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aradia22

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  1. There are just too many shows this season. Based on the music that's been released so far and the critical consensus for shows that have premiered, here's where things stand for me right now Shows I'm definitely going to try to see Lempicka: I'm interested in the subject matter. The leads are strong. The music sounds the most like a proper theater score and not a folksy take on pop music. Suffs: Interesting subject matter and a stacked ensemble cast. I'm not always into Shaina Taub's style and I don't love the songs I've heard but I will try to go in optimistic. Shows I will try to see: The Notebook: A strong maybe. I've been following Ingrid's music from the beginning of her career and I do enjoy a sweeping romantic show. The reviews and quoted lyrics are rough but if I have time, I will see this. The Who's Tommy: Anyone I know in this cast can sing their faces off. The show doesn't interest me at all but I might go and treat it like a concert. Hell's Kitchen: Of the shows by people who aren't trained musical theater composers, this one actually sounds the most interesting to me. Like, the actual sound of it. In this case, being a jukebox musical might help because the amateur songs written for the stage are so weak while at least some of these were trying to be big pop hits. The Great Gatsby: That music video sold me. I don't think it's going to be Gatsby but I'll treat it like another Paradise Square... and hopefully the show will be less convoluted this time since they have source material to work off of. The Wiz: I just want to be able to see it on stage for the first time. Shows I could skip without feeling too bad about: Everyone says Paul Nolan is good and the show is bad. I don't know if I have time for another Doctor Zhivago. I'd definitely go in a weaker season but I have to think about scheduling and budget. Stereophonic: I feel like if I was going to see this, it should have been off-Broadway. The Outsiders: Zero interest in the subject or the songs I've heard Forbidden Broadway: I always have mixed thoughts. Maybe if it papers or is on TDF.
  2. Hooray! https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Video-Final-Stephen-Sondheim-Musical-HERE-WE-ARE-to-Release-Cast-Recording-This-Spring-20240110
  3. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Roundabouts-2024-2025-Season-Will-Include-New-Orleans-Style-PIRATES-OF-PENZANCE-with-Ramin-Karimloo-and-David-Hyde-Pierce-YELLOW-FACE-Starring-Daniel-Dae-Kim-and-More-20240109 Thankfully this season does not start until September 2024. Pirates of Penzance is not scheduled until April 2025.
  4. Hooray! I had a lot of fun with how the season wrapped up. I'm glad neither Loretta nor Dickie were involved with the murders. And to my pleasant surprise, they've left the door open for Meryl Streep to return. I've just become so enamored of Oliver and Loretta as a couple, I didn't want it to end. They really had me for a moment thinking Howard would take the stage. But I should have known Oliver would take the chance to grab the spotlight. I do wonder if Jonathan will go back to the role in the real world of the show. Though, this show should have already been in previews (with people seeing Jonathan's performance). No way you just jump to opening night. Kudos to the person or people who have been suspicious of Cliff and Donna from the start. I still think Tobert was weird but whatever. It was somewhat anticlimactic but there was still plenty of drama getting the confession from Donna and then having Cliff threaten to kill himself. Linda and Wesley knocked their roles out of the park. Sazz being murdered at the end is an incredible set up for next season and a great way to use Jane Lynch this time since we'll obviously be learning more about Sazz's life in flashbacks and such. Are they staying in NY or going to LA? Half and half? Unclear at this point. I liked having a nice cozy mystery to play along with solving. Also, the gang never really seemed to be in peril from a murderer who was afraid of being caught or coming after them too. It allowed the show to actually focus on the theater stuff which was very fun for me. I agree Tobert lasted the longest as a red herring. If Charles was the intended target at the end of the episode, it seems like we'll be back to danger next season. I forget what happened with Rose Cooper and the painting. Is Charles' father still alive? Yeah, it was a bit of a waste of his character since he was dangled as a red herring for so long. I could never get invested in him and Mabel (not that I think the actors have great chemistry anyway). Maybe one day Mabel will actual get a decent love interest (though they could always bring back Oscar). Same. Honestly, it probably could do well at New World Stages. Though not this season. There are way too many shows competing for attention for the 2023-2024 season. And yeah, I hope Cliff resurfaces at some point. If Theo can do it, why not Cliff? I'd love that. One time Charles' Brazzos memories could actually be useful 😄 Mabel's fashion is usually pretty good but OMG I want that dress. So shiny! I think it was all of it. He wanted to stop Ben from calling the police to report the poisoning (so he was protecting his mom). Ben kept prodding at him and antagonizing him. And then in the heat of the moment, the shoving turned into a murder. I also refuse to subscribe to the NYT. lol, I've been watching a lot of Cold Case. So many "heat of the moment" murders where someone's ego is wounded. I don't know how many more seasons we'll get but Meryl and Jesse this season prove that anything is possible with this show. You don't have the Law & Order SVU thing where the famous guest star is definitely guilty and they have the pull to get big actors for more than cameos. It's exciting! You can have a year-long contract that gets renegotiated if the show runs for that long. I agree it doesn't make the most sense but I can believe she would still have job offers after a couple months. I think they made good use of Uma this season but I can only take her in small doses.
  5. One thing I can say for this season is that all the musical numbers and the lack of peril definitely increase the rewatch value. It's not just about catching the killer so there's more to revisit on a rewatch. This felt like a bit of an underwhelming 30th birthday for Mabel. I do hope they figure out how to get her unstuck in season 4. I appreciate that they've given us little mysteries that were "easy" to solve while still trying to direct us away from the killer. This is the first season I've felt like I was really following along successfully trying to solve the mystery. I also like that "some positive traits" didn't cancel out how much of a jerk he was. I didn't want another repeat of Bunny where she was actually a nice person, just not to our three leads. We know Ben has been awful. He didn't deserve to die for that but I didn't want a character retcon either. That was brilliant given the focus on theater this season and the fact that all of that action happened on stage (at least until the dressing room bit). So it seems like the wedding dress was just there to provide some drama for the trailer. She did look good in it but I'm not sure I buy that it would allow them to grab a taxi and then talk their way into a criminal court. Maybe it was just obvious to those of us with disordered eating issues... and those who love dips 😅 Woo! Negative self talk! I do think the fact that the "person" wasn't responding was a significant signal that it was the cookies I think at this point, we have to take what he said at face value... Charles getting him fired as a kid really messed him up forever. That would have been funny They were already well known in theater circles but this show has given them a TON of attention. I don't think it's paid promo. Maybe they're just friendly with people involved with the show.
  6. Lots of drama in this episode. Of course I knew they weren't going to kill Oliver, but it was still well-acted. I got a little nervous that it might have somehow been Oliver. I know the ages and actors don't really match up but that doesn't count for much on TV. Glad they didn't go that route. I loved Howard's involvement in this episode. Admittedly, my fondness for Creighton is growing because of the aftershow but I feel like they found a proper use for him piecing together the shredded papers... unlike the way they've been shoehorning in Uma. Let Howard on the podcast! Shaiman and Wittman have been doing kind of boring work for a while. I was shocked to see that the Pickwick Triplets song was their work. Steve Martin did a great job... even though I knew he would, it was still satisfying to see "Charles" pull it off, especially as a distraction for Detective Williams. Same. They did a lovely job of introducing new characters and not having anyone you'd want to be the killer. I've always thought looking at the cast was a misdirect to waste time during the season and not get to the real killer too early. Am millennial. Try Gen Z. Though The Mikado is probably too problematic for them to ever get on board. I haven't seen her act in anything else since her lupus got bad but she wasn't like this as a child actress. I'm assuming it's a character choice or something affecting her ability to emote but generally, I think it works for Mabel. I don't know why they made him so sus except as a red herring. Yeah, that was strange. I know they've been out of the theater (weirdly) most of the time as they've switched to a musical but has no one needed a paper shredder?
  7. Now that's a pull. Calling Matthew Broderick in for a patter song was an amazing choice. I do love that the show has these connections to surprise us like this. Realistically, they should have kept him instead of Charles, even if Broderick hasn't been able to consistently sell Broadway tickets and the constable doesn't seem like a big enough role to be a draw for audiences. I loved having Theo back and that Mabel has been learning some ASL. And it was great to have that little clue with the original drawing and the R being turned into a B. I like that they're not in peril from the killer and they don't have to clear their names from suspicion this season. It creates a natural reason for them not to be solving the mystery quicker when two of the three are pretty busy and for clues like this to be uncovered later. I'm conflicted on whether to be suspicious of Dickie and Loretta at this point. The show has done this before where towards the end they let us become suspicious of Jan and then dismissed it only to have a fuller explanation of how Jan was connected to the murder later. This late in the season, I'm not ruling out "red herrings" anymore like earlier when they discarded Kimber as a suspect. But I am hoping for a better twist when Dickie has felt like a credible suspect from the beginning that they were mostly ignoring because they were focused on the cast. Oh, wow. Yes! I don't know if it's true, but it makes sense. I appreciate that the writers were pretty compassionate about the kleptomania rather than just making it a throwaway joke. I mean, they had all those boxes in the closet for the things she had stolen, they grounded it in emotion rather than just anxiety or covetousness, and they didn't present it as something that necessarily needed to be "cured." Pretty well done all things considered. I thought that was strange too but maybe the auction was only for CoBro stuff?
  8. OK, now this was the filler episode. After how much I loved the last episode, this one was a little bit of a letdown but I still enjoyed it. They really found a focus for Oliver this season and his dramatic storylines have been very strong. Hopefully another Emmy nom for Martin Short. The KT and Howard scenes were unnecessary but I like Howard so I'll allow it. Peter Bartlett made the most of a very silly role. I'm going to have to disagree about Mabel this episode. Usually I defend Selena's acting but she was notably weak in that big confrontation in Ben's dressing room. It's absolutely gorgeous. I don't have any reason to visit but I want to. Looking forward to them spending more time at the theater later in the season just so I can keep looking at it.
  9. I swear I already commented on this episode but I really love what they did with Loretta and Oliver's date and I'm sorry she likely won't be sticking around ETA: I'm glad we got to see some of Jonathan's cabaret show.
  10. ngl, I know I didn't want a female killer, but Andrea Martin (Joy) as the killer would be very fun. Way too similar to the killer in season 1 but I'd allow it. Of course, now that it feels obvious in episode 4, it won't be her. People seem to complain about Selena's acting, but honestly, I was finding Steve Martin a little flat this season. But he really dialed up his energy for the comedy in this episode. The patter song and the white room, it was so classically, effortlessly funny. Is that all there is to the song? It seems rather short if the part he sang making the omelet was all of it. Also THIS is the song they give the old guy who can't sing. It's a shame Cinda can't be trusted because working on true crime podcasts (with a paid salary) would be a good job for Mabel, especially given her lack of college degree and work experience. Yes, my guess right now is that Ben wrote the insult himself thinking about the cookies. But it was a relatively bright shade of red so Joy wouldn't have applied it to his lips and it wouldn't cancel out anything on his face beyond maybe the shadow of his beard (and that'd be pretty excessive). Unless the lipstick was the red mark, but it's not difficult to get lipstick off. Maybe it's just a reflection of how much harder it is to date as an older woman. I could buy her selling art. You don't need a degree for that. It wouldn't be enough for an apartment at the Arconia but based on what she painted on the wall, I think people would buy those kind of art prints on etsy or whatever. I've always heard it calling "going up" or "blanking" but maybe they wanted an easy visual for the audience. See, I feel like VERY much looked his age when he was standing next to the actress for Girl Cop. I feel like when people say actors aren't aging, what they mean is they have a similar face and they've maintained it pretty well and they haven't gained weight. Like, Anthony Michael Hall doesn't look the way he looked when he was younger. Most actors have obviously aged but genetics and procedures keep them looking younger than they are and the basics of their face structure hasn't changed. Also, with celebrities you see them all the time so the changes feel more gradual. If you look at side by side photos of when they were young and now, there's a more dramatic difference. The police think they caught the murderer (the obsessed fan) and Detective Williams isn't there to push to keep investigating. Also, I definitely think there's less urgency because the murder attempts feel less violent this season compared to how Tim and Bunny were killed. There's less of a sense of someone suddenly attacked our trio (even if two of them were briefly kidnapped). I don't mind this. I like a cozy mystery. Me. I found the White Room funny every time. Because from the start the show has always been about Mabel's past trauma. I don't want her to be stuck forever. Yes, she had fond memories of the Arconia. But she should also finish college, get a job, find something substantial to do besides sleuthing... when even her former-retiree pals are getting back to their passions.
  11. Honestly, I'm loving the specificity. This season is for theater people and, to me, it's landing even better than the NY-specific jokes in past seasons. Also, it sounds like a read of ALW shows Memory (Cats), Don't Cry For Me Argentina (Evita)... whatever song people like from Phantom. I think she's been a big focus but I don't mind at all. I appreciate that this show isn't whatever the season-equivalent of "case of the week" is. I don't want it to be that repetitive. I like that the characters are capable of growth. I want Mabel to get out of the Arconia and figure out what she wants to pursue to make a living (or maybe go back and finish college). Even if Death Rattle flops, I Oliver to start directing again. I want Charles to find some kind of happiness even if he's incapable of sharing his apartment. If I wanted everything to stay the same, I'd watch 22 episodes a season sitcoms. All the focus on the cast makes me think it's definitely not someone in the cast. No, she had at least that scene she delivered in the audition to the detective questioning her. It was a short scene, of course, but it was more than one line. It communicated that she would be willing to kill for a child in her care. I don't think having the song addressed to the now triplets instead of making that a defensive statement to a detective is so crazy. Also, she definitely had lines at the beginning of the play for some reason because she was started off the rough table read. Me three. At some point in her late career she stopped playing characters and started playing caricatures with funny voices. She stopped being able to disappear into roles and even in stuff like The Devil Wears Prada it was too broad and too self-conscious. And yes, there are moments when she cries but she could do that in her sleep. Loretta feels like she's really playing a person again and not Meryl Streep showing off.
  12. I was already grumpy about the bad lighting in the armoire. I don't need actual whispered mumbling when I already need subtitles some of the time. Realism is overrated. Some things can involve suspension of disbelief based on normal narrative convention, while say, Oliver talking loudly in the lobby could be overheard by Lester or Uma. After two seasons of having Mabel's initially suspicious love interest not be the killer, having a love interest who seems pretty honest at first (e.g. claiming to be a bad liar as they both openly snoop) be the killer would be a twist. Martin Short is really showcasing his talents in this show and I love that for him. I hope not because I want Jonathan and Howard to be happy together. I've been thinking of going back to watch the blackout episode but I need to finish this season first. Now that I know it's a Sara Bareilles song, I definitely hear it. The Pasek/Paul brings some of that La La Land energy too. I think it was Grey's Anatomy New Orleans Family Burn Unit. Whatever the exact wording, very fun and silly.
  13. Maybe I've just watched too much TV, but I was suspicious when Ben said that bit about 'sitting there looking sweet.' It was such odd phrasing. When he said the "I want you" thing later, my suspicions were confirmed. He's 100% talking about cookies isn't he? Or something else that would ruin his diet? Talking about something ruining his career but having whoever that "person" is not responding... it's what he ate before he "died" the first time. Anyway, another great episode. I love the whole 'putting a show together' vibe even if it's not believable for Oliver to compose anything that quickly. He's a director. Meryl is just a gift for this show. I know Loretta can't stick around but I can't help but enjoy Oliver and Loretta's chemistry anyway. The lullaby for the nanny was sweet. Gentler, definitely but it had some of the energy of Hold On from The Secret Garden. Not every showstopper has tap-dancing. I mean, the ALW ones tend to have belting but they're still ballads. I don't really feel any kind of way about Tobert so far but he's giving Mabel someone to interact with while Oliver and Charles are occupied with this show and it's similar to her friend from season 1. I hope that line from Charles about not going with another female killer can be trusted. I like the women and I think any of the men would be more interesting as the killer right now. Winnie!
  14. Oliver's crazy antics were fun throwaway jokes in the first two seasons but it's been nice seeing that he actually had some skill as a director and is good at working with actors. When Paul Rudd was talking about being too old to play a high school senior in Girl Cop, it made me think of Clueless. (He was 26 playing a college student.) Also, I couldn't help but think of Selena's own experience in Disney channel shows. I'm sure she's heard a lot of those stories from fans who are strangers to her telling her how much her performance on a silly show meant to them. I bet the real problem is the dips Fosse. A Chorus Line is Michael Bennett. I thought they obviously couldn't nail the choreography but it was simplified enough that with the close ups and cuts, you got the right impression. I'm excited for how full out they might go now that Oliver is choosing to do a musical murder mystery. This doesn't make sense without a Lea Michele waiting in the wings and murder seems rather extreme. My only guess for the producers right now is that it might have something to do with the reopening of the theater. I don't know how yet, but it feels like a clue that's been floating around without being remarked upon. The cookies were from Schmackary's. A Broadway in-joke. It felt especially dim in the church but that suited the funeral and then Oliver's minor heart attack scare. I'll have to see if the show continues to feel darkly lit this season. Mabel usually wears a striking bold color and that's been absent. It might be an intentional choice to go more serious and then splash out when we get to the musical parts for contrast.
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