Sunday in the Park with Steam Powered Giraffe.

(or, as subtitled: You had me at 'la da da da da da.....')

It was a really good weekend for music. In all honesty, I sat around and listened to music all weekend. That's what I did. (Okay, I did do a few other things as well, but I was mostly paying attention to the music I was listening to while I was accomplishing them.) While within this past year I've fallen in love with House of Heroes & The Megas (who are both still awesome) other than that it's felt like a really long time since I've found fresh music that I really latch onto. 

Over the weekend I discovered my old recording of Sunday in the Park with George that I have (rather ashamedly) never listened to and instantly fell in love with it. Children & Art? One of the most gorgeous songs I've ever heard. I actually sat down and just listened to it when it came on. And then replayed it. And then played no music after it for awhile because nothing could have come after it. (You're going to go listen to that song now and probably not have the same reaction. Maybe I was just in the perfect mindset for it at the the right moment and maybe that's why it was so overwhelming, but it was incredibly lovely. Or maybe it's because nothing good is coming out on Broadway recently and I'm starving for it.)
And Finishing the Hat? Beautiful. Wow. I was reminded why I was so entranced at Dave's place the one time I watched the DVD. The musical is just a gorgeous piece of art in and of itself. I now have two shows on my "Shows-I'd-Like-To-Dramaturg-Just-For-Kicks" list. (Ragtime, of course, being the other.)
Seriously, I've got to listen to more Sondheim.
Now I wouldn't argue that it's a perfect show or necessarily recommend it to everyone - it's certainly slower at times and based more on character development than plot, and the music is minimalistic - so it really depends on what you're looking for. I haven't actually researched if this is true or not, but I read where: "Just as Seurat used only eleven colors, orchestrator Jonathan Tunickonly used eleven instruments in the pit...." and I've got to admit, that's pretty awesome.

Anyway, I was swooning over my good musical fortune when suddenly I saw this:
Les Mis released five new clips from the upcoming movie.  

"....AND LES MIS RELEASED FIVE NEW CLIPS?"
I have watched them over. And over. And over. And...over....  (Hey, autoplay is on. I can't mess with that.) Oh, Eddie Redmayne.... Oh, Samantha Barks.... I love you both.
I could give you my opinions of every clip, but that really seems unfair to shove my thoughts down your thought before you've seen them. (Even tho I usually do that anyway. :) ) So hey, if you watch them I'd love to know what you think first!

And then just when I was completely content surrounding myself with my musical happiness, I came across these guys:


(Man, that keyboardist is awesome.)

Meet Steam Powered Giraffe.

I had actually heard of them a few months ago via EpBot, but I think I ignored them because I was afraid they were going to be steampunk gimmicky and never looked into them. I think steampunk's really fun, but...in music? I figured it was just guys dressing up as robots and performing music and doing it....badly. Eh.

I was so wrong.
When EpBot posted about them again I decided to give them a chance. It took about three videos to really get a solid grasp on how good they were, but now I'm sold.

I love these guys. Their commitment to character through their movement and voice work is perfection and their music is really fun and so well done. And somehow at the same time they're also very silly and I think that's wonderful (see Captain Albert Alexander.) And they're completely family friendly!

This is a favorite of mine. Totally did not expect that music style to kick in by the title Automatonic Electronic Harmonics. :)


Actually, the first video I watched was Honeybee:



Which was almost a mistake (and why I didn't start off with it.) It starts off so slow that I almost turned it off within the first minute. But now it's one of my favorites. The harmonies kicked in and....seriously.
 The three characters involved are The Spine (silver makeup), Rabbit (glasses on hat) & The Jon (suspender man), although Jon has now been replaced by Hatchworth (not yet featured in their videos.) On their website they include full biographies for each characters as well as their background for their existing world.

"Hello, goodbye, twas nice to know you, how I find myself without you, that I'll never know...."

While they won't be everyone's cup of tea, I think they're absolutely wonderful showmen and musicians. I'm super excited to see what they do next. (And in the meantime, I'll keep replaying their videos on youtube....)

And that, my friends, was my very wonderful, very musical weekend.

The 66th Annual Tony Awards: Watchin' it Live....(EDITED: Now with video!)

Pre-Show:
Dang it, Tonys. Somehow - even when its been a bad season and I'm not excited about you....somehow I'm still excited right before you start. DON'T DISAPPOINT ME.

Predications:
I bet this year has been the highest grossing year on record. AGAIN.

Wants:
Please, oh please do some sort of special on the Les Mis movie! I want to see some more!

Oooh.... and I see Book of Mormon will be performing the opening number? I have no problem with celebrating all of theatre - past and present - at the Tony's but I get the distinct feeling we're still showcasing Book of Mormon because we have no other real shows to show off this year. That doesn't bode well.



CAT. IF YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE NOW, I'M NOT LETTING YOU BACK IN. DECIDE.

Aaaaaand.... it's beginning!
Opening Number:
Again. So out of all the musicals this year we couldn't come up with one opening number to create from them?
Although, if you did do something where last's year Best Musical presented the opening every year - as they mentioned - I guess that could be interesting. Sort of like a hand off from one year to the next.



Neil Patrick Harris: 
I like you, but....

Okay, another opening number!
What if life were more like theatre?
Okay, while I thought that was going to be really bland (because I'm so tired of songs like this) that actually turned out really fun! I'm shocked! Good job, Tonys! Who wrote that?
(EDIT: Apparently David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger from Cry Baby co-authored it as well as the ending recap song.)

Ahahahaha! Paul Rudd is explaining what a featured actress is. "They will pay to see these actresses who are as sweet as a Tibetan cake." Also very fun. We're off to a fantastic start! Since last year's introductions were really rough, this is awesome!

Um.... I don't know anything about the plays this year guys. I'm sorry I can't comment on any of them. I'm lame like that. Although from what I've heard I think Other Desert Cities is gonna sweep, especially since its kicking off winning the first award.

Whoa! And we're already kicking off the showcases with Newsies.
Gasp! Wasn't this the whole reason for Broadway's Moment in the Sun? Whoa, using that up awful early in the show, aren't we? *sarcasmsnarkysarcasm*
Seize the Day. Smart choice, guys. 
I wouldn't say the choreography is anything super special, but its really solid and well-handled. Its got a great stylization for it. Not as crazy about the newspaper work, but eh.
Nice showcase. That would make me really excited about seeing it if I was just going off this.



OH MY GOSH. GHOST IS GOING TO PERFORM. I've only seen clips. This should be intriguing.

Once took Best Orchestrations which I can totally get behind. While the movie itself is slow, it's gorgeous musically and I can see how it would be beautifully worked.

Best Choreography goes to Newsies. No surprise there.

Oh...Neil Patrick Harris....

Les Mis movie mention! *kermitflail*

Bernadette Peters! YAAAAAY! Finally. So far we've only had Patti Lupone & you as our broadway babies show up.

Follies showcase is up.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Oh my gosh, I don't know this show at all, but this does nothing for me. The number from the 2001 production ("I'm Still Here") was so, so much better. I still remember that performance. This is so...schizophrenic. I'm sure it's great in context, but.... not out of it.
AHHH! STOP! PLEASE STOP!



AHAHA! There's a guy in full Lion King costume just hanging out in the audience behind NPH. That's pretty funny. That will be even funnier if he doesn't feature later in the show.

Seriously, I've always wanted to know Follies better, but if I was going merely off that clip alone I'd run the other direction. ("Buddy's Blues" was performed if anyone knows it.)

Why do we want to see the cruise version of Hairspray again? Why?

Now Ghost.
Yes, that Ghost. Okay.... so they picked "Unchained Melody."
I have really strong ties to that song, so uh... unfortunately it just feels like its being butchered. I'm not sure that's what's actually happening, but I don't like it.
No, no, no, I didn't like these projections before and I don't like them now.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON. IS THAT THE GUY THAT MURDERED HIM!?
Ahhhh! When you pick songs where everyone sings all at once for the one time you're on national television and you can't understand the lyrics, uh.... 
I have no idea what any of that was about.



Once walks away with Best Direction. No surprise there. I'm calling it, I bet Once will finish us off with production numbers for the evening. The one legit piece up this year. (If, again, a tad boring at times its still pretty beautiful.) I'd go see it.

In the middle of speeches, I'm following Twitter hashtags, broadwayworld.com & Facebook. I feel like I'm watching with people even though I'm not! (I didn't ask anyone else to watch with me. I wasn't putting anyone through this with me.)

Jesus Christ Superstar. In the over ten years I've been watching the Tonys, I've now seen this performed on here three times.
Title song. Yup.
Although, really, I'm not sure what other song you'd showcase from this show. Heaven on Their Minds? Not as exciting. Not as catchy?
Fun fact: This was one of the first shows I ever watched performed on the Tonys, actually. I walked in on it in 2000 and happened to catch their number and Kiss Me, Kate's. The next year I started watching the full broadcast.
I don't like the weird dancing shadow-girls in the background. This feels like something from the 60's. Is this one set in the 60's? Choreography could support that.
Every time this show gets done, everyone is determined to modern the life out of it.
Whoa. Crowd went wild.



Matthew Broderick is in Nice Work if You Can Get It?

Ahaha! Amazing Spiderman commerical during the Tony's.

Hm.... I thought I'd seen it three times, but the Internet Broadway Database is telling me this is the only other time its been revived since 2000. Maybe another case of re-performing? My bad.

Chairman of the American Theatre Wing......but with ANGELA LANSBURY!
They knew they had to bring him out with someone that would keep people's attention. Or, at least she'll keep theatre people's attention.
Oh wow. NPH is hanging via Spiderman style behind them. It's a little silly, but it's at least getting us through this very boring and expected spiel. Very nice. Applause.

Hm... everyone is commenting how this is the worst Tony's ever. Amusement. That's the comment every year. Considering how low my expectations were for this telecast, I'm partially enjoying myself.

Christian Borle for Peter & the Starcatcher. No surprise there. I would really like to see that one. I really wish they'd show clips from plays.
Aww...! He thanked his mom!

Hey, its Matthew Morrison! He has a beard.
Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Ooo..... she has a really pretty voice. I wasn't paying attention. Who is she? She looks familiar. KELLI O'HARA. No wonder! (Light in the Piazza.)
Matthew Broderick is Matthew Broderick, but at least I've followed what's going on in this segment!
Well his segment got boring and I'm not crazy about the choreography, but I'd go see it for her! Gorgeous!



Once takes Best Book. That's got to be a tough show to get right, so good job.

I'm noticing a severe lack of Broadway royalty this year so far. That makes me sad. So far we've gotten Lansbury, Bernadette, Lupone & O'Hara. James Earl Jones is there, we just haven't seen him as much yet.

Once takes Best Sound Design.

"The Broadway League is proud to announce another record-breaking season."
Blah blah blah blah......blah blah..... Wait, some shows this year featured unexpected melodies? Did I misunderstand that? Wait.... I think she was talking about plays. Sorry. I can accept that. I was gonna say, did you miss "Unchained Melody" earlier?

Play Segment:
Peter & the Starcatcher clip! I would love to see this! Cute!
Okay, the plays are really rocking it tonight. Maybe it was an awesome year for plays this year. If so, that is awesome.
One Man, Two Guvner's is freaking hysterical! Look that clip up if you missed it! (I'll try to add in video clips later.)
"STELLA!"





I finally found the One Man, Two Guv'nors bit in the above clip, but you'll have to fast forward to 2:24 to see it. I think its worth it. Also, that clip will feature its segment for A Year in Plays if you're interested in that as well.

Um. Why is Josh Groban going to be on the Tony's?

Judy Kaye had a great awards speech. My favorite so far. Always knew her name, but did not realize she was the original Carlotta or that she was Emma Goldman in Ragtime! Two of my favorites!

Okay, Neil Patrick Harris, you've been great, but can we get someone new next year?

Porgy & Bess is next! AUDRA MCDONALD! NORM LEWIS!
If you don't know Mr. Lewis, you should check out the song "The Devil You Know" from Side Show. He's got a great voice. And if you don't know Mrs. McDonald, well, you should check out anything she's ever done. *love*

Neil Patrick Harris is going to sing again.... In the classic "let's sing songs from every broadway show" segment. I swear they do a segment like this every year. I like hearing all the songs and references but I wish we could find some new way to accomplish this. Am I being picky there?



Oh well. At least it lead into Best Score....Sheryl Crow? Sheryl Crow's presenting? Oh. She wrote for something entitled something Diner. Okay.
Whoa! Bonnie & Clyde was nominated for something? (Wildhorn.)

Goes to Newsies. Eeeh.... I've heard some of the new music. The original music is great, but....

"LOOK MA! A TONY!"
Okay, that was cute.

PORGY & BESS.
Excuse me, I'm gone for a second.
Man I loved hearing her sing "Summertime" and I looooved all the singing. Lots of awesome energy. So, so sad I can't see that one. I don't know this show that well and I would love for this to be my introduction.
This reminds me of the year the Ragtime revival stole the show.



Rock of Ages commercial. LOL. Um. Yes, I will be going to see this. Probably opening weekend. Even though I'm not entirely sure it won't be terrible. In fact, I think it might be. But man the marketing's been great on it. And I've heard that's supposedly Tom Cruise's actual singing and if so, then that's phenomenal. (You can find clips on amazon.)

Josh Groban is introducing Once? Is there a connection here I'm missing?
Once seems fine and pretty, but this song wouldn't make me go see the show if I knew nothing about it.



I'm confused why that girl is standing in the middle of this song and looking confused. I suspect she is the Girl, but.... so far her whole feature is to stand there and look overwhelmed. I did like that bridge section though. Nice build. Wait, didn't they meet over a vacuum cleaner? Is that still in there?

WHY DO WE CARE THAT THIS THE "FIRST TIME EVER FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN"?! I don't care that you're going to reshow Hairspray. They keep reperforming on the Tony's. It's a great show, but pick another one.
Ah. Apparently there was a Josh Groban slam in Once and its an inside joke from the movie. That's pretty cute.

Also, as much as I like "Falling Slowly" I'm impressed they didn't choose that one. Good job. 

I always like seeing the Broadway signs on the Tonys. They always make me happy.

Evita is coming up next. With Ricky Martin.

Jim Parsons introducing Best Play! Yay!
Whoa, Tony goes to Clybourne Park? I'm surprised. Is that an upset?

*blinks* It's Ziva from NCIS! Introducing Evita. With Ricky Martin.
That went about as expected. He was okay.
And in the feature for Evita, Eva Peron got to sing I think two lines.
I've never been able to get into this show.



They're really pushing this Hairspray from the High Seas thing. That's really getting old. What was it last year?

They also keep mention---

LES MIS TRAILER! *kermitflail!*



They also keep mentioning Hugh Jackman coming up so I'm crossing my fingers it'll be something awesome with the Les Mis movie. SHOW US RUSSELL CROWE.
Seriously, everytime I wonder if Crowe will be able to sing "Stars" all I hear in the back of my mind is:
"Can he sing, can he sing?"
"Hear, I have a note--"
"LET ME SEE IT."

Godspell was revived? CAN WE PICK OTHER SHOWS TO REVIVE?!
Bring Back Birdie. I want to see Bring Back Birdie on the Tonys.
Oh YES. DO A FLOP SEGMENT. OH PLEASE DO A FLOP SEGMENT. Carrie's already back!!
That would be awesome.



Awww! Is that poor guy trying to pick up some of the confetti? Maybe not.

Patti Lupone! Mandy Patinkin! Okay. That segment was great. Introduction for Best Revival of a Musical.
PORGY & BESS! WIN! WIN! WIN!

Happy, happy, happy....

Aaaand right after that.... FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON THE TONYS.... LIVE ..... Hairspray  on the HIGH SEAS!
I'm not kidding. They just said that.
Why is this getting so much importance. Seriously. They're on a cruise ship. It's a musical on a cruise ship. This is nothing new, people.



Darn it, Hairspray. I want to hate this and your music is so freaking catchy.

Wait, wait, wait.... Leap of Faith will be our final performer for the evening?

And Hugh Jackman is just getting a special award? I don't care! SHOW US THE MOVIE.

Porgy & Bess is trending on twitter. That's hysterical and awesome. 

I love how the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre gets presented earlier, not televised, and given a five second clip of the speech, while Hugh Jackman is about to receive some sort of award for....what exactly? I mean, he's awesome, but uh....
For his "extraordinary contributions to the Broadway community."
I know he's raised a lot of money for the community, and that's really, really wonderful, but.... Lifetime Achievement? LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT?! Nothing?
His speech, though, especially to his wife was really sweet. I'll give him that. He always seems so nice. She apparently surprised him, he didn't know she was going to be the one presenting it to him. Cute.

"I'm sad to announce that that production of Hairspray was just taken over by pirates....of Penzance."
Okay, that was sort of cute NPH. (He's been doing mashups all night.)

The Guy from Once took Best Performance for an Actor in a Musical.
He's thanking the ensemble! Good job, you!
Oh my goodness. Just gave a beautiful speech about his mom who just lost her life to cancer.

What is Candance Bergan wearing exactly? I just looked up.
The guy from One Man, Two Guv'ners won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Play! I'm so excited for him - that performance earlier was so, so funny! YAY!
He seriously just beat out Philip Seymour Huffman, James Earl James and Frank Langella. I would be speechless too.
Awww! Another great speech! Applause, applause.

Oh.... Here we go. Leap of Faith.
I can't pinpoint why I didn't like that.... I did at least understand everything that was going on, which after some of the other performances of the night, is a major plus. But I just didn't really like it. Esparaza looks really out of place in this show. There's a ton of energy here, they're really working hard. Anyone else? What did you think?



YES. Last year's winners of Best Musical (Book of Mormon) will be presenting for Best Musical. I can totally get behind that. Much better than Chris Rock. I was kind of dreading the announcement of who it would be.

Ahahaha! I don't know who this lady is (winner of Best Supporting Actress in a Play) but telling presenter Christopher Plummer "Sir, you were my first crush, When that whistle blew in Sound of Music...." was super cute.
I like her. She's really funny. And genuine. She was from the play Venus in Fur. 



WHAT DO YOU MEAN COMPLETE SIGNAL LOSS?!

.....
....

Okay. We're back. Dish, don't do that to me.

AUDRA MCDONALD. AUDRA MCDONALD MUST WIN.
(Best Leading Actress in a Musical)
Hey! Bonnie & Clyde got another nomination!
AUDRA MCDONALD FOR THE WIN! Her first Tony for a Leading Actress. Yes. You rock, Audra.

Ah. Royal Caribbean was one of the Tony's sponsors. That explains a lot.

We're up to Best Musical.
Winning Best Musical changes your life. You're transformed from an artist...to an artiste.
Tonight, we, who are the Broadway establishment!

That was really funny, guys. Good job.

I wish I could find video of that. I'll keep looking.

So Once or Newsies?
I'm calling Once. 

Once! 
 
That introduction was so good, these guys should host next year.

So! Bad to okay productions, a couple great ones, a mostly wearying host and an enjoyable evening mostly because of my low expectations. And, despite it all, because I still love theatre.

I do like this writing-the-end-song-throughout-the-show bit they've done two years now. I really liked the rap last year (mostly because Miranda wrote it.)



Goodnight everybody! If anybody else watched it, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Catching Up: Class, Tonys, Articles and More.

Let's play catch up!

The Wedding Class....
....is mostly why I've been away. It was a wedding intensive class that began this past Sunday through Wednesday (where I graduated to Pomp & Circumstance, ha) and lasted from 8:30 - 5:30 every day in the city. And paranoid me left at 6:30 every morning to ensure I would beat traffic and make it to class on time.

And while I was rather terrified to go through the first hands on experience (since this was my first time around other designers) everything went okay. I learned a lot and it was really kind of nice to have a four-day designing focus, rather than multitasking computer, order taking, satisfying customers, etc. Not that those things are bad. Just that it was nice to strictly soak up some design wisdom and let some of it gel in my head a little better. Especially for wedding work.

I did solidify a few styles (one of which we just used today in the shop) and learned a few crazy things as well. For one, I never thought I'd be able to complete a composite flower which is several flowers put together to form one large bloom. So she showed us how to make a glamela (glad blooms) and we completed one and then she quickly showed us a composite rose. And it looked easier than I expected. So while we had some extra time on our hands this morning I wanted to make one while I could still remember how: 

 

In this picture it kind of looks like one giant bloomed-out rose, but that's kind of the whole point too.  That's actually three roses put together. I would love to make more of these, I think they're really beautiful. (And I was so excited to make one.)

Anyway, I essentially was coming home, eating dinner with grandma, rewriting my notes and crashing.

But I saw some awesome girls....
.... and had a chance to spend the night with them before my class started.  :) I spent the night with the Puckett family and played games and sang karaoke and had a general blast. Maybe I can sneak over there one more time before summer is up. ;)

Did I mention the Tonys are this Sunday?
Oh wait, I haven't.
Um.
I'm just not excited this year. I'll watch them (and blog inner-monologue style) but I'm just not anticipating them this year. I wasn't really last year either and they pleasantly surprised me and gave me lots of hope, but look at this years Best Musical lineup:
Once
Newsies
Leap of Faith
Nice Work if You Can Get It

Now. Not that I'm not excited for Newsies to finally be on Broadway (although, honestly, I'm not all that crazy about some of the new music I've heard) and not that I don't think Once can do well there (although, honestly, it is pretty slow in some places.) But the top three are all based off movies and the last one - while it has a new story - is essentially a Gershwin review. Where's the originality? It's nowhere. At all. And it just kind of depresses me a bit.
Okay, so it was a slow season for new stuff. How about the revivals?
Evita
Jesus Christ Superstar
Follies
Porgy & Bess 

I am VERY excited to see Porgy performed because it features none other than Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis (ahh!) but I've also heard amazing things about the supporting cast as well. That one, I'm stoked for. But the others? How many times has JCS been revived recently? Evita? Nothing new. Follies? Great show from what I've heard (my shame, I don't know that one as well), but again, played a lot.

And I'd tell you about the plays, but sadly I know nothing about them. So consider the rest of it strictly referring to musicals, because I'm telling you up front I just haven't kept up with the plays. 

This article that was posted today makes me sad: For Broadway Fans, A Moment in the Sun. It mostly discusses how nice it is for Broadway to be mainstream for a little while (and it is) and how shows like Glee, Smash and High School Musical have been the main backbone for that happening.
While I haven't been able to get into those shows, I don't have a problem with them. In fact, I like that Glee does pull a lot of old showtunes and breathes new life into them for a new generation. My problem with the article is not that our "moment in the sun" is because of these television shows. My problem with the article is when you continue reading it gives the impression that Broadway is gleaming right now with success. Newsies is finally on Broadway. This is the highest grossing year ever. We are awesome.
I'm really frustrated with this. This is a terrible year for musicals. We've been in an originality drought for awhile now, but really? Not a single show? I mean, at least in the past we've had Memphis (that's a joke.)

I'm not upset with the television shows that the article claims: "I trace this surge in popularity back to 2006's "High School Musical." Sure, I despised it (and the endless sequels) with a fervent passion, as any true musical nerd would. It turned our beloved world into a pop singer-filled, Disney Channel-style, teenybopper show." but within our own community. Why aren't we encouraging and supporting good, original art and pushing for it to be on the Great White Way where there's a better chance a larger community will see it? Why aren't we calling foul for this? Why aren't we helping promote or demanding a higher quality? Why isn't someone at least trying something instead of just rewriting movies with songs?
Probably for the same reason I haven't raised a fuss this year. Because we have in the past and now we're tired and a bit jaded with the whole thing.
I do realize there is a lot happening in smaller venues now, off-Broadway and way way off-Broadway and that's great. But I also wish we could open back up that larger market where the creative shows could potentially gain more attention and maybe one day create more of a demand for thought provoking and high quality work.
Ah well, a girl can dream.

And let me reiterate - turning a movie into a musical isn't bad in and of itself. I just wish it wasn't seemingly every show right now or that they would do something new with it. Lion King is the perfect example. Its a movie to a musical and while it's not a perfect overall show, it is excellent in so many capacities. Puppetry work? Absolutely worth the hype. The opening number? Outstanding and worth every laud. Scenery? Music? Lovely. This is a great example of breathing new life and making something truly theatrical from something that's been done before. I realize that kind of brilliance can't happen every time - that's why its so special - but its an excellent description of what I hope for in movies turned musicals and why they can be good. 

Actually, I think I hate that article. I think its dumb. And seriously, how does an article entitled "Broadway's Moment in the Sun" not include....

....the upcoming Les Mis movie.
The Les Mis trailer is still gorgeous and I'm still a bit shocked it looks so perfect. This would be such a hard show to get right and I'm so excited by all the pictures! December seems just around the corner.

And yet, there's one nail biter beforehand. 
The Dark Knight Rises marketing keeps throwing me from one side to other. I thought the Catwoman poster was stupid, yet I love all the tv spots I've seen lately. So I'm hoping its actually awesome and the marketing team has just been confused this whole time. Or if not awesome, at least solid. Please, Nolan, I want a solid ending to a good trilogy. Pleeeeeease.

However, my boss is awesome and when I begged to please, could we please be done with the wedding work by 7:00 so I can go see this movie, please oh please she laughed and said of course. So Dark Knight Rises opening weekend, here I come. Mwee!!

Let's make up for that last article.
I can assure you, this one will do it. This is a story about how a five-year-old boy and his mother got onto the Avengers set, was able to take pictures with some of the cast and how awesome they were treated by all the cast members and crew. I love it. It's super cute, really heartwarming and very "aww" worthy.
The picture of him with Loki alone is worth it. (It's at the top, I won't spoil it.)

Have you heard that saying about the thunderstorms being a good omen for Thunder?
Cause I'm sure sick of it. EVERY. WEATHERMAN. EVERY. FORECAST.
But I am glad they won, I'm thrilled for them and I'll watch the finals. They actually make watching the game fun and intense to watch, which isn't saying I usually say in context with basketball. Ever. I think these are the first full games I've ever watched where a family member wasn't playing in them. So go Thunder! You are awesome. You actually have made me enjoy basketball.

That's the majority of what you've missed. We are launching into wedding season now which will keep me busy, but not like this past week. Hurrah! I should be as back as I ever am.

First Les Miserables Trailer! (EDITED)

I have never been this purely excited for a movie musical.



So. Freaking. Happy. I've lost count the number of times I've watched it.

I know it's only the first trailer, but this looks gorgeous and so dead on.

Finally, Les Mis. You've waited a long time to bring your musical self to the big screen, but it looks like the wait may have been well worth it.

EDIT:
Also, I just learned that Colm Wilkinson will be playing the Bishop in the movie. I feel like shouting "THEY CARE, THEY REALLY CARE!" from the rooftops.

Things.

1) The Tony Nominations Happened?
Apparently they were announced today. I just happened to visit Playbill. I guess my body still has some sort of internal Tony clock that tells me when to check in. 
Anything of interest? Um... Newsies is up for Best Musical along with Once, but honestly other than that not much catches my eye. Peter & the Starcatcher is up for Best Play. Porgy & Bess is up for Best Revival. Yeah, I'll still check in at Tony time, but there's nothing here that really makes me want to keep up outside of those. Once received the most nom's this year clocking in at 11. Which doesn't surprise me either.
Sigh. In the Heights, I miss you. Miranda, come back. (Or Ahrens & Flaherty. Or Guettel. Someone, come back!)

2) It is May. And I hate May.
May, can we let bygones be bygones? You mostly don't like me. I mostly don't like you. You've set me into stressful fits of rage the last two years in a row. It's true, that was more related to work issues. The computer & whatnot. But let's just chill this year. Truce? Truce?

3) So you're preparing for Mother's Day, huh?
Actually, right now we're in a flurry of activity revamping our (entire) wedding process. It's becoming a huge investment all across the board and due to a sudden deadline we have to have part of it done by the end of this week. And then I need to update & revamp our portfolio. And then comb back over all our social media to see if it's a solid representation of us. And then make it through my wedding class in June - which I'm super excited about - but its still a touch intimidating.
Though I did learn that apparently all these classes are done only through the OKC center. Which means people fly from all over the nation to attend these classes. Cool!
And yes, Mothers Day is next week so that'll take precedence very soon. We're very busy for currently not having any daily work to do.

4) But I do get to see Holly tomorrow!
Holly and I are having a Trigun day. Season 1! The happy season! And then Phoenix Diner! It's a plan. I'm excited.

5) Again. My Kids are Freaking Cute. 
And just in case there was some part of you that doubted my kids are indeed the cutest. ever.

Pic shamelessly stolen from Amy. Great shot, Amy!

LOOK AT THAT FACE.

Seriously. Happiest face ever. I love this little now-somehow-five birthday baby. :)

6) The Moose is Back.
There is a theatre in NY called The Beautiful Soup who is reviving Moose Murders. Moose Murders, which opened in 1983, is the Carrie of plays. The big flop. The original of flop-dom. The show that played 13 previews, and opened and closed on the same night. 1 performance.

Personally, I love that they're doing this. Maybe it's just because I want to see Bring Back Birdie. But I've often thought I'd love to be near a theatre that once a season revived a major flop (or terrible show.) And whether they play it for laughs or try to attempt it legit, their intent could change depending on the show. Just giving it one more life.

They even made a trailer for it. I love it.



7) Oh, and speaking of "The Flop...."
There will be a cast recording of the recent Off-Broadway revival of Carrie! YAY! I'll get to hear Marin Mazzie tackle "And Eve Was Weak" which is very exciting.
Sadly, the song list does not include "Out for Blood." Somehow the song about hacking a pig got cut.
Oh, Carrie. You make me smile.

8) But Once Upon a Time doesn't.
This is actually the first time I've discussed Once on here I think. I almost hate to now.
Look.
.....
Look.
I've been watching this show all season. Because it's bad.
I'm sorry if you like this show.
But....it is bad. Laughably.
However, this weeks episode was not necessarily laughably bad. It was just downright painful.
And despite the fact that I've been watching this show because its bad, this episode was so bad that I don't even know that I'm willing to finish out the series. Even though we're only two episodes away.
Because it was THAT BAD.

Can you even comprehend that level of terrible? Because I sure couldn't

Thank goodness for the Dark Knight trailer.

On a Timer: Go! Gotta run, gotta run now....

Ahem.

I have not left the blogosphere, but I have had Less Than Much to talk about lately. Also, sadly, blogging usually takes at least 45 minutes to an hour of my time and I have not been willing to give it that. Nor should it usually take that long.

And I did promise my body I'd be in bed by 11:00 tonight. However, due to the I Must Start Posting Again drive I'm giving myself a 15 minute abstention, as well as a 15 minute timer. It is 11:01. What can we discuss in 14 minutes.

1) My Town is Stupid.
This should really be its own post. But in Friday's paper it was announced that my town would be closing 3 of our 4 tornado shelters due to the fact that they don't meet the Disabilities Requirements Act. That's fine - I understand they need to be updated - but update them. Instead the article informed us that a) not only did the fourth shelter not meet the requirements either and that b) it only holds "about 100 people" but that c) instead we should prepare for alternative action. Like getting in a closet. Or bathroom.
I'm not kidding.
Look, how many times recently have we heard of a town "needing to be underground to survive." Too many. And while its true that our particular town hasn't had that particular event yet, we live in Tornado Alley. I'm aware that most of the time getting in a closet will do it, if you even need to do that - but come on. For those rare times you do need to be underground, you will regret it deeply if you aren't. There is no excuse for any town in our state to be without underground shelters. It is foolish.

2) I Love Lynn Ahrens and You Do Too.
Apparently one of my favorite musical lyricists (of Flaherty/Ahrens fame Ragtime, Once On this Island & Seussical) has continually worked on SchoolHouse Rock since its inception. (Thank you, Wikipedia!) So if you loved the songs The Tale of Mr. Morton, Interjections! or Interplanet Janet then you do too. (She's worked on lots of others. Those were just the ones I remembered the best.)

3) Now for the Ultimate Question.
I finished reading Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for the first time. While I didn't realize it wasn't a stand alone book (and was surprised by that), I have borrowed the Complete version so I'm good to go. It was very refreshing, very fun and I'm excited to read the other books since I think I'll know less of the jokes ahead of time. (They were still great, but the ones that really made me laugh out loud were the ones that caught me off guard.) Marvin is still my favorite, although I love Trillian, and I love the Genuine People Personalities built into the computer system. The doors were my favorite. I'm looking forward to the next one.

4) I Miss Godzilla.
I must break out Final Wars soon. Anyone want to watch a Godzilla movie with me? Or we can watch a new one? Pleeease?


Down to three minutes. 

And I'm blanking! I'm blanking!

5) A Whole Class on Weddings.
My bosses were able to get me into the Teleflora Education Center's Wedding Class in June. It's a four day intensive study of all things bridal bouquet, consultations, pricing and wedding work and I'm pretty excited to take it.

Aaand just barely over a minute!

Schmaltz Never Dies: The Phantom Sequel Review (Edited)

EDITED: "Oh my gosh, you're adding MORE WORDS?"
I am.
I want to establish that this actually isn't the worst thing I've ever seen and reiterate that this review isn't an attempt to just slam the show. If you take it as a stand alone piece without the original then its mediocre, bland and still pretty bad but not to the level it falls in connection with the original story. The whole problem is that it not only ignores the lessons learned at the end of the original, but really seems set out to destroy that they ever happened in the first place. That's what bothers me the most.
No, the worst production I have ever seen actually falls to The 10 Commandments: The Musical which is available on DVD if any of you are as curious as I was. It was filmed in 2006 and stars Val Kilmer. I kid you not.
At least Bad Year for Tomatoes had Piney.

Back to Original Review:

This is a very, very long review. I'm not sure you're actually that interested. Suffice it to say the story was bad, the lyrics were bad, the music was good and the sets were eh except for one amazing Peacock visual. There, I've summed up my entire review in one sentence, but this is Phantom and I like to elaborate. A lot. So here is my very detailed review, if you're so inclined.  


 So....Love Never Dies.


Hm.

If you're unfamiliar with that title then you should know that this is the musical sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Yes, the musical sequel. Composed by Webber himself. There was a theatrical release of the stage show last Wednesday night in certain AMC theatres and I would've never known about it if Will hadn't asked me one night why I hadn't told him. (I had no idea they were doing this. Why would they be doing this?!) But I was thankful for the opportunity to a) see it and b) not pay as much money as the theatre would require. Since I knew what I was getting into. (Oo, foreshadowing.)

Also, this was my first musical sequel. Yay! Having these opportunities come around so rarely I was thrilled to snatch one up.

First off: technical issues. It didn't help that the show was recorded badly. During the four or five large ensemble numbers, they had failed to record the chorus correctly (at least that's what we were told was wrong.) Therefore you essentially heard the faintest bit of singing of the chorus in the background along with the orchestra and then suddenly out of nowhere you'd hear the lead break in incredibly loudly. It was most amusing in "Bathing Beauty" where Meg takes to yelling out what kind of bathing suit she's wearing. So you'd hear:
"bathing beauty, on the beach, bathing beauty, wave hello---"
"STRIPES!!"
"what a cutie, what a peach, bathing beauty--"
"DOTS!!"

I'm not even joking. I assured Brad he really didn't want to hear that song anyway.
Though, the manager did come out (after Brad went and pointed out the problem) and gave everyone free passes. So they did work to fix it, even though it wasn't really their fault to begin with.

Yes, speaking of my friends, Brad & Regina actually came with me. You know you're loved when you can convince your friends to come see (of all things) Love Never Dies with you when they have - not only zero interest - but interest in the negatives. Thanks for being such good sports, guys. :)

So how does it rate up?
Sigh. Well. I guess it all depends on what context you put it in. Are you really looking at it as a sequel or as its own stand alone piece? Neither is good, but one is slightly better than the other. But since this is set out and marketed as a sequel, that's the context we're going with. (Also, while I can't really attach the two, I still have trouble considering it without the first.)

Look, when they first announced the Phantom sequel for real I laughed hysterically. I've heard for  years that he was working on it, but it seemed so ridiculous - and the book he was originally basing it on was so ridiculous (Phantom of Manhattan, by Fredrick Forsyth) - that this whole thing has felt like a total joke. But I was also upset, because the last thing I wanted them to do was ruin the original. So I saw no good coming out of this.
That being said though, guys - honestly - if they could have pulled this off I would love to be happy for them. If Phantom had been the first show to pull off the musical sequel successfully, I think I would have loved that. So yes, I'm a Phan - and I'm even a Phangirl to a solid extent - but I'm still working to make this is a pretty unbiased review. That's my aim. 

(If you want a track by track review, I recently came across this one at a blog called Musical Cyberspace that's pretty awesome. It refers to the original production. The DVD/Theatrical Release is the new Australian production with a newcomer named Ben Lewis as our Phantom.)

The....er... Better Than Expected?

Look, this show isn't good. But from the original reviews I read that first preview night to what I saw tonight, I can tell you there at least have been some improvements. The biggest one lies with the ending - not that it really changes it that much, I guess - but its something and I won't spoil it.

In the beginning, I remember Webber talking about how few times he wanted to reference the original show musically speaking and I was disappointed in that. When you attempt a musical sequel you can't just abandon the music of the original. I'm kind of biased here, because I LOVE musical references and music attached to characters and plot points, etc. In terms of a musical, it can add so much more depth to the show and not necessarily feel like a "oh, I had to see the first one to get this" moment. So whether they were originally placed there or not, there are a lot of them now and they do add a lot to the show. They're not all great, but the majority of them are, and I was glad to see them there.
Speaking of the music, Webber can still create great melodies (ooh! but he steals! Puccini! blah blah, okay, whatever....). I actually really love the instrumentals of "Beneath the Moonless Sky" but the lyrics, oy. Never mind. We'll get there. For the most part, the music is what it should be when it should be: pretty, lush, or vaudeville.

Thankfully, the Phantom is not completely emo. He does actually threaten to kidnap Gustave (Christine's child) if she doesn't sing. Obviously I'm not promoting kidnapping, but that is something the original Phantom would have done. It's the only moment we really see that menace, that control still there instead of this sobbing teenager. Now - again - this moment should never have to happen because he had redemption and learned the lesson of love at the end of the original GAH this sequel is NOT VALID but hey. It's the only moment in the show where he didn't feel like a complete wimp. I wonder if this part was added in to the new production.
Actually, a few scenes after that he and Christine have this great moment where he's all "no, you go now, I understand" and she's all "No, I'll sing for you anyway" and it's actually kind of sweet and you can see an actual friendship there. And it was great! But then IN THE VERY NEXT SCENE HE'S IN he's betting - yes, betting - Raoul that she'll sing and stay with him instead of leaving with Raoul.

Sheesh.
Do you see? Do you see you can't say anything good about this production without an exception tagged along with it?

And last but certainly not least.... The PEACOCK. During Christine's aria she's dressed in this costume that perfectly compliments this gorgeous peacock background that makes such an incredibly beautiful visual. Granted, you have no idea why she's a giant peacock, because there is absolutely NO CONTEXT for it but it's still really, really pretty and you no longer care by this point. 

The Bad

The scene I was actually looking forward to the most was "The Beauty Underneath" which is when the Phantom takes Gustave down to his....apartment/lair. When the first reviews started coming in preview night I heard over and over again about how this scene is essentially like an acid trip. Singing Medusa headed chandeliers, half human, half ape figures pushing around a tray, etc. (Those are the only two particulars I remember.) Well, they've changed that. Instead you now get about six glass pillars filled with "freak" people (mermaids, long fingernails, etc.) and some very random, weird and very disturbing all skeleton human/horse figure prancing around in the middle of it all. (And I do mean disturbing in a bad, bad way.) 

Also, why at the beginning of the show mention that Christine, Raoul & Gustave have two whole weeks to play in America? Why? That never comes into play again. And I can't believe for a second that these events play out over TWO WEEKS. It feels like three days. Suddenly, it's "tomorrow night" you're singing the aria. 

The lack of spectacle. This is Coney Island. Sure, there are a few pops here and there of the acts and the people, but not really. This show could have been set anywhere. Coney Island has no effect on the story or, apparently, the set. Maybe its just because we're spoiled by the lush sets & costumes of the original Phantom, but except for the Peacock scene, something is distinctly lacking here. Especially with the inspiration they could have pulled from Coney Island during that time period.

The names. Phantasma? Mister Y? Really? You don't have anything more clever? Is that nitpicking? I can't tell anymore.

Couldn't we give Gustave some character? Some more lines besides "It's so beautiful, it's so beautiful, so strange & beautiful" and "Daddy, play with me"? It sure didn't feel like it. And why does he have to be prophetic? Why can't he just be a (fairly) normal kid? Why is he obsessed with the strange and dark at ten years old? Kid, have you even seen strange and dark yet? Considering you're in the care of Raoul & Christine, I doubt it.

It is nice to see Raoul raise the question "Why Does She Love Me?" but its only nice because you've been wondering that same thing for the past hour and half. We have no idea why she loves Raoul anymore. They've thrown his character so far from the direction of his original that he has no redeeming qualities left. He yells at his son. He yells at his wife. He gambles and drinks their entire life savings away. And not once (until the end when its way too late) do we ever see any kind of tenderness towards any of them. Indeed, the choice has been made way too easy for Christine.

Also unfortunate is the trend towards younger Phantoms. I suppose you could blame this towards the recent craze of Ramin Karmiloo, but I really think it started back with the movie. The Phantom really, really needs to be so much older than Christine. That is not played with here at all. Yes, at two points his wig is knocked off and he looks older than her. But most of the time....? He looks 20. And indeed, part of that is because its a theatrical release and not the stage and you're seeing it so up close. But it doesn't help the story at all.

The Ugly (Or: What Did Real Harm to the Production)
(Also, Major Spoilers. Well. Probably Ones You Could Guess Anyway, But Still. Spoilers.)

I knew we were in even deeper trouble when they still listed Fredrick Forsyth's name as a credit across the screen as the beginning. I can only assume for the inspirations from his book. Sigh. 

The LYRICS.
Partially, that's an "in general" statement. I had already warned Regina that the music was beautiful, but all that stopped whenever they opened their mouths and words came out. That still holds true.

But its especially true for the title song which was particularly awful. Look. Any time the Phantom's character writes a song it must be fantastic. It must be the best. That's essential to his character, like his singing. And that worked great in the original - "Point of No Return" was a perfect addition. And then here you have.... "Love Never Dies." Musically speaking, it's not that bad (although I'm already cringing at it on the relisten since I know what's coming.) Lyrically speaking?

Bang my head into a wall. It would be less painful at this point.
I mean, this is what you have to listen to:
"Love won't let you go once you've been possessed.
Love never dies, love never falters,
Once it has spoken, love is yours.
Love never fails, love never alters,
Hearts may get broken, love endures.
Hearts may get broken, love endures."


LOVELOVELOVELOVE. LOVE. TRUELOVE. WE GET IT. LOVE.

The STORY. Not only does no one grow and no one really develops, it is essentially the exact same story & formula of Phantom. Phantom wants to hear Christine sing. Manipulates her into coming. Raoul doesn't like this. Phantom takes a character down to his lair for the "Phantom of the Opera" moment. Phantom's face is revealed to a character. Christine & Phantom have a "Music of the Night" scene. No one knows if Christine will sing! WILL SHE SING?! They even PREPARE THE ORCHESTRA. (You can practically hear it in your head: "Door 1 Secure? Secured. Door 2? Secured!" or in Love  "Is the orchestra ready? Ready? Are the lights ready? Ready!) Except this time - ha! - Raoul DOESN'T want her to sing. There's the twist. Christine sings. They have a chase sequence. The Phantom is emotionally ripped to shreds. The end.

Okay, so there's some fine line differences, but the formula is still pretty much the same.

And so is the story! What, we ultimately come down to "Will she sing?" again!? We even include the bulk of "Twisted Every Way" again?! The Phantom is still fighting with Raoul over who she'll go with? The Phantom is still wrapped up in how he looks? This whole thing feels so old! Didn't we do this already? Didn't we already learn these lessons??

And with the story goes the characters. Phantom is now pining after Christine....again. Except I guess the big twist to this story is that he's more human than mysterious figure which is....lame. Okay, it could be cool, but instead of continuing his character arc from the last show it feels like we've just started all over. Reboot. We didn't like the way the last one ended. We must start over.
Brad mentioned he would like to see Gustave not be the Phantom's kid (but still exist as Raoul's & Christine's) and have the Phantom step in as a Godfather/mentor role to Gustave in a way he never could be with Christine. Thus continuing his growth and paving the way for Christine & Raoul to forgive the Phantom. I thought that was interesting.

But I have never ever gotten behind the idea that the Phantom and Christine have a kid. Ever. Not in any iteration has it ever made sense in my brain and even less so in this one.
In the original London production of Love there is at least a lyric that says "Oh Christine, My Christine, in that time when the world thought me dead/ my Christine, on that night just before you were wed/ ah Christine you came and found where I hid....."

That particular lyric about when they came back together is removed from the Australian production. And I don't think I just missed it because Brad and Regina didn't catch it either, and I was waiting for it.

So. Without that lyric your only option for fitting this story together is to believe it happened during "Music of the Night." Which is ridiculous. Look, I've heard several people comment - years before the sequel - that that song symbolizes that they have had sex. But I've never been able to get behind that. For one, it should've been mentioned somewhere. For another, by the time the Phantom actually gets Christine in his hands he seems so bewildered with what to do with her. There's this control during "Music of the Night," but once she passes out from the mannequin its always played as such a tender scene where he picks her up and places her gently on the bed. And then goes back to composing.
Right? Did I forget something?

Not to mention, in the original Phantom "Final Lair" they have this exchange:
Christine: "Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?"
Phantom: "That fate which condemns me to wallow in blood has also denied me the joys of the flesh..."

Obviously nothing has happened yet. Otherwise that conversation is void. 

Relistening to the "Final Lair" now makes my head spin in context of the sequel. Phantom, how did you fall so far?

And Christine - who has just escaped with her life and the life of the one she loves - just....goes back to him? They have a kid?
Raoul becomes a drunkard and gambles away all their money?
I don't know what's going on anymore!

The Phantom and Christine have an entire ten minute segment - two songs long back to back - where they just relay exposition about the past? "Once Upon Another Time" should be cut. No questions. 
(There is way too much reliance on exposition in the entire show. Very little feels natural.)

Also, someone dies. And it feels like one of the longest death scenes in musical theatre history. Not only do they attempt to get up and move, but they have TWO reprises. TWO. I can actually remember listening to the cd and thinking "Sheesh, they haven't died yet?"
I've heard this production referred to as "Paint Never Dries" quite often, but during that last death scene all I could think of was "Schmaltz Never Dies." It popped unbidden to my head. It was not a deliberate "I have to come up with a mean parody!" slam. They just wouldn't DIE.

Oy. The whole ending is just out of nowhere. 

Is some of this plausible? Is it plausible at all? Sure, I guess. I guess I could see Mme. Giry & Meg smuggling the Phantom out of London and working for him. I guess I could see Meg trying to gain his affection....? I guess I could see Raoul becoming jealous of Christine's success and letting it go to his head and affect his choices....? I guess? If all that fell into place this story could happen? Even though it goes against almost all their character types?

Which brings me to this: 

The Final Say:
This is where my major problem with this production comes in:

This production should have never happened.

"Oh, Sherri, you just didn't want a sequel...."
That's true. But mostly, I just didn't want THIS sequel.

The end of the original Phantom leaves our characters forever changed we think. The Phantom - for the first time in his life - has had someone accept him despite his looks, despite what he's done to her and those she loves. Christine understands who he is, where he's coming from and still kisses him. And it obviously deeply affects him - despite his obsession he not only sends her away, but sends Raoul with her, provides the boat and then disappears himself. 
Christine - for the first time ever - has developed her own sense of character. For the very first time, no one tells her what to do here. In fact, Raoul is shocked and repulsed she did. Of her own volition though she makes the choice, one no on else here would make, and kisses him. But it's not out of romantic love. It's because she finally sees the "pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you you are not alone...."
 The obvious changes in both characters are so beautiful! The Phantom has had someone finally get past his looks, past his deeds. Christine has moved past her sense of uncertainty, fear and naivete. He gives her up. And the kiss is one of the great acting moments in the show for the Phantom. I love to watch how each one plays it.

And then.....nothing changes. We go back to the same story. All of this has been null & void. The Phantom goes back to longing for Christine. He still is wrapped up in his physical appearance. He still wants to hear her sing. Christine is back to being a mousy character. Does what people tell her to. Somewhere in there we're supposed to believe she seeks him out and has his kid in total secrecy. Whatever.

This musical doesn't make sense. When you play it back to back with the original the absolute absurdity of the character arcs really blast through. You lose Christine's purity which makes her whole character fall apart. You lose the Phantoms.....well, entire character.

This musical should've never happened because your characters would have never taken this path to begin with. 

Webber made comments on early in Phantom's history that he never understood why the piece was so successful and that he thought it was a "hokum." Those comments have never rang out so loud as they do here where it is obvious he has no idea why the first one succeeded. 

Overall, it's about what I expected, but its still frustrating to hear the creative team discuss how proud they are of this piece and how great they feel to have it forever sealed on film. I'm not saying there's not potential here for a decent show - because there is if you gut it and reconsider it enough - but it's certainly not there yet.

More Side-by-Side Phantoms: When Sherri meets Owens.

The Ultimate in Side-by-Side Phantoming:



Drool.

That is (left to right) Anthony Warlow, John Owen Jones, Colm Wilkinson &....Peter Joback? (I was immediately disturbed I did not know Peter Joback. I thought -somehow- in my Phantom wanderings I had missed a classic Phantom. Say it ain't so! No, he's actually new this past year to the role and picking up the tour this year in London. Relief.)

Okay, so it gets a little creepy when the five Phantoms are surrounding Christine (Sarah Brightman) and demanding she sing for each of them at the end, but eh.

The man who actually comes out in the Phantom mask halfway through is Ramin Karmiloo, who was playing him that evening. Michael Crawford doesn't sing, although he does show up at the beginning and end of the video.

If nothing else, you should at least flip forward to 9:30 in the video to see John Owen Jones sing the choicest note in "Music Of the Night" absolutely perfect. It's just gorgeous. I'm so torn on whether Jones or Warlow really shines best in this video. They're equally lovely in voice. I've always heard beautiful things about Jones' performance, but this is just total knockout. I actually admitted tonight he may be better than Warlow. (Gasp! That's so hard for me to say!) I can't tell if it's because Owens gets the really stellar lines or what. But either way, hearing them duet a few lines - and seeing Colm Wilkinson back onstage as well - is beautiful. This was a really awesome tribute for the fans. Especially since we have NO OFFICIAL RECORDINGS OF THESE TWO. NONE, WEBBER.  Out of ALL the Phantom recordings that exist - and there are a lot - somehow we have managed to miss two of the greatest and most classic Phantoms in its history. Sigh.

We still demand an Australian Cast Recording.

Finally, I saw Once.

So there's not really a lot to spoil in this movie, but I do give away the ending if you don't want to know. If that's the case, I thought it was a really beautiful, quiet film, the music is gorgeous, but the pace can be sometimes slow so just be aware of that going in. It works well for it, especially in developing their relationship, but yeah... sometimes for the viewer its still slow going. There, now you don't have to read the review I just worked an hour on. ;)




Whaaaaat? You hadn't seen Once yet?

I know, I know.

For those of you who haven't heard of Once, I can assure you that when it came out in 2007 it was HUGE. It was all I heard about. I don't really have a reason for having not seen it until now - it just never happened. But earlier this week I was wandering around our library - to which I have recently reacquainted myself with - and I was surprised to see the title there so I thought Why not? 

Once is a modern-day musical with the songs developing naturally within the storyline (as the two main characters are musicians) and they handle this so well. I can see how people who avoid musicals could fall in love with it since the music intertwines with the plot and characters so perfectly. In fact, the more I go back and think on it and the more I listen to the music afterward (because you will), the lyrics to so many of songs fit all the relationships involved. But not in a way that's generic or bland - the lyrics are just really deft.
Take the lyrics to (certainly) its most popular song "Falling Slowly":

Take this sinking boat & point it home, we've still got time/ raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice/ you've made it known....

This, to me, sums up the entire movie. 

While these lyrics are certainly (and often) attributed to the feelings between the Guy & the Girl - they were written before they met. These lyrics were originally intended for the Guy &, um, Former Girl and they certainly sync with both relationships. It's really beautiful how skillfully (and subtly) the entire movie is handled but how well the lyrics mash up with all three relationships involved. Those lyrics also apply to Girl & Former Guy.
Subtle is a great word here.  Once is a very quiet movie - in tone, in action, in character, in plot etc. With the exception of "Say It To Me Now" (which I loooove) your leads are very quiet characters.

Interesting note: usually whenever stories refuse to give their characters names - especially in movies - it tends to really bother me because it sticks out so much. It always seems obvious, heavy handed, as in 'hey, we're really trying to say something here' and it gets frustrating. Surprisingly here, I didn't even notice until after it was over and I was reading a review that mentioned it. Simply labeled 'Guy' & 'Girl' in this story, it's never over the top, never reaching. It truly manages to come across as a documentary peeking in on these two lives as they happen to intersect at this particular moment in time and it does that dead on.

This movie is just beautiful - not necessarily a lot happens, and it can certainly feel slow - but by the end of it you somehow feel like you just witnessed something precious and tender. Their relationship develops quickly, but doesn't feel forced. (These are fantastic actors for these roles.) The ending really sealed the deal for me, but its probably in how I interpreted it, because you could certainly interpret it in several ways and have evidence to prove your point. For me, this was less about unrequited love and more about healing. I didn't feel like Guy & Girl ended up in loveless relationships, but I guess you never really know that. Partially, I just didn't want them to, but I also feel like the hopeful twinge at the end of the movie implies the idea that they had an incredible week, would forever have an amazing bond, but made their choices elsewise and were still content. I feel like this week was a catharsis for them, finally through each other being able to heal again and move past the hurt and re-evaluate themselves. 
Ultimately, this movie is all about choices. Girl chooses to leave Former Guy. Guy chooses to leave Former Girl. Girl & Guy meet and have to choose how to handle their bond and where it goes from there.

Also, quite frankly, I loved that there were boundaries in this film. There are so many films that explore the sexual nature of relationships, and that's fine, but this one very bluntly said no and that created so much more interest. It also helped to really develop the sweetness & trust between them. It was just really refreshing to actually see them carry that throughout their relationship.
"I'm sorry, I screwed up. I'm lonely, you're gorgeous and I promise it'll never happen again."

Also, I really liked the Broken Hearted Hoover-Fixer Sucker Guy song. :)

Once isn't perfect - again, not a lot really happens. While the songs are gorgeous sometimes they feel a little longer than they should be and that can start to wear on you, especially since there's so little actual action in between. Also, its really hard to understand Girl's Czech, especially at first. Towards the end I started debating if I had actually liked it, but before the credits were rolling I had decided I did. The more I mused on it later the more all of its aspects melded in my mind and its just really well done. I should watch it again because I'd probably love it more knowing more the pace I was getting into.

Just so you know ahead of time, this movie is rated R for really strong language, but that's the only reason. (Also, so that you know in case kiddos are around.)

If you haven't heard "Falling Slowly" you should, so I'm posting it here if you're interested. It did win the Oscar for Best Song, and I'm glad, not only because of how crucial it was to the film but because of gorgeous it is.

Phantoms: Side by Side

While browsing through Youtube the other night I found this:




YAY! A side by side comparison of ten classic Phantoms! (My only question is, where is Peter Karrie?)

(Also, I love that someone made this. This is what I used to do with all my clips. Play them back to back and compare. Over and over and over.)
I've since found other sections compared, but I haven't got to break those down yet. Plus, this one is from the title song.

And since I was getting frustrated that I couldn't keep track who was who, here's the breakdown:
1) Michael Crawford :00
2) Colm Wilkson :40
3) Anthony Warlow 1:21
4) Brad Little 1:59
5) Hugh Panaro 2:36
6) Earl Carpenter 3:15
7) Howard McGillian 3:57
8) John Cudia 4:35
9) Ramin Karimloo 5:12
10) John Owen-Jones 5:48

Of course, it's not entirely accurate since its just one clip from each. Nonetheless, whoohoo!

So, a quick summary merely based on this clip, Hugh Panaro really caught me off guard as a favorite. I did check out other clips and his voice didn't seem as strong, but in this clip its really nice.

Of course, Anthony Warlow is always my personal favorite.

I actually had the opportunity to see Earl Carpenter in London and I LOVED him. I don't remember his voice being that quavery, but I really loved his character and his voice was really strong.

I've always found Colm Wilkinson incredibly interesting. While I couldn't stand the Canadian recording for the longest time because I could only hear Valjean's voice, and I'm still not entirely crazy about it now, his voice is so distinct. And that's how the Phantom's voice should be. Very powerful, very distinct. I do really enjoy that.
And I love his handling of "I Gave You My Music." Its just heartbreaking.

I also really like Karimloo (mostly because of this amazing clip) but I keep getting distracted by that electric guitar! I guess it just seems so much more prominent in that one.

Anyone? Anyone else up for listening through them all and giving a review? :)

We built this city....aw, now I have it stuck in my head.

Sporadic thoughts:

I am incredibly excited for Christmas this year. Incredibly.

The shop is doing well, we're just about perfect on our poinsettia count which is phenomenal considering we always have to throw out quite a few. We've also sold out of grave blankets, which is also unusual. While its true we have cut back on both, we've also just been selling well too so we're pretty happy.


I'm finally on the final season of LOST and.... oy. First episode, you were rough. I'm just really confused and I'm not sure how you're gonna drag it out a whole season, because right now you really only have one thing going for you anymore. Though Sawyer's line "Did we get captured by the Others again?" made me laugh a lot.

So.... the Rock of Ages trailer came out tonight.
What? There's a movie?
Yeah. Don't worry, I forgot too. Someone else needs to watch that though and tell me what they think. The musical has always sounded completely preposterous to me and I think its ridiculous to be chosen for a movie. And after reading the full synopsis of the musical, it sounds even more...ridiculous. (I do realize most of the silliness is intentional and all in fun and that's a good thing. I'm not knocking that.)
I actually can't decide if it looks awful or like a lot of fun. I don't really like aspects of it. And I suspect this may be one where the trailer is better than the movie, due to some of the scenes they flip through. (Catherine Zeta Jones leading a dance charge down the church aisle to We're Not Gonna Take It made me laugh, and I can't decide if I was supposed to.) I do like the smash up of We're Not Gonna Take It with We Built this City, but honestly I don't really care for the arrangement snippets we hear of the other classic songs.
 Anyway, it comes out summer 2012 if anyone's interested. The trailer bizarrely fails to mention that (or I just kept missing it?)

I haven't really had a lot to blog about recently, truthfully. Did I ever tell you I saw the Muppets? I saw the Muppets and it was really well done. You should go see it. But if you're planning to you might want to avoid spoilers! Just go and have a good time. It's very fun. :)

Eh, I need to talk about something besides movie junk....

I plan on doing a countdown to New Years with my end of the year list. I love end of the year lists! I wanted to wrap up 2011 with a one. So we'll see if that happens.

Oh Cecilla, you're breaking my heart...

In the middle of running out the door this morning I suddenly realized this song was playing on repeat in the back of my mind. Not that I mind since it's certainly catchy but what a random choice, brain. Also, did not know it was written by Simon & Garfunkel until just now. The more you know.

Yesterday we wrapped up another open house at the shop. These past few weeks at the shop have just been a little stressful at times, so we struggled to get this one up on its feet. (Though admittedly, that's pretty typical.)  In fact, to give you some idea of how our mindset has been, I can tell you that for this very open house we almost sent out flyers to businesses without our name on them anywhere. No name, no address, no phone number, ha. Just a flyer proclaiming an open house somewhere! Good luck! Special prizes for those who find it!

Four of us proofread it and didn't catch it until the very last minute. Ha.

Then I sent out a rushed mass email Thursday night with all the information, sales, prizes, blah blah blah. Only to receive several replies the next morning reading "Sounds great! But when is it?" and "Did I miss the date & time?"

.... oh yes, my friends. I had sent out this mass email without the date or time mentioned anywhere. I laughed a little hysterically, responded to the individuals, and somehow despite all of our apparent attempts to fail our own open house it went off, I think, pretty successfully. Plus, they did very little advertising this time. So yay! Done!

It's certainly not a huge event, but it is something we start considering and developing in August. So while its a nice kickoff to the holidays it's always a small relief when its over too. Now onto poinsettias, grave blankets and Thanksgiving.

As for life outside of work, well... that's pretty much what I've been wrapped up with lately. I'm on disc 3 of season 5 of LOST, putting me about halfway through the season and almost finished with the series. (There's six seasons total.) It's currently getting pretty convoluted. I will certainly finish it out - I mean, I'm so close - but I can certainly see why the fans started calling foul at this point.

I did see Brigadoon recently for the first time. Man, that's a dumb show! How did that ever become a classic? (Apologies to all fans of the miracle island.)

Some Movie News (& Then Bedtime)

Some quick links worthy of noting:

Anne Hathaway Joins Les Mis (And Writer Announced)
"After months of speculation, Anne Hathaway has officially joined Tom Hooper's adaptation of the musical, Les Miserables. Her spokesperson confirms a Deadline report that she’ll play Fantine, the tragically abused mother of young Cosette. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe have already been cast as the noble Jean Valjean and the heartless Inspector Javert, respectively. ... 
William Nicholson, who co-wrote Gladiator, is writing the script, with the film being targeted for a Dec. 7, 2012 release."

 Okay, maybe the writer was announced before, but I just now caught it.


I did see Nathan Fillion's tweet on this earlier, but I was a little confused since it came out of nowhere. Now I see I was supposed to be surprised! Cool! Anyway, interesting interview included here, as well as the notation that Avengers has finished production.
Joss Whedon Wraps up Secret 'Much Ado'

"After wrapping production on Marvel Studios’ gargantuan summer tent-pole The Avengers, writer-director Joss Whedon was supposed to go on a monthlong vacation with his wife, Kai Cole. Instead, Whedon tells EW exclusively that his wife suggested he finally make the feature film version of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing he’d been ruminating over for years.
And so he did— adapting the script, casting the film with Whedonverse alums like Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker (Angel), Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel), and Sean Maher (Firefly), and shooting the self-funded, black-and-white indie in secret over 12 days at his Santa Monica, Calif., home."

Of course, what is movie news without some Batman?
Dark Knight Rises Will Release Prologue
Y'know, I didn't see the prologue released for Dark Knight and truthfully... I'm not interested in seeing this one either. Sure, it would be cool, and I would love to hear a general consensus on it, but I just don't really want to see it out of context. This is the last Batman film, at least of this saga. And I'm trying to savor the wait. I look back on it and realize that if I had seen that DK prologue, while it certainly wouldn't have spoiled the film at all, I just... I just think I'd rather see the whole effect in theatres. If I had an interest in Mission: Impossible I might change my mind, but I don't.
(Despite that, it really will kill me when it releases to try not to go watch it. Self-restraint! Self-restraint!)

Lots of Woman in Black information coming out, including this new poster. I was sufficiently creeped out by the photo and then Will had to come along and point out that it is also animated (shudder.)  There is also a pretty cool trailer roaming around somewhere, but I can't seem to find it again. (Okay, there's several trailers roaming around, but I'm looking for a very specific one.) When I first heard they were adapting this I was a little concerned, simply because the play relies so much on atmosphere. But I'm pretty intrigued! What do you guys think?
(Intrigued meaning merely that: I'm intrigued, I hope it does well. Do I actually want to see something that may give me nightmares? Not particularly, and certainly not right anytime around Valentine's. That mashup doesn't bode well. We'll see how it goes.)

 Any thoughts on any of these projects? Nathan Fillion!

Theatre News: Movie Musicals

WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.
This post was totally going to be about Les Miserables. And it will be eventually. I promise.

BUT I HAVE BIGGER NEWS.

For its 25th anniversary, Phantom of the Opera is going to be released fully staged on the big screen and DVD with Ramin Karmiloo as the Phantom.

Ramin is only underneath Anthony Warlow in my Phantom dreamworld. Sure, he equally shares that title with Earl Carpenter, but that's it.

I mean, just listen:




 That, my friends, is what the Angel of Music should sound like.

He is also currently playing the Phantom in Love Never Dies and yes, he's entirely too young. But if they're going to go for young anyway, pick this guy.

 Oh wait - a FULLY STAGED version?! With 200 cast & orchestra?!

Seriously, I have no words for this. I've waited for this for SO. LONG. In fact, after the movie was made, I just gave up that a staged version would ever be filmed. I figured that was it.

BWAHAHAHA! SO HAPPY!

But, wait! That's not all!

Have you heard? It's official, via Cameron Mackintosh: Les Miserables will be coming to the big screen December 2012.

Um...didn't you just say that was a rumor, all of two days ago?
Yes.

Look, I've been hearing about a Les Mis movie for over 10 years. And I know there was talk of making one after it became big in the 80's. So I had reached the point where I treated all movie talk of it as rumors. But it's official! So let's take a look.

Apparently its being produced by Working Title, directed by Tom Hooper (King's Speech) and the two leads are already cast: Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert. Of course, acting wise, that's pretty awesome casting. And it's already well established Jackman can sing.

So the big question is: can Russell Crowe sing this role?

Yes, I know he has a band.You can imagine since I first heard the casting I've pretty much just been going back and forth between finding clips of him singing and reminding myself of Javert's role.

Here's a clip:


Russell Crowe has a solid dusky, low voice. But I'm really concerned about that voice with songs like "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide." You can't talk-sing those songs. You just can't. It doesn't work. Will mentioned tonight that you have to have solid singers for this piece "because, really, nothing about this story ought to be glamorous. the only things that are beautiful are the music and the character journeys." And that's dead on.
However, it sounds like he has a good framework for singing, so there's a good chance they can keep developing that and work with him.

Anyway here's "Stars," for reference:


So lots of excitement tonight and things to keep an eye on! Now here's hoping I can sleep tonight.

The Theatre Round-Up

We haven't talked theatre in awhile and I did do some catching up tonight.

Apparently, Newsies is on its way to becoming a stage musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse, with Menken back at the musical helm and Harvey Fierstein with a new script. The newest additions/changes to the familiar story are the addition of a reporter love interest and "Santa Fe" now being at the top of the show. Take a look at the video and tell me what you think.
Also, you should note Andrew Keenan-Bolger's name in the lineup as Crutchie - you may remember his sister Celia Keenan-Bolger as Olive in the Broadway version of 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee.



Check this out: George Lee Andrews has played in Phantom of the Opera ever since it opened on Broadway in 1988 and will be performing his final show tomorrow night. This will be his 9,382nd performance. That's nine-thousand. He currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run in the same show (I would certainly hope so!) He played Firmin for years, but to give some fresh life to his performance, they switched him over to Andre in 2000. I've never seen Phantom on Broadway, but now I wished at some point I had to possibly catch his performance. Sure, I wouldn't have known it at the time, but I would've loved to have gone back to that playbill now to see.
I'm so sad I had never heard of this guy until now! Bravo to an insanely long run, Mr. Andrews!

Eh. This is totally rumor mill, but here you go anyway. Supposedly, they're back to making a movie musical rendition of Les Miserables. This is nothing new. This has been on again, off again for years. According to the article, its being currently developed by Working Title & Universal and will be directed by Tom Hooper of Kings Speech. And, of course, the rumors are the stars involved and the most recent one is Anne Hathaway as Fantine.
While we're discussing rumors, here's other names being bandied about:
"According to www.itsonthegrid.com, additional actors being courted for the film have included Russell Crowe for Javert, Geoffrey Rush for Thenardier, Helena Bonaham Carter for Madame Thenardier, Hayden Panettiere, Miranda Cosgrove, Lucy Hale and Emma Watson for the roles of Eponine and Cosette, and Amy Adams and Rebecca Hall for Fantine."

While in the midst of looking up some of those names, I learned Rebecca Hall is actually the daughter of director Peter Hall! Interesting. And though not in that particular listing, Hugh Jackman is supposed to be set for Javert and one of the ones pushing the project.
After Phantom, I'm not really crazy about this. The idea of a star-studded cast trying to sing its way through this score doesn't really thrill me. Blah blah blah, they only have to get it right once, blah blah blah.
Buuut who knows, maybe they will be able to sing this time. Sacha Baron Cohen rocked Sweeney. Ewan McGregor caught everyone totally off guard. I'm totally willing to go with it if they can find singers. And who knows if it will ever actually be made anyway.

Frank Wildhorn's new show will be arriving soon on Broadway: Bonnie & Clyde will be in previews November 4th with opening set for December 1st. Lyrics by Don Black of Andrew Lloyd Webber fame: Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love and Tell me On a Sunday. (Also, apparently his first big hit was writing the lyrics for Bond's Thunderball theme. Thank you, Wikipedia!)

And I kept trying to find one more piece of news, but nothing else has really caught my attention. Anything interest anyone else?