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scouts-mockingbird · 5 years

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Blue (Reprise)

Intro, Beautiful, Candy Store, Fight For Me, Freeze Your Brain, Big Fun Part One, Big Fun Part Two, Dead Girl Walking Part One, Dead Girl Walking Part Two, Dead Girl Walking Part Three, The Me Inside of Me Part One, The Me Inside of Me Part Two, Blue Part One, Blue Part Two

Warning: This is very long.

Ah… Blue (Reprise). We meet, finally on the field of combat.

I honestly have no idea what to do with this song. I think it should be here, and I have ideas for fixes, but every time I think about them. I get stuck on something:

WHAT DID YOU DO TO DUKE YOU HEINOUS FUCKS????

And also, why did you choose to do this to Duke? I can’t answer the second question, but I hope that if Kevin and Larry ever see these posts, they take the time to think about it and let me know, because I’m honestly curious. How did they see a character with a mental illness, barely holding on to the last scraps of her self-image, who does one desperate thing (badly) and think “This girl would lie about her friend having sex to destroy her reputation for the lolz”?

I know that’s not the whole point of this song, but like… I can’t get over it. I know they had a shortage of cast members, and in the movie, a random bit part girl (Courtney) and Kurt and Ram themselves spread the rumor about Veronica. Courtney has motivation to do so, earlier in the movie, Veronica had insulted her. Kurt and Ram also have motivation to do so, Veronica made Kurt feel stupid and also didn’t have sex with him.

The musical gives no such justification to Duke. Why is Duke spreading a cruel rumor about her friend? No one knows. Maybe it’s because of that horribly bitchy line from Big Fun where Veronica mocks Heather’s eating disorder.

That’s probably more thought into Duke’s motivation than Kevin and/or Larry ever gave.

So really, the issue with fixing Blue (Reprise) is not just fixing the song, which is a reprise of a terrible song that utterly misunderstands the concept of tone and what makes something funny, but also of fixing an entire character interpretation, because Blue (Reprise) is a big moment for Heather Duke. This is when she replaces Heather Chandler. Literally, those are words they actually use in the musical. God, I’m so glad someone adapted the movie into a musical because I hated how subtle and interesting it was. Symbolism is for assholes, right?

Anyway. Heather appears to create the rumors about Veronica. At the very least, she confirms what Kurt and Ram are saying, rather than refuting it, despite the fact that she knows it’s not true because, in the musical version, she was there (for some reason, seriously why was she there?).

All this is narratively tied in with the fact that she is ascending to Heather’s place in the Westerburg hierarchy. She puts on the scrunchie, and Veronica suggests that she shouldn’t try to be like Chandler, and then Heather tells Veronica she should be worried about her reputation, and then Kurt and Ram jump onstage to spread the rumors. Soon, the whole school is singing. While some motivation can be surmised based on this, it’s a far cry from actually letting Heather tell anyone why she’s doing what she’s doing, something even the movie doesn’t let her do. The musical is longer than the movie, they had time to go into this and they didn’t, which is a big missed opportunity.

So here’s how we fix it.

I have a lot of ideas but the big thing is that someone else should be singing this song. Duke shouldn’t be left out of it, but she should not be the one leading the charge.

Here are some options:

1. Heather McNamara sings it or at least introduces it. It is implied that Ram told her to do it, and she’s trying to make him happy. Maybe she’s shaking or seems nervous or sad about it. Maybe suggest that she isn’t holding herself together well, which sets up for what happens in act two.

2. Maybe have one of the ensemble girls sing it. There’s a girl who’s kind of styled like Courtney is in the movie, maybe let her sing it.

3. Or (and this really is the best option) Kurt and Ram start the rumors, and other students take them and run. This song, Cow Tipping (Reprise) has everyone hearing and discussing the rumors, and sets up for the long term domino effect of this rumor.

Veronica is outraged and marches to JD, clearly furious and out for revenge. JD is with her and also looking for some revenge, but it’s clear that “Let’s get back at them” starts with Veronica.

McNamara knows they aren’t true, but goes along with it anyway because she wants to make Ram happy as she’s clinging to any shred or normalcy in a life that is rapidly falling apart.

At some point during Cow Tipping (reprise) Heather hears the rumors and clearly doesn’t believe them. Maybe she even talks about it with Heather, who knows the whole story. She knows that she should say something, but also knows that she might go down with Veronica if she does. So she sings her own little reprise within the reprise, where-- continuing the “cow tipping is power” metaphor from the song, she regrets that in order to keep her power and safety, she has to let some cows get tipped. In this case, it’s Veronica and she watches her friend get hurt without doing anything. It’s the start of her transformation.

Basically, this song is a transitional moment, led by the people who actually did the bad thing, and it shows that things are getting worse. This is the penultimate song of act one, letting it be a check in point for all the main characters so that we can reevaluate them after intermission and the next major plot change is a good idea.

#scout fixes heathers the musical #heathers #heathers the musical #heather duke #eating disorder mention #long post

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heatherinthesunshine · 5 years

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The Party of the Poe

Shipwrecked Comedy is having a fan-creation contest to celebrate 5 years so here is my contribution: a fanfic/script/thing imagining what would happen if Poe Party was actually the Fellowship of the Ring instead of a Murder Mystery Dinner Party/Gala for Friends Potluck. Watch Poe Party first because my thing has spoilers and also because it won't make sense unless you watch Shipwrecked Comedy’s brilliant webseries: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs2T_dNZ-XW6UjWC-qUbZSWJyCLFmsdPP.

The Party of the Poe

By Heather

A fan work, based on Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party by Shipwrecked Comedy and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.

Chapter 1 – A Shadow of a Past

It was many and many a year ago…

[Edgar Allan Poe is sitting at his desk, writing furiously. He mutters to himself and crosses out a line. After a few moments there is an urgent a knocking at the door.]

POE: What is that rapping at my chamber door?

[He goes to the door and opens it. Annabel Lee is at the door, visibly shaken.]

POE: Ah the beautiful Annabel Lee! Hello! You are looking very beautiful today!

[Lenore has come to the door as well.]

LENORE: What’s wrong Anna-banana?

ANNABEL LEE: I was cleaning my mantelpiece while waiting for Eddie to pick me up after his volunteer shift sewing teddy-bears for the children’s hospital, and I found an envelope. I opened it and this ring fell out and it landed in the fire and strange writing appeared on it and Oh Edgar I’m frightened!

[Lenore snatches the ring and looks closely at the writing.]

LENORE: Hey, this is the One Ring!

[Poe and Annabel stare at her.]

LENORE: What? I saw it in one of those dusty old books in the library. Not like there’s anything ELSE to do around here!

ANNABEL: What is the One Ring?

LENORE: It basically lets you manipulate everybody. Like, one ring to rule them all. Sounds pretty great t.b.h.

POE: [Quickly takes the ring] NOT something to be left lying around. [He gives the ring back to Annabel.]

ANNABEL: What should we do about it?

LENORE: I know! You can go talk to JRR Tolkien! He’ll know what to do. He’s having a panel and book signing in DC today!

POE: That’s awfully convenient.

ANNABEL: Oh but what about Eddie? We were going to go dancing! And he’s so smart, I’m sure he’ll have some ideas!

[Poe scowls deeply.]

LENORE: [Glances at Poe] Well the panel starts in an hour, so you two should leave right now. I’ll tell Eddie, and he can meet you there!

[Annabel and Poe set off for DC. Lenore heads next door to Annabel’s house.]

[Enter Eddie]

EDDIE: Lenore, what are you doing here? Where is Annabel?

LENORE: Today has been so cray. Annabel found the One Ring.

EDDIE: The One Ring! So it IS in this house! I suspected as much when I began courting her. Where is it? Give it to me!

LENORE: Umm… It’s not here anymore. Annabel took it with her.

EDDIE: Annabel! That naïve girl! Annabel has insufficient wit to handle a treasure such as that. And you were a fool to let her walk off with it. But no matter. Tell me where she has gone.

If you join with me we can share the Ring.

LENORE: Ok ONE everyone knows that only one person can wield the Ring at a time and TWO I would never wrong my girl Annabel like that! My lips are sealed.

EDDIE: Then I will find her myself, and you will remain here until I do. [He locks her in Annabel’s study and leaves.]

LENORE: I am LITERALLY a ghost. [She escapes though a wall.]

Chapter 2 – Nine is a Party

[Meanwhile, Poe and Annabel have arrived at a cozy bookshop in DC, as have many other authors. The Panel of Tolkien begins…]

TOLKIEN: You have been called here, authors from various time periods and literary traditions. Called, I say, though I have not called you to me. For the One Ring has departed Middle Earth and been found here, in Baltimore, and it is we who sit here who must determine the fate of both worlds.

TOLKIEN: But first, I will explain the history of the Ring. This is the tale, as I know it…

[Eleven hours later…]

TOLKIEN: … and Frodo of the Nine Fingers and Samwise the Brave were at last successful in casting the Ring into the fire of Mount Doom and destroying Sauron once and for all, or so it was thought. But now here is the Ring. What shall we do with it?

WILDE: [Aside] Next time I’m insisting on the theatrical cut.

DOSTOEVSKY: Surely we must destroy it, but how? We do not have the means to destroy it here, and we do not know how to get to Mordor from America.

LENORE: [Materializes] Hey guys! Spoiler alert, Eddie is actually a bad guy. He wants the Ring for himself, and he’s on his way here to take it.

POE: Lenore, how did you even get here?

LENORE: Oh, apparently teleportation is one of my ghost powers! Cool, huh?

WELLS: If I can just have a few moments to measure Lenore’s teleportative ability, I may be able to calibrate my prototype time machine to create a portal to Middle Earth! Lenore, will you help me?

[They exit]

TOLKIEN: If we can get to Middle Earth, we must send the Ring into the Fire. Who will take it?

POE: Ok, hear me out. What if we give the ring to one of my ravens, and have the raven fly to Mordor and drop it into Mount Doom? Quick, low-budget, and no one needs to leave home.

BRONTE: I think if a bird would work, they would have done that the first time, don’t you?

[General sounds of agreement]

TOLKIEN: Yes, a party on foot does seem to be traditional.

HEMINGWAY: Besides, your ravens just fly around aimlessly as if they have never been trained. You’re a terrible owner.

POE: Hey! I pride myself on being a very good raven owner. Alright, fine. How about we do it once with all of the walking, and then try again with a raven and then we’ll see what is what.

WILDE: Yes, but we only have the one ring. [Smirks] Get it?

POE: Ok well if we’re not using ravens, who is going to take the Ring?

EMERSON: I suppose I could take it. I’m accustomed to spending lots of time outdoors wandering through the Massachusetts woods, the leaves fluttering softly like…

POE: [Interrupting] I will die before I see the Ring in the hands of a Transcendentalist!

[The argument grows louder and louder. Annabel looks around concerned. Suddenly she speaks…]

ANNABEL: I will take it. [Everyone goes quiet.] I will take the Ring… though I do not know the way.

TOLKIEN: Thank you Annabel. I would not wish to force this burden on you, but I believe it is right for you to take it, if you take it willingly.

POE: But surely you won’t send her off alone!

TOLKIEN: Certainly not! You at least shall go.

DOSTOEVSKY: I will also help you bear this burden. Mordor cannot be worse than Siberian prison.

ELIOT: I have brought along the Duke of Coventry and Humphrey Cadwallader for your protection. You have my sword.

HEMINGWAY: And my guns [winks].

BRONTE: And my axe! [Pause] What? I like sharp objects!

ALCOTT: Yes, we women need to stick together.

SHELLEY: Besides, you’ll need someone of intelligence on this quest. Count me in.

DICKINSON: And I’ll come too!

TOLKIEN: Alright [counting] that makes eight people in the party…

DICKINSON: Nine. It’s nine people.

TOLKIEN: I was really hoping for nine. We need one more volunteer.

DICKINSON: I said I was going. I make nine.

WILDE: Oh what the heck, I’ll go. Could be fun?

TOLKIEN: Excellent. Nine it is.

DICKINSON: I’m right… oh forget you guys, I’ll just stay home.

WELLS: [Returning] If you’ll all come this way, Lenore and I are ready to send you to Middle Earth…

Chapter 3 – An Abridged Journey

NARRATOR: This is where I must jump in to speed up the tale, for it grows in the telling. Wells had transported the company to a beautiful mountain village, and it was from there that our heroes began their journey south. The first obstacle in their path was a range of misty mountains. They decided to take a pass over the mountains but were soon caught in a terrible blizzard, and forced to retreat. Dostoevsky, who was most suitably dressed for this type of weather, was able to get everyone off the mountain, but was killed in an avalanche. There was much grieving. The party then went under the mountains, through some dim and foreboding mines. Here they lost Mary Shelley, who sacrificed herself against a terrible monster (which they were pretty sure was not named Karen). There was more grieving. Next, the party came to a beautiful forest…

ALCOTT: I could stay in this forest forever!

NARRATOR: She did.

NARRATOR: And at last it was time to make a choice…

HEMINGWAY: We should head west, to Minas Tirith, and aid in the war effort. This Ring would be a mighty gift to turn the tide in their favor.

POE: No, we should head east, to the Mountain of Shadow, as was agreed at the council.

HEMINGWAY: I trust the strength of men in combat over this subterfuge.

POE: That’s because you lack all subtlety.

HEMINGWAY: Well why don’t we let the lady decide?

POE: Yes, the lady.

NARRATOR: The lady was, at this moment, in the process of being carried off by a group of rather large orcs. The party sprang to action. At last Annabel was rescued, but Hemingway lay dead, shot by one too many orc arrows. There was yet more grieving to be done.

POE: You valued brevity, so I will simply say farewell, my dear, uh…

WILDE: Friend?

POE: Mmmm… acquaintance.

ELIOT: What should we do now? Hemingway wasn’t wrong. Gondor does need help in its fight.

ANNABEL: I could not ask any more of you to die for me. I will go to Mordor alone.

POE: Great idea Annabel. George – you, Oscar, and Charlotte should go to Minas Tirith. Annabel and I will go to Mordor.

ANNABEL: I said “alone”.

POE: Right. Yes. Alone. With me.

Chapter 4 – Of Battles, Briefly

NARRATOR: George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, and Charlotte Bronte continued on to Minas Tirith. They arrived to find it under siege.

BRONTE: Well I suppose it’s time to get our hands dirty. [She strides into battle, swinging her axe] One… Two… Three…

WILDE: Oh I don’t know about all of this…

[The Witch King of Angmar, leader of the Nazgul, lands before Wilde and Eliot. He dismounts and hits Wilde with his giant mace. Wilde falls.]

ELIOT: NO! Oscar! [She kneels by him] Like a brother you were to me, for a little while. [Standing and turning to face the Witch King] Ringwraith! Darken this world no more!

WITCH KING: You fool! No man can kill me!

ELIOT: I [removes hat] George Eliot [removes moustache] am a woman. [She runs him through].

WITCH KING: [Dying] Argh no dammit. This is the SECOND time this has happened to me. Oh it’s so embarrassing.

Chapter 5 – A Song of Fire and Also More Fire

NARRATOR: I could tell you all about the trials faced by Annabel and Poe on their journey to The Land of Shadow. How Eddie the Banker found them in the wilderness and became their guide, causing no little strife between our two heroes. How Eddie tried to betray them but was eaten by a giant spider. I could tell you of the long trek through the desert with little water, and less food. How at the end, Annabel became so weak that Poe had to carry her. But it is a long and depressing tale and I do not wish to dwell on it. Suffice it to say that at last our heroes made it to their destination, a chamber carved into the side of Mount Doom.

POE: Well, here we are. Cast the Ring into the fire, Annabel, and let us be done with this ridiculous quest.

ANNABEL: Now that it comes to it, it is difficult to part with. It whispers in my mind. I could claim it as my own, and become a queen, great and terrible. All would love me and despair.

POE: We already do. Just get rid of it and I’ll get you a nicer ring.

ANNABEL: Wait, was that a proposal?

POE: No. Uh yes. Uh maybe?

[Annabel casts the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. She sighs with relief.]

ANNABEL: It’s over. It’s done.

[Annabel and Poe slowly head out of the chamber and make their way down the mountain. Suddenly, with a great roar, the mountain erupts. Annabel and Poe cling together on an outcrop as rivers of lava flow all around them.]

ANNABEL: I am glad that you are with me, Edgar, here at the end of all things.

[She looks up at the sky. A flock of birds is flying towards them.]

ANNABEL: Oh Edgar! The ravens! The ravens are coming!

[The ravens pass overhead and continue on. Poe coughs uncomfortably. Just as all seems to be lost, Annabel and Poe dematerialize, then rematerialize.]

Chapter 6 – Party’s End:

[Poe and Annabel look around. They are back in the bookshop in Washington D.C. All of the other members of the Party are there as well, and they are applauding.]

POE: What happened? Are we dead?

WELLS: No! It is a convenient side effect of this form of travel! When you died in Middle Earth you awoke back here!

POE: [Frowns] Does this mean Eddie is also back?

LENORE: No, he must have traveled to Middle Earth using a different method. He was definitely really eaten by a giant spider. Too bad, so sad!

[Tolkien coughs to get everyone’s attention.]

TOLKIEN: The Ringbearer has fulfilled her quest! Praise her with great praise! Thanks to you and to all of the Party, a terrible threat has been vanquished.

ANNABEL: Is the darkness gone forever?

TOLKIEN: No my dear. The darkness is never gone forever. That is why each of us must return to our own places and times, and fight the darkness however it may come to us there.

NARRATOR: There were many tearful goodbyes. Dostoevsky insisted that the entire group take a shot, in celebration of the love than had grown amongst them. Hemingway took a few friendly jabs at Poe. Eventually, the group dispersed, and Poe, Annabel, and Lenore made their way home.

ANNABEL: Isn’t it strange to think that we went on that great adventure to save the world, and no one in Baltimore knows anything about it?

POE: Oh, I don’t like attention anyway.

Epilogue

NARRATOR: As you know, the time comes when a Ringbearer must make one final journey. And it is said when Annabel sailed over the sea that Edgar Allan Poe went with her. And perhaps it was due to Poe’s great love for Annabel that the Lords of the West permitted it.

They took the last ship to the West, Poe and his Annabel Lee

There they loved with a love that was more than love, in a kingdom by the sea.

The End

#shipwreckedcomedy #shipwrecked comedy #shipwreckedfive #poeparty #poe party

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blueinkedfrost · 5 years

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Heathers: The Musical - Part 1/3, Stuff I Like

Part 2 of 3: Stuff I Don't Like Part 3 of 3: Alternate Adaptation Ideas

I saw the Heathers musical this year with people I love; we had a fantastic night out.

Here is a review of the musical in three parts. First, stuff I like. Second, stuff I don't like. Third, alternate adaptation ideas I would like.

Stuff I like!

The Singing

The musical is a candy-coloured singing extravaganza that cranks up the melodrama to maximum with catchy tunes. Definitely a plus!

The Fandom

While I can't prove it, I suspect the musical is one of the key reasons why the Heathers fandom is still somewhat alive thirty years later. People hear about the musical production and sometimes seek out the movie, so even though the movie is better the musical is still attractive. If you're a fan of the movie who likes an active fandom better than a dead one, the musical might have something to do with that.

Woo, Ghosts!

The dead characters singing from beyond the grave is a melodramatic and near-supernatural touch that goes far beyond the movie's brief dream sequence, but turning on extreme drama and colour in a musical is great. The tangible presence of ghosts also increases Veronica's guilt at murder.

No Mobile Phones. That Means You, Heather.

If Heather Chandler delivers the 'no mobile phones' speech at the beginning in character, this is awesome and funny.

Martha Finn

Making Martha and Betty into a single character is an excellent adaptation choice. Movie Betty only has one personality trait, being extremely self-effacing, and I think this isn't very interesting and would get very annoying over a long period of time. There's an argument that making Martha Veronica's childhood friend makes Veronica change less, but I think the change is still there. Here's why:

At the beginning of the movie, Veronica's friends are the Heathers and Betty. At the end, her friends are Martha, McNamara, Betty, and possibly Duke.

At the beginning of the musical, Veronica's only friend is Martha. At the end, her friends are Martha, McNamara, and probably Duke.

So I think there's change in both versions. (I have a Strong Opinion that in the musical adaptation, Heather Duke deserves to be included in the group hug at the end! She's a schoolkid who was messed up from Chandler's relentless bullying and deserves to have good friends who look out for her, not to be treated like she's irredeemably evil.)

Musical Martha being the smartest character (figuring out J.D. did it) as well as the nicest character is also an adaptation choice I can definitely get behind.

‘Fight for Me’/Casting

J.D. makes his dramatic entrance with a fist fight rather than pulling a gun. This is more visually dynamic, and also makes J.D.'s casting more race neutral - getting away with bringing a gun to school & shooting blanks has a lot to do with him being a white middle-class teenager in the movie, but I like how the musical can and should have race neutral casting. The movie made it clear that Sherwood is a mostly white town and Veronica and J.D. get away with it partly because they're white middle class kids. However, I like how the musical adaptation alters the emphasis to a more general school-bullying message and makes race blind casting possible for basically all the characters. (It's problematic if Heather Duke is always and the only non-white Heather, though. It'd be better if the musical did a better job of her character; Duke is the most complicated and interesting Heather and that should make it into her musical version.)

‘Dead Girl Walking’

I love the room break-in reversal in the adaptation, where Veronica breaks into J.D.'s room early on and it's fun and silly and hopeful, and then J.D. breaks into Veronica's room in the end and it's awful and scary and dramatic. Dead Girl Walking is a cool song, both original and reprise. In both musical and movieverse, I like how consensual-but-ill-advised sex was the least worst thing J.D. and Veronica did.

Musical McNamara

Musical McNamara's adaptation is significantly different to Movie McNamara, but I like it. Movie McNamara is a generic silly blonde cheerleader who's not very bright and has not-so-hidden insecurities. Musical McNamara gets lines like "If I took a meat cleaver down the centre of your skull, I'd have matching halves. That's very important." Musical McNamara seems to have little to no sense of what's socially appropriate in a given situation, complaining about how "I'm on the freaking bus again because all my rides to school are dead." She's much more quirky than the movie version, and I think that's an adaptation choice that works well for the candy-coloured melodrama of the musical. The musical also takes away the nuance of "I was supposed to be captain of the cheerleading team" and makes McNamara actually the cheer captain; I think it's a good choice to simplify things when you're going for for melodrama rather than subtlety. Musical McNamara is morally worse than Movie McNamara - she deliberately tries to volunteer Veronica for gang rape. (A role reversal where, in the movie, Veronica and J.D. were bystanders while Ram raped McNamara; I'd prefer to think that it was dark and they were up on the hill and mistook what they overheard for consensual sex.)

Chandler’s Ghostly Fashion Sense

Chandler's ghost outfit being red, not pink. It's a small change, but I think it makes a lot of sense. In the movie, red is the symbol of power. Just before Movie Chandler dies, she's wearing a pink nightgown rather than her usual red; pink is a weaker colour, showing her vulnerability. In the musical, Chandler's ghost is going to stay around and hold on to some of her power. She deserves to be wearing her signature colour, the bold red.

Songs I Love

Lifeboat. One of the very best songs. This is probably why Musical McNamara's such a fan favourite because the song is so awesome. Both McNamara and Duke are bully victims as well as perpetrators, so it's unfair that McNamara gets a good song and Duke doesn't, but it's such a good song. I like how McNamara reaching out and seeking help from Veronica after her suicide attempt means there's hope she can change for the better.

Fight for Me. Fun, melodramatic, excellent choreography with the slow-motion fight and comically exaggerated injuries to unsympathetic characters, Veronica’s sudden enthusiasm, both hilarious and kind of touching at the same time.

Freeze Your Brain. Great melody, lots of angst.

Dead Girl Walking and Reprise. Powerful and exciting.

Meant To Be Yours. So many changes of musical genre; I love plotty, exciting songs that reverse direction so many times. This is my absolute favourite song and the one that tempted me to watch Heathers in the first place.

Songs I Like But Don’t Absolutely Love

Dead Gay Son because it's campy and fun. I love the irony of the dads finding true love with each other after their sons' murders. It takes the movie joke and turns it up to eleven.

Seventeen is lovely and angsty.

Shine a Light is pretty good too as Fleming has some decent jokes and audience participation in it.

Tip of the hat to @scouts-mockingbird's musical series!

#heathers #heathers: the musical #fandom meta #reviews

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shalebridge-cradle · 6 years

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The Big Night - Chapter 2 (Date Night)

(I’m posting this here first, then to Ao3 later. I hope you like it..)

This is a bad idea.

A terrible idea, really, but Veronica is in no place to question Chandler’s decision to take her out on a date for her birthday. Yeah, she’s happy that Heather remembered (though Veronica doesn’t recall telling her), and yeah, she’s also a big ol’ mess when it comes to Chandler showing affection. The warmth of her breath when she nuzzles against Veronica’s neck, the comforting weight when she’s curled up on Veronica’s lap – it makes Veronica feel like the most important person in the world.

And, hey, who’d turn down a date with Heather ‘Legs For Days’ Chandler?

Who cares if it’s on a full moon?

“Betty! Hey, I was hoping to catch you.”

Betty, as always, looks pleasantly surprised. Veronica wonders how low her expectations must be if talking to a traitorous friend is something to look forward to.

“Oh! What’s up?”

“Well, you know the dog-sitting gig I’ve got? I’ve got a huge History assignment I need to finish, but Flash and Duchess need someone to look after them tonight, and they need a lot of attention. I know you like them – can you cover for me? I’ll pass the cash on to you, promise.”

Lies, most of it. No history assignment, of course, but Chandler was very insistent about keeping Duke and McNamara away from their date, and no way is Veronica just gonna leave them out to dry. Chandler did begrudgingly offer a bribe, though, so the payment part’s true.

Betty smiles sympathetically. “It’s not fair you have to work on your birthday. But sure, I’ll help – my parents are away this week, so no problems there.”

“Great. Thanks, Betty,” Veronica sighs in relief, “I can drop them at your place around six, is that okay?”

“Sure thing!”

Betty walks off, a spring in her step, and Veronica gives Heather Duke a covert thumbs-up.

Duke frowns in response.

McNamara is practically vibrating with excitement as she helps Veronica choose her outfit after school. She’s cleaning out Veronica’s closet, holding up shirts and skirts to her semi-willing model before throwing them into random piles.

It’s normally Chandler who has the final say on fashion, but she’s taken a back seat this time. Maybe it’s like, bad luck – the groom can’t see the bride before she walks down the aisle, right? Presumably the same applies here.

…Maybe Veronica shouldn’t compare this to a wedding. She might be moving a bit fast.

A hat gets placed on her head, then taken off just as quickly.

“I’m thinking a black top, not sure which top, though.” McNamara babbles, “Oh, and a blue skirt, but I can’t decide between the ruffles or the pleated one. A cardigan? Maybe a cardigan, it’s getting colder.”

“No hat?”

“No hat. It’ll be dark, anyway. You won’t have to keep the sun off your head, and that’s what hats are for, right?”

Why did she say ‘right’? Is she not sure?

“You’re kind of on edge, Heather. Is it a full moon thing? Should I be worried?”

“No. It’s just… Heather asked you out on a date!”

Well, she didn’t really ask, more demanded, but whatever. “So? She goes on loads of dates. Nothing new.”

“Well, yeah, but she doesn’t ask anyone. They all ask her. Everyone wants me, Heather,” McNamara does a passable imitation of Chandler’s sneering tone, “but I don’t want them. That means she must like you.”

It’s kind of weird to hear it from someone else. Given their relationship is hidden behind closet doors, when being a werewolf is less of a potential blow to your Westerburg status than being gay, the validation is scary and soothing at the same time.

Veronica supposes it’s nice to know Chandler’s serious about it. She wouldn’t take the risk with just anyone, right?

Right.

“You know what?” she says, “I’m thinking the ruffle skirt.”

Betty,

Thanks again for the help! I’m enclosing this guide with the care pack just so you know the deal. Flash and Duchess are usually well-behaved, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Flash is easy to take care of – just let her run around the backyard for a while to work off some energy, then she’ll calm right down. I’ve put her favorite toy in the pack. If she gets anxious, give it to her. It’ll help her feel safe.

Duchess is totally happy to follow you around, so long as you’re doing something she thinks is interesting. On that thought, make sure you close the doors to any room you don’t want her entering, she has a habit of going wherever she wants. She loves watching TV with me, so maybe put something on and see if she likes it. I’d suggest not inviting anyone over, since she tends to get upset with people she deems dangerous. You know that.

They’ve had an early dinner, so don’t worry about feeding them. I’ll pick them up around 10.

- V

Betty returns the paper and the cash to the envelope, gaze drifting down to her charges. Flash watches her expectantly, while Duchess seems to be having a sulk. Maybe she’s mad Veronica left her here (Betty feels a twinge of disappointment at the thought).

Betty leans down. “Hey, sweetheart-” Duchess’ head snaps towards her- “It’s not all bad. I’m not as boring as everyone thinks. We can still have some fun, even if Veronica isn’t here.”

It’s kind of silly, talking to something that doesn’t understand logic, let alone human speech. Still, Betty knows Duchess is smart, and the big black dog gives Betty a look (almost like begrudging acceptance) before she snorts and wanders inside.

Betty needs to cheer her up. That’ll be her mission for tonight, she decides.

Veronica barely gets one foot inside Heather’s house before Chandler almost bowls her over. Heather at least has the decency to look regretful for a fraction of a second before she trots off to the kitchen.

“Hello to you too,” Veronica mutters before following.

In all honesty, she’s more than a little curious as to what Heather has planned. On any other day, Veronica would expect a trip to the movies or dinner at a fancy restaurant, but Veronica can’t get away with claiming Heather’s her seeing-eye dog (not that she hasn’t been tempted to try). It limits the usual options, but when Chandler’s faced with a roadblock, she’ll find another way to get what she wants.

On the kitchen bench so bleach-white it almost hurts to look at, there’s a sheet of paper and a chocolate cupcake. The candle placed perfectly in the center hasn’t been lit. Probably wise, Veronica thinks to herself – the other two options are a cake covered in wax or a blazing inferno.

Heather’s watching her intently, shifting from paw to paw. At least Veronica has an idea of what she wants; she removes the candle and takes a bite.

Oh. It has cherries in it. Rich, like she’d expect from Heather, but she has to admit it’s pretty damn good. Veronica gives Heather a thumbs-up, and a little bit of tension disappears from Heather’s eyes. Veronica takes another bite as she casts her eyes down to the paper, and she almost chokes on chocolate and her own laughter.

Of course Heather Chandler, of all people, would itemize their date.

Good news – Flash adores Fetch.

She hesitates, at first, but once Betty nods towards the stick, she’s off like a shot and back for more. Again and again and again, she runs and runs and runs until she flops at Betty’s feet, exhausted and happier than anything.

The bad news is that Duchess is not a fan. It’s almost like she wants to, but when Betty presents her with the stick she glares at it with such disdain that the wood almost catches fire under the heat of her gaze.

“Look,” Betty tells her, “you helped me out with Richie, so I want to do right by you. Can you give me a hint?”

Duchess thinks for a moment, then wanders back inside. Betty gives Flash a quick once-over (yep, still alive) before she goes to make sure Duchess won’t break anything.

She doesn’t. Honestly, Betty’s a little mad at herself for assuming her weirdly intelligent hero would wreck her house. Duchess doesn’t, of course – she’s trying her darndest to open the cupboard below the TV with her mouth. Oh, right. Veronica said something about movies in her letter, didn’t she?

Betty opens the door for Duchess and spreads out the cases.

“Which one?”

Duchess surveys them all with a derisive eye, before she places her paw on one case with the finality of a judge’s gavel.

Betty stares down at Duchess’ choice. “Really? That’s kind of a scary one.”

Duchess raises an eyebrow. How on earth…? Can dogs do that?

“…I did say it was your decision, didn’t I?” Betty says doubtfully. “Okay, we’ll watch it.”

She shouldn’t really believe Duchess know what she’s choosing, but if she wants to watch An American Werewolf in London…

It’s kind of a ride, going to a drive-through a few towns over, finding a park to have dinner (Chandler refuses to let Veronica eat in her Porsche), and then their last stop: The middle of nowhere.

At least Veronica knows where this place is. It’s the field, from the first night she acted as a wolf chauffeur. She might be imagining things, but it seems nicer than she remembers it. Lush, almost tranquil.

And the stars…

Sure, streetlamps are great and all, but you miss out on so much in the light. Out here, you see nothing, but everything.

Chandler is acting as her seeing-eye wolf, now that the car headlights are off (yeah, the moon’s out, but it’s still a little murky through Veronica’s inferior human eyes). Veronica has her hand on her back as Heather leads her to…

A seat? Since when has there been a seat out here? Did Heather do some guerilla landscaping?

Eh, whatever. There’s the clack of claw-on-wood as Heather climbs up on the bench, and Veronica eases down next to her.

“I thought you’d pick a place with more people for the grand finale. I mean, ideally my birthday’d be a different day, but even then, you could’ve done something this afternoon. Coming out here and stargazing, it’s too romantic for you.”

Chandler nips her ear, a gentle reprimand.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just… you usually aren’t so sentimental.” A pause. “Thanks, by the way. It’s been a good birthday. More exciting than listening to my parents sing, not as overwhelming as a house party. You’re getting better at this balance thing.”

It’s weird, seeing a wolf looking smug. She seen it many times before, of course, the Heathers are prone to being smug. There’s something abut the way Heather puffs up that makes Veronica smile.

“Am I allowed to talk about the stars?” she asks. Heather licks the back of her hand, and she takes that as a ‘yes’. “Okay, so those really big one down there? That’s Sirius. The Dog Star.”

Chandler groans.

Flash isn’t watching the movie. She’s curled up on Betty’s bed with her yellow teddy, the rotting corpse of Jack chatting away like he isn’t horrific to behold proving too much for the sensitive soul.

Duchess isn’t even watching, really. Betty isn’t sure she should be on the couch with her, but that’s where she is, trying her best not to fall asleep.

“Mr. Bringsley… I’m sorry. I have absolutely no idea what to say to you.”

“You’ve left my wife a widow and my children fatherless. And, I understand, I am to walk the earth in limbo – one of the living dead – until the wolf’s bloodline is severed and the curse lifted. You must die, David Kessler.”

Betty’s surprised a dog could be so morbid in her movie choice.

Wait.

Is this a hint? Duchess is huge for a dog, almost human-size if she stood on her hind legs. Does this mean she killed people? What if Richie got lucky? Are her maybe-victims trapped in an unliving hell?

Duchess nuzzles closer to Betty’s shoulder, and soon all Betty can focus on is the sound of her soft snoring.

…No. Betty’s being silly again. Besides, Duchess sleeps too soundly for a killer.

She feels her own eyes begin to drift closed, as well, and decides not to fight it. She’s only barely aware of the conversations on the television, and it’s probably for the best. She needs some rest.

It’s almost eleven, after all.

There was one last thing Heather wanted to do – go back to her place. To her bedroom.

Obviously, nothing was gonna happen tonight. Heather just directed Veronica to her vanity, a fancy blue box presented like a work of art. Makes sense that Chandler would buy her something hideously expensive. That’s how her family shows affection, after all.

Veronica cautiously opens the box, and can’t help but let out a soft gasp.

It’s beautiful. Threads of sterling silver twisting around a deep blue sapphire, surrounded by shimmering diamonds. It’s delicate, but still bold. Perfect, and probably worth more than the house she lives in.

All she can say to Heather’s intent stare is “Oh my God”. Chandler shifts on her paws.

“No, no, it’s good, it’s good! It’s amazing! Thank you again. You’re- You’ve been so good.”

This is the right thing to say, apparently, because Heather honest-to-god wags her tail.

Veronica’s made it. Everybody go home, she’s reached the peak, she made Chandler drop her guard.

“And you picked this by yourself?” Heather bows her head in an attempt to nod. “I’m surprised you didn’t buy a matching one. Maybe that’s what I can get you for your birthday. Like a collar, or something.”

Yeah, that didn’t come out like it should have. She meant something that can make Heather feel pretty regardless of how many legs she has, but even Veronica can see where she went wrong with that one. Heather probably can too, if the blood rushing to Veronica’s face is any sign.

“I mean – well, I didn’t mean, actually – I’m not suggesting anything you don’t wanna do, uh-”

Heather puts a paw on Veronica’s foot. Veronica isn’t sure what that means, but Chandler rolls her eyes and hops up onto the bed, looking at her as if beckoning.

Okay. So she forgives her for that faux-pas (not that she knows any other werewolves to clarify if it is). Veronica will take what she can get. She strips off her outer layers and climbs into bed next to Heather, pulling the blanket over them both.

Is she forgetting something?

It’s a beautiful morning. Betty doesn’t even need to open her eyes to know that. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, she’s safe and warm under a blanket and the sizzle and smell of a cooked breakfast wafts under her nostrils.

She moves under the blanket, straining to get up, but a weight and a groan stops that before it really gets started. Oh, right, she was dogsitting for Veronica. She gives Duchess a scratch behind the ear, and smiles to herself when Duchess leans into the touch.

…Hold on.

She didn’t have a blanket when she went to sleep. Someone’s in her kitchen.

There’s no-one else in the house.

She whips the blanket off, and a decidedly human voice on top of her shrieks.

“Pancakes!” How did Heather McNamara – oh no, “No one is allowed to be upset when there’s pancakes!”

#the cradle will write #the big night - work

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rorykillmore · 6 years

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okay dooo sara, izzie, and heather, which heather is for you to figure out. (no but do chandler)

jokes on you, i’m doing ALL of the heathers.

no but okay

sara

How I feel about this character: love her!!! she’s easily one of my favorite if not my favorite arrowverse characters. legends really really succeeded in exploring a lot of her unchecked potential and now she means so much to so many people for really important reasons, and i hope she continues to get good stuff on lot no matter how many wrenches arrow tries to throw into it.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 95% of the legends cast! no but i do enjoy a lot of ships for her at least to some extent -- the ones i’m most diehard for are sara/nyssa and sara/ava, but probably second to that are sara/kendra and sara/snart? and then there’s some i kind of like the ideas of just casually like sara/amaya, sara/constantine, etc.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: sara and laurel!!! also sara and e-2 laurel even if that’s mainly thanks to denny given that canon BARELY gave us anything, and sara and jax. and i like that stein was basically another father figure for her too... idk i could go on and on. oh wait. sara and iris should get a special shout out here just in honor of the fact that the actresses want them to be best friends so badly.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i have an aggressive contrary streak towards most of the fandom honestly at this point. to make it easy, i’ll leave ships out of it and just gripe about how “sara can be bi and still have a preference for women” even though some of that discourse died down in the past year.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i’m just gonna single out the arrow finale since that’s an easy target and i’m still salty. she should’ve gotten to fucking say goodbye to her dad. especially after she didn’t get to say goodbye to laurel, and after EVERYTHING she’s lost especially recently, like. god, when will arrow stop ruining sara’s happiness. keep her away from them. also more actual acknowledgement of a dynamic between her and e-2 black siren would’ve been, y’know, nice.

izzie

How I feel about this character: honestly one of my favorites from the early seasons -- i love her kindness and optimism and how that challenges her as a surgeon (but how she ultimately tells bailey that she refuses to give that part of herself up), i love her backstory as someone who came from basically nothing and had to fight tooth and nail to get into medical school and how people’s perceptions of that affect her, i love her tendency to spiral and make bad decisions when she’s too emotionally invested in something because that always made for really good drama... idk she was just!! a really great character overall.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: i... still have an honest fondness for alex/izzie. it’s one of those “grumpy asshole falls for ray of sunshine” ships that are fun in concept BUT of course grey’s did so many good things with it, like having alex actually grow and change and treat people better and actually... complicating things on izzie’s end. they’ll always be a soft spot of mine when it comes to the earlier seasons. OH AND DENNY OF COURSE, AS IN LIKE THE CHARACTER, NOT THE SITE. i’d be remiss not to mention that.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: basically just the rest of MAGIC?? i really loved her dynamics with cristina and meredith for different reasons and george, while not my Favorite, had a nice friendship with izzie when they weren’t having a messy dating life. oh and also izzie/bailey because... i mean bailey and all her original interns are so good, but i always remember that moment she and izzie had together when izzie was sick and bailey mentions something that might happen ‘next year’ or something and izzie snaps like “let’s be real, i’m not going to be here next year” and bailey just expresses this calm, unshakable faith that izzie is going to survive. i think that’s one of the things that got her through it.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i like (most of) her cancer storyline even if i don’t like the way she ultimately left the show. and i think “izzie cheated on alex with a ghost” is a dumb interpretation and a dumb thing to blame her for because guess what, a brain tumor doesn’t just give you hallucinations, it ACTIVELY AFFECTS your personality and your decision-making abilities. jesus, cut the girl some slack.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: if shonda rhimes wasn’t determined to hold onto her spite for the end of eternity, i would’ve really liked to see izzie... at least come back for an episode or two, just to reconnect and see where everyone is now and for us to learn what actually became of her. “izzie left the hospital and never ONCE contacted any of the people there again” is fake, actually, like. they were her family!!! maybe one day if... grey’s ever actually ends, shonda will bring her and cristina back for the last episode or something.

heather chandler

How I feel about this character: i have such a fondness for like, not even Female Villains (although those too), but just those classic mean girl types who have a lot of power and presence and killer one-liners. they’re so fun to watch!! and chandler is kind of like, the original incarnation of that in a lot of ways, and there’s a lot of potential to give her very humanized layers and to have her grow as a person which i’ve really enjoyed doing on denny so!!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: heather and veronica OBVIOUSLY, i’m really proud of the build up spear and i have put into that even if our focus kinda shifted. but i also really enjoy the idea of heather chandler/heather duke, at least on a setting like denny where both of them can like... shed their meaner tendencies and chandler can make up for treating duke badly. aaand special denny shoutout to heather/ratchet, because while they may be temporary they’re an important ship for their own reasons!! and like fate said once, it’s kind of a la la land situation where maybe in a different time, a different place, they could’ve worked out long term. but neither of them are there and that’s okay.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: hmmm heather duke and heather mac, cop out answer, but honestly there are a lot of layers in that dynamic to be explored

My unpopular opinion about this character: it’s been A While since i was in touch with the heathers fandom’s shitty opinions, but im still [eye roll emoji] at the people who romanticize jd or even (and honestly this is more common, more subtle, and thus kind of more of a problem) sympathize a lot with heather mac while absolutely DEMONIZING duke or chandler. check yourselves.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: chandler should have LIVED, you cowards. pull a regina george. actually real talk the point i will always give mean girls over heathers is that it’s pretty forgiving of the core Mean Girl group in the end.

#thanks jay!!#jougletmann

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so-chaos-killed-the-dinosaurs · 7 years

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this is a dumb question, but what exactly is the "point" of the characters (particularly the Heathers, i'm assuming) that the new TV show is fucking up with their redesigns. i just wanna make sure i understand the issues here.

Ok the Heather’s are suppose to be the “popular girls”. They are the people who have the characteristics of what society considers to be beauty and they mock anyone who doesn’t met those standards.

Being skinny and making fun of people who aren’t. Caring more about their status standing than their grades, making fun of people for being geeks or nerd. Mocking people for not meeting what is considered the norm in society, aka being along the LGBT spectrum. (I mean damn JD and Veronica staged Ram and Kurt’s deaths as them dying because they where gay. And expecting them to be the mockery of the school. So making fun of people for being gay and the like.) Wearing clothes that are considered in at the time and that highlight their gender. Aka anything the Heathers wear which was all considered in at the time and stylish.

Heck the colors where a power symbol recognized by them. The queen of the school wore red. Both Chandler and Duke established this in the movie.

And then the first promo pics lacks the signature colors and shows them in weird clothes that would have gotten them weird looks and mocked at my school. The first promo pic is suppose to be thought over carefully. This is the first real image people are getting of your product. This is the hook that should help spark a person’s interest in your product. Get them thinking and hopefully interested in what you are making. And if the first image alone is already putting off a good portion of the fandom. Then you know you have an issue.

They only care (especially Chandler) about holding their social status. Veronica herself has said that she’s using her High IQ to pick out lip gloss and trying to figure out how many kegers she can hit before curfew.

Chandler gets pissed at Veronica for not holding up to the standard she expected for her at the party. (Sleeping with a guy she just met). Chandler certainty would never let herself be fat because it would go against her standards.

They are suppose to be a symbol of what society considers beautiful. And yes they are doing a modern version. But what sparks JD’s hatred for them. Is that he observes them (the Heathers, Kurt and Ram) mocking people for being different. He has seen this all before. Every school he goes to he sees it again and again. A never ending chain of bullying. He watched the Heathers make a mockery of Martha in the cafeteria. Making fun of the fat kid. (Now the show has a SKINNY Martha.) He watches Ram and Kurt chase down those nerdy boys and says stuff like “you piece of shit fag” and trying to get the kid to say “I like to suck big dicks”. Being gay wasn’t a good or popular thing. It lead to you getting bullied.

And yeah times now are a bit more accepting. But I went to a big school. I knew a lot of the LGBT kids because I was friends with a lot of them. I ran in circles that had a lot of them. (Anime Club, Art and Theater related things, Even Band.) I knew the spots where you could go after school and find a group of kids and a majority of them would fall into the LGBT spectrum. None of them where along the popular side at my school. Knowing my school they never would be.

By having the Heathers fall into the very groups they are suppose to mock. It goes against their characters. You can’t have an openly gender-fluid person or Lesbian mock other LGBT people. Yes not all LGBT people are nice. I’ve met plenty of assholes who are LGBT. But being LGBT and being the top dog at school and mocking other LGBT people at school. That doesn’t fit. A LGBT person couldn’t come up to me and make fun of me for being a girl who gets crushes on others girls. Because I’d just be like “so what you’re a guy that’s into guys. Or so what so are you. Etc.” It doesn’t have the same sting it does when coming from a non LGBT person.

A well known girl at my school was obese. But if she came up to me and made fun of my weight it wouldn’t work because she was heavier than me. Her insults could be fired right back at her. Now if a person in extremely good shape where to mock my size then that would hurt.

On top of that having all three of the Heathers fall into a minority but none of the other main characters. That also just seems wrong and like they are baiting people for brownie points.

Here are some changes to make the characters more diverse that would have worked.

•Making JD or Martha a race other than Caucasian. My favorite version of JD is Dan’s. Dan isn’t Caucasian. Yes I love Slater and Ryan. But image wise and art wise I love it when people base their JD around Dan. Also making them another race wouldn’t hurt their characters at all.

•Making Martha Bi or Pan. Martha’s crush is apart of the story and how she gets mocked so she still has to be into guys. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be Bi or Pan.

•Making JD along the Ace/Aro spectrum. I personally headcanon JD as Demisexual Hetroromantic. JD doesn’t seem like the type of character to honestly be that all into sex. Yes he had sex with Veronica. But I wouldn’t see it as interfering with the point of his character if he only had an interest in people after having a connection. I don’t think JD would just sleep with any girl. That he would have to have a general interest and connection with them. And yes typically Demisexual people (in my experience) need a longer time frame. But part of Heathers… well insane story is that it happens so fast.

•Making Veronica Bi. it wouldn’t mess with her character purpose and could give them that diverse cast they are looking for.

•Not making Martha skinny.

Now I wouldn’t want them to make all three of them minorities. As I feel likeIt might give the baiting feel it has with the Heathers. But if they did like 1 Heather & 2 of the others. Or 2 Heathers and 1 of the others. And making it seem like only minorities are mocked and non-minorities can’t be mocked doesn’t sit right with me. And I feel that’s how it would come off is all the bully’s werent minorities while the bullied kids were. As I know it isn’t true and I’ve watched people who fall into minorities categories make fun of people who don’t.

Idk three just feels like a good number.

And by 1 or two of the Heathers I mean their race. As I don’t think them not being Caucasian in a modern heathers would be much of a problem. In all productions of the musical I have seen at least one of the Heathers. (Usually Duke) isn’t caucasian. So having one of the Heathers a different race wouldn’t be an issue.

Oh and here is an idea. They go to a freaking school. You have cast characters you could use to get that diverse character cast you are looking for without messing with a character’s role. You want an LGBT character, I’ve said this before, but try having a girl have a thing for one of the Heathers. Like they did in the musical. Show her confessing to one of the Heathers. Then show how they treat her. Show them making fun of her or treating her poorly. Show me these asshole Heathers that are suppose to be an example of what is wrong with society. Show me Bi Veronica and them learning she is and Chandler pushing her to hide that side of her. That would be in character.

Show them making fun of a trans kid and that being part of that fuels JD to kill them. Because that would fit.

Show the negative consequences of what the Heathers do. Show how it effects people. When the show ends show Veronica trying to make things better. Show her approaching some of those kids and working with them.

Also for a racially diverse cast try having kids who aren’t just Chinese, Japanese or black. Try having Cuban characters or Native American or Polynesian or Puerto Rican, Indian, etc. Branch out to other races. Because while black and Asian may be two of the other top races after white in America, they aren’t the only ones.

I’m doing this on mobile. So sorry if it is long or runs together weird. I’m not always the best at wording this. @power-of-innocence tends to do a better job than me.

Edit: I would like to add that the reason the LGBT kids of my HS would never be popular wasn’t like due to my high school being really homophobic. (One of the most beloved seniors when I was a sophomore was an open lesbian.) But mostly due to the sheer size of my school. We had between 3,000 and 4,000 students each year. And 6 different lunch periods. (Technical 3 but for the 9th and 10th graders it was 6) It was impossible to fit the whole school in the cafeteria or gym. We didn’t really have popular kids. The closest you would get to it is kids whose names were well known. Like people really active with school related stuff. Like being apart of the student council or on the Cheerleading squad. (I actually knew many of those girls and they were all really nice.) Also having known those kids they weren’t the type of kids to ever be popular due to their personalities. They a lot where into unpopular subjects and/or also feel into the emo/goth categories. So a lot of them wouldn’t have been popular due to that. But even then the popular kids at my school weren’t mean. Most of them where popular because they where really nice and a lot of people just naturally liked them. Sorry just wanted to add that.Edit: At the time I made this every time I heard Martha mentioned people were saying that they were making her skinny, this maybe incorrect but I’m still not 100% sure. It’s still a horrible show regardless though. Just wanted to correct that.

#peathers #paramount heathers #heathers2018 #notmyheathers #sorry if any of this comes off weird #my brain process things really fast #so getting them down can be hard #because it's like ok brain slow down I can't type this fast #and my brain is just like nope!

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paigemoonlma32 · 4 years

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Audition for Heathers

Before auditioning for Heathers and deciding what characters to audition for, I sat and watched through the musical, followed by listening to the soundtrack. Doing this was to get an understanding of the personality of the characters, and to see if I could reach the range of their songs. I had previously listened to the soundtrack however never gave it my full attention, this was the first time fully listening to the lyrics. Using the Johari window technique to find my strengths and weaknesses alongside knowing how others see me was helpful when deciding who to audition for. My main strength, singing, was a point in the direction for the Heathers and Veronica. For the auditions, I decided to go for the role of Veronica, Heather Duke and Heather Mc. I was dressed in tan tights and black dance knickers with a sports bra. I have always been taught not to dress as the character, but instead hint towards it. After researching, I also found if you do dress as one character that it can potentially close all other doors for opportunities as different characters that they had in mind for you (LaFeber, 2020). I had neutral makeup with eyelashes, and my hair some up some down the way that the main characters style their hair. Doing my hair like this let my hair hint towards any of the four main characters.

The reason I auditioned for Veronica was that I felt I connected with her personality. Veronica is very mature 'beyond her years', upfront with people, carefree and happy (Heathers Wiki, 2020). From my Johari window, I could see that I had similar traits with Veronica. Those being that I know I am cheerful and carefree, and others knowing I am mature. Being a soprano I knew I wouldn't have a problem singing Veronica's songs. The ending of 'dead girl walking' was the only part I pulled back on, not because of the note, but with simply finding the starting key. After watching multiple videos of previous cast members singing the 'climax', I realised that it was not the end key putting me off, but that I was singing the note before a key too low. One video that I found on YouTube was titled "who sang the climax the best?" with approximately 13 people singing the end part that I was previously struggling with (Golightly, 2018). Once I fixed the ending, I was able to add my personality to the end note by adding in a new riff, to make it sound stronger and show my range off. Throughout singing dead girl walking I was singing in two different vocal qualities. It started with a speech quality and finishing in a belt. Singing in a belt is also a natural skill that I have. I also find that I can belt in a high range before having to switch to head voice. Making sure I have the correct vocal technique with controlling my breath will also help to push the ending riff, making it stronger and more contained. I was pleased with my overall audition for Veronica.

Heather Mc is classed as one of the most beautiful, friendly and open characters in the whole of Heather. She does not seem to have a close relationship with the other Heathers. However, she is let off lightly by how Heather Chandler treats and speaks to her. At the end of the musical, Heather Mc seems to open up to Veronica more than she ever has. She even admits that she has depression and would follow any of the Heathers, even to jump off a bridge (Heathers Wiki, 2020). Heather Mc has a moving character song called 'Lifeboat', where she admits to the assembly how high school has been for her. She metaphorically sings how high school is like being trapped in a tiny lifeboat, crammed in one small, unstable space. Instead you’re with far too many of your peers and you're trailing behind a considerable ocean liner containing all your teachers and parents. The grownups are tethered to you by a thin rope, but too far away to appreciate the danger you're in (Batka, 2020). I found that I connected more to Heather Mc's song. I have been in places during my education where I feel invisible with nobody close to speak to. However at the same time, you are surrounded by a lot of people that expect things from you. The audition process for Heather Mc was short, but I am happy with how I portrayed the character and how well I performed in the room under pressure.

Heather Duke is portrayed as shy, reserved and lacking self-esteem. Heather Duke has bulimia which is portrayed through a scene in just the first number 'Beautiful'. Duke seems to be scared of Heather Chandler since Chandler relentlessly bullies her and forces her to throw up in the bathroom after she eats something. She often then tells her to "shut up" or "Bend over". However, when Chandler dies and she is handed over power, Duke becomes cruel and likes watching other people suffer (Heathers Wiki, 2020). I connected to Heather Duke by her two personalities. Sometimes I can be quite reserved and have no problem keeping myself to myself. Other days, I can be the most confident person in the room. I could have used these two types of emotions in act 1 and act 2, before and after Heather Chandler's death. I feel that throughout the audition I could have pushed myself a little more with Heather Duke, showing the shyness and sacredness of Heather Chandler. If I could re-audition, I would research more of the relationship between the three Heathers. Doing this would have helped me during the call back scenes as I would have had a better idea of how to interact with the other cast members.

Below is a picture showing my audition look:

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chasing-musicals · 5 years

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Riverdale’s Renditions of Musicals

Okay, so I know S3 of Riverdale has been out for a while now. But I’ve struggled finding motivation to continue watching it. Largely because of how much it’s gone off the rails. But Heathers was a better musical episode than Carrie and largely because the cast clearly had vocal training (but equally, the entire episode of Heathers sounded extremely auto-tuned and auto-fixed).

Let’s look at s2, episode 18, chapter 31: A Night to Remember.

Let’s be honest here; the cast didn’t sound quite right, but they also didn’t sound exactly bad.

Lili Reinhart (Betty) opened the first number, In, and honestly, she didn’t sound too bad. But she sounded so much different in this episode than she does when she’s singing raw, but mostly with In, I found.

Camila Mendes (Veronica) sounded slightly auto-tuned, if I’m honest. The argument for this is that the notes she was singing were smooth in transition and there was little, if any, sound of strain where there should have been on the repeated “worry” where it goes up in note. It was incredibly smoothed out. Just take “Saturday night” as the prime example - the twang shouldn’t have been there on “night”. However, she does have a lovely raw voice, which many wouldn’t know unless they search for her singing outside of Riverdale.

Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl) did not sound like herself at all. She was surprisingly monotonous, especially given that she truly can sing. Although, it does (semi) work in the song. But there were instances of severe auto-tuning – “when will I belong” – and the “belong” sounded extremely off in the note drop, and should not have been up-down as it was. “Damn”, in the context in the song, is mean to be full of emotion (and louder with more power, but eh, that would’ve sounded off with the tone Madelaine was singing), but seems flat – and it’s her face and eyes that are giving the emotion.

Vanessa Morgan (Toni) was very off in her first line (“what if I do snap”) and the auto-tuning was there rather heavily. It was noticeable most with “what if” and if you listen closely, you hear the off-key to her voice. However, after the first line she sings, she begins to sound more natural, even if there is a lot of smoothing of the voice.

KJ Apa (Archie) began the second verse, and honestly, he did not sound right at all. It’s not his vocal range – it’s far, far too low and makes him sound like he can’t sing when he really can – evident in how even in an octave too low for him, he still manages to hit the right notes.

Shannon Purser (Ethyl) not much was off really with her. “I go crazy. Nobody cares what it does to me”. “Nobody” and “does” were not right. There was a sharp that shouldn’t have been there in both, but other than that, she sounded fine – and wasn’t auto-tuned as much as the others. The only other time she seemed to go off-key in In, was when the overlap began, and “In” sounded far too sharp (about 2:48 in the episode on Netflix).

Casey Cott (Kevin) – well, there’s nothing to say about him really because he really can sing and it’s evident in his strong “I go crazy” following Shannon’s line. Yes, he might have sounded off slightly at the end of “crazy” but that was him raw, and him taking a fast breath for “I would go out of my mind”.

Next came the number, Carrie, in which Madelaine featured. Now, while she can sing, this was not her pitch, I don’t believe. “That’s not my name” was off, but that was due to a slight too-heavy fixture of auto-tuning on “name”. That was very much the only off-part honestly, as it was very much her being raw. You can hear soft growls of pure power on a number of words; “I am the sound” the “I” contains the power, “Oh, my someday” the “oh” contains the power. And then was that belt at the end, controlled but oh-so-powerful.

On to the next number; Do Me a Favor. Again, I’ll cover each in order of singing. We begin, once again, with darling Lili. Playing Sue in the musical, she sits quite comfortably with this vocal range (it’s far more her natural tone) but it can’t be denied that she does sound off, but that’s largely because she’s more nasally, which is what head-voice can be fore some people. And then she slips down out of head and more to chest, and sounds clearer. For someone who doesn’t sing often and hasn’t had much vocal training professionally, she is someone who has great vocal control.

Next came Camila, and woooo her belt was there. In comparison to In, she sounded waaaaaaaay more natural, and in control, even with the high, almost strained, “if she plays with fire, she’s gonna get burned”. The music to this song helps too, suiting her vocal range as powerful whereas Lili is far softer in vocal range. The only note that seemingly was off was “make her good and sorry that she ever crossed me” but even that was the music making it sound off on the “make”.

When Lili and Camila began their duet of “I can even up this debt”, that was when Lili sounded off, her pitching too high on “debt” but that was really about it. These two have voices that meld together quite nicely.

This song seemed much better for all of them, if KJ is anything to go off. Unlike In, where it was too low an octave, this was a low note but in his octave, with his voice melding with Jordan Calloway’s (Chuck).

All in all, Do Me a Favor is very raw, sounding much as it would on stage anywhere.

Now for Unsuspecting Hearts. We all know Ashleigh Murray (Josie) can sing, so I won’t dwell on her. Madelaine. Oh, dear, oh dear. What happened there? “That’s how it starts. Two unsuspecting”. Ouch. That did not sound right at all. And yet, she seemed okay for the rest of the song.

Righto, time for The World According to Chris. Though it may seem it, Camila has a raw voice for this, even if “fellow man” doesn’t sound right (it’s nasally, not off note or key). Now, “daddy” is definitely not right. She messed up the note but not drastically – she just went down and it just sounded odd. But honestly, you can hear each intake of breath, and you can just hear the rawness of her voice on “you’d probably think it’s bizarre. But that’s the way things are” – and it’s honestly just so nice! And then we have “better to punch than get punched! Better to burn than get burned – learn that and you’re gonna go far” which honestly is way too high (but still not auto-tuned, yay!) but then she drops back down to the right key.

Time for the heart-wrencher; You Shine. For KJ’s voice, the song is the right pitch, and it definitely shows. What may seem off in “If you could see” is him literally breaking into the song. With Lili, she finally gets to do a belt in her soft, “angelic” (to quote Madelaine) voice, and boy does it sound good. And while she sounds more enthusiastic than Camilla in their duet, it works to create a contrast and to harmonize their voices.

Stay Here Instead is a tricky one to analyse, and mostly because Mädchen Amick (Alice C.) hasn’t had much vocal training, despite marrying a singer-songwriter and growing up playing many instruments. But honestly, she did well. Yes, some note may have sounded off, or forced, but that’s because she went in extremely raw.

A Night We’ll Never Forget is the very title of the episode, and the song that takes place as being very much like High School Musical’s Night to Remember, being backstage as the cast of the show prepare to perform. It’s harder to pick apart as they all sing together, and it’s hard to figure out if the music is covering or not. The best part is that you can hear Casey over everyone else, which is nice. Jordan, however, seemed to stand out as being not quite as on note. Shannon also sounded as though she was being autotuned, but that might have been the music. Vanessa was raw, as was Lili, KJ, Camila and Madelaine. As a company, the cast really worked this particular number.

Evening Prayers was where everything went stir-crazy for the show, with the character Midge turning up dead (spoiler, she was murdered by our favorite, Chic). Mädchen doesn’t miss a note, and the music had been changed to work with her vocal range, and as such it works to her advantage.

I loved the references they make in the episode, however, around the notorious note, in which reference to Phantom is made rather bluntly.

Now, let’s look at s3, episode 16, chapter 51: Big Fun.

There was a lot of unnecessary auto-tuning in this one, let me tell you. And waaaaaaaaay to many WHIP sound effects that weren’t needed.

Casey was okay, really, and that definitely falls back to how he’s also a singer. Maybe he hasn’t performed on Broadway, but he’s performed at 54Below. He opened up with Beautiful, and let’s be honest, while the choreography sucked ass, it doesn’t reflect the singers at all. While he was nasally, Casey was also raw, which is important to note given how most of the cast weren’t. The only line I seemed to notice that was off, was “I pray, I pray”, where the second “I pray” sounded more like “a pray”, but it’s mostly down to the vowels sounding very similar.

I don’t have much to pick apart with Camila really. Sure, “things will get better, soon as my letter, comes from Havard, Duke or Brown” sounds spoken, but it’s hard to jump straight into singing when even the beat is slow. Besides, even in the OBCR this line is sung in very much the same way as Camila has. And hey, you actually hear the breathiness in her voice and each intake of breath she takes. That’s a win. She’s done really well in matching Barrett Wilbert Weed’s (OBCR Veronica Sawyr) take on the song.

Now, I have no idea what they did to KJ or Ashliegh because neither one of them sounded right or like themselves. KJ can sing, so I don’t know why he was autotuned so much in this. It’s painful to listen to. When he starts, the “And I know, I know, I know” don’t sound too bad, but “life can be beautiful” went off, especially the “beautiful”. It was from there that he stopped sounding so much like KJ and started sounding more auto-tuned.

I won’t lie – I fucking love Ashliegh’s voice, but in this episode, she was not done justice. You can hear the auto-tune, and it grated on my ears especially with “kind once more” where “more” skips down. All in all, she really didn’t sound like herself, at all.

Onto Lili. Her voice is beautiful, but again, AUTO-TUNE?! She honestly doesn’t sound right when she starts singing in Beautiful. The first “I know” was almost too powerful, and sounded slightly off-key, but also fixed. It’s bad enough that there’s the echo behind the words, but to be so loud? Nah. Not right. But other than that particular line, she doesn’t sound dreadfully off. It was pointed out by a close friend that, to her, Lili sounded much like she did when singing In during season 2, which as I’ve pointed out, was auto-tune heavy for the entire cast. At least there was less of the auto-tuning here, as after “I know, I know” you start to hear her taking breaths again.

Cole Sprouse. Is there really anything to say for Beautiful other than how he decided to take “just not today” and do it Blues style? But hey, at least it wasn’t auto-tuned or in the wrong pitch for him.

Then came the long baritone from Casey, which ran under the cast in the classroom. Ashleigh sounded okay, but Charles Melton (Reggie) sounded waaay too monotonous, KJ sounded better than earlier in the song but still not quite right, Jordan Connor (Sweet Pea) and Drew Ray Tanner (Fangs) sounded surprisingly perfect together, and then the cast together sounds much better.

And then we have Lili, Camila and Madelaine, who sounded shockingly auto-tuned and off key. Madelaine, whose solo in Beautiful began with “you know, you know, you know” sounded hollow, with no emotion behind it. But following that, she sounds like her, emotion and all. “Let’s make her beautiful”, sung in round by Lili and Camila didn’t sound quite right, but only on the part of Camila being monotonous and Lili being slightly too high, I feel, sounding airy.

Charles seemed to redeem himself for his monotonous “why do I act like such a creep” in the classroom scene with “out of my way, geek” in the hall where he pushes Drew, who in his line of “I don’t want trouble” sounded wrong as it sounded overly whimpy, but was definitely raw. Charles then seemed to loose his will to sing as “you’re gonna die at 3pm” sounded lacklustre towards “3pm”. Madelaine sounded perfectly fine when she sang “don’t you dare touch me, get away pervert”, leading to Jordan’s short solo - “what did I ever do to them” - which sounded just perfect.

And then there is that iconic moment of Casey leading them all into the theatre, in what can only be described as his GLEE moment. He sounded fine, Lili and Camila’s duet sounded ... good? To a degree, anyway. Madelaine was on key with her 3 lines. And there is no escaping just how controlled Casey was with his belts of “it might be beautiful” and the final line of “it’s a beautiful frickin’ day”.

Let’s talk about Candy Store. Soooooooo much auto-tuning it was unreal. It wasn’t too bad to begin with – sure they cut out half of the lines in the episode, but oh well (the cast recording on Spotify has the entire thing, with altered lyrics). There isn’t much to pick out about Madelaine’s singing really, until after the first attempt at harmonizing (it wasn’t bad, lodes of people have said it is, but honestly, I’ve heard way worse). My biggest issue? The lyric change from “if you lack the balls, you can go play dolls, let your mommy fix you a snack” to “if you lack the deuce, go play duck duck goose, let your mommy fix you ice-cream”. I understand the change from “balls”, and in short from “dolls”, but snack? There really was no purpose for that line change. Of course, there is the question of copyright, and the fact that the show is technically pg13 (not that you’d ever know it) which explained the lyric change of “prove you’re not a pussy anymore” to “prove you’re not a doorknob anymore” (yes, doorknob really is the new lyric in Riverdale), but even so… And then there were the cut-offs at the end of “you can join the team”…“you can live the dream” that literally made me so annoyed because it sounded so unnatural.

Vanessa I feel sorry for. Truly, I do. She did not get to showcase the amazing voice she has, and was heavily auto-tuned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa” sounded of pitch and key, and the edited cut from the recording was done extremely badly. And then the out of time, and off key “step into my candy store” at the end of her verse/chorus was waaaaaaaay too clear. I don’t know how or why the recording team allowed this particular one to be the final version. Sadly, she also fell on the note of “anymore” which caused a fail in build up. And then “or you can bitch and moan”…“or you can die alone” both sounded so much nicer than the rest of what she sang (let’s not talk about the whip noises).

When they had the duet and harmonized they sounded so good (ignoring the weird af choreo) and even when they dropped an octave for “end up like her” it worked so much better than people give them credit. Yes, true, this line is meant to be high, but honestly, going low worked better for Madelaine and Vanessa because they would’ve struggled to hit the note. Besides, it wasn’t as though the low take came out of nowhere, either, as Heather Duke (an alto role: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oYAfnOY71Q) does the same in the harmonizing of the three Heathers, with Heather McNamara being the soprano role (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubBAlBGfEP4) and Heather Chandler being the mezzo-soprano role (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StEi0AOfH_Y). When they went into Heather Chandler’s long “stooore”, the high belt was honestly too much for either one of them to hit, but it can’t be denied that Madelaine gave it a good shot (even if that off-key shriek shouldn’t be there at all) and so did Vanessa on the overlapping “whoa” she belted. You can hear auto-tuning, that has to be said. But it has to be said that Madelaine’s voice suites alto more so than mezzo-soprano. Just be glad they didn’t go for the F5 “store” at the very end.

Now for the kicker. Big Fun, the very song the episode is titled after. All I can say without wanting to DIE is that only Casey can actually sing in this, and he only has a few short lines – he literally made the song tolerable and he even gave an almost belt on “I feel like Bono at Live-Aid”. Zoé De Grand Maison (Evelyn) can’t sing I don’t think (if she can, I’m sorry, but there is no other evidence of her singing without auto-tune that I can find), but I won’t deny that “I’m not alone, I’m not afraid” sounded OK. The harmonies that were supposed to be there weren’t, and they completely fucked up the notes on “Big fun! Big fun!” (look closely and you can see that Casey doesn’t even try on it because clearly he expected them to hit the note and they missed it, but you can hear KJ trying), Charles honestly just sounded bad. Camila, well, auto-tune was there to smooth her voice over, but at least they tried to make it sound real – but also, it wasn’t even the right character part she was singing, she was mean to be playing a Heather not Veronica Sawyr. I’m sorry, but Ashleigh’s “I’m actually having” sounded fake as all hell, and not like her at all. Jordan’s “you need a jello shot” to Drew wasn’t so bad either, I guess, as it was a musical yell. “Dang, dang” wasn’t too bad… It wasn’t good, but it was awful. I don’t know why it sounded so bad, honestly, but I’d wager that it’s because only Casey got away with his raw voice, but also because it wasn’t the right song for most of the cast.

Dead Girl Walking. How they managed to fuck this one up, I don’t want to even go into. For one, Vanessa is not a Mezzo-Soprano, so it was certainly not the right key for her (any song can be the right one in the right key). It started out okay, in all honesty, but I would’ve preferred Vanessa getting in more of those sexy-ass growls in the words because some of the words fell flat without it where the growl would’ve added much-needed emotion. It was the wrong note-change on “freaky” and I didn’t like the chest-to-head on “I’m a dead girl walking”, as there was no slide into it, just a drop. And then it just went down-hill. Until Madelaine entered, and sounded raw with “and you know, you know, you know. It’s ‘cause you’re beautiful. You say you’re numb inside, I can’t agree.” I really loved how Vanessa also sounded rather raw in her following, “so the word’s unfair, keep it locked out there” but then autotuned on “in here it’s beautiful” where “beautiful” was really messed up and all over the place.

Our Love is God is truly one of the most beautiful songs of Heathers, and I have to say, it was done justice here (by Casey and Drew, not Zoé). I stand by my statement of Zoé not being a singer, even while she sounded not overly autotuned, it was still there – honestly though, she sounded more natural here than in Big Fun, and I can’t say that I found such an issue with her voice here when I listened without headphones. The harmonizing of Zoe, Casey and Drew was beautiful, and I won’t even try to deny that, but nothing beats Drew and Casey soloing and harmonizing together. Both Casey and Drew were raw, and you can hear it in Drew’s voice, particularly from the unedited crack on “trade”. I won’t lie – the belt both he and Casey performed sent chills down my spine because they’re so perfect! And then they sang together on the same note and it was perfect.

Fight For Me just didn’t work. Yes, both KJ and Ashleigh sounded better than they have in other songs this episode, but still, there was a lot of off notes that make me cringe, and nothing about this song worked in context of setting (sure it was in a boxing ring but that was it) or their characters. For KJ’s vocal range, this song wasn’t the right choice. For one, he’s from New Zealand, and has to emphasize the US accent even more when singing – why, I don’t know, because it ruined his singing – making it harder when singing too low, as evidenced in the slightly off-word “proud”. Literally my only problem with KJ in Fight For Me is that his US accent is over-pronounced. I can say that “if we’re still alive, I would fight for you” sounds fine, it sounds more natural for both KJ and Ashleigh. She doesn’t get off scott-free here, though. She still didn’t sound like herself or like she has in episodes previous, which was the stinker because she would’ve nailed this song without any auto-tuning. The final note on “fight for me” at the end was waaaaaaaaay off, and I feel sorry for KJ who was very clearly auto-tuned for a ‘perfect’ note to match Ashleigh’s.

Time for Seventeen, the song that was set perfectly. Lili started off fine with “let’s be normal, see bad movies, sneak a beer” but then came the auto-tuning on “and watch TV”, but it went back to sounding more raw on “we’ll bake brownies” and from there she sounded more normal – even when she went breathy and heady. Lili has a naturally soft and higher voice, which is why her head voice sounded fine (she was in her head voice from “a life with me? Can’t we be seventeen” to the end of her verse. But then was the wince and cringe inducing final note on “you’re the one I choose” where Lili was so obviously auto-tuned (and possibly Cole, so that the note’s matched better, but either way the attempted harmony didn’t work).

So, the popular opinion on Cole in Seventeen is that he can’t sing, or that he’s heavily auto-tuned. But guess what, he isn’t. That’s why he sounds bad when he starts to sing. But the only reason he sounds bad, and not like he did in Beautiful where he sounded very Blues, was because this song, up until the chorus, is not his key, and thus he isn’t singing in the right octave for his vocal range. And I want to share this, because to me, on “you’re right, that really blows” sounded rather like there was an Irish lilt in there. What do you guys think? But then, in the echoed “my eyes” by Madelaine and Cole, you hear him (and his harmony with Madelaine actually sounds really nice). Then you get to the chorus, of “can’t we be seventeen? That all I want to do” and you hear that motherfucking higher belt with him obviously straining on set where they don’t need to be singing and yet he is. No, that isn’t auto-tuned, that is Cole, singing in his key, in his range – either that or it was Casey, but you’d be able to tell if it was, and if it was auto-tuned.

Vanessa is actually singing without auto-tune and it made me so fucking happy because you get to hear how she alters the note to fit her vocal range by bringing the high notes down on “if you could let me in, I could be good with you”, which made it easier for Madelaine to harmonize (because only Madelaine and Vanessa are singing this part).

Next up, Lifeboat, which stood as Camila’s solo. Fortunately, there really isn’t much to say. The song was in her key, and suited her voice, but there was a minor issue around how there wasn’t so much emotion in the song as there maybe should have been, as this is a powerful song in the musical. In the Cast Recording for this episode, she does the entire song, which works better, but still didn’t convey any emotions Veronica was feeling at that given moment in the scene. At least there wasn’t a lot, if any, auto-tuning.

Seventeen Reprise was a shocker. Casey and Cole weren’t auto-tuned, and it certainly showed, but the others? It’s easiest to talk about Ashliegh, as she was way off, but she has been the entire episode, and KJ and Vanessa who were also off here. The harmonies sounded auto-tuned (thankfully you can still hear Camila and Vanessa’s lower tones among the higher voices) and towards the end, only Cole and Casey can really be heard over the tuning. This was definitely the worst song of what the cast sang.

The links I included are links to three different videos that cover the vocals for each of the Heathers. The rights for these videos go to the AMAZING YouTube singer, Katherine Ryan.

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alexandradavisonlma32 · 4 years

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Heathers Rehearsals: Beautiful and Character Development

The very beginning number of the show is called ‘Beautiful’ and it is an eight minute song which is a very long number for the opening of a show. As it is the opening for Heathers, it has to be captivating and extremely clean for an audience’s attention to be grabbed from the very beginning. As I’ve researched, Heathers the Musical contains a lot of dark humour, and so within this opener as a cast we have to make sure we set the scene for the rest of the show and introduce the characters correctly so that the audience doesn’t get a shock or a completely different atmosphere feel as more of the show continues down the line.

The song itself involves Veronica taking you around the school and introducing you to various characters as well as characters revealing themselves to the audience. It is the number where everybody at one point will be on the stage together and its the perfect number to set the tone for how the school runs and how the students treat each other. A lot of the vocals include Veronica carrying most of the verses and choruses with lots of backing vocals from the cast, and the music score itself is split into two parts as there’d a definitive shift at the time 3:36 in the music. This shift is when the Heathers enter on stage and this is when a lot of my harmonies changed as a lot of the time I wouldn’t be able to sing.

As a Heather, it was decided that all three of us should be in the alto/middle harmony group, and this was a challenge for me as I have always been in the soprano harmony group. I had to have extra focus as I find it difficult to find middle harmony lines, especially when they’re complex and aren’t all three part harmonies and in this particular song it sometimes has four or five interval harmonies. In Figure 3 below, I have put together some of the sections that I found especially difficult to match when we would all sing together with the track and with other harmony groups, and so to overcome this I had to go over it all of the time. I’d listen to the recordings whenever I could and then also sing along to the soundtrack so there were other voices that I would try to make sure didn’t distract my harmony notes which after repetition started to stick in my head and slowly I began to be able to sing it without the prompt of the recordings and looking at the score.

The next thing that we did in this number was block the choreography, and I was even more appreciative of having a schedule as it would have taken such a long time to block if we weren’t limited to a time restriction. As the Heathers don’t come in till after 3:36, we decided to use the time that was being spent on blocking the beginning of the number to go over the script and vocals that we have after we enter the stage. The Heathers are such massive characters and the audience will follow them around the stage, so they have to be strong as well as move as a unit and so as much time we had to rehearse even the smallest of sections was so beneficial for us.

When the Heathers enter the stage, their walk is one of the most important things as they have to steal attention and assert a dominance over the situation. The music has changed at this point, helping to enforce to the audience that there’s a new shift in power happening and all of the students suddenly stop fighting with each other and fall into two vertical lines parallel to each other with arms raised to form a tunnel for the Heathers to walk through. I struggled with this walk, as I have a problem with pulling up my legs enough to make them look graceful yet sexy at the same time, and so with a lot of help from my tutor and continuous practice on the sides while the rest of the number was happening, I started to get my body used to the posture needed to do the walk correctly. This posture included legs pulled up tight, and unlike other dance moves the pelvis was allowed to tilt backwards to allow for my shoulders to pull back as far as possible so that I led with my chest as opposed to chin.The walks vary from slow to fast, all the while keeping this posture and the idea was to make it look sexy so that the other students have something to look up to and it creates a divide between them and the other people on stage which is really important.

Other choreography that I needed to practice was the final section. It’s a simple routine but our tutor requested us to do it in an extremely controlled manor but at the same time have it so it looks so effortless than it seems like we can’t be bothered to even be there as we have created Veronica to be popular and us saying so goes we don’t have to prove it to anyone. At the end of Figure 3 you see the routine we have at the end, and I will work to perfect the nonchalant yet controlled motion further.

As they position just off centre stage but with an obvious space away from the other cast members that have formed a huddle reaching for the Heathers, they begin to be introduced by Veronica, and in these moments you have to keep the audience enticed and help them understand that these girls are the ones who rule the school, however something that I initially struggled with is that my character is quite stupid and isn’t the main queen bee, so I toyed around with how to act quite a lot before pulling inspiration from characters such as Brittney from Glee and Karen from Mean Girls. They aren’t very clever and so aren’t a threat to the Queen B (Heather Chandler), but are also clever enough to know that they would rather be in this popular group than be with the rest of the crowd that craves to be like them.

The section of script I decided to higher my voice and make it really ‘away with the fairies’ to really let the audience see that I was stupid. In the script Heather McNamara is described as head cheerleader, beautiful but stupid, which would be a perfect fit for the Heathers. You do see a difference of treatment between Heather Duke and Heather McNamara from Heather Chandler, as HC is very cruel to Heather Duke and uses her as a whipping post, whereas Heather McNamara is never really subjected to Heather Chandler’s abuse, and upon my own character reflection I believe it is because she isn’t a threat like Heather Duke and so Heather Chandler doesn’t feel like she has to beat her down. She plays the fool so well that she has become one. I see a conflict with her emotions however, as she struggles with the desire to be popular and will be mean if it puts her in the position next to Heather Chandler, but also I see her yearning for real friends and to be nice, as she knows what’s right and wrong but bends it for her own gain. Later on in the script it’s revealed that she suffers with depression and has debated suicide, only after this does Heather Mac’s and Veronica’s friendship begin to blossom and her alliance with Heather Duke fizzles out as Veronica offers support and Duke pushes her to comit.

Below is Figure 3, it contains recordings of harmony lines I struggled with most and the final choreography for the Heathers in Beautiful as discussed above:

The Guardian, (2009) suggests that creating a three dimensional and believable character “is based around Stanislavski's acting technique”. I have answered them overall for Heather McNamara. The seven questions are and my answers are:

Who am I? Heather McNamara, a teenage girl.

Where am I? Westerberg High School.

What time is it? The date is 1989.

What do I want? Popularity and acceptance, but become conflicted for wanting real friends.

Why do I want it? Popularity as it makes life easy, but also a shift to friendship later on in the show as it provides a stability for her deteriorating mind due to depression that is discovered in Act 2 of the show.

How will I get what I want? Do as the people more popular than her say to keep on their side, and in Act 2 allows us to see the friendship she finds in Veronica despite her status not being as popular as Duke.

What must I overcome to get it? The fear of not being popular, and in act two overcome her depression and the worry of being taken off her platform.

According to New York Film Academy, (2015) the “understanding of Stanislavski’s seven questions is an invaluable foundation upon which to build a character.” and so I have made sure to include this in my development of my character.

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