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?

Book of Mormon

Going for another show that is more on the comedy than epic side this week with Book of Mormon Musical. I, personally, am Mormon and there is a lot of controversy among members of the Church regarding this musical so I suppose I'll take a moment to address that before getting to the show itself.

If you wonder if Mormons are offended by the musical, the answer is, "It depends." The Church as a whole kind of sees it as "any publicity is good publicity" and frequently puts Church ads in the playbills. I can see why a lot of members would choose not to see it simply because of the nature of it having quite a bit of profanity and crude humor. Maybe I should have more of a problem with that, but it doesn't bother me so much (at least at this point in my life). Yes, it pokes fun at a lot of things we believe and does promote some misconceptions about the Church. Overall, though, I think they did a really great job at poking fun without being mean.

But, yeah. There are a lot of people who are very angry that anyone would approach anything regarding the Church with anything but reverence. But you are going to get those kind of people in any religion or group. Same with Mormonism.

I personally found the how hilarious.

Introduction
Book of Mormon Musical is, surprisingly, not about the actual Book of Mormon (maybe not too surprising). Rather, it follows two Mormon missionaries as they travel to Uganda and try to convert people living a much different lifestyle than they are used to.

Soundtrack
The music is catchy and really well done. And hilarious. So funny. Like, roll on the floor holding your sides funny. Maybe it's just because I'm Mormon so it's kind of like, "YES! Holy crap that's it! That's US!" but I know non-Mormons who think it's funny as well so I think anyone who isn't too offended by c**t, f**k, and other various profanities will think it's hilarious as well.

Aside from just being funny and very "Broadway" (you know what I mean), it's also great music. The "Mormon" songs all kind of have this Disney-like feel to them, but once you get to Africa, it starts to have more complex rhythms and things going on in the music. All of the singers in it are great, though I particularly love Elder Price and Nabulungi who just have superb voices.

Favorite Song
My favorite song would have to be "I Believe." It's just... too perfect. I mean, it sounds like an EFY (church youth camp) song... until you really listen to the words. Elder Price goes through and lists some of the core beliefs of the Church (and some of the more "out there" ones), but does so in a way that really brings to focus how absurd it must seem to someone outside of the Church. Like, yes, we do believe ancient Jews built boats and sailed to America. That's just not how we'd put it. Sure, some of it's a little off (Kolob isn't actually a planet where God lives... it's the star nearest Heaven... or something. I've never really been quite clear on that and it's not really something we really focus on in Sunday school), but for the most part it's all true. (Profanity warning... just a little though.)

The Show
I tried to get to see it when I was in New York by entering the lottery for tickets but, sadly, I never won. Luckily, my dad, my college roommate (yes I went to BYU in Utah), and I went to see the show on tour.

And it was amazing. Probably one of the best Broadway tours I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. There have been times when people have been kind of lackluster on tour (ie Cossette in Les Miserables when it toured when I was in high school... she was was pretty weak that night). Not that I blame them. They are traveling everywhere and performing every day. That's got to suck major. But still. This cast was amazing. We even went to see it on opening night in our city which doesn't always go as well because they are still working out kinks of setting up in a new stage. But this was great.

Everything was so high energy. You really believed that these guys were super excited to go out and spread the word of God.

Except the random, "Praise Jesus!" That was weird. Mormons don't generally do that. Maybe they do in the Southern United States. But, yeah. Not a Mormon thing.

Let me say that they got the iconography perfect. Like, perfect. They really paid a great deal of attention to little details. The backgrounds were often reminiscent of paintings that will often be hanging up in church buildings, or scenes were posed exactly like pictures from Sunday school books.

I swear that's the same sky behind the Jesus statue at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

The costume for Joseph Smith was the best because it's DIRECTLY off one of the Sunday school manuals. My old roommate and I couldn't stop laughing.

Favorite Part
I can't decide between "Hello" and "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream." Both are fun for different reasons. I like "Hello" because it is just so representative of what Mormons are known for: missionaries knocking on doors. It's supposed to be set at the MTC (mission training center) where the missionaries are practicing before they go out on their missions. I had several friends who would go to the MTC to pretend to be people potentially interested in the Church. Most of them were people who spoke a second language so those people practicing the lessons in their new language had someone to practice with besides other potential missionaries. And they actually have doors they knock on and are answered to practice approaching people. So this was cute.

And "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream." As far as I know, we don't really have a concept of "Hell" as many other Christian religions do. But the feelings of guilt that spur the dream are pretty spot on. Plus, funny.

Has anyone else seen the show? What did you think? Would you be offended (or are you) if you were/are Mormon? Or is it just good natured ribbing a la Sister Act?

Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots isn't necessarily a musical I would have thought that I would get particularly excited about. Not for any particular reason except that I tend to lean more towards the epic period dramas like Scarlet Pimpernel, Elisabeth, or Les Miserables. However, Summer of 2013 I went on a trip to New York for a graduate class on Multicultural Counseling in Schools (I am currently a graduate student in a school counseling program). It was an amazing trip (aside from being a bajillion degrees the entire week) and I managed to squeeze in five plays that week (four of which were musicals). It's tradition that the entire class goes to see one show together and the show they chose that year was Kinky Boots.

I was particularly excited to go once I found out two things: 1) Cyndi Lauper was involved and 2) my boss's high school friend was one of the dancers in the show.

This picture is from the talk back our group got to attend after the performance. My boss's friend is in the red shirt, fourth from the left. He did a back flip in six inch heels. I can't even walk in six inch heels. So much respect. P.S. Here is that back flip on The View.

Introduction

Based on a movie which is, in turn, based on true events, Kinky Boots is about Charlie, a young man who inherits the family shoe business after the death of his father. He discovers that the business has been failing and that his father was in the process of selling the business before his death. He enlists the help of Lola, a drag performer he meets in London, to help him design a series of stiletto heels for men. 

Soundtrack

I bought the soundtrack as soon as I got home from New York and haven't regretted it since! The songs are catchy and fun and the entire cast is extremely talented. I generally get a soundtrack and end up setting my playlist to skip some of the songs that don't catch my attention as much. While there are several songs that have definitely been played over and over more than the others, this one is unique in that there are no songs I have set to skip. That means a lot to me about how much I enjoy the music.

On another note, I am also picky with the chorus songs I enjoy. What can I say; I don't like boring chorus songs. In Kinky Boots, some of my favorite songs feature the entire cast: "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World" and "Raise You Up" for example (the latter definitely showing its Lauper roots big time!).

It also has some beautiful soul stirring ballads, such as "Hold Me in Your Heart" which is song by Lola/Simon to his father. It's beautiful on so many levels and reminds me of something straight from Dreamgirls or Donna Summers. Billie Porter has a gorgeous voice (and is a tremendous actor as well, but we'll get to that).

Favorite Song

My favorite song varies on my mood between "Hold Me in Your Heart" and "History of Wrong Guys." One is beautiful, lyrical, and gets me a little teary eyed during certain points of the month. The other is hilarious and full of energy and personality. Since I already posted "Hold Me in Your Heart," I'll set you up here with "History of Wrong Guys." Seeing "History of Wrong Guys" performed live really makes the entire song pop and I highly recommend searching Youtube for a recording of a live performance. But they keep getting taken down, so here's just the audio.

The Show

I didn't have any opinion about the show, really, before going in except that I was excited about seeing my boss's friend on stage and knowing that I like Cyndi Lauper. The first number had me hooked right away, though the theater remained bloody hot throughout the entire show. I can't imagine how hot it must have been onstage. Ugh!

I really liked the versatility of the set. I always like when a certain large piece of the set is changed up to serve different purposes. The conveyor belts are used as part of the assembly line making shoes as well as being featured in an impressive dance number, people swinging all over them. Other pieces were used multiple ways as well. 

Lots of fun, but, honestly, nothing big and ground breaking. It was cute and fun. I loved it and from what I saw it fully deserved the Tony's it won.

Favorite Part

I'm torn between "History of Wrong Guys" and the final number, "Raise You Up/Just Be," which was everything a Broadway finale should be: bright lights, flashy costumes, clapping. It was just fun.

Have any of you seen the show on Broadway or on tour? One of the professors from my trip to New York said it was the best show she had ever seen after living in New York for over 20 years. What are your thoughts?

Elisabeth das Musical

Because it is the most recent musical I've started listening to, I think I will start my first entry on this blog with Elisabeth das Musical, a German musical about Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

I debated whether I should start off with a foreign musical, but, in the end, I decided that, since it's my current obsession, that I might as well please myself and do start with Elisabeth.

Introduction
The musical is narrated by Luigi Lucheni, the man who eventually murders her, and follows Elisabeth, "Sissi," from her engagement to Emperor Franz Joseph to her death. We see her as she tries to gain a sense of freedom within her restricting role of empress. She is courted by the personification of Death throughout the show and we see both her fascination, fear, and attraction to Death.

Soundtrack
I currently regret my iTunes purchase, only because I purchased the highlights of the 2004 German cast rather than the more comprehensive album. Oops. So, unfortunately, as of right now, I only have the highlights to listen to. I will eventually buy the more expensive album, as well as the Korean cast. And the English version once they come out with it.

The music is amazing. Although I'm not generally a fan of more, I don't know, "electronic" music (it sounds a bit karaoke track to me at some points), I think the inclusion of strings and a healthy dose of electric guitar make it pop in an interesting way. The soundtrack has a wonderful combination of fantastic soul stirring ballads ("Ich gehör nur mir" (I Only Belong to Me) and "Boote in der Nacht" (Boats in the Night)), everything I could want in the chorus numbers* ("Milch" (Milk)), and quite a few extremely creepy numbers ("Der letzte Tanz" (The Last Dance) and "Die Schatten werden länger" (The Shadows Lengthen)).

The actors are all exceptional. A wonderful group of strong voices. There are a few points where some of the falsetto runs are a bit odd and break the magic a bit for me (particularly the odd jazzy ending for "Der letzte Tanz"). However, everyone, particularly Elisabeth, are wonderful singers.

Favorite Song
I have several favorites, but I think I will go with "Wenn ich tanzen will" (If I want to Dance), a duet between Death and Elisabeth that shortly follows Elisabeth and Franz Joseph's coronation in Hungary. The dynamic between the two singers is amazing.

The Show
I watched the entirety of the 2004 German cast on YouTube with English subtitles. The staging was beautifully done and wonderfully dark. It reminded me a bit of the Phantom of the Opera stage design (though I heard that has had a recent change!).

The acting was fantastically well done. Lucheni came across as half mad but at the same time is the audience's most knowledgeable connection to what was happening in the show (a la Che in Evita, in the narrator sense). There was a theme of clockwork and marionettes in the choreography of many scenes, particularly in Elisabeth and Rudolf's interactions with Death. At one point when Death enters Elisabeth's wedding, the other people at the wedding drop like marionettes whose strings have all suddenly been cut. Death manipulates Rudolf's movements in "Die Schatten werden länger" like a puppeteer. He attempts to manipulate Elisabeth's movements throughout the show, but she manages to break away each time. I like the visual representation of Elisabeth and Rudolf's depression and suicidal ideation in this interaction with Death.

Death himself was my favorite character by far. He is fascinating, manipulative, and violent. He is always in control of every situation and even when he loses control of the object of his affection, he seems patient and sure that they will return to him. Very creepy.

Favorite Part
I have to admit, I LOVE the darker numbers. Almost any song with Death singing, honestly. My favorite song and scene in the entire musical would have to be "Die Schatten werden länger" where Rudolf, Elisabeth's severely depressed and suicidal son, sings with Death for the second time in the show (he meets death fro the first time as a child). The song builds from a quiet beginning, slowly adding a chorus in the background as Death continues to try to tempt Rudolf. The way that Death physically manipulates Rudolf is visually stunning as well as very violent in the way it is done. The two actors have amazing chemistry and create a palpable sexual tension within the scene (which makes sense, considering it starts out with Rudolf thinking he has thrown himself to the comforting lap of his mistress, at least from what I can tell).

Other Versions
I also watched a Hungarian version of the show as well as clips from the Korean production. First of all, it was odd to see the Hungarian version because it seemed like every actor was also in Romeo es Julia, another of my favorite musicals.

The way the Hungarian production chose to portray Death was very different from the German. He was more otherworldly in his appearance and less menacing. He became frustrated and hurt in his pursuit of Elisabeth, more like a lovesick but abusive suitor than a manipulating predator in the way he was portrayed in the German production. That being said, I still greatly enjoyed it.

What can I say about the Korean version? It's hard to tell when many of the videos are bootleg recordings from the audience or promotional videos. The costuming was interesting. I greatly enjoyed the singers in this production (and I realize now that I was in Korea when it was running, which makes me sad I didn't know about this musical then), particularly Elisabeth. Her voice is amazingly strong and the tone is lovely. Park Hyo Shin as Death is also great (but, hey, it's Park Hyo Shin).

I wish there was a version in English, but so far I've only seen two songs that have been translated into English. And the translations leave something to be desired right now. As do the singers. Oh well... maybe someday.

And how about everyone else? Anyone else out there have a favorite musical in a foreign language?

*Chorus numbers to me can get boring unless they are exciting either in tempo and orchestration or in the harmonies. I tend to lose interest in straight up choir concerts.

A brief history of me and musicals

Did you know that I like musicals? You didn't?

How do we know each other again? Obviously not very well...

Yes. I love musicals. I started watching musicals when I was little. Disney, of course, followed by watching, re-watching, re-watching, and re-watching The King and I until the VHS mysteriously "disappeared" one day. After the movie came out in theaters, my parents got me the soundtrack to Pocahontas and I would listen to it over and over on my boom box (once I got enough tickets at Chuck E Cheese to get one). Fifth grade I got to be in a school production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and I listened to the soundtrack a million times over. Luckily for my parents, I had a personal CD player with headphones at that point. I also got to go see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway when my family and I went on a vacation to New York.

These events planted the seeds, but it was in sixth grade when it became an all out obsession. My friend Diane introduced me to Phantom of the Opera and I can't tell you how many times I listened to those CD's. I won't go into the nerdery that happened that year surrounding that musical. I will only reveal that we got into it enough that we could sing harmony for various parts. Just from listening to it a bajillion times.

In the next few years of middle school, I discovered Les Miserables, Scarlet Pimpernel, Miss Saigon, and a host of other musicals. I drew pictures, read fanfiction, and hoped and prayed for these shows to tour to Portland so I could go see them. I did manage to get to see Les Miserables when I was in 7th grade. When I was buying my souvenir program, a lady in line asked me if I was enjoying the show and if I was happy my parents had dragged me out to see it. I informed her that I was the one who had dragged my parents to the show, not the other way around. Mom still only really remembers "Master of the House." *sigh*

I managed to be lucky enough to get a good group of friends in high school who shared my love of musicals. We would get together and listen to musicals, talk about our favorite parts, and just geek out over them. Through high school, we went and saw several shows together, including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables (the Broadway tour and a fabulous production by a local high school), and Miss Saigon. I might be missing some, but those are the ones that pop out.

After entering college, my friends and I grew apart, though Facebook helps us keep up on each other's lives and allows us to chat occassionally. My collection of musicals continued to grow (as my poor roommates can attest to, though I did try to wear headphones and not abuse their kindness). My friend Mindy moved to New York for graduate school and I got to go visit her for a week and in that time we managed to see Phantom of the Opera, Addams Family, Wicked, and Cirque de Soleil. I would have chosen to spend less time "seeing sights" and more time at shows, but it was still a fabulous trip. And I managed to fit in a few more shows (5) when I went for a class last summer. Whenever I can, I try to see a show when it's touring or if a local group is putting on a performance. There's something about the theater that just makes me exceedingly happy, particularly musicals.

Over the years, I've managed to see quite a few shows (including seeing Jekyll and Hyde in Korea, which was amazing) as well as accumulate what some might say are far too many soundtracks. I would protest that these people who say you can have "too many" musical soundtracks were crazy... but then I counted that I have 56 soundtracks in my iTunes. And that's not counting Disney soundtracks, operas, and the musical episode of Buffy.

So, as of today (when I purchased Elisabeth das Musical... I have no shame), these are the musical soundtracks I have (7 of which are in languages besides English; German, Korean, French, Hungarian, and Japanese to be precise):

A Tale of Two Cities, Addams Family, Aida, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Book of Mormon, Cinderella, Dreamgirls, Elisabeth das Musical (German cast), Evita, Finian's Rainbow, Grease, Hairspray, Into the Woods, Jane Eyre, Jekyll and Hyde Original Broadway Cast, Jekyll and Hyde 2012 Cast, Jekyll and Hyde Korean Cast (지킬 앤 하이드), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kinky Boots, Kiss Me Kate, Les Miserables, Les Miserables French Concept Album, Light in the Piazza, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Little Women, Lizzie, Love Never Dies, Martin Guerre,  Miss Saigon, Newsies, Next to Normal, Notre Dame de Paris French Cast, Notre Dame de Paris English Cast, Once, Phantom of the Opera Original Broadway Cast, Phantom of the Opera Movie Cast, Phantom of the Opera Highlights, Pippin, Pirate Queen, Ragtime, Rent Broadway Cast, Rent Movie Cast, Romeo and Juliet London Cast, Romeo and Juliet Hungarian Cast (Romeo es Julia), Romeo and Juliet French Cast (Romeo et Juliette), Saturday's Warrior, Scarlet Pimpernel Original Broadway Cast, Scarlet Pimpernel Concept Album, Secret Garden, SeraMyu (Sailor Moon... shut up), Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Sweeney Todd Movie Cast, Wicked

Now that I've bored you all with the history of my love (obsession?) for musicals, I guess I'll explain what I plan on doing with this blog.

Because I love musicals, I decided I wanted to have a place where I write my own thought of the musicals I love. To be honest, this is purely self-serving. I process things by writing (hence my various blogs, personal journals, and my BA in English teaching). Since I currently have few friends willing to gush with me over musicals (particularly now that I've more recently getting into musicals in other languages), I'm going to use this blog as a place to flesh out what I like and dislike about the musicals I obsess over. This will include the music, staging, acting, and other aspects of the musicals that catch my interest.