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ledenews · 11 months

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Oglebay Institute's Parcel Players Auditions Upcoming

It’s once again time for some of the Upper Ohio Valley’s best and brightest up-and-coming thespians and practitioners of stage and tech craft to showcase their talents. Oglebay Institute’s Parcel Players are hosting auditions for this summer season’s two productions—Clue: The Play by Sandy Rustin and “Little Shop of Horrors” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. While the curtain will rise on the two productions on July 13-16 and August 3-6, respectively, auditions are set for Tuesday and Wednesday upcoming at 7 p.m. at OI’s Towngate Theatre in Center Wheeling. Started back in 1967 by then artistic director Hal O’Leary, the Parcel Players morphed into its current iteration as an avenue for youth (ages 13-21) to get their theatrical feet wet. “This is the longest-running program that Towngate has,” said Tim Thompson, Oglebay Institute’s Director of Performing Arts. “When the venue at Oglebay burned down in 1965, Hal talked the railroad station down near where the amphitheater is today by the river and they let him use the baggage and parcel room, hence the Parcel Players. “When Towngate opened in the former church, that’s when the Parcel Players became the high school program that it is today.” What sets the Parcel Players’ productions apart from other performances in the Ohio Valley is it is entirely done by students, except for directing and designing. OI hired two local directors to head up the productions—Daniel Loh will be directing Clue. Loh, himself, is a former Parcel Player. Handling the director’s chair for Little Shop will be Erin Gallagher Bond, currently the choir teacher at Linsly, serving as the director of the school’s annual Extravaganza. Dave Henderson and P.D. Gregg serve in their respective capacities as design and technical directors. “The students will have the opportunity to be in the play, work as stage manager, run the lights and the sound, help with the set, get props, find costumes,” Thompson said. “This is their chance to go in any aspect they want to explore.” Fun, Experience, and Commitment Players amidst the production of Godspell at Towngate Theatre. Auditions are open to any interested student ages 13-21. While many Parcel Players throughout the years have come up through the ranks of Oglebay Institute’s summer acting camps and classes, participation in those is not a prerequisite for auditioning. In fact, experience in stage acting is not a prerequisite either. While it may help, Thompson explained it’s not unheard of for a newbie to the theater to audition, land a role, excel, and open up a whole new world of interests. Thompson would know. He’s just such a case. “That’s what happened to me,” Thompson admitted. “I was an athlete in high school and my friends talked me into a play, and I love it and ended up doing it for the rest of my life. “Even wanting to do theater for a career is not a prerequisite for participating. Because you’re playing another person, you get to learn empathy, you learn how your body and voice work, and you’re collaborating with a group of people you don’t necessarily know from school. “We do two things. We help hone skills for young people who may want to go into the theater or discover that they want to, but also, it’s just for people who want to try it out. It’s not a career choice for them, and it doesn’t have to be. They can just enjoy it.” There will be plenty of rehearsal time for those that are involved, whether it’s just in one of the productions, or for the young people aspiring to be a part of both the play and the musical, which is an option. Thompson noted that typically if 20 students try out, there may be around half that just want to do one or the other, while the rest are interested in both. Rehearsal times will run generally in the evenings from Sunday through Thursday, with Fridays and Saturdays kept free so students are able to work or go do other things. There are roughly six weeks of rehearsals for the play, while the musical will feature another two weeks in addition. “This is the place to get experience,” Thompson said. “We have people who have never done anything walk in, and we help them find their niche. We also have people who have done plays at school and want something to perform in the summer. “We’re very unique in that respect.” The Parcel Players previously put on a production of Godspell. Playing the Roles The are other production houses in the Ohio Valley that also put on summer theater or musicals. But those open auditions are for all ages, and you’ll generally see adults playing adult parts and teenagers playing teenagers. The Parcel Players allow teenagers to flex their acting chops and branch out into more complex, adult roles. Case in point, the play Clue is based on the 1985 feature film starring Tim Curry as Wadsworth, Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White, Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum, Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock, Michael McKean as Mr. Green, Martin Mull as Colonel Mustard, and Lesley Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet. It’s a dark comedy game of who-done-it, fittingly also based upon the beloved board game of the same name. Given the film came out in 1985, there’s a chance not all interested auditioning parties have seen the film, which may come in handy. Tim Curry’s iconic take as Wadsworth would be nigh impossible to replicate, nor should it be. Thompson believes those auditioning should give their own interpretation of the role and not try to copy Curry or any of the other stars of the film. “If you’re trying to be Tim Curry, or Ellen Greene in Little Shop, that’s a tall order. They are icons,” Thompson said. “But watching can give an actor the idea of what the story is and what the style is, but when it comes to the part.” For more information visit Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre on Facebook. Read the full article

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rachelbethhines · 4 years

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Tangled Salt Marathon - The Brothers Hook

It’s time to say goodbye to Hook Foot. He won’t be missed.

Summary: Rapunzel takes everyone to see Hook Hand in concert. However, this brings back bad memories in Hook Foot, as he was always overshadowed and looked down on by his elder brother. Hook Hand is revealed to be employed by the self-centered King Trevor who wants Hook Hand to play at the ceremony of the marriage between the Seal of Equis and his female mate. When Hook Foot sabotages his brother’s performance at the wedding he must face King Trevor in a dance off to save Hook hand’s career.

The Episode Placement Is Indeed Wrong

I talked about this last episode, but the ordering of episodes is confusing.

The Brother’s Hook does come after Rapunzel: Day One in terms of production order and is placed after it on the Disney Plus, but it supposedly aired before Rapunzel: Day One originally and the events make more sense in that aired order. As they’re traveling on foot here because they lost the caravan, and they’re all stressed out and fighting in the first scene of this episode. Also it world explain Hook Foot’s absence in Rapunzel Day One.

Yet why would they order things that way? Why hold off on resolving the Raps and Cass argument if you’re not going to even hint at it here? Why not place this earlier in the season so that you wouldn’t be dragging Hook Foot along in the Great Tree for no reason?

It just goes to show how rushed and poorly planned out season two actually was.

This is Another Pointless Parallel

So Hook Foot is suppose to represent Cassandra here and Hook Hand is supposed to be Rapunzel in this scenario but like that doesn’t work for several reasons.

For one, Rapunzel never discouraged Cassandra’s dreams. Cassandra herself just never opened up to tell her what those dreams were, and indeed even the audience don’t know what Cass’s dreams are now that she’s already achieved her goal of becoming a guard back in the first season. I don’t think even Cassandra knows what she wants.

Second, Rapunzel and Cassandra’s conflict isn’t actually about ‘dreams’, it’s about control. Each wants to control the other, to be in charge, because they think themselves always right. Both equate ‘being right’ and a lack of criticism as validation and to them, and this show in general, validation is equated with ‘love and compassion’ and is the ultimate end all and be all goal for everyone. Even though that’s not how validation works and a it’s a very unhealthy mindset to promote.

Third, no one owes you anything. Yeah, Hook Hand is a jerk here, but at the end of the day giving up on his dreams was Hook Foot’s choice. You are in charge of your own choices, and at some point you need to decide if you’re going to listen to rest of the world telling you no or have some self respect and do what you want because you want it. You don’t actually need anyone’s approval but your own. By making ‘validation’ the end all and be all of the narrative, it undermines characters agency and fails to teach people about self respect and accountability.

Same goes for Cassandra, even more so in fact. She needs to be the one to get off her ass and try for what she wants. No one is going to hand it to her and Raps doesn’t owe her a damn thing. Cassandra is the only thing getting the way of Cassandra because time and time again the series gives her chances that she refuses to take for ill defined reasons. There’s nothing at stake for her to lose if she just left.

Last off, no one learns anything from this. Cass gets nothing out of it despite being right there the whole time, and Rapunzel is too hypocritical and self centred to see that she is very bit the bully same as Hook Hand. Not because she crushes Cassandra’s dreams like the narrative wants you to think, but because she tries to insert herself and her views on to everyone.

Bullshit

Once again, may I remind you that there is over twenty villians in this show and only four of them get redemptions. Four! And one of those four was Eugene’s doing not Rapunzel’s.

The narrative does not support the ideas that it wants to push. If you want me to believe that Rapunzel does sincerely believe in second chances then you need to show her giving that chance to everybody equally. And no, not everyone has to take it, not everyone needs to be redeemed, but she needs to at least try. Especially if they’re a recurring baddie with a tragic backstory like Lady Caine’s.

Oh, and may I also remind you that currently a 15 year old orphan is rotting away in a jail cell because of the corrupt government and Rapunzel does not give a crap!

The Song Is Sounds Good But It Adds Nothing

It doesn’t add anything to the overall narrative and it fails to add anything to the episode itself because it gives us no new information.

This is extremely wasteful. Not only because Alan Menken and Glenn Slater are highly respected artists who are wasting their talents on crap like this, but also for pure budgetary reasons. Tangled has a limited budget for songs that is worked into the contract. Each season is suppose to get eight original songs and two reprises. (tho season three trades out one of those songs for an extra reprise)

In an arc heavy series like this, with such a limited number of songs to convey information, then you need to choose where those songs go wisely. The writers did not choose wisely in this instance.

Rapunzel You Are Not In A Position To Give Advice Here

This episode is foreshadowing for what season three would become. Which is a complete formula switch up that undermines the narrative’s goals.

This is suppose to be a coming of age tale. That’s in its mission statement. It’s what the writers supposedly wanted to achieve according to interviews and the very pilot episode itself.

That requires Rapunzel learning and growing. She can’t be in the mentor role. She can’t be the one to give out sage advice if she is the one who is meant to grow the most. She not there yet. She’s not experienced enough to fulfill that place in the narrative.

Season one may have been repetitive in it’s lessons but it at least tried to show Rapunzel owning up to mistakes and changing as a person, but here and in season three they toss that out the window and have Rapunzel teaching other people lessons instead. People who ultimately don’t matter to the overall narrative.

Instead of showing her growing as a person and coming to fit in that role over time due to experience, it has the opposite effect of showing Rapunzel as being patronizing, selfish, and unworthy to rule. Because she has no grounds for having an opinion, no basis for her advice to go off of, no experience to back up what she says, and zero claims for being in charge except for being born in a classist feudal system.

Had the narrative actually bothered to call out this instead of just having Cass pitch a hissy fit over nothing, then we could have gotten a really complex character and unique moral to the show, but that’s not what actually happens.

King Trevor Is the Saving Grace of This Episode

I don’t think the writers realize that Trevor isn’t the hateable douche that they believe him to be.

Oh sure he’s not nice, he’s essentially the equivalent of an annoying ‘I want to speak to the manager!’ type customer. But there is a huge, huge difference between being a Karen and being a fascist dictator. One’s irritating and the other is actively malicious and a danger to people's lives.

Frederic might be outwardly more pleasant but he’s still a person who abuses his power in order to harm poor people. Trevor is just a mother-of-bridezilla here and a perfectionist. Like big deal.

And to be honest Rapunzel isn’t that much better.

Like you are a bully Raps. You’re every bit a pushy and demanding as Trevor is, particularly in season three.

While she’s not actively malicious like Frederic, she’s still a danger to people because she refuses to acknowledge that the power she wields has an impact on others lives and that that impact can indeed be negative.

There’s something called the banality of evil. That being simply mean to others isn’t how true evil spreads. It’s people refusing to challenge the system, and if you are a part of that system then you are a part of the evil it spreads no matter how nice you are outwardly.

Rapunzel and the show at large, does not understand the difference between being nice and being kind. It introduces the concept of flawed government and systems but then does nothing to actually challenge it. It forgoes the actual work it takes to make change happen by focusing on easy outs and proformative progressivism.

Trevor does more than either Frederic or Rapunzel here with this one line alone than they do in three full seasons.

Eugene did indeed commit a violent crime, no matter how much the show tried to present such a crime as ‘funny’. Trevor is in his legal rights to prosecute the person who tried to kidnap his child/pet and assaulted his personage.

Yet he’s actually granting mercy here. More than that, he’s inviting them to his child’s/pet’s wedding. He’s offering friendship when he could have had them killed. Because Tevor, for all his faults, recognizes the power the that he wields and then makes the conscious decision not to abuse that power.

Moreover over he acknowledges the difference between what is a personal offense and not a an attack on his kingdom as a whole. What Eugene and Frederic did could have been considered an act of war and Trevor never even considered that an option.

It’s sign of bad writing when the person we’re supposed to consider a jerk and a recurring antagonist is more compassionate than the main heroine herself. Even as he jeers and makes an arse of himself.

This is the Point Where Rapunzel’s Characterization Buckles and Breaks

At first glance this seems like growth. She’s now assertive and taking charge, and Hook Hand did indeed had this coming, but in context of the greater narrative and how Rapunzel’s character develops past this episode, this is the point where the wheels start to come off.

Rapunzel is a hypocrite. We’ve established this as a fundamental part of her characterization back in season one and it’s the driving force behind all of the main conflicts with her in the first two seasons. But before now, her hypocrisy at least had consequences. It caused enough problems that if you were paying attention you could see it for the flaw that it was.

But here her hypocrisy is presented as being right. She looks over Hook Hand even as she tells him not to look down on others. She dictates to him how his relationship with his own brother should go, when she has zero context for said relationship. She’s heard only one side of the story and only a piece of it. She doesn’t know what actually went down between them while they were growing up nor does she honestly care why Hook Hand does what he does. Even as she asks him why.

Yet she is rewarded for this behavior. She’s never called out as wrong. The narrative bends over backwards to accommodate her and reinforces her views. Without direct consequences a character’s flaws are rendered meaningless, and so the character will only frustrate the audience rather than endear themselves to us.

That is the opposite of what you want to achieve in a story. You want to the audience to like you’re main characters, or at least find them entertaining in their awfulness. Making them right all of the time, even when they’re wrong sabotages this goal.

Trevor’s Still the Better Person Here

Like it may not have been Hook Hands fault, but at the end of the day he did screw up at his job and a paying customer has the right to be upset and refuse to work with you again or even demand their money back. That’s what being self-employed means. It’s part of the risk you take as being a contractor.

Trevor’s not being unreasonable here just because he raised his voice and wants Hook Hand to leave the wedding premises. Yeah the insults are uncalled for, I’ll give you, but remember that Frederic locked a tailor in a stockade for accidently ripping a robe; that he has the ability to fix if he wasn’t locked up.

And he resolves conflicts and personal insults with a dance off!

What happened when someone called Frederic out for being a poor leader and endangering lives, oh yeah they wound up in jail!

Also This Episode’s Big Climax is a Fucking Dance Off

Out of all the low stakes conflicts in this show this is the lowest.

And it’s coming right off The Great Tree and the big Cassandra vs Rapunzel fight. This shouldn’t be here. It’s throws off the pacing the tone.

Well I Guess Trevor Kept HIs Word, Which Is More Than What Frederic Would Do

Like Trevor is defeated and he does indeed complain about losing, but everyone is apparently free to leave afterwards and Hook Hand still has a career so I guess Trevor kept his side of the bargain. Even though he has no reason to and no one to hold him to account for it. He just has a code of honor I guess.

Meanwhile, Frederic throws a teenager in a dungeon after promising to help him and completely ignores his supposed friend Quirin being encased in amber.

So What Was the Point In Bringing Hook Foot Along Again?

What did Hook Foot add? What did he bring to the story that no other character out there could bring? What does writing him out of the story now achieve, and why couldn’t he have been left out of the narrative all together?

If your answer to all of those question is ‘Nothing!’, then congratulations you have more sense than the showrunners.

I have seen a few people get angry and suggest that Lance should have been the one to go because getting rid of Hook Foot meant getting rid of the shows main disabled rep, but that’s ignoring that getting rid of Lance would mean getting rid of the shows only real black representation as well. Because tokenism isn’t real representation.

Yet for all of how poorly handled Lance’s character was, he still has more reason to be there than Hook Foot. He has a unique connection to one of the main characters that, once introduced, would be hard to ignore. There’s nothing connecting Hook Foot to the plot or the main characters, and that’s why he shouldn’t have been in the show at all. Regardless of how much you may have liked him.

Destiny Isn’t a Goal!!!

How many times do I have to say this!?

A goal needs to be specific. It needs to have logical motivation behind it. It needs a clear obstacle to be overcome for the character to achieve it.

A vague ‘destiny’ has none of those things.

Conclusion

Meh. That’s the word that best describes this episode and the majority of season two. It’s not the worst thing ever if you just want to shut your brain off for 30 minutes, but it’s not actually good either, and if you stop to think about any of it for more than two seconds it falls apart.

#tangled #anti-tangled #hook foot #anti-rapunzel #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure

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slipper007 · 3 years

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Okay so @featherasscas asked me about light and color in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame because of this post

We're going to acknowledge first and foremost that yes the movie has serious problems (use of slurs for example) and that's before you start talking about Disney and Victor Hugo and faithfulness to the novel and prior adaptations. It was made in 1996, and they should have done significantly better (the theatrical adaptation does a better job at addressing some of these topics, but they still use slurs -- though some of the cast information packs quite clearly make sure everyone knows the weight of what they're saying, etc)

But the music and use of color and light within the movie, the artistry, is great

(More under the cut)

I'm not going to tell anyone to go listen to the music because of course you should (Hellfire???? God Help the Outcasts? The opening number? I love Alan Menken's original soundtrack though ultimately I greatly prefer the redone theatrical soundtrack for Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (1999)/The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2014))

But I totally get not wanting to watch the movie in its entirety (though here's a YouTube playlist) so I'm going to use gifs and stuff (mine unless stated otherwise)

Okay so

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) is one of the later Disney Renaissance films, and among the first few to use a mix of hand animation and CGI. The storytelling is fundamentally based on the juxtaposition of blue and red, and these colors correspond to whether a character is perceived as good or bad, respectively. This also carries over into the lighting of individual scenes.

There are five main characters: Quasimodo, Frollo, Esmeralda, Phoebus, and Clopin.

Quasimodo, the titular hunchback of Notre Dame, is about 20. He is naive but kind-hearted and dressed in green, the only character dressed as such. This sets him apart from all other characters in the same way that his red hair, isolation, and physical deformities do.

Frollo is, in the Disney version, a judge. He is intensely driven to commit a cultural genocide on account of his beliefs, both religious and personal. He serves as a legal guardian for Quasimodo, though it functions as serving penance and he uses the relationship manipulatively. He wears black robes with purple accents and three rings: a green ring on his left hand and blue and red rings in his right hand. His black and purple hat has a red ribbon. As a judge, he should be the balance between the good and bad, the blue and red, yet we see his red hat/accents and how often they use red lighting on him. Likewise, his green ring symbolizes his control over Quasimodo.

Esmeralda is, in the Disney version, is a French Roma girl who is strong-willed and independent. She encourages both Quasimodo and Phoebus to break from what they have been taught while reaffirming Frollo's beliefs. She is dressed in white with a purple skirt and a blue bodice. She is the subject of Frollo's hate yet an angel in Quasimodo's eyes.

Phoebus is a soldier who becomes Frollo's Captain of the Guard. He disapproves of Frollo and his methods and remains loyal to his own beliefs, which ultimately leads to him breaking from the guard entirely. He wears gold armor and a blue cape overtop of white. He's trusted by all at some point within the movie: he has a strict moral code and refuses to break it, which is admirable and undeniably good.

Clopin is a minor recurring Roma character, but he serves as a narrator. He is also a puppeteer. He's dressed in purple, blue, and gold. Like Esmeralda, he is someone Frollo hates, yet we the audience like and trust him (he's our narrator after all).

The characters: Frollo & Phoebus, Clopin & Quasimodo, Esmeralda

When Quasimodo first meets Esmeralda, she's the first person to be kind to him (all blue, purple accents) while to Frollo she's everything he hates; she inspires lust in him (red with purple accents)

I already feel like this is too long and rambly so I'm going to go off about Frollo and colors for a sec

Something something about walking the line between good and evil, seeing yourself fall victim to a vice and doing something wrong because you view it as right

Something something about a jury of your peers and their judgement condemning you (check out the coffin-shaped light)

Idek I just like it

#this got very long very fast and I didn't realize there was a picture limit #the hunchback of notre dame #disney #sam speaks

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d-criss-news · 4 years

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Darren Criss is one heckuva talented guy. From his work writing, producing, and starring in the viral Harry Potter musicals with StarKid Productions, to his starring roles in Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, to his acclaimed, award-winning performances in Ryan Murphy‘s Glee, American Crime Story, and Hollywood, Criss has yielded great success in all matters of creativity. But his latest project, Royalties on Quibi, just might be the perfect synthesis of all his interests.

Co-created by Criss alongside StarKid collaborators Matt and Nick Lang, Criss and Kether Donohue (You’re the Worst) star as aspiring pop songwriters, inadvertently climbing their way up the music industry ladder. With the help of manager Georgia King (Devs) and producer Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: Far from Home), the two write a different song every episode for different guest star artists, including Rufus Wainwright, Lil Rel Howery, and Mark Hamill! Throughout their career woes, the pair also goes on personal journeys involving love, love lost, and the primal power of a tasty hot dog.

To celebrate both Criss’ and this show’s love of music, I wanted to do something different. I am a lover, performer, and writer of music myself, and I wanted to get into the weeds of Criss’ songs. So we sat down at our respective pianos and guitars, and Criss walked me through, chord by chord, some of the songs he wrote, in a bonafide music theory lesson/virtual jam session! We also talked about the genius of Disney composers like Alan Menken, the importance of Glee solidifying the contemporary American songbook, and what it’s like to make Mark “Luke Friggin’ Skywalker” Hamill sing the word “penis” over and over again.

Check out our full, musical interview below, and check out all of Criss’ wonderful tunes on Royalties, now streaming on Quibi. For more on the expanded world of Criss’ creativity, here’s our interview with Ryan Murphy.

#darren criss #collider #royalties #royalties press #press #july 2020

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helsaguy · 4 years

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I'm still not sold on wanting a Frozen 3.

But I want to make the first Helsa question of 2020!

IF a third movie were to happen, who would you like or who do you think should write the so much wanted Helsa duet for Idina and Santino?

My brother thinks I should give the Lopez a second chance. But the F2 soundtrack is so underwhelming to me that I don't feel I want more of them :/ Not right now anyway.

So, for music Alan Menken is hands down my choice. Almost all of his work in Disney movies are my favorites of Disney music/soundtracks: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, Hercules.

Lyricists are a little complicated for me but for what I want for Helsa I know just the person. I have two options in mind actually:

Sir Tim Rice. He wrote for Disney's Aladdin, completing the work started by Howard Ashman (R.I.R.), and The Lion King; both have amazing, beautiful, and powerful lyrics. For Dreamwork's Road to El Dorado, which I can think mostly about the credits song "Someday Out of the Blue". A song I keep listening to this day. Beautiful song. One of my favorites of his work is the theatrical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The BatB musical has some of the best new original songs I've ever heard added to an already existing, well known and successful Disney soundtrack. The man wrote the epic solo "If I Can't Love Her" for Beast for God's sake! And last but not least; he wrote Chess, the musical with the songs "Where I Want To Be" and "You and I". Songs that have been attributed to Hans and Helsa respectively since the beginning of the Frozen fandom. And personally "You and I" is one of my most favorite fanon Helsa songs. It's easily my #1. God bless the Idina Menzel and Josh Groban cover.

And then there's one of my favorites lyricists, Mister Stephen Schwartz. He worked with Alan Menken in Disney's Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Both movies have plenty of my favorite Disney songs ever. And along with Menken he worked in Disney's Enchanted. While Enchanted may not be one of Disney's most memorable movies I'm certainly fond of it. The music is beautiful and the songs catchy and entertaining with that classic and nostalgic Disney feel that I love. The movie is a whole tribute to Disney and I love it. Not to mention it was (or I'm almost convinced it was) my introduction to one of the loves of my life: Idina Kim Mentzel (Idina Menzel). Also while I'm not very familiar with Dreamwork's Prince of Egypt I've heard nothing but good things about it and it's songs; courtesy of Schwartz. And last but most definitely not least, Mr. Schwartz did both music and lyrics for the musical Wicked. This soundtrack is the one I used to listen to non-stop at work when I started working and I wanted time to go fast. Good music makes time fly. He has worked with Idina already and he knows how to make her shine. Not that she needs any help but you know what I mean. He has wrote nothing but hits for Idina.

Ok, these are my picks. What do you think? Or what would you like for our OTP. Both Idina and Santino deserve epic music and epic lyrics. And these men are nothing but epic.

#helsa #frozen 3 #idina menzel #santino fontana #alan menken #tim rice #stephen schwartz #redeem hans #happy 2020 helsa fandom

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tessishavingabitofablog · 4 years

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Thoughts on the Live Action Aladdin

This movie has now been out for almost a year.

I have thoughts...

I recently read an article interviewing Alan Menken about the new movie. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken created the Disney movie musical as we know it. The Little Mermaid! Beauty and the Beast! Aladdin!

Alan Menken went on to write the music for so many movie musicals and musicals in general. Hercules, Galavant, Aladdin, Hunchback, Tangled, Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors! The list goes on and on. He remarks that he would rather see a new musical than a remake of an old one, but the market is yearning for remakes, so he comes back and works on them.

When asked if he pushed for any of the Broadway songs to be in the remake, he says he did a little. BUT GUY RITCHIE HAD NO SCOPE OF THEM. Guy Ritchie goes to make a new version of an animated movie that has a BROADWAY HIT MUSICAL and he doesn’t even listen to the soundtrack. WHO DOES THAT??

Okay so that’s fine. Is it? NO! Of course not. So they bring in some new people to write a song for Jasmine. It’s good. But THERE ALREADY WAS ONE.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote a few songs that were not included in the original animated movie for a few reasons. BUT they went on to be included in the Broadway musical. One of these songs is Jasmine’s “These Palace Walls.” Now don’t get me wrong, “Speechless” is a good song, it’s very modern, very female empowerment etc. “These Palace Walls” is very much about wanting to explore and get out there! They could have included it in the movie!

The biggest song that should have been included in the new live action remake is “Proud of Your Boy.” This song was favored by Howard Ashman as he was dying of AIDS while they were making the animated movie. When they cut the character of Aladdin’s mother, unfortunately the song had to be cut as well. They also thought the song would be a bit of a downer after “One Jump Ahead.” Menken had a really hard time letting go of the song. When they were putting together the Broadway musical, it came back up for consideration, and they decided that Aladdin should sing it after “One Jump Ahead” and dedicate it to his late mother.

With so much history behind “Proud of Your Boy,” why would Guy Ritchie not deem it necessary to put in the live action. He clearly had no read on Disney history. This song was not just a part of the musical, but it gives so much depth to the character of Aladdin. It gives him drive. It gives him a reason. Instead of just love. It brings in family, and with so many Disney characters being orphans or having complicated family relationships, this song would have meant so much more to have in the live action movie.

This movie deserved the 56% it was given on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s engaging I guess, and Jasmine is a stronger character. The Aladdin myth itself is dripping in racism and Orientalism, and the remake has tried to be respectful to the culture as much as it can. Click here for a Vox article all about that.

If you are going to work on a remake, please do us all a favor and do ALL the research. Not only to avoid cultural appropriation and racism, but to understand the piece’s history.

Here’s to hoping that Rob Marshall, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Marc Platt do some research for The Little Mermaid remake. Alan Menken, stand up for your work, and with Howard Ashman gone, you’re all he has left.

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belizedeservesbetter · 5 years

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Hercules is Bursting At the Seams With Potential

or, It’s Roger Bart’s World and We’re Just Living In It

Short Version: Right now it’s good but not great HOWEVER with some work this could be really spectacular

Long Version:

The production of Hercules presented by Public Works did exactly what it was meant to do. It brought in crowds, put the entirety of the Public Works community (all 200 of them) onstage and showed producers this is a viable project worth pursuing, be it on Broadway, a Disney park/cruise ship or simply available for licensing.

In all, I liked it. But I didn’t love it, which was a little disappointing to be honest, especially because Hercules is my all time favorite Disney movie. But it is easily (easily!) fixable and could be amazing if they put the work into it.

I’m gonna divide this review/commentary/whatever into three parts:

1. The Good

2. The Bad

3. What I Think They Should Do Moving Forward

So here we go. And I guess I should say there’s going to be a bunch of spoilers here, but if you’re reading this I’m assuming you’ve seen/loved the movie so you already know the plot.

1. The Good

Every moment of this show is filled with an extraordinary amount of heart. You can tell everyone involved with this production loves the source material and wants it to soar. You can tell the entire cast is having a blast and loves being there. The material itself is full of heart because that’s exactly how it was written. The leader of Public Works made a speech at the beginning saying how Hercules is about what it means to be a hero and she’s exactly right. That message is the beating heart of the show.

The length of the show was also pretty nice. My problem with a lot of these film adaptations, Disney ones especially, is that they take a relatively short film and fill it with filler songs/moments in order to fill a 2.5 hour show. Frozen suffered from this. It didn’t need to be that long. However, Hercules was only 90 minutes with no intermission! There was little to no filler! The story, while at times a bit clunky in the beginning, doesn’t take any scenic routes to fill time. This kept the plot moving at a mostly good pace and I was never bored or looking at the song list to see how much longer we had left. I could focus completely on the cast and show without feeling like it was dragging on forever.

And the cast was so good too. Krysta Rodriguez has always been a fav of mine and I was thrilled to see her playing this role. She was fun and spunky and was in great voice. If anything, she didn’t have too much to work with.

Jelani Alladin was FANTASTIC. He was the perfect Hercules. If producers decide to move forward with this show and take it to Broadway, Alladin better stay. He was charming and fun and funny and sang the hell out of “Go the Distance.” But what really impressed me about him was the dramatic moments and how personal and impactful they felt. There’s this great moment when Hercules talks to Zeus and Hera after becoming the hero of Thebes where he breaks down and has his wonderful moment with Phil and that whole scene was so good. He really lets you see Hercules’ insecurities at that moment and the way he was able to be subtle but still project to an outdoor audience of over a thousand was remarkable.

James Monroe Iglehart was great as Phil, as was Jeff Hiller and Nelson Chimilio as Panic and Pain respectively.

The costumes were really cool (with one glaring exception but we’ll get to that later). I especially enjoyed Hades/the gods costumes, because they looked enough like their movie counterparts while still being unique to the show. The way they did Hades’ makeup was super cool, like they pulled him right into the real world. Likewise, the Muses had some really cool costume changes throughout and they all looked amazing.

One of the more impressive aspects of the show was the puppetry and special effects, which felt grounded in a more Greek theatre kind of style and I thought it worked very well. The puppetry of the monsters specifically was super cool. The Hydra looked fantastic, as well as the three Titans. This production of course wasn’t given a lot of money, but much like The Lightning Thief, they worked with it. They were in these cool pieces that different actors held and when they came together they looked great. They were bright and bold and drew on older theatre techniques which I liked a lot. The special effects, especially in the latter half, were also good. How they did the Underworld was simple but effective and made a wonderful stage picture, especially the moment when Hercules saves Meg from Hades. How they made his life string turn gold looked really cool as well.

In terms of musical numbers, what worked best was the songs we all know and love. “Go the Distance” was simply staged, which made the emotion of the song far more effective. “Zero to Hero” was a blast and took all the best parts from the movie and put them on stage. “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” was divine, just as I expected it to be. “A Star Is Born” was genuinely uplifting and joyous, since they brought out all 200 members of the cast and everyone was so happy to be there and it was the perfect way to end the show.

There were 5 new songs, and while I wasn’t a fan of most of them, I really really liked “Bolts of Thunder” and thought it was a fun way to musicalize the big fight scenes with the Titans towards the end. The Muses also wore these incredible 90s girl group inspired jumpsuits that were spectacular.

Speaking of 90s girl group Muses, there were two moments when they heavily channeled this vibe and I wish they did more of it. “Bolts of Thunder” with the jump suits and the reprise of “Gospel Truth” after “One Last Hope” where they wore these late 80s/early 90s workout video outfits. Those moments were artistically bold and really emphasized what worked in the original movie, but I’m gonna talk more about that later in part 3.

Of course my favorite part of this production was Roger Bart. He stole the entire show. Whenever Hades is on stage he has the best lines and the funniest moments and he just has a way of making every line feel both biting and passive aggressive. He was absolutely incredible and the perfect choice for Hades. This production gave us more Hades than the original movie, but I wanted even more Hades. Bart has always been an actor near and dear to my heart (Young Frankenstein was my jam) and I was so glad to see him onstage again.

2. The Bad

Unfortunately, a good portion of the show feels clunky, both stylistically and in content. The book was perfectly serviceable, taking a good portion of its lines from the films. But it felt too slow in the first half and too fast in the second, which was also when things got more interesting. For example, there’s a whole song about Hercules not feeling accepted at the Agora and there’s a long scene after that song but later on when Hercules defeats Hades, that takes literally 2 seconds. Likewise, the show over explains certain exposition points (and is not subtle in any way, shape or form) and doesn’t explain other things. Though really there isn’t much exposition at all, as this show assumes you’ve watched the movie dozens of times.

That doesn’t always work well.

I went with a friend who hadn’t seen it in a while and afterwards he asked about what happened to Meg that made her sign her soul over to Hades. I knew because I’ve seen the movie so many times, but the show kind of brushes right over it. If you’ve never seen the movie before, which will definitely be the case with some people, it might be a little difficult to keep up with.

Stylistically, this show was all over the place.

In my opinion, Public Works presented three versions of Hercules:

1. The gospel version

2. The 90s nostalgia version

3. The Greek inspired version

I’m going to go more into this later, but these three versions would have worked if they could have seamlessly blended into each other. As of now, it’s incredibly jarring and distracting and would sometimes take me right out of the show.

For example! Hercules wore a traditional toga. Meg wore this

Yes this is Mal from Disney’s Descendants and yes Meg wore basically this but she had shorter hair and purple heel boots instead of gray. Hercules’ toga and this together looked almost absurd to be honest.

And side note: Disney has been on a kick recently where they think pants equals feminism? Someone needs to tell Disney that women can wear dresses and still be feminist

Anyways

The choreography was pretty basic, but it’s hard to fault them this when the choreography is meant to be for a crowd of 200 people with ages varying from 5 - 80. There were a lot of step touch and wave moments. There was one really cool dance break in “Zero to Hero” that made me think about how cool some of these big production numbers could be if they got some good dancers in there.

I wish the Muses were better. They were so low energy during “Gospel Truth,” which made the evening start off on a lower note than it should have.

The pop culture references were really weird and out of place, mostly because of their specificity. The pop culture references in the movie are purposely vague and more “modern” references than pop culture, which makes the movie timeless. The pop culture references here might date the show in the future. There’s two that stood out specifically, one being when Hercules says “I know the Wobble!” before doing it, the other when Panic starts doing the Hercules Mulligan rap (you know the one) from Hamilton when Hades asks him if he knows Hercules.

The rest of the new songs weren’t great either, and I’m gonna talk about each of them separately

“To Be Human” - This one definitely felt like a first draft of “Go the Distance.” Interestingly enough, I feel that an edited version of “Proud of Your Boy” from the Alladin musical (also written by Alan Menken) would have worked a lot better.

“Uniquely Greek Town Square” - bad

“Forget About It” - I’m all for giving Meg more songs, but this was decent at best

“A Cool Day In Hell” - I desperately want Hades to have a solo, but not this. It was cheesy and felt out of place. Roger Bart sold the hell out of it, but of course he did cause he’s Roger Bart and incredible and amazing

“Uniquely Greek Tough Town” - not to be confused with “Uniquely Greek Town Square,” this song didn’t feel uniquely Greek at all and was, well, bad

“To Be Human (Reprise” - fine, I guess. Jelani Alladin made it good but the lyrics weren’t great. They rhymed “fail” with “frail.”

3. What I Think They Should Do Moving Forward

Like I said before, this show has so much potential! I think it could be so good! This is my favorite Disney movie so I really want it to go to Broadway! If they do, there’s a couple things I think they could benefit from.

The best Disney Theatricals productions draw heavily from the culture/country the story takes place in. The Lion King, which draw heavily from Kenyan culture and reinvents the source material is the best example of this. I think drawing on Greek theatre conventions/styles would work well here, especially if Disney threw some of that good Disney money at it. I’d also like to see them lean into the Greek myth aspect of it a bit more.

However, what also made the original Hercules movie so fun was its modern flair that felt both timeless and very 90s, which was fun. In this way I think the Muses and all the supernatural characters should draw more on this 90s flair while the mortals draw more on the Greek theatre conventions. I think with incorporating some Greek into the 90s and some 90s into the Greek, this could work really well. During “One Last Hope,” all the ensemble members wore those fun workout video outfits. I think it would have been fun if they wore togas still, but with sweatbands and leg warmers. Something like that to blend them together more. A theatrical beauty blender, if you will.

In all honesty, I just want something bold and inspired. Give me something interesting!

The show would also benefit from heavy edits to the newer songs and a good troupe of dancers, but that would of course happen in a possible commercial transfer.

Lastly, as with just about anything, throw some Disney money at it! Make it shine!

Normally I’d end this with a “Go see it!” or a “Don’t waste your time on it!” but this run is already sold out and lottery winners have been predetermined. So if you’ve won the lottery and are going, you’re in for a treat! The show is so fun and so enjoyable. I only critique it so heavily because I love the movie so much and have been wanting a musical adaptation for a while now. But I also know it’s Public Works and it’s free and it’s in the park and it’s fun and you can eat ice cream while watching it. If you didn’t win but live in NYC, give the lottery a go! I saw the lottery crowd waiting for winners to be drawn and it was incredibly crowded, so be aware of that.

Or, if you didn’t win the lottery/don’t win standby lottery, go over to the Belvedere Castle and you can listen in on the show. You’re only seeing their backs, but I saw a bunch of people there watching/listening the whole time!

#hercules #broadway #jelani alladin #krysta rodriguez #disney #review #voice

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themosleyreview · 5 years

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The Mosley Review: Aladdin

I've said it before and I'll say it again: in animation you have the freedom to deliver true magic and wonderment, but in live action you have to ground it and it strips away the fun. The live action adaptations of the Disney animated classics like Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast were the perfect examples of how they failed to capture what you love about the originals. The magic gets sucked away and the power of the story is almost destroyed...until now. I can finally say that for the first time, this was actually a surprisingly really good adaptation of a very beloved classic. The film was absolutely gorgeous from the visuals to the costume designs. I will say that the story is the same, but with a great deal alterations. The first half of the film felt very rushed and then once we get to the Cave of Wonders sequence, the film finally stops running and begins to walk us through the story. The musical numbers were fun and cool to watch and the film had a lot to live up to and for the majority it delivered.

Mena Massoud as Aladdin was a good choice, but at times I felt he was wooden and didn't have the fun charm I hoped for. It also felt like in the beginning he was still figuring out how to play the character and line deliveries fell flat, but later in the film he finds his footing. Naomi Scott was outstanding as Jasmine. She was powerful and had a lot more to do than her animated counterpart. She has a power house of a singing voice and I'm not for adding new songs to an already establish soundtrack, but her song stole the film. I loved her handmaiden Dalia who was portrayed by the scene stealing and hilarious Nasim Pedrad. I liked Marwan Kenzari as Jafar and the more grounded and less creepy depiction of the character. You see his ambition and you understand it, but he still is evil. I liked the portrayal of The Sultan by Navid Negahban because he wasn't as clueless and he carried more weight. Now I had the most reservations about a live action version of one of the most iconic characters Disney has ever had. Baloo the bear is my favorite character and the Genie is my second favorite. Will Smith stepped up to the near impossible task and he did a fantastic job by making it his own and not stepping on the legacy that Robin Williams left behind. He respected it and captured the charm and the heart of the character. It was jarring at first and I thought his version of Friend Like Me was alright, but by the time the brake down section of Prince Ali hit, I was sold.

The score and music was all fantastic and of course was once again led by the man behind almost all of the most iconic Disney songs, Alan Menken. The only problems I truly had were the story pacing and some of the visual effects on the Genie because it was sometimes very awkward. Overall, I did really enjoy this live action adaptation and it is the best so far and Guy Ritchie's best directed film in a long time. My advise, don't go into this film judging or trying to compare it to the animated original. I know it will be very hard to do that, but it is not fair to the film nor is fair to deprive yourself of a good time. Just sit back enjoy.

#aladdin #mena massoud #naomi scott #marwan kenzari #navid negahban #nasim pedrad #billy magnussen #will smith #Disney #robin williams #guy ritchie

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imagitory · 5 years

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D-Views: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Bonjour, mes amies! Welcome, bienvenue, to another installment of D-Views, my written review series for films produced or inspired by the Walt Disney company! For more reviews for films like Enchanted, Star Wars Episode III, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, feel free to consult my “Disney reviews” tag, and please, if you enjoy this review or any of the others, please consider liking and reblogging! I look forward to writing more of these in the future for films like Wreck-It Ralph and Halloweentown, as well as Non-Disney films like Charlotte’s Web.

I recently put out a poll suggesting three Disney Renaissance films for possible review subjects, and although The Little Mermaid won that poll, this film ended up not far behind. (Thank you, @schifty-al and @mygeekcorner for your votes!) It’s one of my personal favorite Disney films of all time...The Hunchback of Notre Dame!

Victor Hugo’s classic novel Notre Dame du Paris, called The Hunchback of Notre Dame in English, seems like a very odd inspiration for a Disney animated family film, and that’s because...yeah, it is! When the Disney animators first brought Hunchback to the table, they were less inspired by the original Hugo novel glamorizing the architecture of Notre Dame cathedral, and more inspired by a graphic novel adaptation of the story, which was likewise much more influenced by the 1939 Hollywood film adaptation. Because of the historical context that 1939 adaptation was made in (premiering at Cannes during the rise of the Third Reich), themes of social justice were added to a story that originally was about how the “edifice” can outlast the flaws and sins of mankind. The “social justice” element is something that Hugo interestingly put more in his follow-up to Notre Dame du Paris, the epic brick book Les Miserables, but has since been similarly tied in the public consciousness to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, despite not existing in the original book.

The project was already an odd choice for Disney to take on thanks to the darkness of the book, but the political themes also were unique for a Disney picture as well. It clearly was a more “adult” endeavor, even though thanks to the success of previous projects like Aladdin and The Lion King, there were studio mandates demanding more comic relief, and even the marketing team was reluctant to advertise Hunchback as anything other than a family film. Rather than showing the artistry and darker scenes, the marketing almost entirely focused on the Feast of Fools and the gargoyles, highlighting the “Ugly Duckling” aspect added to the story and downplaying the more adult themes. In the end, it’s likely thanks to those poor marketing choices and the inconsistent tone of the picture that this movie failed to find its audience on first run. It only earned $21 million worldwide, compared to Pocahontas’s $29 million and The Little Mermaid’s $84 million, with mixed critical and audience reaction. Although it was nominated for an Academy Award for its music and won several others, it was noticeably less successful than other installments in the Disney Renaissance, and even now, Disney often doesn’t give Hunchback that much attention. Like Quasimodo, the film has been sort of locked up in its own tower...but now, today, I aim to bring The Hunchback of Notre Dame out of the shadows and give it the appreciation it deserves.

Our film begins in complete darkness, accompanied by resounding church bells and the amazing vocalizations of the English Opera Company, and from the very beginning, I’m just enveloped by the embrace of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s unbelievable score. Choral music in general has always been something special in my family. My mum and dad were in choirs a lot of their lives: they even first met when they joined the San Diego Master Chorale in the 80′s. Choral music remains one of my mother’s greatest loves and passions, and when I saw Hunchback, it made the choral music my parents loved so much, which focused around a faith I hadn’t been raised with and didn’t believe in, that bit more accessible to me as a child. Mum, who studied Latin in college, went on to teach me about all of the chants and phrases Menken and Schwartz added to each song so that I could more appropriately sing along. It remains one of those Disney soundtracks that cemented our close bond, and I’ll always treasure being able to see the La Jolla Playhouse production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with my mum and getting to hear the amazing choir and instruments live.

The Bells of Notre Dame, as an opening number, cannot be matched in how it introduces us all to the story, characters, themes, and tone of the piece. In just a few minutes, the music and lyrics perfectly showcases our setting, the theme of what makes a man, the atmosphere of fear and injustice, our villain, and our hero. Menken and Schwartz previously worked together on Pocahontas, but Hunchback in my opinion easily outstrips their previous collaboration. The use of church bells of all sizes to convey the solemnity, mystery, and grandeur of the cathedral at the center of the proceedings, and the clever use of Latin phrases -- it’s just unbelievable! As one example, in the sequence where Frollo (a judge in this version, as opposed to the Archdeacon) chases Quasimodo’s mother up to the stairs of Notre Dame and she pounds on the door, crying for help, the choir sings “Quantus tremor est futurus quando Judex est venturus,” which means, “What trembling is to be when the Judge comes.” And sure enough, the line comes to a horrible, horrified halt when Judge Frollo snatches the woman’s child away and throws her to the ground.

After one of the most epic musical introductions in a Disney film, we meet our sweet, gentle hero, Quasimodo, voiced by Tom Hulce, who is just such a ray of sunshine. Although I loved hearing Michael Arden as Quasimodo on stage, Tom Hulce will always be my Quasimodo. When I was a teenager, I went through a horrible “hating the world” phase where I only ever saw pain and suffering and felt not only powerless to make anything better, but worthless as well. During that time, I turned my back on a lot of the things that had brought me joy, feeling almost unable to enjoy them anymore. One of the very few exceptions, however, was this movie and especially the character of Quasimodo. When I was at my darkest points, Quasimodo never failed to bring me some light, not because he was particularly funny, but because for all of the misery in his circumstances, he never faltered in being gentle, creative, and kind. Looking back on how I’d been, I wish I’d had just a shred of Quasimodo’s grace back then. I wish I hadn’t allowed myself to fall into despair and resentment. Since I can’t go back, however, I keep Quasimodo in my mind sometimes whenever I’m going through something difficult. He’s kind of become a guardian angel of sorts to me, reminding me that my life is a precious gift and I shouldn’t take anything for granted. And really, I couldn’t do that if not for Tom Hulce and Quasimodo’s supervising animator, James Baxter. I truly am grateful to both of them for giving me a character that even now can be a symbol of everything I wish I could be.

Unfortunately along with Quasimodo, we also meet the gargoyles, Hugo, Victor, and Laverne. As a kid, I actually liked the gargoyles all right, but as an adult...yeah, they really break the mood. Badly. The worst offender is easily Hugo, which is a shame because I like Jason Alexander as a performer, but he just goes way too over-the-top-obnoxious. It would admittedly not be as bad if it were clear that the gargoyles were all in Quasimodo’s head, but Djali sees Hugo come to life at one point and they later help Quasimodo fight off the guards. I greatly prefer the way the gargoyles are handled in the stage production, where all of the saintly statues have their own voices that nonetheless reflect what Quasimodo is thinking and when Quasimodo hits his lowest point before Esmeralda’s execution, he forcefully banishes them out of his head.

Even though the comic relief is handled poorly, I certainly cannot say the same for the villain. Judge Claude Frollo is easily one of the most evil villains in Disney history. Tony Jay’s vocal performance is just chillingly resonant, commanding your attention and making you subconsciously shrink in on yourself whenever he speaks. It makes for a despicable, cold, cruel man -- the antithesis of a father, the true embodiment of a monster. Frollo is often compared to Mother Gothel from Tangled in how they both lie to, control, and emotionally abuse their charges (Quasimodo and Rapunzel, respectively), but I personally find Frollo so much worse than Gothel, because he not only cuts Quasimodo off from everyone, but he indoctrinates a gentle, kind soul like Quasimodo in his racism and intolerance against those different from him -- including Quasimodo’s own people, the Romani. Mother Gothel hoards Rapunzel away like a dragon hoarding treasure -- Frollo treats Quasimodo like a burden, beating into him that no one else would want him and that Frollo was such a “good man” to take him in. It’s just vile.

And now we come to my single favorite Disney song of all time -- Quasimodo’s aria, Out There. From the time I was little, this song spoke to me like few others did. Growing up, I was an only child with a huge imagination surrounded almost entirely by adults and who had a lot of difficulty relating to kids my age. I often liked being on my own, but it didn’t change how I often felt different and detached from the people around me, and as I got older, that feeling only increased. I moved a lot in my childhood, making it difficult for me to plant roots, and I rarely followed trends or popular norms, so I constantly stayed in the fringes of the crowd, enviously looking on at those who could fit in more easily than I could. I always tried to hide my insecurities, but they were still there, and when those insecurities took hold, I would often imagine the world being a place where I could be myself, just like Quasi does. Quasimodo’s longing to be “part of them” and lamentation of people being “heedless of the gift it is to be them” has always resonated with me, and even though it’s hard for me to sing Out There without shifting octaves, my heart swells every time I hear it.

The Captain of the Guard, Phoebus, is easily the biggest liberty that Hunchback adaptations have made with the original novel. The book version of Phoebus was more like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast than how he’s portrayed here, but I frankly have no complaints. Kevin Kline is wonderfully dry and witty in the role -- he’s more than a match for Esmeralda, being brave, noble, and sarcastic with seemingly no prejudice for those different from him. And then yeah, as for Esmeralda herself...as Phoebus says later, “what a woman!” Esmeralda was one of my very favorite Disney heroines as a kid, and she still is. The character of Esmeralda is often rather saint-like in her incarnations, but here we see both the “angelic” and “demonic” sides of her -- she’s fiery, but kind; rebellious, yet noble; anti-authority, but patient; distrustful, yet loyal. In the musical adaptation, when Esmeralda is first revealed, we hear Frollo, Phoebus, and Quasimodo sing this about her --

Frollo: She dances like the Devil!

Phoebus: She dances like an angel --

Quasimodo: An angel!

Phoebus: -- but with such fire!

Frollo: Such fire!

All Three: Who is she?

This is Esmeralda’s characterization and her relationship to the three male main characters in a nutshell. Quasimodo only sees the best of Esmeralda; Frollo only sees the worst of her; and Phoebus sees her for everything she is...as a person. And this is why she ultimately chooses Phoebus, unlike in the book where she solely chooses Phoebus because of his looks.

When we reach the Palace of Justice, I’m reminded that I have yet to accent how absolutely stunning every single background is in this movie. Yes, the animation overall is wonderful, whether in the character animation or otherwise, but there are few Disney films that have more atmospheric and beautiful backgrounds than this. It serves to give the movie such a wonderful depth and makes the setting feel that much richer and deeper. Admittedly one weaker aspect of the animation is the now-slightly-outdated CG background characters. They were made by taking a handful of templates and then mixing up their clothes and colors, so as to multiply them ad infinitum and make the crowds of Paris look bigger and more colorful. Even with that, though, you do sort of have to look carefully at the background crowds to notice, as there are lots of hand-drawn characters sprinkled in in front of those CG models that help obscure their repetition and awkwardness. Those CG crowds also make the city of Paris look appropriately overcrowded and huge, so I’m glad that they used the technology even if it was still so in-progress at the time.

Even though Topsy Turvy starts off so fun and festive, however, it soon devolves into a terrible riot where Quasimodo is bound and tormented by the crowd. I admit, the transition is a little abrupt, but it still works for me, as people can be so easily swept away by mob mentality and those in power -- namely, Frollo’s guards -- sometimes flaunt their authority by putting down others. Fortunately Esmeralda is there to save Quasimodo and give Frollo a much-deserved verbal smackdown. The following scene, though, is another example of the mismatched tone, stretching out Esmeralda’s escape with a lot of comic “hijinks” that don’t really add anything to the film and kind of serve as a big time waster, especially after it abruptly cuts off and turns much more solemn and sad as Frollo silently confronts Quasimodo and Quasi returns to Notre Dame in shame.

Hunchback’s focus on religion is, in my opinion, one of the things that made producing an adaptation of Hugo’s novel such a bold decision. I’m not a religious person at all (Agnostic and proud), but it was still really meaningful to me to see both the good and bad associated with religion, represented by the Archdeacon and Frollo respectively. Frollo, along with Pharaoh Seti from The Prince of Egypt, taught me as a kid that evil is not always self-aware and, more importantly, how much more dangerous evil is when it garbs itself in godliness and righteousness. That’s a valuable lesson, regardless of your religious faith. God Help the Outcasts may invoke God’s name, but it could just as easily be a prayer to the world, or even just to you as an individual. The Christian faith preaches that we are made in God’s image...so when Esmeralda asks God to help her people, maybe she’s in truth asking you to try to be the loving God they need.

Something unique about Hunchback is the wonderful friendship that develops between Esmeralda and Quasimodo. From the time I was very little, I made friends with both boys and girls, so it was so wonderfully refreshing to see a story where a girl and a boy became such close friends and supported each other so much. Yes, admittedly, Quasimodo is romantically interested in Esmeralda, but when he sees how much she loves Phoebus, he both accepts their relationship and treasures Esmeralda’s friendship all the same. He doesn’t wallow in bitterness upon Esmeralda not choosing him; he loves her all the same as the first real friend he’s ever had. Esmeralda truly loves Quasimodo and treasures their friendship too -- her choosing Phoebus romantically is never framed as her teasing Quasimodo or leading him on; she simply loves Phoebus and Quasimodo in different ways. And that I find so unbelievably cool. I also like that in Esmeralda’s and Quasimodo’s conversation on the roof, there are some strains of the deleted song Someday in the instrumental accompanying the scene -- you can hear a R&B variation of Someday in the film’s credits, but originally it was meant to replace the more religious God Help the Outcasts, only for God Help the Outcasts to be chosen over it. I agree with the filmmakers’ decision, but I still like Someday too. Quasimodo’s helping Esmeralda and Djali escape Notre Dame by climbing down the towers also beautifully foreshadows Quasimodo’s dexterity in climbing down to save Esmeralda at the end of the film.

Quasimodo and Frollo are both enthralled with Esmeralda, but as mentioned previously, they each only see the angelic and demonic sides of her, which is best encapsulated by the dual numbers Heaven’s Light and Hellfire. Heaven’s Light is appropriately sweet and pure, but I can’t beat around the bush here: Hellfire steals the show, not just from Heaven’s Light but from all other villain songs in Disney history. The song starts with a choral chant praying for forgiveness, which then segways into Frollo’s demented, mad raving about his lust, fear, and hatred for Esmeralda. The words are almost terrifying in their level of conviction and paranoia, which then devolves into vindictive, destructive mania, framed by the mournful echoes for “mercy” from the choir.

Right after Hellfire, we get one of my favorite instrumentals on the soundtrack called Paris Burning. The choir’s bustling, dramatic cries trimmed by the tense strings and horns of the orchestra just evokes fear and horror as Frollo terrorizes Paris. Then Phoebus finally takes a stand, refusing to set fire to the miller’s house and then, after Frollo does it himself, leaping in to save the family from the flames. In the musical, this whole sequence is accompanied by the amazing musical number Esmeralda (which honestly, every fan of this movie should listen to, it’s really worth it), but the film handles it unbelievably well with only a short scene and an instrumental that sears the final “Kyrie Eleison” into the audience’s ears like a fire brand.

Sadly, after this amazing, epic sequence, we once again are subjected to tonal whiplash when we return to the bell tower and the gargoyles decide to sing Quasimodo a song to cheer him up. Although I maintain Hunchback has one of the best soundtracks ever recorded, what stops it from being flawless is this song. A Guy Like You is not an inherently bad song on its own, but when combined with the rest of the soundtrack, its melody, tone, and out-of-place pop cultural references are just ridiculously jarring. It’s like we’ve been transported into a completely different movie, one less inspired by a classic French novel and a critically acclaimed film about social justice and one more inspired by Disney hits of the day like Aladdin and later projects like Hercules. As sad as it is, it’s kind of a relief when it’s over and we’re brought back down to earth by Esmeralda carrying a close-to-death Phoebus into Quasimodo’s tower.

Frollo’s arrival after Quasimodo agrees to hide Phoebus is excellent in its suspense. We can sense Frollo’s suspicion, and all the while, we’re so worried for Phoebus hiding under the very table he and Quasimodo are sitting at. Then Frollo, who we’ve only ever seen as cold, conniving, and controlled, bursts into a rage the kind of which we’ve never seen before, and for a second, he’s a demon himself. After his rage is spent, he sets his cruelest, most terrible trap yet: using Quasimodo’s feelings for Esmeralda so that he can capture her and the rest of the Romani. And at first, Quasimodo almost doesn’t take the bait, thanks to a short-lived pang of self-pity. At first he’s bitter about his heart being broken and considers not helping Esmeralda, as there’d seemingly be no “reward” in him doing so...but the feeling is quelled in seconds by the memory of Esmeralda and how much her friendship means to him. Quasimodo’s selflessness and goodness wins out in its struggle with his more selfish instincts...and this, in the end, is what makes Quasimodo a hero in my eyes.

All right, I guess with our entrance into the Court of Miracles, I should address the elephant in the room. I’ve called Esmeralda’s people “the Romani” in this review, but throughout the entire film, the term is substituted for the admittedly-period-appropriate slur “Gypsy.” I knew nothing about the Romani culture when I first saw this film and I profess no intimate knowledge of it now, but even with that, I have to acknowledge that this movie doesn’t always showcase the Romani in the best light. Although Quasimodo’s parents, Esmeralda, and (to a degree) Clopin are given relative sympathy, the sequence in the Court of Miracles doesn’t do much to endear them to the audience. These victims of persecution are not really given the focus they deserve: we never learn much about their culture or about why they’re persecuted, and we don’t really get to see how they live their lives as ordinary people. To someone who doesn’t know anything about the Romani, I don’t think this film would be the best introduction to their culture and heritage.

Our climax is accompanied by the best instrumental track in the film, Sanctuary! Whenever I hear this piece, I have to stay completely silent, drinking in every single line and note, so as to properly absorb its brilliance. The track has accompanied a lot of my writing in the past: it’s always helped me when I was writing a powerful, emotional climax, whether through the emotion it wrought from me or just from wanting to write a new scene to the music. This entire sequence, from a musical, writing, animation, and character point of view, is I think what made Disney decide to make this film in the first place. The pacing -- the character animation of Quasimodo tearing down the pillars -- the drawn backgrounds of Notre Dame -- the camera whirling over the never-ending crowd’s heads and up onto the cathedral as Quasimodo hoists Esmeralda over his head -- this is the heart of why the movie was made and what the entire film was building up to. This resistance against injustice and the protection of our sacred, historical institutions from hatred and cruelty is what Hunchback is and should be all about. Occasionally this battle scene is inter-spliced with comic bits that once again aren’t really necessary and kind of stick out (Laverne’s Wizard of Oz reference and Hugo’s impression of a fighter plane in particular are out of place), but it doesn’t ruin anything for me. Fortunately as the climax grows darker with the arrival of Frollo and the transition from Sanctuary! into And He Shall Smite the Wicked, the gargoyles take a backseat, and we get focus where we should’ve always had it: on Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Frollo. Thanks to his love for his friend Esmeralda and the realization of his own self-worth, Quasimodo finally stands up to Frollo and breaks free of his poisonous influence once and for all. This line of Quasi’s has always stuck with me --

“All my life you’ve taught me the world is a dark, cruel place...but now I see the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!”

Even now this line is just so powerful. There was a point where all I saw of the world was its cruelties and injustices...but like Quasimodo, I’ve come to see that those cruelties are not inherent to the world or even to mankind as a whole. Humans are capable of both great evil and great good, but as long as the evil people of the world are allowed to seize control and exert their toxic influence over everyone else, the world and mankind overall will never become better. Like Quasimodo, we must stand against those who’ve embraced cruelty and hatred over acceptance and love. We must protect the brighter parts of the world that evil so wishes to snuff out. It’s a moral I think has only become more relevant and important over time.

Unlike in the book and musical, Esmeralda survives, and as much as I’ve heard people try to argue Esmeralda living is not true to the spirit of the original novel, I think it really suits the story being told and really feels just for both characters. Quasimodo deserved happiness; Esmeralda deserved happiness; and most importantly, this all the more highlights how different Quasimodo is from Frollo. Frollo says to Esmeralda, “Choose me or the fire” -- basically, if he can’t have her, he doesn’t want anyone else to...but Quasimodo doesn’t think that way. He cherishes Esmeralda and her friendship without any caveats or conditions: therefore him losing Esmeralda, whether to Phoebus or to death, doesn’t prompt him to commit suicide like he did in the novel. It’s not only a more uplifting ending, but I think a lesson in the selflessness of love, even if it’s just platonic love. And because Esmeralda loves Quasimodo just as much as a friend, she leads him out into the sun, where he finds even more of the love he deserves from the city he wished so much to belong in. Quasimodo doesn’t get the girl, but that was never what he wanted in the first place: it was merely to be accepted as he was.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was one of the most formative films of my childhood, right up there with Beauty and the Beast, The Prince of Egypt, and Anastasia, and it remains my second favorite Disney animated film of all time. With time, I’ve seen more and more of its flaws, but those flaws don’t ruin what in the end is one of the most daring, revolutionary projects Disney Animation has ever tackled. Its artistry, from the backgrounds to the character animation, is exceptional; all of its major human characters are multi-faceted, complex, and real; its themes are eternally relevant and powerful; and its score and nearly all of its songs are just through the stratosphere in their quality. Hunchback, along with Beauty and the Beast, made me fall in love with France from afar as a child, a love affair that has only become more and more intense through the years, and Quasimodo and Esmeralda even now are so close to my heart. I wish so much to be as kind and gentle as Quasimodo and as brave and noble as Esmeralda, and I can only hope that at some point, if I ever visit Disneyland Paris, I might finally meet them. The Hunchback of Notre Dame may not have gotten the appreciation it deserved when it first came to theaters, but I’ll always be happy to hear Disney fans remembering it as fondly as I do. Who knows? Maybe someday, the world will be wiser and will give this film its time in the sun at long last.

#d-views #disney reviews #the hunchback of notre dame #disney #opinion #analysis #reviews #oh boy here i go

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the-rosecut-jeweler · 4 years

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A Free Spirit in Kul’Tiras

NAME: Allisiana Rosaline Holt

FACE CLAIM: Emma Watson

TITLE: Baroness, Lady

NICKNAME: Siana (current), Lily (childhood)

AGE: 23

HEIGHT: 5′4″

SPECIES: Human

GENDER: Female

BIRTHDAY: July 25th

SUN SIGN: Leo

RESIDENCE: Her own Boralus townhouse

LANDS / HOLDINGS: Blackmarsh Estate

SKILLS: crafting fine jewelry, chi healing, persuasion

DRINK: Strawberry wine

FOOD: Goldenbark Apple turnovers

DAY OR NIGHT: Dusk

SNACKS: Tel’abim Banana-nut bread

SONGS: The Dress by Alan Menken [click link to listen]

PETS: Jack, an 3-year-old husky

COLOR: Summer colors - Teal & Gold

FLOWER: Gilnean roses and gardenias

EYE COLOR: Chestnut brown

HAIR COLOR: Copper brown, bronze highlights

BODY TYPE: fit, modest curves

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good Everything you do is for the greater good, but you feel like needless bureaucracy often gets in the way. You’re trying to make the world a better place, but you really need to do it your own way.

PREDOMINANT ARCHETYPES:

PERSONALITY: ENFP-A - The Campaigner

Campaigners are fiercely independent, and much more than stability and security, they crave creativity and freedom.

The Campaigner personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike types in the Explorer Role group, Campaigners are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd.

More than just sociable people-pleasers though, Campaigners, like all their Diplomat cousins, are shaped by their Intuitive (N) quality, allowing them to read between the lines with curiosity and energy. They tend to see life as a big, complex puzzle where everything is connected – but unlike Analyst personality types, who tend to see that puzzle as a series of systemic machinations, Campaigners see it through a prism of emotion, compassion and mysticism, and are always looking for a deeper meaning.

Many other types are likely to find these qualities irresistible, and if they’ve found a cause that sparks their imagination, Campaigners will bring an energy that oftentimes thrusts them into the spotlight, held up by their peers as a leader and a guru – but this isn’t always where independence-loving Campaigners want to be. Worse still if they find themselves beset by the administrative tasks and routine maintenance that can accompany a leadership position. Campaigners’ self-esteem is dependent on their ability to come up with original solutions, and they need to know that they have the freedom to be innovative – they can quickly lose patience or become dejected if they get trapped in a boring role.

[ SOCIETY ]

$ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty. ✚ Medical : fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged. ✪ Class or Caste : upper / middle / working / slave / unsure. ✔ Education : qualified / unqualified / studying ✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet.

[ FAMILY ]

◐ Marital status : married - happily / unhappily / engaged or betrothed / partnered / single / divorced / separated / widowed ◒ Children : has a child or children / has no children / wants children. ◑ Relationship with Family : close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased / Has cousins and is close to them ◔ Filtration : orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parents

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between. ♦ disorganized / organized / in between. ♦ close minded / open-minded / in between. ♦ calm / anxious / in between. ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between. ♦ cautious / reckless / in between. ♦ patient / impatient / in between. ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between. ♦ leader / follower / in between. ♦ empathetic / unemphatic / in between. ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between. ♦ traditional / modern / in between. ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between. ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown. ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown. ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown.

[ BELIEFS ]

★ Faith : monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic. ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✮ Belief in an Afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✯ Belief in Reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ❃ Belief in Aliens : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✧ Religious : orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious. ❀ Philosophical : yes / no. / in between.

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality : heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual. ❥ Sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable. ♥ Romance : romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable. ❣ Sexually : adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious. ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all. ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all.

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ≡ Literacy Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ✂ Technical Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none.

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ☁ Smoking : trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ✿ Other Narcotics : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ✌ Medicinal Drugs : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ☻ Indulgent Food : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. $ Splurge Spending : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ♣ Gambling : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

[ MOST NOTABLE PERSONALITY TRAITS ]

REVERENCE

One part of you dreams of giving yourself up – perhaps just for a while – to a hero or mentor. In the right circumstances you can flourish by letting go of your ego. In your inner life, reverence plays out as a willing submission to your own conscience. In the outside world, you might get frustrated searching for something worth believing in – a country, a person, a company – but you will always be open to feeling respect, admiration and wonder.

SENSITIVITY

You have delicate, sensitive perceptions; you can be deeply moved by appearances – the right light in a room, or good food, or the texture of a piece of clothing. Expressive, intelligent language has a powerful hold on you; your mind works better when it is inspired and provoked by vivid imagery. It can be sad to live in a world which is often so ugly and not properly looked after. But you know that things can be otherwise, and you have the ability to appreciate the world at its best.

RESILIENCE

You have a tendency, after a setback, to turn your emotions towards restriving. What attracts you is the idea of wiping out a humiliation by resumed action – overcoming weakness, repressing your fear. Because part of your motive is pride, you can sometimes be unwilling to admit weakness or to receive aid. But at heart, tour insistence on coming back and never folding has taught you a valuable pessimism: you know that important journeys are never easy.

Your archetype is the realist.

traits: practical, understanding, honest, brutal, logical, creator, intelligent, sensible, down-to-earth, reasonable

the realist is most commonly used to symbolize the highest possible outcome in a dire situation. they are the ones who have everything planned, and hand out reality checks as if they were pamphlets to those who need them–which, quite honestly, is everyone who isn’t a realist. although they can be harsh (brutal truth over merciful), they are nurturers and care more than they let on. realists tend to do things that will lead to the best outcome, and use their knowledge of reading people to manipulate situations and problems in order to get out of a rock and a hard place.

FLOWER PERSONALITY Allisiana is:

Ginger

You Are: Spirited. A feisty and fiery companion, quick with an opinion, a laugh or an idea. Warm, friendly and inviting, you never allow an awkward moment to pass. In fact, even cold and distant people warm up to you more quickly than others. Negative experiences or too much indulgence, however, can send you into a bit of a tailspin, and when hurt you may become quite cold and distant. Ginger people do best when their natural warmth and affection is flowing freely, giving them easy access to their love of life.

An international socialite, ginger has worked its way into culinary circles around the world because of its digestive and warming talents*. When experiencing occasional digestive disturbance as a result of overindulging, you can rely on the warming, spicy properties of ginger root to restore a sense of balance.

Known for its ability to relieve occasional indigestion and prevent nausea associated with motion sickness, ginger first appeared in the writings of Confucius in the 5th century BC.* By the 1st century AD ginger had become one of the most commonly traded spices. During this time ginger was so valuable that, in England, one pound of it was worth the cost of a sheep! Spicy, rich and warm, with sweet undertones, ginger is considered a warming herb in some traditions and makes a wonderful spicy tea for the winter months.

Nettle

You Are: Truly a nurturing and supportive friend, you’re the kind of person that just isn’t for everyone. But those who take the time are rewarded with your gentle disposition, and the kind of friendship that does a person good no matter the difficulty they’re facing. When out of balance, you can become more prickly than supportive or nurturing, though—a sign that you need to shower yourself with the same kind of nurturing you so freely give to others.

Nettle is a deeply supportive herb that has been used for centuries as a tonic to support your body’s well-being. A traditional springtime tonic whose alluring “green” taste is a reflection of the rising green of spring, nettle gently nourishes the whole body.

Nettle’s genus name, Urtica, comes from the Latin urere, meaning “to burn”, an obvious reference to nettle’s nasty sting. Nettle is widespread around the world, and evidence of this very old plant was even found in Neolithic stilt dwellings in Switzerland dating back to the third millennium B.C. It has long been enjoyed for its gentle support for the whole body, as well as for its refreshing, green taste.

Passionflower

You Are: Deeply concerned about others and the world around you, you have a developed sense of what’s right and just. You’re a bit of an idealist and strive to see your vision of perfection realized in the world. On occasion you get out of balance, and you may feel a deep sense of unease and be prone to worry—especially at night, tossing and turning over all that is wrong or that needs fixing.

Known and loved for its power to calm restless minds and relieve occasional sleeplessness, passionflower may help restore a sense of peace and ease and “all is right with the world,” as well as helping you get the rest you need to feel good again.

Anyone who has ever seen a passionflower can appreciate its wildly intense beauty. In fact, Spanish missionaries who encountered it saw religious significance in its anatomical structure. Native to the Americas, and used by Native Americans to promote rest and relaxation, passionflower has made its way into Western herbal traditions for its soothing and relaxing qualities.

#the rose-cut jeweler #aesthetic #character sheet #Siana Holt #a free spirit in kul'tiras

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badmcuposts · 3 years

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i hereby demand that every high school / college marching band performs star spangled man with a plan now

#do alan menken some respect #and i wanted queue to be better #marvel #mcu #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #captain america #avengers endgame

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theonceoverthinker · 6 years

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RIP Dr. Facilier and Shadow Queen (A Look Back and Mourning for What Might Have Been)

Last night’s episode was one hell of a ride (I didn’t even get to watch it as it aired because I got to see the soul of Disney ALAN FRAK-A-LAKIN MENKEN in concert), and I have a lot of thoughts.

But one - nestled beside my Knight Rook, Golden Hook, and Curious Archer feels - stuck with me, and left me profoundly sad. I realize that I’m pretty alone in this regard - at least on Tumblr - but fuck it. I’ve got feelings on this and now’s the time to mourn.

I genuinely loved Dr. Facilier and Shadow Queen.

And let me be clear about this: I don’t hate other Regina ships (Many of them I like and ship myself) and I respect those other ships as adored parts of the fandom, but damn.

I loved Shadow Queen and I mourn as his character passes.

Facilier was only introduced as Regina’s love interest in Episode 12, but by that point, the news had already been spoiled for me. While I was initially rooting for Regina to end up with Wish Hook after “Pretty in Blue” showed off their amazing chemistry, I found myself excited as I saw the spoiler pics of Regina and Facilier together.

While they hadn’t been shown together on screen at that point, Facilier’s one appearance did a great job as establishing himself as a character. He was mysterious, powerful, passionate, but fallible.

Was that promise ever fully touched on? No, and that’s sad. This season has had strengths and flaws alike, but one of their biggest flaws had to be the overwhelming amount of villains. Counting last night’s revelation of Wish Rumple as the final villain, our total came to six villains. While that has happened in the past seasons, a lot of what helped with them was that they were often working in teams (Ex. The Queens of Darkness) or were already established characters (Ex. Rumple and Zelena). However, nearly every villain here was new (All depending on how you perceived Wish Rumple), and on top of that, we needed to develop and feature roughly ten heroes, with only two of them having already been established beforehand (Three if you count Wish Hook, and I’m not sure if I do). Unfortunately, this led to Dr. Facilier falling through the cracks and only allowed him to have a handful of scenes.

But damn, did make the most of them.

Daniel Francis absolutely nailed every scene he was in. Facilier/Baron Samedi was charismatic, charming, intelligent, and surprisingly not without compassion. His performance was really something to see and his chemistry, whether it was with Tiana, Lucy, Rumple, or yes - Regina - was through the roof.

Okay, so I’m about to gush about Shadow Queen. Fair warning.

I never cared for any of Regina’s canon romances. I found that Daniel was simply a boring nice boy and while it made sense for Regina to want to be with him, it didn’t really help to make him all that compelling. With Robin, it got a little better. They made him a bit more of a reformed villain (Granted on a much, MUCH smaller scale) and threw compelling ideas his way. However, the problem came from not giving Robin a voice and letting him react to things and not adding nuance and an interesting follow through with those ideas. (I can go into more detail, but not here.)

Because of my apathy for the two of them, Facilier came like a bolt of day through a cloudy sky. He could challenge Regina. One of my favorite scenes between them is in the bar with the tarot cards. Facilier challenges Regina to find a way to have it all. He believes in her, but acknowledges that he doesn’t have the answer to her problem and that she has to figure it out for herself. I’m honestly sad we never got their backstory. I feel like whatever it was was unique and special. I’ve a personal headcannon and maybe one day I’ll put it to paper.

In addition, Facilier was genuinely kind to Regina. He gave her his last bits of magic, something that while he was planning on getting more of it, there was no guarantee that that would succeed. He took her out on dates (I’ll never eat a bowl of chowder the same way again) and had unwavering faith in her abilities. He dropped everything when Lucy brought up the possibility of him being her hero for helping to break the curse.

But at the same time, he was a villain, and that was an obstacle. He killed at least one person and imprisoned Naveen (And later Tiana and Ella).

For me, that’s what made Facilier compelling. He was a downplayed Rumple in a lot of respects. His sins were not insurmountable as far as the audience could tell, and that made redemption possible, so there was always this mystery alive as to whether or not he could change. One could definitely argue that it was quite similar to Zades, but I think an ambiguous love story does have it’s place, and separates itself from the common “Will They, Won’t They” trope.

Now, I knew for a while that his and Regina’s love story was doomed, but I decided to love it fiercely. Was I delusional? Sure. Many others far less deserving of that title for their feelings on ships had it thrust upon them. I can take up that mantle.

But I loved and hoped for it anyway.

Am I upset at the writing staff? Yes. Facilier’s death was a fucking joke. Truthfully, I’m a little angry, a lot sad - nothing that would ever make me yell at any of them, but enough that I was saddled with the feelings to write this piece.

I guess I’m just grateful for what we got.

My wish is that part one of the finale has Regina acknowledge his absence with a brief explanation from Rumple, but being realistic, I think this is the best I can hope for in that regard.

That said, I know I’m going to move forward from this. Going in, this was kind of a win-win for me. Shadow Queen may have become my favorite Regina pairing, but Dragon Queen or Hooked Queen 2.0 is always possible too now.

However, I wanted to make this post as a way to mourn and look back on what a fascinating love story that we got in just a handful of episodes - one probably never intended to be canon, but one that at least one person appreciated, if only for the chance to admire both it and what might have been.

Thank you for reading, and I hope that - whether you shipped Shadow Queen or not - this connected with you in some way.

#shadow queen #ouat spoilers #ouat #regina #Regina Mills #dr. facilier #baron samedi

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calliecat93 · 4 years

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Well... after three seasons... Tangled is finally over. When it was forst announced, I was angry. The movie was so beautiful and it helped make me feel like Disney was finally back on the right track (as far as animation goes). It was beautiful, magical, great cast, music, characters, everything. So continuing it, especially with Disney’s track record kf unecesarry cash ins, made me mad. The artwork looking real cheap in stills and Rapunzel SOMEHOW having her magic hair again did NOT help.

And I was wrong.

Tangled was an absolute gem. Beautiful animation, Alan Menken returning to do music, all the cast returning, and an actually compelling story. But most of all, it was clearly made by people who cared about the original film and they did their best to respect it and it’s fanbase. That is all I ever as for.

The show wasn’t perfect. It could feel quite rushed at times and have some questionable plot choices (not outright BAD, just iffy). But most of the time, I didn’t care because ot was just so good! The characters were just as good as the film but with even more character development opprotunities. Most of the stories were cute, engaging, and even heartfelt. We had fun new characters and so much world-building not just withing Corona, but the whole world of Tangled that really helped it feel alive. It made a pair I already adored (Rapunzel and Eugene) to what is by far the best developed Disney pair without falling into any dumb cliches and it’s just so beautiful and I aspire to find true love like that one day.And the animation looks like a fairy tale storybook in motion, and I adore it.

The finale was freakin’ amazing and left me crying, but also truly happy to see happily ever after after all. Am I sad it’s all over? Of course. But all good stories have an ending, and I’d rather it go out on a high than a low. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. Thank you Tangled crew for such a lovely show, and I look flrward to what you bring in the future. Not for now, thank you Tangled: The Series for breaking my expectations and being everything I never knew I needed . It was a real blast~

#tangled #I’m gonna miss this so much #but I’m glad we had it #and I loved it

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rndyounghowze · 4 years

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Broadway Theatre of Pitman Gives US Sanctuary with The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Pitman, NJ

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Broadway Theatre of Pitman really rang a bell with me in their production of Hunchback of Notre Dame. This musical with music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by Peter Parnell was directed by John Stephan and gave us sanctuary for the night.

All Quasimodo ever wanted was one day out in the normal world. But his adopted Father Dom Frollo forbids it. But on the Festival of Fools he ventures out and meets a lovely Gypsy girl named Esmeralda. After seeing the world she opens up for him can he ever venture back in?

Direction and Choreography by John Stephan brought his usual flair for brilliant character work and expansive dance choreography. You can tell that Stephan puts his heart and soul in everything. The dance numbers did not disappoint. You had the huge stage stealing tentpoles that make us celebrate and the small intimate choreography that steals your heart.

Now for character work I have say that I don't know whether my criticism here is an acting choice, a script problem, or a director choice. I found it a strange choice for Quasimodo to talk in a lisp while speaking to some people and dropping it to sing beautifully or talk to other people. It's not the problem of his angelic singing voice that melts my soul like butter it's the problem that it rings unauthentic for a person with a speech disability to suddenly be able to sing.

Also I don't know why but there seemed to be more questions left unanswered by Quasimodo's disability than not. Such as if he is a bit deaf why can he hear things said behind him? And if he's reading lips why isn't he looking at people's faces? This is most likely a problem that production inherited from the script but characters with disabilities deserve to have that extra work done to provide great representation for the community of a differently abled audience. Oh I understand that realism is out the window in a play where he's talking to gargoyles. However you can't rest on your laurels just looking "infirm" you have to make sure your performance does not seem unauthentic to who the musical says Quasimodo is.

Other than my questions about Quasimodo (played by Will K. Carey) this guy is what Dana called "scary good" and has a wicked talent about him. He brings a sincerity to the character that I haven't seen in a long time. He makes us immediately feel like this character is someone that we know.

Although I feel that the villainous character of Frollo became bastardized by the musical adaptation our onstage Frollo (played by CJ Kish) did not disappoint in his performance. Because this new framing had him seeming more misguided than evil he was able to show a good man gone wrong. We are watching a journey of a Godly man turning into a monster.

Phoebus (played by Justin Boyd) cut a dashing figure in a cape and sword. Dana informed me I should mention that he was very handsome. I will say that we both agree that his voice was as smooth as silk and rich as cream. And his chemistry with Esmeralda was very nice.

Esmeralda (played by Shannon Q. Harkins) had that instantly approachable quality without seeming too vulnerable. She became my handhold into the musical. Her reactions and views of the world became mine. She gave the character sensuality without making her an object. No matter how other people objectified her she carried the character like a human being.

I respect anyone who can turn a cartwheel and still sing in tune and Clopin (played by Matthew Robertson) delivers. I especially love his performance in the Court of Miracles number. Instead of a Punchinello type character we get a true leader of the Romani.

I need to give a special shout out to the Jarema brothers: CJ Jarema and Andrew Jarema. I had a hard time counting all the roles they played in the course of two acts. I do know their hard work tired me out!

Krystina Hawkinson first wowed Dana and I in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and we really loved seeing her again last night! We feel we got a really good sense of her range and talent in this show.

The minute I heard that choir I had chills up and down my spine. There are so many things that you can do with a stationary choir that you can't do with an ensemble and this show has both a choir AND an ensemble of storytellers! You can fill the entire house with the magic of the human voice and for a show about a famous Cathedral you have a huge atmosphere to create! Dana and I were divided. She thinks we could have had the choir doing something more than just sitting there. They could have been part of the action more. I believe they were just perfect and I wish that the story teller ensemble had just stayed still and joined the choir. Be sure to go and tell us what you think.

Then you hear this orchestra under the musical Direction of Jack Hill that sounds as soft as heaven one moment and as firey as gates of hell the next. The orchestra made good use of strings and percussion to sound much bigger than it was.

Set Design by David DeWeil never disappoints! I loved the expansiveness of the set which stood almost as monolithic as the great cathedral herself. However I couldn't help but notice that some of the wagons buckled and swayed as actors walked on them. If they're going to hold the weight of actors then it should support them without the audience thinking about why it's moving on its own. I say this out of love because it's beautiful.

Lighting Design by Shawn McGovern really kept a dark and dismal atmosphere throughout. I noticed that he played really heavily with light and shadow and rich shades of purple. Probably the best lighting design I've seen at Pitman in a while.

Costume Design by Thom Sirkot played with the ideas of clean and ragged. You could tell what classof society characters were by their clean white robes, their dirty smocks, or their garish colorful dresses. However onstage costume changes at the beginning seemed a little too awkward but that might have been the complex nature of them. I am sure that most nights they work like a charm.

I was so glad to see fight choreography onstage in South Jersey that finally made sense! And this past stage armorer appreciates the work of fight director Rocco Barbera in this show. But it's not without it's problems. If you're going to do dazzling sword work then don't take actors acting at full speed and make them go through fight choreography that runs at half speed. Actually let the swords hit each other. Also make sure the actors are actually moving like they want to hit something. But it was the best sword choreography I've seen in three years. If I wasn't such a stickler I would say it was the best in six.

Of course the stage was graced with hair and wig Design by John Rattacasa. I have to confess that I'm such a fan of Mr. Rattacasa that anytime I see good hair onstage I go "that's an original masterpiece by John"! And I often start bragging about wigs that aren't his. John wigged the entire female ensemble in this show and if you can't tell it's because he's just... that...good! He's my theatre good luck charm for a reason!

Before I go I have a "behind the scenes" moment for you. At intermission an usher came to our row and announced that no one should be using their cellphones. Dana was able to whisper to her that we were reviewing the show and were invited. People often ask us why we don’t just show up to show unannounced and uninvited. This is why.

There are a lot of rules for theatre reviewers and they're all about making sure the venue, the reviewer, and the audience have the best experience ever. Normally we are invited to a press night at BTOP but in this instance it was not possible in which this case means we come in whenever schedules allow. Press nights are important to make sure that reviewers don't hinder someone's fun in the course of their duties. I would love to see press openings standardized all over South Jersey

You have more chances to see this show if you haven't already seen it. Even though it's not a favorite libretto of mine the cast has several ovation worthy moments. It's really worth it.

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