A legend. Broadway is Broadway because of this man.
While I knew this day would come it’s still a shock. I feel like the theatre community had just accepted that Sondheim would live forever. And maybe that’s because he has been so prevalent in theatre for so long. We all grew up with his music and presence, he has always been here, and he always will be.
Just a reminder that this is all my opinion, and I'm biased because I love ballads and Olivia Rodrigo. Enjoy, and feel free to RESPECTFULLY express your opinions. Everything is subject to change because different songs keep growing on me, so this is as of August 17, 2021, based on the songs I listen to most.
Second Chance
The Rose Song
Home (Julia Lester/Ashlynn version)
Let You Go
Something in the Air
The Climb
If I Can't Love Her
Even When/The Best Part
Red Means Love
Granted
The Perfect Gift
You Ain't Seen Nothing
The Mob Song (purely because of ABF's flip to a French accent halfway through his solo, and Carlos' part)
*LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I AM NOT NONBINARY AND I'M JUST SPEAKING ON WHAT'S FRUSTRATING TO MOST PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF*
Now, I adore this musical. I've watched the slime tutorial, read the coffee table book, and listened to the cast recording. The songs and the vocals are amazing, and I truly admire how they address topics such as transracial adoption, sexual assault, drug abuse, racism, and mental illness. HOWEVER, as most of us have seen, there are some clear problems with the show. I'm not the biggest fan of how they make Frankie cheat on Jo, a stereotype that's often perpetuated of people in the bi community. And then there's the obvious problem, that's come from the cis-washing of Jo.
Here's the thing. I didn't want to make this post because I didn't really know how I felt about this. The truth is, this cis-washing doesn't really do anything for my love of the show or the actors. More than anything, I'm disappointed in the creative team. I think the main problem is that in the ART production (pre-Broadway), Jo was nonbinary, and that was erased when going to Broadway. The other problem? A cis person playing a nonbinary character. (Let me be clear, I do NOT have a problem with Lauren Patten, she is wonderful as a person and as an actor, and even as Jo. She's really not the problem in this situation, more the people who decided to cast a cis person as a nonbinary character). Ezra Menas, the understudy for Jo, is a nonbinary actor, so like they could have easily played this nonbinary character and they would've done SO WELL. The slime tutorial I saw was with Ezra, and they were amazing. But anyways...
Here's my main problem: JLP is not even acknowledging the fact that Jo was ever a nonbinary character. The creative team is denying the entire thing, and that's just annoying. Like, acknowledge your mistake and make it better. That's all we want. Additionally, there's like no trans and nonbinary representation on Broadway, and if Jo were to remain nonbinary, that would do SO MANY THINGS FOR THE FUTURE OF BROADWAY SHOWS! It could've paved the way for more shows including trans and nonbinary characters PLAYED BY NONBINARY AND TRANS ACTORS! JLP also posted a video denying the fact that Jo was nonbinary originally, and that just added fuel to the flame.
Anyways, that's my take. Also I see that a lot of people are bashing Lauren Patten about this, but guys, she probably couldn't do much about it. Her contract may have something to do with it, but if she spoke out against the change of the character (before now) she could've gotten fired. Additionally, this was her chance to originate a character in a musical with a score that's phenomenal. There's a lot that went into it. Be mad at the creative team, hold them accountable. Of course, hold the actors accountable as well, but remember that they don't always have as much say as we think they do. Also, if you're going to say JLP is the only problematic show? Please look into the racism that went on in the Dear Evan Hansen cast/show. JLP isn't the only problematic show...but yeah, hold these creative teams, actors, etc. accountable.
Favorite Lyrics from Each Song in Mean Girls the Musical
I will once again put the disclaimer that this is my own opinion. This is a continuation of my Mean Girls posts that I’ve been doing since the musical closed during the blackout. There are also some songs that have so many lyrics that I love, but I only put a specific section or lyric. Inspired by a post made by @heckyeahnexttonormal. So without further ado, let’s get into it! Love you all! 💖
A Cautionary Tale: “ Based on actual events where people died--” “--No one died”
It Roars: “Did you ever get a feeling / That a whole new world is waiting / Bringing happiness and friends / To the brave girl who explores /
It's a scary kind of feeling, but it's so exhilarating / How it roars /
It roars, it roars”
Where Do You Belong?: “You need protection with pizazz / And helping hands / That also jazz!”
Meet the Plastics: “Wear something nice and grab a tray / 'Cause we don't do this everyday / Say here's where you belong / Say here's where you belong”
Stupid With Love: “Stupid with love / But I can get it / Watch this girl self-educate / I learned math so I can learn love / You wanna bet it? / That I can get it? / Just wait”
Apex Predator: “Will she braid your hair / Will she eat your heart / How can you outsmart / The apex predator”
What’s Wrong With Me?: “ Though we both know one day / There'll be blood on the floor / But which one will betray the other more”
Stupid With Love (Reprise): “ I'll never get it / Somehow? / All I get is stupid with love”
Sexy: “This is modern feminism talking / I expect to run the world / In shoes I cannot walk in / I can be, who I want to be”
Someone Gets Hurt: “Feel my heart beating? / I'm just like her or you / People forget I'm human too / Yes, they do that / This is performance / This is all self defense”
Revenge Party: “You might be thinking it's late we should go / And they ran out of chips”
Fearless: “Imagine just dancing like no one was there / Everyone staring but you do not care / Not hunching your shoulders / To make yourself small / To walk right down / The middle of the hall / Not small”
Stop: “ 'Cause when you feel attacked / That's a feeling, not a fact”
What’s Wrong With Me? (Reprise): “It's like all I do is plan / For joy I don't get to feel / I'm whoever you want / Is that my only appeal?”
Whose House is This?: “Put that down! / That's not a bong!”
More is Better: “You say more is always better / But there is less of you than there was before / So, if more is always better / Then you should have thought it through a bit more”
Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise): “And I want my pink shirt”
World Burn: “Cady, time to watch your back / Cady, time to turn and cough / Because you took me down / But you didn't finish me off”
I’d Rather Be Me: “I don't need their good opinions / I have plenty of opinions /
Everybody has opinions but it doesn't make them true”
Do This Thing: “And don't it feel good / To have gotten this far? / It's for something you did / Not the girl you are”
I See Stars: “We are so real / We are so rare / We see you there, we see you /
We're all stars!”
Broadway Cast Recording Review: Mean Girls the Musical Act 2
In honor of the now closed Mean Girls the Musical, I will be talking and rating all the songs in the cast recording. Keep in mind, this is all my opinion, and is subject to change. This rating is as of right now, February 14, 2021. I’ll be honest, it will probably change tomorrow. Feel free to comment your own opinions, but don’t disrespect other people’s opinions. Act 1
Stop: (8/10)
TALK ABOUT A WAY TO KICK OFF ACT 2! Man, I send this song to my friend at least once a week because she is impulsive and needs to hear it. I feel like the first beginning is a bit slow, but again, very essential when sending it to my friend. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT HER, LET’S TALK ABOUT PHILLIP. I LOVE PHILLIP’S STORY. And I absolutely adore how its such a theatre kid story. I love it. The tap number is also great, and the three boys in the beginning adding little bits of their own commentary (he didn’t stop 😑) are just hilarious. I love this song, but I have to be in a certain mood to listen to all of it. Also the beauty of “she’s leaving, just like my dad!” is amazing.
What’s Wrong With Me (Reprise): (6/10)
Another decently short song, but I’m not a huge fan of Kerry’s part (I love Kerry just not her part in the song). I feel like they should be singing something similar, rather than “oh my daughter hated me from age 3″ ya know? The harmonies are beautiful though, so I could listen to that part on repeat. I don’t like how it just opens with an aggressive ‘WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME,” maybe a little bit of an interlude before would be helpful. Not in the show, because contextually, it makes sense why that’s the opening. But when I’m listening to it on its own, the opening is...a bit startling.
Whose House is This?: (1/10)
Ima be honest, this is easily my least favorite song on the Mean Girls Recording. I’m not a huge fan of those really big party numbers (Big Fun from Heathers, Halloween from Be More Chill, etc.) because in general I’m not a fan of the high school party where everyone gets ridiculously drunk idea. Like the rap is fine, but its high key kinda cringey (at least for me). The only reason I rated this as a 1 (and not a 0) is because of the choreography and the parts that Erika sings (like the actual singing). It’s definitely a skip song for me.
More Is Better: (9/10)
I LOVE THIS SONG. I love the melody, I love how its this cute little “love duet” if you even want to call it that. I’m a sucker for ballads so I love this song. Erika sounds so beautiful, I love the chorus, and I genuinely adore this song. Kyle is AMAZING in this song, and seeing it live was pretty cool. It was kinda cringey since she’s supposed to be drunk, but again, that’s my bias from the song before kicking in. I wish Kyle got more singing parts in this song, and just in the musical in general, which is why its not a 10. But truly, I love this song. I did not appreciate the Cameron Dallas version though...
Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise): (4/10)
Listen, the song itself is like 43 seconds long. Most of it is talking, and seriously, its only this high because of Barrett’s lovely belt and the humor of Damian and Janis riding the tiny scooter. There’s not much to say, but I really do appreciate the repeated use of the chorus of Someone Gets Hurt.
World Burn: (10000000/10)
I LOVE WORLD BURN. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love how it builds, I love Taylor’s use of her lower range, the riffs, the high part, the CADY TIME TO WATCH YOUR BACK and just IUHKSHFLEUA9PAHH. anyways, this song is literal perfection. There is nothing bad. It is beautiful. Whenever I listen to it, then get out of the car, I feel like I am the baddest bitch in town. It’s such a powerful song and its such a bop. WOAHWOAHWOAAAAAAAAHWOOOOOOOOOOOOAHHH--
I’d Rather Be Me: (9/10)
--anyways, this song is beautiful. Its such an anthem, I feel like it helps my self esteem. The confidence that it brings me is beautiful. The belts, the words, the chanting, everything! I especially love all the male ensemble members dressed as girls, its hilarious. The reason I have it as a 9 instead of a 10 is because I have to (a) be in a specific mood to listen to it, and (b) I only like Barrett and Gianna’s versions. I was not a fan of the actress who performed on Best of Broadway a few months ago, like she was good, but it just wasn’t it for me.
Do This Thing: (7.5/10)
Okay. Not a fan of the massive dialogue-ish bits at the math competition. Essential for the musical, not for the recording. I guess it was just a really hard song to put together on the recording, because of how much dialogue there is during the song. However, I love the ending and the parts with Mrs. Norbury and Cady. Also the mathletes? Yesssss! We stan Kevin G, Marwan, and Tyler!
I See Stars: (10/10)
Y’all I love this song. I love this as an ending. I love the message, the vocals, the choreography, Kyle dressed in the Northshore Lion costume, the KISS, and just everything!!! Also the key change? CHILLS. EVERY. TIME. Erika sounds so good, and the revamped version (that was performed at Mean Girls interview at Google, not sure if it was added to the actual show) with miss Renee Rapp RIFFING? If you haven’t listened to it, go listen to it. Right now. It’s near the end. Go do it.
PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.
hello! i'm madison, and i'm the director of Fate Incorporated, a nontraditional theatre project that tells choose-your-own-adventure style stories through email, so everyone can take part no matter where you are! i thought you or your followers may be interested because you like theatre! i have a more detailed post pinned on my blog, so if you're at all interested please check it out and boost! if you have any questions, let me know. thank you so much, and i hope you have a great day!
Thank you so much! I’ll look into it! To any of my lovely followers who are interested, go check it out!
Broadway Cast Recording Review: Mean Girls the Musical Act 1
In honor of the now closed Mean Girls the Musical, I will be talking and rating all the songs in the cast recording. Keep in mind, this is all my opinion, and is subject to change. This rating is as of right now, January 14, 2021. I’ll be honest, it will probably change tomorrow. Feel free to comment your own opinions, but don’t disrespect other people’s opinions. Act 2 will be up soon!
A Cautionary Tale: (7/10)
This is a great song, don’t get me wrong. It’s hilarious. The little cut ins by Damian, the the conversations between him and Janis? Amazing. Seeing it live was really great, especially during the “kick! layout! fosse!” part. It’s such a great way to open up such a lively and comical show. However, I feel like it’s a bit too short, so there’s not much to rate. In addition, I wish there was more of a lead in to the first “it’s a cautionary tale.” I understand that there is a dialogue lead in live, but I wish they recorded it.
It Roars: (10/10)
I LOVE THIS SONG. I love singing it, and it’s just in such a great place for my voice. But enough about that, seeing it live was great. The use of the screens behind the actors added an unique feature to the show. Also Erika Henningsen shooting a dart at Ben Cook the lion? Hilarious. I love how she describes the entire high school experience of being a new kid in one song. It’s just great.
Where Do You Belong?: (10/10)
This is that stereotypical showtune number, and I LOVE IT. The use of the trays as percussion, the show choir, the dance break, EVERYTHING. The song also does a great job of describing high school cliques and making humor of them. Grey Henson did a great job of it. Barrett’s little solo during the end was also great. The choreography was phenomenal. This song just makes me so happy!
Meet the Plastics: (8/10)
This song is a great introductory song to the plastics. However, the lyrics are kinda...just i don’t know. There’s something about the lyrics each of the plastics sing that make me feel like the song has less of a meaning. However, I absolutely adore the ending where all the parts overlap. The harmonies at the end are phenomenal.
Stupid with Love: (9/10)
I love how the tour cast changed the ending of the song so the “I learned math so I can learn love” goes up in pitch instead of down. It’s beautiful! I’m not the biggest fan of the beginning of the song, but once she starts getting into it, it’s amazing! I love the subtle ensemble voices in the background. I just love the motivation and energy she gets when she reaches the “I’m outstanded and outplussed” and then forward. It’s amazing!
Apex Predator: (10/10)
This was the first song I heard from the show, and I loved how they used different nature references to describe such an unatural force: Regina George. Barrett really outdid herself with this song. You can hear the hurt in her voice when she sings her solo. Erika did great too, and the choreo with the pushing of benches and stuff? Amazing! The harmonies at the end! AHHHHHHHHHHH--
What’s Wrong With Me: (10/10)
--anyways. This song is amazing. Ashley Park did amazing with the emotion and desperateness in her voice with the lyrics. The lyrics are amazing and show what people in toxic relationships deal with. It’s just beautiful, it’s amazing, and tears me up emotionally. I love to see it.
Stupid with Love (Reprise): (5/10)
Like with A Cautionary Tale, this song is just too short to really give an in depth rating. I love the parts where Kyle and Erika sing together, and Erika at the end is great. I also don’t really like the message of the song, the idea of playing dumb to get a boy, but I understand that it’s a big part of the show/movie. In addition, there really wasn’t much to see in this song when I saw it live (but again, every show needs those moments of simplicity). Basically, what I’m trying to say, is that this song is pretty average.
Sexy: (7.5/10)
Uh. This song really gets me pumped, but sometimes it makes me uncomfortable. I love the parts where Gretchen is like “Karen pls stop.” The use of the word sexy is about much, as in she says it a bit too much for me. Sometimes I just don’t feel like listening to such a high energy song that sounds like a party. Maybe it’s because I don’t like parties. That’s my bias. But the humor is great. LET’S GO SEXY CORN!
Someone Gets Hurt: (10+/10)
THIS SONG. THIS IS THE SONG. Regina’s character really gets a lot of development in this song. The manipulative side, the potentially vulnerable side, and the strong side. I wish Kyle got more of a part in it, but seriously, Taylor went off and I was there for it. The high notes, the riffs, the STRONG BELTS, THE CHOREOGRAPHY?! Yes kweeeennnn!
Revenge Party: (8/10)
Listen, I think I just listened to this song too much. It’s great, but when you hear it too much, it’s too much. Damian’s such a mood though. I also only go to a party to get chips. Also his little “woah woah woahs” in the beginning were hilarious. And I can’t get enough of Gretchen’s “CAWCAWCAWCAWCAW” like how do you even do that?
Fearless: (7.5/10)
I feel like there is a better way to close off Act 1. Like, I don’t know. I’m not the biggest fan of the beginning, but I like the message. The vocals and harmonies are killer, but the transition into Regina’s reprise of Someone Gets Hurt is just funky. When you’re just listening to it and you don’t see the actual dances happening at the dance break, it just sounds weird hearing “fearless! fearless! fearless!” then a random instrumental break, so I guess it’s just transitional issues?
PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.
I know I should address this, but it truly breaks my heart to. As many of you have probably heard, Mean Girls the Musical is closing on Broadway.
I honestly don’t know what to say. I was lucky enough to be able to see the show in the fall of 2019 with almost the entire original cast. Nowadays, a lot of theatre is more centered around darker themes. I’m not saying that’s bad, because I LOVE Next to Normal, Come From Away, Hadestown, and shows like that. But Mean Girls, is this happy, cheesy, exhilarating musical. You can’t deny that seeing it makes you smile. The screens they used for back drops, the humor, the characters, the songs, and the CHOREOGRAPHY?! It’s amazing. It’s astonishing. It was one of the few shows that my mother actually liked. She loved the joy and excitement it brought. I’ve heard a lot of people who are surprised that it closed, because it was doing so well. But we all knew that Mean Girls wasn’t doing too well. They were starting to pull a Waitress. And if you don’t know what that means, it means they were stunt casting.
The Cameron Dallas situation is something that should be saved for another day (but his singing was really…something). They had just cast Sabrina Carpenter as Cady Heron. She barely had time to perform the role.
But enough about me, let’s talk about the Mean Girls cast and crew. So many people just lost their job. Mean Girls is a big show, cast wise and crew wise. It takes so many people to run a show that big, and all those crew members just lost their jobs. The orchestra players just lost their jobs. The ensemble just lost their job, and this is a big ensemble show. The leads just lost their jobs. The ushers just lost their job. But this isn’t just a temporary loss, as so many people in the theatre community are dealing with. This is permanent. They aren’t going back to that theatre to perform that show. And the saddest part of it for me, was that I watched Krystina Alabado say in a video (during the beginning of the pandemic), that she was heartbroken to get something she loved so much taken away from her in a split second. However, she still had hope for that future. A future that will not happen in this timeline.
Another thing that I’ve heard is that Mean Girls had such a short run. But it didn’t. It had a decent run; I believe it was about two years. Some shows, like The Prom (another Casey Nicholaw show), close after a few months. There are shows that have been on Broadway for weeks. So compared to that, Mean Girls had a good run.
I’m so grateful I got to see the show. I’ll be honest, I had my doubts about the show when I first heard they were making a musical of the show. However, when I listened to the soundtrack, I fell in love. It’s something that might be a good gateway musical for future theatre kids. And while this is a sad time for the community, this isn’t the end of Mean Girls. There is still the tour, that is planned to continue in the summer of 2021. There is still the movie adaptation (which is a whole other story).
If you need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me. I love you all. We’ll get through this.
Sending my love to all the fabulous people who were working on the show. 💖
