The We Love Musicals Week Tag! // This is all I listen to on Valentine's Day and it is most definitely not "a waste of a lovely night"...

"'After the war I went back to New York---' 

'A-AFTER the war I went back to New York..."

*interrupts my current Hamilton song infatuation*

Hi, friends!

Today is the last day of Hamlette's We Love Musicals Week so I'm popping in to fill out the tag she has created for the festivities. It's my tradition for the last 3 years to do computer programming while listening to musicals on Valentine's Day so even though I don't have any computer programming homework this semester, musicals never go out of style.

1.  What are your favorite musicals?  (Tell us a top 3 to 5, that sort of thing.)

Hadestown: 

I have a poster from this musical in my room and it is the first and last thing I see every day. This musical tells such a visceral grip on my heart, I don't have words for it. I loved it before seeing it, and then seeing it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Favorite songs: "Road to Hell" // "Any Way the Wind Blows" // "Livin' it Up on Top" // "Wait for me" + reprise //

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Six: 

"And even though this feels so right, // I'm holding back the tears tonight // It's true I'll never be over you // 'cuz I have built a future in my mind with you..."

If the incredibly long post I just wrote about it didn't tell you that this is my second favorite movie of all time, I don't know what will.

Favorite songs: ALL OF THEM.

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Fiddler on the Roof (1971): 

This also wins the award for favorite movie musical because nothing that has happened on screen makes me happier than Topol's dances as Tevye. Tevye's avoidant behavior of "I'm just going to tell Goldie that I had a dream..." is ICONIC. Just today I purchased a copy of the original stories by Sholem Aleichem that inspired this story! 

Favorite songs: "If I Were A Rich Man" // "Tradition" : 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: 

both animated and Broadway versions. 

And yes, as my sister informs me, they are nothing like the book but I DON'T CARE because the book inspired this story that never fails to give me shivers in my soul. 

Favorite songs: "God Help the Outcasts" will always be one of my favorite songs of all time (especially from an animated movie. There's no question), but also "Heaven's Light"?? GORGEOUS. I will also quote "Rest and Recreation" on a regular basis...

Into the Woods (2014): 

This feeds the continual craving I have within me for fairytales. Sondheim is a musical legend and that is fully shown through the lines "Be careful of what you wish // for wishes come true not free"...

Favorite songs: One time I sat down and ranked all of the songs in a post...

2.  What do you like about musicals?

Musicals provide a vulnerable and intimate look into the heart of the characters. In no other genre is it as easy find the soaring joys and plunging depths of a character's emotions because in musicals they sing it out to you. They take the highs and lows of human pain, heartache, and love and translate it into a way that anyone feeling those songs can sing to release them from the burden of not having the right words.

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Then there is time to just have fun with playing with music and singing. Like when there are different stories being sung and then they all come together? AH. I want to make a whole post about this, but for example. "96,000" from In the Heights is one of my go-to for story examples for giving characters different motivations.

Then there are times the characters are such darling idiots. Like, I'm playing "Kiss Me (pt. 1)" from Sweeney Todd over and over again because it makes me giggle because Johanna and Anthony are on SUCH different wavelengths they aren't listening to each other and it's like you TWO hold up for ONE SECOND---

3.  What's the first musical you can remember seeing?

The Wizard of Oz (1939) which is consequently also the first movie I ever remember watching, so my movie-watching experience is very tied to singing and dancing. In fact, when I was very little I got bored of any movie that DIDN'T have singing and dancing...

I think the first live musical I saw was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 2013? I still haven't seen the movie version because the version I saw was so much fun.

4.  Have you ever seen a live musical onstage?

Yes! I am very lucky to have lived in places with amazing community theater productions and to also have gotten to travel and see amazing shows. I saw 11 live musicals last year alone which was a record that I don't think I'll ever be able to top and I'm very grateful for!

5.  Have you ever performed in a musical?

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Yes, my very first time doing any theater was in a version of Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. While I do not like that musical, it definitely grew on me and I had a ton of fun. Then I was also in Little Women the Musical! I only had one song that I had to sing and I never, ever, hit the right note. But I was kind of a goofy character in the ensemble so maybe it was in character.

6.  Do you periodically dance about and burst into song in real life?

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I do but in different ways than musicals, because usually I'm reenacting musicals. Lately, out of the blue I'll just start singing, "ALL I HEAR IS SCREAMS!" which is from the concept album of EPIC the Musical, which is a musical version of The Odyssey in 9 "Sagas." I haven't listened to the last one yet, which came out in December, because I'm not ready. That's okay, I'll just keep listening to The Underworld Saga (which, Hadestown fans, you should totally check out this whole musical, but this section will be a favorite, I bet).

7.  What's the newest movie musical you've seen?

Looking through my journals and records of various kinds I think it is 2023's Wonka? This chocolatey masterpiece is sweet and fun in so many ways. "A World of Your Own" and "For a Moment" are some of my favorite songs because they are so joyful and celebrating life.

8.  What's the oldest movie musical you've seen?

The oldest titles I could come up with that I for sure have seen all of is either Follow the Fleet (1936) or Shall We Dance (1937), but just because I watched them doesn't mean I remember them. In fact, I don't. I have absolutely no clue. I remember disliking Follow the Fleet, so I guess I'm glad I don't remember it?

I also have no real memory of Swing Time (1936) and I don't think I ever saw the beginning, but I remember one scene better than the other two combined, sooooo...

9.  What's the last musical you watched?

La La Land (2016). I really want to write a blog post about this film but I don't know what to say that hasn't been said before. It is magnificent. According to Spotify, "City of Stars" is my most listened to song at the moment. I'd heard about it ever since it came out, but no one told me how tender, vulnerable, and real that song is. And "The Fools Who Dream" is one of the most heartfelt songs to have touched this earth.

"I'll be the one to make that call." "But you will call?"

10.  What musical do you hope to watch for the first time soon?

I mean watch is the key word there because there are a couple of musicals that I listen to a lot but have never actually seen. Like Hamilton. Forever the top two that I wanted to see were Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but I saw both of those last year! But I haven't seen the movie versions themselves.

A friend and I are trying to get together to watch Pillow Talk (1959), so that will probably be the next one! Though looking it up, there don't seem to be that many songs so maybe it's not a musical. Others on my list include: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Fame (2009), and Guys and Dolls (1955).

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Me every day...

That does it! It's taken me so long to wrap up this post because there are so many more musicals I want to talk about like my intense love for Hamilton and The Music Man and and and I'll let you all go, though. If YOU are looking for more musical fun, then check out all of the other posts in We Love Musicals Week, HERE!

Thanks, Hamlette for hosting!

And thanks to all of you for reading! Do any of you have musical songs stuck in your head now? I will as soon as I turn off my playlist, but I don't want to stop listening... How many of these musicals have you seen? Do you listen to musicals before you watch them or do you watch them before just putting the soundtrack on repeat? What makes a musical special to you? 

Chloe the MovieCritic

"I don't need your love, all I need is SIX" // 6 Technical Reasons I Love SIX

Hi, friends!

One of my biggest obsessions from last year was not covered in my posts about favorite books or favorite movies because it didn't fit in either of those categories. Instead, it's a musical.

I've previously talked about it in the form of gushing, but today I wanted to answer this question: why am I so in awe of this show? The whole reason I critique stories is to explore what makes a story speak to a person and how we can learn from past art to continue making amazing stories in the future. Therefore, this list is to observe how the technical and structural aspects of this musical help to make the powerful story shine all the brighter. 

Along the way enjoy some fantastic fan art I found on Pinterest.

Because this is a historically based story, then there aren't spoilers if you know English history. In this post I will be going over the way the songs are set up, not talking about the story itself so even if you haven't seen the musical yourself, if you read this post you will be free to enjoy the musical for yourself with surprises still intact!

If you haven't seen the show, here's the basic idea:

Premise:

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"The one who was dealt the worst hand will be leader of the band."

This short musical is in a pop concert setting where the six divas who were the wives of King Henry VIII have come to tell their tragic stories. The consolation prize? Whoever was most unjustly treated by Henry will get to lead the girl group. Ready, set, SING.

Songs: "Ex-Wives", "No Way", "Don't Lose Ur Head", "Heart of Stone", "Haus of Holbein", "Get Down", "All You Wanna Do", "I Don't Need Your Love", and "SIX" 

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 #1: Branding

This show knows what it is and perfectly communicates it to its audience. You might've heard of a dance-off, but this is a sing-off. The opening slogan gives each character an identity that they will be backing up for the rest of the show.

"Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived."

Each of the queens get a different color for their outfits and their own style within the punk/rock + renaissance inspired costumes. Right when the movie Wicked came out I saw the Six promotional team playing with the idea of "pink and green going well together", which in this case, is Anne Bolyen and Katherine Howard, the two beheaded queens. Who knew it was going to work out so well.

Then, of course, is the musical influences themselves. Each character gets two pop stars who their songs and styles are based off of. This isn't a secret but fully part of the branding! And it WORKS. So well. This gives them the chance to play it up, too. For example, when Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter" came out I saw several pictures of Catherine of Aragon wearing a cowboy hat during the show, because Beyoncé and Shakira are her influences. It's an ode to those pop stars while also having the freedom to write a whole new remix, which is what this show is all about.

If anything is the epitome of my aesthetic it's this show.

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#2: Rhyme schemes

This show is a whole masterclass in how to use rhymes. Sometimes rhymes can feel confining and the word choices can fall flat because it doesn't add to the story at all. Here, however, the rhymes pack punches and contribute to the story. Part of this is because it is a story with limitations for what happened historically, and can't go just anywhere. But the writers were not daunted by this, but embraced it.

"My name is Catherine of Aragon // Was married twenty-four years, I'm a paragon // Of royalty, my loyalty is to the Vatican // So if you try to dump me // You won't try that again"

"Aragon" + "paragon"? "Vatican" + "that again"? GENIUS. Catherine of Aragon is just on fire because she also rhymes "funny" with "nunnery."

"Grew up in the French court // Oui, oui bonjour // Life was a chore..."

I know many people who have bragging rights to rapping Hamilton lyrics off the top of their head, but my goal is to be able to sing "Don't Lose Ur Head" because it is so snappy with the rhymes. When I saw it, I had also just figured out "prêt a mange" meant just in time for Anne to sing those words.

"Sittin’ here all alone, on a throne // In a palace that I happen to own // Bring me some pheasant, keep it on the bone"

Also, Anna of Cleves rhyming "castle" with "rascal" is iconic.

Part of how this works so well is that it's not just the last words of each line but many inner rhymes pilling up that as a listener you don't know what's hit you. Catherine Parr churns out a "true"/"you"/"new" rhyme while also filling in the difference with "toy"/"enjoy". 

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#3: Not saying things

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but I certainly am wowed by it. This is part of the set-up that happens so many times in the show I thought it was worth examining.

This show has some hard topics including illicit affairs and abuse and while it does want to tackle these subject, it also maintains the light-hearted nature of the show.

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I've been cackling ever since I found this.

It's not just me who has noticed this! My theology professor last semester used "All You Wanna Do" as an example of powerful double entendres. For that song specifically, while towards the end of the song there are some more direct lines about what is going on, a lot of the subtleties have been told through choreography.

But this goes beyond subject matter into the very words that are song. In "No Way" "SHHH" is rhymed with the same sound but meaning different things. Or words are stretched like K. Howard's "Outside of wed----lock up your husbands..."

"Don't Lose Ur Head" is the most that doesn't use this because it rhymes "excommunicated" with "X-rated" (though the show itself is only about PG-13). And "somebody hang you" with another insult.

But that's the thing, it's about showing who was the worst treated and some of them are more angry about it than others. I mean, their ways of expressing themselves are different.

Anna of Cleves is also not as censored because she doesn't have a reason to be because she's the queen of the castle. Unless it's rhyming "pic" but then K. Howard cuts her off with "prick".

It's very tongue-in-check and I'm impressed is all I can say.

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#4: Streamlined

There are no extra characters, not even Henry himself. Just the six queens. And that's all the show needs because they own the stage. Each of the characters are so unique and while they have similarities, they are themselves. For example, there are parallels between the two Beheaded queens (why they were beheaded) but they have different motivations.

Sometimes a musical's ensemble can aid to tell the story but sometimes for me it can feel too full of people and I want a closer look at each of the main characters without other distractions. 

Here, the main characters ARE the ensemble. They don't just sit around waiting for each queen to perform but helpfully back them up. But it also changes for each person's style! Anne Boleyn has lots of interaction with the other characters because she's a social butterfly ("Uh-oh." // "Here we go.") while Jane Seymour's song is more ballad-esque, so she gets her spotlight in a different way.

The characters who aren't telling their story do so much. Like the choreography I talked about in "All You Wanna Do." But they also add in stingers in other places. One-liners such as "Daughters are so easy to forget."

I love the layering in "I Don't Need Your Love." I can't talk about it or else I'll flip out, but it is GLORIOUS. It's six women singing the same words on again and again and it is so powerful in its simplicity.

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#5: Combining the eras

This show has such a unique blend of eras. While the set up is a very modern idea of a pop concert complete with flashing lights, it has roots in the historical period itself which is matched with the lyrics. This is again thanks to the wonders of rhyming and really shows through how it uses those as resources not limits.

There is a whole part with a dating app and profile pictures instead of portraits. Lots of modern slang and lingo in Anne Boleyn's song making it so fun and clever.

I think the best way for me to show this is just through the lyrics themselves:

"All you ever hear and read about // Is our ex and the way it ended // But a pair doesn't beat a royal flush // You're gonna find out how we got unfriended"

... 

"Every Tudor Rose has its thorns // And you're gonna hear 'em live in consort"

...

"Dancing to the beat till the break of day, once // We're done, we'll start again like it's the Renaissance"

...

"So you read a Bible verse that I'm cursed // 'Cause I was your brother's wife // You say it's a pity 'cause, quoting Leviticus // I'll end up kiddy-less all my life"

Guys, in my theology class last semester when we were going through Leviticus I got positively GIDDY when I came across the verse that this line is referring too. Sorry, just things that tickle a theology minor.

Anna of Cleves is unstoppable with combing jams on the lute, looking rad, Lutheranism, and reformation.

In addition to the back and forth from the past to the present through the lyrics, the music itself speaks to the different time periods. I'm no music expert but it sounds like there's some harpsichord? There's also cute and peppy strumming? I've lost the ability to talk and process it, so you should just listen to it yourself to know what I'm talking about.

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#6: Counting:

Technically this could be in branding but this is its own category because I'm a math major and numbers are my obsession. So this maybe partially explains why I love it so much.

"I think we can all agree I'm the 10 amongst these 3s."

Because the title is a number, numbers are a big part of this show. Especially in the song "Six" which counts but in a fun phonetic way, so the words themselves don't have to be numbers but just sound like numbers. That's artistry.

One song that I haven't talked about here yet is "Haus of Holbien" (which is so sarcastic and teasing). It fits this category because of the play on words, play on numbers, and play on language. Mixing German and math is very cool. This comes out in the form of rhyming "nine" with "nein" and "vier" with "fear."

Basically, you put numbers in things and I'm happy. So if the whole musical is named Six, I'm very very very happy.

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Those are all the technical/structural aspects that I've observed that are stunning to me. But as for the story itself it also has creativity, heart (both of stone and not), inspiration, power, and gives voices to those who don't have one. It is a tale of resistance and reshaping narratives and taking a vulnerable look at what life was like long ago. That's a whole post for another day.

To wrap up, this musical is snarky, a bit campy, playful, and totally my vibe.

This is my first entry into Hamlette's We Love Musicals Week! Thank you Hamlette for hosting and giving me an excuse to talk about this! 

She's got a tag and a giveaway and there are lot of other fun posts, so go check it out!

Thanks for reading! Does anyone else know this musical? A filmed stage version is coming out April 6th (get it? the sixth?) so I'm very excited to see that! What are some of the technical/structural aspects of stories that stick out to you? How do you feel about rhymes? 

Now that you've "Heard all about these rocking chicks" I hope you'll love "every song and each remix!"

Chloe the MovieCritic

Inklings // January 2025

 Hi, friends!

How are you all doing? Right now I would be very involved in school except I'm sick (don't worry, I've been watching BBC's Pride & Prejudice so I'll be well in no time). 

Instead, I'm going to join in Heidi's Inklings! I haven't been able to participate since August and while I've come up with ideas for the other prompts I never got around to post them. To start off the year strong I'm linking up today with the activities!

How it works:

    1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to the original post in your post.

    2. Leave a link to your post in the comments section of the monthly post and she'll post all your links with the next prompt.

Click HERE to see all of my past entries, and click HERE to see all of the entries for this month! January is kicking off with the following prompt:

A scene at sunrise

I originally had a different scene in mind, but I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that there was a scene with character A showing character B something at sunrise. And I became very attached to whatever scene this was. With perseverance, I finally thought of it!

My pick for this month is a scene from The Book of Life (2014), which has the bonus of being animated and sunrise art is lovely.

I love this movie in more ways than is probably healthy.

Spoiler alert: this scene happens about 60% of the way through, so while there is still a lot more fun that happens afterwards (I'm stopping talking about it right before drama goes down), if you haven't seen this movie you might want to skip this post. Or you can enjoy the gorgeously animated pictures. It's your choice.

Manolo asked Maria to meet him at the bridge and when she gets there she finds a path of candles. The beginning notes of a song float through the air as the walk across the bridge is accompanied by "Can't Help Falling in Love" performed by Diego Luna's gentle voice.

What Manolo wanted to show Maria is how the first rays of light make San Angel glitter. 

"What you're feeling, that's how I feel every time I'm with you..." 

And then everything goes downhill. Good times.

Thanks to Heidi for hosting! Has anyone else seen this movie? Are there other animated movies that you love for their sunrise illustrations? Are there other movies where characters show each other the sunrise?

Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic