off-off book @off-off-book - Tumblr Blog

she should be at the pink pony club

🐖👖Now presenting: the trailer for Dropout's new show, Smartypants.

Smartypants brings together the most esteemed, inquisitive, and unhinged “academics” in comedy to ask the questions society is too afraid to ask, like “What is the happiest birthdate?" and "Do vegetables really exist?" Host Rekha Shankar leads an all-star cast to enlighten and inspire viewers in this series premiering April 25th on Dropout.

Featuring guest speakers Paul F. Tompkins, Demi Adejuyigbe, Erika Ishii, Jon Gabrus, Vic Michaelis, Katie Marovitch, Paul Robalino, Mike Trapp, Jacob Wysocki, Jess Ross, Alexis Rhiannon, Ross Bryant, Jacquis Neal, Fumi Abe, Janie Stolar, Kimia Behpoornia, Zach Reino, Raphael Chestang, Ryan Creamer, Anna Garcia, Grant O'Brien, Pallavi Gunalan, Carolyn Page, Patrick McDonald, Brian Bahe, Sara Nahusenay, Cynthia Kao, Carlos Luna, and Tao Yang.

off-off-book

this show WILL become my entire identity - let today mark the end of "BST" (before smartypants trailer)

#dropout #smartypants #rehka my beloved

locklylemybeloved

i haven’t been able to stop laughing for five minutes

off-off-book

no because this scene is one of the best in all of make some noise history because jess is CARRYING IT ON HER BACK (with amazing work from brennan ofc)

#jess mckenna #brennan lee mulligan #make some noise

brennan channeling the kind of direct line of questioning every person with a situationship could only dream of having

#dropout #make some noise #brennan lee mulligan #ross bryant #your emotional comfort white men have a conversation

say-hi-intrepid-heroes

vic should get an award for very important people actually

confirmed: jess mckenna and zeke nicholson (& aaron wilson) wrote a better “yes and” song than ariana grande and max martin

#listen I love ariana grande so much #but this song is so “sia wrote the rihanna song diamonds in 15 mins” core meaning it’s fine ig but nothing like her usual #jess and zeke gave us STORY #make some noise #jess mckenna #zeke nicholson #dropout #ariana grande #not even close to comparable

a semi-famous theatre influencer was going off on twitter about how musical development is not good right now. while i find their theatre takes quite off the mark usually, i do agree with them that many musicals are forgetting how important the book (ie. the plot) of the musical is and instead are focused on making bops with a semi-developed plot in a race to get tiktok famous. the book of the musical and the songs need to relate and move plot, and we need to make sure the story and lyrics are properly compelling. and i realized: off book always does that.

zach and jess have always said they'd take an improviser who doesn't sing over a singer who doesn't do improv. they always choose story (even if it's chaotic as hell) over song, and in the times they choose song (see: doorbell vibes in snow party) it's a banger that they've earned. the songs easily tie into everything: expressing character desires directly and pointedly, allowing for character beats within and asides to learn motivations, and overall having lyrics (that are IMPROVISED may I add) which move the story along.

does every episode do this? no, some are just pure chaos. but, zach and jess will always be storytellers first, and it makes all of their episodes great (and their best episodes FANTASTIC).

i think that their story-centred focus (even if it's a chaotic story) is what creates fantastic and amazing musicals. it's just an extra bonus that they have top notch voices paired alongside the king of pianists, pianist of kings.

i could keep going, but for now, ty zach and jess xo

#off book #zach reino #jess mckenna #musicals #broadway #theatre #i have so many theatre opinions but do the mutuals wanna hear em?#off book x broadway is truly the niche i thrive in #i have so many and i wanna hear yours

just watched cinnamon in the wind by kate berlant, left wanting more absurdist and experimental improv. can't recommend more. that's all.

genuinely think she is the american james acaster in terms of her physical comedy. do not sleep on her!!

#kate berlant #comedy #standup #u guys i cannot recommend it more #as a theatre fiend and comedy lover it was genuinely the perfect thing #go kate berlant go #charlie chaplin core

shwarmadillo

nobody is doing it like jess and brennan

off-off-book

all-time favourite msn bit by a mile and it's not even close i once had this entire scene memorized

what if i said that jess mckenna could take over joel grey's musical theatre roles. emcee in cabaret. moonface in anything goes. the wizard in wicked.

what then?

#musicals #jess mckenna #zach and jess #broadway #cabaret #joel grey #wicked #anything goes