Panic! at the Disco: Pray for the Wicked Review

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I know what you are probably looking at the title and thinking. "Why is there a review for an album that does not relate to theatre?" Well, I thought and pondered about this for a little while and decided that since Brendon Urie was in Kinky Boots last year, this made it okay to review a Panic! at the Disco album on my theatre blog.

As many of you may know, Panic! at the Disco released a new album titled Pray for the Wicked last Friday. This album comes with so many different styles of music that all sync together somehow. With the traditional use of drums, piano, bass, guitar, and Brendon Urie's beautiful vocal cords, there is the addition of brass and string instruments.

Say Amen (Saturday Night) Video
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Like with every P!@TD album, the sound of it is different than all the others. With this, I think he went a bit more theatrical with some of the songs and a bit more pop with others. I felt that "Old Fashioned" could have come straight out of a musical, which I kind of enjoyed. I also felt like "Dancing's Not a Crime" had more of a Maroon 5 vibe to it, but with that alternative flair. (BTW, I am a huge fan of Maroon 5 as well).

I also felt that there were a couple of songs in the album had an almost inspirational feel to them. "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" and "High Hopes" both talk about never giving up hope that you are going to make it and be the one to get that big break. I feel, as a someone who really wants to become an actress, that is something that you have to have.

Hey Look Ma, I Made It Video
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Now, what did I think of the album as a whole? I absolutely loved it!!!!! It is one of the best albums
that I have ever listened to. I am someone who always has that one song from an album that they don't care for as much as the others, but this is a very rare exception. I love every single song on the album and could listen to them all day. Added bonus: it always makes me want to get up and dance.

I have already recommended it to so many of my friends and for good reason. I even said to one of my best friends that Brendon "hit it out of the park with this one". I seriously have nothing bad to say about this album.

Though, as with most things in life, I do have my favorite songs:

1. Say Amen (Saturday Night)- This was the song that got me to pre-order the album immediately. I love the sound of it and how upbeat and energetic it is.
2. High Hopes- Like I said, it is so inspirational and it is how I feel when I think about pursuing an acting career.
3. Roaring 20's- A) It talks about his time on Broadway, B) I love the sound of it, and C) It is probably my favorite song out of all of them!!!
4. One of the Drunks- I like the style of it and it makes me want to dance (which I have to restrain from doing when I'm driving)
5. King of the Clouds- It has a super cool vibe to it and has an almost escapism element to it that I love.
6. Dying in LA- So beautiful, so magical, so pure

If you haven't already, you guys need to go and listen to Pray for the Wicked ASAP. It is a fantastic and beautiful album that I feel most people will absolutely love!!!

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Musicals and Grief

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In an article written in 2012 for Globe and Mail, Kelly Nestruck explains how Rent helped Anthony Rapp deal with the death of his mother. As illustrated in the Article, Rapp had written a book called Without You and turned it into a one-man musical where he not only describes being apart of the hit musical but also how it affected his life and helped Rapp during a difficult time in his life. 

Nestruck explains how the book shows how Mark and Rapp are similar, but more importantly, how they are different. She describes how Rapp would leave his role with his understudy whenever needed because, unlike Mark, Anthony loved his mother and would rush to her bedside when she needed him most. 

She says at the end of the article, quote, “...even I, a Rent skeptic, was left moved by Without You and with a greater appreciation for Larson and his musical message of living for the now.”

From this Article, it shows me how even someone who isn’t a big fan of the musical, can appreciate the impact it has had on the actors, especially Anthony Rapp. 

Nestruck, J. Kelly. (2012). Rent Control: How a Hit Musical Helped a Son to Grieve. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=News&currPage=&scanId=&query=&docIndex=&source=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=asuniv&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA312322973&windowstate=normal&activityType=BasicSearch&failOverType=&commentary=

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Why I Love Shakespeare's Work

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In high school, I remember everyone in my English classes groaning whenever we started our Shakespeare unit. I was one of the very few people in my class who actually enjoyed reading his amazing works of art, even if I couldn't understand most of it.

Though I was not the stereotypical theatre kid who knew how to translate Shakespeare's work into modern English, I still was able to appreciate his work and enjoy reading it in class.

I had many friends who would complain about it to me and would ask me why I enjoyed this unit. I can't remember what I said to them at the time, but I have come up with a few reasons as to why I love Shakespeare's Work.

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• The stories are interesting: Now, I know only a few of his plays, but the ones that I do know, I absolutely love. I think the storylines are very compelling and he also knows how to make a very funny and interesting comedy.

• His unique ways of using the English language: Though many of us will admit that we can not understand the majority of what he says, it is interesting to know that he is the creator of many words and phrases we still use centuries later, such as swag (I learned this from a friend earlier this year)

• Performances of the plays give context to what is being said: I have seen only two performances of his work, one of Romeo and Juliet and one of Twelfth Night. With both of them, even though I could not understand most of what is going on in the show, I was able to figure it out just by watching. What helped me enjoy the performances was being able to see the characters interactions with each other. It helped me to understand what was going on without understanding the words. 

Being able to learn about Shakespeare in school made my interest peak even more. I was introduced to my favorite Shakespearian play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and was able to learn more about what this man brought to the world. I hope to learn more about Shakespeare and his work in the future.

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The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Performance Review: Live Stage Recording

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Andrew Lloyd-Webber created a masterpiece that made its way to Broadway thirty years ago this year. That masterpiece is The Phantom of the Opera. A musical about a disfigured man who hides in the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a ballerina named Christine. It follows the Phantom in his pursuit to make Christine fall in love with him even when he is met with fear and hostility. The music adds so much depth to a compelling plot that when performed on stage create a piece of art that you will only see in The Phantom of the Opera.

Christine and the Phantom
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The performance I watched was a live stage recording of the 25th-anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The portrayal of this musical was done so elegantly on stage. The costumes clearly express the time period this show is based in. There is Christine’s dress in Act Two, a beautiful deep blue color with white and gold accents and white bell sleeves tell us this musical is set in the 1800’s (including the big puff of fabric on her rear end). Even the blue hooded cape she wears shows us when this takes place. There are also the men’s suits. Though many seem like they are in a similar style to what men where today, you can’t deny that coattails on some of the suits seem very outdated for the modern era. Even the costumes worn by the opera house actors seemed very much for that time period, including the costume worn in their production of Hannibal had the women wearing brightly colored laced-up corsets and skirts that accentuate women’s breasts the way corsets do.

You may think that The Phantom of the Opera would not have the most extreme makeup you have ever seen. It is true that many of the actors, even the men, are wearing foundation, blush, eyeliner, and lip color. But the true work of art is what the makeup team do to make half of the Phantom’s face

The Phantom
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look disfigured and in a sense, hideous. That is right, we see what the Phantom looks like under his mask. At the end of the show, when Christine rips off his mask and wig, we see the disfigurement that makes him seem like a monster. The prosthetic that is applied to his head and bald cap shows an opening in the skin that seems to show a part of his skull and a bit of his brain as well. You see the muscles just below his cheekbone where skins might have tried to appear, but at last, gave a scar-like effect. His lips are a distortion that does not come as a shock to many because it is the only thing we can see behind his mask. A prosthetic has been added to make his lips look unnaturally big and I really wonder how he was able to kiss Christine with those without it accidentally coming off. I’m guessing it was stuck down with spirit gum which can only be removed with it’s matching remover. And finally, there are the gray wisps of his balding head that would deceive many if you didn’t know that a bald cap was applied underneath.

Masquerade
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The set helps to transport us to a time where the Phantom is. The opera house stage that is made by the set pieces of what show they are performing (Opera-seption!). This is including the giant chandelier (which sparks to demonstrate its destruction at the end of Act One) that is the focal point of the Paris Opera House.  Laura Pledger at Radio Times tells us that “...I was sitting underneath it when the firecrackers went off at the interval and I can tell you, those smouldering remnants were hot.” (Link to article here). The Phantom’s lair can be demonstrated by walking down the rafters which lead to a boat on wheels hidden off stage. The boat floats across a lake, demonstrated by fog across the stage. From there, you enter his lair, which includes a candelabra, an organ, and his throne-like chair. There is no set left to the imagination in this show, which is something to be admired.

The props also help us to know what is going on. The props of the hanging men show how far the

Phantom without his mask
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Phantom will go in order to get his way. The ring that the Phantom forces on Christine’s finger, the mask the Phantom wears to cover his distortions, they all help move the show along. But what tied everything together was the script. An opera is a show that has very little to no talking within the entire show. The majority of the dialogue is portrayed through song. Many may think that it is something that would turn them off of the show since lyrics can sometimes get lost in the music but it is done so well that you are able to understand what is going on and understand the severity of what the Phantom is doing.

The music helps to transport us to the show you are seeing. The instruments tell us the mood of this point in the show. “The Phantom of the Opera” song uses instrumentals to display the curiosity of

Raoul and Christine
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Christine and the eagerness of the Phantom in their “strange duet”. “Masquerade” displays their joy of going an entire six months without any interference with the Phantom. And “Wishing You Were Here” shows us Christine’s heart when she wishes her father were here so that he would have never sent her the Angel of Music (A.K.A. the Phantom). These songs are all accompanied by the lyrics of each song which tells us what is going on during those moments in the show. The music helps us to understand differently than when the words are spoken. It creates a different kind of clarity that you would not know if it were just spoken word. The emotion is presented in a different way to when things are presented in spoken tongue. The Phantom’s menacing threats, Raoul's love for Christine, Christine’s fear of the Phantom.

The music helps to create a plot that moves the audience, and the actors bring this plot-through-song

Point of No Return
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to life. The storyline displays some humor, but mostly drama. Sierra Boggess uses her beautiful opera voice to let us know of the different emotions the script is presenting. Ramin Karimloo portrays the Phantom’s storyline in a way that I think would make Lloyd-Webber very proud. He displayed his hatred for the world that shunned him but also his love for the young singer, Christine. Hadley Fraser perfectly used the script to portray Raoul’s hatred and anger toward the Phantom, but also his love for Christine which she shares for him.  The way the actors portray the characters and give light to what goes on during the show is perfect. They express so seamlessly the trouble the Phantom is causing and how the script intends for them to feel about the trouble.

All in all, this show is one of Lloyd-Webber’s works of art and if you have the opportunity, I would recommend seeing this show. It is performed beautifully on stage, has a compelling score, and creates a story that resonates with the freak in all of us. Make your way to experience The Phantom of the Opera. You won’t regret it.




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What my favorite LGBTQ+ Shows Taught Me: Rent and Bare

Happy Pride Month!!!!!! For Pride Month, I wanted to do a special post because not only are there so many amazing shows out there about the LGBTQ+ community, but the theatre community is the most supportive and accepting group of people out there. I have many friends that have come out to me over the last few years and you have no idea how happy I am for them.

For this post, I wanted to look at two of my favorite LGBTQ+ shows and talk about what they have taught me. I chose Rent and Bare: A Pop Opera because they both hold a special place in my heart and I wanted to share that with you all.

Rent

I first listened to Rent when I was a senior in high school and it was actually my first Musical of the Month ever. It has since become my favorite show of all time and I even did an inquiry blog on it for my ENG 101 class. I have been posting those to this blog, but I want to tell you guys that through my research for this project, I gained a deeper appreciation for the show and everyone who has been apart of it. I also was able to take a closer look and find some of the meanings that I think are so important in this show.

• "No day but today"- It is not just a line that is mentioned time and time again through the show, it is the biggest meaning behind Rent. It reminds us that life is short and precious. The character in this show had no guarantee that they would be around to see tomorrow. That is why you do everything that you want to do at that moment and never regret it because you may never get the chance to do it again.
• Be true to who you are- When thinking of Rent, I am reminded of a line spoken at Angel's funeral. "I am more of a man than you'll ever be, and more of a woman than you'll ever get." Angel didn't care what people thought about her. She knew who she was and she was true to herself no matter what. It inspires us the be true to ourselves and not to change for anyone. 

Bare: A Pop Opera

I first saw Bare a year ago this month (Review Here). I can honestly say that is was the most moving production I have ever seen. It has such a powerful message that resonates with everyone. Recently, I have started listening to it and I almost start crying whilst listening to it. Just remembering how beautiful the show and remembering where I was a year ago watching it.

• The world has a place for everyone- In the show, Jason tells Peter that the world could have a place for them, but he does not believe that it was the right time to come out with all of the prejudice in the world. By the end of the show, Jason still doesn't believe it and doesn't get the chance to see the world change. But luckily, through Peter, we get to see that he believes that there are people who will accept him for who he loves. His classmates learn not to judge him for being gay and fully accept him. It is something we all must know. There is a place for everyone, no matter what.
• Don't be afraid of who you are- This show has several characters who are afraid and/or uncomfortable with who they are. The show reminds us that there is nothing to be afraid of and that though life has its rough patches, they will subside and you will be stronger because of it.
• "God Don't Make No Trash"- This not only is one of my favorite songs from the show, it also has a meaning to it that I truly believe. Sister Chantelle sings this song and she is telling Peter that she knows that he's gay and that she and God both have his back. I do truly believe that we are all put on this earth for a reason and that no one is a mistake. It doesn't matter what your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality is, you are here because you were meant to be here. 

Both

• It doesn't matter who you love; it matters who you are- Both shows have characters who are being accepted for who they are because that is all that matters. As I've said, it doesn't matter what you look like or who you love, what matters is who you are and there will always be someone out there who will love you no matter what.

Shows like these remind us of what life is about. It is about accepting, loving, and most importantly, living. I hope everyone has a great rest of pride month. See you guys on Monday.

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"Without You"

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In 2006, Anthony Rapp came out with his first ever novel titled Without You: a Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent. Rapp starts the book by remembering the day he auditioned for a workshop for the musical Rent. He mentioned that he was running late that day due to being at a Memorial Service for his Bill. He described the feeling of being late for his audition and rushing to the New York Theatre Workshop on his roller-skates. “...glanced at my watch: no way was I going to be on time for my audition...I raced to get my shoes off and my skates and helmet of, and launched myself into traffic, my skates gliding and buzzing, my arms pumping, my breath quickening, my skin relishing the balmy autumnal breeze that flowed around me.” When he got to his audition, he went in, gave his music to the pianist, Tim (who directed the band for the workshop, off-broadway, and broadway performances of Rent), and went to center stage to perform his audition piece. And while he sang R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”, he felt right where he belonged. “I loved

Song Rapp sang for his audition
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the way the song felt in my voice, right in the pocket, so I wasn’t straining to hit any notes; I was just soaring on the melody and pouring myself into it...as I sang, my arms splayed out to my sides, my chest full.” Once he was finished with his audition, the director, Michael Greif, introduced him to Jonathan Larson, who created Rent, and immediately gave him a tape of a song from the musical to perform for his callback. Rapp was thrilled and began memorizing the song. He came back to the theatre a few days later and sang the song for them twice. The next day, he got the role. This was the day that marked a change in Anthony’s life. He worked and performed the show for four weeks and met Daphne Rubin-Vega who also reprised her role as Mimi Marquez when Rent performed off-broadway which ended up being sent to the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. 

The beginning of Rent was the beginning of a new era for Anthony Rapp, not only with his career, but also in his personal life. In his memoir, he goes into depth about his mother’s impending illness (a tumor that she named Wild Bill), his relationship with his then boyfriend Todd, Jonathan Larson’s sudden death, and performing Rent. 

Through the years that he cover in his book, the emotion undeniably there. When Larson asked Rapp to reprise his role as Mark Cohen, there was no doubt in his mind when he says yes. Rapp constantly mentioned how much he loved this role and how grateful he was to have the chance to play Mark more than once. His only regret was not being able to say thank you to the person who gave him these opportunities, Jonathan Larson. Jonathan and Anthony had formed a friendship over the year from when they first met. Anthony even invited Jonathan to his birthday party. 

Larson had passed away on January 25, 1996 from an aortic aneurysm, which, if it had been diagnosed properly to begin with, could have been treated and could have saved his life. Rapp described that day wholeheartedly. He described how he felt so empty and was unable to cry until he made it to the theatre, where he saw Daphne. “...we both rushed into each other’s arms, and that’s when at last I started to cry, pressing Daphne to me… It was as if I’d been waiting for her embrace to allow me to unleash my sadness…” Everyone was sad and angry about his death. 

That day, they decided to have a closed theatre of just Jonathan’s family and friend as the cast just sang the songs he had written, realizing how oddly perfect they fit the situation.

Rapp's Family
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Rapp’s mother’s illness took a huge toll on him and it eventually lead to him getting very angry all the time. He was having constant fights with his then boyfriend Todd about they way Anthony had been acting and treating their relationship and it got even worse after Rapp’s mother eventually passed away. With the way he bottled everything up inside of himself, Rapp one day, just before a showing of Rent on Jesse Martin’s (Tom Collins) last performance, got in a heated argument with Todd which lead to him storming off and Rapp, consumed with grief and not wanting their relationship to end, exploded in anger and sadness. He describes how he kept hitting him which seemed more out of sadness than in anger. Jesse and Norbert [Adam Pascal’s (Roger) understudy] eventually got Rapp away from Todd. The stage manager, Adam, and Jesse helped him through that brief moment of insanity and got him back on his feet. Him and Todd made up and Rapp started going to counseling in order to help him deal with everything that was going on in his life. 

The way the book was written gave the reader not only insight into his life during that time,  but also into his past. For example, he talked about coming to terms with his sexuality in a way that helped us also understand the conflict that he and his mom had previously had about it. It also gave us context to when, many months before her death, she told her son that she accepted him for who he was and that it was okay to talk to her about relationships he was in.

What You Own
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At the end of the book, Rapp summarized his life from when he took his last bow to when he finished writing his memoir. He and Todd had broken up, but were on good terms, and he was in a relationship with a man named Rodney, and that they were talking about adopting. He reprised his role at West End with Adam Pascal, Jesse Martin, and Wilson Jeramine Heredia (Angel). And overall his life was good, even if the loss of his mom still haunted him so many years later.

But the finale didn’t end there. He described the day he filmed the scene where he was walking in the street, singing “What You Own” (a song Jonathan Larson had added into the musical after the workshop. He had written the song specifically for Anthony). This was Rapp’s favorite song of the whole show and he was so thrilled to be able to reprise his role of Mark Cohen once again, but this time, it was for the whole world to see in theatres.

Rapp, Anthony. (2006). Without You: A Memior of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.

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Update: Finishing the Semester and What is Happening on Here

I'M BACK!!!!!!! Sorry about that unexpectedly long break. Things got a bit crazy over the last few months and I want to share that all with you guys right now.

First off, when I started posting again, I cannot tell you guys how much I loved it. Being able to talk about a part of my life that not many other people in my life get is something that makes me so happy. But there are certain things that take precedence.

Most importantly, school. When I started posting more regularly, I thought I was going to have an easy semester. I was starting my second semester of college and I truly believed that my schedule was going to be really easy. It turns out, I was wrong and I had a specific class that I and many of my other classmates were struggling in. School took up quite a bit of my time and I needed to devote most of my time and energy into making sure I was passing all of my classes, which I did.

Secondly, I was figuring out my fall semester schedule because I have just added a theatre minor to my degree program. I got that all sorted out a couple months back and I was so happy to be able to breathe and not be constantly waiting for emails from my advisors.

Lastly, I needed a mental break. Without going into specifics, some not so great stuff happened in the middle of the semester and I needed time to process everything and one way to do that for me was to put my blog on hold and focus on school and my well being.

After these last few months of finishing up school and taking care of myself, I feel refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things.

So here is what is going to happen, I am going to continue doing Monday's and Friday's, but until I start my next semester of college, the post time on Monday's is going to change to 1 pm MST so that I can spend some time sending out links to the post and don't have to sit in my car after my voice lesson for ten minutes getting all of the links up. The time will change back to 3 pm MST on both Monday's and Friday's in August because that is when my voice lesson time will be changing.

I will be back on Monday with the continuation of my Rent inquiry posts. Hope to see you then.



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