#may or may not have gone to see a Broadway show for the first time since I was 10

[bonesblubs]

…S-Sweeney Todd Beefleaf AU …

#not art #to delete later #may or may not have gone to see a Broadway show for the first time since I was 10 #it was a religious experience #anyway… #goat and I went together and have now assigned roles to everyone 😔

[knickynoo]

HELLO, EVERYONE! I SAW THE BTTF MUSICAL YESTERDAY, AND AM READY TO POST SOME (SEMI) COHERENT THOUGHTS!

[Fair warning that some things here may spoil parts of the show.]

• First things first: It was so good. It was so, so, very good. Incredible show. I'd been hearing great things about the show since it first came out in London, and I've been listening to the music since it dropped, so I pretty much went in knowing I'd like it but it still managed to be even better than I thought.

• Just the setup of the theater itself and the ambiance prior to it starting was so cool. The way everything is lit blue and there's all the electrical zapping and humming. THE CONSTANT TICKING OF CLOCKS THAT FILLED THE THEATER. Nothing had even happened yet, and I was like, "This is such a good show."

• My one big cause for hesitation was Casey playing Marty. I know absolutely nothing about the guy, but Marty is just so dear to my heart, and MJF's energy and physicality isn't something easily captured. I had my doubts about seeing someone try to bring Marty to Broadway, but Casey walked onto the stage, called out, "Doc?" and I went, "Yeah, okay. There's Marty."

• For real, though, Casey was phenomenal as Marty. He had the vocal inflection down. The right amount of crackliness. Very good balance of cool kid and disoriented mess.

• Um. HUGH COLES?!? Talk about brilliant casting. I mean it when I say that he somehow seemed more George than George from the movie. The audience reacted with a sense of awe when he started speaking and moving around the stage. It was like Crispin Glover had been plucked straight from the film and injected with More Georgeness. When he did the laugh, the audience went nuts. His physical acting and the way he captured George's gestures perfectly was amazing to watch.

• As I'd expected, Musical Doc is ten times more chaotic and unhinged than Movie Doc. Roger Bart's comedic timing is impeccable. He earned himself frequent howling laughter from the audience from the moment he appeared on stage.

• His "Good thing I kept this radiation suit from my Manhattan Project days" line was a nice touch.

• "Despite my fear of heights, I was standing on my toilet," was such a gem of a line.

• THE DELOREAN. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE DELOREAN. I had no idea how they were going to depict a car speeding to 88mph on a small stage, but THEY DID IT. Astounding. Honestly might be the coolest effects I've ever seen done on a stage. Also, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the addition of it being voice-activated and talking, but it worked nicely!

• The musical obviously had to trim some parts of the movie—and even omit parts entirely—but it was done so well that you either didn't even notice or miss they were gone. The change from George being hit by a car to simply falling out of the tree was one of these changes. (Marty's under the tree trying to catch him, btw, which is how he ends up getting knocked out)

• I couldn't tell if this was an ad-lib from Casey, but when he was trying to get his pants back on in the Baines house scene, he started struggling a bit with the tangled suspenders that were wrapped around one of the legs of the jeans and muttered in frustration, "Why do I wear suspenders??" Very funny little moment.

• Great chemistry between Bart and Casey. The connection between Doc and Marty was THERE. The musical GOT IT RIGHT. So many hilarious moments between them in the form of completely unintelligible banter, where they're just talking over each other and having like...verbal tennis matches of nonsense. It's hard to describe in writing, but trust me, it was so good. It went something like this:

Doc: "Marty!"

Marty: "Doc!"

Both Simultaneously: *literal gibberish*

• There's a beautiful little addition to the scene when Marty shows up at Doc's house in 1955 and tries to convince him he's from the future. After Doc asks him to take him to this supposed "time machine" Marty goes, "Sure, hang on, I just gotta grab some flashlights." Then he goes straight to a cabinet and quickly retrieves two flashlights without a second thought, to which Doc is like, "How did you know they were in there??" Marty knows!! He knows exactly where the flashlights are because of course he does!!

• Perhaps one of the funniest moments of the show was right at the end of the "Future Boy" number, where the music stops and there's that breaking of the fourth wall moment. Doc and Marty look around in confusion at all the backup singers and dancers awkwardly standing around his house (one of the singers continues dancing/singing long after the others has stopped lol) and Doc wordlessly opens the door so they can all scurry out.

• Doc's dream of visiting the year 2020 where everything is perfect and there's "no disease" got some very loud laughter from the audience.

• Oh. Oh, the scene at Doc's house at night after the demonstration with the toy car. The way everything gets solemn for a moment, and Doc is doubting himself and worried about failing. Marty's lovely little speech about how everything will be okay because he believes in him. He trusts Doc. He knows it'll work and they'll get him home. The way Marty is the one looking after and taking care of Doc in that moment. When he asks, "Do you need anything, Doc? Can I make you a sandwich?" And then when he says softly, "Goodnight, Doc. Pleasant dreams."

THE MUSICAL GETS IT RIGHT. THE WARMTH. THE LOVE. THIS WAS SUCH A NICE ADDITION.

• "PUT YOUR MIND TO IT" !!!! I loved this sequence so, so much. Marty gets to strut his stuff while George flails around trying to imitate him. It was funny, the choreography was great, and we get such a nice Marty and George hug at the end! Why didn't they hug in the movie??

• The audience was super engaged and reactive through the whole show, but it noticeably ramped up in the latter part—starting with the night of the dance. There was such an excitement as people anticipated George swooping in to take down Biff and protect Lorraine. When Biff went down, the audience whooped and clapped and cheered so much.

• EARTH ANGEL! THE MOMENT GEORGE AND LORRAINE KISS. It was just like the movie. The music suddenly swelled, Marvin belted out, "The vision of your happiness", George and Lorraine kissed, and the audience. Lost. Their. Minds. It was as if people were experiencing the story for the first time—that's how strong the reaction was. So cool.

• Audience also went wild at the start of Johnny B. Goode. That was a neat sequence as well. Huge laughs at the "But your kids are gonna love it" line.

• The clocktower scene! Marty handing Doc the letter and saying, "I wrote you a thank-you note; don't read it until you get home!!" LOL. So many amazing effects going on in this one. For those of you who have seen the show, you probably remember Doc running up the clocktower stairs, right? Did the audience nearly die of laughter like they did at my showing? That was truly one of the top 5 funniest moments of the show, in my opinion. It had me giggling hours later once I was home. For those of you who have not seen the show, I don't think I can adequately put into words what was happening during this scene, but it was incredibly funny. It's good there wasn't any dialogue during it, because no one would have heard it with the way everyone was laughing.

• The fire trails on stage got quite the awed reaction. Super cool.

• The hug! We get our Doc and Marty hug at the end! I'm so glad they realized that moment was missing from the movie.

• I liked the shift from Marty waking up at home to him waking up on the bench in town instead. The "George McFly Day" part was a fun addition, and it flowed nicely into Marty's "Power of Love" performance.

• THE CAR FLEW. IT FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND THE WHEELS TURNED IN AND IT WENT OUT OVER THE AUDIENCE. HOW DID THEY DO THAT. IT DID A COMPLETE ROTATION UPSIDE DOWN WHILE CASEY AND BART WAVED TO PEOPLE. If anyone knows of any videos or articles explaining how they did things with the car, please let me know because I can't find anything and I would love to know how they did it! You couldn't see anything holding the car, and i'm so confused! The effects were so good.

• Love how, when the show ended, the giant screen on the stage just said, "Make like a tree and get outta here."

...I think those are all my thoughts. I was planning to write up a post with just a couple of bullet points of highlights and instead. Well. This is what you get from me, and if you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know that. But really, the show was so well done. I had a blast. I bought a pin that says, "Whoa, this is heavy" and I'm going to put it on my denim jacket :)

For those who are planning to see the musical, I hope this helps hype you up for it. And for those who can't see it, I hope this gives you a good look at what it's like!

#back to the future #bttf #back to the future: the musical #bttf: the musical #casey likes #roger bart #broadway

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hey do you guys have any fics where Klaine are spies or like criminal master minds? Or separately maybe like a mafia story but where they BOTH come from mafia families? I don't know I'm in a bad ass klaine mood. Thanks!

Here's a list of various fics. ~Jen

Here is our mafia tag.

And of course this one!

A Mafia Romance by @yadivagirl [WIP]​

Blaine is the son of a powerful crime boss. He has no intentions of joining the family business, especially since he finally has a gorgeous boyfriend named Kurt, but everyone else has other ideas. When Kurt gets caught in the middle, Blaine’s true nature is unleashed. Like father, like son. Dark!Blaine. Features sex, violence, drug references, and heavy BDSM themes.

~~~~~

An Unrefuseable Offer by Aki and Tenshi

Mafia AU. Blaine is a jaded crime lord interested in Kurt, a singer at a speakeasy. Kurt is desperate to take care of his ill father. Blaine makes Kurt an offer, trade himself for Blaine’s money and influence to get Burt the best medical care. And then there’s Sebastian, who runs a rival mob. Angst, drama, and a dark, kinda romantic story

~~~~~

A Dangerous Game by dreamcatcher (darcangell23)

The year is 1924 and Blaine Anderson, son of the most notorious mafia boss in the east, has gone to his favorite speakeasy where he sees Kurt for the first time. It’s got to be love at first sight but falling for a mafia baby so a dangerous game to play. But is Kurt exactly who Blaine thinks he is? 

~~~~~

Spy fic:

Trigger Warning by @inkystars (on tumblr)

Blaine Anderson is one of the top international spies in the world, but is very insistant upon keeping his husband, Kurt Hummel, in the dark about that matter. Which ends up being a bit of a problem when Kurt is kidnapped

~~~~~

Criminal Klaine -

An Unwritten Life by GlassParade

An adaptation of the movie “The Brothers Bloom” – Blaine and Cooper are brothers and con artists, committing crimes worldwide with explosives expert Santana in tow. But Blaine wants out of the life, while Cooper wants to pull off one last con – and for his mark, he’s selected reclusive automotive heir Kurt Hummel. With Coop’s promise to finally let him go in hand, Blaine sets the hook and reels Kurt into a madcap global adventure in lies, violence, death…and love.

~~~~~~

An Honest Man by BlurglesmurfKlaine @jinglejavey

For nearly the past decade, Kurt Hummel and his best friend Rachel Berry have made their living swindling unsuspecting bachelors. Which proves to be pretty easy on his conscience, considering he doesn’t believe in love anymore. As they always say: “You can’t con an honest man... Good thing they don’t exist.” But their mark for their last con before they go their separate ways—Blaine Anderson—may just prove otherwise, and restore Kurt’s faith in love in the process.

~~~~~

FBI/criminal:

Catch Me If You Can by @afterthenovels

In the end, catching Kurt Hummel is definitely not what Blaine expected.

Special Agent Blaine Anderson catches con-man and art thief extraordinaire Kurt Hummel twice, and on the second time they strike a deal. They’re supposed to just solve white collar crimes together, but they might even end up solving each other in the process.

A White Collar AU.

Note: There are 9 more stories in this verse HERE.

~~~~~

In Spite of all the Darkness by wishesonfallenstars

When the bodies of teenage girls start appearing next to dumpsters over New York City, the NYPD calls in the FBI. Because Serial Killers are always stopped easier when there’s experienced back up on speed-dial, and with bodies starting to pile up, they need to move fast. (warnings inside)

~~~~~

Hidden in the Deep by LauGS @heartsmadeofbooks

Kurt Hummel’s only concern was getting the perfect role in the perfect Broadway show. But when one night he witnesses a real nightmare, Kurt’s focus shifts from saving his career to saving something much more important: his own life.

~~~~~

Mr Congeniality by ifinallyfoundsomeone

Miss. Congeniality!AU

Bomb threats are being sent to the newly made Mr. America pageant and FBI Agent Blaine Anderson has taken up the position of being an undercover agent to save the pageant. With some extreme grooming and guidance from his pageant consultant, Blaine infiltrates the world of Men’s pageants. Making some interesting friends, and maybe he even winning the heart of his slave driver pageant consultant, the gorgeous and fascinating, Kurt Hummel.

~~~~~

#klaine fanfiction #fic finder #criminal Klaine #FBI #spy #mafia

[hooked-on-elvis]

Lynn Kellogg (Marcie, the can-can girl on "Charro!") about Elvis

Interview published on Tiger Beat magazine, July 1969 issue

ELVIS PRESLEY's Hippie Co-Star Thought He Was A Square by Ann Moses

The studio door flew open and out came tall and lovely Lynn Kellogg. Her beautiful golden blonde hair hung down on her shoulders which were covered by an Edwardian style leather coat. Wide wool trousers, a fugal change and huge round sunglasses completed the output.

She looked just as you would imagine the feminine lead in "Hair," the tribal love rock musical, but NOT as you picture the can-can girl and Elvis dramatic movie "Charro!" Just the same, Lynn chose to leave her role in "Hair" on Broadway to star with Elvis in his latest film "Charro!" To be sure, it wasn't Lynn's admiration for Elvis that made her take the part!

---

CHANGED HER MIND

"Not at all!" She will blatantly admit.

"I always felt Elvis was a good singer, but I hated his songs and that hairdo." I was working with Elvis for three weeks in Arizona and one week in Hollywood that changed her mind quick.

Although four weeks isn't much time to get to know someone very well, Lynn says Elvis is such an open and warm person that he's very easy to get to know. And like!

"Once I got to know him, I found he was a very nice gentleman; and a very good actor. I've heard many directors say they would like to use him in a movie as an actor instead of as Elvis Pressley. Working with him and watching him back, I can see what they mean."

---

A NEW ELVIS

In "Charro!" Lynn guarantees the audience will be seeing Elvis the Actor, and Elvis at his finest.

"I think Charro!" is a very good film. I don't like that type of film myself because it's violent and I like to see films that set a good example. For the type of movie it is, it's very good. My new saying is, "Forget about telling it like it is, tell it like it's supposed to be!"

Lynn observed that Elvis was happiest when he was working the hardest.

"He thrives on work. Between shots we fiddled around together and we got into all kinds of harmonizing. His guitarist, Charlie [Hodge], was with him and we all sat around and sang. It was a groove. We all went swimming once at the hotel and that was fun."

---

ELVIS THE MAN

During some of the breaks and filming on the set, Lynn had a chance to learn more about Elvis The Man.

"It may surprise some to know, but Elvis studies Yoga. And he knows all about astrology. I don't know how deeply he goes into it, but he sure knows enough to carry on a lively discussion about it. I think the most important thing about Elvis is not that he knows so much about astrology or whatever, the important thing is he knows where he's at!" "One day I had a short talk with Col. Parker. I said, 'Col. what's the secret to your success?' And he said, 'First, you've got to have a talent.'"

---

TOUR OF EL'S MANSION

When Lynn finished on the film and said goodbye to Elvis he invited her to visit his mansion in Memphis. She was working in Memphis last Christmas, so she dropped by to say hello.

She became excited just recalling the experience. “What was the place like?” I asked.

"Oh! Wow! It's fantastic! He used to show it off to people, really open the door and let them in, but he had to put in new carpets every month, so he quit." "When you first pull up to the gates, the gates had big musical notes on them. Even though it's out in the country, there's traffic going by all the time in a steady stream. The house looks like Tara from 'Gone with the Wind.' Because it was Christmas time, he had blue lights outlining the house and all the way along the driveway."

---

TROPHY ROOM

"When you first go in, off the entryway, there's this one whole entire huge room and the walls are filled with gold records and mementos. Then he has two long rows of drawers, like in a record store, and each one is filled with scrapbooks. Just thousands and thousands of things!"

"I was with some friends and we only stayed about an hour. His wife, Priscilla, was there and some of his friends. We went into the living room and there's a huge double piano--I don't mean two pianos--but two keyboards on one side and it's all in gold leaf!" "His bedroom is really something else! There's a huge bed and on the ceiling he has two television sets. Then there's a button that you push and armrests come down. There's also two radios in the control panel." "He said he wanted to show us his 'closet,' and he just laughed and laughed and he led us into this huge room. That was his 'closet'. It was so wonderful, because he was enjoying all this is much as we were!"

Lynn has kept very busy since filming "Charro!" She has just finished guesting on "The Jonathan Winters Show" and "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour."

Article published by Ann Moses on her Facebook page on August 25, 2021

#elvis presley #the man had nothing to hide #such an open and welcoming person #elvis the king #elvis fans #elvis fandom #elvis #60s elvis #articles #elvis articles #elvis magazines

[thegettingbyp2]

Hiya, can I please request something with Aaron Tveit, I love the way you write him. Maybe the reader is also on Broadway as Euridyce in Hadestown but it's her closing night, and Aaron is obviously there watching her. Just the two of them being emotional and lots of fluff. (Feel free to ignore this if it's too specific, I'm just not over Eva Noblezada's final flowers)

Proud

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Standing on the stage after your finale curtain call of your run as Eurydice in Hadestown, you couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down your face. This was your first show as a lead role in a show on Broadway and you couldn’t fathom the idea of no longer playing her. You were surprised that you’d managed to keep it together during the show after seeing Aaron sitting right in the middle of the front row. Even though you knew he was going to be there, there was something about actually seeing him there that made you push through the show and you’re pretty sure you’d just had your best performance.

Now, you stood on the stage as all of your cast mates were giving speeches about you, but the only thing you could think of was where Aaron had gone. You swear you’d looked away for two seconds and he was gone.

‘And now,’ Reeve Carney, your Orpheus, began, turning towards you, grinning, ‘I would have got you flowers, but I’ve been giving you a flower eight times a week for the past year and a half so I feel like I may have filled my quota on that.’ You couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped your lips, smiling as you wiped yet more tears away. ‘But we do have some flowers for you and we thought there was no one better to give them to you than a Broadway veteran, and the guy who has been sitting in this theatre, watching you shine on this stage, looking prouder than I thought anyone could ever look for about three quarters of your run.’

Gesturing to the side of the stage, your head turned and you gasped, more tears filling your eyes when you saw Aaron walking towards you holding a huge bouquet of red carnations. The moment he was next to you, you took the flowers and his arm quickly wrapped around your waist as you leant into him.

‘So, this is where you disappeared to,’ you said, smiling up at him as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

‘I’m so proud of you, baby,’ he murmured in your ear, for only you to hear and fresh tears worked their way down your cheeks.

The rest of the curtain call seemed to go in a blur, the only thing you were focused on being Aaron’s arms around you and his chest pressing comfortingly against your back. However, the second you got back to your dressing room, you spun around, throwing your arms around him, still crying.

‘Baby, if you keep crying, you’re going to make me cry,’ Aaron mumbled into your hair, his voice thick as he tried to hold in his own tears as his arms wrapped tightly around you, holding you against him, kissing the top of your head every now and then.

‘I can’t help it,’ you said, your voice muffled by his shirt. ‘How do you do this every time you leave a show?!’

‘I don’t cry as much as you,’ he teased, cupping your cheeks as you lifted your head to look at him. ‘Plus, yeah, it’s sad that you’re finishing up this show, but you’re going straight into another show, a show you love might I add, so focus on that. We’re going on holiday for two weeks and then you’re straight back into rehearsals and I’m going to be front row in that audience too as often as I can.’

‘I love you so much,’ you told him, reaching up on your toes to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

‘I love you too, and I’m so proud of you.’

#aaron tveit #aaron tveit x reader #aaron tveit imagine

[teenandbeyond]

Hi dear, may i ask for Raph x broadway musical actress reader headcannons pls? And remember to hydrate love 💗

Raphael x Fem. Broadway Reader

Thank you, you too! Edit: Honestly, I wrote this way better originally, but my computer randomly decided to update and Tumblr doesn't automatically save, soooo yeah.

Want more from me? M a s t e r l i s t 2

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

🧶The Mutant of the Opera🧶

Warning(s): ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Among your admirers, there's one special turtle who's your biggest fan.

✨✨✨✨

The first thing about you that Raph fell in love with?

Your voice.

It was strong and soulful, drawing him in, but warm enough to keep him rooted one night at practice.

It was your third musical, first in New York, and you were a supporting character, so you didn't have to come every night considering you didn't have many parts.

And opening night? He was mad you weren't the leading role.

You had the looks, the voice, and the charisma.

Hence, the giant turtle currently on the roof ignoring his communication device.

He made sure to show up each night, soon coming to the roof mere moments before you appeared. He had you timed.

🎶"Lift your head up, darlin'!... Never let them see ya' down. Never be afraid of yourself, keep your feet up off the ground...as you fly! To the sky! Reach your dreams, way up high!"🎶

He hoped to see you again.

And he did, the next year, you were a main character, yet not a leading role.

He hated not being able to watch you like everyone else.

But you had such a presence, it honestly didn't even matter.

And after that musical, you had a fanbase.

Raphael created an anonymous account to fanboy with the others.

Then he was waiting, waiting for you to come back.

Then news came, you were coming to New York to stay.

You lived there now!

And a year and a half later, you got that leading role.

"'Bout time. She ain't fit for anythin' else but lead," Raph complained.

"What're you talking about?" Mikey peeked over his shoulder at the newspaper article Raph was reading.

"Don't worry about it--"

"That broadway star you have a crush on?"

Raph scoffed, awkwardly looking away, "It's not a crush..."

"Dude, you've been talking about her for at least three years. It's a crush."

"Is not!" he weakly defended.

It kinda was.

He didn't tell anyone about the magazine he stole that you did an interview in.

And he refused to actually show Leo how excited he was when he came home with a poster of you for him.

He was excited for tomorrow night, you got a role that you deserved and he couldn't wait to see you play it out.

Okay

He was not ready

Your voice sounded different, a good different like you've been working hard on it. It had a different strength to it.

You pulled off a dark, edgy look quite well

And combined with your stage presence being stronger than ever, he was quite flustered by your performance.

🎶"I might be the good girl goin' bad. Getting hotter by the degree. But this freedom makes me glad. I'm happier just bein' me!"🎶

Okay, yeah.

He could admit the dark look was hot on you.

Well, what he could see from this angle anyway.

By the time the show ended, he hadn't even realized it.

No one had, you were that captivating to your audience.

Thundering applause.

And then the musical was over.

But something, something that night had him following you as you left the theater after everyone was gone, your shoulders sagged in relief as you stopped in the alley for a moment.

"Sheesh. That was so nerve-wracking! I hope I did well..."

Are you crazy? You could've been a tree and still be the star of the show, Raphael thinks.

"But I suppose I always get nervous the first night..."

He might have a thing for your voice.

You bite and release your lip as you go into thought.

"Now I have to drink all that wine by myself, everyone kinda just dipped out on me. Even the staff left..."

And the worst thing happens.

Raphael unconsciously adjusts his footing and you hear movement.

"Who's there?"

Raph wished it wasn't him.

Your arm snapped up in defense, "I have pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it!"

He couldn't help but smile at the cute case the painful spray was in. If not for the contents inside, it wouldn't be very intimidating.

"Come out! I know you're there! Don't bother trying to leave now!"

Fierce little thing, aren't ya'?

"I don't wanna scare ya' doll face," he graces you with a response after some silence.

"I don't scare easily, I lived in Baltimore for a while, so I've seen a lot."

"You ain't seen me."

"Try me."

He sighed, time to scare his crush.

He eased down and out of the darkness, hands up in surrender.

You dropped your pepper spray in shock.

"Well. You're right, I haven't seen someone like you, before."

Your eyes were wide, trying to process what you were looking at.

"I won't hurt ya'...I was just watching you--That don't sound right, uh..."

You tilted your head, the large man--was he a man, he seemed more like an animal...a shell, a turtle--seemed to be more afraid than you were.

"Are you male?"

He didn't expect that to be the first question you asked...he didn't expect you to ask anything at all.

"Yeah. I'm a guy, why?"

"Just checking...I...I know some animals are genderfluid or whatever. I don't know how it is for...turtles, right? You're a turtle. Not a tortoise?"

"I'm a turtle."

You blinked, "A...big...turtle. I don't remember them being that big."

"Mutant turtle, princess."

"I...see."

"You're not scared?"

"Honestly? I'm too confused to be scared at the moment."

"Suppose that's fair."

You apprehensively put away the pepper spray after eyeing his weapons. "I'm [Name]."

"I know."

"..."

"I-I didn't mean for that to sound creepy...I just--I'm a fan..."

A giggle bubbled from your chest, "You're a fan of mine?"

"How could I not?"

Then he continued to go into a ramble.

Which was flattering.

"Eh...That's so embarrassing."

"It seems you've been watching my work for a while."

"I've watched every show you've done here."

"Really? Where? I would've thought you'd be noticed for sure."

"The roof."

"The roof? You could hardly see much from up there."

"Well, I mainly just listen to ya'. I see what I can."

"Hm..."

Raphael did not expect to get a private performance in the empty theatre.

After double-checking everyone was gone and the cameras were off, of course.

You were such a doll and ordered pizza, too.

He snuck in a little wine.

No one had to know.

He'd crack some jokes in between, cutting off your singing and trading it for laughter.

"Raphael--let me--let me finish!"

He had lots of fun.

And during the ordeal...he found his heart beating even harder for you.

#raph x reader #raphael x reader #tmnt raphael #raphael #tmnt fluff #tmnt headcanons #tmnt raph x reader #raphael x hc #headcanons #raphael fluff #raphael x fem. reader #fluff #tmnt bayverse #bayverse raph #teenaged mutant ninja turtles x reader #teenage mutant ninja turtles

[jgroffdaily]

In all of the rush of getting home and back to my real life, I didn’t get a chance to write up the experiences that we, your faithful JGD-ers, had this last weekend in NYC.

On Saturday morning, we did a tour of the front of house sections of the Hudson Theatre. It’s a gorgeous building, with a fascinating history, and I would recommend the tour to anyone who is interested in Broadway - the company was Broadway Up Close.

In the afternoon, we went to the matinee of the show, the first matinee (and thus the first two-show day) of this Broadway run. We had great seats in the first row of the mezzanine / dress circle, from which we had a decent view of the actors’ facial expressions (although not as good as from the orchestra seats / the stalls on Thursday evening) and also a fab view of the actual orchestra, who sit “upstairs” in Frank’s apartment.

I loved the show again, of course. I had fully intended to turn my attention to different elements this time - to watch Frank during Franklin Shepherd, Inc; to watch Frank and Beth during Not A Day Goes By, to check out what the orchestra were doing. But in fact I was entirely dragged into the story, and the performances, once more, and my eyes snagged on the exact same things as last time.

As for Sunday, my final day in NYC: well, we had realised a few weeks ago that there seemed to be *something* due to happen on the Sunday evening - there was no show listed for that afternoon, which broke the pattern of all of the rest of the weeks from Opening onwards. So we wondered if that date might be the Opening Night (which it kind of turned out to be, amidst some confusion around “industry opening / red carpet interviews / after party” on Sunday vs press night / release of embargo on Tuesday).

So, on the off chance that we had guessed correctly, I changed my flight home to the UK, so that instead of an 8pm flight, I had an 11pm one. That meant that I could stay in Manhattan until 7pm ish, and we could investigate what was happening.

Earlier on in the day, we went to the Broadway Up Close booth to buy some Broadway themed merch, and I had to laugh when the guy manning the counter asked me “have you seen any shows?” and when I replied “Merrily”, he said “aha, I had a theory…” and pointed to the Groff sweatshirt that I was wearing! Might as well wear your heart on your sleeve (chest), I guess!!

We walked to the theatre in the afternoon, and there were some union guys / security people chatting outside, so I asked them if anything was due to happen outside that evening. They said: “oh no, no, nothing at all, it’s all going to be inside; not at all worth you coming back here”, then blew their own cover a little by adding “unless you want to watch us work, setting up!”

Setting up what, you may ask? And indeed, that is what we did ask ourselves, after we had thanked them and wandered away. If they were setting something up outside, there must be something worth seeing. And so, at around 5pm, we “accidentally” found ourselves back at the theatre, and located a spot close to the steps, where we could semi-nonchalantly linger.

While it was true that the red carpet was happening indoors (not entirely surprising, as the lobby of the theatre is, as previously noted, stunningly beautiful, and the scaffolding outside is decidedly less photogenic), the security and queuing / ticket checking system was happening outside, as was a good deal of “people in fancy clothes loitering and waiting for their friends to arrive before going in”, and thus we had a great view for an hour or so, as many people arrived and went in.

We spotted Anna Wintour (sharp haircut, giant sunglasses and all - but having to queue with the masses - quelle horreur!), Zach Quinto with a friend, Raul Castillo and Alexis Forte (newlyweds! 💍🎉) and Cynthia Erivo, who arrived with Lena Waithe.

Although we didn’t see Jonathan - the cast must have gone into the theatre much earlier, or via the stage door, or both - I am so pleased that we were there. There was a fantastic buzz of excitement amongst those arriving for the show, and it felt to me like one of those real “Covid is over [note: I know it isn’t!] and the world is back!” moments. It made me so happy and grateful to see all of those people there, to support and celebrate our favourite guy (and his friends and colleagues), and it was the perfect end to my perfect NYC trip!

#jonathan groff #merrily we roll along

[hylianengineer]

For some reason I have abruptly returned to being insane about Cabaret. It's a musical about the rise of fascism and the tragedy that is pretending everything is fine until it's too late. It's also a heartwrenching doomed romance. It's unusually direct and neutral-to-positive about its depiction of sex work given how mainstream it is. It's about vice and desperation and fear and horrible, horrible coping mechanisms. It gets the audience invested in not one but two doomed romances AND a doomed friendship that are all about to be torn apart by the impending rise of Nazism. By the end of the play the majority of characters have had their lives torn apart by this one encroaching evil and we have to watch it happen. We have to watch them make all the bad decisions in which they might have been able to save themselves, but they didn't, because they were human and fallible. Because they didn't want to see what was happening around them, or take a risk, or they just couldn't quite bring themselves to believe that getting a happy ending was an option. We can see all the ways it might have gone differently.

I can't get over how incredible our university production of it was. I may be biased but I love it more than the Broadway version. For one thing, we had a nonbinary actor playing the Emcee, which meant that their romance with a Jewish woman came across as both Jewish and queer and like the biggest possible fuck you to the Nazis. But also, they were just such a good actor. The sad-and-terrified-but-forcing-themself-to-be-okay vibes in the final scene were so visceral and haunting. "Where are your troubles now? Forgotten? I told you so. We have no troubles here. Here, life is beautiful. The women are beautiful. Even the orchestra is beautiful." They sounded so broken in this scene. The juxtaposition between the words and the way they said them was like being punched in the gut. I wish I could tell them this but I do not even slightly know this person.

The depiction of the Nazis is also amazing because it shows them as people. Not in a "oh we should sympathize with them" way, but in a "oh fuck they could be ANYONE and you'd never know it" way. As Fräulein Schneider says, they are her friends and neighbors. She expects her friends and neighbors to support her when she decides to marry Herr Schultz, a Jewish man, but as it turns out, some of them are Nazis and make it very clear that if she doesn't break off the engagement, they'll turn on her.

We LIKE the Nazi character, right up until he takes off his coat and shows off the Swastika armband. We had no idea he was harboring such nastiness in his heart - he seemed nice! He was charming. He was kind. He was Clifford's and our introduction to Berlin, and he made a damn good first impression. He was very pleasant to Herr Schultz right up until the he realized he was a Jew, and it was chilling to watch that scene unfold. I remember sitting backstage every night and waiting to hear everyone go dead silent at the reveal. Chilling.

The other thing Caberet does so well is the "why should we care about politics? what does that have to do with us?" angle. Sally says it outright - she'd rather know nothing about what's happening, and even when confronted with it, she doesn't care. She doesn't understand why Cliff won't help Ernst anymore after finding out exactly what those smuggled goods were for - as far as she's concerned, they need the money and the politics are irrelevant. The politics being Nazism, of course. She has absolutely no malice towards the people the Nazis are hurting - she's just incredibly, horribly naive. Doesn't it just make your blood run cold?

It's extra creepy to watch this play in the political environment of the last year or so - the way things have been getting progressively more and more scary for queer people. There were definitely a few times when I read some particularly awful news coming out of Florida and felt very much like Cliff grappling with the horrible realization that he needed to get out of Berlin yesterday. And trying to explain that sheer terror to my straight relatives did feel reminiscent of Clint's failed attempts to make Sally see reason. But it didn't affect her directly, so she didn't care. She had her own life and her own priorities and why should she care about things that don't affect her? I hope things here and now never get that bad, but the exact reason it's so disturbing is that people in early-1930s Berlin never guessed it would get that bad either.

And this is a story based on true events. It's fictionalized, but it isn't made up. Cliff is more or less an author insert for the very real person who wrote the book the musical is based on: Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. And by the way, Christopher Isherwood was gay.

Tl;dr Go see Cabaret and have your heart broken in like fifteen different ways. But read the trigger warnings first.

#cabaret #cabaret musical #hylian rambles #i'm never getting over this one folks #holocaust tw #kinda #antisemitism tw #tw genocide #again kinda. referenced. #i feel like this needs more tws but i can't think of them #queerphobia tw

[not-orphaned-account]

This request is for the 20 minute one shots. Matt and Mello discuss plans to go on a date but incidentally stay at home.

I've been wanting to do this forever but I burnt out before I got the chance, BUT! Here it is now :] it's a very adorable idea and was very fun to write. I may have gone over 20 minutes, but just enough to get it to some sort of natural stopping point, because I love the idea so much and wanted to do it justice. Thank you!!!!!

-

Mello would not consider himself a romantic person. The very thought of Valentine’s Day makes him cringe, and the more red hearts and pink roses he sees while out and about, the more he feels himself getting close to burning down the romance section of the nearest library.

However, he would consider himself the very best at everything, ever, which includes the best boyfriend. So, when Matt mentions they should have a date night on the first weekend off they’ve both had in weeks, Mello decides that he is going to plan them the best goddamn Valentine’s Day date his loser ass bitch of a boyfriend has ever seen.

It starts with a candlelit dinner at the most expensive restaurant he can find. They’re not hurting for money, given Mello’s high reputation and higher rates in the detective industry, and Matt’s mostly-legal tech exploits, so he makes a reservation for the night of Valentine’s day with no problem. He even looks up the menu online to plan what exactly he’s going to order for maximum-romance points, and to make sure they have something that Matt will actually eat, given he has the palette of a six-year-old.

Then, he books them tickets to a show. A movie may have worked, and certainly would be enough for Matt—he’s always insisting the simple things go a long way—but Mihael Keehl doesn’t do ‘simple.’ So after a lot more furious googling, he finds a highly rated Broadway performance taking place at a theatre in the heart of the city, and books them tickets for a private booth that they won’t have to share with any strangers. It’ll just be the two of them, and Mello smirks when he thinks of the possibilities.

The show is in the late afternoon, so they’ll be going straight to dinner after it finishes. It’s a short ride by taxi, both the play and the restaurant have raving reviews, and Mello is certain this will be the best Valentine’s dates in the history of ever.

-

It snows.

Because of fucking course it does.

Matt, who has no idea of his plans, doesn’t understand why Mello is screaming into a pillow on the sofa at three in the afternoon, and Mello doesn’t tell him, as he’s too busy screaming into said pillow. It wouldn’t be an issue—the show is indoors—but for some reason, today of all days has to be when the city’s water system throws a bitch fit from the sudden cold, and he gets a notification on his phone that his tickets have been refunded as the entire theatre, as well as the surrounding block, has been completely flooded.

No matter. It’s no matter. They’ll just go see a movie. Dinner and a movie. It’s more Matt’s style anyways, he probably would’ve been bored at the show. This is actually a good thing.

Mello sits up on the couch and looks over at an understandably startled Matt.

“We’re going to see a movie,” he says. Matt blinks once, twice, then nods.

“Okay. What movie?”

Mello pauses. He…has no idea. He hasn’t been to the movie theatre in ages—he hasn’t had time, for one thing, and he usually can’t stand the places, with their crusty seats and stale popcorn and the ever-present smell of butter. He doesn’t even know what’s playing.

So, he looks it up online. The movie theatres nearest to them are all playing different movies, and with his plans for the show already ruined, he’s twice as determined to pick something good. Matt sits beside him and rests his head on his shoulder.

“You gonna tell me what you’re schemeing, or do I have to spend the rest of the day by myself?”

Mello pauses. He didn’t even realize it, but he has in fact been completely ignoring Matt. He bites his lip and stares at his screen. Matt can be…indecisive. He’s never been the one making the decisions, preferring to let Mello call the shots. However, this is supposed to be their perfect date, and Mello supposes that it would help to get some of Matt’s actual input.

So they squish together on the couch with Mello’s laptop between them, carefully looking through the list of movies. Matt points something out that looks interesting, but Mello is skeptical, and after a few minutes debating back and forth, he decides to just pull up the trailer to get a better idea.

The trailer is shit, which Matt reluctantly admits, so they go back to searching. Watching the trailers seems to work the best to compare the movies, but after a few minutes of both of them trying to see the screen, Mello just pulls Youtube up on their TV to play them from there.

“Wait, which one was that?” Matt asks once the umpteenth trailer has cut to credits. Mello glances at the list he’s still got on his laptop.

“That’s the last one listed for Moxie Theatre.”

“The trailer was all over the place, I don’t even know what genre it was. Can you find another one?”

Mello does, pulling up the second listed trailer for the movie. Then the third. Then goes back to one of the first trailers they watched, because Matt says he can’t remember if he’s seen it already. Mello’s stomach growls—he was planning on getting a light snack at the theatre—and Matt makes a bowl of popcorn because he’s ‘been craving butter,’ as if that’s a normal fucking thing for a human being to say.

The movie trailers are actually pretty entertaining, and Matt suggests they look at a few for movies they’ve already seen together, seeing how they hold up to the actual film. The popcorn is wedged on the couch between them, but when it’s done, Matt scooches closer and rests his head on Mello’s shoulder again. Mello lets him, searching for another old trailer to play.

They both decide that none of the new movies playing today are as good as the trailers for ones they’ve already seen, and Matt looks so excited when he asks if their streaming service has Toy Story that Mello can’t exactly say no. 

It’s not until Buzz and Woody are stuck in the claw machine and Matt has his hand buried in their second bowl of popcorn that Mello remembers what it is they were supposed to be doing.

Frantically, he grabs his phone and checks the time, heart sinking into his toes when he sees that they’ve missed their reservation. There’s a snoozed alarm and even a missed call from the restaurant, which he must’ve missed when he put his phone on silent to hear the TV better.

He buries his head in his hands, feeling sick with disappointment. 

“Mel?” Matt asks from above him, and Mello hears fabric shuffling before he lays a mostly butter-free hand on his shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong? We can watch something else if this is too sad.”

Despite himself, Mello snorts. He looks up at Matt, who looks genuinely concerned, which only makes him feel worse.

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy.”

Matt raises an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, obviously.”

Mello rolls his eyes, but he lets Matt run a hand down his back anyway.

“I had this whole big romantic plan for tonight,” he admits. “Like, this kickass Valentine’s Day date, with a theatre show and a fancy dinner…but the theatre flooded and I got so distracted with the stupid movie trailers that I forgot about dinner, and we missed our reservation and now the whole thing is fucked up. I ruined our first actual date in ages.”

He hangs his head, glaring at the floor in an attempt to ward off the welling self-loathing he feels building in his gut. 

There’s a few moments of silence before Matt snorts.

“That’s it?”

Mello looks up, scandalized. Matt raises his hands and tries to backtrack.

“No, sorry, I’m not—it’s just—that’s what you’re so upset about? Mel, I thought something seriously bad had happened.”

“Did you not hear me?” Mello snapped, crossing his arms over his stomach and glaring at him. “I ruined everything.”

“Mello,” Matt says, and he sounds so fond that even in his state of self pity Mello feels his cheeks flush. “You think I give two shits about some stuff show and fancy dinner? Did you not see me eat Kraft mac and cheese for every meal for like, two weeks straight a few months ago?”

Mello frowns. “Well—”

“And honestly,” Matt continues, “I have the attention span of a squirrel on coke when it comes to shit like plays or whatever. That’s always been your thing, yeah? And even the movie, like, I had way more fun making fun of shitty trailers with you than I ever would’ve at some sticky theatre.”

He rests a hand on Mello’s knee and rubs circles with his thumb, giving him that lopsided grin that Mello thinks might be his favourite sight in the world. It’s Matt’s genuine smile, the one he reserves for him and him alone, and despite the failure of the night he can feel his heart lightening just a little.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he insists, though his protests are feeling a lot less convincing then they did before. Matt rolls his eyes.

“Trust me,” he says, “this was probably one of the best dates I’ve been on.”

Mello can’t help but snort.

“You’ve never dated anyone but me.”

Matt grins and leans forward, kissing his cheek.

“That’s the best part.”

#death note fanfiction #mellodramattic fanfiction #mellodramattic #req #death note req #oneshot #1k #fluff #20 min

[thetisming]

bitches be like "i'm normal" and then they have almost the entire & Juliet script memorized, have most of the cast members of Broadway, Australia and London memorized, have various pieces of & Juliet merch, havent gone 10 waking minutes without thinking about this show since May, have both the dates they saw the show memorized, care more about the date they saw the show for the first time than their own birthday, are travelling to see the show again twice in 2024, have a collection of 9 bootlegs (they have never collected bootlegs before), have written 17 fanfictions since July and it's October, also have the ensemble characters and most cast members memorized, came up with the ship names for the characters, i'm bitches

#theres more but i'm tired #& juliet #& juliet musical #&j #and juliet #and juliet musical #juliet musical #autism #actually autistic #amperstan

[papermoonloveslucy]

MOVIES on TV!

Part 3 ~ The Movies of “Here’s Lucy”

In “Here’s Lucy,” Lucille Ball had a new character, a new family, and a new show - but one thing remained constant, her love of movies!  Here are some of the movies (real and imagined) of “Here’s Lucy.” 

~FACTUAL FILMS~ 

“Lucy and Carol Burnett” aka “The Unemployment Follies” (1971)

Carol and Lucy stage a tribute to Hollywood using unemployed actors. The films mentioned and/or feted include:

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)

BLUE ANGEL (1930)

CASABLANCA (1942)

42ND STREET (1933)

THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)

ROSE MARIE (1954)

The set is decorated with posters from:

HOLLYWOOD OR BUST (1956) 

SAMPSON AND DELILAH (1949)

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952) 

SHORT CUT TO HELL (1957) 

GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) 

UNDER TWO FLAGS (1936) 

“Ginger Rogers Comes To Tea” (1971)

Ginger Rogers leaves her purse in a movie theatre where she's gone incognito to see one of her films for the first time. Lucy and Harry discover the purse and hope to get to meet the star in person by inviting her to tea. Instead of working late, Lucy tells Harry that she wants to go to a Ginger Rogers Film Festival. They are showing Tender Comrade (1943) and Flying Down To Rio (1933), two films made at RKO, which eventually became Desilu.  

Rogers tells Lucy she has done 73 movies. Rattling off some of Rogers' hits, Lucy adds a sugar cube to Ginger's tea for each title: Top Hat, Roberta, Flying Down To Rio, Follow the Fleet, Shall We Dance, and The Barkleys of Broadway.  When Lucy realizes she's put six lumps of sugar in Ginger's tea, Rogers says she only wanted Top Hat and Roberta (two lumps).  

Trying to impugn the taste in films of the mystery woman (a disguised Ginger Rogers), Lucy tells her to try back next week and they might be showing Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). This was the fourth of the light comic films set on the California beach starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.  

After dancing the Charleston with Lucy and Kim, Lucy asks Rogers to do a scene from Kitty Foyle, Ginger’s Oscar-winning role. Rogers graciously declines, asking Lucy to become a Katherine Hepburn fan instead!  

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968)

Lucy loans Van Johnson money to fix his car – but the man turns out to be an impostor. This episode is written for Van Johnson to work in a not-so-subtle plug for their latest film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) starring Henry Fonda.

VAN IMPOSTER:“I loved working with that kooky redhead.” LUCY: “Personally, I thought she was much too young for Henry Fonda.”  

Lucy says she remembers Johnson from his appearance in The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947).  She later tells him she saw the film 17 times!  When Lucy is escorted out by the studio guards at Van’s direction, Lucy says that now she’s glad he got court martialed in The Caine Mutiny (1954).

“Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (1971) 

When Lucy holds a garage sale, she discovers an old lamp that she believes may be make wishes come true. Lucy pulls out a fur-lined jacket she says was worn by Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce.  The 1945 film won Crawford an Academy Award. Craig says that judging by the shoulder pads she could have worn it in The Spirit of Notre Dame, a 1931 football-themed movie starring Lew Ayres.  

“Lucy and Flip Go Legit” (1971)

Lucy takes a temp assignment with Flip Wilson in order to answer his fan mail. When she is caught sneaking into Wilson’s office to ask him a favor, she gets caught and fired.  The favor is to appear  in a community theatre production of Gone With The Wind (1939) – as Prissy. Lucy plays Scarlett O’Hara, Harry plays Rhett Butler, and Kim takes the role of Melanie Wilkes. 

“Won’t You Calm Down Dan Dailey?” (1971)

Lucy gets a job working for Dan Dailey. When he starts to dictate a letter to Paul Newman at Universal Studios, Lucy says she saw Newman on the late show in Winning, a 1969 film about a race car driver.

“Lucy and Rudy Vallée” (1970)

Famous crooner Rudy Vallée is waiting tables to pass the time until his music comes back into style. Lucy convinces Kim to help update his look and sound while Harry gets him a booking at the local teen hangout. When a life-size portrait of Vallée in a raccoon coat is revealed, Vallée says he wore the coat in his first picture, Varsity Hero, a silent picture where critics raved about his singing!    

In reality, Vallée’s first film (aside from two shorts playing himself) was The Vagabond Lover in 1929.

“Lucy and Chuck Connors Have a Surprise Slumber Party” (1974) 

Harry rents out Lucy’s home for a movie shoot. After causing several re-takes, Lucy is banished from her own home. When she returns early, she doesn’t know that Chuck Connors is staying overnight – in her bed!  

Jerry, the film’s director, tells Chuck that his film Good Morning, Miss Dove starring Jennifer Jones is on television that night. Connors says the film was one of the few times he got to nuzzle something besides a horse. Released in 1955 by 20th Century Fox, the film co-stars Mary Wickes, a frequent guest star on all of Lucille Ball’s sitcoms. It also features Jerry Paris, who directed two episodes of “Here’s Lucy” before being fired, and Robert Stack of Desilu’s “The Untouchables.” Other “Lucy” alumni in the film include Herb Vigran, Hal Taggart, and Arthur Tovey – all appearing uncredited.

“Lucy Meets the Burtons” (1972)

The hotel manager tells Burton that the back door is mobbed by the Elizabeth Taylor Fan Club – Glendale Chapter. Membership to the club requires seeing National Velvet 10 times!  National Velvet (1945) was made when Taylor was just twelve years old.  

“Lucy’s House Guest, Harry” (1971)

As Harry is finally is finally about to leave, Lucy has a horrible thought: what if he is like Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner and falls on his way out and must stay with them even longer?  The play, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, opened on Broadway in 1939. It starred Lucille Ball's good friend (and “Here's Lucy” performer) Mary Wickes as Nurse Preen. Wickes was one of several actors who recreated their roles in the 1942 film adaptation.

~FICTIONAL FILMS~ 

“Lucy, the American Mother” (1970)

Craig makes a film about Lucy, a typical American mother. During the episode, Kim does impressions of Katharine Hepburn in Stage Door (1937), a film that also featured Lucille Ball, Maurice Chevalier in Innocents of Paris (1929), and Bette Davis in The Great Lie (1941).  

The title of Craig's movie will be “A Day in the Life of My Mother.”  When Lucy can't seem to act natural in front of Craig's camera, she suggests he get someone else to play his mother; someone like Raquel Welch, Carol Burnett, or Don Knotts.

~FILM INSPIRATIONS~ 

“My Fair Buzzi” (1972)

Kim’s shy and awkward friend Annie (Ruth Buzzi) comes out of her shell in order to audition for a 1920s revue, only to find the director was looking for someone shy and awkward in the first place! The episode title and story of transformation were inspired by the 1956 Broadway musical and 1964 film My Fair Lady, which, in turn, was inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Both are mentioned in the dialogue of the episode.

“Dirty Gertie” (1972)

Lucy gets a surprise fruit basket and heads downtown to share her good fortune with her hairdresser. On the street she is mistaken for Dirty Gertie, an apple peddler who just happens to be the good luck charm of a local gangster. This episode was inspired by the 1961 Frank Capra film Pocketful of Miracles in which Bette Davis played Apple Annie, a poor woman reduced to selling apples on the street. The film featured previous “Lucy” co-stars Edward Everett Horton, Jay Novello, Ann-Margret (film debut), Sheldon Leonard, Jerome Cowan, Fritz Feld, Ellen Corby, Benny Rubin, Hayden Rorke, Bess Flowers, Vito Scotti, Bert Stevens, Arthur Tovey, and Romo Vincent.

“Lucy Runs the Rapids” (1969)

The Carters take a road trip in a camper. The episode opens with the soundtrack playing “Breezin’ Along”, the theme song from The Long, Long Trailer (1954), a film starring Lucy and Desi as a couple honeymooning in a trailer. 

~FILM FAKES~

“Lucy Cuts Vincent’s Price” (1970)

Price is filming a new horror film titled Who’s Afraid of Virginia’s Wolfman? He says it has the best title since he starred in The Giant Chihuahua That Ate Chicago.

~FILM REFERENCES~

“Lucy, the Cement Worker” (1969)

In Pierre’s the knife thrower’s studio, there is a handbill on the bulletin board for ‘Cherokee Jim’s Rodeo and Wild West Show’, which is a direct reference to the 1945 film Incendiary Blonde starring Betty Hutton as Texas Guinan. The film was directed by George Marshall for Paramount, the same director and studio producing this episode of “Here’s Lucy” 25 years later!  

“Lucy in the Jungle” (1971)

When Harry sees baby chimps Fido and Rover, he reminds Lucy and Kim that King Kong started out as a baby, too!  King Kong, Hollywood’s tale of a giant ape, was first filmed in 1933, then re-made in 1976 and 2005. Fay Wray, one of the stars of the original film, also made The Bowery that same year, one of Lucille Ball’s first films. 

“Lucy and the Ex-Con” (1969)

Lucy and Rocky (Wally Cox) go undercover as little old ladies to catch a crook.   When Lucy and Rocky pass out (as planned) one of the crooks says to the bartender “Give me a hand with arsenic and old face.”  Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film where two elderly spinsters serve lethal glasses of elderberry wine to unsuspecting older gentlemen and bury them in their basement!  

“Lucy and The Generation Gap” (1969)

Lucy and Uncle Harry help Kim and Craig stage the school musical. In the first act of the musical set in ancient Rome, Lucille Ball is reading a magazine called 'Roman Scandals’. Roman Scandals is also the title of Lucille Ball’s uncredited film debut in 1933.     

“Lucy and Shelley Winters” (1968)

Hired to watch over dieting movie star Shelley Summers. On the mantle of Summers' apartment is a photo of a svelte Shelley Winters from the 1950 film Frenchie. She glances guiltily at the photo when she is about to overeat. 

“Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974)

Although Lucille Ball's dressing room wall is lined with photographs of Mame and the soundtrack plays the title tune by Jerry Herman, the name of the movie is never specifically mentioned. The film was given its world premiere on March 7, 1974 three days after this episode first aired, and released nationally three weeks later. As Mame, Lucy failed to ‘charm the husk off of the corn.’

#Lucille Ball #Here's Lucy #Gale Gordon #TV #Movies #Shelley Winters #Vincent Price #Wally Cox #Bette Davis #Ruth Buzzi #Ginger Rogers #Van Johnson #Lucie Arnaz #Desi Arnaz Jr. #Carol Burnett #Don Knotts #Racquel Welch #Richard Burton #Elizabeth Taylor #Chuck Connors #Dan Dailey #Flip Wilson #Rudy Vallee

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

This... Is BGNN

Things you might want to know, for Apr 18, 2023:

Netflix cancels second-ever livestream after 'Love Is Blind' reunion hit by technical issues — Gee, Netflix… ya need Twitch’s help or something? It’s not like you’ve spent a decade building out the biggest streaming infrastructure in the world, right?

The first CRPG is a min-maxing hell you can - and should - break — I played countless hours of Ultima III & IV back in the day, and even owned a biography of Richard Garriot that was released around the time of Ultima VI. I think it would have been fair to call me a fan. But I wouldn’t have wasted five minutes of my time of Akalabeth, ‘cause it was already antiquated by ‘83.

Mythic Quest's F. Murray Abraham Was Allegedly Fired for Sexual Misconduct — This is one of those surprising-yet-completely-predictable headlines.

Hollywood Writers Just Took a Huge Step Toward Going on Strike in May — Most of y’all were too young to appreciate the impact at the time, but the 2007 Writers Strike was a big deal. It disrupted the early seasons of Breaking Bad, directly resulted in the creation of Dr. Horrible, and extended the 2000s-era reality TV boom by a few more years.

Oklahoma county leaders caught on audio talking about killing reporters and complaining they can no longer lynch Black people — That they were saying it isn’t shocking. What’s surprising is that they were saying it openly, in a group of more than two, without bothering to encode anything or give themselves a trace of deniability… they were speaking without a hint of fear.

‘The Idol’ Gets Provocative New Trailer, Official Premiere Date

The End of Computer Magazines in America — This one is a bit of a heartbreaker for me. I wanted to grow up to write for one of those magazines when I was a kid… it never happened, but it was a dream. In fairness, the “real” magazines —like Byte— have been gone for many years, and the scraps that remained were a pale shade of what came before. But still… I miss my 800 page copy of Computer Shopper.

This set of TV catchphrases is pure Gen X nostalgia

Anna Nicole Smith Doc Examines the Troubled, Misunderstood Life of the Late Superstar Model

Cocaine worth nearly $440 million found floating in the sea off Italy

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#news

[nebulousfishgills]

flower asks!

white carnation, jasmine, azalea, bluebell, tigerlily, aster (lol), lavender, and/or freesia

Thanks for the ask! This one's a long one so buckle up.

White Carnation - Would you ever want to get a piercing? Where?

This may sound funny, but I have zero piercings (not even my ears) and I highly doubt I'll ever get any. It's just never appealed to me, idk. My grandma never pierced hers, she always wore clip-ons.

Jasmine - Describe your dream partner or best friend. What kind of personality traits do they have?

All my friends I would consider my "dream" friends (my irls and if we're friends on Tumblr you also count). As for dream partner... I mean, I'm not sure. I guess someone who's nice. They should be supportive of me and, to quote a thing my mom sent me, "the weird little things that make my heart happy." Someone who makes me excited to wake up in the morning and who would take me to the theatre once in a while. Someone who encourages me to be the best version of myself. Also someone who can take my darker sense of humor and keep me grounded when I inevitably become a whirlwind of undiagnosed adhd or whatever the fuck I have. Also some blue eyes, same as my mom blue eyes can make me absolutely weak.

That was a tangent, but I am a writer so-

Azalea - What is the most recent song you've listened to? How do you feel about it?

Okay this is gonna sound completely fucking unhinged, especially since it's so short, but last night I had Busted from Phineas and Ferb on repeat for like, three hours as I was doing a doodle because it came across my youtube feed and I realized it's like... exactly like a major scene I have planned for a fic, just without the musical swagger.

Cut to me fifteen minutes into this loop alone in my dorm room pretending I'm [Unnamed Character A] telling off [Unnamed Character B] for [Unnamed Event].

Bluebell - Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

I'm currently separated from them by "educational distance" but I have two kitties at home, a Tortie named Jackie and an Orange Boy Cat named Maggie (He has a more feminine name because PetSmart told us he was a girl when we adopted him since they *said* they did a spay operation... but then he had to get a surgery where they told us he was a boy... but by then Maggie had stuck and we'd already gone through three hours of arguing on what to name him in the first place).

Tigerlily - Do you have any favorite quotes from any movies, tv shows, books, or poetry? (Or from people in real life)

Y'all, I have a million favorite quotes from a million things. For now I'll give you one of each

Movie: "Ghosts are real. This much I know. There are things that tie them to a place, very much like they do us. Some remain tethered to a patch of land, a time and date, the spilling of blood, a terrible crime. But there are others-- others that hold onto an emotion, a drive, loss, revenge... Or love. Those-- They never go away." -Edith Cushing in my all time favorite movie, "Crimson Peak."

(I'm also like, 99% sure I'm being followed by a ghost or spirit of some sort so)

TV Show: I'm pretty sure me saying Henry's fifteen minute monologue in Stranger Things is cheating since that's, like, many many quotes, but I'll say it anyways because those fifteen minutes were life changing.

Book: I wish it was easier for me to find a quote, but unfortunately all my books are packed away for move-out in a couple weeks. My memory is eluding me so just pretend like I either said something really profound or something extremely stupid.

Play: "You're still beautiful." "You don't have to lie to me." "It's not lying, it's looking at things another way." From Wicked, my favorite musical (am I basic for that, maybe). Seeing this on Broadway last summer was a religious experience and I'm gonna have another one when I see it from the seventh row next year.

(I changed it to play because, fun fact, I don't read poetry that much. Another thing from my mom, she hates poetry... bear in mind this woman has a BA in English)

Real Life: "People are like 'you're weird' and I'm like 'yes, I've been waiting sixty years to get that compliment'" -my history professor. The man's said so much wild shit this semester I have an entire discord channel devoted to recording his quotes, dude's a legend.

Aster - Do you have any fictional crushes on any movie, tv show...

...

Okay I had a collage I made of every character I've had a crush on, lemme see if I can find it so I can be concise.

(One frantic search later)

It's not fully updated, so lemme just make one rq, every character I actively have a crush on (give or take one or two):

Moving on.

Lavender - What's currently on your mind (aside from the ask game)

How much of a degenerate I am.

No, but in reality, I have two packages I'm waiting for and I keep obsessively tracking them because I'm terrified they'll not get to me before my move-out date.

Freesia - What do you want people to remember you for? Serious or not serious answers.

I can say my writing in a serious and a not serious way. Remember me for my s tier descriptions and remember me for whatever the fuck this is:

#fishgills speaks #ask game #flowers ask game #ask box #my inbox is open

[beyondthegoblincity]

Anastasia Second National Tour Thoughts (May 2022 Detroit performance)

I saw the Anastasia 2NT when it came to Detroit in early May. Here are my longwinded thoughts on my experience, including changes made for the tour, thoughts on the lead Anya and Dmitry, and whatever else comes to mind. Please note I am very blunt about what I like/don’t like, if you really don’t want to hear those things, this is not the post for you.

The Overall Production

So, biggest thing first: the show I saw was missing an entire ensemble member. During Dance of the Romanovs, only two sisters came out, and for a moment I wondered if the 2NT actually cut down the sisters but I double checked the playbill and all three (plus Anastasia, so 4 total) were listed. Throughout the show, it was obvious that a woman ensemble member was missing.

There was always a man without a partner, at one point the man without a partner was essentially tossed in with a different pairing, making the choreography triple. There were only two little swans during Swan Lake. Etc.

The show had to cancel its' first two Detroit shows due to COVID cases, and I believe three ensemble members made their debut on 5/6's evening show. Presumably the cast is stretched thin, and uh, it was definitely something to see the show like this.  Was it obvious to people who hadn't ever seen the show? I don't think so. No one I saw it with mentioned anything. But if you were watching like I was, or you specifically knew the show was supposed to have 3 swans, all of OTMA, etc, then you might have noticed the details.

The Second National tour has made changes to the staging. This includes reducing the overall complexity (what complexity there was) of the Broadway and 1NT tour staging.

Staging differences + Actor Breakdowns below the Keep Reading!

Some differences between the 2NT and old 1NT:

No train set piece.

Instead, there is a projection of the outline of the old bare-bones train car, and the cast line up their suitcases between the train car projection and sit in rows. The train car projection rotates to "side view" during the song, and the cast moves so that they are spaced out while Dmitry, Anya and Vlad do their bits. Vlad had more room to walk around and be silly here, which was nice and I did like that you could pay more attention to the trio while they were singing.

But the train projection looked a lot lower quality compared to the other projections in the show and it was not very wide, so that unless you were sitting center, it looked rather silly. If they are using a projection, why bother with that "skeleton" car? The point of the skeleton car in the original production was so you could see the actors inside it. If you're using a projection, make it wider and just make it an actual train interior at that point. What are you doing, what are your choices, Anastasia 2NT?

No turntable.

Actors just danced around Anya and Dmitry in the end. I don’t’ know if the stage had any automation, actors moved various set pieces on/off. But I can’t really remember what was/wasn’t automated on Broadway or the 1NT, aside from having the turntable.

-That center back panel, the one used for the windows in Close the Door (where little Anastasia pops in and out) and for the Romanov execution effect in The Neva Flows Reprise, was gone.

Instead there was a digital screen with digital windows/projections in its place. One square of the digital projections in the back kept blinking to black during Dance of the Romanovs; it wasn't even an entire panel, so it was just like this random chunk of the scene kept flickering. Thankfully that was the only time the projections were messed up.

 Little Anastasia did not come out during Close the Door and there’s nothing in front of the Romanovs during the NF Reprise.

I do not know if this is normal, or if because of the cast shuffling that she didn't come out for some reason. If anyone has seen the 2NT and can confirm if she doesn't come out normally, that'd be great. The Romanovs were there for the background scene in The Neva Flows Reprise, but they were just... there, behind Anya and Gleb. Would have been a good time to put down a mesh screen or something to give them the "otherworldly" effect that you get from seeing them from behind the panels.

Little things missing on stage.

No throne for Anya to hide behind, only one sofa for the Dowager Empress in Close the Door. Key props are still there (the ugly doll, God, the ugly doll!) but the set feels less textured. Though it really wasn't all that textured to begin with, but, removing things like this makes it feel more bare during certain scenes.

Thoughts on the Actors

Before I continue, let me preface with my very blunt opinion about Lila Coogan's Anastasia, since I saw her live during the first national tour: Her acting was bad. I did not like it, at all. She barely reacted to other actors on stage, instead keeping herself closed off and in her own world, like she was waiting for their mouths to stop moving so she could say her lines. Whenever she was on stage, I dreaded her scenes with other characters. Overall, because Anya is obviously a massive part of the show, I left the first national tour feeling less than enthused.

 Kyla Stone as Anastasia

Kyla Stone is proof at how much having a competent actor can absolutely change how you experience a show. While I do have misgivings about the overall production, none of them are related to Kyla Stone and her performance. Unlike with Lila Coogan, I never dreaded a moment with her on stage--except frustration at Brendon Delgado's lackluster performance in their scenes together, more on that later. She and Sam McLellan as Dmitry developed believable chemistry, and it was so refreshing and so much more fun to see the show with a good Anya.

Now, I'm not wild about some of her choices--Anya in The Neva Flows Reprise just sobbing and running away for most of the song never does it for me, though unlike Lila, at least I felt like Stone's Anya was actually upset here rather than mimicking emotion.

 Sam McLellan as Dmitry

Sam McLellan as Dmitry comes as close as one can to cracking the unlikable coconut that is stage!Dmitry. It was almost disconcerting, and I don't know how to explain that. It was like most of the stage!Dmitry's flaws, which still exist in the writing, were smoothed over by his performance.

It's different from my views on Stephen Brower's Dmitry--which was "he made this unlikable character work, and he made Dmitry fascinating, and I will forever think about his expressions during In a Crowd of Thousands which almost seemed like he regretted telling Anya his story because he found it gross that she was taking his personal memory and using it."

Instead, it's like... Dmitry just clicked. I didn't find myself rolling my eyes at him being an asshole to Anya, because his performance (and Stone's chemistry with him) didn't make him feel like such an asshole. The line "This is the first time you've paid me a compliment" from Anya didn't make me think "YES, AND THAT'S A PROBLEM." Instead it felt like she said it in jest, because McLellan's Dmitry does not have the dickish inherent nature of other stage Dmitry's.

He felt looser, a bit guarded, but not serious when he's bantering with Anya. It felt more fun. Looking back, I never once thought to myself: "Dmitry is a dick and this show made him an unlikable ass" like I typically do in other productions. Instead he just... worked. It wasn't until the scene between him and the Dowager Empress that I remembered my misgivings about the writing in full, and even then, McLellan's Dmitry was so much more charming and earnest (even though the writing shouldn't let him come across this way) that the Dmitry + Empress scene didn't make me want to wring the script out as much as it normally does.

Added Anya and Dmitry Interactions

I think a lot of this shift in how Dmitry is perceived is because the second national tour's apparent added stage directions for Anya/Dmitry, which I *think* are new stage directions and not just personal choices on part of the actors. There were lots of added micro-interactions that made it way more obvious that these two characters had chemistry, from as early as Learn to Do It. Longer gazes, not unpleasant looks between them, more laughter, jests. Anya elbowing Dmitry when he teases her, but laughing herself.

There is added scene on the train where Anya stumbles and Dmitry catches her. When Anya and Dmitry dance during "Learn to Do It," they had a moment where they looked at each other with fascination and kindness. Anya stepping on his toes was accidental the first time, on purpose the second--but Stone makes it silly and funny, and McLellan's Dmitry was more exasperated than pissed.

For the first time since I've seen any version of this show, bootleg and otherwise, Vlad's line "I never should have let them dance" actually made sense. Because their chemistry and growing feelings started in that song, and not just "Dmitry is a dick for 95% of the show, er, wait I guess he loves Anya now."

I may be wrong in my assumption that these are new directions for all the actors, if anyone has seen the other actors in these roles and got a totally different vibe more akin to what we've seen before, I'd love to know.

Brandon Delgado as Gleb

Brandon Delgado is... uh. There as Gleb, and I say this as a massive fan of the character and all the hidden potential within. He just didn't seem to care at all, didn't connect despite all the energy Kyla was giving him on stage, and he kept doing odd gestures with his eyes--closing them repeatedly, rolling them up--that were genuinely off putting.

He let no dialogue breathe, and the woman next to me actually let out a laughing scoff in her throat during The Neva Flows Reprise when he suddenly rammed his gun onto Kyla's lower shoulder, then dropped down WAY too fast, within a second, without letting the moment breathe at all.

Instead of a sense that Gleb changed his mind, it was a sense of chaotic directionless mania. Gleb just... rushed at her, then oop, never mind.

His voice was solid, lovely, but his diction was not great, muddled with again, no sense of wanting any scenes to breathe. I did like his initial interaction with Anya, but it seemed like once he got singing The Neva Flows, his character just took off on a balloon and floated away from everyone else. 

So many reviews single out Delgado as providing a great performance, so I don’t know if I saw him on a really off day or what. But he just didn’t do it for me.

Bryan Seastrom as Vlad

Bryan Seastrom was good as Vlad. I thought he had a very interesting reading of "He's a dead man on both counts" at the train station, it was a lot more serious than other Vlads that I've seen and it gave the scene a lot more initial weight. It also led nicer into the beginning of Stay I Pray You, because the audience was not flipping right from "one-liner" to "sad song about leaving your homeland from a character destined to die."

I didn’t care for the way that he took the “Vlad looking at the Romanov portrait and seemingly recognizing that Anya has Romanov characteristics” and made it more of a joke. He looked at the photo, seemed to study it, then got Dmitry’s attention and mouthed something like “THIS IS THE ONE” and made an “ok/we got it” symbol with his fingers. I don’t remember that happening on the 1NT when I saw it, but maybe it’s been part of the staging with other actors and I just didn’t know.

Personally I prefer the more serious, photo-to-heart reaction that I saw on the 1NT. But I am also a person who laments the removal of Gleb’s “your eyes, a man could look right into them… be careful comrade, they’ll give you away!” line, so there’s that.

Elizabeth Ritacco as Lily

Elizabeth Ritacco (swing) was on for Lily. She was fun, fine, much more youthful in appearance than other Lilys I've seen and it gave her a different vibe. She and Seastrom played off very well with one another, which is a must. I feel bad for not having more to say. She was fine, snappy, had a commanding, lounging aristocrat presence.

 Christian McQueen as Ipolitov

His performance was so good that I have to mention it here. I do recommend checking out the 2nt Stay I Pray You audio to hear his version, because wow. It was just so different. The show basically seems to have given him carte blanche to do his own thing, and it has really stuck with me ever since I saw it. It was so aching and raw in a different way than the traditional way actors perform the song. I don't know if Ipolitov did this on Broadway or the 1NT because I can't remember, but he stayed until the end of the song, giving Anya a farewell blessing. Stone's Anya crossed herself after receiving it.

Overall Thoughts

The show’s writing still has major issues. Major, serious “I can and have ranted for hours about them” issues.

However, seeing the show with competent Anya and Dmitry actors who seem to understand these issues and smooth them over by creating great chemistry out of acting choices within a highly flawed script made SUCH a difference to a serious degree. By contrast, the odd choices made by Delgado during this performance and his seeming lack of “give-a-fuck” during the show I saw made Gleb’s scenes boring, pointless, and unfortunately since that climactic scene at the end rests on having a compelling Gleb, it just sort of… happened.

But I will say this, overall:

I left the first national tour critically thinking about all the show’s structural and narrative problems, and mentally affirming that the show is poorly written.

I left the second national tour wishing I was able to catch the show again before the tour left. My niece, as we were pulling out of the lot, sighed and lamented: “I wish we were still inside watching the show.” And with this particular cast, I can’t say I disagreed.

#anastasia #anastasia musical #anastasia tour #kyla stone #theater reviews #theater

[signalwatch]

Doc/ Review Watch: That's Entertainment (1974)

Watched:  12/31/2022

Format:  TCM

Viewing:  First

Director:  Jack Haley Jr.

I'm not clear on where this first showed - I guess wide release?  It has a box office take listed, so I guess it was put out in theaters.  Which is pretty wild.  The movie is essentially a review/ clip show of MGM musicals and the greatest generator of a punchlist for movie nerds I can think of.  

What's even wilder is that the movie was released as a 50th Anniversary celebration of MGM - and we're about 50 years from the release of this film.  Time.  It does roll on.  

The film is hosted by an array of folks who were still living and vibrant, from Frank Sinatra to Bing Crosby to Elizabeth Taylor to a Mickey Rooney (who'll de damned if he's gonna shoot in the sun and manages the worst lighting you'll see in a major release as he wanders down a tree-lined sidewalk).  But it's all a celebration of what made the movie musical great - and it makes a stunning case for the idea.  Spectacle, talent, artistry and a bit of hokum all combine in an electric mix across about 100 clips supporting the thesis and the arguments presented for the musical. 

Clips cover everything from the Depression-era Busby Berkley opuses to Andy Hardy films to Eleanor Powell, Ann Miller and of course Fred and Ginger (and Fred and Cyd).  And a reminder that the most insane Hollywood may have ever gone was staging Esther Williams movies.  It's impossible to imagine happening in the past 40 years.  

1974 - the year of release - is an interesting inflection point.  Liza Minnelli appears to remind you she's the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli and that she just won an Oscar for a musical.  It's the promise of a new generation taking on musicals, which may have seemed possible in '74.  But, clearly, that's not what happened.  Sure, these days we get one or two a year, and most Disney cartoons are musicals for all intents and purposes, but as much as westerns would fade, musicals became a novelty.  And, frankly, it seems like people my age feel weirdly threatened by musicals that don't start as Broadway shows.*

Trotting out the old guard is a fine idea for a retrospective, but in 1974, there's no home video.  They weren't going to re-release 45 years of musicals, I don't think.  So what was this for?  One last hurrah and a trip down memory lane?  The stars walk the now clearly dilapidated sets, around a decaying MGM lot, and I have to ask "why?"  Why would MGM show their own sets in such a state of disrepair?  I don't know what happened to MGM in the 1960's, but the story of MGM by the 1980's was about purchases, mergers, real estate sales...  the company had gone from being a force of nature to a has-been.  Even today, MGM seems to exist to put out Bond movies and not a whole lot else.  If this film hoped to push people to clamor for musicals, I guess - not so much.

That said, it's a stunning reminder of what Hollywood - at least MGM - did on the regular to deliver wildly imaginative productions, the kind of talent they had on staff, and what movies can do.  And maybe what we lost when the 1970's taught us to rely on "realism" in film, or at least pivoted us to space epics for our visions of flights of fancy.  

Clearly Broadway tells us there's still an audience for musicals, and you do wonder - with today's techniques - what would an Esther Williams film look like?  Who could star in it?  Can an audience sit for a tap number?  Do people still get swept up in ballroom dancing by the best, or just when it's a reality show with D-level stars trotted out for two minute numbers and people pretending to be judges?

And, honestly, even TCM doesn't play musicals like it used to.  I'm sure the numbers track better to other kinds of films for whatever reason, but it would be nice to have some play of those big spectacle flicks.

MGM produced enough of these musicals that it spawned several sequels - That's Entertainment 2 and 3, as well as That's Dancing.  So clearly they were making some money off of these things.  

*I will never get the hostility to La-La Land

https://ift.tt/oC8A3vV

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/EwbolCf

[popmusic101]

Flashback: Brave - Sara Bareilles

11th March 2024

Beyonce is still taking over country music and the charts so we'll flashback ten years to 2014. We've covered the top three songs already, so we'll look at the #4 - Sara Bareilles' 'Brave'

Honestly, when I started watching this music video I was ready to hate on it - ooh, look at these people dancing in public, aren't they so quirky!! But then the music video, in conjunction with the message "say what you wanna say... I wanna see you be brave", actually ended up winning me over. I guess this cold cynical heart still has a modicum of feeling in it. I'll need to work on that.

'Brave' is fun and it's a nice little throwback to be honest. I haven't heard or thought of this song in years (probably not since 2014, I suppose?) and it's nice to hear it again. Bareilles was semi-popular for a brief time between 2008 and 2014 and then kind of disappeared from the charts. 'Brave' was her highest charting song (although I think 'Love Song' which peaked at #7 in 2008 may be her better known song?), but of course Pharrell's 'Happy' was a bit of a monstrosity back then so there's no way 'Brave' could have got the #1. I do think it's significantly better than A Great Big World's 'Say Something' though. It should have been at least #3!!

Bareilles seems to be doing pretty well for herself. She's still making music, doing Broadway, and acting on various TV shows, but she's just not on the charts anymore. Interestingly though, 'Brave' was cowritten with Jack Antonoff who at the time was in the band Fun, but is now best known for his work with pop royalty, Lorde, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey.

Alright, that's all for now. Next week we'll see if Benson Boone, or newcomer to the charts Djo (aka Stranger Things' Joe Keery) whose song 'End of Beginning' has gone viral on Tiktok two years after it was first released, can dethrone Queen Bee. See you then!

#flashback #sara bareilles #brave #jack antonoff #fun #lorde #taylor swift #lana del rey #benson boone #djo #joe keery #end of beginning