#the witches of eastwick broadway

[bjfinn]

BEEJ, BOOK AND CANDLE

"Beetlejuice"/"The Witches of Eastwick" crossover

1988, Eastwick, Rhode Island

Alex Medford opened her eyes. Everything was blurry -- just vague blobs of colour -- and she felt like a bag of pain. "Wh-what ... what happened? Where ..."

"All right," a voice said. "She's stabilised and conscious -- let's get her into the ambulance."

She felt herself being lifted and strapped in to the gurney, and then rolled into the back of the vehicle. She heard the doors close, and then the ambulance started up and began moving, sirens blaring.

"Where are we ..."

"We're taking you to the hospital," a voice said. "You were in a car accident."

Alex looked toward the sound of the voice -- a young man in his early thirties, with short brown hair and kind eyes sat beside the gurney. He was wearing a paramedic's uniform.

"You're very lucky," he said. "We almost lost you."

"Where's the ... the other guy?"

"There wasn't anyone else -- you crashed your car. No other vehicles were involved. And you were alone -- no passengers."

She started to shake her head, but the blinding pain stopped her. "No," she said. "I ... I mean the other guy I saw. He had a ... a striped suit. A-and ... green hair."

"There was no one like that at the scene, ma'am," he replied. "You must have imagined him."

"Y-yeah," she said weakly. "Yeah. Weird dream, I guess."

She fell silent and closed her eyes. But she couldn't stop thinking about the man in the striped suit.

*****

"I almost lost you -- that wouldn't be good."

"Who -- who are you?"

"I'm your guide, remember?" came the reply. "If I'd lost another one, my mom would be so pissed at me. Now, come on -- we gotta go before she finds out."

He held out his hand.

Alex hesitated.

"Come on!" he insisted. "There's no time to lose -- my mom ... she's -- she's the head of the department, and she's a real hard-ass. I already lost two this month, a-and if I lose you ..." His voice caught in his throat, and Alex could see the fear in his eyes. "Let's just say that it wouldn't be good ... for either of us.

"Now let's go! "

She awoke with a start.

*****

"What's your name?"

He looked at her, clearly frustrated. "I can't tell you that -- we've already been over this."

"Why can't you?"

He sighed. "My mom cursed me when I was born," he told her. "If I say my own name, I'll exorcise myself -- I'll die. Worse -- it'll be like I never existed in the first place."

"Why would she do that?" Alex asked.

"She hated me -- she always hated me," he said, his hair turning magenta. "Ever since I was born. She blamed me for my dad taking off -- but it's not my fault that she hooked up with a deadbeat loser! And ... and she said that when I was born I wrecked her somehow, and that's how come she's stuck in her human form! But I didn't do anything -- I was just a baby, for crissakes!" Tears began rolling down his fat cheeks, watering the moss in his beard.

"It's not fair!" he sobbed. "I was ... I was just a kid! Why didn't she love me?" He pushed his fists against his eyes like a child. "And ... and then she called me a -- a screw-up and a good-for-nothing piece of trash and made me a guide just to ... to punish me for being born!

"WELL, I NEVER ASKED TO BE BORN, MOM!" he roared at the ceiling. "I HATE THIS STINKIN' JOB! AND I HATE YOU!!! "

He broke down completely then, his body wracked with heaving sobs, and Alex found herself putting her arms around the demon, comforting him as he sobbed into her bosom, his face buried between her breasts.

"And now I can't even tell you my name," he sniffed, once he'd calmed down a bit.

"Can you give me a hint?" Alex asked. "Maybe I could figure it ou--"

Suddenly, she was awake in the hospital bed, her arm in a cast.

"It's time for your medicine, dear," the nurse said gently.

*****

"Okay," Alex said. "You can't tell me your name. How about a hint?"

The demon looked at Alex thoughtfully for a moment, and then he grinned and held out his hand. In it was a large scarab beetle, glittering emerald green.

"Insect?"

"No."

"Bug?"

"Try again."

"Beetle?"

"Yes!"

"Your name is Beetle?"

"That's just the first part of my name," he told her. "The second is something you drink."

"Coffee?"

"No."

"Tea?"

"No."

"Water."

"No! Come on, it's not that hard."

"I don't know ... beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, rum?"

"No, no, no, no and no."

"Hot chocolate." At this point, Alex was just trying to think of as many drinks as she could.

"Yeah," he said with a sneer. "My name's Beetle Hot Chocolate -- pleased to meet you."

"All right, no need to get snarky," she replied, grinning slightly. "I'm just thinking out loud -- eliminating possibilities.

"Milk."

"No."

"Uhh ... pop. Soda."

"No and no."

She sighed. "I'm running out of ideas."

"Come on! It's sooo obvious!" he cajoled. "It's right in front of your face!"

Alex's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to think of another beverage. She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip of --

"Juice!" she exclaimed.

"Yes!"

"Your name is ... Beetle-juice?" Alex said, smiling. "Like the star?"

"You got it, toots! You can call me BJ. Or Beej."

"Okay, Beej ... what do you want with me?"

"I told you -- I'm supposed to be your guide to the Netherworld."

"But I'm not dead."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Things got a little fucked up when they brought you back. Problem is, when they did that, you'd just taken my hand -- so I got dragged Topside with you."

"Can't you just go back?" Alex asked.

Beej shook his head. "Not without you -- at least, not until the revised paperwork goes through. And who knows how long that'll take? Till then, you're stuck with me, kid."

"Great," she sighed.

"Ouch -- that hurts!" he told her. "I'm just doin' my job, you know -- it's not my fault that this happened!"

"Sorry," Alex said. "It's just that it was only a couple of months ago that my friends and I got rid of another demon, and I don't think I can handle going through that a second time, you know?"

"Another demon?" Beej asked. "Who was it?"

"Daryl Van Horne," she told him. "We tried to conjure up the perfect man, and ... well, at first he seemed to be just what we wanted, but then ..."

"Then he turned out to be bad news," Beej concluded.

"You know him?"

"Not by that name," Beej replied. "But I know the type -- lots of demons are like that. Real scumbags."

"But not you," she said sceptically.

"Nope! I'm not like that at all -- I just wanna be free of this shitty job. And I wanna be able to interact with you breathers, that's all. I'm not interested in anything else."

"You're interacting with me right now," Alex pointed out.

"Yeah, but you were clinically dead long enough to meet me. And you're unconscious. Nobody else can see or hear me."

"Gee, I feel so special."

Beej stuck his tongue out at her. "This ain't no picnic for me either, toots," he said. "I'm stuck here, invisible -- that is, unless you help me."

"How?"

"Okay," the demon said, his face lighting up. "It's simple -- just say my name three times. Then everyone'll be able to see me, and I can tell my mom to take this job and shove it."

"That's it?" Alex shook her head. "Sounds too easy."

"Maybe for you. You try gettin' somebody to say your name when you can't tell 'em what it is and they can't even see or hear you anyway."

"You have a point," she conceded. "But that's it? No summoning spell, no nothing? That doesn't sound right."

"Trust me, baby -- that's all it takes."

She shook her head again. "No."

"Whaddya mean 'no'?"

"If I'm going to do this -- and that's a big if -- I'm going to do it right. With a proper summoning spell."

"Ah, jeez!"

"I'm not giving you carte blanche to do whatever you like!"

"Okay, okay," he sighed petulantly. "Make your stupid little spell, for all the good it'll do. But hurry up and make it snappy!"

"Hey! You're not the boss here, okay? You need me way more than I need you! "

Beej scowled at her, but he knew she was right about that. "Fine," he said. "But I'm telling you that all you gotta do is say my name three times -- anything else is just a waste of time."

"It's my time to waste," Alex told him.

Beej threw up his hands, completely exasperated. "Breathers! Always gotta complicate things!" He blew out his cheeks in a loud sigh. "Whaddya need?"

"First I need to get better so I can go home," she replied. "My ... body's still in the hospital. I can't do anything in this condition."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Beej asked, frustrated. He snapped his fingers, and Alex was awake.

*****

"Looks like you've made a full recovery," the doctor told her. "And your baby wasn't harmed at all."

"Baby?" Alex echoed, perplexed. "What baby?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor replied. "I thought you knew -- you're pregnant. About six weeks along."

"Pregnant? How can that be --" Then she realised. Daryl. That bastard knocked me up! "Uh, no -- I didn't know. I'm ... glad the baby's all right."

"I just need to run a few more tests, but I think you can be out of here by tomorrow."

Beej, standing by the bedside, grinned and gave Alex two thumbs up. She pointedly ignored him, and he stuck out his tongue and flipped her off.

Alex pursed her lips and tried not to laugh.

"Thank you, doctor," Alex replied, smiling.

*****

"Did you know about the baby?" Alex asked Beej when they were alone.

The demon nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I could tell you were preggers -- I didn't say anything 'cause I thought you knew. It was Daryl, wasn't it? He's the father."

It was Alex's turn to nod. "It has to be -- there hasn't been anyone else. Can you tell if it's ... normal?"

"Normal?"

"Human. I'm not going to give birth to the Antichrist or anything, right?"

Beej chuckled. "Nah, the kid'll be a normal human breather like you -- well, maybe with second sight, or precognition, or something. But otherwise, normal as they come."

Alex nodded, relieved. Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, how come I can still see you?" she asked. "I'm not unconscious now."

"I didn't say you couldn't see me when you were awake," Beej pointed out. "You were just too ... distracted in the hospital to notice me."

"Distracted."

"Yeah! I mean, doctors and nurses coming and going all the time, ordering you around -- 'Time for your meds! Time to check this! Time to check that! Breathe, don't breathe, cough, spit, do this, do that ...' "

"Okay," Alex chuckled. "I take your point."

"It was exhausting just watching it! I mean, how many tests do they really need to do before --"

"Okay, I get it." Alex rolled her eyes -- this guy was a real motormouth.

"I'm just sayin'," he told her, a note of hurt in his gravelly voice. "No need to get rude! If you want me to shut up, I'll shut up -- I don't have to keep talkin', you know. Some guys might not know how to take a hint, but I --"

"You're still talking."

Beej angrily clamped his mouth shut.

"Okay," she said. "Now to think -- how to create a summoning spell for you ..."

She looked over at the demon standing there, wide-eyed, his mouth firmly closed. "Any ideas?"

In reply, Beej simply looked up at the ceiling. His hair, she noticed, had turned from green to magenta.

Alex pursed her lips in annoyance.

He looked at her, giving an exaggerated shrug.

She sighed and chuckled. "Okay," she said. "I'm sorry -- you can talk."

"There! Now was that so hard? And people think I have no manners!"

"You don't," she told him.

He scowled comically.

"Do you have any ideas for the summoning spell?"

"Like I told you, it's not necessary. Just --"

"-- say your name three times, yeah, I remember. But an actual spell would protect me. And you."

"Huh?" Beej was confused. "What do I need protection from?"

"From anyone who wants to use you for evil."

"I'm a demon," he said. "Evil is what I do best! "

Alex laughed, a full, husky sound that gave the demon a warm tingle of pleasure. His hair turned green again.

"Somehow, I'm not convinced," she said.

"Whaddya mean?" he asked, indignantly.

"I think you're a trickster, a prankster, a con-man," she told him. "You like to have fun. And okay, your idea of fun is scaring people -- but you don't really want to hurt anybody, do you? If someone dies, so be it, but that's not your goal, is it?"

Beej's mouth twitched.

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings," Alex told him. "I'm just trying to figure out what kind of demon you are, and how best to protect you -- and myself, and everyone else."

He sighed. "Okay, yeah," he said. "Sure, if they die I can't have any more fun with them -- and it means I got a lot of paperwork to do when I get back. And I hate doing paperwork! I can't spell so good, you know? It's a real pain in the ass."

Alex shook her head. "I think it's more than just that," she said. "If you kill them, then they won't want to be your friend, am I right?"

He frowned, his hair turning purple.

"I'm right, aren't I? You really just want to have a friend."

The demon looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"Nobody likes me," he said finally. "Everybody in the Netherworld hates me. Well, everybody except Tina -- she's the only friend I got. And she ... she hated me, too, at first. Well, maybe she didn't hate me, but she didn't like me much.

"And breathers can't see me -- well, unless they have the gift. Or ones like you, who died and came back. But there haven't been many like that over the centuries, and the ones there have been ... they never wanted to be friends with me. And some of 'em even tried to hurt me, or send me back to Hell.

"So, yeah, okay ... maybe this spell might not be such a bad idea after all."

"I'm glad you agree."

"So how long is this gonna take?"

"I'm not sure," she told him. "After what happened with Daryl, I want to be sure I do this right. It's not just the words -- the rhyming scheme and the cadence have to be right, as well."

"Sounds complicated."

"Luckily, I've learned since the last time."

"What can I do to help?"

"I need some time," Alex replied. "If you could leave so I can be alone to work on it? I'll let you know when I'm ready."

The demon shook his head. "No can do -- I gotta stick around. I'm still your guide until the revised paperwork goes through."

"Well, uh ... can you at least make yourself invisible? It'll be too much of a distraction seeing you hanging around the whole time."

"Yeah, sure," Beej said. "I can do that." He waved his hand and vanished. "See? Like I'm not even here!"

"I can still hear you, though," Alex chuckled. "You're going to have to be quiet."

"Oh, yeah, right," the disembodied voice said. "No problem. I'll be quiet. You won't even know I'm here. In fact --"

"Shhh."

"Uh, yeah. Okay. I'll just, uh ... I'll just sit over here on the windowsill and --"

"Beej!"

Chastened, the demon finally fell silent.

Alex grinned, shaking her head, and got to work.

*****

"Okay," she said at last. "I think I've got it."

"Finally!" Beej said, making himself visible once more. "I thought you'd never be finished! What was that -- like, six months??? "

"It was only forty minutes," she told him.

"Okay, well -- are we gonna do this?"

"Hold your horses, bub," Alex said. "First I have to prepare."

"Ah, come on!"

"I have to get myself centred -- you wouldn't want me to mess anything up, would you?"

Beej frowned. "I think you're stalling," he said.

"I promise you I'm not," she said, lighting a black-and-white-striped white pillar candle.

"So how long is this gonna take?"

"Not long -- just a few deep breaths to clear my head ..."

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly through her nose, exhaled through her mouth. Beej licked his lips as he watched the rise and fall of her bosom, imagining her naked.

A few more breaths, and then she said, "Okay -- let's begin." She read the spell she'd crafted:

Though I know I should be wary

Still I venture someplace scary

Ghostly hauntings I turn loose

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!

Beej felt the change immediately -- he was solid! He took a deep breath of his own, filling his lungs for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"YES!!!" he crowed. "YES YES YES!!! You did it!" He grabbed Alex and kissed her. "Thanks, babe! I knew you could do it!"

Alex shoved him away and wiped her mouth. "Bleagh! Don't ever do that again!" she warned him, only half in anger.

"What? It was just a little smooch to show my appreciation!"

"You really don't know anything about boundaries, do you?"

"Boundaries? What's that?"

Alex chuckled. "Never mind." She looked at him. "So now what?"

Beej shrugged. "I don't know -- I've never been able to interact with the upper world before." He looked around uncertainly, biting his lip, his head turning from side to side in a distinctly ... reptilian manner. A predator, looking for prey.

Alex watched him nervously -- what had she unleashed on the world? She wasn't entirely confident in her ability to craft a spell that would bind him -- what if she'd made a mistake? Or forgotten some crucial element? What if he was more powerful than the spell?

"Hey," he said, interrupting her train of thought. "Can we get something to eat? I'm starving! "

[haveyouseenthismusical]

[thrashntreasure]

Ep111 Slippy the Welsh Kangaroo w/ Caroline Sheen! (West End!)

Winds in the east, there's a mist coming in, an episode's brewin', about to begin with none other than West End legend, Caroline Sheen! (Say what?! *faints*) This week, the superlatively fantaslistic Caroline joins AW and guest co-host, Jean-Paul Yovanoff, in A Perfect Circle with their hit album 'Mer de Noms' before conjuring up a wickedly good time with The Witches of Eastwick. Plus, we chat trips to Australia, Home and Away Vs Neighbours, Superhero Nannies, Animal Studies, and heaps more in this hilariously magical episode!

See Caroline in 'Plaza Suite' - now playing at the Savoy Theatre in London's West End! Tickets:https://plazasuiteuk.com/ --SOCIALS--

Caroline on IG: https://www.instagram.com/carolinesheen/

Jean-Paul and MTR (Musical Theatre Radio): https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com https://www.twitter.com/MTR_tweets https://www.instagram.com/musicaltheatreradio

TnT/Bloop Network https://www.thetonastontales.com/listen -- https://www.patreon.com/bloomingtheatricals - https://twitter.com/thrashntreasure https://linktr.ee/thrashntreasure ***** Help support Thrash 'n Treasure and keep us on-air, PLUS go on a fantastical adventure at the same time! Grab your copy of The Tonaston Tales by AW, and use the code TNT20 when you check out for 20% off eBooks and Paperbacks! https://www.thetonastontales.com/bookstore - TNT20  *****

[behindthemirrorofmusic]

For #womenshistorymonth a look at some of the most important women in the history of The Phantom of the Opera.

Number 12. Rosemary Ashe

Rosemary Asheoriginated Carlotta in the 1986 musical adaptation and can be hears on the original cast album.

Carlotta in the musical differs from the version in the book: Th me original Carlotta is a women who is cold and bitter by the life she has led and actively bullies and sabotages Christine, even going so far as requesting high placed friends to turn the audience against her.

Meanwhile the Carlotta in the musical is very passionate about her art and more of a highly strung diva. Yes, she resents the fact that Christine took her place at the gala, but she is not aggressively plotting against her.

Rosemary Ashe has performed and originated roles in some of the most popular musicals of the past 40 years, including The Boyfriend, Forbidden Broadway, Oliver!, The Witches of Eastwick, Sweeney Todd, Mary Poppins and Adrian Mole. She has also enjoyed playing a wide variety of roles on the stage in opera, cabaret, plays as well as on television.

She returned to Phantom decades later to star as "Confidante" in the 25th anniversary performance.

[sassmill]

Absolutely nobody asked for this, but since it’s nearly October and I listen to these year round: here are some Halloween-y spooky musicals that aren’t Sweeney Todd or Addams Family or Beetlejuice. Lots of murder inbound, folks. The spectrum ranges from “this piece of art is integral to my soul” to “this is campy and fun and I sing it in my car a lot.”

1) Get Jack

To sum it up with lyrics, “he’s still most wanted, but we’ve been forgotten.” The Canonical Five women murdered by Jack the Ripper tell their stories (and then rise as specters from Hell to bring him down). Some serious guitar shredding and rock vocals on tracks like “Left Handed Wives” and “Agony in Red,” and hard-hitting emotional lyrics and performances on tracks like “Blood in Whitechapel” and “Forever Erased.” Plus, a cheeky narrator who may or may not be the Devil. Strikes the perfect balance between earned rage and overdue grieving for these victims that have been largely pushed by the wayside in the history books because of their gender and occupation—like the women of Six, they’re flipping the narrative to reclaim their own identities and agency in the story. These five women were more than just names in a rhyme.

2) Angelmakers: Songs for Female Serial Killers

This song cycle tells you its concept first thing—everyone deserves one song. Even those that have been condemned. Especially them. An examination of “feminine rage and radical empathy,” it makes no excuses for each of these eight women—these serial killers—but it dissects their lives and asks the audience to ponder: how has this world broken you down? How much have you held in? How often have you said sorry? How much have you sacrificed for peace of mind, and how much would you give to make the world bear the full brunt of your pain? It’s more than a concert or a song cycle, it is an elegy—a ritual, an offering for women we know and women we have been. We begin by acknowledging the rage we carry, the effort it takes to temper it, in “Stick the Key In.” We bear witness to the pain that the world has wrought in these women, we recognize that their circumstances are similar to so many others in the seven wildly cathartic punk rock devotionals—and I do feel that that is exactly what they are, because each song is “for” one of these women. And we end the cycle with a psalm of sorts, for all of us: “Will to Live.” It is explicitly unapologetic in the grace it grants these women, and in engaging with their trauma we can allow ourselves as women some grace as well: our pain is real, and our rage reverberates through the centuries because of this will to live despite those that try to break us because of how they’ve been broken. It gives you permission to hurt so that you can start to heal. If you listen to this one, make an evening out of it and listen to it all the way through—complete the cycle.

3)LIZZIE

Anybody who really knows me knows how close this show is to my heart. It takes the 1892 Borden ax murders and holds up a magnifying glass to the women at the center of it. Though the full history involves many, many players, this two act rock musical presents the story to us through just four: Lizzie and Emma, spinster sisters struggling under their father’s iron fist and their stepmother’s cold hearted scheming; Bridget, the family’s young Irish maid who sees and hears everything; and Alice, a neighbor and confidant who must weigh her desire to support the woman she loves against her conscience when she witnesses deceit. This work is a masterpiece of tension. In the days leading up to the murders, you can feel the stifling presence of the father and stepmother bearing down on all four women—and they aren’t physically present in the show at all. The women each play their own role in the drama they unfold—Bridget is our Greek chorus, Emma is puppet master, Alice is a light in the darkness, and Lizzie is the eye of the storm. Honestly, The Village Voice perfectly summed it up: “Lush tunes which retch sex, rage, dyke heat, misanthropy, and incest… Surreal glee and gallows humor… Finally, a rock musical you’d wanna mosh to.”

IMPORTANT: trigger warning for implications of sexual assault.

4) Lizzie Borden

Yes, there are two musicals about her. There’s also an opera by Jack Beeson and an Agnes DeMille ballet scored by Morton Gould, but that’s not why we’re here. As far as my suggestions on this list go, this 1998 treatment of the Borden murders is probably the most stylistically conventional for musical theatre (tying with Witches of Eastwick)—the weaving of dialogue with song, patter, and breadth of leitmotif call to mind Sondheim. Unlike LIZZIE, this show presents the full cast of characters involved in that fateful day and its aftermath in an inventive nonlinear fashion, splitting Lizzie into her younger self at some of its most chilling moments. The score is gorgeous, and I cannot properly stress how marvelously the leitmotifs pan out in the second act. Strikes a good balance between comedic, petty drama and the panic behind life altering tragedy—I guarantee you’ll be humming “Buttons” for at least a week after your heart stops pounding from the anxiety that builds with every measure of “So Easily.” Again, IMPORTANT: trigger warning for implied sexual assault.

5) Nevermore: the Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Haunting and ominously playful, the show’s traveling acting troupe starts at Poe’s birth and follows his tragedies and triumphs up until the opening moments of the show—a framing device that I will always love, and it’s played off here deliciously. I don’t have a whole essay to write on this one and I have no idea how biographically accurate it is to his life, but I love listening through it on long drives—a lot of underscored dialogue, which I just happen to enjoy while driving. Maybe because I like podcasts. I don’t know. It doesn’t really warrant a trigger warning, but I can’t NOT mention that it does include his marriage to his 13 year old cousin—the dynamic portrayed is avuncular if anything, nothing predatory or unnerving, but. Yeah. Child cousin bride. Do with this what you will.

6) Ghost Quartet

Dave Malloy, my sweet, sweet baboo. I love this show so much. I talked about this show in the process portion of my thesis. And it’s really impossible to summarize the plot because it is stories inside of stories and it’s best listened to many, many times in the wind and rain. There are two sisters, an astronomer, and a bear. A soldier. A driver, a victim, a pusher, a photographer. The Fall of the House of Usher. Sheherazade, Dunyazad, and Shah Zaman. Thelonious Monk. Any kind of dead person, reincarnation, a classic murder ballad, and lots of whiskey. It’s intensely weird and equally wonderful. If you listen to the live recording from the McKittrick Hotel, dialogue is included! Better yet, Dave Malloy actually made the full production directed by Annie Tippe available to watch on his YouTube channel at the start of the pandemic.

7) The Witches of Eastwick

As far as I am concerned, John Updike doesn’t exist and the only versions of this story that matter are the movie and this musical. Three witches in a small Rhode Island town learn to be authentically themselves and enjoy their lives through some ill-advised fraternization with the devil himself (the egrets be damned). Local prophet has some tummy trouble. The “I want” songs are delicious and it is a personal goal of mine to perform “Words, Words, Words” without actually biting my tongue in the last verse. “Dirty Laundry” has all the petty 1960s housewife drama you could ask for. “I Wish I May” is a charming trio about fulfilling the dreams we had as children. “Dance with the Devil” is a straight banger. “Another Night at Darryl’s” is a lusty romp. Just, like, do yourself a favor and listen to this musical it’s so fun. John Updike stays in the penalty box for all eternity, though. I am never getting those hours of my life back.

8 ) Rebecca das Musical

Okay I KNOW that this one is literally in German but hear me out—the lovely fanbase have made so many YouTube videos of the soundtrack with English subtitles if you don’t speak German (I’m… getting there). The Daphne du Maurier novel is perfect, the Hitchcock film is perfect, and this musical is perfect. Even before I knew enough German to comprehend any of the words, I knew the storyline well enough that the music itself (it’s so expressive I swoon) made characters and plot points clear. Gothic romance that is incredibly questionable, murder, ambiguity, repressed lesbianism, scandal, a protagonist that literally doesn’t have a name—what’s not to love? Mrs. Danvers steals the show as is her god-given right, and if nothing else you should listen to the demo recording of the English language version of the title song “Rebecca” from the vanished Broadway production (whose death was just as tragic and mysterious as Rebecca de Winter’s). It’s unhinged and incredibly sapphic; everything Mrs. Danvers ought to be (Kristin Scott Thomas, I’m so sorry they gave you that sad excuse of a script you deserved so much better. When it was first released I said I liked the 2020 Netflix Rebecca but in retrospect… no). I don’t think I’m really capable of intelligent thought at this point in the list (it is now 1:26 am) but just know that I love this musical and it is helping me learn German. Why am I learning German? So I can listen to this musical. Why I am listening to this musical? So I can learn German. And the snake consumes its own tail. And I should probably go to sleep.

[newlandswestcoast]

ok so um i have to sing mattie’s lament from watt for a musical theatre class and i am scared out of my fucking mind

[quirkytruth]

What can I say about the greatest month of my life?

[queer-cosette]

Total Drama characters favourite musicals

Ezekiel: doesn't know what a musical is

Eva: Carrie. She enjoys the violence.

Noah: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. He's literally the only cast member who can remember all the names for all the characters.

Justin: Dogfight. Doesn't seem to realise why this is ironic.

Katie: Guys And Dolls. She always goes to sing-a-long productions for her birthday.

Tyler: A Chorus Line. He feels 'What I Did For Love' in his heart.

Izzy: Crybaby. Has actually played Lenora in an off-broadway production.

Cody: A Very Potter Musical. Zefron forever.

Beth: Hamilton. She was behind the fake HIV scandal.

Sadie: Hairspray. She commissioned Katie to make her the checkerboard dress.

Courtney: Les Misérables. She's classy. And she read the book.

Harold: Be More Chill. He played Jeremy in the production at Musical Steve's Musical Theatre Camp

Trent: RENT. He wanted to be Roger as a teenager

Bridgette: The Witches of Eastwick. Alex stan.

Lindsay: Legally Blonde. Reese Witherspoon was her role model growing up.

DJ: Me And My Girl. Tap dance king.

Geoff: Shrek. Has thrown a Shrek party.

Leshawna: SIX. It fucks.

Duncan: Bonnie And Clyde. Secret Jeremy Jordan stan.

Heather: Chicago. She choreographed a ballet routine to a cut of Cell Block Tango.

Gwen: Heathers. She has had many happy daydreams involving a certain plot point.

Owen: Jesus Christ Superstar. Do not ask him his favourite song. It's Gethsemane and he WILL sing it despite being unable to falsetto.

Alejandro: Phantom of the Opera. Desires to be as dramatic a villain as the Phantom.

Sierra: Baby The Musical. It's underrated.

Chris: Funny Girl. Self explanatory.

Chef: Grease. It's a classic.

[pawsitivevibe]

Halloween Watchlist

In case anyone needs some inspiration for Halloween movies, here's the long list Tom and I made! Some movies we've been watching throughout October, will watch in the next few days, and some we won't get to. Mostly non-horror movies, because I don't like scary movies. And yeah, a lot of them are goofy kids movies.

Movies:

The Addams Family

The Addams Family Values

Alien

Aliens

An American Werewolf in London

Army of Darkness

Attack the Block

Beetlejuice

The Book of Life

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Cabin in the Woods

Casper

Clue

Coco

Coraline

The Corpse Bride

The Craft

Crimson Peak

Dracula (annny)

Edward Scissorhands

Evil Dead

Evil Dead 2

Frankenweenie

Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night (2011)

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters 2

Ghostbusters (reboot)

The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Gremlins

Gremlins 2

Halloweentown

The Haunted Mansion

Hocus Pocus

Hotel Transylvania

Howl's Moving Castle

Interview with a Vampire

Jennifer's Body

Kiki's Delivery Service

Little Shop of Horrors

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Pan's Labyrinth

Para-Norman

Phantom of the Megaplex

Practical Magic

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Scooby Doo

Scooby Doo 2

Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island

Scream

The Shining

Sleepy Hollow

Spirited Away

Sweeney Todd

The Thing

What We Do In The Shadows

The VVitch

The Witches

The Witches of Eastwick

Young Frankenstein

TV Episodes:

Note that these are mostly just stuff from my fave shows and not comprehensive of Halloween episodes lol

Parks & Recreation: "Greg Pikitis"

Parks & Recreation - "Halloween Surprise"

Brooklyn 99: "Halloween"

Community - "Epidemiology"

30 Rock - "Stone Mountain"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Halloween"

Xena: Warrior Princess - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

Doctor Who - "The Empty Child"

Doctor Who - "Blink"

Doctor Who - "The Haunting of Villa Diodati"

Broadway (or "other") Musicals:

The Addams Family

Beetlejuice

Black Friday

Carrie

Evil Dead

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

The Phantom of the Opera

Wicked

[between-two-fandoms]

A list of off-broadway/lesser known musicals in case you’re sick of Hamilton.

SI decided to start a post featuring non-broadway and short broadway run musicals to give them some love. As far as I know you can find all of these with the original cast on You Tube or Spotify.

Feel free to re-post with your own list!

- Lizard Boy (imagine if DEH and BMC had a child who played the kazoo, beat boxed, and was also gay.)

- The Theory of Relativity (song-cycle show that made me cry when I saw it live. Gay song about apples and oranges.)

- Starry (a musical about Van Gogh)

- Songs for a New World (Sondheim, song-cycle, i cried)

- Dr. Horrible’s No Good Sing-Along Blog (movie/musical with Felicia Day and Neil Patrick Harris)

- The Witches of Eastwick (Idk wtf this was but it was gooood. Think Sweeney Todd-esque)

- Spider-man: Into The Dark (this was so expensive for them to do but so, so worth it. Stars Reeve Carney.)

[bjfinn]

BOOK OF SHADOWS

"School of Rock"/"Beetlejuice" crossover

(inspired by a question from @geek-or-something)

Dewey sat back in his chair, frowning slightly. He had no idea how that spellbook had come to be at Horace Green.

"I found it in a box in the basement," Katie had said when questioned about it. "It was with the other Halloween decorations."

"Show me," Dewey had asked, and the two of them went downstairs to the basement. Katie had shown him the box in which she'd found the book -- just run-of-the-mill spooky decorations. Nothing else that even hinted at real witchcraft.

He'd asked around, but none of the other staff had seemed to know anything.

It was a mystery -- and Dewey Finn didn't like mysteries. Not at his school, at any rate. Not when the kids could have been in danger.

The one thing he knew was that it hadn't been put there by Beej -- it just wasn't the demon's style. Beej was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. Putting a spellbook where it might be found, eventually, by someone curious enough to read it out loud? And how could he have known they'd read the exact spell that would summon him?

"Fuck," he said under his breath. "Where did it come from?"

He stood up suddenly, pacing around his office, trying to work it out in his head.

"It's an old school," he muttered. "The book ... could've been there for years -- decades ... maybe it even belonged to Horace Green himself. Who knows, right? I mean ... maybe he was into that kind of stuff -- lots of people were, back then.

"But how did it end up in the box of Halloween decorations? Well, somebody coulda found it and, uh ... figured that's where it belonged -- it's a spellbook, so it must be a Halloween decoration, 'cause spells aren't real. Yeah, that's probably what they thought -- how were they to know that it was real?

"But why didn't anyone find it last year? O-or the ... the year before? Why only this year?

"Ah, shit! Come on, man -- you can figure this out!"

There was a knock on the door, and Rosalie poked her head in. "I heard you muttering to yourself," she said. "Is everything all right, Mr Finn?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied. "Yeah, everything's good, Ros- uh, Ms Mullins. Just tryna figure something out."

She entered the office, closing the door behind her. "Maybe I can help."

Dewey shook his head. "No, uh ... I mean, that's okay -- it's nothing, really ... just something I've been wondering about recently."

"Are you sure? Two heads are better than one."

"Yeah, no, I'm sure -- it's, uh ... it's not really that important."

Rosalie looked dubious for a moment, and then nodded. "All right," she said. "I'll leave you to it. But if you need any help --"

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, forcing a smile. "I will. But I'll be all right."

She came over to him and placed her hands on his chest. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Uh, yeah, of course!" came the reply, and now his smile was genuine.

"I'll see you at eight, then, Mr Finn."

"Looking forward to it, Ms Mullins."

*****

Dewey opened the door. "Hi," he said. "Wow -- you look great!"

"Thank you," Rosalie replied with a smile. "You were so mysterious about what you have planned -- are you going to fill me in now?"

"Uh, yeah ... of course. I thought we'd --"

"Hey, Dewey!" Beej said. "Hi, Rosalie!"

Oh, shit!

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not now!" Dewey hissed at him. He grabbed a throw blanket and tried to hide the mirror before Rosalie saw.

Too late.

"Is that your ... friend? BJ?" she exclaimed. "How --"

Dewey turned to her in a panic. "I-it's not what you think! Well, okay, it is what you think, but I, uh ... hahaha! Uh, well, it's kind of a funny story -- you're gonna laugh so hard ... umm, uh, well, see ... it's like this --"

"Dewey? What's going on?" Rosalie asked. "How -- how is BJ in the mirror?"

"That's what I'm tryna tell you." That's what I'm tryna figure out how not to tell you, he thought. "He's, uh ... well, see -- Beej is , uh ... he's kind of a --"

"Just tell her already!" Beej said from the blanket-covered mirror.

"No! "

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing -- it's nothing, really ... it's just, uh ... it's --"

"Ah, crap!" Beej said, stepping out of the mirror and tossing the blanket aside. "I gotta do everything around here!"

Rosalie paled at the sight. "What the --"

"Fuck off, Beej!" Dewey growled.

"Face it, pal -- the jig is up," Beej told him. "It was up as soon as she saw me."

"What the fuck are you doing here, anyway?"

"I just wanted to see my pal! Is that a crime?"

"No -- no, of course not. It's great to see you, but your ... your timing could be better."

"Dewey," Rosalie said, a hand over her mouth, "how did he ... how ..."

"Rosalie," Dewey said, holding her by the shoulders, "I can explain --"

"How the hell did he come out of the mirror??? "

"Good choice of words," Beej quipped.

"Will you leave? " Dewey hissed.

"No way! I wanna stay and watch the shitshow!"

"If you don't leave right now," Dewey snarled, balling his fists, "I swear to God I'm gonna --"

"What is happening here??? " Rosalie wailed. "Somebody tell me right now!!! "

"Dammit, Beej," Dewey said angrily. He turned back to the near hysterical woman. "Rosalie, I -- I didn't want you to find out this way," he said. "I was tryna think of a way to tell you -- I swear ... but ... ah, fuck. Okay, here goes. Uh ... okay. Well, you remember the Halloween party? The one at the school? Well, one of the kids found a book --"

"A book."

"Yeah, uh ... it was in a box of decorations," he said. "See, it was a spellbook, and Katie -- she's the one who found it -- thought it was one of the decorations, right? Of course she did, it was in the box. So she brought it upstairs and ... and the kids were looking through it, and ... and they read one of the spells. Out loud. But it wasn't just a decoration -- the book, I mean. It was a real spellbook. And the spell -- the one they read out loud -- it was a real spell, you know, and, uh ... well, it kinda sorta --"

"It was a summoning spell," Beej interjected.

"A ... summoning spell?"

"Yeah," Dewey nodded. "And it, uh ... it summoned --"

"Me," Beej said.

"You?" Rosalie was completely lost. "What does that mean?"

"Well," Dewey began, "Beej is, um ... he's a ..."

"I'm a demon."

"What?"

Dewey dropped his chin to his chest, defeated. "He's a demon," he said.

"Well, half-ghost, half-demon, actually," Beej added, hoping to clarify things. "See, my mom was a demon and --"

"Not now, Beej!"

"Sorry for tryna put things in perspective!" the demon shot back. "Jeez, can't a guy finish a fuckin' sentence around here?"

"Look -- Rosalie," Dewey said. "He's a demon -- but he's a good guy, I swear. He's my friend -- and yeah, I know that sounds crazy -- hell, this whole situation is crazy, but it's true. Beej -- Beetlejuice -- is my demon friend."

"From Hell," Beej added helpfully. "We call it the Netherworld."

"And that's how he came out of the mirror."

He looked at her, uncertain as to how she was going to react.

Rosalie said nothing for a long moment.

"Are ... are you okay? Rosalie?"

"Where did the book come from?" she asked.

"Uh, well ... that's what I've been trying to figure out," Dewey replied. "I ... I asked around the school, but nobody seems to know anything about it."

"What about you?" she asked Beej. "Do you know anything about it?"

Beej shook his head vigorously. "No! I swear I have nothing to do with this! I never even seen the book -- Dewey never showed it to me."

"Your summoning spell is in it," Rosalie said. "Maybe if you saw the book you might recognise it, and you could at least tell us who it belongs to."

The demon shrugged. "Worth a try," he said.

Rosalie turned to Dewey. "Do you have it here?"

"Yeah," he replied, already rummaging around. "I figured I shouldn't leave it at the school. Ah! Here it is!" He grinned, holding up a large, leather-bound volume.

"Liber Umbrarum," Rosalie said, reading the embossed title on the cover. "Book of Shadows." She took the book and opened it, began leafing through the pages, looking for some clue as to the identity of the owner.

"It's very old," she said. "A couple of centuries, I'd say ... some of it's in Latin, some of it ... Irish, I think? Or Welsh, maybe? There's Old English, Middle English ... Old French? Different handwriting, too -- it's probably been passed down from generation to generation." She looked up suddenly. "Beej -- take a look. Do you recognise the handwriting of your spell? It's one of the more recent ones."

"I can't read so good," he told her. "And it's a Book of Shadows -- I can't touch it."

"You don't have to," she told him. "I'll hold it for you. And you don't need to read it -- just look at the writing. Does it seem familiar?"

She turned to the page with his summoning spell and showed it to him.

The demon squinted at the page for a moment, and then he nodded. "I've seen that writing before," he said, frowning. "But ... I can't remember where."

Rosalie sighed softly. "That's okay -- at least it's a --"

"Alex!" Beej exclaimed suddenly.

"Who's Alex?" Dewey asked.

"She's a witch," Beej told him. "She summoned me once ... it wasn't that long ago. Maybe -- twenty years? Thirty? I don't know -- time moves differently in the Netherworld."

"Do you remember her last name?"

"Mudport? Midtown? I don't know -- something like that." He gave her a sheepish look, his hair turning magenta. "Sorry."

"That's okay, Beej," Dewey said, putting a hand on the demon's shoulder. "You tried -- and it's more than we knew before. Right, Rosalie?"

She nodded distractedly. "Uh, yeah -- you did good, Beej. Mudport. Mudport. That sounds familiar ..." She looked up at them. "I'm sure I've seen that name -- or something like it -- before. Let me look through the alumni records -- maybe this Alex was a student at Horace Green once."

"You think she left the book at the school by accident?" Dewey asked. "An elementary school kid?"

Rosalie shook her head. "No, of course not," she replied. "But a lot of former students donate books to the library -- the Book of Shadows may have gotten mixed in by mistake."

"Or maybe it wasn't a mistake," Beej said.

"What -- you think she might've donated it on purpose?" Dewey asked.

"No, Alex wouldn't do that," came the reply. "But someone else -- or something else -- might've."

"Something else?"

"Yeah, like a higher power," the demon said. "Maybe they wanted me and Dewey to meet and become friends for some reason."

"Why?" Dewey asked.

"I don't know -- let me ask." Beej pulled a cellphone from his jacket pocket and keyed in a series of numbers before holding it up to his ear. "Hello? Is this the Higher Powers Department? Yeah, this is BJ -- did you guys leave a Book of Shadows at Horace Green Academy? Horace Green. In New York -- right. Okay, I'm here with two breathers -- yeah, I know ... I know, all right? Jeez! Anyway, they -- yeah, uh-huh ... okay ... right. I'll tell 'em. Okay, thanks. Bye."

He ended the call.

"Well?" Dewey asked impatiently. "What did they say?"

"They said you need to get your head examined, asshole -- you think I can just call the higher powers and ask? "

"Quit fucking around," Dewey snapped. "This isn't a joke!"

"Calm down, both of you," Rosalie said, stepping between them. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Just -- just let me do some digging. We'll get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, try not to kill each other."

"No promises," Beej said, scowling at his friend.

*****

The next afternoon, even though it was a Saturday, saw Rosalie at Horace Green, leafing through a century's worth of alumni records.

"Mudport?" she muttered. "Midport?" She shook her head. "I know I've seen a name like that ... somewhere in here -- aha! " she exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out a file. "Medford , Alexandra -- I knew it!"

She took the file over to her desk and sat down to go over it.

"Alexandra Medford," she read aloud. "Born May 20th, 1946 in Eastwick, Rhode Island ..."

She picked up the phone and dialled.

"Dewey? I may have something -- can you come to the school? Yeah, as soon as you can ... All right, see you -- huh? Uh, yeah, Beej can come if he --"

"We got here as soon as we could," Dewey said -- he and Beej were standing in her office.

Rosalie, her mouth open in shock, hung up the phone. "How ... how did you ..."

"I'm a demon," Beej told her.

"Man, what a rush!" Dewey said, grinning.

Rosalie shook her head rapidly and said, "I think I found something -- does the name Alexandra Medford sound familiar to you, Beej? From Eastwick, Rhode Island?"

"That's her! Alex Medford!"

"Okay -- that's a start. It says here that she donated to the library several times over the years ... she's now living in a retirement home in Eastwick." She reached for the phone again. "I'll call and see if we can arrange a visit with her."

Beej and Dewey grinned at each other.

"Road trip!" Beej said.

*****

The following morning saw the three of them in Dewey's van, heading along the highway to New England, Beej in the back seat.

Beej had wanted to teleport them, but Dewey had vetoed the idea. "I don't think Rosalie's ready for that yet," he'd explained.

"Are we there yet?" Beej asked.

"We just entered Connecticut," Dewey told him. "Still a long way to go."

"Hey, I got an idea! How 'bout we swing by and pick up Lydia?"

"Sorry, pal," Dewey replied. "Winter River's not on the way -- it's too much of a detour."

"Oh," the demon said, disappointed. He was silent for a few moments, and then he asked, "Are we there yet?"

Dewey and Rosalie rolled their eyes at one another, smiling.

"It's gonna be a looong trip," Dewey said.

*****

At long last Dewey pulled into the parking lot of Sunset Acres. He parked the van, and the three of them got out and made their way to the entrance of the building.

They approached the front desk, where they were greeted by a young woman with mousy blonde hair and a name-tag that read "Kimberly".

"How may I help you?" she asked.

"We're here to visit one of your residents," Rosalie replied. "Alexandra Medford. My name is Rosalie Mullins -- I called yesterday."

"Yes, I remember!" Kimberly said, smiling. She stood and came around the desk. "Alex is looking forward to it -- unfortunately, she doesn't get many visitors these days. She's having lunch now, but you can wait in the parlour -- it won't be too long. It's this way."

"Thank you," Rosalie said.

"How is Alex doing?" Beej asked as they followed Kimberly down the corridor.

"Quite well," the young woman replied. "She has a few problems with her memory, but nothing too serious, and she walks with a cane, but otherwise she's all right." She glanced at them. "Are you family?"

Dewey shook his head. "No," he told her. "BJ here is a ... an old friend of hers, and Rosalie is the headmistress of Alex's old school. I-I'm the driver."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you all. Here we are -- make yourselves comfortable, and I'll bring Alex when she's finished eating."

"Thanks," Beej said.

Kimberly smiled in reply, but her eyebrows dipped in puzzlement at the demon's appearance, wondering where Alex knew him from.

A few minutes later, Kimberly reappeared, accompanied by an elderly lady. Alex Medford might have been in her mid-seventies, but she was still a strikingly beautiful woman -- tall and slim, with a Mediterranean complexion, she had alert brown eyes, a long, straight nose, lips full and sensuous, with a mass of long silver curls framing her classical features.

Rosalie and Dewey both wondered what she had looked like when Beej knew her -- when she was in her prime, the woman must have been absolutely stunning.

"Alex," Kimberly said, "these people have come all the way from New York to see you. Isn't that lovely?"

"I'm Rosalie, and these are my colleagues Dewey and --"

"BJ? Is that really you? My God -- you haven't changed a bit!"

"And you're still as hot as ever, Alex!" Beej replied. "We should make out -- for old times sake."

"You couldn't handle me then," she told him with a grin, "and you can't handle me now, you old reprobate!"

He scowled comically. "Hey!" he said. "I got a reputation to uphold!"

"So what brings you all here?"

"I'm the headmistress of Horace Green Academy, and we found something that we wanted to ask you about."

Dewey reached into his satchel and pulled out the spellbook. "This is yours, right?" he asked.

"Wh-- how did you get that?" she asked.

"It was in a box of books that you donated to the school library," Rosalie replied. "We thought it might've been included by mistake."

Alex looked at Beej, then at the book, then back at Dewey and Rosalie.

"Somebody used it, didn't they?" she said. "That's how he's here -- somebody summoned him."

"One of our students found it among the Halloween decorations," Rosalie told her. "She didn't know it was real."

Alex looked at Beej, her eyes blazing. "What did you do? "

"Nothing, I swear!" he replied, raising his hands defensively, his hair magenta. "I wouldn't hurt anybody! You know me!"

"He didn't do anything," Dewey said. "In fact, me and him are friends. And the kids love him."

Rosalie nodded. "He's a ... a decent person. For a demon."

"Thanks!" Beej said brightly. He elbowed Dewey in the ribs. "See? I told you she'd be cool with it!"

He turned to Alex. "We just wanna know how your spellbook ended up at the school, Alex. I mean, the kids coulda gotten into some bad shit, you know? Lucky for them, they got me instead."

The elderly woman shook her head. "I have no idea," she said. "It ... it must've been my daughter -- she packed up the last of my things when I came here. But why? She knows what that book is -- what it can do. It must've been an accident that it was included. I haven't used it in ages, not since she was a child -- she might not have remembered it." She held out her hand. "May I have it back, please?"

Dewey handed her the book.

"I'm so sorry this happened," Alex said. "I hope no one was hurt."

Rosalie smiled. "Everyone is okay," she replied. "Although some of us are still trying to come to terms with the idea of demons."

"And some of us are still trying to come to terms with the idea of breathers," Beej quipped.

Alex chuckled. "Don't let him out of your sight," she told Dewey. "If you give him an inch, he'll take a mile. Believe me."

"At least I'm better than that Darryl Van Horne guy!" Beej countered.

"Who's Darryl Van Horne?" Rosalie asked.

"Long story," Beej replied. "I'll tell it to you sometime." He leered at her. "If you're extra nice to me, that is."

"Beej," Dewey said, scowling.

"Relax -- I'm just joking! Jeez, can't a guy have a little fun around here?"

Alex chuckled. "Same old Beej," she said. "Don't ever change." She turned to the others. "Thank you for bringing this back to me -- and I'm sorry for any trouble it caused."

"Hey, that book is the reason me and Beej met," Dewey told her. "It wasn't, uh ... well, I mean ... he's kind of a handful, but --"

"Hey!" Beej protested. "Pot, kettle, black?"

"Yeah, okay ... I am, too, I guess, but ... he's my buddy so --"

"I think what Dewey's trying to say," Rosalie cut in, "is that it wasn't any trouble. We're just glad that we found the book's rightful owner."

"I'll be sure to keep it safe," Alex replied. "It won't cause any more problems -- I promise."

"Uh, is your daughter a ... a witch, too?" Dewey asked.

Alex shook her head. "No, Sarah didn't inherit the gift," she said. "But her daughter ... well, we'll have to see. Thank you again -- it was lovely to meet you both. And Beej --"

"Yes?" he asked, grinning in anticipation.

"Don't cause any trouble!"

"Me??? Ah, come on -- you know me! I never cause trouble -- it's you breathers who cause all the trouble! I'm just a poor demon tryna get by!"

Alex laughed. "Come here and give me a hug, you scamp!"

Beej winked at Dewey and Rosalie. "Told you she was hot for me!"

[aphroditestummyrolls]

Finally getting around to actually doing one of these <3 Thanks for tagging me @ceraunos! 

rules are to answer the questions and tag nine people you want to know better/catch up with! 

last song: No More from the Into The Woods Original Broadway Cast Recording

last movie: The Witches of Eastwick 

currently watching:

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (literally watching as I type this)

NOVA: The Planets 

currently reading:

Discipline, compassion and monastic ideals of community c.950-1250 by Katherine Allen Smith 

Medieval Medicine: A Reader (edited) by Faith Wallis

Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages by Roland Betancourt 

tagging: @multifandomhoodies, @natthemess, @winter-fir, @nicolodikaysani, @turtlepin, @polarcell, @cactusdragon517, @ilostmyothersock, @emotionallycompromisedrobots (No pressure at all! <3 Have fun!)

[dearevanhansenofficial]

10 QUESTIONS WITH DEAR EVAN HANSEN LONDON’S U/S LARRY MURPHY—MARK PEACHEY

He may have flown on Coldplay’s private jet, but Mark’s favorite song to sing in the shower isn’t from the famous band. He’s traveled the world fulfilling many roles along the way, but a country boy at heart, his favorite place to be is home with his family. Find out which app he uses all the time with his son, below.

1.) Where can people follow you on social media?

Instagram: @bigfatpeach Twitter: @bigfatpeach

2.) Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Leicestershire in the East Midlands where I still live today. I’m a bit of a country boy!

3.) What’s your favourite line / lyric from DEAR EVAN HANSEN?

“Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this?” I think every parent can relate to that one!

4.) What’s the first show you saw (West End, Tour, Broadway, etc.)?

The first show I EVER saw was on a school trip. It was a production of Hamlet. As for the West End, it was The Witches of Eastwick starring Ian McShane ,and the first show I ever saw on Broadway was The Producers starring Nathan Lane.

5.) What are you currently binge-watching on Netflix?

I’ve just finished series 3 of “Stranger Things,” which is great as I was a child of the ‘80s and they recreate the decade brilliantly.

6.) What’s your favourite app and why?

It’s gotta be Pokemon Go! Me and my son love to catch ‘em all!

7.) What’s your favourite song to sing in the shower?

“Break in a Glove” of course!

8.) What’s your go-to London spot?

I love the Southbank. Soaking up the atmosphere around the Globe and the National. 

9.) What’s a hidden talent you have that people might not know about?

I can do a great impression of a trumpet using just my mouth!

10.) What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

“To thine own self be true.” - Shakespeare.

[frankloko]

Susan Abigail Sarandon (/səˈrændən/; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. In 2002, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the film industry. Sarandon began her acting career in the drama film Joe (1970), before appearing in the soap opera A World Apart (1970–1971). In 1974, she co-starred as a Zelda Fitzgerald surrogate in the television film F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles', and the following year, she starred as Janet Weiss in the musical comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sarandon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994), before winning for Dead Man Walking (1995). She has also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Client, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for Dead Man Walking. Her other films include Pretty Baby (1978), The Hunger (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Bull Durham (1988), White Palace (1990), Little Women (1994), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Stepmom (1998), Enchanted (2007), Speed Racer (2008), The Lovely Bones (2009), Cloud Atlas (2012), Tammy (2014), The Meddler (2015), and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017). Sarandon made her Broadway debut in the play An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972) and went on to receive Drama Desk Award nominations for the Off-Broadway plays A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking (1979) and Extremities (1982). She returned to Broadway in the 2009 revival of Exit the King. Foto: internet Info: Wikipedia Colorização: @coresdopassado1 • • • • • #susansarandon #colorful #colorization #colorizedhistory #colorizedhistoricalphotos #colorizedphoto #colorizationdigital #colorizaçãodigital #colorizationphoto #colorização #colorizacaodefotografia #colorizaçãodigital #hollywood #hollywooddreams #hollywoodactress #brasil🇧🇷 #usa🇺🇸 (em Brazil) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkM0wJVOmLU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thisislizheather]

September Shenanigans 2021

So long, September! I can’t believe it’s finally here. And look, I try not to base my entire personality on the fact that I love this time of year so much but every year it’s getting harder and harder to deny it. There’s just something so electrifying about rainy nights and pumpkins on stoops, I’M SORRY. In any case, here’s what went down in September.

You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.

I’ve been using the greatest eyebrow growth serum OF LIFE and wrote a bit about it over here (with photographic proof!).

I recapped what I did from my summer list.

So obviously I had to create an autumn list because this is my life.

New podcast alert!

I made this chocolate zucchini banana cake with coffee frosting for Nathan’s birthday and we both fell in love with it. This will now be the only birthday cake I ever make for him, it’s incredible.

I went to the Italian restaurant Lilia in Brooklyn again because they always have the best focaccia (right now it’s cherry tomato with green garlic butter), so I got that as well as the corn-filled cappelletti with black pepper and pecorino and yes it was good but the pasta definitely lacked some sort of different textual element which would have sent it over the top in deliciousness. Am I being harsh? No. If you’re paying upwards of $20 for one plate of pasta, there has to be standards.

Above Photo: Cherry tomato focaccia with green garlic butter

Above Photo: Corn-filled cappelletti with black pepper & pecorino

I tried the pumpkin cream cold brew at Starbucks (with one pump of vanilla instead of two because they go nuts with their pumps) and it was only okay. Why do people love it so much? The salted caramel one looks good but I can’t bring myself to go back and try it. I have such a hate-hate relationship with Starbucks, so what the hell am I even doing going in there? The last time I brought my laptop in to work in a Starbucks was in 2019 and they played the whole Hamilton soundtrack on a loop TWICE and I almost lost my mind it’s such a terrible album. I feel like an alien for not being mesmerized by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but like… he sucks?

I ate at Forsythia again and it only confirmed its place in my mind as one of the best new restaurants of this past year. I finally tried and loved the short rib agnolotti as well as the pappa al pomodoro, which was like a beautiful tomato tartare, so summery and perfect.

I bought these pajamas from Banana Republic Factory because they’re soft as hell and I haven’t had matching pajamas since… never.

Links I’m Loving:

Okay, this is the cutest autumn sweater on the planet, COME ON.

Untold Horror is “a behind-the-scenes look into development hell to find the most frightening horror movies that never were, from unmade Re-Animator sequels to alternate takes on legendary franchises like Frankenstein and Dracula!” - this sounds like such a great read.

I Never Knew How Golden My Summers Were - a great piece on remembering the best summer of your life.

Creative Ways To Start Your Morning On A Good Note

Halloween Craft Idea For Kids: Pumpkin Stamps with Apples

Reason #214 Never To Get CoolSculpting

Tuesdays at Regal Cinemas are now offering $6.25 movie tickets! This definitely can’t last, so I’m going to make the most of it while it’s offered.

New seasonal candles are finally at Trader Joe’s.

Above Photo: Autumn candles at Trader Joe’s, September 2021

So it’s been established how much I love and support Milk Bar… but the new funnel cake soft serve is truly one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever ingested. Just shockingly gross. If you’re nearby, get a free sample and tell me how right I am.

I went for a late summer walk through Central Park and why don’t I do this once a week.

I can’t get over how beautiful this song is (thanks for introducing it to me, Jessie!), it’s toooo good.

There’s a sale on Aerie underwear right now IF you’re into that sort of thing.

I made a zucchini lasagna that was very good but in no way better than a meat lasagna.

Speaking of zucchini, if you own a deep fryer: please make this zucchini spaghetti or these cider battered chicken fingers and then ask me over.

I took this (free) (actually helpful) intro to SEO class online if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

I made these apple pie bars that are ridiculously easy, fast and incredible. I was feeling ambitious, so I made this quick caramel to pour on top.

I fell down a rabbit hole of researching all of the Broadway theatres in New York and I might get tickets to Girl From The North Country purely to sit inside the gorgeous Belasco Theatre.

Finally had the steak at L’Artusi and it was delicious. Best steak ever? God no, but good. They will, however, hold the title of best steak tartare in all of NYC though.

Above Photo: The steak at L’Artusi in the West Village

Above Photo: The best steak tartare in NYC at L’Artusi

New things I’ve watched and rewatched:

Searching For Italy: so, so great. I already wanted to travel around Italy and eat everything so watching this was a delight. It’s also just so enjoyable to watch people who love their jobs. The Tuscany episode was my favourite one, mostly because I love any and all panzanella talk.

I attempted to watch Basic Instinct but I was in a very specific mood and had to turn it off after the rape scene. Nah thanks.

Never Have I Ever (season two): Love that Common is in it, hoping he becomes a regular. I can’t stand the way the writers write the teen dialogue, it’s so cringeworthy, but if you can get past that it’s an absolutely okay show. That scene in episode nine with her & Paxton when he comes in from window? Shiiiiit.

Broken: it’s an episode about makeup and the lesson? Watch out for counterfeit cosmetics. Got it.

The X-Files (The Squeeze episode): Someone told me to watch this one because it’s supposed to be scary, but it wasn’t anything special. A waaay better episode is Pusher. Watch THAT one.

The Witches of Eastwick: How the hell have I never seen this before? So many parts are good. Would definitely rewatch. I’ll never get over how gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer is. Just maddening.

Scanners: boooooooooo. They shouldn’t make the cover look so good, it’s terrible.

Nightmare on Elm Street: Really holds up well. Always love it.

I’m rewatching Sabrina the Teenage Witch and kind of loving every minute of it. The episode where she becomes addicted to pancakes? A gem.

Was Dharma & Greg, like, a great show? I never cared about it at the time because I think I was too young to get into it but I just watched their Halloween episode and it was so good. Might look into this further.

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (season two): With the exception of the blackout episode and the extremely hot cameo from original Reggie (Ross Butler), this season has really sucked. And this is insane to me because I loved the first season, what the hell?

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I created an autumn highlight on my Instagram incase you care to see the fun things I’m planning on doing this month, excited to read Stanley Tucci’s new book, definitely going to make these pumpkin scones with a maple glaze, I will likely buy something from this year’s Halloween Lush collection, I’m gonna do a post about my recent trip to Salem (!), and I’m in the final stages of costume planning. God, I love this month.

If you have any interest in reading what went on in August, come on over here.

[greenwitching]

coming to broadway in 2021, Witches of Eastwick: The Musical