armandjolras

[armandjolras]

[armandjolras]

Shoutout to Lord Tennyson for ending his epic 1430 line poem retelling of Sir Gareth and the Red Knight by saying “my ship is better.” Absolutely iconic

#confirmed enemies to lovers fan

[armandjolras]

”Peter” from TTPD is actually a nice song but nobody has noticed bc its almost at the end of the second album so you have to suffer through 27 mediocre dirges to get to it

[armandjolras]

#fingersmith

[armandjolras]

Paul Gavarni, L'Artiste: Far-Niente ("the artist doing nothing"), 1835.

[armandjolras]

#has anyone tagged this mosquitos yet

[armandjolras]

Limiting the choice to the shows and movies I have seen/know of. I'm not asking who the first actor you have seem playing Arthur was, rather the one you instinctively think about when someone mentions him or the one closest to your heart.

#Richard Harris! #help I forgot there was a m*sts of av*lon tv adaptation

[armandjolras]

i think Flashback from Passion is one of the worst songs Sondheim has written, it’s so clunky and has such an awkward tone which reminds me of “the sad tale of the beauxhommes” from Once on this Island which is very much the wrong vibe for Passion. I think this scene should have been a ballet sequence narrated by Fosca and the captain, which would fit in well with the pseudo-opera vibe he’s going for

[armandjolras]

[armandjolras]

This will be rambly and overly personal, but ive been wanting to talk about Fosca as chronic illness representation, and why the musical version of her is especially relatable in this sense.

(I also haven’t read the book, so maybe some changes im attributing to the musical are from the book)

In the movie, Fosca’s illness almost seems an extension of her ugliness, meant to horrify the viewer. Ugliness takes focus as her main burden; we’re told that she was shunned for her looks as a child and are shown many jumpscare shots of her face. Sickness is merely a consequence of ugliness. When not acutely ill, she seems quite healthy, even energetic. (Obviously having seizures is a very serious illness in real life, i just mean the way it’s presented in the movie).

Most interesting to me, she doesn’t seem depressed at all; she’s quite upbeat and witty. Her manipulative toxicity in the movie doesn’t come from depression, but rather because she’s never been treated as a woman due to being an outcast, so she doesn’t feel she has to adhere to the decorum of one.

In the musical, I see Fosca’s illness as being much more than just an extension of being ugly. It appears to affect her continuously between acute episodes, and she moves wearily as if fighting pain and discomfort at every moment. While suffering over ugliness still caused her illness in this version, that ugliness is not as emphasised. We’re told that her parents loved her rather than shunning her, so she wasn’t an outcast, and she’s depicted as more pathetic spinster than scary Nosferatu.

She is also clearly depressed. In my opinion, her toxic behaviour comes not from flouting social norms, but from the desperation of depression. Maybe others also relate to being depressed and behaving badly as a cry for help, unable to stop despite knowing you’re being toxic, because you need acknowledgment from people. I see Fosca’s behaviour this way. Georgio is the first person who is nice to her, so she physically can’t stop trying to extract love from him by any means, even when she admits she’s in the wrong.

I relate to Fosca strongly in this. Since 2020 I’ve struggled with multiple chronic illnesses which have limited my physical abilities; today I cant even sit upright for more than 15 minutes, some days less. Since I dont have any family or friends in the country where I’m living, and went through diagnosis and surgery alone mid Covid, at times I’ve felt very isolated. In 2022 i could tell I was behaving a lot like Fosca — I didnt do anything super toxic, but I was putting too much emotional burden on my long-distance parents even as I knew I was stressing them out and upsetting them. It felt like such a compulsion, because I was scared and isolated and wanted someone else to know how much I was suffering so I wouldn’t be alone it it. I’m much healthier mentally now, but that took therapy and medication which Fosca doesn’t have. Its a terrible feeling to see your world getting smaller and your dreams becoming less possible, and going through that alone.

I’ve had a lot of frustration towards how my illnesses have limited what I can do, and i have to make an effort not to be resentful towards healthier people. The line “I read about the joys the world / Dispenses to the fortunate / And listen for the echoes” really captures this. “I know how soon a dream becomes an expectation / How can I have expectations?” When your world gets smaller, you have to give up your hopes bit by bit so you dont get hurt. “Look at me / No, captain, look at me / Look at me!” In her desperation she demands his attention, even when she knows she’s being rude and repelling him, she just feels compelled to connect with someone.

I know “I Read” can be interpreted as being about her ugliness rather than of physical illness, and maybe that actually is the correct interpretation. But I’m very convinced that musical Fosca is depressed in a way that movie Fosca is not, and most of her words and actions stem from that. I also believe that by placing less emphasis on her shocking ugliness, it only makes since that a lot of her suffering is due to her physical illness. 

(And I also relate to Fosca’s final letter, where she says that appreciating the beauty in the world around you makes you want to go on living. Being ill has taught me to be much more grateful for small things in life.)

Other disclaimers: I dont mean Fosca’s suffering in the movie is NOT about her illness, in both versions its a combo of ugliness + illness. I just think they’re in different ratios. Also im not trying to be a Fosca apologist, I know shes super toxic and a stalker and essentially an incel, and also super annoying, I just understand her perspective. And finally I do like movie Fosca! Shes iconic I just relate to musical Fosca more.

#passion musical #sorry this is so personal and tmi I just wanted to share! #Interested whether others feel the same about movie vs musical fosca #its ok to interact with/reblog/etc this post btw

[armandjolras]

(from Look I Made a Hat)

I think this audience reaction is understandable and shouldn’t be viewed as shallowness towards the character’s looks or not understanding the story. No matter what the script says, Donna’s Fosca never looks any worse than very plain (and probably looked pretty normal from a distance). Its valid to say people reacted negatively to her charmlessness, but isn't there a saying that the worst crime a character can commit is being annoying? There’s nothing wrong with writing an annoying character, but the audience is going to react to that.

What I dont think is accounted for here is how Fosca’s actions are excused by the story (or at least by Georgio — but imo there’s not enough distinction between Georgio’s opinions about love and the story’s opinions to say the story doesn’t excuse Fosca). Glenn’s character in Fatal Attraction is the antagonist; the story makes it clear that she’s in the wrong and she doesn’t get a happy ending. Fosca behaves terribly, never grows, and not only gets her man, but also confirmation that her love was truest all along. It reminds me a lot of Love Never Dies, where the Phantom treats Christine awfully and she turns around and proclaims her love for him, with the story also insisting they should be together. Its a frustrating experience for the viewer because it feels like we’re being gaslit about the characters’ wrong-doings.

(I’m coming around to Passion by considering its definition of love to be just Georgio’s perspective, but that’s not what I get on a casual viewing. I think this discussion is missing from a lot of Sondheim’s pushback at fans’ reactions, and his feelings about people not understanding the show).

#i do understand Fosca I want to clarify that #im planning to make a post about her as a depiction of chronic illness #but objectively shes very annoying and offputting and toxic haha #which is great shes an amazing iconic character #but I understand the audience’s reactions #passion musical

[armandjolras]

ajsjkdfk you know what. i have no explanation for this

#okay

[armandjolras]

hmm…. no I don’t think I do

[armandjolras]

i hate how Georgio gives Clara a lecture about what love is and how she’s fallen short of that, when HE’S the one who changed (and insisted he hadn’t when she wanted to discuss it). Like im sorry you want to dump her and bang your stalker, but she didnt do anything wrong by rationally discussing the future!

#he was so checked out already in Milan but brushed off her concerns when she noticed it 😒

[armandjolras]

ooh, let the light in at your back door yelling 'cause i wanna come in ooh, turn your light on look at us, you and i, back at it again

#new esmes gifset???!!! #her running into his arms after parlour songs 🥹 #well metaphorically. His arms aren’t open #they’re like magnets clicking together

[armandjolras]

enough about taylor swift already. reblog and tag the smallest, least known artist you listen to

#mate kamaras

[armandjolras]

If you mean the arms straight up pose, Patti said she invented that to distinguish herself from Elaine 😅

it’s interesting synergy though, maybe she was temporarily possessed by the spirit of metropolis

there was some comments about maria/evita on the stream and i mentioned wondering if og evita called back on the scene with false maria on the elevators. which i would love for hal prince, who had no chill when it comes to eva