and my English Besty was up for a few days so I made her watch it with me because everyone on tumblr said it was terrible (it's not the worst movie i have ever seen but it's... erm. it's certainly a marvel movie!)

currently reading: I'm alternating between a few non-fictional things, most of which involve the English Civil War (because I got one free online and then needed the backstory so now I have to catch up with the events of Charles I and also the confusingly-titled James VI & I so that I can get back to and understand the plot of Oliver Cromwell and the Rule of the Puritans in England by C. H. Firth) I haven't read a novel in a while but I do read a fair amount of Problematic Fanfiction, which more than makes up for that and is also free.

currently watching: Nothing :( I did start watching Good Omens but only got about 3 episodes into S1 before I ran out of Amazon Prime's freebie month. I may go back to it next time they attempt to trick me into subscribing with a free month, which happens once or twice a year, depending.

currently consuming: Irn Bru AKA LIQUID SCOTTISHNESS. Also some prescription medication because my 10pm alarm just went off on my phone. YAY, DRUGS! \o/

currently craving: I would like to be able to understand an entire episode of PBS Space-Time but other than that I'm not fussed at the moment.

I tag ALL OF YOUS. ALL. OF YOUS.

[halo-of-light-band]

Recently I've been thinking about bands. Specifically the idea of having multiple different people, each on their respective instruments, contributing to the art of creating music.

I was thinking about this as I was listening to Car Seat Headrest, and also watching some of their live performances from last year's tour. Because it's relevant to the post, a little bit of backstory: Car Seat Headrest was started by Will Toledo in 2010, and for the first 5 years and 11 albums released, the music was almost entirely written and recorded by Will. In 2015 the band was joined by drummer Andrew Katz, guitarist Ethan Ives, and in 2016 Bassist Seth Dalby. The next 3 albums released consisted of material that had already been written by Will prior to 2015, but was recorded by the newly formed band.*

Listening to the more recent era of Car Seat Headrest music, both the albums and live performances, I'm really struck by just how much having a band has contributed to the sound. Their 2020 album Making a Door Less Open was the first entirely composed and recorded as a band, and while I really love Will's early work as a testament to creativity while confined to just writing/recording by yourself with limited equipment, every time I listen to MaDLO I'm blown away by how much each band members' skillset elevates the music. Ethan's shredding guitars on Weightlifters, Deadlines (Hostile), and Martin, Seth's smooth and measured bass on Can't Cool Me Down, Andrew's expertise in both electronic and real drums throughout the album... it all adds up to a really cohesive, really solid sound. I'm sure that if Will was still making music by himself it would sound wonderful, he's a very talented musician and songwriter, but having the full band just adds so much the sound.

I think this is even more apparent in their live performances, having 5 people each focusing on their parts, their instrumental specialties, really adds up to creating a beautiful, polished sound. The album version of Hymn - Remix is decent, but the live version is transcendant, with upbeat, driving drums, Ethan fucking KILLING the guitar solo, touring member Ben Roth's organ bringing a both jazzy and religious vibe to the song, and Will adding an amazing dramatic flair to the song as he falls to his knees, singing "If I give this up, will I be saved?"

The band elevating the art is especially true when they play Will's older songs. Last year's Masquerade Tour opened the set with Crows, a song originally released in 2013 on Nervous Young Man, and I'm sure some of the improved sound can be attributed to 9 extra years of musical experience, but when I listen closely I can hear each members' musical style shining through, and giving the track a whole new vibe. The chorus is given a new energy, but the verses are haunting with Ben's tinkling synths, Seth's steady bass, and Ethan's falsetto harmony. (I love Ethan's backing vocals, but my sister hates them for some reason. Meghan if you're reading this, you're wrong.)

I don't think these observations are anything new - there's a reason that a lot of great artists either were bands, or had permanent members in their backing bands for solo artists. No one person can be amazing at everything, especially in an artform like music when there are so many different skills needed to create a good song, and so having other talented artists to contribute to the creative process can bolster the quality greatly. Hell, even just having other artists to consult on a project is really valuable, even if they aren't directly contributing to the final creation.

As an artist, and as a person with a lot of social anxiety, these observations are very important. I've played in groups before, but never on a project I was creating. I have a very hard time willing myself to reach out to people, to ask for input or help in creating part of my music. I have a desire to collaborate, but this has been a barrier to me, because unless somebody asks me first, I don't seek it out. I really like the idea of collaboration with people I artistically vibe with, and I understand how much value it can add to art, but my social anxiety often holds me back. I think I'm getting better with time. I've actually been making some artist friends that I talk to regularly in the last couple months, I feel more motivated to share my ideas and discuss artistic concepts with them. I'm still writing and recording my music entirely by myself, but I'm at least slowly beginning to let other people into my creative process, and let my guard down a little bit.

Will Toledo recorded his early music on his laptop, in his car, by himself, not as a creative choice, but as a necessity due to his position as a socially isolated teenager. It also created a very interesting and unique and beloved sound. Both of these things can be true at the same time. I can create art that is my own, constrained by my social and physical limitations, beautiful because of those limitations, while also not being tethered by those limitations, recognizing that my art can be so much more when I start to let other people in.

[maforyu]

Hello there!

It's about time I did a post like this. Hi, I'm Charlie, known to my close friends as Charles or Ferre, and I love writing.

I'm a polytechnic student, and am currently studying for my diploma in Story and Content Creation (for media). I am a huge theatre fan, mainly Les Miserables, and I kinda go batshit crazy over Star Wars at times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, with all the introductions out of the way, I've been thinking about being more active on Tumblr so I'll be opening writing requests to anyone who may be interested. I mainly write Star Wars and Les Mis, you may check me out at archiveofourown.org/users/CharlesAndCo for the works I have published. (I implore you to ignore my Marvel fics...) But before everything, I do have several boundaries when it comes to writing for requests, so please, I hope you'll respect them if you're thinking of requesting for any fics.

I will absolutely not write /reader fics, even gender neutral readers or male readers.

The ships I specialise in are as follows: for Les Mis, Valvert, Enjoltaire, Courfius, Combeferre/Jehan; for Star Wars: Obikin, QuiObi, Anidala. I would not be opposed to exploring other ships, but I will put my foot down if it comes to any ship I am uncomfortable with, which does not happen often but if it does, consider this a warning.

If I have any ongoing WIPs when you request, especially oneshots that are meant to be gifts to my friends, I will not prioritise your request over the works for them. I love my friends to hell and back, the only way to get around this would be to become my friend, I guess.

NSFW is... well, it depends. I may or may not write NSFW depending on how I feel about it. To put it simply, I have had bad experience when it comes to sex, and so sometimes certain things do trigger me and bring back bad memories. So unless you really think that I would enjoy writing the NSFW request you send in, I'd appreciate it if you mainly stick to SFW works. Thanks :)

If I am uncomfortable, due to any reason, with the request you send in, I will probably very politely decline to write your request.

I write trans stuff as well. HMU if you want me to write a Trans!Javert fic for ya ;))))

I'm pretty versatile when it comes to writing. If you have any specific writing genres or styles you wish me to write, include it in your request and I'll see if I can meet your expectations. For example, if you want me to write an introspection for you, say it in your request, and I'll gladly write it for you!

What you could request:

Les Mis (Musical, 1972, 1978, sigh 2012)

Other musicals like Newsies,

Moulin Rouge (movie my beloved, wouldn't mind musical too)

Falsettos

Catch Me If You Can (musical)

Little Shop of Horrors

Jesus Christ Superstar

(Maybe...?) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Star Wars (mainly Prequels, may write OT though)

If any other musicals that you might want to request is not in this list, you could check with me if I know it/would write it. And yes, Hamilton, DEH, BMC ain't on here, I will not be writing them, thank you.

More might be added, as I discover and watch more shows.

That's about it from me for now. Idk if I'll get any requests from anyone that ain't my friends (not to say that my friends can't request anything, y'all would actually have priority), but I was bored and I need to start writing more. If you've made it to the end here, thanks for reading.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more information about tags:

[noys-boise]

alright since one person (@coffeelovinggayidiot) asked for it i will now talk about a group of ocs i will probably never do anything specific with but who i really love and never really talk about

So at the center of the story we have Mike and Sprout. Mike is a 15 year old trans guy who loves music more than anything, is going through a bit of a depressive episode mostly from school and being a bit of a social outcast and is generally not the most pleasant person to be around at the beginning at least. For contrast we have Sprout who's a little elf guy who got transported here from his little town in the middle of some magical forest mysteriously. He is very caring and simple and wholesome and basically the embodiment of a cozy children's book. That's really my best way of describing him. Naturally he drives Mike crazy but they do end up forming a deep bond eventually.

Most of the "story" (aka the part i focus on the least I'm a character centric person) really just focuses on trying to get Sprout home which is hard because he himself doesn't exactly remember how he got here (there was a storm on the day he was transported but he knows that couldn't have been it and his memories are really foggy) I also kind of want to add an additional mystery but I don't know how seriously I want to focus on this story because I prefer it just being a fun thing for myself. I might add it one day.

Anyways my real favorite part is the side characters. We have:

-Dominic (Dom for short), who's Mike's best friend/kind of crush. he's openly gay but Mike still doesn't think he has any chance with him because he's kind of a popular kid while Mike is a loser (evne though they constantly hang out). he's a bit of a himbo, and definitely a dork. He's really kind and makes friends easily. He plays basketball and takes it very seriously. He doesn't believe in cringe culture, he LOVES hallmark christmas movies for some reason. and bad 80s movies. actually 80s everything

-Irene, Mike's childhood friend. She wants to be cool and mysterious but is mostly just the most chaotic person ever. she smokes weed in her room and her mom doesn't realize somehow. she's an absolute troublemaker. her most important characteristic though is that she loves painting and created an oc named Luna who she just thinks of as the moon's human form. who's a beautiful girl. like really beautiful. like really really beautiful. like r- yup she fell in love with her oc. she totally owns it though, so much so her she her online alias is Pygmalia after the greek myth of the sculptor who fell in love with his own sculpture. Yeah she's one of the characters i really had fun creating. she's a lesbian if i didn't make that obvious by now. She does end up having a real human crush too also.

-Kitty, Mike's old classmate and other crush. They're autistic and their special interest is a fictional anime I made up for this story which is basically about a bunch of students who have fruit names for some reaos who go to space and it has about 6 seasons if i remember right and they end up saving the universe with the power of gay. lots of She-ra and Toh vibes. probably voltron too i never watched that one. Kitty's favorite character is Apricot who other than sharing a name with another character I made and also having a suspiciously similar design to said character, starts off as a villain but ends up falling in love with the main character. i ended up just infodumping about this anime. but i feel like that's on brand for an autistic character like if i was a fictional character I would want someone to just end up talking about falsettos instead of describing me. anyways they're generally kind if a scaredy cat and love cute things a lot and have a lot of plushies. but they do have a darker side. They also only watch anime dubbed because they have dyslexia so they can't read subtitles well although they started learning japanese because that's the power of hyperfixating. Oh and they have an oc for said anime.

-Ally, Kitty's and Dom's mutual friend and later Mike's friend through them. She's the mom friend, she has 3 younger siblings so that makes sense honestly. Her parents are divorced, she prefers being at her dad's place who owns an animal hospital near a forest with a lot of foxes. her favorite animals are foxes. along with cats. she has a cat for herself. she also loves ice skating. her ex best friend betrayed her for the popular girls which is a sour topic for her so she doesn't like people bringing it up too much.

-Seth, Irene's best friend and kind of crush. xe's a.. complicated person. xe can be intimidating at first glance with the amount of tattoos and piercings xe has. xe's a tattoo artist actually. not a drug dealer despite what people assume. xe ran away from home nrc of unsupportive parents but xe misses xir little sister and sometimes writes to her. xe has a secret dream of starting a rock band. xe's generally really introverted and doesn't like to talk a lot which adds to xir mysteriousness. oh and xe LOVES snakes a lot. because of xir gender fuckery xe says a lot that anyone of any gender can be attracted to xem but it does make them queer by default.

-and finally Jordan. Jordan is. he's a bully and a jerk and a homophobe. until he realizes he's bisexual. he has a bit of an obsession with comic books specifically one gay superhero book. which he refuses to admit publicly. and of course he starts to crush on Seth around this time. So definitely a complicated character.

that's it this post is way too long.

[bmpmp3]

I MISSED my cover song posting last week because. i was le tired. BUT I am here once more, a quick one this time of the song Absolute Zero (絶対零度) by Natori (なとり)!

Flashing warning for the video! Particularly around the last third.

Another anime opening! Which I know nothing about as usual of the anison fan who doesn't watch anime <3 It's called Windbreaker so I'm assuming it's about. jackets. (it is probably not about jackets).

THIS SONG this song just rules, it's pretty popular with utaite right now especially. Natori's other songs like Overdose has also been quite popular with utaite. His voice is a really nice medium tone that has a sort of like, "bored" edge? If that makes sense, not in a bad way, I mean in a sort of cool, disaffected way - which sounds really fun when he does amp up other expressions like the vocalizations around the 1 minute mark and the grit on the choruses and around the 2 minute mark. AND of course I'm absolute addicted to the horns syncing with "NAH NAH NAH"s around the break at 2:35, holy shit nothing gets me more hyped.

Looking at the credits, we have another non-vocal synth that ended up with some vocal synth ties LOL looking at a lot of big hits in anison right now, it seems like every other song has at least one 1-2 degree separation connections to some producer <3 Jin worked on the arrangement and guitar which explains why its a song that makes me wanna run really fast LKSJFRHKDSJHFds you know what I mean???? And the drummer from HITORIE is involved too! But also I do want to highlight the mix engineer, MEG. I've never heard of them before, but the mix of this song is unreal, I don't know how to describe it. It sounds good on my budget headphones, on my cheap shitty earbuds, on my computer speakers - and it stays full no matter what, especially on the vocals.

AND I do want to also highlight the video, I've probably mentioned before I'm not a huuuuge video guy. I like music videos but most of the time when i listen to music i get too distracted by it to pay attention to visuals LOL BUT there are some exceptions, and this one is a fun as hell one. I really adore the sketchy, sort of gestural line work, and I love that it just starts with a quick speedpaint. And then there's more speedpaints throughout the rest of the video. More music videos should have speedpaints in them.

ANYWAY on to some covers! These ones will all be utaite as alas I have not found many vocal synth or other covers..........yet.

First up, Hahe(はへー)'s cover!

A growly-er, grittier cover! I'm a sucker for some good vocal grit <3 I also think his vocalizations at the end of the first chorus are really nice, and the bit of autotune-y effect before the extra gritty bridge is so fun.

Neko Yanagi (ねこやなぎ)'s cover up next!

One reason this song and other Natori joints might be so popular with utaite specifically might be because it just sounds like a really fun song to sing and flex your vocals on, so I might start sounding like a broken record just saying "the vocals are really nice :) " LOL BUT the vocals are just really nice!! I like her deep tone and the edges of fullness and grit she slips into, and I especially love her falsetto-like tone at her high notes.

Y'know, a long time ago I read that falsetto is not the correct term for this, apparently it's only falsetto if ur a man or something? Despite my not-so-secret dream of being a music blogger I am very untrained in music terms and music theory so I will still call it a falsetto <3 BUT YEAH really fun cover!!

Next up is Souma (そうま):

I've called singers "singerly" before and I'm still not totally sure if anyone has a clue what I'm talking about hksdhkjfsjgkfsd I MEAN like perfect placements of JUST the right amount of vibrato and smooth ending breaths and a clear but full and pleasant tone, plus a lot of sort of smooth, yodel-like upward lilts when going into high notes and frequent use of a deeper chest voice in low notes. Singerly singers do often like to adlib Mariah Carey-esque vocalizations as well but not all the time.

Anyway I do consider Souma's work to be quite singerly, really smooth tone! But this cover is fun because of the extra edge here and there, the "GO!" adlib at the beginning is hype as hell and I have a softspot for the sort of punchy start at the beginning of the second chorus with the "zenbu..." bringing a really fun break in the smoothness!

AND LAST but not least, Liura's cover!

A slightly higher, more nasal toned singer that I think is very fun! I also like his breathiness on the edges of the "zettai reido"'s throughout the choruses, really nice.

AND THAT IS ALL for now, thank you and goodnight (is speedpainted in reverse so I am erased and never seen again)

[owlpuddle]

So you liked Christian Borle playing a self-obsessed dbag in Something Rotten? You are going to LOVE Falsettos.

[anxiouspotatorants]

How about another round of “musical songs Jess Mariano would headbang or moap to”.

You Don’t Know from Next to Normal Between his dysfunctional relationship with his mom, his even worse relationship with his dad and the consant fighting between him and Luke before season 6, it just feels like Next to Normal is a musical Jess would come across at some point. And if there’s one song in that musical that would speak to the teenager he used to be, it’s You Don’t Know. For example: “When the world that once had color fades to white and gray and black/ When tomorrow terrifies you but you’ll die if you look back/ You don’t know, I know you don’t know”

Why God Why from Miss Saigon Would Jess roast the musical to bits? Probably. Would he laugh at the level of melodrama? Possibly. But would a drunk Jess know every single word to this song and scream it at a Truncheon karaoke night when he’s blacked out? I think so. For reference: “How can I feel good when nothing’s right?/ Why is she cool when there is no breeze?” and “Why today? I’m all through here/ On my way/ There’s nothing left here that I miss/ Why send me now a night like this?”

Another Hundred People and Sorry-Grateful from Company I may not think that Jess would be a Sondheim stan (Jess strikes me as more of an appreciator of individual musicals, especially of the old and nostalgic and the underground and experimental), but when a Sondheim song hits, it just hits. Like with Falsettos, I’m not entirely sure if Jess would relate to any specific characters (certainly not Bobby for his giant group of friends), but the songs about loneliness and wanting connection would be especially impactful between seasons 5 and 7. Look to for example: “It's a city of strangers—/ Some come to work, some to play/ A city of strangers—/ Some come to stare, some to stay/ And every day/ Some go away” from Another Hundred People and“ You're always sorry/ You're always grateful/ You're always wondering what might have been/ Then she walks in” from Sorry-Grateful.

Dead Girl Walking (Reprise) from Heathers Okay so two important things to note here: 1) I don’t think Jess would come by Heather’s: The Musical naturally and would probably be hesitant to it because of the cult status of the original film. If he ever ended up seeing or listening to it, it would most likely be because Doula forced him to. 2) I might be projecting my own values here, but I also don’t think Jess would be rooting JD in this story. Maybe as a joke when he was a teen, but not grown-up Jess. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he would feel uncomfortably seen by certain parts of JD. Especially this description: “I wish your mom had been a little stronger/ I wish she stayed around a little longer/ I wish your dad were good!/ I wish grown-ups understood!/ I wish we’d met before/ They convinced you life is war!”

Make ‘Em Laugh, Moses Supposes and probably more from Singin’ in the Rain One headcanon I subscribe to (courtesy of @stellaluna33 ) is that Jess has a soft spot for golden age and pre-golden age musicals due to watching them somehow as a kid, and it would honestly be weird if Singin’ in the Rain wasn’t one of them. The quippy comedy songs like Make ‘Em Laugh and Moses Supposes also hit that perfect spot of being silly and upbeat while also highly intelligent and wordy. Jess probably knows all of Moses Supposes just so he can grab a random lyric from it and throw it at whomever he’s verbally sparring with.

Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul), Time Warp and Super Heroes from The Rocky Horror Picture Show This one doesn’t really have much of a deeper meaning, Jess just strikes me as someone who likes the film and maybe tried out one of those classic screenings once or twice. As a counter culture kind of guy, it just makes sense to me that he’d at least enjoy the bonkers experience that is Rocky Horror. The aforementioned songs are the ones I think he’d be most drawn to, sort of for similar reasons to the Singin’ in the Rain songs.

‘Til Him from The Producers Speaking of fun and controversial musicals, Jess has probably checked out the musical version of The Producers at some point. And he’s also listened to ‘Til Him one too many times trying not to think about his uncle. For reference: “No one ever ever really knew me/ 'Til him/ Everyone was always out to screw me/ 'Til him/ Never met I man I ever trusted/ Always dealt with shysters in the past/ Now I'm well adjusted/ 'Cause I've got a friend at last”

And once again the list is growing long, so here are some honorable mentions:

El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge

Jesus of Suburbia (and probably the rest of) American Idiot: The Musical (no I do not consider this cheating)

The Boy Next Door from Meet Me in St. Louis

Brain Dead from A New Brain

That’s it for now, potato out!

[mydaroga]

Sir Paul’s Got Back - Seattle 5/3/22

My concert report, with general notes and observations above the cut and the setlist and potential spoilers below, including a link to my youtube uploads of clips. If I leave anything out you want to know about, please ask!

The show was the second in Seattle, the only city he’s doing two dates in for some reason. So it was the third show on the tour, and it looks like they’re in good form already. There were a few noticeable flubs--one pretty big one, which I actually have on video--but as a band and a production they look like they have things together, as you might expect.

Paul was wonderful. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be in his presence when he was at full strength. His voice is, to be entirely honest, not there, though his falsetto is pretty good and of course the newer songs are pitched such that he can manage them. As for the older material, he tries and honestly that’s plenty. Because he’s still giving his all, even if it’s in a very polished and practiced manner. He wiggle-dances between songs, he banters with familiar stories, he’s present and energetic and gave us a show that was, I kid you not, over 2.5 hours long. The best thing aside from Paul was the drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr, who was a delight and a joy to watch.

The set-list was really interesting, not least because the lady next to me had seen his last few tours and said it was very different. He’s really leaning into the Get Back thing and polishing off stuff I’m pretty sure he’s never done live before, along with a smattering of new things. The biggest change is probably that he’s only kept a few of the big Wings hits, the ones you expect.

As for the show itself, I honestly could do without most of the video stuff; it mostly seemed either overly literal, too tangential to the song, or poorly animated (or at least not to my taste, let’s say that). I understand the impulse and it’s put to good use a few times, but generally I go to shows to see people play live, not to see computer animated flowers. Paul did NOT STOP aside from switching instruments every few songs.

A few more notes before specifics: no opener, just Paul and Beatles music with a DJ. I was amused to note the inclusion of “You Know My Name” in the mix. I was VERY amused to hear “Temporary Secretary” as we were filing out. On my way out of the venue, the young men who had actually been sitting in front of me (and were, to my delight, WAY more into it than anyone else near me) were busking very convincingly with “Why Don’t  We Do It In the Road” which I hope to hear every time I wait for a bus from now on.

I’m so, so, so glad I went, it was worth what I spent, and Paul’s a marvel I’m just delighted I got to be in a room with once. Under the cut? Set list specifics!

Videos of incomplete songs at my youtube channel, because I didn’t want to spoil anyone who didnt’ want to be.

I have seen the lists from Spokane and the first Seattle night, and mine’s different! So that’s interesting, right?

The pre-show stage included a sort of photo collage arranged around an apartment building, so as the “camera” panned up you saw different photos of Paul and the Beatles, not entirely but roughly chronological. I was delighted to see chubby!Paul in there. Right before the band came out, it switched to, I kid you know, floating Hofner bass images, which I wasn’t entirely immune to but also thought was cheesy as hell. Now, the fact he was playing it, yeah. That got me. But the floating iconography? Hilarious.

They launched into “Can’t Buy Me Love,” which was a little rough. I was immediately concerned about Paul’s voice, thinking oh shit, this is the first song? Where are we gonna go from here? As others have mentioned, I don’t think he’s arranged the key or melody of any of these tunes to better suit his voice, which is his prerogative but, you know, noticeable. Next was “Junior’s Farm,” then “Letting Go,” and as they kept going I felt he kinda warmed up. He honestly seemed more tired and old at the beginning  than the end, which I guess is extrovert energy for you.

I can’t recall exactly where he switched to guitar, but anyway, next were “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “Come On To Me,” “Let Me Roll It,” which ended with a Hendrix homage and an oft-repeated Hendrix-plays-Sgt-Pepper story. I was a little sad he didn’t mention that he was in Jimi’s town at that very moment, but I did actually really love hearing him tell it. Then we had “Getting Better.”

Then I think it was that he moved to piano for the first time, and we had “Let ‘Em In,” “My Valentine” (he mentioned Nancy was in the audience and it was her song), “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” (BANGER), and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” As others have noted, this is really nowhere near his ability at this point, but I also assume this is For Linda, so we let it go.

“We Can Work It Out” was next, and then something very sweet happened; he told the story of their first recording, and how they were supposed to pass around the disc and keep it for a week apiece, until the one dude kept it for twenty years, and he sang “In Spite of All the Danger” and you know, that was kind of special. He then told the story of recording “Love Me Do” and how George Martin had “chucked him the line” of the chorus unexpectedly so John could play his harmonica solo and he can “still hear the quiver in his voice” when he listens to the record, and I don’t think I buy it but it was sweet all the same to hear him talk about Martin.

Moving on! “Dance Tonight,” “Blackbird” (as the part of the stage he was on like, rose up and showed flying bird graphics ok), and ok, “Here Today.” If you go to my youtube clips, um, you’ll see he actually flubbed it and stopped and started again. As in intro, he did talk a little about how, you know, they never said the things to each other they should have, having to be cool and all. I’ve seen reports on twitter that he actually said “when you feel something you should tell them” or something similar, which I do not recall. He *did* talk about how they should have been able to express they loved each other. 

Which made putting “Queenie Eye” and then “Lady Madonna” feel a little weird, as pacing goes. He then paused to get the lights turned up and read some of the signs in the audience and informed us about some important Japanese phrases he learned (as they were also being displayed on the signs) and in best grandpa style said, “you thought you were coming to a concert, but you also got a Japanese lesson.”

“Fuh You,” fine, not my favorite and he did acknowledge that he’s well aware that when he plays new stuff the phone lights go out and itls a “black hole” out there, which of course made people get their phones out. Oddly, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” was done, and then he got out a ukulele and did the first half of “Something” on it as a tribute to George. I mean they played the whole song, he just switched into the full band halfway through. Then there was a bit production of “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da,” and to my delight they did “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” which I believe he said they never did on a previous tour. Then “Get Back,” and “Band on the Run,” “Let It Be,” and the epic fire and fireworks show of “Live and Let Die.”

(Y’all should be aware, if you were not before, that so far this tour he’s done the “oh my old bones it’s so loud” act every time. Complete with clutching his chest like he was having a heart attack. Adorable, GrandPaul.)

They closed with “Hey Jude.” And then, of course, the standing ovation. When they reemerged, Paul was carrying a Ukrainian flag, which okay find, that’s nice I guess, but I’m not sure what it does, and it was also kind of lessened when people came out with US, UK, and Washington State flags following. But!

The encore began with “I’ve Got a Feeling.” He mentioned Jackson had “put this together” for him, and when John’s bit came in and his video showed up on the screen, Paul turned and sang to him. I have the video of that up there, too. And then for the weirdest encore set of all time IMO, “Happy Birthday,” “Helter Skelter,” and “Golden Slumbers” thru to “The End. Honestly I know that sounds bonkers but I loved it.

Right, so, this has gotten VERY LONG and I hope it is enjoyable and of use to you! Please let me know if I’ve missed anything and if I should post more photos? And let me know if the videos get taken down or anything and I’ll try something else. I have no complaints about the show--I have critiques but they don’t actually matter, if that makes sense. Because it’s Paul Fucking McCartney and it was an honor just to have been in the room once. 

[elizabethvaughns]

what are your top ten musicals?

1. if/then

i mean, duh. this is predominantly an if/then blog, after all. one of the main reasons (out of several) i absolutely adore this show is that it puts a woman front and center in its story. as a matter of fact, all of female characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and none of the main female characters are one-dimensional. on the flipside, taking the male characters in consideration, none of them really exhibit the misogyny and the characteristic machismo that men typically exhibit in popular media that i absolutely loathe. i mean, yes, lucas was an asshole to beth after he found out that she aborted the kid. but important thing here, is that (a) lucas was portrayed as the asshole in this scene, and (b) his issue was that "it wasn't fair for [beth] to make that decision without [him]". his main issue wasn't that beth aborted the kid, it's that he saw a chance to start a family with the woman he's been in love with for over twelve years and she took a decision without even involving him. and the argument, while understandable, but still invalid (because it's beth's decision throughout!!!), was just…a product of life. and stephen—while he did kiss beth and push her away (because he was married), he was still overall respectful of her after "what the fuck?". and josh is a himbo and david's also overall pretty respectful in the scenes that he's in.

and i just adore the musical because of the timelines in general. neither liz-verse, more focused on romance, or beth-verse, more focused on career, is treated as more important. liz isn't treated as stupid because she decided to focus on her relationship with josh. the fact that she didn't get the job at the DCP isn't even related to the fact that she decided to pursue a relationship with josh. and beth—beth vaughn, my love, my light. even though she has no time for romance, she does fortify her relationships with her friends—with kate, anne, and elena (and lucas, to a degree. i still feel that liz's and lucas's friendship was stronger, though). and platonic love is often overlooked in media. which if/then doesn't do. (and speaking of friendships, beth and lucas's friendship breakup is treated well too).

and speaking of love, or more specifically the romantic kind. the LGBTQ representation in this show is pretty good as well. ignoring liz's one biphobic comment (i mean, ma'am, your best friend is a whole-ass bisexual right there. you know that. you dated him in college. you just set him up with a guy.), it's pretty damn good! kate and anne? iconic, chef's kiss, you go you funky lesbians. lucas and david? adorable go off. and lucas? absolute (canon, might i say) bicon right there.

and the acting. unparalleled. all of the characters are so well portrayed by their actors it's unreal. and the chemistry that the actors have with each other. it's so fucking incredible i'd imagine it'd have been a pretty great experience to see this live.

in the end, the book is spectacular, the music makes me want to cry, the whole show is incredible, send me an ask if you want me to drop a link to my favorite bootleg(s) and/or the libretto.

2. falsettos/the marvin trilogy

now i'm tired after waxing poetic about if/then for over 500 words. so i'll try and make the rest short.

i guess what i have to say about falsettos is. i have loved this show ever since i watched it over two years ago (fun fact: i forced my friends to watch it with me when they came over for my bday in 2019).

it is an incredible show. full stop. it's funny, it's a tearjerker. all the actors (in the obc, in the revival, etc) are so talented. the staging is so amazing (i mean. the block—or the lack thereof—in the revival. it's genius).

and the character development of marvin (and whizzer, for that matter) is so incredible. and i love all the characters in general. it's just. great.

3. rent

rent was actually the show that really diversified my musical taste.

i love the music. it slaps so fucking hard. i love the characters. they're all assholes, but they're lovable assholes, you know? (except benny he's just an asshole).

there's nothing more i can think of atm but i will wax poetic if i think of anything.

4. the prom

the music's great. (i love "dance with you" and "it's time to dance" so much!!!)

also i love greenelan so so much.

5. she loves me (2016 revival)

it's so funny!!

and the set is really something to behold

and the chemistry between zachary levi and laura benanti as georg and amalia is pretty damn great

and i love ilona in general

love me a good enemies to friends to lovers story

6. hadestown

it's such an incredible musical. and everytime i listen to the soundtrack i get chills. and i've loved it since....since april 2019, actually.

orphydice <3. also eurydice <3.

also persephone <3

also love me some 'fuck capitalism'

7. waitress

love me a funny musical that's centered around women.

i absolutely adore the relationship that jenna, becky, and dawn have. and the soundtrack is so hauntingly beautiful.

8. wicked

love me a musical that's centered around women full stop

i love elphaba, she's so incredible. when i first listened to this musical freshman year, i ended up seeing a lot of myself in her.

and elphaba's relationship with glinda <3 (romantic? platonic? i don't really know. either way, it's pretty great)

good character development?? love me some good character development

anyways i don't really know what's gonna happen with the wicked movie. in the end, hope it doesn't turn out bad and completely detract from the musical's main themes as musicals-to-movies so often do. (and the book. it's so different from the musical it's unreal. i still adore both, though, for differing reasons).

9. legally blonde: the musical

elle woods my love

anyways. incredible funny musical centered around women you get the gist

but it's so good i'm obsessed

elle and vivienne? i'm obsessed. elle and paulette? i'm obsessed. that scene where elle helps paulette get her dog back from her ex? or that scene where paulette and vivienne try to coax elle out of the supply closet before elle reveals that she hasn't actually given up? i'm so fucking obsessed.

it shows that you don't really need to change something about yourself to achieve your goals. and that's such an important message.

and emmett? love that he drinks his respect women juice. and laura bell bundy and christian borle's chemistry is unparalleled

10. something rotten!

if you can't tell, i love funny musicals. it's so self-aware and that's incredible

also, portia brooks.... <3 and bea bottom.... <3

[vampish-glamour]

It's that way where I really love casual LGBT representation (i.e. my mum Tracy Beaker wedding) but I'm also a sucker for specifically LGBT stories told by LGBT people... the musical Falsettos and the British show It's A Sin have such a place in my heart because they're both about the AIDS crisis but told in different ways (Falsettos being an American story about family, where AIDS doesn't become relevant to act 2, and It's A Sin being about a group of young people in London, where the shadow of AIDS is there from episode 1). I'm not sure where my point was here, but I think the two can and should co-exist, especially as the casual rep seems more common in shows kids would see (my brother knows about trans people because he'll be playing with cars while I watch Holby, for example). I went off on like two tangents here and didn't really make a point but yeah.

FALSETTOS OMG saw that and was like “immediately answering this just to gush about falsettos”

Falsettos is SUCH good lgbt representation. It’s one of my favourite musicals, and I was lucky enough to see it live at a local theatre. If you know the ending, you know the ending, and you know what I mean when I say sitting in a theatre full of sobbing people—including myself—was such an emotionally powerful experience omg.

I mean, I love William Finn’s music in general. So that’s a huge bonus, the music is great and is my taste. But the story is just really good.

I think my favourite part about it is that it’s messy. There’s this idea that lgbt representation has to be perfect and pristine, with no rough edges or else you’re perpetuating homophobia. But Falsettos shows the humanity of gay people, and humanity means not always perfect and pristine. I think I might have a post in my drafts about just how well the show handles the humanity aspect lol.

But even to balance out the overwhelming negatives of Marvin and Whizzer’s relationship in act 1, as well as Marvin’s internalized homophobia…you have Charlotte and Cordelia come in—as a happy and in love gay couple who proudly call themselves lesbians. And they sort of act as an example of what a healthy relationship is, and it makes sure that the message taken away from act 1 isn’t “gay relationships are unhealthy”. Personally I also think that with the topic of AIDS coming up in the end, they represent how sapphics stepped in to help which tends to be an underrepresented aspect.

And, while the musical doesn’t exactly have a happy ending… as far as same sex couples go, they provide an example of a same sex couple having a happy ending together, if you know what I mean. Yes, we see one couple get torn apart, but the lesbians are still together and alive when the musical ends.

Honestly, I would still consider Falsettos casual representation. Because I wouldn’t say it really markets itself on being “an lgbt show all about lgbt people”… it markets itself on being about love and family, and simply shows how lgbt people (gay people in this case) fit into those themes.

And while being gay is a big part of the gay character’s lives—considering part of Marvin’s character arc is becoming comfortable with his sexuality, and Charlotte and Cordelia are referred to as “the lesbians”, I would argue that it’s still portrayed as a casual part of themselves that come second to their personality. Especially in Whizzer’s case, since I can’t really think of a reason like the others that being gay is central to his character. Even the lesbians, they’re portrayed as people outside of just being gay. “The lesbians” seems like just a fun and playful nickname.

Like, we know who the characters are. We know their personalities, their strengths, their flaws, their love for each other… and we also know that they happen to be gay.

It’s honestly just such a refreshing show because of all that. The gay characters aren’t marketed as your typical token gays—they’re marketed as people first and foremost. As family. IMO they’re treated like the straight characters are, just with the added aspect of being gay in the 80’s.

Sorry for rambling, I just love this show so much. It’s so well written, the found family aspect is gorgeous, and the way the gay characters are written is just so beautifully human. I wish I could ramble about It’s A Sin, but I haven’t seen it! I’ll have to add it to my list of things to watch.

I went on a bit of a tangent too lmao, because as I said I love Falsettos.

But I agree, the two can and should co exist. As I said though, I think that the good LGBT representation in the form of LGBT stories by LGBT people… are often good representation because they’re casual. The characters are humanized and are people beyond their being LGBT. As opposed to “this is the gay character, Bob McLikesMen. He is a bland stereotype that only serves as The Gay Character”.