pj - they/them - hatchetfield/theatre blog - i have this specific version of melissa in my head that im obsessed with and working to bring to life via fic - pfp art by @the-constelia
im pj (they/them) and im a theatre enjoyer/hatchetfield fan
here's my ao3 where i've started writing hatchetfield fics, i just started a new series that fleshes out my version of melissa and how she and ted become unexpected friends! (tagged as hthm! on this blog)
currently updating a story so astronomical which is part two of my ted & melissa friendship series, it also focuses on ruth, alice, charlotte, and a community theatre production!
i have a tag for my best girl melissa! it's ā¤ļømelissa tagā¤ļø
highlights of the local TGWDLM production I saw tonight:
Mr Davidson. just Mr Davidson in general he was so good. he walked out onto the stage immediately with flawless energy and led the title song so well, he set the tone for the whole show. I will be mentioning him again I just had to give him a shoutout right off the bat.
when Paul missed his cue, Mr Davidson went offstage to try and find him.
Paul didn't enter at all until the opening song was FULLY over.
during Charlotte's phone call with Sam, Paul was sloooowly leaning closer and closer towards Charlotte the whole time, trying (failing) to discreetly listen. Bill was also visibly listening and emoting the whole time.
Bill called Paul "Paulie" at one point <3
Paul's actor spoke with a pretty flat affect, giving Paul's bluntness a bit of a sharper edge and making him come off as more irritable, which I really enjoyed. this was a lower-energy, easily frustrated, slightly angrier Paul and I thought it was a good spin. this Paul has never masked a day in his life and does not care to remotely try.
instead of doing a Borat voice for "latte hottay", Ted did a thrusting gesture. Paul also did the thrust later on.
Emma and Paul both laughed quite a bit during their banter at Beanie's and I thought it was cute. the way Paul noticeably emoted more with Emma than with anyone else stood out a lot, like he understood how to match her energy in a way he didn't with other people.
Emma's actress was great, she felt pretty close to Lauren's OG performance, but this was definitely a higher-energy Emma. there was a noticeable sincerity behind all of her lines, and she came off as more excitable and emotional. definitely retained the trademark Emma sarcasm and irritation, but there was a level of heightened stress to her performance that I liked.
Homeless Man had a cardboard sign, and when him and Greenpeace Girl had their little exchange he said "WAZZAAAAP" and then went and sat on the edge of the stage until his next line.
at the start of La Dee Dah Dah Day, Greenpeace Girl held out her hand for Paul to shake and he said "I'm not going to touch you."
near the end of the song when all the townspeople are surrounding him, Paul said "what can I do to make this stop? do I have to pay someone?"
Bill seemed genuinely very pleased and flattered when Charlotte said "you're a riot."
What Do You Want, Paul? was SOOO so good. flawless energy. Paul tried to leave early on and Mr Davidson rolled his chair up from behind to scoop him up and roll him around.
at the start of the bridge two ensemble members came out, Mr Davidson sat on his desk, and the ensemble moved it to the right and then back again. as this was happening Paul guessed that what Mr Davidson wanted was to redecorate, and when the ensemble left, Paul said "why did they move the desk??"
Mr Davidson wrapped the phone cord around his own neck when be was singing about wanting to be choked, then wrapped it around Paul when he tried to leave.
Paul pounded his fists in his lap when Mr Davidson wouldn't let him leave. he did that a few times when he was frustrated I liked it.
after the phone call with Carol, Paul yelled "THE PHONE'S NOT PLUGGED IN."
during the bridge of Roasted Coffee, Paul said "you learned that this morning?!" and Emma said "yeah it took FOUR HOURS."
the infected's insides were GREEN instead of blue!! Sam had a green brain!!! every time they said green in place of blue my brain buffered a little.
Emma had to say Charlotte's name like eight times before Charlotte calmed down and her "I'm...Charlotte..." genuinely sounded like she had completely blacked out and forgotten her entire life for a second.
I cannot tell if this was intentional or if Bill was late on his entrance and it was improv but I liked it either way - down in the bunker Paul had to go find Bill because they'd lost him a few rooms back, and when he came back in with Bill he said "he was staring at a painting."
Emma started crying when she was talking about Jane. during "there won't be a next one," she crumbled for a second, like the loss was hitting her all over again and she had to compose herself. that really hit for me, this Emma's emotions were so raw. the regret and guilt were heavy and there was also such a strong sense of hope in her voice when she said she wants to make Jane proud.
at one point during their conversation Emma shifted to sit a little more casually and Paul fully leaned all the way back, propping himself up on his arms, like he was trying to mimic her or look chill and casual too and I thought that was very cute.
during Join Us (And Die), Sam and Charlotte had Paul and Emma in their respective grasps and nearly infected them but they escaped - I didn't see what exactly Emma did but Paul stomped on Sam's foot.
Paul and Emma checked inside each other's mouths to make sure neither of them were infected.
instead of the beginning of Moana, Hidgens had the gang sing I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major General. Bill sang Dancing Queen.
Bill sounded like he was gonna cry at least twice during his phone call with Alice.
while Bill was on the phone, Hidgens was poking and prodding at Charlotte and Sam's bodies, and when he poked Sam's brain, Sam's foot twitched.
when Hidgens told Emma he needed extra hands in the lab, Ted was standing behind them and he held up his hands all offended, and as he walked offstage he went "I have hands!"
INTERMISSION: during intermission the director (who was also in the ensemble) came out for a minute and told me and @graceschasity that the cast loved us and loved our energy :] we got a good grade in being in the audience!!
when Bill was talking about Alice while they were searching for her, every time he would pause, Paul would very irritably grunt and mime to Bill to be quieter, he was pissed offffff-
Bill was sobbing during Not Your Seed.
Bill didn't swear at all throughout the show, he used a lot of very softened expletives. "poop" instead of "shit, he'd say "sam hill" and "what in blazes" and stuff like that, it was charming. when Paul tried to get him to leave in the middle of Not Your Seed, Bill shoved him away and said "back the fuck off, Paul, I'm not leaving without Alice." one and only time he swore and it hit me like a brick.
at the end of the bridge Alice reached her hand out for Bill and Bill tried to take her hand before Paul pulled him back.
Bill died a little slower when he was shot, he reacted to the impact, he fell to his knees, he clung onto Paul. my little heart broke.
PEIP storming the high school: "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND MOTHERFUCKERS WE'RE THE ARMY, BAM BAM- OH SHIT FREE GUN! *tries to pick it up and drops it* AW FUCK I DROPPED IT."
McNamara yelled every single word he said I think.
Hidgens chloroformed Emma instead of drugging her with a needle.
Hidgens did a silly little pose for each of the Workin Boys' names.
they didn't have any stage gore, all the onstage infections were done with little green lights in the actors' hands that they shoved into the victim's mouth. I liked this the most with Hidgens - Greg and Stu were on his either side and they dipped him, both coming at him with the lights, and he scream-laughed maniacally as the infection took hold. I really liked that.
when Greg came back and caught Paul he fully picked Paul up and carried him offstage. slung Paul over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
this Ted voted for Trump in 2016 and had no regrets, said he'd do it again.
infected Ted punched Paul in the stomach during America Is Great Again.
for Let It Out the lighting had a bunch of green flecks and spots all over the walls and the stage that looked like spores in the air.
Alice and Charlotte were there!!!!
Paul grunted and growled a lot while he was trying to resist infection. there were a few moments of the infected all lined up behind him, hands on his shoulders, reacting with him while he moved and turning his lurching into choreography.
before the bridge the infected all formed a half-circle around Paul from behind and did this really cool visual where they shoved him to the ground without touching him. they didn't need to touch him - it's part of the choreography, his body fell because it knew it had to.
Emma was SO excited to hear that Peanuts survived, she did a fist-pump and everything, it was super cute I love her.
she sounded like she was about to cry when she ran to hug Paul :(
EXCELLENT mix of both manic smiley mindlessly happy energy and deeply threatening emptiness from Paul. so much more enthusiastic and emotive than he was for the entire show, and so much more aggressive.
really good voice.
when Emma was trying to escape she was running along the wall and she said "isn't this a hospital? where are the doors?!"
at the end Paul shoved Emma to the ground and stood above her as the rest of the hive surrounded from behind, and they all pulled Emma backwards away from the audience through Paul's legs.
when Emma was asking for a phone, my mom tried to hand her her purse and she went "that's a bag, not a phone, but thanks."
i do think what gets ignored about carrie as a character is that sheās an incredibly easy target to bully; sheās a chubby, sheltered acne ridden teenage girl who wears frumpy grandma clothes and regurgitates the jesus freak shit her violently abusive mother tells her. she has violent thoughts about her classmates and is uncomfortable to be around. sheās far more interesting being a victim thatās somewhat uncomfortable to be in the head of than a tragic waif. sheās not a martyr, sheās a child and a child whoās been victimised her whole life shouldnāt have to be kind and angelic to be recognised as a victim. suffering teenage girls shouldnāt just be presented on screen as toned down glamorous thin ophelias, suffering teenage girls can be fat and poor and think violently. i do think we need to examine why culturally we need teenage girls to be beautiful and kind to valorise their suffering and treat it as bad
showing black friday to my partner wanted to draw frank and lex from our doors are open bc i find lex halfassedly doing the choreo, probably high and just trying to get the worst shift of her year with frank cheesing next to her hilarious
