Next to Normal

I thought this week, "Hey, why not post about a show I spent the majority watching while crying?" So I chose Next to Normal!

To be fair, I cried at the beginning of Up, Frozen, and the ALWAYS at three points in Little Princess. And I can't listen to country music during certain weeks of the month. I'm a crier. Also, this show gets pretty personal really fast for me hitting quite a few of my own triggers, so I get a bit weepy.

Next to Normal is a pretty amazing musical and so, so beautiful. It's can also be pretty hard to watch, particularly if you have ever had someone in your life who has struggled with mental illness (which, let's face it, most people know someone). I first heard this musical when a friend posted the performance from the 2009 Tony Awards on Facebook and I immediately went and bought the soundtrack and fell in love.

Then, in my Introduction to Counseling class (a pre-requisite for my graduate program), the professor mentioned that the Artists Repertory was performing Next to Normal and would be a great show for us to see because it does such a genuinely great job of depicting living with mental illness and suggested some of us get together and go see it. So I did. And cried. The whole time. It was mildly traumatic.

Introduction
Next to Normal is about a suburban mother, Diana, who struggles with worsening mental illness, diagnosed as bipolar disorder (debatable), that involves a hallucination of a teenage version of her son who died as an infant. The play examines the dilemmas that are fought by her husband and high school daughter as they struggle to understand and endure Diana in her illness. It also addresses suicide, drug abuse, and ethics of modern psychiatry.

Pretty heavy stuff.

Soundtrack
It's a rock opera with a cast of six, so everyone has to be pretty amazing to pull this thing off. And they are pretty dang fantastic in the soundtrack. Holy crap ARE THEY! Alice Ripley, who plays Diana, puts so much emotion into her songs. There are a lot of rounds, something I love in musicals (and, hey, in kids songs, as well): "Just Another Day," "I Am the One," and "I Am the One (Reprise)" are the songs featuring rounds that really stand out to me right now.

There are some super angst ridden songs that are powerfully loud and emotional ("You Don't Know") and other fast paced songs that perfectly display Diana's moments of mania ("Just Another Day" and "It's Gonna Be Good Reprise"). In addition to those, there are some slow, mournful songs that kick you right in the gut ("I Miss the Mountains" and "How Could I Ever Forget").

Aaron Tviet, playing Gabe (Diana's son/hallucination), is so great. His character actually kind of really creeps me out. He is such a good personification of her mental illness (really listen to the lyrics of "I'm Alive"). He holds such power over her, it's amazing. And I love it on both a professional level (as a school counselor... almost) and a musical level. Just great.

It's so good! Go listen to it!

Favorite Song
I really love "I've Been," sung by Diana's husband, Dan, directly after his wife's suicide attempt. He sings about how he loves his wife, knows how he has to be there for her and help her, but has no idea how he can do so. It's so heart breaking in its genuineness. And, damn, J. Robert Spencer totally brings it. What a voice.

And totally watch this performance with Asa Summers. I love being able to see it performed live.

The Show
I went and saw the show at Artists Repertory in Portland and it was so great. It was my first time seeing a show in such an intimate setting and, well, perhaps that wasn't the best show to experience that kind of staging. I was front row right on the stage. Like, literally ON the stage. People standing and singing a foot away from me.  I love "simple" sets. It was just a metal scaffolding "house" with several levels (Gabe climbing all over it like a creepy Peter Pan) with some furniture they moved around a bit for the house, hospital, doctors' offices, etc. And what talent went on there. It was seriously amazing. Holy crap and a half.

The show does such a good job of really capturing both the dramatic and everyday moments of living with mental illness. Seeing the show, you can really understand why they earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is truly powerful.

Favorite Part
There were so many great parts. I think they chose well, though, for their performance in the Tony's to showcase "You Don't Know" and "I am the One."

And, because it still gets me a little teary listening to it, here's "I am the One (reprise)." Dan sings it just after Diana decides to leave. It's an important scene for several reasons: 1) it's the first time Dan acknowledges Gabe's presence (showing his own need to work through his own grief), 2) Gabe stays behind when Diana leaves (she's on her way to recovery), and 3) Dan names Gabe (who's name has not been said once during the entire show). It's such a powerful scene.

And, again, a live performance.

Like I said earlier, this show gets really personal to me really fast (I'm not going to share specifics of why in this setting) and so it always gets me a bit emotional. Are there any shows out there that you find yourself relating to? In what way?

Make me cry...

This week is going to be a little different. While I have a few posts already written for the next few weeks (it's a self-care thing), this week I have decided not to review a musical. Instead, I'm going to take a look at some of the sad songs that I love from my favorite musicals. I received word about 3:30am today that my grandfather has passed away after a couple of tough years battling pancreatic cancer. I want sad songs right now and I have a musical blog, so, indulge me.

In no particular order...

"I Can't Recall" from A Tale of Two Cities (concept album)
I knew nothing about the plot before I sat and listened to this album and after I finished this song I was kind of devastated that he died and by the way he died. The song is gorgeous and takes the beautiful famous lines almost directly from the ending of the book. Granted, the songs have changed a bit since the concept album, but it's the one I like the best.

"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables
So, who DOESN'T tear up during this song? Honestly, almost every version I've heard is gorgeous (I say almost...), but I cried honest to God tears during the movie version. While I love Michael Ball (OMG YES!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!) and Steve Shocket, I love the more quiet quality that Eddie Redmayne brings to the screen. And he cries. And his freckles. He's adorable. (P.S. Sorry for the crappy video quality.)

"Some Things are Meant to Be" from Little Women
The fact that Beth dies in Little Women has always been a bit of an afront to me. Why the heck does BETH have to be the one to die? Anyways, I love the song that Beth and Jo share before Beth's death.

"I am the One (Reprise)" from Next to Normal
This whole play just makes me cry. I believe I'll go more into this show next week. It's a tough show for me to watch, this last scene in particular where the father acknowledges his dead son by name after his wife decides to leave. Holy crap; it's just a powerful moment.

"I'll Cover You (Reprise)" from Rent (movie soundtrack)
I pretty much spent the last 30 minutes of this movie crying. It is so heartbreaking when Angel dies and Colin singing their song by himself is so sad.

"I'll Forget You" from Scarlet Pimpernel
I know that this wasn't on the original cast album that I have, but I somehow managed to get this song into my iTunes from a friend. I don't know how or when or what recording it comes from (and, frankly, I'm not going to go looking for it right now), but it is so gorgeous. In other news, it's also a really fun song to sing (when I'm home alone with my youtube karaoke list).

"Left Behind" from Spring Awakening
Anything dealing with the aftermath of dealing with suicide is tough, and this song kind of captured it. This and "Those You've Known" are both beautifully sad.

"Back to Before" from Ragtime
Most of the sad songs on here deal with death, but this song from Ragtime is about the death of a relationship between a husband and wife. It's sad to see how her she has essentially outgrown her husband who can't match her new pace in life after his return from his own explorations.

"God Knows Why" from Romeo and Juliet (London Cast)
This isn't my favorite version of Romeo and Juliet (not by a long shot). The lyrics from the whole show are just,... off. The translation leaves a lot to be desired. HOWEVER, this one song is so, so pretty.

"Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Super Star
I have a confession: I've never listened or watched the entirety of Jesus Christ Super Star. I don't know why. It's just never happened. But I heard Michael Ball sing it in a video of an Andrew Lloyd Webber Celebration at Albert Hall. It's such a gorgeous and soulful song. Plus Michael Ball. He is very talented.

Of course there are a million more (and, I mean, some musicals themselves are just SAD). Any recommendations for my sad playlist?

Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour

We read Romeo and Juliet my freshman year of high school and I absolutely hated the experience. Not the play, mind you. Just the experience of spending every day in class with people reading the play out loud. Very poorly. With no discussion about the play whatsoever. It was horrible and made me dread ever having to teach Shakespeare once I made it into my English teaching program in college. Luckily, I was able to go to a great professional development day about teaching Shakespeare which actually got me excited about it.

Ask me sometime about my opinions on teaching Shakespeare. Really, don't. Unless you have a lot of time and energy on your hands. I get emotional. And dramatic. And loud. And possibly inappropriate.

Why does this matter? Well, my friend freshman year of high school somehow got the soundtrack to Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour, a French musical of Romeo and Juliet. I think someone in her family sent it to her? I'm a bit unclear. However we got hold of it, we had it and we loved it. She made a copy of it for me and it's traveled through my various computers ever since, occasionally listening to it, wishing I spoke French, and trying to decipher what exactly was happening in each song and who was singing.

It sat in the back of my mind for a long time when one day I was on tumblr and someone I followed reblogged this gifset from a Hungarian production of Romeo and Juliet set in a kind of dystopic future Verona with lots of FIRE (cuz apparently Hungarians like fire?) and Mercutio was obviously bisexual and "OMG Bereczki Zoltánwas totally awesome as Mercutio go look!" I was like, "Sweet; I like cool adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio is my favorite. Let's check this out!" And as soon as the song started playing I got really excited. It was the music from that French soundtrack my friend gave us in high school! But in Hungarian! So I got really excited, watched the whole thing, watched it again, and then, when I couldn't find the soundtrack to buy, made my own (sssshhhh). And then I managed to find the English version (which sucked, but I can understand the lyrics so, there's that).

But enough about me, let's move on to this stunning musical.

Introduction
Star crossed lovers, three day romance that leaves a bloody trail of murders and ends in the dual suicide of two idiotic teenagers. That's the best I got for you. I hate when people try to make it look like a "true love romance and sad how they don't end up living happily ever after boo hoo" kind of story. No. It's about two idiotic families who care more about their feud than the mental and emotional stability of their children. It's horrible, sad, and not at all romantic.

And Mercutio dies. Which is the worst part.

Soundtrack
I have three versions of the soundtrack so, Jekyll and Hyde style, I'm going to take a quick look at all three.

The French version is the first I ever listened to and, talent wise, I think it has the strongest singers. Of course, this is also the only non-live recording that I have, so of course they are all at their best with no background interference, which makes a huge difference. The music itself is gorgeous. It has some beautiful love songs for the two lovers ("Aimer," "Love It" but called "These Are My Rivers" in the London soundtrack) and some really fun songs as well ("Les Rois du monde," "Kings of the World," which apparently became popular as a single in France for a while. Cool.).

Even though I do think that the French soundtrack has the strongest singers, the Hungarian version is my favorite. They put a lot of great emotion into every single song. And it's all live, so there's that as well. One of the best live recordings of a musical I've heard in a while. I'm particularly impressed with how well they do in some of the more energetic songs. Some of the songs changed, as well. Order in the show as well as what they tell in the story. And Paris has two more songs.

The English version. What to say? The singers do passably well, but their talent is a bit shadowed by the awful lyrics. Seriously, the translation is kind of awful. But, the singers do well with what they have.

I honestly don't have much to say about the English version. It's nice being able to hear songs I love in a language I understand, though. I think that's the biggest plus.

Favorite Songs
Because I'm a cheater and I have three soundtracks, I'm choosing a song from each.

For the French soundtrack, I think I'd have to pick "Les Rois de monde" because it's just so much fun. And I really love their voices in it.

For the Hungarian version, I love, love, love to listen to their version of "On Dit Dae la Rue." I have no idea what the title of that song is in Hungarian, but it is really fun.

My favorite song from the London cast is a more subdued one, "Empty Sky." It's sung near the very end by Friar Lawrence. It's just beautiful.

The Show
Through the glory that is Youtube, I have managed to watch both the French and Hungarian versions with English subtitles. Well, most of the French version. I've seen the whole thing with Vietnamese subtitles (not helpful for me, personally) and a great deal of it with English subtitles. Both the Hungarian and French versions are very different, both in how they present the different characters as well as the sets, costumes, order of songs, and even removing some characters in the Hungarian version. With that in mind, I'm going to go at these both separately.

French
The French version uses more medieval inspired costumes. Inspired, mind you. With lots of leather. Lots. I feel like it does a better job than most of making sure the audience recognizes that Romeo and Juliet are being rather hasty in their romance. It still focuses a great deal on the romance between the two, but I feel that the emphasis is on the feud, which I like. They also have two characters that I never really caught listening to the show. There's this poet that adds a bit of narration to different parts (I honestly feel his presence is kind of superfluous). And Death is a character. She doesn't say anything, but her presence is really creepy and neat. I have to admit, it took me a while to get that she was supposed to be Death.

Something else that was interesting about the show: one of the characters spoke sign language. I think she may have been a maid or an attendant of some kind to Juliet. But she definitely spoke some form of sign language. At first I was just wondering if the dancing gestures were just really choreographed, but, no. She is actually signing. At one point, Juliet even flips the Nurse's sleeve out of the way so she can see what the maid is signing. And during "Les Beaux Les Laids" I think some of the other actors sign a bit as well. I can't be sure since I don't speak French or any form of sign language (let alone French sign language). It was a really cool addition. For one, I love to see sign language; it's a beautiful language. For another, representation! Yay!

Hungarian
I have to say that I like this version SO MUCH MORE than the French version. If only for Mercutio. Mercutio was my favorite character when we read the play and the way Bereczki Zoltán (who also plays Franz Joseph in the Hungarian Elisabeth das Musical) portrays him is exactly how I pictured him when we read the play. He's hilarious, kind of a trouble maker, a bit of a dick, that funny guy who always needs to be the center of attention but still kind of takes care of everyone in his own insane kind of way. He nailed it. He's hilarious. And I love him for it.

Aside from the great Mercutio, the whole futuristic dystopia thing going on is also really cool. It's also a bit dirtier than the French version. If the translations are anything to go by (I'm going to assume they were both good subtitles), the lyrics got a bit more raunchy for the Hungarians. I like it, to be honest. They also changed Tybalt's character quite a bit. For one, he has seizures (which we also see him take meds for, later on), is kind of manic, crazy in a "I'm going to purposefully burn my hand in this fire 'cuz I'm nuts" kind of way, and has a pedophile crush on his cousin Juliet. In other news, Szabó Szilveszter who plays Tybalt also plays Death in the Hungarian Elisabeth das Musical. Yeah... the entire company is almost the same in both plays. They are pretty awesome.

It's so good.

Favorite Parts
French
I really like how they did "Les Beaux Les Laids" in this version. I love the Nurse in the French version. And the Hungarian version, heck, all versions. But, really, she's pretty great here.

Hungarian

I think I've made it pretty clear that I really love Bereczki Zoltán's interpretation of Mercutio. His performance in the duel scene and his death are amazing. It's a little long, but totally worth it. There's one part when Mercutio is dying (he takes a while to go) and he is up on this raised part of the stage and he kind of just steps off of it and falls onto the main stage while he continues singing. He thumps pretty hard, too. He's overall just pretty awesome.

This is one of those shows that give me a lot of feels. For one, I am very attached to the play itself (Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play, though), I grew to love the music during a very formative part of my life, and, to top it all off, the music is great (in my humble opinion). I know a lot of people don't care for musicals in other languages, but I totally encourage you to try this one out.

Spring Awakening

Since I did Lizzie "last week" (well, this week but it was FOR last week), I think I kind of want to stay with the theme of rock musicals set in the 1800's and get at Spring Awakening this week.

Before I get into this, just a bit of a warning: lots of sexy in this show and quite a bit of profanity (seriously, the biggest show stoppers are "B***h of Living" which is a song about masturbation/sex drive of teenage boys and "Totally F**ked"). So, if that's not your cup of tea, I suggest that this might not be the show for you.

Introduction
In a small town in the 1800's. a group of teenagers try to navigate their changing bodies and desires with no understanding of what is happening, nor any support from their parents in this area. We see them deal with teenage sex, pregnancy, suicide, homosexuality, sexual, physical, and mental/emotional abuse, all in the context of a town where the adults tend to take more of an authoritarian approach to parenting, rather than creating a more nurturing environment.

The Soundtrack
When I first bought it, I listened to the soundtrack nonstop. I really loved the show and the music. I read the play soon after and was amused and disgusted by the person who wrote the introduction and how they reacted to the musical. It seemed like their main complaints were that 1) they changed the play to make it more relevant to a younger audience (how DARE they!?) and 2) how could such talented people end up as depressed as Moritz and commit suicide? They would probably be super happy to be so talented!

Person obviously 1) doesn't know about how musicals (or adaptations, for that matter) work in general, and 2) doesn't know the first thing about how Depression works. Cuz, you know, you can't be sad if you have talent. Nope. Neeeeevver.

Idiot.

But back to the soundtrack! The talent in this cast is amazing. They are all so young and manage to do an amazing job. I love the combination of slower, almost gospel music like songs ("I Believe" and "The Song of Purple Summer") and the upbeat, jump up and down (literally!) songs ("B***h of Living" and "Totally F**ked"). The medley they performed for the 2007 Tony Awards was great and really showcased three of the best songs from the show.

I got into this show right before Glee started up and Lea Michelle (Rachel in Glee and Wendla in Spring Awakening) being one of the main characters got me really excited (though I have since stopped watching the show because I got bored). The talent in this cast is amazing. They are all so young and manage to do an amazing job.

The age of the cast is actually something important to consider in releasing amateur rights and in some places the minimum age requirement needs to be raised as performances with underage performers could be considered child pornography.

Favorite Song
Much as I love the big showstopping songs, I feel like what really pulls me into this show emotionally are the slower, sadder songs. My favorite song on the soundtrack is "Whispering." Wendla, after finding out she is pregnant (but before she undergoes a black-market abortion that ends up killing her), sings a quiet but powerful song about her decision and her love. It's beautiful.

The Show
I managed to squeeze the show in on a brief visit home during college. I actually convinced my mom to have my dad's 50th birthday party the same weekend the tour was in town so I could see it while I was home. And it was SO worth it.

The set was minimal. The band was in the back (some of the instruments even played by the actors), there were two sets of bleachers (one on the left and right of the stage) with a trellis behind each set of bleachers. And kind of an industrial looking brick backdrop with a ladder. That was the majority of it. Desks, chairs, a "barn loft," and other assorted props were brought out as the show went on, but it was very minimal. It was interesting at the show I saw because they brought some young (teenage) audience members up on the stage to sit in the bleachers. At least I assume they were audience members. I thought when it started that they were just members of the cast, but they never came off the bleachers. The cast members would sit amongst them when they were "offstage." It was really interesting and I think kind of shows how much the show is meant for a younger audience, not "in spite" of the strong language and dark, serious subject matter, but because of it. As an educator, I really see this show as something that carries an important message for adolescents and parents of adolescents as well.

The sex scene was really a bit more graphic than I would have wanted to see with the two elderly women sitting next to me and you can understand the concerns had for not having underage cast members. However, I am glad that they decided to change Wendla's rape (as it is in the original play) to a kind of consensual act. I say "kind of" because while Melchior understood what he was doing, she had no idea of what sex was or the possible consequences it could have. In fact, when her mother reveals to her that she's pregnant, Wendla laughs and says, "But I'm not married!" So, I still view what Melchior did as rape because Wendla was incapable of consent in this instance. And I wish that had been better addressed in the show as the idea of what constitutes consent is a huge part of what I view as a comprehensive sexual education.

Favorite Part
I really liked "Totally F**ked." I love how upbeat and jump up and down energized it is. I also like how as soon as that line comes out of Melchior's mouth, "There's a moment you know: you're f**ked." The entire audience erupts in uncomfortable laughter.

The video is a bit of crappy quality and it was Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele's last performance so the audience is kind of nuts (and Jon is grinning up a storm), but I like seeing it live. They also performed part of it in their medley for the 2007 Tony's (the first video I posted in this).

I've heard talk that they are making a movie of it. A lot of people seem really against it. I'm personally all for movie adaptations of musicals! Though I personally hope that they still get hand held microphones to sing into. How about you? Think the world is ready for a Spring Awakening movie?

Lizzie

Have you ever heard of Lizzie Borden? In 1892, Lizzie was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax but was acquitted. The murders continue to remain unsolved and is one of the most famous murder cases in the United States.

There are even rumors of the Borden house being haunted. Spooky.

There are a million theories as to what actually happen, including what possible motivation she might have had such as "lesbian rage," revenge against her father for sexual abuse, etc.

Whatever happened, someone made an awesome musical from the story.

Introduction
Lizzie is a rock opera retelling the story of how Lizzie Borden murdered her controlling stepmother and abusive father.

As a fair warning, there is a fair amount of strong language in the show and some lesbian smoochies between Lizzie and Alice. And blood. Lots of blood. Like, spurting blood. Everywhere.

Just so's you know.

Soundtrack
I love this soundtrack. It has a fabulous combination of head banging rock songs ("Gotta Get Out of Here" and "Why are All These Heads Off?") as well as some sweet, melodious songs ("If You Knew"). Overall, all of the songs are well sung. Did I mention that this is a four woman show? How COOL is that?! I mean, and a band, of course. But four actors: Lizzie, her sister Emma, their maid Bridget, and her friend/lover Alice. That's amazing.

I believe we have established after Elisabeth and Jekyll and Hyde that I like creepy, dark stories and music. So, naturally, I love Lizze. Because, come on. Well sung, fun, creepy songs about murder. What's to hate?

Favorite Song
It's always hard for me to choose my favorite songs from musicals. There are songs that I LOVE to listen to, but aren't necessarily my favorite song, per se, and then it's a matter of sorting out what is just fun and what is my favorite and is there really a difference (sometimes yes, sometimes no). Such is the case with Lizzie. While I absolutely love listening to the faster, harder songs like "Why are All These Heads Off?" and "Somebody Will Do Something," I don't know that I would say they were my favorite songs.

But they are awesome. So good. Sooooo good.

So, I'm going to go with one of the "prettier" songs sung by Alice. "Will You Stay" is when Alice reveals to Lizzie that she has had the biggest lady crush on her forever and it is about the prettiest thing ever. It's slow and melodic with some beautifully belted lines. And Ryah Nixon does a fabulous job of it all.

Unfortunately, this is one of those shows that has very few videos on Youtube with just the soundtrack music. Sad, I know. But that's life. But preview the song on iTunes! It's gorgeous.

The Show
I went and saw the show at Portland Center Stage with a friend from school... and then a week later with an old college roommate. Yes, I saw it twice. And it was TOTALLY WORTH IT. Especially with my student discount!

I loved the industrial looking set: lots of metal scaffolding and pretty minimal on props. I like that a lot. I also love huge sets that spin around and do awesome cool stuff a la Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera. But I think the minimal set really suited the show, particularly with such a small cast and strong music. And I loved having the band on the stage with the actors, giving it a bit of a "rock concert" feeling (to me... I've never been to an actual rock concert, though, so maybe I'm wrong and I just liked it).

The actors were all amazing. I love, love, LOVED the woman who played Bridgette. She was so much fun to watch act. And Emma's voice was beautiful. Who am I kidding, everyone was amazing. They had a different feel from the soundtrack, but just as high quality. I loved it and it really made me want to make sure I keep an eye out for more of their musicals so I can go see them.

Favorite Part
All of it. Honestly. I loved every moment in that theater. I swear it. But there were two parts that really stood out for me and both are times with the entire cast together.

The first was near the beginning of the second act when the police are doing their investigation. The song is called "Questions Questions." This particular clip is not from the production I saw, but it's one of my favorite groups that I've seen in videos online. The costumes are very different from what they did in the Portland production, which were much simpler and didn't change to a "rocked out" version until the finale.

The second scene I want to highlight is "13 Days in Taunton" which covers the trial itself. I think that this portion of the show really shows the rock opera part of this show. I particularly love how it doesn't have to be "pretty." It's gritty and explosive. I love it. In the production I saw, they had Lizzie separated from the rest of the cast rather than in a line up like in this video and, while I like the simplicity of the line up, I also think the visual created by having Lizzie separated was interesting, too.

How do you feel about rock operas like this? Does it bring a new element to Broadway or is it too unpolished for it? Is having the grungy rock music set in the 1800's too strange or are shows like this and Spring Awakening more interesting because of the choice in music?

Little Women

My mom loves movies from the 1930's through 1950's and she raised me watching these awesome movies. So, I love old movies, but don't care much for Katherine Hepburn. I don't know. She has always rubbed me the wrong way. And the way she talked kind of bugged me growing up. It's always bothered me that I don't like watching her. I wish I did because she is amazing. But I get all squirmy listening to her talk.

Except with "Little Women." That is one of my favorite old movies (the 1933 version, of course) and a Christmas classic in our house (because they celebrate Christmas at one point in the movie, that's why). I absolutely ADORE her as Jo and I have always seen Jo as a role model. Not that I've ever made it through the entire book, mind you. It gets a little preachy, to be honest. Lots of morality tales...

So when I saw that they had made a musical of "Little Women" (with Sutton Foster as Jo, no less!) I got really excited. And I wasn't disappointed.

Introduction
"Little Women" follows the four March sisters, living in Civil War era America with their father away at war, as they mature into grown women, in particular the outgoing and dramatic Jo as she dreams of becoming a published author and traveling the world.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack for "Little Women" is fairly average. It's not the most amazing, nor is it memorably terrible. It has sweet, sad songs like "Here Alone" and fun, upbeat marches like "Take a Chance on Me" or "Five Forever." Like the story the show tells, the soundtrack leaves an overall bright and inspiring feeling, even as it takes a turn for more mature themes near the end with the death of Beth in "Some Things are Meant to Be" and Joe making a swift turn for a bittersweet maturity in "The Fire Within Me."

I think my honest to goodness favorite thing about the soundtrack is how well they capture the personalities of the different characters while still keeping the focus on Joe and her growth. Like I said before, I've only seen the movies and so my entire conceptualization of the characters is based on movie versions and not the book. My college roommate loved the book and complained that she never liked how Joe ended up with old, stodgy Professor Bhaer and how she totally should have just said yes to Laurie when he asked her to marry him early on. I, on the other hand, love Bhaer and was always annoyed with Laurie not being able to take a freaking hint.

In the musical, Bhaer is this adorable, uptight bookworm who is drawn out of his shell by a whirlwind of personality named Jo. And Laurie is a lovable little idiot puppy and it makes complete sense how he and Amy would compliment one another (that, or drive each other insane). So I loved how they interpreted the characters for the musical, if only because they make me happy.

I also love the story telling and how, as Jo tells her story to Bhaer and the rest of the household in New York it plays out like one of the plays she would write for her sisters, even having it acted out by them in the background to tell the story to the audience. We get a real glimpse into Jo's world, and I love that.

Favorite Song
Hands down, my favorite song is "Astonishing." I listen to this song for inspiration some days when I'm feeling down. I'd love to make a work of art to hang in my home that quotes some of the lyrics because I absolutely love them.

The Show
I saw a college production of the show at BYU when I attended school there. It wasn't the main musical for the year, but was one of the smaller productions. For those of you who don't know, BYU has an amazing music and drama department so the productions are generally pretty good and it was true with this production as well.

I loved being able to see the characters come to life on the stage which felt homey and lived in, and only had one main set. Scenes changed by switching out furniture or using the second level of the stage above the main "room" which became Jo's attic and the stage for Jo's story dramas.

The actress who played Jo was pregnant at the time and it was cute to see her little baby bump, though a little odd and it took me a while to figure it out because she didn't look fat, just like she had a melon under her shirt. Professor Bhaer was adorable and awkward in the best kind of way.

As far as other performances go, I've seen a great deal of videos on Youtube of high school performances and local productions. From the quality I've seen even from the high schoolers, it seems like this is a very accessible musical. And it's such a fun one as well that it makes me happy that it can be done "easily." And I love that it's female led. Not too many shows are like that (though there are more and more coming out: Lizzie, Heathers, etc.).

Favorite Part
I hate to say my favorite part is "Some Things are Meant to Be" when Beth dies (it was a truly beautiful scene), so I'm going to use denial as a defense mechanism from sad sad feelings (put it in the freezer a la Joey from Friends) and say that my favorite part is "Weekly Volcano Press" where Jo tells the triumphant story of how she changed her story and got it published with an order for three more stories. I love her drama in the moment and the way the story plays out behind her as she tells it and acts it out for Bhaer and the landlady.

This particular video is not from any performance I've ever seen in it's entirety, but it's my favorite of the ones I browsed on Youtube.

But you really should at least listen to "Some Things are Meant to Be" because it is so pretty and sweet. I hate that Beth dies. It makes me really sad and I guess that's the point.

Has anyone had the opportunity to see a professional production of "Little Women" or, lucky you, even saw it on Broadway with Sutton Foster? What did you think? Sweet and inspiring or sappy and moralistic?

Jekyll and Hyde

I thought this week I would take on a more dramatic musical, as opposed to a comedy like I have the last few weeks. I'm slowly working my way through shows I have managed to see a live version (first hand or through Youtube/DVD's) and stay away from those crazy amazing classics like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables (for now, at least). So this week I thought I would take on Jekyll and Hyde, what I consider one of my own "personal classics," ie something I got into pre high school and has stuck with me ever since.

Introduction
Based on the classic, novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson, an oddly dark novel for the famous adventure writer, the musical Jekyll and Hyde is about Dr. Henry Jekyll who, after having his request to test his research on mental patients by the hospital board, uses himself as a test subject. He is transformed into the horrible Mr. Hyde who goes on a murderous rampage against the hospital board members. His friends and fiance worry for him as he grows more and more isolated.

Soundtrack
I first listened to the soundtrack for Jekyll and Hyde in 7th grade. It's an amazing show and I love it dearly. I have three different versions of the soundtrack: the original Broadway cast, the 2012 concept recording, and the Korean cast featuring Jo Seung-Woo (조승우). It's been a while since I've listened to any of them and as I listen to the soundtrack as I write this post, I am reminded of how much I love this show. Why don't I listen to it more often?

The songs are dark and creepy, with some gorgeous ballads both for the male and female characters and the chorus. You have the creepy "Facade" sung by the entire cast, the sweet "Once Upon a Dream" from Emma, and the violently FRIGHTENING duet between Hyde and Lucy, "Dangerous Game." So many amazing songs to choose from.

I'll address all three of these soundtracks I have.

I was wickedly impressed in 7th grade when I first realized that Robert Cuccioli sang both the role of Jekyll and Hyde, often switching between the two in the same breath. Frankly, I'm still impressed. In other versions, Hyde and Jekyll can sound very similar and it takes great talent to sound both good and distinct in both roles. I later saw him in New York as the Green Goblin in Spider Man (which, while not my favorite show, was cool knowing that I was seeing Cuccioli). This was also my first time hearing Linda Eder whom my mother would later "discover" for me and buy me albums of her music because she sounded "like a Broadway lady I'd like." Bless.

I have a love-hate relationship with the 2012 concept recording. Obviously, it's a concept recording so the quality isn't going to be the best in the world. That being said, they changed a lot of the tone for the show (or maybe it was just the singers that were cast). Most notably, it became more of a rock opera than before. And I can't quite decide how I feel about that. I love Deborah Cox as Lucy. She sounds amazing and I think she fits better than Constantine Maroulis does as Jekyll/Hyde. There are times when it sounds like Maroulis sang Jekyll and Hyde's parts separately and they were then edited in together. And the random organ bits are odd as well. I think they were meant to sound creepy, but ended up coming off as more "baseball game organ music." Particularly at the end of "Dangerous Game."

Buying the Korean cast album, I was faced with a tough decision. I purchased it when I went to see the show in Seoul and it turned out that they had two versions: one with Jo Seung-Woo and another with someone else who I can't remember. I wanted both, but couldn't justify the purchase (I also needed the souvenir program, of course, even though I can't read it) so I went with the two disc set. I had heard amazing things about Jo Seung-Woo and, though it's all in Korean, he is my favorite Jekyll/Hyde. He switches from Jekyll to Hyde so smoothly it's super creepy. Love it. Everyone else is great, too. But Jo Seung-Woo is what brings me back to listening to this version of the soundtrack more than the others.

Favorite Song
How to pick a favorite song. I'm going to cheat and pick a favorite song from each soundtrack. Because I'm a cheater.

First, from the original Broadway cast. The song I listen to the most from this is "In His Eyes," sung by Emma and Lucy. I love duets like this. Some fun harmonies and it really showcases the voices of these two women extremely well. This isn't the best quality video, but I prefer to see videos of the actual performers rather than just the recording. Also, you get to see their costumes, which is always cool.

The 2012 album has some unique songs that I don't have on the other two: "I Need to Know" and "Girls of the Night," though I had heard "Girls of the Night" on someone's iTunes in college (you know how you can sometimes access other people's music when you share a network?). I love both, but, if I have to choose between the two, I'm going to go with "I Need to Know." I think this is my favorite song with Constantine Maroulis as Jekyll/Hyde, at least. Sorry if it sounds like I'm hating on Maroulis; he does sound good, but I'm not particularly fond of his version of Jekyll/Hyde.

My favorite songs from the Korean cast are "지금 이 순간" ("This Is The Moment") and "시작해 새 인생" ("A New Life"). Both are absolutely amazing, but I'm going to go with "A New Life" so I can show you Li Yeoung Mi and her amazing talent. We'll see Jo Seung-Woo later. Ms. Li is amazing; she has such a beautiful voice and really shines in this part.

The Show
With Elisabeth, I put the show in two different sections: the original show and other versions. I did this because I felt that the German and Hungarian versions were different enough to warrant being separated. However, with the two live versions of Jekyll and Hyde (the American version and the Korean version), the staging is similar enough that I feel that it doesn't warrant being put in two different sections as their differences are simply a matter of talent and language (obviously). So I'm keeping them in the same section.

I found the set for Jekyll and Hyde to be unmemorable. It's not bad, it's not great. It fits wonderfully into the show and provides a fantastic background for the show, but it's not a stand out "holy crap" piece of the show, either. At least not like the barricade for Les Miserables or the boat in Phantom of the Opera. I don't say this is a bad thing. I think the music and the story are what really carry the show and that's why the set wasn't as integral to the story telling. I don't even remember if the sets were all that similar in comparison to the American recording and the Korean performance, now that I think about it. I know some pieces were very similar, like Lucy's room for "A New Life" whereas the club for "Good and Evil" (American version) vs. "뜨겁게 온 몸이 달았어" ("Bring On The Men") (Korean version... that's probably obvious) was different.

I love the way that they differentiate between Jekyll and Hyde with the hair. That sounds silly, but it's really fun. Like, Hyde has this nasty hair that hangs in his face and Jekyll keeps his hair all neat and tidy tied back. Letting the hair down really brings out the other changes in demeanor that the actor brings to the character.

David Hasselhoff plays Jekyll/Hyde in the American version and... yeah. He's not bad, but he's not great either. He's kind of what I would expect from a tour cast. His acting is pretty good, but I didn't care for his singing. Everyone else was great, but the Hoff left me a little sad. Poor David. They didn't even let him run in slow motion or take off his shirt.

Compare, if you will, to Jo Seung-woo's version of the same song.

Maybe I'm biased. I don't know, but I like Jo Seung-woo more than David Hasselhoff.

Favorite Part
There are so many parts I love. "Facade," "Murder, Murder," "Alive." So many good parts. But I think that one of my favorite parts is during "Confrontation." You can really see a good bit of acting (or not so good) from the Jekyll/Hyde actor as he switches rapidly between roles.

But then again, "Dangerous Game" is also really creepy and scary. This was a part I think David Hasselhoff did really well in. He was really scary as Hyde. He was also really sweet as Jekyll. Like I said, I liked his acting, but not his voice as much. But scary. This whole part is just really scary.

Looking back at Elisabeth, I chose "Die Schatten werden langer" as my favorite part. I guess I like creepy, semi-violent duets. I'm not sure what that says about me... or how I feel about that.

Judging from the amount of videos in this post, I think we can safely judge that this is one of my favorite musicals. I was kind of surprised by this realization since while I know I like it, I didn't realize how awesome it was until now. So I'm going to go rewatch my David Hasselhoff DVD.

In other news, apparently they are looking to make a movie version of the show as well. That's exciting! I haven't found any other news about it that's come out since the announcement in 2013. But I'm excited. Any ideas who you'd like to see in the cast?