#cue the fiddler on the roof music

[kittykatrattie]

Fun fact! Max, Nerris, Harrison, and Preston's playlists are all songs they'd either listen to or that accurately fit or portray their characters, and theres a wide variety. Neil's is science music, musicians named Neil, and video game music

#camp camp #neil cc #love our little autism nerd #its like #all the portal and stardew valley music #and a couple of his ship songs wit max and some things from fiddler on the roof #and one ''im autistic (i dont get social cues)''

[lena-went]

Torre nel Cielo

                                                TOWER IN THE SKY

R: Everything was ready. Blankets, bottles, bassinets. Everything. Frederick had made lists of all the things he had read we would need and purchased the best of each. Everything was top of the line and very high quality. I was planning on breast feeding our baby but just in case there was an emergency Frederick had stockpiled some outrageously expensive organic baby formula. Frederick was a man of science and fact, but somehow he had been pulled into the world of alternative living. I blamed that magazine in the waiting room. Hip Mama, what a ridiculous name. My moods were becoming unpredictable and difficult to maintain. Frederick was ever so patient and kind, never once raising his voice when I raised mine and always kissing away the tears that would follow.

I accepted a position at a law firm in New York after they agreed to let me start a year from now. It was a big gamble to take on their part, but they were convinced I was worth the risky investment. Frederick was thrilled at the news and suggested we move there after the baby was a few months old. It was odd, both of us being out of work and around each other so often. We came to know each others quirks so well, even sometimes communicating silently by a series of hums or glances. We needed to get out more. So after convincing Frederick we both packed a large suitcase and drove to NYC to look at some apartments. He had been reluctant to leave our cozy nest, but both of us felt better knowing we were being proactive.

One of Frederick’s Harvard friends suggested a realtor for us and well, he was a bit much. The man was dressed to the nines in a very tight fitting three piece suit and his hair was gelled within an inch of it’s life. The Rolex he was wearing was worth at least $40,000. I knew this for a fact because Frederick owned a similar one, of course his was more expensive. This man’s name was James Cooper, he began our day together with a spiel about some of his other clients and how he was very discreet and could even hire armed guards to accompany us around town should we wish. Frederick raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing. James wanted to know what our “lifestyle” was like. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. We exited the coffee house where we had met and Frederick and James helped me into the black Range Rover James had waiting outside. He instructed the driver to take us to 432 Park Avenue. I knew Park Avenue was an incredibly expensive area to live in so I was hesitant in trusting James to show us something reasonable.

Frederick and I had discussed our budget before we met James and had agreed on no more than 20 million. It was an insane amount of money, but Frederick had inherited quite a bit from his parents and made a good deal more in private practice before he took the Chief Administrator position at BSHCI. He had sold his house for 5 million almost immediately after he moved in with me. I felt sick thinking about the amount of money we might end up spending just so I might pursue my dream. The law firm had given me a signing bonus of 8 million with a promise of a starting bonus that would double my income. We were so incredibly blessed.

The views. My God the views. I had never seen such a beautiful view of New York City. My heart threatened to burst from my sternum as I stepped towards the massive windows on either side of the living room and pressed a hand to the glass in disbelief. Frederick followed suit, wrapping his arms around me protectively before resting his jaw on my shoulder. My eyes struggled to take in the etherial beauty that they were witnessing. We were so high up the view was more sky than city, and the clouds seemed only a reach away.

“What do you think my love?”

“Frederick, I…it’s beautiful.” I paused realizing the English language didn’t have any words for the feelings I was attempting to convey.

We gazed out the window for a while longer, forgetting James was only a few feet away admiring the view as well.

“Security here is impenetrable. No one is allowed into the building without explicit instruction from the resident. Besides, this high up…no one’s breaking in.” James’s voice echoed in the large room as he broke the peaceful silence we had been sheltered in.

Why was he so adamant about security? Had he somehow heard about Frederick’s assaults? Baltimore was hours away from New York, how could he?

“That is very important to us, especially with our first child.” Frederick spoke tensing and shifting behind me.

“Let me take you through all the amenities they offer here, there’s even housing for nannies and any other help you may require. This place is truly fantastic and very accommodating.” James nearly leapt out of his $20,000 leather shoes as he gestured for us to follow him into the kitchen. 

There he went over all the extravagant services that were provided at no cost or at some cost depending on what it was that you required. What was this? This wasn’t me…was it? Everything was so excessive and it made me dizzy. I clutched Frederick’s forearm and looked up at him desperate for some kind of alleviation from this anxiety. His eyes widened in concern and he pulled me close to him where we sat at the kitchen bar.

James excused himself from the apartment so that we could tour it by ourselves. I didn’t want to move. I couldn’t wrap my mind around all of this. The city, our baby, the money, the lifestyle…it all seemed elusive.

“Do you want to look around darling?” Frederick’s voice brought me back to the present and I turned to him desperate to have him understand all I was thinking.

“We have a good life baby, a quiet life. I just worry that moving here, in a place like this…it will change that. I don’t need any of this. I just need you.”

“I know that. I love our life, and I love you. I want us protected…I…I asked James to show us the safest place he knew. The place with the most protection and security. This is it. I have to make you safe again.”

“Frederick you can’t be sure of that, I can’t stay up here all the time like some princess locked in a tower.” I insisted gesturing to the large window in front of us.  

“You are my princess.” He chuckled at that and leaned towards me for a kiss but I was becoming frustrated with his lack of focus.

“I’m serious Frederick.”

“As am I.” His tone had changed and there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes despite only one of them being functional.

“We can afford it. The peace of mind, my love, I need it. I have barely slept since…I…I cannot live knowing my lack of action may cause you or…our child harm.” He reached a hand to my large stomach giving it a soft massage.

“Surely there is somewhere else you would feel just as safe. Somewhere with less…amenities.” I spoke the last word with a taste of mockery and exasperation.

He shook his head slowly and frowned slightly before speaking again.

“I have been looking ever since you took the bar exam. This is as safe as it gets my love.”

There was a pause for a few moments in which I traced his face with my gaze looking for any signs of deception on his part. He was so entirely honest, he had been for a long time now. I suppose there was nothing left for him to hide from me.

“Ok…ok.”

“If you truly hate it…” Frederick trailed off, obviously not wanting to complete the next part of his sentence.

“Baby, as long as you feel safe and happy…anywhere is fine with me. Just promise me this won’t change us.” I spoke slightly reluctant to agree so quickly.

He nodded quickly and his entire face lit up and lifted with my words. I smiled softly, still troubled by how plagued he was by all that had happened back in Baltimore.

“I promise.” His words were sure and firm.

We embraced each other before walking arm in arm through the vast spaces of the apartment. It was breathtaking. It truly was. But aesthetics and views were not my priority. They were. Our baby and Frederick. If this is what would make them safe…so be it. I would live in this tower in the sky and hold them both close, loving them with all that I had.

More fluff...sorry it has taken so long for me to update, the holiday season has been particularly busy for me this year. 

#frederick chilton x reader #frederick chilton #frederick chilton series #lena-went #hannibal #fluff #nyc #if I were a rich man #cue the fiddler on the roof music

[slipper007]

For the Technical Theatre asks: 14, 16, 22, 24, 33. (Any or all of them please <3)

Good morning, Elly!

I'm going to answer all of your questions from this under the cut because I am dreading starting tech week in an hour, especially because I have over 130 cues to call and sound doesn't know what they're doing

14. Funniest theatre story?

This actually happened Friday (it might not be the absolute funniest but it's all that's coming to mind right now). We brought in our social media dude, Z, to film a TikTok promoting the show, right? So I'm giving him "oh, go now they'll change scenes in a minute" and "this is a good scene, film it from upstage" and so on and so forth. We make it to scene 11 of 12 and he comes back to me, looking devastated. He accidentally deleted all of his footage. So we comfort him as the show carries on, and then our lead starts saying "Z! Z!" (because those are some of her lines) and Z's head just snaps up before he realizes and has another existential crisis. We carry on with the show and get to one of the final moments, where a character self-imolates offstage and his expression goes from existential crisis to pure shock. It only gets funnier when we end the show with the Charlie Brown song for curtain call where they all come out to bow. I really cannot describe how funny his expressions were but just know it was hilarious to see

16. What’s a theatre related inside joke you have?

sooUUPPP

22. Best props experience?

I don't do props very often, but my best experience was probably getting to design and make the title and end cards for our online show last year!

24. Best stage management experience?

I've been managing for 5 years (this is my 6th) and this is my 11th show managing, so I've had a fair number of solid experiences (and some shitty ones, like this show 🙃) but the best one is probably working on Fiddler on the Roof my senior year of high school (even with the actor vs tech drama). Rehearsals went smoothly and stayed fairly energetic. I got to train two new people, who stayed in the wings, and on show nights I got to wander and do all the specialized stuff on stage! I got to be in charge of the fog machine, which is always fun, and helped with setting all major transitions, as well as make sure all tech people were doing things the most efficient way. Plus I perpetually had the bottle of spirit gum because everyone's mustache kept coming off. The music was literally magical and I was able to wander to each of the wings to see my favorite scenes. And there was tasty bread to eat each show night!

33. How did you get in to theatre?

High school had theatre, tried to get involved for fall but never heard back about it (apparently the email got eaten or something). Had Drama 1 in spring, so I was able to do tech (run crew!) for the 2016 spring show, Hairspray. I did run crew again in fall started in stage management 2017 spring and have been doing it ever since :)

#thank you for the ask! #now off to Q2Q for six hours #hhhhhhhh sam stressed #sam answers #elly tag #theatre #technical theatre

[stan-denbrough]

Since we’re doing all these extracurricular headcanons, why not music?? 

Plays in band:

Richie- plays percussion, often “riffs” and drives the conductor crazy. I mean when Richie gets his doses adjusted he usually can’t play at all. He’s either not able to keep in time or he’s so focused that he forgets cues. 

Ben- plays oboe/english horn, I just like the idea that Ben is supposed to keep the entire band/orchestra on pitch, and Richie is supposed to keep them all on time, but they so often clash because Richie doesn’t take it seriously. And Ben is like >:(

Plays in orchestra:

Stan- first chair violin, did you expect otherwise?? Richie calls him Tevye as a joke but honestly, Stan did play in the pit when their school did Fiddler on the Roof, so was the bitch wrong? Stan also plays piano but he refuses to accompany bitches for their solos. Let them suffer.

Stan picked violin purely because when they brought all the instruments to the elementary school and let all the kids try them Stan immediately said “Okay so you’re telling me to put my mouth where other disgusting children put their mouths? I’d like to try the string instruments please :)”

Bill- bassist, the closest that an orchestra kid can come to being “cool,” because they’re in the back and don’t give a shit. Also I’ve never met a bassist who wasn’t a professional fucking player who didn’t sound like shit. Basses are just really hard to play in tune and get good tone out of them it seems. 

The point being, when Bill had to pick his instrument he saw the biggest one and thought that was the most badass. He would’ve picked Tuba or something but then he saw Stan looking at the strings so Bill decided to choose orchestra right then and there.

Is in choir:

Eddie- tenor, friends with all the choir girls. No one can tell whether he’s gay or not but most people assume he is. He has a beard though. Like we all know that vaguely closeted tenor in high school. Eddie is him. Love that for him.

Mike- bass, Mike can sing, okay? That’s all. Also the one that everyone loves. Eddie is the boy king of choir, and Mike is the team dad. I mean they’re both choir kids so of course they’re a little weird. 

Bev- alto, the ones that everyone ignores, and she’s more than happy with that. She’s not there to stand out (doesn’t stop Ben from always being like “You sounded the best out of everyone”)

Plays in jazz band:

Bill- upright bass (and also rhythm guitar)

Stan- piano (only joined because Bill joined)

Richie- drums (where he feels more in his element and is much better at keeping time, mostly because the conductor isn’t an asshole and works with Richie on his level)

Bev- saxophone, like she’s that Moldovan sax guy, she wears sunglasses and Birkenstocks on stage, unlike with choir, where she’s a little bashful, here she’s the star, you will pay attention while she wails on the sax!

#high school au #the losers club #stenbrough #stan uris #stanley uris #bill denbrough #bev marsh #beverly marsh #ben hanscom #benverly #mike hanlon #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #reddie #it chapter one #it chapter 1 #it 2017 #it movie #it chapter two #it chapter 2 #it 2019

[6-mcs-for-6-lis]

In your ask box again! I have been keeping your Julian singing Red and Black in the back of my mind, and oh my Gods I love it. Could you possibly write something about the 6 and what their favorite musicals/show tunes are? Thanks! ❤

Alright, this is a modern AU and my babes are here to play with their LIs!

Asra:

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Asra LIVES for the midnight Halloween showning.

Full Frank N. Furter cosplay.

Long lasting lipstick redder than blood.

Ziv knows it's long lasting. They tested it.

several times

Asra has long time friends that only meet up for the showings.

They're basically the go-to shadow cast for that theater

Once in a while Ziv will stand in for Janet

Not often though, they prefer being a camera person

Because they all love recording and taking pictures every year

Faust occasionally takes the place of a feather boa though, because she shall not be left out!

Asra knows every word and every move for The Time Warp and will teach anyone even remotely interested.

Even if everyone involved is drunk

Especially if everyone involved is drunk

Has he tried to reenact the swimming pool scene? Yes

Did he get kicked out of the hotel pool? Yes.

Portia:

Mama Mia!

to be frank, it's SICKENING how adorable Portia is singing all of Sophie's parts

She sings Gimme Gimme Gimme right to Ayo

"I'm not a man"

"GIMME GIMME GIMME AYOOOO AFTER MIDNIGHT!"

*cue collapse into giggles*

If they're watching with friends, they both get SUPER dramatic and cannot watch it with anyone who has never seen it.

Lay All Your Love On Me is their Song.

They do duet to it :3

Julian pretends to gag from how sweet it is when they do but he actually loves it

When the second movie came out, they hosted a full party

Food, drinks, the whole shebang.

They CRIED every time Sophie talked about Donna

Sobbing messes at the end

They went three more times while it was in theaters

Julian: 

Fiddler On The Roof

As Tevye say's "Tradition!" and this musical is one!

Rina grew up Christian, but she knows this musical

Seeing it through Ilya's eyes is a completely different experience

It bings him so much joy

So much laughter

He knows EVERY WORD

for EVERY SONG

"No, no, Rina, love, Tevye wants to fight G-d. Trust me, he still loves G-d but he wants to fight him."

You have to Make A Night of watching this musical

Pasha bakes and comes over with Ayo

After learning the words to the song, Rina, Ayo, and Pasha all preform Matchmaker

Are they using random clothes to cover their heads? yes

Do they gang up on Ilya and act like HE'S the matchmaker? OF  COURSE

Rina sideyes Ilya sooooo heavily during the nightmare.

"Ilya if you ever try that on me I will call bullshit on you"

Does Ilya pull Rina up and dance her around like a fool during Miracle Of Miracles? Yes

They step all over each others feet

Pasha is recording it

It ends up going semi viral on facebook

Is this how he ends up proposing a year or so down the line? YES

That one actually goes viral

Does Pasha ham up Sunrise, Sunset? You bet ya

Does Ayo make hearteyes at her the whole time? Yep

Does Ilya tease them both relentlessly for that? oh hell yes

Surprisingly, both Pasha and Ilya can so the bottle dance without dropping the bottles

You would never guess it with how clumsy Ilya is.

But their father taught them how

Oh, yeah, a little angst?

This was the last movie they watched as a family before the accident.

Lucio:

Hamilton

Does Lucio love Phantom of the Opera? Yes

Does Prima love it too? Yes

It's how they met after all

But a favorite musical?

The musical that will be put on blast and sung to at all hours of the night?

Hamilton

Lucio feels the character of Hamilton in his Soul

He may also be gay for Laurens and Lafayette but that's a different matter.

Does this mean Prima TORTURES Lucio by singing Burn at him when she is pissed? YES ALWAYS

Can Prima rap? No.

Can Lucio rap? Hell to the no

Does that stop either of them? Never.

Does Lucio almost choke on his tongue trying to do Guns and Ships? Yep

Does he manage to do it FLAWLESSLY one night while drunk!? YES

Prima and Lucio definitely waltz around during the slow songs

They both HAM it UP for King George's songs

The neighbors complain, but not often

Mercedes and Melchior get in on the action too

They bark and howl along with Lucio

They've actually gotten a routine down and take the parts of Hercules and Washington

ONE LAST TIME MAKES LUCIO CRY LIKE A BABY

can we say "Daddy/Mommy issues?"

Camio has taken some lines into his vocabulary

"My Shot!" "Right hand man" and "Say no, say no" get said by the birdie a lot

Not very sure what they mean

But Say No To This does help Lucio and Prima get... spicy

They do not say no.

Does Prima eventually sing That Would Be Enough to tell Lucio she's pregnant? Yes.

He cries

Like bawls with happiness

He thought she was just playing around at first

But then she pulls his hand onto her stomach

And He Knows

Dear Theodosia becomes the baby's lullaby

Muriel:

The Greatest Showman

He doesn't really understand the appeal of musicals

But there's one night when the nightmares got really bad

So so bad

He woke Zaza up again

And Zaza would hear no protesting, he pulled Muriel to him and made him lay down in his lap.

"Close your eyes, babe..." He whispers softly

He begins stroking Muriels hair as he closes his eyes.

And singing softly

"...I'd follow you to the great unknown

Off to a world we call our own..."

Muriel is helpless to Zaza's voice and hands in his hair

He falls asleep before the first round of the song is over

He wakes up clinging to Zaza's torso

It takes a couple days, but finally he asks what that song was.

Zaza lights up, and pulls him to the couch for an impromptu movie night

Muriel can't help but smile at his partners enthusiasm

Zaza practically bounces through the previews, letting them play so he can briefly explain the plot

As soon as the first son starts, Zaza shushs and pays rapt attention

He looks over once in a while to see how Muri is liking the movie

Muriel doesn't mind it

It's very over the top

Very Zaza

Then That Song comes on

Muri learns it's called Tightrope

And Zaza quietly sings it to Muriel as it plays on screen.

It ends up being Muriels favortie song

Nadia:

Six

Six is amazing and upbeat and good for a pick me up

She secretly stans Anne of Cleves both in the show and irl

Natiqa got the whole family into Six

So now the sisters all reenact the show

Nafizah prefers to film the entire thing so she sits out the singing

Nazali is Catherine of Aragon

Navra is Anne Boleyn

Nasmira is Jane Seymore

Nadia of course takes Anne of Cleves

Natiqa is Catherine Howard

Nahara is Catherine Parr

It turns into A Night

Harlow discreetly records the entire show without pause.

He needs this for later

For Science

Not for a surprise birthday party later that year

Nope.

Not at all

It totally becomes a tradition.

Only Asra, Ziv, Julian, Portia, and Rina are allowed to see the video.

Ever

Yeah sure Nafizah has a copy and Natiqa gets her hands on it

Hello YouTube and TikTok

It's a hit.

Not viral, but popular.

Nadia needs a drink when she finds out.

[daniellewade]

third time is the charm, I guess? MCS as a Set Design or Lightning Design. Can be a musical or play.

these are getting answered out of order, my apologies, anon. 

Gwen @revengeparty - Falsettos (2016) - David Rockwell - besides the fact that the cube is as genius and treasured by the world as gwen is by the mcs, much like the cube, gwen is always willing to help someone out by lending herself to those who treat her with the same respect. 

Katie @d-ridleys - Noises Off - Derek McLane - a door for every brand and a brand for every door. we never know what Katie will be excited about on any given day, but we know something good is bound to come out of it.

Rob @damianhubbards - Spongebob - David Zinn - a lot. just a lot. something bright and exuberant happening everywhere you look. 

Jenna @treblemakerz - La Serva Padrona - Signe Beckmann - everything has an angle, a very particular perspective that you have to be in the right place to see the same way and you’ll get something different just by changing a light cue.

Emily @starcuffedjeans - She Loves Me - David Rockwell - bright, colorful and just when you think you’ve seen it all, theres a whole new world of surprises waiting.

Carol @dontwannalosemyself - Tuck Everlasting - Walt Spangler - theres just something whimsical and pure about both of them. the more you pay attention to the more unique artistry and personality comes though.

Janiene @janisarkisians - Wicked - Eugene Lee - again idk but it just feels right. theres a subtle edge, but in a cool way. you can see the mechanics of the show in the set the same way you can see the wheels in janiene’s head turning when she’s thinking. 

Abby @annablisshoa - Days of Rage - Louisa Thompson - everything that should be there to make everything work, is, but it needs a little tlc from friends every once in a while to keep things going. 

Tara @kleksuh - Titanic - Paul Tate - all things coming from different directions that do eventually make sense, but sometimes the take a back way to get there and its fascinating to watch that functionality.

Cole @chloebeale - American Idiot - Christine Jones - this is just genuinely how I imagine cole’s brain. 

Val @kndrickanna - Fiddler on the Roof - Robert Kramer - theres an calming artistic side of val, not everyone sees it, but those who know it are lucky to know it. 

Me @nobody-told-the-horse - Whisper House - Michael Schweikardt - there are just a lot of layers and unnecessary doors and obstacles. 

#if any of this came off offensive I stg it wasnt intended that way #there are more of these on the way #mellow cool squad #mcs

[shireness-says]

Playing the Part

Prologue: Overture

Summary: As a stage manager who's clawed her way up from bottom, Emma Swan can handle just about anything thrown her way. But does that include handsome lead actor Killian Jones? A CS Broadway AU. Rated T for language. Also on AO3.

A/N: It’s finally here - the Broadway AU I’ve been threatening to write for ages! I’m excited to finally post this, and I hope you’re excited to read it. I’ve got a bunch of these saved up - 7 completed chapters and significant chunks of 4 more - so I should be able to post these every Monday.

I had a lot of help getting this to its final state, so special thanks to @katie-dub for coming up with the title, @kmomof4 for proofing my outline, and @snidgetsafan for her ever-exceptional beta skills. Y’all are the best.

Each chapter title will be pulled from musical songs. The overture is traditionally the music that plays after the lights dim but before the show starts, and oftentimes sets the stage for the show to come by combining snippets of the musical numbers to come.

Overarching disclaimer: my theater experience is purely on the community theater level and only on the techie side, not the acting side. I strive for accuracy, but pull on my own experience and as such may not achieve it.

Tagging those who have expressed interest or I think will like this: @winterbaby89, @thejollyroger-writer, @mythologicalmango, @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713, @revanmeetra87, @onceuponaprincessworld, @courtorderedcake, @snowbellewells, @branlovesouat, @aerica13, @searchingwardrobes, @teamhook, @awkwardnessandbaseball. Send me a message if you want me to keep tagging you or to be added to this list!

Without further ado: enjoy!

Emma Swan falls into working theater crew somewhat on accident.

That’s the story of her life, really – unexpectedly pregnant at 18, moved to New York on a whim (the reasoning being roughly “if not now, when?”), ended up with a job at Granny’s Diner because it happened to be next to what must be the only free parking in the city, and with a roommate because the owner’s granddaughter just happened to be looking for an apartment and a roommate at that very time.

In the same vein, while it was less of an accident that she became friends with Mary Margaret Blanchard (NYU theater major and friend of Ruby’s who liked to study at the diner), it was entirely by chance that Mary Margaret got her working crew. The truth of the matter is that Emma had a 4-month-old and very little cash, and the NYU theater department needed someone to do some scenery painting. While she may not have been the most artistic of people, Emma was pretty sure that she could handle putting paint on the wall. She could come in whenever she wasn’t working at Granny’s, and best of all, she could bring Henry with her in his carrier. It’s a perfect convergence of circumstances. The powers that be must have been pleased, because come show week, they’d asked her to stay and help move sets. And after that, well… things just spiraled from there.

The funny thing is that Emma had never considered herself a theater fan. When she had started working NYU shows, it had just been a job, not some great passion. Granted, she had only seen a terrible high school production of Fiddler on the Roof and a nearly worse community theater production of Ragtime – and both only because they were free and through her school at the time. There just wasn’t really a chance to see any quality theater as a foster kid. Ruby, when she found that out, naturally decided to fix the situation immediately by taking Emma and Mary Margaret to see Chicago for her own birthday. And as soon as Emma heard “All That Jazz”… she was gone. There was no going back.

Emma somehow found herself an unofficial member of the NYU theater family, especially when visiting lecturers and special events used the auditorium – events that still needed staffing but that the theater majors were reluctant to assist with. From there, she followed Mary Margaret and Ruby (their own aspiring costume designer) through their own smaller roles and shows. Ruby took extra classes in hair and makeup at a local cosmetology school, hoping to expand her portfolio of talents. Mary Margaret kept adding to her resume any way she could, working on any show that would cast her. And Emma somehow continued working her way up the ranks, recommended by word of mouth, towing a toddler (and later a child) along with her. Somehow, all those fortunate accidents brought her here, to this moment – an adult with her own place, a great kid, a support system of friends she views as family, and an ever-rising positive reputation in a decently paid profession. For someone who thought, ten years ago, that her life would be a series of dead end jobs and tiny apartments shared with roommates she’d despise, every day is like she’s living a dream.

This feels like the pinnacle of her achievements, however. She’s certainly worked as a stage manager before – in fact, it’s become her own niche, calling the shots. Her unconventional education has resulted in a working knowledge of nearly all the aspects of technical theater, which has proved incredibly helpful in dealing with her various colleagues. It’s like speaking another language - people are more willing to fill her in on the more complicated terminology when she shows she knows the basics. But this… this is a whole different thing. This isn’t one of her Off-Broadway shows, or one of her limited runs, but a major production. It wasn’t supposed to be – when she signed on as stage manager, set to work with a young director she came up with at NYU, it was still Off-Broadway, an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice they already knew would either be a huge hit or sink into obscurity. But then, some investor who loved the original work caught wind of Merlin’s vision, and suddenly, they had a significantly higher budget, a theater right in the heart of the theater district, and likely a lengthy run – if all goes well. Oh, and one more thing had significantly increased – the pressure on everyone involved.

Of course, just to complicate things, the change in venue isn’t the only thing weighing on Emma’s mind. Initially, Emma had been asked to serve as one of the assistant stage managers, to work backstage the way she prefers and relaying the stage manager’s orders, helping the entire show run smoothly. However, even that plan had changed. The intended production stage manager, finding herself pregnant with twins and violently ill as a result, chose not to participate in the show. Emma can’t blame her – she remembers how tired she was with Henry, and he was only one baby. But Merlin had then asked Emma to step up into an expanded role, saying that he trusted her for this position more than anyone else.

Emma’s flattered, she really is, but the truth is that she’s never run a show at this level. Call the cues for a show, check the equipment, coordinate everything that needs to happen? Yes, sure, of course. She can do that  in her sleep now (somewhat literally, sadly – she’s developed an unconscious habit of dreaming the various light cues). She’s stage managed her smaller shows without any issues. But with a budget this large and stakes this high? Feeling like she personally is the linchpin that could make this show soar or crash in spectacular fashion? On a show they’re all aware could make their careers? That’s new, and terrifying, and Emma privately wonders if she’s the right woman for the job.

But she takes the promotion for that very reason - it’s new, and an incredible opportunity to get her name out there if the production succeeds. She’d be an idiot to turn this down, but that doesn’t make her any less nervous.

Really, at the end of the day, this latest promotion is representative of how she’s made her way through most of her career – a bunch of happy accidents and an unwillingness to say no to any opportunity, now having lead her to a cold room and a crowd of men who all want to be Mr. Darcy.

Nice.

Honestly, this part of the job leaves her as basically a glorified secretary, recording everyone’s contact information so that she and Merlin can handle callbacks later. He asks for her opinion every so often, but honestly, what is he expecting her to say? She can’t carry a tune, and her opinions are usually “yeah, he seems like he won’t be a complete pain in my ass”. They’ve already pre-cast their Elizabeth – a lovely woman named Belle French, who had been an up-and-coming TV actress before an ugly scandal with a prominent producer – but Merlin had wanted someone new for Mr. Darcy. Emma can’t help but understand and agree with that decision – Mr. Darcy is somewhat of an unknown factor for so much of the source material, it seems appropriate that their actor also be something of an unknown quantity, someone the public doesn’t know how to define yet. Unfortunately, they must have overly emphasized the arrogant side of Darcy in the casting call, not the shy romantic, which seems to have brought out every egotistical actor in the city - all convinced that they would be perfect for the role. Don’t get her wrong, the arrogant façade Darcy presents is certainly important (and definitely present in this room, good lord), but Pride & Prejudice was one of the few books in high school Emma actually enjoyed – she knows there needs to be more than that. Whoever they choose needs to also be able to pull off a certain amount of vulnerability, a certain level of discomfort and awkwardness. So many of these would-be Darcys are just too… suave for her taste.

That’s why she’s particularly hopeful about this next prospect. He had swaggered in, as confident as the rest, but as she’d watched him interact with the others, there had been a certain amount of nerves that the rest weren’t letting show. He aces the choreography audition (perhaps because he throws himself into rehearsing in a way the others don’t, like it’ll ruin their persona if they’re shown practicing the steps), has a singing voice that will work well for Darcy (while looking adorable, scratching behind his ear when they ask about his relatively small experience on the stage). What really sells things for Emma, however, is how, when introduced to Belle for a test of how they’ll act together, he stutters over all his words and turns bright red after finally blurting out a “oh, I’ve heard so much about you!”. He’s an awkward mess behind that swagger and false confidence, and it’s a little perfect.

(It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes, and one of the more polite Darcys she’s dealt with today.)

So when, after a very long day, she’s asked her opinion about the variety of men who auditioned that day, Emma doesn’t hesitate to put her personal vote in for Killian Jones.

God, she just hopes she doesn’t come to regret that decision.

#Playing the Part #my writing #cs ff #modern AU #Broadway AU #stage manager!Emma #actor!Killian

[painted--elf]

I know its pretty late but my brain was like: you know that the ‘tomarrow’ song from annie is always linked to cables past/his daughter? How about we make ideas for fics that we’ll probably never write?

And I wrote it down so you all can see what my brain desided to do.

Here’s several ways it could go:

Way number 1

The hard knock life (reprise) remix ft Firefists

Deadpool3 is deadpool annie crossover with music cues that only Wade can hear.

Russel gets taken in by Cable, Wade, metal husband #2 (cause i cant spell his name right now), and Vanessa (maybe). Russel gets a (normal) dog and alludes to that his life before he was adopted was actually pretty similar to the muscial

Way number two:

The sun will come out tomarrow, in either time-line you telepathic fuck

Deadpool family settle in for a night of musicals and bad jokes.

The playlist is :

West side story, Mary poppins, The sound of music, Fiddler on the roof, Rocky horror picture show, Grease, Willie wonka and the chocolate factory, Annie, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Footloose, and Little Shop of Horrors.

They eventually find themself at Annie. Cable starts breaking down with the “sun will come out tomarrow”. Everyone is a little panicked. Wade understands because fourth wall flashbacks baby, but has to explain whats going on without making people feel bad (People being Russel). Eventually they comfort him by singing it in a diffrent way. And Cable is still teary eyed but he’s greatful for his new family.

Way number three:

Martin Charnin would have hated this fic so much

Just full on annie au:

Russel is annie, a little angry boy who wants his family to come find him. Ms hannigan is the headmaster and the orphans are the orphans. Sandy is Lockjaw (because why not add a touch more maddness into this very stupid idea). Cable is Daddy warbucks (with a touch more sadness because his family died a while ago and he never emotionally recovered) and Deadpool is Grace farell (a very sassy seceratry who went into it at entry level so he can pay for his hospital bills but now is basically Cable’s bffwb and a paycheck, is married but in an open relationship, does mercanary stuff sometimes, can tell that they need to save Russel from a mile away and goes off to save him from the orphanage). Metal husband is Drake (the butler) (who is almost always with his very emo lesbian daughter and her adorable gf from a boarding school).

All the other characters there too and the main sub plots of Deadpool2 but the main plot is annie the movie.

#deadpool #cablepool #cable #nathan summers #annie the musical #shitpost #crack fic #marvel #what even is my life

[jimhenson-themuppetmaster]

Joe Raposo (February 8, 1937 - February 5, 1989) was a composer who wrote songs, score, background cues, and other music for Sesame Street and other Muppet projects. Raposo created some of the best known Muppet songs, notably the “Sesame Street Theme”, “Bein’ Green”, and “C Is for Cookie,” and helped establish the musical sound of Sesame Street. Some of his Sesame Street songs have since become popular standards covered by everyone from the Carpenters to Barbra Streisand, including “Bein’ Green” and “Sing”.

BACKGROUND

Joseph Guilherme Raposo was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, of Brazilian Portuguese heritage. His father was a music teacher and conductor, but Raposo initially majored in law at Harvard College, where he graduated in 1958. He soon began performing as a jazz piano accompanist and then studied at L'Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris with Nadia Boulanger instead of going on to law school. While still at Harvard, he conducted an out of town tryout for a Broadway show, with his first scored musical Sing Muse! opening in 1961. Raposo subsequently moved from Boston to New York where he provided dramatic underscoring for Bertolt Brecht’s A Man’s a Man, served as musical director of Truman Capote’s House of Flowers (1968) and wrote incidental music for Jackie Mason’s Broadway comedy A Teaspoon Every Four Hours (1969). It was Sesame Street that brought Raposo widespread fame, however.

WORK WITH HENSON AND SESAME

Raposo first worked with Jim Henson on the special Hey Cinderella! (1969), for which he scored and wrote all of the songs. Raposo subsequently worked on Sesame Street, though he was chosen independently of Henson on the recommendation of Hey Cinderella! writer Jon Stone. Serving as musical director for the first five seasons, Raposo initially wrote material for all aspects of the show, including the instrumental theme for the live action Buddy and Jim skits, and only occasionally collaborating with staff writers such as Stone, Jerry Juhl, Daniel Wilcox, and Jeff Moss (who contributed heavily to the show’s musical sound himself), among others. As Raposo recalled, Sesame Street “just came along. It didn’t have a name. It was a bunch of people meandering around trying to do a show for Public Television.” Most of his best known songs, however, soon fell into two groups: those written for Muppet segments and those for live action films, often sung by Raposo himself.

Of the Muppet tunes, some were jaunty, whimsical exercises in education, as with Cookie Monster’s anthem “C Is for Cookie” or “Would You Like to Buy an O?” Others were slower and more contemplative, expressing the innermost thoughts, fears and desires of the characters, as with “Imagination,” “Nobody,” and especially Kermit’s classic lament “Bein’ Green.” Such introspection resulted from Raposo’s songwriting methods, a process he called “psychological dress-up”:

“When you write songs, music and lyrics, you’re always putting on somebody else’s clothes. The degree to which you’re able to dress up and counterfeit yourself as this person, that’s as good as you are as a writer. And I’m pretty good at it, which leaves me tremendous doubts about my own personality.”

Raposo’s sound, often dominated by the piano over other instruments, was also a fixture of film inserts, usually played over footage of people or animals and performed by Raposo himself. As with the Muppets, Raposo’s style as composer and singer varied in moods, from the comedic and even brash (adopting cartoonish voices for “What Do You Do With a Fruit?” or as the titular animal in “I’m an Aardvark”) to the melancholy (“Somebody Come and Play”) or soothing mood pieces (“Everybody Sleeps”). One of the few occasions when he lent his voice to songs written by others was “High, Middle, Low” (as the Anything Muppet singing “middle”). One Raposo classic which fits in neither of the above two categories is “Sing,” performed in many different contexts on the show, and later covered by a variety of popular artists.

In fact, through his work on Sesame Street, Raposo deliberately set out to cross the forced boundaries between pop music and children’s songs.

“Some educators have complained that the music on Sesame Street is too sophisticated for little ears, that we should curb the spontaneity of blues and rock and instead teach the children “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” But what most educators don’t realize is that the lamb left the nursery the day they brought the TV set in. Children are now exposed to and learn to love every conceivable style of music… And the beauty of our music is maybe that the child in the Grosse Pointe home is hearing gospel and blues for the first time and the black child in the urban ghetto is hearing the harpsichord and the flute for the first time. Someday, when they grow up, they’ll have one more thing in common.”

Raposo continued to work with Henson on The Great Santa Claus Switch and The Frog Prince (both with lyrics by Juhl) and went on to serve as musical director and song writer for CTW’s follow-up to Sesame Street, The Electric Company. Raposo left Sesame Street after 1974 (replaced by Sam Pottle as musical director) contributing only occasional material (such as new songs for Sesame Street Fever) and would not return full-time until Season 15 in 1983, working more often with other lyricists. During that interim, Raposo continued to collaborate with Henson, scoring the pilot The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (originating the “At the Dance” theme used on The Muppet Show) and both songs and score for The Great Muppet Caper, which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for “The First Time It Happens.” He also worked on The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show and composed and produced all songs for Miss Piggy’s Aerobique Exercise Workout Album.

FAME AND LATER WORK

In 1970, “Bein’ Green” was covered by Frank Sinatra, and as Raposo put it, “then I became famous.” Sesame Street took a backseat for a time to a wide range of projects in film, TV, and theater, as well as writing original songs for Sinatra and other singers. While still staff musical director for CTW, Raposo worked on You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1971) as musical arranger, supervisor, and composer of incidental music. Following his departure from Sesame in 1974, producer Richard Horner tapped Raposo to write all songs and score for the animated film Raggedy Ann and Andy (finally released in 1977). One song from the film, “Blue,” was later used on The Muppet Show (performed by Helen Reddy, who also covered the song on albums). “Blue” and “Rag Dolly” were later recycled by Raposo for the 1986 Broadway show Raggedy Ann and Andy (with a substantially different plot and several new Raposo tunes).

On a more adult level, Raposo scored Robert Altman’s Academy Award-winning drama Nashville (1975, with Lily Tomlin and Cloris Leachman) and composed music (sans lyrics) for the Three’s Company theme song as well as the instrumental theme for its spin-off The Ropers, among other projects. He returned to children’s projects in the 1980s, collaborating with Theodor Geisel on three Dr. Seuss animated specials, composing music for a special based on the Madeline books (which aired on HBO four months after his death), and writing the theme for Shining Time Station.

In the theater world, Raposo collaborated with Sheldon Harnick (lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof) on the cantata Sutter’s Gold (1980), and A Wonderful Life (1986), a musical adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life which was performed largely in colleges and made its Broadway debut as an Actor’s Fund benefit in 2005.

LEGACY

Raposo died from lymphoma on February 5, 1989, three days before his 52nd birthday. He was survived by his wife Pat Collins and three sons. The special Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music, hosted and directed by Jon Stone, aired in memoriam. Nearly three years later, a tribute CD was released commemorating his work on Sesame Street. In 2004, a short children’s book about Raposo, A Boy and His Music, was written by Odete Amarelo and Gilda Arruda with illustrations by Josette Fernandes. Raposo’s songs continue to be heard on Sesame Street, and his name appeared in the credits for original songs up to Season 40.

COMPOSITIONS for Muppet Projects

Hey Cinderella! (music and lyrics) The Great Santa Claus Switch (composer and conductor, no lyrics) The Frog Prince (composer and conductor, no lyrics) Out to Lunch (music and lyrics) The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (score and songs, including “At the Dance” theme) The Great Muppet Caper (score and songs) The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (arranger, conductor, all original songs and cues) Miss Piggy’s Aerobique Exercise Workout Album (music, lyrics, and album producer)

#joe raposo #sesame street #information #behind the scenes #composer #rare pics #our scan

[of-princes-and-savages]

@joylee56 said: Really looking forward to those ficlets.  Love the idea of the dwarves inventing wedding customs just for the occasion.  Oh, yeah, have to have axes.  it;s Tradition! (cue Fiddler on the Roof music)

*looks up Tradition! on the internet real quick*

**dances around a bit**

Yes. Quite traditional, absolutely, can’t have a wedding without it. Tradition!

#The Unresolved

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

- musicals that were sung from tonight at the In The Heights rehearsal: Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera, Little Shop of Horrors, Dog Fight, Rent, Legally Blonde, West Side Story, Cabaret, Les Mis, Fiddler on the Roof, 21 Chump Street, Chicago, Shrek, Cats,

- musicals that were not sung from tonight at the In The Heights rehearsal: In The Heights

- Oh God so for like the first 40 minutes Tom was trying to get the lights set properly so he had me turning the house dark and shit except for one light at a time to make sure the positioning was right. During this entire thing, the pianist played the ‘halloween’ theme music

- “some mics just don’t fucking have batteries in them I'm not sure which ones and honestly I just don't care”

- apparently half the cast is afraid of Tom because he yells when he does mic checks lmao

- Tom, high pitched, confused and fake emotional voice “I’m not yelling I’m just projecting-”

- Nina’s Dad(tm) went up on the fire escape to practice his ‘atencion’ song and he’s like “What if instead I just did Javert’s suicide. Like what the fuck could you guys do to stop me”

- “I’m getting great reactions!!!! ...From some people.”

- The piano’s speaker lowkey stopped working for like 5 minutes and the whole time Tom was just staring at the soundboard saying “interesting” in the most forced casual voice

- “This is definitely a three or four coffees kind of day”

- THE PIRAGUA GUY IS SO FUCKING LOUD

- During his two solos he’s like??? A normal person??? But any group song he has lines in he’s SCREAMING. Holy shit we literally just had to turn his mic off because he was gonna blow it out omfg

- Usnavi still is barely acting but on the bright side he’s getting better at his LMM impression

- Sonny KILLED it tonight I felt like a proud mom(tm)  (bc he’s been kinda stumbling all week lol)

- During ‘Benny’s Dispatch’ the kid brought out the entire box instead of just the microphone and almost died as a result lmao

- The dancing is getting better!!! There are just some spots where it’s like, vaguely uncomfortable and doesn’t seem to fit in

- “Drew stop you can’t play Phantom of the Opera for the scene transition music”

- Could people like....know their cues for props and shit?

- “Guys that sounded INCREDIBLE! I’m BLOWN AWAY! I could really feel the emotion!”

- “Mrs. P that was the Broadway cast recording”

- “...oh.”

- Literally I think she’s now seriously considering just having the bway recording and have the kids sing along to it o m f g

- Much debate over whether or not they’re actually pronouncing some of the Spanish words correctly

- The act 2 opener ‘sunrise’ is just...a Problem

- Like it’s SO BAD

- Both Benny and Nina are great singers but it’s all over the place and the ensemble??? Isn’t doing their part half the time??? Fully wondering if they ever bothered to run that before

- “Yo, you paged me?” “I thought she fucking moved the year to 2017″

- Honestly say what you will but the best part of the entire show is Graffiti Pete appearing from an alley and just saying “Yo, buy my fucking t-shirt” to Usnavi lol

- Usnavi like,,,put on a different shirt for Act 2. why,

- The red one just feels the most #iconic(tm) you know??? And he hasn’t changed during the other rehearsals I Was Not On Board

- Act 1 is still....so fucking much better and well rehearsed than act 2

- Usnavi’s beard stayed in place today!!! Vanessa was safe!!! lol

- tomorrow is the Final Rehearsal(tm)....paciencia y fe(tm)

#ith vagueblogging 2k17 #musicals #theater #theater problems #molly mumbles

[this-autumn-eve]

5 Things About Myself

Tagged by @jovialfire

5 things you’ll find in my bag:

1. My stylus! I draw digitally 90% of the time, and I can’t draw squat without my stylus. 2. A Sudoku book! I have lots of free time during practice for whatever show I’m doing, and since you can’t use your phone until dress week sudoku is a handy passtime. 3. My 3DS! I just got it last November and am currently completing Explorers of Time. 4. My earbuds! When you get to listen to music in class, wireless earbuds are a freaking godsend. 5. The script of whatever show I’m doing! A good actress always reviews their lines and cues :D

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom

1. My turret plushie Hal! I got him as an end of the school year gift and I love him to death. He sits on my nightstand and wears my fez, and the medal I got from the Sketch Club awards in 2015. 2. My figurine collection! I have a small but evergrowing collection of Pops! and Steven Universe mystery box figurines. I also have some plush and vinyl Tsums Tsums and I keep them all on a tidy shelf (the only tidy thing in my room honestly). 3. All the rest of my Portal stuff! Thanks to a long lasting obsession and online shopping, I have a nice Portal theme going on in my room. Some of my stuff includes a bedspread, inflatable Companion Cube, various stickers from Redbubble, two turret figures, and a couple signs. 4. My Falcon 9 mission patch! I got the great honor of visiting Kennedy Space Center last year while they were launching the Falcon 9 rocket for its first mission. I got the patch for the mission online and still have it proudly in my room. 5. My whiteboard! I have a really nice magnetized whiteboard I’m going to hang up soon above my bed, to hang up papers and write stuff down. Currently it resides in my room leaning against a wall.

5 things I’ve always wanted to do with my life

1. Design the art for a video game! As a huge gaming nut and pixel artist, I’ve always wanted to create art and have it featured in a video game! And the greatest thing is, I may have that chance very soon! 2. Open an Etsy shop! I’ve been making designs for perler bead keychains for Portal and indie game characters. Now I just need to set up shop… 3. Complete a webcomic! I’ve had an idea for years, I just need the time and artistic ability 4. Visit different countries! Besides spending one day in Canada, I’ve never been outside the states. I want to go to new places and see landmarks, big and small, from around the world. Personal little places I want to see are the Portal cafe in Amsterdam, the Monstercat HQ in Vancouver, and a ton of places in Japan. 5. Learn how to animate! I really want someday to animate scenes from books and video games in my own style to pay tribute to them, such as the goodbye scene in EOT and the fencing scene in Scythe.

5 things that make me happy

1. Theater! Being able to act out characters and hang out with some of the best people on Earth is an absolute joy every day. 2. Music! I have a… wide taste in music, from Fiddler on the Roof to the Journey OST to Pink Floyd to Porter Robinson, and all of it makes me happy. 3. Drawing, especially pixel art! I love to draw digitally and share my art on Tumblr and Sketch Club, and pay tribute to my favorite fandoms. 4. Playing video games! My taste in video games is also wide, but I mostly play puzzle, indie, and 3D platformers. 5. Hanging out with my friends! Whether online or in real life, I always love talking with my friends :)

5 things I’m currently into

1. Portal! (Crazy, I know, but it’s just sO GOOD) 2. Steven Universe! (Even with the current episodes. They’ll get better. Soon. I hope.) 3. Indie games! A lot of them! (Personal favorites include Journey, The Stanley Parable, ABZÛ, Flower, To The Moon, Undertale, Ori and the Blind Forest, Fez, Monument Valley, and The Beginner’s Guide) 4. Musicals! (Some of my current favorites are Fiddler on the Roof, Les Mis, Hamilton, Hunchback, The Lion King, and Wicked) 5. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (I’ve mentioned this twice now but I just? Love this game? So much?)

5 things people may not know about me:

1. I mentioned this earlier, but I won an award for my art once! Every year Sketch Club (my art app) has an award show for the community favorite art and artists of the year. I got a medal for Best Pixel Art! 2. My name is actually a pun! My parents are freaking nerds and named me Paige Turner, because they knew my life would be “a real page turner”. 3. I have never played Ocarina of Time, Chrono Trigger, or Final Fantasy VII. Please refrain from killing me. 4. I have had a continuous sinus infection ever since I was in the second grade. And the doctors can’t do anything about it. Not even kidding. 5. I have never broken any bones in my entire life, contracted any major diseases, or had any major medical problems other than asthma, a bad case of mononucleosis, and the infection. I consider myself very lucky, and hope my health stays strong through the years.

And that’s it! I tag @spaced-out-scout @dreamfinders-pillowcase @sugarweregoingdownswinging, but of course only do it if you want to :)

#tag #jovialfire

[newyorktheater]

Abubakr Ali as a Syrian refugee in “On That Day in Amsterdam” by Clarence Coo, a Primary Stages production at Cherry Lane October 29 – December 18, opening November 19

Martyna Majok, a playwright of the displaced in such plays as Ironbound and queens, is author of the long-awaited “Sanctuary City” slated for New York Theatre Workshop sometime in spring

Darius Homayoun and Dina Shihabia as two Syrian refugees in a camp, in “Power Strip” by Sylvia Khoury

William Ragsdale (left), Greg Brostrom (center), and Soraya Broukhim (right) in a scene from “The Hope Hypothesis” by Cat Miller at the Sheen Center

“Border People” written and performed by Dan Hoyle at A.R.T./NY Theaters, January 25 – February 23, 2020, then going on an NYC borough tour in March.

Vera Gurpinar (little girl), Ben Turner, Mohammad Amiri in “The Jungle” written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, which returns to St. Ann’s Warehouse in April

Arian Moayed, the Tony-nominated theater artist who has been involved with several works about refugees

Kathleen Chalfant reading pediatrician testimony in the Flores Exhibits online

sign outside “The Jungle” which reproduces a refugee camp at St. Ann’s Warehouse

Refugees are in the news these days, and their stories have suddenly come to New York stages. “I think it is important to ask an audience to recognize lives that we have literally fenced off, that as Americans we are complicit in forgetting,” says Sylvia Khoury, the author of “Power Strip” at Lincoln Center, one of the four playwrights I talk to in my article for TDF Stages on refugee plays.

“Power Strip,” which is set in a refuge camp in Greece modeled after the notorious Moria camp, is one of plays that are currently on stage or about to be, with three more slated for spring, including a return of The Jungle  at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

And then there is The Flores Exhibits, a series of online videos in which theater artists and activists read the testimonies of children being held in detention facilities at the border.

“The words refugee, immigrants, and asylum seekers are often confused,” Arian Moayed clarified for me. Moayed is the Tony-nominated actor and co-founder of Waterwell, the theater company behind The Flores Exhibits, and also The Courtroom,  a reenactment of a deportation case that will be performed monthly. ” Honestly, that might be one of the big issues we are facing as a nation: We aren’t very well-versed on why people are coming to the United States. According to Rescue.org, “a refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her home because of war, violence or persecution, often without warning.” An immigrant is defined differently, as someone who “makes a conscious decision to leave his or her home and move to a foreign country with the intention of settling there,” according to Amnesty International. And an asylum seeker is “someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed,” according to UN Refugee Agency.” There are some 68 million refugees and asylum-seekers worldwide, according to the International Rescue Committee.

The Week in New York Theater Previews and Reviews

Seared, which is opening October 28 at MCC Theater, was inspired by playwright Theresa Rebeck’s favorite restaurant in Park Slope, which, though prized and popular, was unable to make a go of it. The four-character play revolves around Harry, portrayed by Raúl Esparza, a talented but mercurial chef who sees what he does as art. He bickers frequently with his business partner Mike (Dave Mason), and he’s furious when Mike hires a restaurant consultant, portrayed by Krysta Rodriguez.

I talked to Krysta Rodriguez, who can relate to Emily, although she’s never worked in a restaurant: “She is close to me in a lot of ways. She’s a bright woman who is very ambitious, who sort of knew what she wanted to do early on and took it by the horns.”

Forbidden Broadway The Next Generation

Three years after he spoofed “Hamilton” in “Spamilton” (with “I am not throwing away my shot” becoming “I am not gonna let Broadway rot,”) Gerard Alessandrini paints Lin-Manuel Miranda less heroically in “Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation,”  the 26th edition of the hit-or-miss, but must-see, satirical revue….If “Forbidden Broadway” is uneven, so is Broadway. Indeed, as in past editions, the Next Generation at the Triad offers something of a snapshot of the current state of The Great White Way — where, as Manny Houston sings in the opening number, “the white is gray and the great is only okay.”

The Lightning Thief

I think if I were eight years old I might have loved “The Lightning Thief” on Broadway, but that’s mostly because I would then have been too young to have seen it at the Lucille Lortel Theatre five years ago. Downtown, this musical about Percy Jackson, a modern American adolescent who also happens to be a demigod from Greek mythology, was just an hour long, charming in a do-it-yourself low-budget way….and with free admission!

At Broadway’s Longacre Theater, “The Lightning Thief” is two hours long, not as charming…and very much not free. Bringing the musical to Broadway hasn’t made “The Lightning Thief”  a better show — it’s ballooned beyond its fighting weight…

Scotland, PA

There is one spectacularly funny moment in this musical comedy version of “Macbeth,” which is based on Billy Morrissette’s 2001 movie, and is set in a fast-food restaurant in the “podunk town” of Scotland, Pennsylvania in 1975….Despite a cast and creative team full of New York theater pros, everything else about “Scotland, PA”, is, at best, just ok.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf

Forty-one years after Broadway said goodbye after 742 thrilling performances to its first (and last) choreopoem, and a year after its author and original performer died at the age of 70, seven women are bringing the colors of the rainbow back to a stage of the Public Theater through dance and song and nursery rhymes, through collective storytelling and individual tales ugly or sweet about the lives of women of color, delivered in verse.

Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking work of theater signals something unique from its very title: “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf.”  If the poetic language may sometimes be too dense and quick for full comprehension, the rhythm always gets you through. The production is offered like a gift by an all-female cast and crew.

Is This A Room?

“Is This A Room” stages the verbatim transcript of the FBI interrogation of a 25-year-old former Air Force linguist with the improbable name of Reality Winner, who was eventually sentenced to more than five years in prison for leaking to the press an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections….In light of recent events involving whistleblowers, Winner’s case seems all the more stupefying.

Soft Power

David Henry Hwang was attacked by an unknown assailant with a knife and nearly died. That experience, along with the playwright’s shock at the results of the 2016 Presidential election and his oft-expressed ambivalence towards the patronizing but gorgeous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I,” all make their way into “Soft Power,” an unusual musical by Hwang and composer Jeanine Tesori that inventively and oddly presents the themes of East-West divide that Hwang has long explored in such works as “M Butterfly” and “Chinglish.”

The Rose Tattoo

here are many cues to what’s wrong with this overly broad third Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ dated play, starring Marisa Tomei as Serafina Delle Rose, a Sicilian immigrant seamstress who turns from besotted wife to grieving widow to betrayed widow (because her husband had a mistress) to hopeful new lover…a dance of romance between two that is meant to be funny and charming and heartwarming but presents these Italian-Americans as something less than the fully human characters for which Williams is justly lauded…

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Oscar, a fat freshman in thick bifocals meeting his college roommate for the first time, greets him with what sounds like an insult…which is actually a nerdy pun, and then speaks in Elvish, a language from Lord of the Rings…This quirky exchange right at the beginning of “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is an illustration of the particular challenges and rewards in this stage adaptation at Repertorio Espanol of Junot Diaz’s 2007 novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. There’s much to delight in the vivid characters in the story, and in the several cultures they reflect — Dominican culture, immigrant culture, Comic-con culture – but for the uninitiated it requires extra attention.

The Week in New York Theater News

Mrs. Doubtfire, a musical based on the 1993 movie, will open on Broadway, at Stephen Sondheim Theater April 5, with Rob McClure taking on the role Robin Williams played in the movie.

Ali Stroker

Two unusual takes on Golden Age Broadway musicals have announced their closing dates. “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish,  Off Broadway at Stage 42, will close January 5. “Oklahoma!,” on Broadway at Circle in the Square, will close January 19.

Jane Alexander and James Cromwell, each returning to Broadway after an absence of more than two decades, will lead Grand Horizons, as a long-time couple whose marriage is unraveling in Bess Wohl’s new play, which opens at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater on January 23rd. Also in the cast: Priscilla Lopez, Maulik Pancholy, Ashley Park and Michael Urie.

Darren Criss

Darren Criss is joining Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in the cast of the revival of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo,” which will open next spring at Circle in the Square Theater.

Playwrights Horizons succession

Tim Sanford will step down after as artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, where he’s worked for 35 years, to be succeeded  by Adam Greenfield, currently the associate artistic director.

2019 TLA Theater Book Award Winners and Finalists

https://twitter.com/JohnLithgow/status/1184637208680005632

Critics Corner: Death, Struggle, Rebirth

The Death of the Great Cultural Critic In the New Statesman: George Steiner turned 90 this year. A major biography of Susan Sontag was published last month. And Harold Bloom died on 14 October. All three were once hugely influential cultural critics, among the best-known on either side of the Atlantic….What has become of the commanding figure of the critic in the last 20 years? Where are the successors to Sontag and Steiner?…

Audiences, Parasites and Personal Revelations

A conversation in Howlround by theater critic Maddy Costa, playwright Alice Birch, and playwright and critic Ava Wong Davies, who discuss such issues as whether critics are writing for theatergoers or theater makers , whether they’re writing for people before they go see a show or for people to read after, and how many theater makers see criticism as parasitic, not caring for the host.

Critiquing with Love

Interview in American Theatre Magazine with Regina Victor, co-founder of Rescripted, which covers Chicago theater with new voices

Cultivating the Next Generation of Critics

Pascale Florestal on tackling the lack of representation of people of color in arts criticism through a new program at the Front Porch Arts Collective in Boston

Review for the New York Times The Times is establishing a fellowship position in 2020 to help train the next generation of fine arts critics. Applicants should have 2-4 years of experience publishing frequently about theater, dance, classical music or art. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to write elegantly and forcefully and must be comfortable with assessing both the aesthetic and larger context concerns of a work. In order to ensure regular feedback and maximize opportunities for growth, the fellows will be paired with a dedicated editor/writing coach

  Theatergoing/Theatermaking While Disabled

What the National Endowment for the Arts is doing to make sure no one is excluded from the arts — including the 55 million Americans who are disabled. Accessibility is obtainable; the biggest barrier is attitude. “organizations are just not making accessibility a priority”

Everything Going His Way, though it took some effort Russell Demben took his father, a Parkinson’s patient and stroke survivor, to Oklahoma!

“You’ve got to get through the ugly to get to the joy,” #RodneyHicks says about his new play, Flame Broiled, at Colorado’s @DairyArts. But Bway vet (@ComeFromAway etc) might as well be talking about his bouncing back from diagnosis that cut short his performing career. Bravo! pic.twitter.com/SDYbhNOThs

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) October 23, 2019

The cast of Jagged Little Pill

  Refugees on Stage. Critics’ Death and Rebirth (Review for the Times!) #Stageworthy News of the Week Refugees are in the news these days, and their stories have suddenly come to New York stages.

[theconservativebrief]

One big reason that the zombie and vampire horror subgenres have persisted for so long is that they tap into a blinding, primal fear: a person you know and love might one day become something else, something unrecognizable, their heart and mind and soul colonized by some other force. In zombie movies, they become an undead shell with an appetite for brains and no ability to reason; in vampire tales, they’re transformed into a bloodthirsty demon with a seductive ability to trap others into their fate.

Beautiful Boy has little in common with zombie or vampire movies, stylistically. It’s a sensitive, harrowing family drama firmly rooted in reality, based on a pair of memoirs.

But it does channel the same visceral revulsion that powers a zombie or vampire movie, and it’s at least as horrifying. Beautiful Boy is the (true) tale of a father who finds himself increasingly helpless as his bright, charming young son transforms into an unrecognizable monster who steals from his younger siblings, lies, drags others into his drug addiction, and disappears, over and over again.

The scariest element of a zombie or vampire movie is whatever force has taken hold of a human and overpowered their humanity. In the case of Beautiful Boy, that force is a cornucopia of substances, but most primarily and dangerously meth.

There are few solutions for such a menace. Not many people come back from that brink. And Beautiful Boy doesn’t try to provide an easy answer — it simply asks us to sit alongside those who suffer and grieve.

Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell star in Beautiful Boy as David and Nic Sheff. Amazon Studios

In 2005, journalist David Sheff wrote an article entitled “My Addicted Son” for the New York Times magazine. Its subject was Sheff’s son Nic (called Nick in the article), who had fallen prey to an all-engrossing drug addiction as a teenager. Despite many stints in rehab, Nic had recovered and relapsed, recovered and relapsed, over and over, all while his parents (who split up when he was young) alternately watched helplessly and tried to intervene.

The story ended on a hopeful note, with Nic clean and in recovery. But Sheff later expanded the New York Times article into a memoir titled Beautiful Boy, published three years later, which revealed that Nic’s recovery didn’t last. When the memoir was published, Nic had relapsed again, returned to rehab, and was again in recovery; his own memoir about his experience throughout two years of addiction, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, was published at the same time as his father’s.

Both books were best-sellers, and they form the basis for Beautiful Boy, starring Steve Carell as David Sheff and Timothée Chalamet as Nic. (Nic, whom the film’s end titles say has been sober for eight years, eventually wrote a second book about addiction and rehab; these days, he’s a co-producer and writer on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.) The film is Belgian director Felix Van Groeningen’s first English-language work; he co-wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies (Lion).

Groeningen’s approach to the material is less emotionally heated than we might expect from a more typical Hollywood film about addiction; at times, it feels detached, almost dissociative. Beautiful Boy lives mostly in David’s reality as he watches Nic and tries to intervene, while also remembering his relationship with his son when he was younger, before drugs entered the picture.

Timothée Chalamet and Amy Ryan star in Beautiful Boy. Francois Duhamel / Amazon Studios

The narrative jumps back and forth, feeling dreamlike at times, between David’s memories of an innocent, cheerful younger Nic and a volatile present Nic, in and out of rehab. When Nic was young, David and Nic’s mother Vicki (Amy Ryan) divorced; when he was in elementary school, David married Karen (Maura Tierney), and they eventually had two children, whom Nic loved.

Nic also loved to write and draw and play sports, but as he drew deeper into addiction, those things faded away for him, replaced only by the drive to acquire drugs or money to buy drugs. (While David Sheff’s memoirs detail how Nic’s addictions began — experimentation with pot in middle school — the movie doesn’t dwell on this part of the story.)

It gradually becomes clear that the meth has systematically destroyed not just Nic’s ability to concentrate but his personality and mental capacity, and David is desperate to figure out what he can do to save his son. The answer is not an easy one for him to accept.

I’ve had a hard time deciding how to feel about Beautiful Boy. It is certainly a well-made film. Carell and Chalamet are unsurprisingly stellar, as are Ryan and Tierney. Chalamet gets a chance he hasn’t yet had to play a character who comes apart at the seams before our eyes, and he has plenty of range; he’s a warm, funny, goofy teenager but also a grenade that only needs a pin pulled to explode, all at once. It’s hard to imagine most actors of his generation pulling off the role of Nic as well as he does.

And the details in Beautiful Boy follow the same broad strokes as those outlined in both David and Nic Sheff’s memoirs, though some of them have been understandably smoothed out to make the cyclical addiction-recovery-addiction-recovery chain easier to track within the span of a two-hour movie.

In fact, the repetitive nature of that cycle — and the helplessness that it engenders in David, Karen, and Vicki as parents struggling to navigate a mountain of specialists and advice to figure out what to do — is the true subject of Beautiful Boy. The movie is less interested in the details of addiction and more in helping the audience feel trapped on the same treadmill of despair that David in particular does.

Groeningen’s visual sense feels influenced by European filmmaking, with images intercut with action and not much emphasis on exposition for the audience; that keeps the movie feeling fresh and unexpected, especially given its characters are played by familiar Hollywood stars.

Beautiful Boy captures the pain of dealing with a child’s addiction, balancing support with tough love. Amazon Studios

But some aspects of Beautiful Boy also nudged my eyebrow up a few notches. A couple of musical cues — particularly the use of Fiddler on the Roof’s “Sunrise, Sunset” in one emotionally wrought montage — feel heavy-handed, as if we have to be told how to feel even after we’ve spent so long with these characters.

Most of the film is set in and around David’s idyllic home north of San Francisco, which appears to have been almost unrelentingly shot around the golden hour, meaning it’s suffused with a feeling of paradise that feels a little obviously metaphorical in contrast with the dank downtown corners where Nic keeps turning up.

Those moments wouldn’t be as out-of-place in the more self-consciously mawkish film that lurks around the corners of this material. And to his credit, Groeningen mostly stays at arm’s length from his characters’ mental and emotional states — but that’s why these moments feel confusing and unnecessary, a dose of jarring sentimentality when it’s not needed. What this family goes through is enough.

And what they experience is the horror of seeing a loved one taken over by an alien force that everyone, including Nic, seems helpless to fight against. Doctors can’t help him. Counselors can’t help him. He certainly can’t help himself, and his parents can’t either. Even when he gets clean and enters recovery, that force is snarling just out of frame, ready to snatch him up once again.

That’s why the toughest hurdle for a movie like Beautiful Boy is simply that you can’t really enjoy watching it. It is a horror film without the cathartic feeling of emotional release that comes along with most horror.

Instead, Beautiful Boy is a beautifully made and complex rendering of a father and son’s relationship that ends with too little hope to fit into people’s “inspirational movie” box. But at its best, it’s a strong rendering of both that horror and the frayed rays of hope that sometimes break through. It’s not easy to watch, but it is, in its own way, still beautiful.

Beautiful Boy opens in theaters on October 12.

Original Source -> Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet battle meth addiction in the harrowing Beautiful Boy

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

[susandsnell]

Michael and Mr. Heere pls ❤❤❤

Be More Chill-themed romance asks! 

whoever you are I’m gonna happiness-cry 

Michael: What’s your favorite love song?

Just one???? Gosh. I’m gonna say off the top of my head,  Heaven is a Place on Earth because #gay anthems, Close to You by The Carpenters makes me cry for loves I’ve never even felt, No One and If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys are the sweetest things ever, Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra because I’m cheesy like that, I Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Buble is super happy and Miracle of Miracles from Fiddler on the Roof because. Just listen to it.  

And most recently, the instrumental buildup to the kiss in Voices in My Head might be one of the most romantic music cues ever composed. It’s up there with Han Solo and the Princess (another orchestral fave). 

Mr. heere: perfect date?

Gonna be cheesy as all get-out, but if it’s the right girl, a cozy night in watching movies could be the perfect date just as much as a day at museums and a night at the opera, if you ask me. 

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Gotham” S4E6

Here’s my question:  how the heck did Lee end up in the Narrows?

“Mad at you [Ed] for what?  Killing Kristen Kringle?  Or framing Jim for murder so he would be in prison when I [Lee] lost our child?”  Oh snap, I don’t think Ed even knew about that.

Oh that silhouette shot of Lee and Ed was cool

“I [Lee] will never help you [Ed].”  Cue 11 episodes later, and you two are making out.

“This isn’t easy for me [Oswald].  To have someone I trust.  A real friend.”  Oh.  Dang.

Oh hi Jim!

How does Falcone not notice that his daughter is back in Gotham?  I mean, I understand he retired, but how does he not notice that?

Whoa... this music...

Ominous red lighting...

Kitty!

*Professor Pyg pops up behind the officer*  WHAAAAAAAA

*Jim finds the body with a pig face over his head*  Eeeuughhh!

Also, dang, how big was that big?!?

Did he [Oswald] just freaking wink at Jim?

Yes.  Yes he did.

*Pyg sings along to a Latin song in the background*  Oh God.  Here we go.

“It must have been the Prof.”  “Who?”  “The Professor. That's what I called him because he-he talked all fancy.”  OK, that explains some things.

Oh God, she [Sofia] didn’t come, didn’t she?

“It’s not a date!”  *snorts*

Whoever the leader of the Narrows is, I’m really digging the face paint across her eyes

*Grundy gets struck to the floor*  Ohh!

*gasps when Grundy strikes the other fighter in the face with the weights*

*Jim and Harvey threaten to go for lunch and leave their suspect in the trunk of their car*  Gah hahahaha!

*gasps when we hear screaming in the background*

Wha-wha- that 70′s horror zoom-in though!

*Jim figures out the saxophone player isn’t blind by tossing him a coin purse*  Pfffttt....

“Grundy Ed’s best friend!”  Are... we sure about that?

Ohhh... oh she [Lee] works as a free clinic nurse for the Narrows!  That’s awesome!

Ed...

Oh my gosh, look at that camera [that Victor’s using]!  Holy crap, I used one of those in one of my photography classes!

*Close-up of Pyg’s mask*  Nice.

“Oink oink!”  You [Pyg] shut the hell your snout.

Whoa my gosh that sideways shot of Grundy in the ring was great

“So, it turns out Sofia broke her date with you [Oswald].”  “IT IS NOT A DATE!”  Haaaaa....

“Just so we’re clear, is this a chat-chat or a shovel-in-the-trunk kind of chat?”  *has to muffle shocked laughter in sleeve*

There’s Pyg’s truck...

Oh great, an ominous table underneath a single light!  That’s wonderful!

NOOOOOOO THERE’S A BOMB!

“Right.  My biggest fan is a pig.”  Same sentiments here, Jim.

This lighting in this confrontation between Jim and the Pyg is great

For some reason, when Pyg said “if I were a police man,” I just suddenly imagined him singing “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof.

I know the actor was Sweeney Todd on Broadway so he can pull it off

“No one wants to see how the sausage is made...”  But no one else was in the room when it happened!  Ba da ba da da da daa!

God, [Jim] you’re gonna fall backwards off the ledge to get out of the chair?!?  Oww!

*Jim does precisely that*  DUDE!

*gasps when Pyg slices open Harvey’s throat*

Oh my gosh, that Carmen Sandiego hat Sofia’s wearing!

“Bye, pretty lady [Lee]!”  *chuckles*

Oh my God, are they [Oswald, Victor, and Sofia] at an orphanage?

Nooo... way...

*cracks up at Oswald and Victor’s reactions to seeing all the kids rush up to Sofia*

Wait, shouldn’t Victor be like over the moon that there’s a Falcone back in town?

Aaaaww, he [Jim] stayed overnight [to watch Harvey in the hospital]!

OK, what’s this?  What’s going on?

Oh, great, a pig pen.

Whoa...

“For tomorrow, the axe shall fall.”  Well that’s encouraging.

#hog day afternoon #Gotham #FOX #gotham spoilers #the blogger reacts #looked at the stars and considered a reaction #lee tompkins #edward nygma #sofia falcone #oswald copplepot #victor zsasz #jim gordon #professor pyg #solomon grundy