#take that mr. brimmer

[bokettochild]

Sometimes you learn to hate something you made because someone you know mocked it incessantly

And then sometimes you find out, the longer you know them, that that person is, in fact, a major asshole, and that maybe their opinions don't actually matter that much, and so maybe, just maybe, they were wrong about you and the thing you used to love

Anyways, when I get a day off, I think I'm going to re-read A Bride For Hyrule's Prince, and ignore the stupid voice in my head that sounds like the asshole who told me it was shit.

[elder-sister]

Oh no....

Oh no.

...noooo.....

oh my God no...

[coldalbion]

"You know I'm a superstitious guy..."

COLUMBO: "You know I suddenly feel very much more optimistic about this whole thing. It's not based on anything, no facts, but... You know, I'm a superstitious guy. You know, I believe in signs. I believe in palmistry and astrology and all that. You don't - I know that."

KENNICUTT, A WIDOWER: "Oh most definitely not!"

COLUMBO: "Let me see your hand...[proceeds to read KENNICUTT's palm accurately per palmistry] That's a very good omen! [to BRIMMER, A PRIVATE DETECTIVE AND MURDERER] May I?

[READS BRIMMER'S PALM]

Hmmm. Deep line of Apollo. That's the sign of a man devoted to his work...Your Apollo line crosses the Mound of the Moon. You know that's very rare? [BRIMMER SHAKES HIS HEAD] And very impressive. That's the sign of a man who's destined to attain a very particular kind of distinction. That's a very good sign! [TO KENNICUTT] I know you think it's silly - but I'm gonna make a believer outta ya before I'm done! It was very nice meeting you."

[He shakes both their hands, heading towards a door] Oh, Mr Brimmer? Large thumb. Low Mound of Venus. Means ambition! Purposefulness!

[Opens door as if it is the exit, seemingly by mistake]

KENNICUTT: That's a closet Lieutenant!

[COLUMBO APOLOGISES, ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT GOLF CLUBS, IN CLOSET MURDERED WIFE'S BACKGROUND, ASKS IF EXIT IS THE RIGHT DOOR, LEAVES]

KENNICUTT: Well - what was all that about?

BRIMMER: Well I think police techniques have changed a little over the years!

--COLUMBO, S1, "DEATH LENDS A HAND"

What I love about this is that Columbo has already spotted a bruise on the corpse's cheek. But he doesn't just ask to see their hands. No, he takes the opportunity to give an accurate in-text palm reading, makes them doubt his effectiveness by using a "foolish thing", gets them to think he's stupid by opening the wrong door - or even if that isn't deliberate, leans into it and uses ito reinforce his harmlessness. Even if he has some sort of neurodivergence as some folks headcanon, and this episode adds to that impression, he leans into it.

Textbook Ericksonian (and Odinic) utilisation. He knows Palmistry. He's not bullshitting. He leans into the fact that his superiors are requiring him to work with the murderer. He leans into the confusion (real or feigned) about the doors.

[angsty-violet]

Gasping

Brimmer sighed and adjusted his glasses. He knew he was caught out, and he couldn’t stand it. How dare this insolent, shabby lieutenant figure it out? How dare he undo all the hard work Brimmer had put in? He scowled at the man as Columbo explained what had led him to find out it was Brimmer. Brimmer could feel his temper start to rise, but he didn’t care. It was all over anyway. They knew it was him, they had the evidence, and they had him confessing to witnesses. The temper reached its boiling point, and before any of them could blink, he was on Columbo.

He talked the man to the ground and put his hands around the throat. He could hear the shouting of the other policemen, but it was distant like he was underwater. The only thing he knew was that he wanted to kill Columbo, and he was going to do it with his bare hands. He had the satisfaction of the lieutenant gasping for breath underneath his hands for a few paltry seconds. Then he was being hauled off him and carried away.

They dragged him away, shouting in anger and screaming at Columbo.

 Columbo rubbed gently at his neck. That was going to bruise badly. Edward would be appalled, but then he usually was when Columbo came home like this. Columbo gave a single thought more to his lover and then turned back to Mr. Kennicutt. He gave him a weak smile and glanced down at the contact lens in his hand.

Likely the man would be shocked when he realized that this was all for a hunch that just happened to play out on luck.

 At the precinct, he had excused himself to the bathroom to inspect the bruises on his neck. They had turned purple and when he probed one gently with a finger, a sharp pain radiated outward. A few hours had passed, and somehow, it had become even worse.

All Columbo wanted to do was crawl into bed with Edward and sleep for the next week. However, before he could do anything, he needed to finish his report, complete the rest of the paperwork, and check in with his Captain.

That knowledge didn’t make it any easier to go out there and do his job, though. Columbo scrubbed a hand over his face and, for the first time since he had made detective, felt the urge to run away. To leave the precinct and never look back. He knew that he never could do that, though. He would power through the last of the paperwork, and then the day would be over. He gave one last glance in the mirror to look at the dark shapes that decorated his neck, and then he forced himself back into the bullpen.

Columbo made a beeline for the coffee pot. Edward was pressuring him to give it up, and Columbo had scaled back quite a bit. However, to get through the rest of this miserable day, he would need a cup of stomach-eating sludge.

He got his coffee and headed back to his desk, where he spent 45 minutes slogging through the rest of his paperwork. When he finally managed it, he gave a sigh of relief, set it into the interoffice mail to be forwarded to the right people, and quickly stepped into his Captain’s office.

She looked up at him and glanced at his neck. “All finished, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, ma’am. All the paperwork is ready to go.

She nodded. “Alright then, go home and get a little rest. You have the next three days off. You’ve taken a lot of overtime lately, so let’s move your schedule around a little. Besides, we hopefully won’t need you for that long.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He agreed with a smile.

“Take care of yourself, Frank. It would help if you got into less trouble. One of these days, Edward is just going to lock the door and never let you out again.”

Columbo laughed in agreement. “Probably, but that’s what retirement is for. He can lock me in the house and take me out on vacations as much as he wants when we get there.”

She nodded and waved him out of her office.

 Columbo took a deep breath and entered the house. He knew that Edward would be upset. They had had this argument a thousand times. Columbo would come home injured, Edward would go into overprotective mode, and they would argue about Columbo taking so many risks on the job.

Edward was in the living room sipping on a drink and watching the news. He glanced up as Columbo entered and his drink stopped halfway to his mouth.

“What the Fuck happened to you?”

Columbo flinched a little, and Edward’s face softened.

“They had him off me in ten seconds flat. I didn’t take any chances this time. I had plenty of back-up there to help. I had no idea that he was going to attack me in front of a group of policemen.”

Edward approached him and wrapped his long arms around him. He rested his chin on top of Columbo’s head and held him close. Solid, dark fingers gripped his back firmly, and he sighed softly.

“I love you so much, Frank. You know that, right?”

Columbo nodded into his chest lightly. “I hate it when you come home to be banged-up and bruised. I want you to be safe, and when you aren’t, it scares me. However, it does make me feel better that you are more careful out in the world. It’s nice to know that you have back-up when you are doing these stunts.”

“Can you live with that?” Columbo asked him softly.

Edward traced the purple bruises. “Yes, I can. I am happy if there is someone to pull the crazies off you and stop them from killing you. Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. Tomorrow you can tell me all about the crazy guy who tried to kill you.”

Edward took his hand and led Columbo towards the bedroom.

[heereandthere]

~A Massive Thank You to @bemorechillmusical~

As I’m sure all of you know, today marks a bittersweet ending to a glorious journey: “Be More Chill” has officially finished its 5-month Broadway run. I’m really sad to see it ride off into the sunset so soon, but I’m also really proud of everyone who has made this show what it is today and helped so many people get out of very bad places. This show means so much to so many people, and though it’s disappointing to see it being taken away, it’s remarkable that everyone made it this far.

Thank you, “Be More Chill”, for introducing me to theatre and helping me find a place where I really belong, for guiding me to an outlet for the stresses of the world. This show helped me discover that the root of my issues was having no way to project by introducing me to the world of drama because “it seemed fun”, which led to some of my fondest memories. I now volunteer frequently at my local theatre, and, since I was also helped in figuring out what path I want to choose in life, I have wild dreams of making my Broadway debut.

Thank you, “Be More Chill”, for being there for me when I felt the most lost. When I first found this show is when a lot of emotional issues began to worsen for me, and I remember very fondly how BMC became, much like theatre, an outlet for all of those problems. I was having difficulties with my friends that I didn’t understand or could articulate properly, which made Michael’s story, in particular catch my eye; “Michael in the Bathroom” always helped me with a healthy cry, and flashing back to songs like “Two-Player Game” always put a smile on my face when I needed it.

Thank you, “Be More Chill”, for changing my life with only one performance and making a birthday I was secretly dreading one of the best ones possible. This was the very first Broadway show I had ever seen and, thanks to my amazing family, I was able to see it on the day I encountered a very big birthday that would change the course of my life. I was terrified of this day and, honestly, there was a part of me that just wanted to hole up in my house for the weekend and let it come and go. But, I wound up doing the exact opposite, and for those two hours I spent watching Jeremy’s story play out, I was convinced that things were going to be perfectly fine. The fears I had about fighting for my spot on Broadway and the troubles that would come with it dissipated, and I felt completely comfortable in my skin for the first time in I didn’t know how long. Being at the Lyceum made everything feel perfectly alright, and, in the words of the wise Evan Hansen, it gave me a reason to believe I’ll be okay.

Thank you, Will Roland and Jeremy Heere, for teaching me that, no matter how much I may dislike myself or how bad my anxieties get, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and the best person for me to be is myself. There will always be voices in my head telling me ridiculous things, but there’s only one me, and I need to embrace this me and enjoy life while I still can.

Thank you, George Salazar and Michael Mell, for making me smile when I needed it most while also showing me that it doesn’t matter whether or not the world is watching. You taught me that self-love does not equal narcissism and is pivotal to living your best life, and that the condescending looks from your peers don’t matter as long as you’re being your best self.

Thank you, Stephanie Hsu and Christine Canigula, for teaching me that a little weird in this world is a good thing. It’s okay to be quirky, especially when things seem the worst, and oftentimes being odd is the best way to be. Times are confusing and scary and I may feel pensive about letting my inhibitions go, but sometimes letting loose and making some of the most obscure noises known by humankind is what can do you best.

Thank you, Katlyn Carlson and Chloe Valentine, for teaching me that confidence is possible, even when it feels like you have to fake it. Other people being self-confident and happy is not a comment on me and my progress, and even if it may take me a bit longer to reach that station in life, if I can break away from that negative mindset, I’ll be able to achieve a pure confidence in myself one day.

Thank you, Lauren Marcus and Brooke Lohst, for teaching me that I’m strong and deserve better than to be walked all over. I don’t have to take toxic behavior on the chin and wear it, because my mental health and feelings are just as crucial to care for as anyone else’s. I am no one else’s toy, and no one has any right to use me and expect me to stay when they hurt me.

Thank you, Tiffany Mann and Jenna Rolan, for teaching me that my voice matters, too. I shouldn’t let people take advantage of me for one exclusive thing, no matter what it is, and that friendship is a two-way street of effort. I’m important despite what the behavior of other people may lead me to believe, and I’m allowed to leave relationships if they’re toxic to me. I’m allowed to speak out against what I don’t believe in.

Thank you, Gerard Canonico and Rich Goranski, for teaching me that I do have a say in who I want to be. No matter what mold society tries to place me in, it is possible for me to break that and fight to be my own person, with all of my quirks and peculiarities in the mix. If people don’t like who I really am, it may hurt, but that’s okay because as long as I’m living my best life, it doesn’t matter.

Thank you, Britton Smith and Jake Dillinger, for teaching me that vulnerability isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I don’t have to suppress my thoughts and feelings for other people, and it’s okay to open up about what’s bothering me. I’m never alone, no matter how barren my life feels, and it’s worth it in the long run to confide in someone, anyone. It’s okay.

Thank you, Jason Tam and the squip, for teaching me that my inner voices are intimidating and controlling, but don’t define who I am, as long as I put up a fight. I don’t always have to listen to what my brain tells me because, even if it is an extension of me, there are times when it’s wrong and irrational, and so if I assert myself and keep my true self in mind, it’s possible to deny my mind the luxury of hurting me.

Thank you, Jason Sweettooth Williams and Mr. Heere (and, of course, Mr. Reyes and the Scary Stockboy), for teaching me that sometimes you have to defy what your emotions tell you and stand up for your loved ones. It may feel like my problems control me, but it’s always okay and even encouraged to stand up and fight back, especially in the name of those you care about. Recovery is possible.

Thank you, Cameron Bond, Troy Iwata, Morgan Siobhan Green, Anthony Chatmon III, Joel Waggoner, and Talia Suskauer for working so incredibly hard on this show and in memorizing all of your roles, prepared to go on at a moment’s notice. You’ve fought for this just as hard as anyone else, and you deserve all of the respect and credit in the world for the times you’ve stepped up and absolutely killed it on both the Signature and Lyceum stages.

Thank you, Ned Vizzini, for creating a book that would come to inspire so many in such a great way, and for giving us the courage to stand up and be ourselves through the whole ordeal that is adolescence. This musical and this community wouldn’t exist without you and your work, and you laid the groundwork for what all of this would become. None of us would be here if it weren’t for your creation.

Thank you, Joe Iconis, Joe Tracz, Stephen Brackett, Chase Brock, Beowulf Boritt, Bobby Frederick Tilly, Tyler Micoleau, Ryan Rumery, Alex Bosco Koch, Dave Bova, Charlie Rosen, Emily Marshall, Michael Aarons, J. David Brimmer, Amanda Michaels, and every other intern, backstage worker, and stage managers for creating a show that has made me laugh, cry, and felt like I’m where I need to be, for creating a show that has helped me find a community of amazing people, both locally and online, and helped me feel like I was a little less alone. I know there are thousands of people just like me who say these same things, but I have no idea where I would be if it weren’t for this show, and I feel like I’m a better person for having found it.

Congratulations on an amazing comeback and a fantastic Broadway run, and I wish every single person who ever worked on this show the very best. It’s been an honor watching you get where you are today. I look forward to seeing you guys making theatre headlines once more very soon.

~Sincerely, Me

[citizenscreen]

I just ran into Lieutenant Columbo once again. This time it’s an accidental murder by one of the all-time great villains in Columbo history.

  Robert Culp makes his first Columbo appearance out of four in Death Lends a Hand directed by Bernard Kowalski. The others are: The Most Crucial Game (1972), Double Exposure (1973), and Columbo Goes to College (1990). Although he plays a man with a vicious temper, Death Lends a Hand offers a somewhat more innocent murderer, if there is such a thing, because he murders by accident. That doesn’t mean, however, that this guy is likable.

When our story begins we see Investigator Brimmer meeting with one of his clients, wealthy publisher Arthur Kennicutt (Ray Milland). Kennicutt had hired Brimmer to find out if his much younger wife, Lenore (Pat Crowley), was cheating on him. Brimmer reports that Lenore has been faithful and Kennicutt leaves a happy man. Unfortunately, Brimmer lied, not because he wants to spare feelings, but because he can use Lenore’s indiscretions to blackmail her.

As soon as Mr. Kennicutt  leaves the investigator’s office we find out that Mrs. Kennicutt is in an office nearby listening in on the conversation. Brimmer takes the opportunity as a “see what I just did for you” and drops the bombshell – he will not share the photos of her affair if she shares secrets of her husband’s business partners. Clearly, Brimmer’s hobby is blackmailing people, which is how Brimmer Industries can survive fancy digs. Naturally, Lenore is shook, but after giving the matter some thought she surprises Brimmer at his beach house that night to let him know that she plans to tell her husband the truth about her affair and about his proposal. The hot-tempered Brimmer strikes a massive blow to Lenore’s face, which results in her death.

Mrs. Kennicutt surprises Brimmer

Brimmer, whose first name is never mentioned, may have killed Lenore Kennicutt by accident, but it takes him absolutely no time at all to decide how to discard of her body and make the whole thing look like a mugging. It’s a terrific sequence, by the way, as we are made privy to the clean-up and dumping through reflections on his glasses. Kudos must be given to cinematographer Russell Metty who photographed a slew of enduring classics including Spartacus (1960) (for which he won the Oscar), Touch of Evil (1958), and Bringing Up Baby (1938). His memorable photography is among the best reasons to watch Death Lends a Hand.

Anyway, now that the gutsy Lenore is dead, Brimmer loads her body in his car, removes her person and purse of all valuables, and dumps her corpse in a construction site. This guy is sure of himself. I mean, why not? He’s an ex-cop with lots of shady investigator knowledge under his belt. What he doesn’t count on was Lieutenant Columbo. The Lt. makes his appearance here while driving his dilapidated, blue Peugeot, which makes its debuts in this episode of the series as the Lt. is pulled over for a faulty headlight. The classic car was chosen by Peter Falk himself and fits Columbo to a tee.

Columbo’s car is introduced in this episode when the Lt. is pulled over

Lieutenant Columbo is called in to investigate the body found at the construction site the morning after the murder. He arrives as rumpled and seemingly fumbling as usual as he goes around asking for a light. However, that’s just a ruse as he notices something odd with the body immediately, something not mentioned by the coroner. We later find out that what he notices is that the victim had been hit hard on the left side of her face by someone wearing a ring. And now the fun begins.

Columbo goes to speak with Mr. Kennicutt at his home and lo and behold, there is Brimmer willing to assist. Before long the investigator has been assigned the case of Mrs. Kennicutt as a back-up to the police investigation. What better way is there to stay up-to-date with the news? During this first meeting, however, the Lt. confesses to being a fan of astrology and palm reading, which is news to me, taking a look at the palms of both men thereby establishing Brimmer as a suspect. We don’t know it yet, but Columbo zeroes in on his man at that very moment and plays him like a fiddle for the rest of the story.

Lieutenant Columbo is called in to investigate the body found at the construction site the morning after the murder. He arrives as rumpled and seemingly fumbling as usual as he goes around asking for a light. However, that’s just a ruse as he notices something odd with the body immediately, something not mentioned by the coroner. We later find out that what he notices is that the victim had been hit hard on the left side of her face by someone wearing a ring. And now the fun begins.

Columbo goes to speak with Mr. Kennicutt at his home and lo and behold, there is Brimmer willing to assist. Before long the investigator has been assigned the case of Mrs. Kennicutt as a back-up to the police investigation. What better way is there to stay up-to-date with the news? During this first meeting, however, the Lt. confesses to being a fan of astrology and palm reading, which is news to me, taking a look at the palms of both men thereby establishing Brimmer as a suspect. We don’t know it yet, but Columbo zeroes in on his man at that very moment and plays him like a fiddle for the rest of the story.

Needless to say Robert Culp is terrific as the murderer in Death Lends a Hand if perhaps less menacing than his subsequent appearances in the series. Like most Columbo murderers Brimmer tries his best to get as close to the investigation as possible, which always ends up being the undoing. In this case Brimmer goes so far as to offer Columbo a job in his agency in order to get the Lt. off the Kennicutt case. Columbo sees through the ruse, just as he discounts the tennis instructor who had the affair with Lenore immediately. He knows who the murderer is and wastes no time with anyone else. In fact, Brimmer’s attempts to “fool” the Lieutenant only serve to strengthen the case against him and Columbo ends up baiting the ill-tempered man at every opportunity. The best example of this is when Columbo makes up a story about Lenore having lost a contact lens at the murder scene. The Lt. has the body exhumed, which results in a confirmation that both contacts were intact. Yet, he makes sure to tell Kennicutt a contact is missing in front of Brimmer, which prompts the GOTCHA! as he is caught rummaging through his trunk to find it before Columbo does. I like the cat-and-mouse of Death Lends a Hand better than the GOTCHA! but it’s enjoyable to watch nonetheless. Brimmer is quite meek as he is caught red-handed searching for, and finding, a contact lens that has nothing to do with Mrs. Kennicutt. That contact lens is proof enough though and Brimmer argues not, but quietly apologizes to Mr. Kennicutt before he is taken away.

One more thing…although the murderer kills by accident in this episode, it is one of the most violent acts committed in any Columbo story. This one is personal with Brimmer losing his cool in memorable fashion. Mrs. Kennicutt surprises Brimmer at his beach house to tell him she is not falling for his blackmail. She is determined to tell her husband everything. As she goes to leave Brimmer violently pushes her back into the room hitting her violently with closed fist across the left side of her face. Lenore falls backwards onto a glass table and dies instantly. The violence here is depicted with a Hitchcock-style pov shot as if we, the audience, is being punched by this guy. It’s a memorable scene for its crossing of that line.

  On other matters – it’s terrific to see Ray Milland in this episode. His character is a sympathetic one in contrast to the murderer he plays in The Greenhouse Jungle the following year. I also enjoy Pat Crowley immensely. Ms. Crowley was in what seems every conceivable classic TV show from the 1960s forward. Further, as mentioned, the visuals in Death Lends a Hand are stunning from the very opening, which is a target at a firing range with loud shots being fired into it. Culp’s walk away from the firing range depicts the arrogance that made him such a treat to watch as a villain and with a vérité camera the menace is present from the get-go. There’s a lot of humor here too thanks to brilliance of Peter Falk. Death Lends a Hand was the first regular episode of Columbo filmed although it aired after Murder By the Book and it is one of those staples that would make anyone a fan of Columbo.

The great Ray Milland plays the victim’s husband

Peter Falk is brilliant as always

Columbo: Death Lends a Hand I just ran into Lieutenant Columbo once again. This time it's an accidental murder by one of the all-time great villains in…

[hamiltimebinches]

Philip Hamilton x Reader: Time After Time a Flower Blooms (Soulmate Au)

Author’s note:  Changing history a little bit.

Soulmate AU: Flowers Bloom au- flowers bloom on you where your soulmate is injured. Little bit of reincarnation au- where you keep reincarnating around the same time as your soulmate in each life you life.

Timeline: Canon in the beginning, Modern

Warnings: Angst, mentions of violence, mentions of death, swearing, fluffy ending

Word amount: 2,305

     Finding your soulmate is a momentous occasion that is to be a treasured memory. That is exactly what my mother has told me everyday of my life. My mother was born into a wealthy family, the Brimmer family, and like most women in wealthy families she married for business and not love. Therefore my mother never got the chance to meet her soulmate and wanted nothing more than for me to find mine. Now, don’t get me wrong, she loves my father but it’s not the same as a soulmate. That is why she was overjoyed when I found out Philip Hamilton is my soulmate. She accepted it even though Philip’s and my father, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, hated each other.

     So far, Philip and I have managed to keep the fact we are soulmates from our fathers, but both our mothers know. That’s how I find out about most of the foolish and reckless things Philip does, seeing as he would never tell me those things. I find out from his mother either through conversation or letter, but I didn’t hear about his duel from his mother. Mrs Hamilton wasn’t even aware of it. I didn’t really know of it until Philip told me himself, on his deathbed.

     I did know what happened ahead of time though, sort of. I had been sitting in the parlor reading when in my peripheral vision I saw flowers bloom. I had dropped my book in shock. Light pink flowers had started to bloom in the general area of my hip. The only time flowers bloom on me is when my soulmate is hurt, which means Philip is injured, and badly seeing how many flowers there are. I don’t remember much of what happened after that, other than I had somehow made it to the Hamilton home in search of answers.

     That eventually led up to this moment. Here I am kneeling at the side of the bed my lover is lying in, in pain and dying. I took Philip’s hand in my own, taking in a shaky breath, not wanting to cry in front of him. Mr and Mrs Hamilton just stepped out a few moments ago to give us some time alone.

     “Philip how could you do that? How could you do something so foolish?” I choked out, a few tears slipping don’t my cheeks. “I had to, Eacker insulted my father, I had to defend his legacy.” Philip explained, lightly squeezing my hand. “No you didn’t, your father very well could have defended his legacy.” I said, desperately trying to blink away my tears. Philip’s free hand found it’s way to my cheek, his thumb wiping away a few of my tears.

     “(Y/n), my love, please don’t cry over me. We’ll each other again, this simply just a temporary goodbye. Just wait patiently. (Y/n), I love you, I really do.” Philip said, his breathing slowing. “Oh, Philip, I love you too, but please, please, don’t leave me. You can’t leave me, not like this, not now.” I sobbed, my tears clouding my vision. “Tell Mom and Pops and my siblings I love them for me. I love you.” He whispered as his grip on my hand loosened. ‘This isn’t fair. How could someone steal such a young person’s life like this?’ Philip’s other hand fell from my cheek and his chest, never to rise again, fell as he let out his final breath.

     “Philip! Philip, no! Oh God, please, no!” I screamed, hugging Philip’s limp body to my chest. Hearing my screams, Mr and Mrs Hamilton rushed into the room. Mrs Hamilton fell to her knees on the floor and Mr Hamilton, in vain, tried to comfort her. I found myself thinking, ‘God, how could you let this happen to us?’

     One year later (F/n) (M/n) Jefferson died due to sickness.

(Now we are switching to modern times.)

    I was rudely awakened by a heavy weight landing on my stomach. “Oof!” In one swift movement all the air in my body was forced out. “(Y/n) wake up! You have to get ready!” My little sister, Maggie, practically screamed into my ear. Great, now I’ll be deaf in one ear like Grandpa. “Maggie, you’re going to kill me, get off.” I moaned in pain as I finally caught my breath. For a five year old girl she surprisingly weighs a lot.

    “Oh I’m sorry Big Sister!” Maggie exclaimed, scrambling off of my stomach. “You really have to get up now before Mommy comes up here herself. You wouldn’t like that. Mommy said that if you didn’t get up before she came up she’d kick her foot so far up your ass that she’d be wearing you as a slipper for weeks.” Maggie said innocently, not realizing how inappropriate that was for her to say.

    “Maggie! You can’t say things like that!” I exclaimed, covering up a gasp. “Why not? You and Mommy say those things all the time. Why can’t I?” She asked, tilting her head in confusion. “Because we’re older than you and can get away with it. So don’t say those things. Especially not in front of other people.” I explained as I slowly sat up. “Oh, okay!” She exclaimed, a cute smile lighting up her face.

   “Now, get going, I have to get dressed.” Nudging her out of the room as I stood up. Closing the door behind her I headed over to my dresser. Opening the proper drawers, I pulled out a simple t-shirt of a band I liked and a pair of blue jeans. As I stood back up to my full height my eyes landed on the mirror that hung above the dresser. As expected my bedhead was atrocious, strands of hair sticking up at odd ends, but what was unexpected, yet not necessarily surprising,  were the light pink flowers bloomed around my left eye. It would seem my soulmate managed to get in another fight yesterday and their black eye formed over night. I let out an exasperated sigh at the flowers. Whoever my soulmate is they need to stop getting in so many fights. I swear, I might just punch them when I meet them myself because I’m so sick of them getting into fights. Maybe that would knock some sense into them.

     Having finished getting ready for school, I grabbed my book bag from my desk and left my room. First thing I heard as I went down the stairs was my mother complaining, something that wasn’t uncommon. She always has something to complain about. My father is working too much, the house is a mess, she has too much to do, Maggie’s whining, I got home too late. There is always something. But I’m not going to complain, she does so much for us. Mother is practically always working to keep us healthy and happy.

     “Oh, where is that sister of yours?” Mother asked, her tone frustrated. “I don’t know, Mommy.” Maggie replied. “I’m right here.” I announced, setting my bag down at the doorway of the kitchen. I sat down by Maggie at the table. “Took you long enough. I was getting worried that your bed actually did eat you this time.” Mom teased, placing a plate of food in front of me.

     I laughed at the reference she made to one of the many foolish decisions of my childhood. When I was younger, six or seven, I decided I was going to hide under my covers from my father so I didn’t have to go to the doctor’s office for a checkup. He asked me what I was doing under the covers then told me to come out. I replied with, “I can’t! My bed ate me!”

     Speaking of my father, he’s not here. “Where’s dad?” I asked, staring at the empty chair at the table where my father normally sat. My mother sighed, looking down at her empty plate. “You know your father and his busy work schedule. He had an early meeting and left an hour before I woke up.”

     “Why am I not surprised? He really needs to take a vacation. He’s beyond stressed and because of that he keeps snapping at us, even if he doesn’t mean too. He snapped at me just yesterday for playing the radio too loudly, and I barely had it loud enough to be heard. I had it on for soft background music as I studied.” I retorted, stabbing my pancake rather harshly.

     “I’ll talk to him, but there’s only so much I can do.” Mother said in a sigh, rubbing her forehead. “I know that Mom. Thank you for making breakfast.” I said before quickly shoveling my food into my mouth, noticing the time. Slightly choking on my last bite, I swallowed it down with my orange juice. “Goodbye Mom, see you later Mags.” I said, kissing them both on their cheeks. Standing up from my place at the table I ran over to my bag and after grabbing it I ran out of the house. I just barely made in time for the bus.

     In my English class I ended up noticing someone I hadn’t really before. I’d always known the guy was in my class, I haven’t talked to him a lot though. The guy, Philip Hamilton, was pretty popular for getting into fights around school. My friends have often jokingly said that he was my soul mate, but we have no proof. I never really thought about it much until now though.

     I had simply just been looking around the room in boredom when I noticed Philip. I couldn’t help but look at the black eye he was sporting but what really caught my attention was that it was around his left eye just like the pink flowers were around my own. Now, it could just be a coincidence, but maybe it wasn’t. There was only one way to know. I had to hurt myself in some way.

     Luckily, I hadn’t clipped my nails in awhile, I’d have to do that when I get home. Glancing over at Philip, I noticed he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. His right arm was the arm that was in my line of sight. I pinched the skin on my right forearm with my sharp nails until little crescents formed and blood pooled around the nails. Letting go of my arm I looked down at the five stinging and bloody crescents. 

     Taking my eyes from my arm, I looked up and over to Philip. Tiny pink flowers were budding in the exact spots on his right arm that I had the crescents on mine.  He looked down at his arm in confusion and stared down at the flowers. He seemed to become even more confused, worry started to flicker in his eyes, and then he pulled his sleeves down to cover the flowers. I couldn’t help but find it slightly funny. I wished it was that easy for me to hide the flowers but they aren’t seeing that they’re around my eye.

     My heart rate quickened as I realized what this meant. It meant that my friends joking was right, Philip Hamilton is my soulmate. It’s a bit ironic though, our father’s fight all the time. I turned my attention to the clock on the wall, there was seven minutes left of class. Seven minutes suddenly felt like seven hours as I anxiously waited for class to end. The sooner class ended the sooner I could confront Philip about being my soulmate.

     Finally, the bell rang. Jumping to my feet, I quickly gathered my stuff and searched for the head of brown locks. He was already going out the door. “Philip! Philip, wait!” I called out, chasing him out of the classroom. Sure, I got some strange looks but this was too important to care how I looked.

     Philip turned around, confusion written on his face. The halls became emptier and emptier by the passing moment. Philip slowly made his way to me. “(Y/n), right? What is it you need?” He asked when he was in front of me. “Yes, that’s my name. I know this is sudden but I’m your soulmate, and if you don’t believe me just look at this.” I said, moving my bangs from my flower covered eye and showing my slightly bloody forearm.

     Philip examined the flowers around my eye and the crescents on my arms that blood had dried on. His caramel like eye that wasn’t swollen shut widened as he realized what I said and the proof before him. “My god, you are.” He whispered, before looking me in the eye. “Um, I suppose this means I should take you on a date, doesn’t it?” He said a bit awkwardly. Then again what do you say to the person who’s suddenly talking to you and you just found out that they are your soulmate?

     “That sounds like a good idea.” I said with a giggle. “I have a free period right now, how about you?” He asked, momentarily looking down at his watch. “I do too.” I said with a slight nod. “What do you think about skipping the rest of the day and gabbing lunch or something?” Philip asked. I looked at my watch, it was only 11:40 and I still have classes. But this is a big moment in my life, why would I spend it in school?

     “That sounds wonderful.” I agreed with a smile. Philip smiled back before offering his arm. I giggled a bit but took it anyway and we started making our way out of the school. We had to be careful about avoiding the hall monitors though.

     “Hey, Philip?”

     “Yes, (Y/n)?”

     “You better stop getting into fights or I just might have to knock you straight onto your ass.”

     “Hahaha, okay.”

[showbizchicago]

Ghostlight Records Releases BE MORE CHILL-OBCR 2-LP Vinyl

George Salazar in "Be More Chill" Photo Credit: Maria Baranova GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS has announced that Be More Chill: Original Broadway Cast Recording two-LP vinyl set is now available exclusively at Barnes & Noble . The album was released for digital download and streaming, in addition to a two-disc CD, earlier this year. This new album continues the remarkable journey for Be More Chill, as the original recording from Ghostlight – which has now been streamed over 300 million times to date – helped propel the show from Two River Theater to a viral Broadway hit. Be More Chill was nominated for a 2019 Tony Award for “Best Original Score.” The gatefold two-LP package features complete lyrics, color production photography, and special liner notes by Grammy and Tony Award-winning songwriters Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. The album is produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen, and co-produced by Ian Kagey and Emily Marshall. To download or stream the album, or order the CD, please visit  ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/bemorechillbroadway To order the vinyl LP set, please click HERE Be More Chill – which closed at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street, NYC) on August 11 – was nominated for “Best Musical” by the Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, Off-Broadway Alliance, and Lucille Lortel Awards. The show, featuring music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini, was directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock. “It’s no secret that many of Be More Chill’s supporters first discovered the show thanks to its Two River original cast album. The thought of delivering a brand-new Broadway cast album to those same fans, who continued to support and love the musical and expand its reach to brand-new audiences is a thrill,” said lead producer Jerry Goehring. According to Joe Iconis, “the score of Be More Chill has mutated, deepened, gotten tons more heartfelt and a lot more explosive since our first production at Two River. I am so thrilled that our new Broadway cast recording captures all of that growth and more. Fans of the show can expect the definitive version of the score, complete with tons of never-before-recorded musical goodies and expanded versions of songs they know and love. First time listeners can expect the most contemporary-sounding traditional musical comedy cast recording imaginable.” Be More Chill arrived on Broadway with the entire cast of its summer 2018 off-Broadway run intact, all of whom are all featured on the album: Will Roland as Jeremy; George Salazar as Michael; Stephanie Hsu as Christine; Gerard Canonico as Rich; Katlyn Carlson as Chloe; Tiffany Mann as Jenna; Lauren Marcus as Brooke; Britton Smith as Jake; Jason SweetTooth Williams as Mr. Heere - Mr. Reyes - Scary Stockboy; and Jason Tam as The Squip. What if popularity came in a pill? Would you take it, no questions asked? In Be More Chill, achieving that elusive “perfect life” is now possible thanks to some mysterious new technology-but it comes at a cost that's not as easy to swallow. What could possibly go wrong? Blending the contemporary with retro sci-fi, this thrillingly exciting, comically subversive, and deeply felt new musical takes on the competing voices in all of our heads. And ultimately proves, there's never been a better time in history to be yourself-especially if you're a loser...geek...or whatever. When the musical opened on Broadway, The Wall Street Journal called it “one of the strongest new musicals of the past decade. Not since Hamilton has a musical opened on Broadway that is so closely in tune with contemporary pop-music style.” Rolling Stone hailed it as “a wow of a musical shaking things up on Broadway. Talk about universal! This joyful, roof-raising phenom is uplifted by the irresistible score of the mega-skilled Joe Iconis.” New York Magazine writes, “It soars… witty, high octane tunes, bang-up performances and shrewd comedy. It has a welcome edge to it that’s refreshing!” AM New York calls Be More Chill “an exciting musical with an addictively catchy score and superb cast. It deserves a place in Broadway history.” NBC says Be More Chill is “the toast of Broadway. A new musical that speaks to a new generation.” Be More Chill’s creative team features scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley II; lighting design by Tony Award winner Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Ryan Rumery; projection design by Alex Basco Koch; hair and makeup design by Dave Bova; music direction by Emily Marshall; music supervision and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen; fight direction by J. David Brimmer; production supervision by SenovvA Inc.; and casting by Telsey + Company / Adam Caldwell, CSA & Rebecca Scholl, CSA. The work of Joe Iconis is also represented on Ghostlight Records with Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording), Two-Player Game (George Salazar and Joe Iconis), The Joe Iconis Rock & Roll Jamboree, and Things To Ruin (Original Cast Recording). GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS has become the leading independent force in Original Broadway Cast Recordings – building a library of over 200 records over the past 19 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway’s brightest stars. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Ghostlight has won Grammy Awards for The Band’s Visit, The Book of Mormon, In the Heights and Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Ghostlight has also released solo albums from Patti LuPone, Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster, Billy Porter, and more. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theater composers and has developed extensive relationships with Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, and David Yazbek, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek & Paul, Tom Kitt, Joe Iconis, and Shaina Taub. Ghostlight Records is part of the Arts Music division at Warner Music Group. ghostlightrecords.com “BE MORE CHILL – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING” TRACK LIST Jeremy’s Theme (Instrumental)  More Than Survive  I Love Play Rehearsal  More Than Survive (Reprise)  The Squip Song  Two-Player Game  The Squip Enters  Be More Chill Pt. 1  Do You Wanna Ride?   Be More Chill Pt. 2  Sync Up  A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into  The Squip Stalks (Instrumental)  Upgrade  Loser Geek Whatever  Halloween   Do You Wanna Hang?  Michael in the Bathroom  A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into (Reprise)  The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire)  The Pants Song  The Pitiful Children  The Play  Voices in My Head Read the full article

[newyorktheater]

Playwright Rajiv Joseph aims high in this ambitious, pertinent, resonant, sometimes compelling but often confusing drama that sprawls over 90 years (and three hours), taking place in Poland, Russia, and East Germany, branching out surreally from its roots in actual historical events. The central and most intriguing of these true stories is the relationship between the Russian Jewish writer Isaac Babel (portrayed by Danny Burstein, last on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof”) and the head of Stalin’s Soviet Secret Police Nikolai Yezhov (Zach Grenier, best known as the aggressive divorce lawyer David Lee in “The Good Wife.”

In Joseph’s telling, the two Russians meet when both are young, in 1920, on the Polish front. As the play begins, Isaac, a war correspondent, is writing in his journal, trying to …describe the night. This for him is an exercise to improve his writing. Nikolai, a commander in the Red Cavalry, has gone looking for him, to check up on whether and how he will write about an incident in which he killed an old man. Nikolai grabs hold of the journal and is initially outraged, but winds up impressed, by Babel’s storytelling. But Nikolai sees them only as lies – he admires how well Isaac can lie — because he’s too literal-minded to have, or truly value, an imagination. Nobody would say that of Rajiv Joseph, best known as the author of “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” which brought Robin Williams to Broadway in a story about the American involvement in Iraq. In “Describe the Night,” Joseph imagines a complicated tale that traces Nikolai and Isaac through the years, but adds in fictional characters and fictional events and an additional storyline connected tangentially if at all. The play jumps around in time–from 1920 to 2010 back to 1937, forward again to 1989…and that’s just in the first of its three Acts. In a scene set in 1989, a young Soviet bureaucrat named Vovo (Max Gordon Moore) confronts Nikolai, who is now 99 years old, and tells him that he, Vovo, will replace him as “Chairman of Bureau 42” because of Nikolai’s crimes against the Soviet state, which include resurrecting himself after being declared an unperson in 1940. “Being alive when you are dead,” Vovo tells Nikolai.” This is against the law.” The actual Yezhov did indeed fall out of favor with Stalin in 1940, but, as we’re told in a fact-sheet distributed upon leaving the theater, Nikolai Yezhov was killed that year. So, yes, Yezhov was indeed dead in 1989 as Vovo accuses him of being, dead for 49 years. Did Vovo mean his comment to be metaphorical; did the playwright mean the comment to be meta-theatrical? But how are the theatergoers meant to take it? The true story of Babel and Yezhov seems arresting enough: Babel had an affair with Yezhov’s wife, Yevgenia. When Yezhov found out, he put Babel under surveillance, which led to his arrest; Yezhov also put his wife in a mental institution. Much of this Joseph dramatizes effectively, but he doesn’t stop there. Yevgenia died of an overdose in 1938, as we’re told in the fact sheet. In the play, Tina Benko portrays her as someone who not only predicts the future; she lives into it. We see her at 110. Both she and her husband, in other words, live old enough for their stories to converge with the stories of others caught up in historical events of more recent vintage. Her granddaughter Urzula (Rebecca Naomi Jones) breaks free during Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall. A journalist named Mariya (Nadia Bowers) witnesses the 2010 plane crash at Smolensk, which killed the president of Poland and other Polish government officials as they were traveling on their way to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, in which at least 20,000 Poles were killed. For years, the Soviet Union had claimed that Nazis were responsible for the Katyn massacre; only in 1990, during glasnost and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, did the Russian government take responsibility. Conspiracy theories quickly develop around the crash. Vovo eventually interrogates Mariya with a velvet-gloved viciousness, to probe what she knows. The Soviet secret police bureaucrat has now become a powerful politician, a Putin-like figure One can see what Rajiv Joseph is about here – erasing the boundaries of time, pushing the Stalinist era flush up against the current day, to show how similar the paranoia and lies; mixing fact and imagination, to drive home how both facts and imagination are under threat. There is resonance when the old Stalinist Nikolai says to the new Putinist Vovo: “When the world is a gang fight, people want a gangster to lead them.” Much is made of Isaac Babel’s diary, who passes from one character to another – as if to say that art can’t be killed. The playwright’s points are well taken; his ambition is admirable. If the production of “Describe the Night” at the Atlantic doesn’t hold together as one would wish, you leave wanting to encourage the playwright to keep going with it — to paraphrase “Angels of America,” a comparable but more lucid work of breadth and depth and sprawl, intelligence and passion: Let the great rework begin.

Describe the Night Atlantic Theater Company By Rajiv Joseph Directed by Giovanna Sardelli Sets by Tim Mackabee, costumes by Amy Clark, sighting by Lap Chi Chu, sound and original music by Daniel Kluger, wig designer by Leah Loukas, fighting choreography by J. David Brimmer. Cast: Tina Benko as Yevgenia, Nadia Bowers as Mariya / Mrs. Petrovna, Danny Burstein as Isaac, Zach Grenier as Nickolai, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Urzula, Max Gordon Moore as Vova, Stephen Stocking as Felix

Describe The Night Review. 90 Years of Russian Lies, Paranoia, and Love Playwright Rajiv Joseph aims high in this ambitious, pertinent, resonant, sometimes compelling but often confusing drama that sprawls over 90 years (and three hours), taking place in Poland, Russia, and East Germany, branching out surreally from its roots in actual historical events.