#Broadway theories

[artbyblastweave]

Thinkin’ about The Siberian

I was sitting on a draft that said something to the effect of “Worm AU where Manton pulls an NBC Hannibal and moonlights as The Siberian on top of being a globally respected parahuman studies researcher. Is this anything.”

Then I thought about this a little more and realized that this might not be far off from what actually happened. There’s a throughline in Manton’s interests, in his trajectory through life, where he’s trying to figure out what you can use powers to get away with doing to people- about identifying constraints and overcoming them. 

He’s the guy who somehow credibly catalogued, and got his name associated with, the fact that powers generally can’t be used to pop people like balloons, and he did so reasonably early in the timeline, in the nineties at the latest. That’s.... an interesting direction to take your research! When people are just coming to terms with the fact that parahumans are real he’s out there taking careful note of whether they can manifest their powers inside people to instantly kill them. How did he test that? What capes did he collaborate with to test that? What did those conversations look like? Did the IRB at a minimum issue any revise-and-resubmits?

And then, of course, he gets picked up by Cauldron (also known as the infinite untraceable victim depot) to work on improving the vials- gaining a sufficiently in-depth understanding of what they are, how they’re made, and what they can do to people that when Cauldron told Legend that Manton had gone rogue and was the one creating C53s, he found this plausible. You’ve got the guy who’d later become the backbone of the Slaughterhouse 9 basically systemically cataloging every conceivable way a power could violate someone’s physiology- first from without, and then, at Cauldron, from within.

Then, when he pulls the trigger and gives himself powers, the resultant ability is essentially a distilled refutation of the Manton Effect- a minion that can obliterate anything, eat anything, delete any material from existence, viscerally dismember people in a unity of conventional and esoteric, power-enabled violence. And he’s insulated from the consequences of his actions on two levels- in terms of Siberian’s invulnerability, but also in the discrepancy between his form and that of his minion. He mixed the vial that gave him that power himself.

Essentially- I don’t think Siberian is something that just happened after a psychological break following a messy divorce. I think Manton basically pre-committed to becoming something like The Siberian, spent most of his career working towards some form of transcendence through superpowers, and the messy divorce was downstream of the cracks starting to show as he got closer and closer to what he’d been chasing.

Now to segue into a complication that’s more directly supported in the text- it’s Worm, it’s always complicated- Master powers spring from loneliness. My theory is that while Manton wanted apotheosis, and while he’d probably been gearing up for a rampage for a while, he genuinely didn’t want to do it alone; he wanted a sidekick. Hence why he bothered pursuing a family in the first place, hence why he fed his daughter a vial, hence why his own projection ended up looking like his daughter after he accidently made her explode or whatever with the bad vial- a monkey’s paw restoration, giving him back a facsimile of the person he wanted to take along for the ride, and making his capacity for violence inseparable from her presence.

This is why he joined up with the Nine rather than remaining a solo act; it’s why he engages in a bad imitation of the Parent/Child relationship with Bonesaw; and it’s why he seeks out Bitch as a candidate. His interest in her candidacy parses to me as genuine- Even moreso than Bonesaw, even moreso than Jack, Bitch has arrived at a no-frills fuck-you-I-do-what-I-want outlook that’s very appealing to Manton. He wants to have a murderer-daughter relationship!

But Rachel got where she is the hard way, by having a life that sucked a lot, by getting near-constantly kicked around! She has a clear reason to be so angry! Even if all my postulations about Manton having a long game are complete bullshit, there are several stages at which Manton had to actively opt in to the same lifestyle and reputation that Bitch was forced to adopt as a basic survival tactic. He didn’t have to start eating people! He’s a tourist! His “freedom” is inseparable from his distance, his disguise. Rachel’s “freedom” is just the freedom of having nothing left to lose.

All of this to say- In an interlude in which Bitch has an extended internal monologue about how people with families have the opportunities to be assholes and monsters to a captive audience, it is absolutely not a coincidence that she’s scouted by a would-be parental figure who proceeds to be an asshole and a monster in front of a captive audience, before trying to buy her affection with a puppy. In rejecting Manton, Rachel dodged an esoterically-packaged but ultimately very familiar bullet.

#parahumans #worm #wildbow #worm web serial #worm spoilers #worm analysis #the siberian #william manton #rachel lindt #thoughts #meta #worm thoughts #shoutout to tiffany-loves-broadway who had some useful feedback on this overall thing #for the sake of posterity I should address her counter theory that Manton killed his daughter with a bad vial on purpose to spite his wife #and that the siberian projection is not representitive specifically of his desire for his daughter to have come on the rampage with him #but is instead a monkeys paw granting of a daughter who does exactly what he wants her to because she's just an extension of him #I think that take has legs as well but this was getting long

[bananonbinary]

wwdits is killing me this season because Mark Proksch is like...weirdly good at playing a child??? i know that’s an adult man’s head photoshopped onto a child’s body but somehow i never question it im like ‘yep thats an 8 year old autistic child alright”

#wwdits #this is sort of a joke #but also proves my theory that we can and should just do away with child actors #just have grown adults play 8yos its fine #broadway does it. shakespeare did it. its fine.

[doththymayo]

Davey: You've had this dart board since I've known you but I've never seen you play.

Jack: Oh, we played... Once...

Jack: I broke a window...

Davey: What window?

Jack, pointing to a window on a completely opposite wall than that of the dart board: That one over there.

#source: big bang theory #newsies #newsies 1992 #newsies broadway #newsies as incorrect quotes #incorrect newsies quotes #jack kelly newsies #jack kelly #newsies west end #newsies uk #west endsies #jack newsies #david newsies #davey jacobs #davey newsies #david jacobs

[tending-the-hearth]

jason schmidt playing both soda and buddy is so funny to me because they would absolutely hate each other if they ever met

#the outsiders #the outsiders broadway #sodapop curtis #rise of the pink ladies #buddy aldridge #have i talked about my grease/outsiders theories bc this also lines up hilariously well

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

CABARET!!!

My gifs from Playbill video "Cabaret Made Eddie Redmayne want to be an actor"

Are you ready??

April 1st, 2024, August Wilson Theatre, Broadway

#eddie redmayne #cabaret #my gifs #eddie redmayne italian blog #the emcee #broadway #august wilson #theatre #best actor #oscar winner #obe #talent #the theory of everything #the danish girl #newton scamander #stephen hawking

[ourownbelovedbohemians]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDDIE REDMAYNE!!!!!!

#eddie redmayne #les mis #les miserables #broadway #CABARET 2021 #the theory of everything #like minds #like minds 2006 #alex forbes #marius pontmercy #the aeronauts #james glashier #the emcee #jupiter ascending #balem abrasax #fantastic beasts the crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beasts and where to find them #newt scamander

[backstage-autorin]

I can't stop thinking about the HTDIO scene where the characters read the blog post

Content note: the quotes from the blog post will have ableism in them, which is called out in the context of the show but may not be what people want to see on their tumblr feeds.

I've seen the show twice, once in early January and again at the closing performance, so I didn't pick up on everything (unfortunately I forgot what Tommy's line was and until my 2nd time seeing it I misremembered which character had a specific line.) The first time I saw it I felt the breath get sucked out of the room at the opening line that Dr. Amigo read; I didn't get quite the same feeling the 2nd time but I saw it but I feel like the closing show was more fans seeing it one last time/who had seen it already and had somewhat braced themselves for the scene. (That being said, the 2nd audience cheered more when Remy's livestream included the phrase "Nothing about us without us, while I heard less of a reaction from the audience my 1st time).

But one thing that stands out to me about that scene is how the lines are perfectly crafted to tie into the characters' storylines and hurt each character individually.

To break it down by character with the caveat that the quotes are gonna be incomplete paraphrases(in alphabetical order except for Drew because I remember his line being last in the scene):

Caroline: "most will never marry or have children" (a few scenes ago she was singing about hanging family pictures down the hallway with Jay) (when I first saw the show I thought this was Marideth's line, tying into her conversation with her dad about dressing like Santa for her hypothetical future children)

Jessica: "most may never be able to live on their own" (throughout the show she has been working on trying to move out of her mother's house by learning life skills like cooking and the fact that her crush on Tommy is partly due to her search for a boyfriend who can drive so she no longer has to use unreliable government transport)

Marideth: "the nightclub is full of loud noises that can cause meltdowns and tantrums" (Marideth's sensory issues are prominent throughout the show--her opening line is an opinion of the scent of soap, she hates zippers that touch her skin [at least that's my interpretation of hoodie zippers being ok when dress zippers are bad] and the loud sounds in the diner stress her out. However, we also see that she has strategies to deal with unpleasant sensory input, like noise-canceling headphones)

Mel: "kings and queens for one night" (erases their existence as a nonbinary person)

Drew: "when you think you can't do something, think of the young boy with autism asking a girl to dance" (not gonna lie I also saved this one for last because there's so much to unpack. Given the fact that Drew is a high school senior, "young boy" is pure infantilization. At the end of Act 1, we see him want to ask Marideth to the dance but end up asking her if she wants to borrow his book about Pangea instead. In the long run this works because the book helps Marideth process her feelings for Drew, but in the short run the article line looks like it was written to taunt Drew for chickening out at the last second. This line in the article also ties back into the beginning of the song under control, when Drew contemplates his life thus far and the pressure he feels to "be the poster child for if he can then you can")

I just feel like the way the lines are individually crafted to each character's storyline needs to be talked about. Also if anyone can remember what Tommy's line was (with or without a connection to his storyline) that would be appreciated.

#how to dance in ohio #htdio #htdio musical #actually neurodiverse #actually autistic #ableism #scriptwriting #musical theatre #broadway #fan theory

[lucimiir]

So I was watching a video about overlapping melodies in musicals and remembering how BRILLIANT Quartet at the Ballet from Broadway Anastasia is.

Not only is it a very nicely done example of grand polyphonic pieces in musicals where the characters are singing separate melodies that come from earlier in the show (think tonight quintet or one day more), they’re singing just the tunes of those earlier themes, with unique lyrics. In addition, the music ALSO flawlessly works in the theme from Swan Lake, AND the action happening on the stage of the ballet reflects the characters’ conflicts (which this post talks about in detail)

Anyways it’s just a really cool song and shout out to Stephen flaherty for some great composition.

Here’s the video if you want to check it out:

#quartet at the ballet #anastasia #anastasia broadway #anastasia musical #Stephen flaherty #music composition #polyphonic music #music theory #Youtube

[rockshrimp1989]

Not holding my breath here, but I wonder if Gutenberg on Broadway is saving Matt and Trey for very last as guest producers as a pivotal and honorary send-off to the musical?🤔 I mean, they helped propell Andrew's and Josh's careers after all, and it would be art imitating life if they performed as the final producers launching Bud and Doug's career👀

#matt stone #trey parker #gutenberg broadway #josh gad #andrew rannells #my theories

[stuckasmain]

While focused more on flair than historical I have to admit I adore the costumes of the musical. Especially the use of color theory, the musical is no novice when it comes to its very intentional use of red throughout the show but I want to talk about more. Specifically the final outfits Christian and Satine have for the last leg of act two

Christians primary colors are blues, from a bright robins egg to the dark purples of his first overcoat and scarf. It usually is paired with a black/grey waistcoat and dark blue pants. As the musical goes on he starts getting darker and darker in his clothing, his shirt starts to change entirely. By the end he’s in reds and blacks almost entirely. Roxanne he has a red striped shirt and a black leather trench-coat. This is also his lowest point, he is burried in desire, jealousy, confusion and confusion.

Satines final dress is stunning. It’s sort of illuminaient in three different colors at once. It’s her feelings and the feelings Christian (and the Duke) project onto her. Black and blue are her own colors but then it’s still retained the deep crimson of her Roxane dress. It also shines green- as I feel like the audience (and some actors) tend to forget Christian is still absolutely out of his mind drunk. The feelings are intensified, swirling and confusing one for the other- just as she’s equally caught in a world wind of progressing disease and the dukes rein.

#seriously we don’t talk about these outfits enough #hello??? #moulin rouge #moulin rouge musical #moulin rouge! #moulin rouge the musical #moulin rouge broadway #moulin rouge tour #satine moulin rouge #christian moulin rouge #color theory #costume analysis #theater costume #meta #character analysis #musical

[loveandthings11]

Don’t worry I’ll tell you more, still writing about it

#relatable #he is on Broadway actually I’ll prove it with pics in 2.5 weeks!!! #and an upcoming fic about it #do we think Jeremy thinks about him every day #he lives in nyc like the memories must be everywhere! #I bet he has more theories beyond what he talked about to the media #he only did interviews right after! #kendall roy #succession

[sasha-haruka]

No but shut up, I think Emma is with Sam's child and this season it's going to show us Emma vomiting and feeling sick. She will dismiss it, post Vought experiments delaying her period due to stress and all that, but in the final, she's going to take a pregnancy test and see she's with Sam's child. Season 3 will see her and Sam recoiling and becoming parents to the baby, who is born a Supe due to Sam's super human strength and still yet unshown powers. The baby will be a boy and they name him Luke as a tribute.

#Gen V #Sam Riordan #emma meyer #Gen V Prime #Gen V Amazon #asa germann #lizze broadway #Marie moreau #Jordan li #limoreau #gen v #jordan li #marie moreau #samemma #EMMSAM #shut up like this is THE theory and its serving

[maxiemumdamage]

Since we’re confirmed for season two, and it’s therefore likely already being recorded, I’m not too scared of the monkey’s paw being brought into this:

Who do y’all think will end up voicing Lilith?

Like, there’s built in expectations there — this is Charlie’s mom, Lucifer’s wife, and a woman whose singing was so powerful and moving that the legions of sinners in Hell flocked to her and rapidly increased her power base. Music was the basis of all power Lilith gained in Hell, aside from the simple fact she was the first sinner and therefore had seniority.

Plus, with what little we know of her character, I’d expect range. Presumably we’ll get at least one flashback to her and Lucifer first meeting and getting together/when they fell to Hell, which would be a younger, more optimistic and hopeful tone. Even if that post-credits was a mislead, they’ll drag it out long enough for the Queen of Hell to get at least one villain song. Presumably we’d get a more maternal role with her singing with Charlie at some point — maybe another reprise of More Than Anything? No matter how that goes, I expect it’d be a gut-wrencher.

Point being, Lilith’s gonna be a big, demanding, and versatile role song-wise, and the actress playing her would have to rise to that challenge. And with Christian Borle and Jeremy Jordan and all the other veritable Broadway royalty already on cast…whether or not it comes true, I feel comfortable dreaming big. I think Sutton Foster or Bonnie Milligan would be my ideal picks, but it’s not like this is a fantasy football draft.

Anyway, thoughts?

#hazbin hotel #hazbin cast #hazbin vas #broadway #hazbin hotel season 2 #hazbin lilith #lilith morningstar #hazbin theory #hazbin thoughts #max.txt

[doththymayo]

Davey: You're acting odd. Why?

Jack, sent to distract Davey: I'm odd all the time, everyone knows that.

Jack: Just last night I tried to see how many fava beans I could fit in my mouth.

Davey, done with the BS: Tell me the truth.

Jack: 28.

Davey: Jack c'mon–

Jack: 56.

#source: big bang theory #newsies #newsies 1992 #newsies broadway #newsies as incorrect quotes #incorrect newsies quotes #uksies #newsies uk #livesies #newsies live #west endsies #newsies west end #jack kelly newsies #jack kelly #jack newsies #david jacobs newsies #david newsies #davey newsies #davey jacobs #david jacobs

[oh-those-biblical-t1mes]

WAIT I HAV3 A THEORY!!!!!! EO, YOU KNOW HOW WHIZZER DIED?? WELL, BOM IS SET IN 2008/2009 (I ASSUME) SO, TECHNICALLY, KEVIN COULD JUST BE WHIZZER REINCARNATED!!!!! BUT BUT BUT LET ME EXPLAIN! WHIZZER DIED IN 82' AND PRICE WOULD OF BEEN BORN IN 89'/90' SO! IT  JUST MAKES SINCE JN MY MJ D JDM

#the book of mormon broadway #falsettos 2016 #falsettos revival #headcanon #fan theory #kevin price #the book of mormon musical #whizzer falsettos #omg #Why do I think like this

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

New Video!! Eddie Redmayne as Emcee KitKatClub NYC on April 1st, 2024 !! Enjoy!!!

https://fb.watch/pLpbZyMPDn/

#eddie redmayne #the emcee #kit kat club #nyc #broadway #cabaret #best actor #oscar winner #obe #talent #theatre #the theory of everything #newton scamander #the danish girl #stephen hawking