Zendaya with the Dear Evan Hansen shout out!

THEYRE DOING DEAR EVAN HANSEN AT MY COLLEGE CAMPUS NEXT SEMESTER IN OCTOBER I AM DYING I AM DEADm

btw y’all better be nice to the new baby DEH fans we’re about to get because if I see anyone rudely gatekeeping because they like gaten matarazzo more than will roland I’ll start throwing punches

what is hamiltome

I know this was re: a couple days ago but I have been quivering with anticipation for getting a minute to answer it since then

SO

This book was like the BIBLE for hamilton fans. Arguably moreso than the actual biography that inspired the musical (from my middle school musical theatre kid perspective). Not only did it include annotated lyrics to the entire cast album (PLUS the bonus song that is not on the recording), but it told the entire story of how the musical came to be, narrated by lin manuel miranda, with SO many cast photos. I knew every ensemble member of the original cast by name. I could tell you exactly how each of the leads came to get the role, and what they were doing beforehand. This book was everything. This was the essential reading.

AND THEN dear evan hansen got huge and they released a hansen-tome (this was not a real name that caught on for obviously clunky and nonsensical reasons), but similar concept to the hamiltome. Not quite the same cultural phenomenon, but avid broadway fans at the time (read: my sister and I) probably had a copy of this too.

Then like. Come from away did a "tome" of their own. Now I LOVE come from away, and it's got a super interesting creative history, but this show is and has never been on the fandom caliber of hamilton and dear evan hansen. Cool that they made a book for it but like ??? what was the audience here??? I remember wanting it when I first heard it had come out because I had listened to the show a couple of times and hey I had the hamilton and deh ones!

I fell out of touch with broadway news after that so I'm not sure if other musicals did this, but now I'm super curious -- I feel like I would've known if mean girls or be more chill did one, since they had a similar fangrip? but also neither of those can claim the same kind of taking-themselves-seriously as hamilton or deh, so idk if it would've made sense. Anyway thanks for letting me reflect on this

all I want to do is be in a universe where kleinsen was the most popular ship in the deh fandom in 2017 and goin' viral wasn't cut and had an original broadway cast recording and there were animatics of those two everywhere and I don't have to struggle looking for either on youtube

with what little DEH knowledge i have i don’t see how you can side with evan on anything?? he’s an asshole that’s it you can’t debate it. personally if i died and some random kid i spoke to once decided to profit off of my death and try to get with my sister id haunt that little shit for the rest of my life.

semi side note the choice to cast the original actor for evan in the movie is funny bc he looks 10x older than the rest of the cast (although i looked it up and he’s only 2 years older than the actor for connor so. idk what’s up with him)

playing evan hansen for all those years drained his soul

My priorities might be skewed, but my first thought after seeing that post addressing crazy musical disk-horse was, 'oh no, i'm gonna have to stop going in the Great Comet tag for a while.' I simply refuse to perceive discourse, i will make it wash over my brain like water off a ducks back.

My second thought was that ppl really gloss over 2020 as thee tony's musical snub year. the percy jackson musical probably wasn't good (haven't listened), but like. they refused to nominate it for leading role even though it was one of two musicals that qualified that year, giving it to the other by default. They changed the definition of best original score just so they could avoid nominating it. legitimately hilarious levels of haterism.

it's Unserious to approach some media analysis (like that one musical of an awards season was the objective worthiest one for any given category, much less Best overall, the vaguest) as though one theory is the Definitively Correct one. versus that it's an argument that could be backed up and hold up to figurative peer review, and even then, it'll always have limits and not be like "objectively" all-encompassingly accurate

it's also Unserious to say some shit like "great comet should've won best musical or gotten as many awards or swept or something....because dear / evan hansen is basically trump"

imo thee tony awards? are pretty much Unserious too. it Is enjoyable when any awards institutions recognize anyone or anything in ways that seem to reflect some actual value, and that would always be arguable / subjective / up for debate, but the major awards groups especially do not seem "good" at doing this, or "trying" to be. as a deh enjoyer and deh [head in hands wishing it was different b/c xyz criticisms &/or disagreements with concepts they were trying to execute, and executions of concepts....but i'm doing it better & differently than like "deh is bad, evan is evil" or "pretty much any of the movie criticism"]er, i'm not like, mad that it was tony-acclaimed. i also would not be mad if they hadn't really won stuff, i also wasn't following the show at that time lol. i also believe great comet had to close not long afterward, didn't it? after some kind of casting shakeups that many people did not really see as It? i don't know about the show; i don't like, disagree with anyone who likes it more than deh, and/or thinks it was Better, b/c i have no info of my own, and i would not have Serious arguments in saying "no, deh is better, factually, nobody should think otherwise"

like, first of all like you're saying, to have Lost to deh in the tonys is to have been nominated at all. nothing got tlt's treatment, ever, and that was just more ridiculously out in the open than any snub in any other season could have been....but second of all, i also have to imagine some of the beef w/deh winning so many tonys instead is that the main thing the tonys do is give featured / awarded shows boosts; it's always talked about as that important Commercial event for broadway, when getting to broadway & staying on broadway is incredibly difficult, incredibly complex, incredibly expensive....reminded of it in that it seems the televised tonys getting a waiver so they could happen at all was at all for the sake of supporting the performers' careers by extension of the tonys being that commercial for broadway & a potential box office boost. probably having your show close not long after the tonys were largely about deh was unfortunate for said show & fans of it. but it's also not like winning even Best Musical has meant that that show will remain open for even another full year; afaik deh was also really buzzy Before the tonys, even if that solidified that further / was indeed another boost. and it's like....deh didn't make them make them win lol. much less did the material in deh....somehow result in a tonys win in Any Way comparable to a US presidential election candidate??? It's Fully Unserious

the only time i paid attention to a tony season while it was happening was in 2019, as a bmc enjoyer, so that was a real illuminating crash course, and ofc i have that Unamused Emoticon perspective about like. a situation in which it's very evident that that wasn't just like oh this one other musical which is its Nemesis (fr i don't even remember what all won / was nominated instead) but rather deliberately being shut out. the One nomination was, aptly, nominal, like "well you see, you've been acknowledged at all;" the off the shits unasked unwarned mitb parody that didn't give credit while the show couldn't actually do any performance is like....idk what that was, or who it was for, Everyone Hated That. again, the show having to close not long after was also not fun for anyone; even if in retrospect it's somewhat tempered by like, that was august of 2019, so they only could've had so many more months of it anyways, but that doesn't change things At The Time. i also don't need to believe bmc was inarguably thee best most successful show of the season, i can't do that, nobody can. i think it's a way stronger piece than deh, i like it more, i like the concepts & execution more. i don't need it to have won awards, i don't even need to think any given show "deserved" more than any others to have a longer run when it's all so expensive and difficult and precarious at the best of times. like, here we are, after bway phantom of the opera had to close.

which, i never saw beetlejuice in any iteration, much less the musical. i may not ever, b/c i have never been interested in other iterations lol. but it was like, nodding respectfully re: it being another show that season that the nyt (also a vastly Unserious realm of critical media analysis) hated, that evidently the tonys also barely wanted to acknowledge....that then had the added layer of like, what do you mean hugh jackman music man. great for them that they got to reopen anyways, i do not need to love the show myself or think that this is all Art Meritocracy out here re: who gets to stay open for how long, or close. i don't know anything about the lightning thief, i don't need to think "well it wasn't that good" nor "well it was amazing so this is an Objective outrage," i think that the tonys are Unserious for evidently being unwilling to ""consider"" (for as much as i think that the Consideration of various awards voting bodies is, itself, that Serious either (i don't)), much less platform, the show, even if i thought it was Bad or Disliked it. there were like 0.8 damn musicals that season. aaron tveit default win. no original scores nominated thusly. tony voters/producers and nyt criticasters going "idk i don't think i personally liked it, might've assumed going in what it was Like or About and didn't engage with it, maybe didn't bother seeing it or paying attention while i did" and that gets to be a cue for who gets money; it's about their institutional power transferring their Arbitrary stances into material impacts, versus their Supposed efforts of Arbiters Of "Taste"....while also like, broken clocks and [only so many musicals any given year], many people will Like many of the musicals up for nominations lol and be mad or glad at any winners/losers/completely ignored eligible shows

oh have to shoutout another instance of the tonys Unseriousness: bitching and moaning about how they just caaan't change their rules rn to make All categories nongendered. great stuff.

anyways just like, nothing new in people trying to posit their preferences as Objectively Superior based on an argument of morality? and it's like, i'm sure there are people who are like "wow yeah uh evan hansen is as bad as a fascist politician. he's lying and manipulating, and that is close enough" and earnest about it but like, is it close enough, and is that an Serious analysis of the actual material? No....and like, sure, have opinions and preferences based on an Ethical Stance, god i hope you do, but like, you have to be able to communicate that stance in a way that actually is based on shit and holds up at all, versus just vibes or making shit up to obfuscate what you Really think. which can just be "i'm mad that this show closed and didn't win tonys and didn't become this hypey breakout cultural phenomenon in ways that many broadway shows generally Do Not anyways" without like, legitimizing anger and even show grief by making it a stance like "and deh is basically trump >:(" lmfao like, it's already legitimate to have a preference or emotional investment in something you enjoy / has significance for you

i am not here for / don't seek out or absorb any & all rando Takes anyways, but in being here alongside [bmc bway is happening] like even peripherally i was aware of people also having preferences / feelings that had a shit basis lol like. that basically they're pissed that will roland was cast and this is because of thinking that in various ways his body was Worse than will connolly's (i honestly forget if it's one or two L's in his last name....yeah two right) and really what made this very clear is that nobody was actually willing to Say That, and instead would make up stuff about how this was a Serious And Objective Stance they were taking based on Artistic Merit. suddenly it was an urgent issue of newly saying that will roland is bad at singing (or the backhanded constant comments like "wow will r's so much better at singing now" on videos and Only re: will like, yeah his skill levels are only giving more cunt as time goes on, that's effort, increased experience, etc, applies to any & everyone else generally too...?) or suddenly bmc was stuntcasting b/c will roland was in deh (lol) or like this is the only time a role has been recast between productions, or even During....god knows that "someone who originated the role didn't stay with it forever," as is especially & often relevant w/indefinitely-running (over)demanding bway productions, is an eternal source of people who have preemptively decided that whoever replaces them is Objectively Worse, and will just make up whatever story serves that purpose. some anon once tried to hate on sky lakota-lynch to me, presumably as a will roland aficionado, b/c he was the next jared kleinman principal actor....like, what, you want Nobody in that role?? as, after Years as jared, an actor chooses to leave to be a lead in another show (that they personally like more as an audience member / preexisting fan lol)....also, they were racist about it. like absolutely you can prefer Whatever. you can be like "haha yeah i'm just always going to prefer This and it's not necessarily about like making sure i couldn't Possibly like another version as much or more" like, you don't have to. better for anyone to embrace that they just think [xyz] is neatest to them personally. i have no reason to think will connolly was "bad" as jeremy, i hear it was a different approach too in being a bit more fragile(tm) / Sad, great if you like that, i'm sure he can sing well, i heard a few pre obcr tracks, etc etc, i'm not interested lol like i've showed up via this one actor for these couple productions and That Is My Domain. i think it's shitty to be fatphobic & biased against people's bodies which does include their voices, and it's bullshitting to make up some narrative to cover for it where oh suddenly this person is just unskilled or an Unworthy Stuntcast. it's Unserious, it's also like just some real life shittiness, whereas fictional character evan hansen is not affected by "lying? an extremely broad phenomenon that is actually All 'being a lil too fashy for my tastes imo...'" and it is more difficult to imagine such a stance being relevant in ppl's lives in other applications, but that is also Unserious. if people have a serious thought out idea, they should be able to express that rather than expressing some deflection about "deh should've lost b/c that was like the 2016 US presidential election" or "will connolly should be jeremy in all iterations b/c this other guy i'm seething at now has only existed as: in deh"

anyways like point is that yeah like sure entirely possible great comet was the best musical on broadway that season (even though i don't think there can be any Definitive conclusion thusly. how do we assess that....and do we want to have to like, pit all shows in a medium/genre together? with inevitable limitations &/or restrictions on who gets to choose winners?) but you don't even have to be mad at deh or make it about being mad about something else entirely for no reason. can be mad that the tonys get to make or break shows, that putting on shows is so expensive, that [capitalism], can even just be mad b/c you really liked it and you don't have to put on some more ""legitimate"" argument; it's its own argument lol, it's also an outright subjective & individual one and we can be individuals with preferences and likes even without having studied every other possibly comparable work to make sure it's superior, and Not be like "actually any & everyone else could Also only possibly think / feel the same, so really my having a fave musical lately Transcends being the opinion of one person." we can indeed even pick any two shows or whatever else and compare them, or have a critical lens and do anything but believe something is so univerally Perfect that there's not even anything to say or even question. meanwhile it's also definitely rough that live theatre is all Ephemeral and limited in distribution, but if there's enough out there about a show to be the basis of knowing that you like it, you still have that. bmc trt loyalists can stick with the ocr / relevant boots lol.

and yeah the realest Most Wronged show is the lightning thief lol truly. not even b/c you have to feel You love it or it Deserved to run for years or make it to Broadway in the first place, but like, just evidently the tonys are some nonsense, let's make That argument together, as well as the nyt, and in my Onion the overall format of "one individual critic expounding" is also not our best most serious effort at thorough consideration of some material, nor what makes it most useful for people who want to know about that material Through you....it's mostly entertainment, and it's also bad at being entertainment. we can all enjoy a good Disrespecting The Tonys B/c They Earned That together, wherein if they really don't want to recognize your show they Will just refuse to give it nominations no matter what. you can go "i think great comet > deh" or "i think great comet's awards-worthiness in comparison to all other shows that season > deh's" and not go "deh <<<< because when characters lie that makes them like an irl fascist" b/c what?? and no it does not lol

like gotta shoutout that i definitely disagree on points w/other Deh Likers and Deh Haters b/c of course i would. i have no inherent disagreement w/great comet likers b/c of course i wouldn't. and even if i'm sure by now "can you believe that (the 2017 tonys)" is a bit old, it's like, how is that gonna be Enriching to hear discussed some more if it's not saying (a) anything at all or (b) essentially not saying anything b/c saying "characters shouldn't lie, and if they do, it's like being authoritarian in real life" is truly too Unserious to bother entertaining as a [this is why i think this other show should've won] stance here, much less absorbing

my true and correct theater opinions:

hadestown and into the woods are the best musicals ever written

there is literally nothing wrong with bootlegs, unless you’re using a recording device with a light that’s distracting to the actors/the audience. theater should be accessible full stop

neither proshots nor bootlegs take noticeable amounts of revenue away from theater companies. the beauty of theater is that you can see a show once and still have a million reasons to see it again, especially with a different cast

i love love love love weird, abstract, unusual &/or homoerotic staging. there are so many ways you can change the meaning of a line or character or even the whole show just by changing how it’s acted and it makes me insane i love it!!

jesus christ superstar is really really good but only if you lean into the weird camp-tragedy-sort-of-heretical-rock-opera thing. it’s silly but it’s also so serious. also the movie is really bad

movie adaptations of musicals aren’t INHERENTLY bad but they’re really different mediums and if you’re too focused on making the story palatable to a moviegoing audience & critics you end up loosing the actual story

cats (the original musical) is unironically one of my favorite musicals ever. not even in a “i like it in an ironic way” it’s just actually good. we don’t talk about the movie adaptation

a lot of newer musicals (deh, mean girls, bmc, etc) are kind of mid but they’re not inherently bad and none of them are completely awful or irredeemable. also heathers and beetlejuice are just straight-up great

rent has Problems but completely writing it off as “bad representation” and moving on is pretty reductive

i like black friday and i’m excited for npmd but i also really do not care about nightmare time or the extended hatchfield lore and i’m happier for it

frankenstein a new musical deserves a full revival and broadway run thank you and goodnight

I posted 1,774 times in 2022

That's 15 more posts than 2021!

756 posts created (43%)

1,018 posts reblogged (57%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@unproduciblesmackdown

@nothingunrealistic

@broadway-heere-i-come

@annabelle--cane

@sochilll

I tagged 1,774 of my posts in 2022

#billions - 1,050 posts

#taylor mason - 435 posts

#winston billions - 323 posts

#rian billions - 216 posts

#dear evan hansen - 204 posts

#inbox - 203 posts

#icymi - 184 posts

#unproduciblesmackdown - 174 posts

#sometimes i write - 163 posts

#jared kleinman - 134 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#wags struggles to hide a conflict of interest… the threat of a damaging leak dangled over somebody's head… you can't hide your lyin' eyes…

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

(goes to an apple orchard in my hometown) (suddenly remembers I’m gay) oh god the fucking emails...

126 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

#4

TRACK LIST:

Opening

Susannah's Song

Life in Hate Nation

I Fell in Love in Juvie Hall! (Snippet)

The Three Failed Escape Attempts of Sheila Nail

Doc Shock

Montage: This is the Way... / Miss Asp's Song / Mother Mother

The Other One

Francis's Song

Oh Well

I Hope

Solitary

Masochist

Miss Asp's Song II

Revolution Song

Operation: Sha La La

I Fell in Love in Juvie Hall!

Finale

B-Side: Jezebel

B-Side: Masochist (The Smith Twins Version)

136 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

#3

remember how stephen chbosky said he added evan’s public confession to the deh movie because he kept imagining evan at his 10-year class reunion still claiming he’d been friends with connor? his first mistake was imagining evan attending his 10-year class reunion

186 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

#2

See the full post

209 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

213 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

oooh the ellison theater and/or friendship for the ask game?

OOOOH ELLE you are letting me talk about one of wips that will unfortunately probably never get completed/published but is SO near and dear to my heart. the ellison theater is an au I dreamed up...two years ago at this point? where our beloved cast of deh characters are working in a small blackbox theater in New York in the process of putting on a new original musical titled on the fall. I found the idea of evan struggling so much with most public speaking and performance but just having mt/theater in his veins so captivating, and I thought exploring the idea of him writing and performing in this musical would be very fun. and it very much is! as I said, this is very near and dear to my heart. zoe’s the pov character, as someone who’s on the verge of a breakout role and broadway career but turns it down to work with the ellison crew instead. various zoevan and theater shenanigans ensue. (fun fact: I wrote a whole plot for the musical as well, and mocked up some lyrics for the songs. I have a blast with this fic, truly.) I'm posting...much more than a snippet because, as I've said, I probably won’t post it but I do truly enjoy and love it. thank you Elle <3

Something about the Ellison reminds her of home.

She’s barely set foot into the building that’s nestled on the corner of a block when nostalgia sweeps over her. It’s a feeling she gets every time she enters a theater, no matter how many she’s been in. There’s a kind of magic in each one, no matter what type of theater it is - the knowledge that, within these walls, there’s the possibility for change and growth and transportation to somewhere far away. But this theater strikes her differently than most do. With a building career, the majority of performance spaces she’s seen since graduating are bigger, swankier, dripping with New York theater elitism. She’d nearly forgotten what thrill black box theaters hold, the intimacy of their darkened walls and cramped seats.

The house begins immediately as she steps through the doors with a small area she assumes is reserved for standing room and a small hallway off the side with a bathroom sign hanging in the entrance. The seats branch off diagonally to accommodate the elevated, triangular stage in lieu of the normal black box even-floor stage or raised seating. The front row is so close to the stage that they’d probably be able to reach forward and rest their palms flat against the black-painted stage. The house lights are only half on, leaving Zoe squinting through the dim air and to the stage, where only a few blue gel lights illuminate anything. They leave the whole theater bathed in a faint blue glow and catch on the bowed head of someone sitting in the front row.

It’s all perfectly homey, but she knows she shouldn’t get too attached too soon. Instead, she scuffs the toe of her converse sneaker into the carpeted ground for a moment before turning her attention to the man in the front row. Zoe sees him more clearly as she nears the front of the theater. The spillage from the stage lights cast all of him in a blue shine. The blue nestles in between the strands of his close-cut, tiny curls, and slides along with his hands over a pencil and something that looks like a script.

“Evan Hansen?” she says three rows back, still standing in the center aisle. He visibly startles, the pencil slipping from his grasp and hitting the pages with a tiny thud. Twisting so as to look at her, he hurriedly removes a pair of glasses she hadn’t been able to see before. His eyes find hers, deep brown and gentle like a night sky, before they break away.

“Yeah, yep, Evan. Hansen. That’s me.” He stands while dumping a pile of papers onto the seat next to himself, the motion rushed. Evan swipes his hands over his jeans and then holds his arms by his sides as though he’s grown used to constantly carrying something and is not used to the free space. “Zoe Murphy?”

She slants a smile in his direction. “That’d be me.”

Normally, she’d be much more articulate and particular with her word choice. She’d also be wearing something other than a doodled-on pair of jeans and a t-shirt she got from Forever 21 for four dollars. But it’s been clear to her from the moment she walked into the Ellison - and from when Jared texted her about the part - that this would be nothing like a normal audition. And last-minute meetings don’t really lend themselves to impeccable outfits.

“Great, great, of course,” he says. His hands haven’t stopped moving since she disrupted him. They flit around the hem of his shirt as though looking for something to do. He reaches down to the stack of papers and rummages for a minute, seemingly searching for conversational words among the pages as well. He finds the words more quickly than whatever papers he searches for. “Um, I'm sorry this is on such short notice, well I know we had some communication before today but all the same quite last minute and-” he breaks off as he finally gathers the pages together, glancing towards a clock on the far wall. To himself, he mutters “Jared was supposed to be here by now.”

“It’s alright,” she replies, holding her hand out for the papers. Evan relinquishes them immediately, closing the gap between their outstretched arms and hands with a tiny step. “I’m used to Jared’s tardiness, I know it’s not you. I can wait if you’d prefer.”

“No,” he says, seeming to surprise himself with the word. “No, I mean. I’m sorry, we can absolutely wait for Jared to turn up if that’s more comfortable for you but it’s not, uh, necessary?” His voice lilts upwards at the last moment as though in question, and Zoe can’t help but think that it’s a nice sound.

“Sure,” she says. “I’m comfortable to start whenever.”

“Great,” he repeats. “Uh, that’s the scene-” he gestures to the papers in her hands “-and you can look over it if you’d like a refresher from what Jared sent earlier today. If you could just,” he cuts off, angling his head towards the stage and sinking back into his previous seat. She nods, flipping the pages over and skimming them as she walks. After scaling the short stairs along the side of the stage, she crosses to center, right in front of where Evan sits.

“So,” he continues after a pause. “You’re reading for the role of Alice - as I assume you know, of course.”

The corners of her lips quirk, but she doubts he sees. He’s bent back over his papers.

“I know this was extremely last minute, so you may not have prepared a song - and you also play guitar?”

She’s barely taken aback by the non sequitur. “Yes, although I don’t have one with me currently - I was walking from a shift, actually. I can sing a capella, although I didn’t prepare specifically for this audition.”

“No, of course. I know we have a guitar around here, probably in the back - there’s really not a pit, or any kind of music room, so we’re tight on space for instruments. What song were you...”

“Vanilla Ice Cream?”

He raises an eyebrow, but it seems more friendly than skeptical. “She Loves Me. A classic. Go ahead, whenever you’re ready.”

She has to hum through the refrain before she can begin. The acoustics in the theater are different from what she’s used to - not bad, not bad at all. But a little more naturally amplified and bouncy than she had been expecting. Zoe has this song down to a T, however. It was the first song she’d ever learned how to play with space on a stage with, something she’s grown more adept at as years pass. She knows that her 24-year-old version is quite different from her version more than ten years previously, but all the same, she can comfortably perform it in a completely new space.

Evan’s probably seen it in auditions a thousand times, of course, but he seems properly engaged, laughing at the right moments and smiling as she holds the high note towards the end.

“Fantastic,” he mutters, noting something on a fresh blank page in front of him.

“I suppose you’ll have to take me at my word for the guitar, though.”

“And Jared.”

“Of course. And the ever-elusive Jared.”

They lock eyes for half a second in the dim theater, eyes filled with amusement over a mutual friend although they’re strangers to each other. Evan clears his throat and looks back towards his notes.

“Right, sorry about him. If you’re ready, we could move on to…”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course,” Zoe says, retrieving her script from the edge of the stage, a previously uncharted sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Hello I am here to ask about "The Politician"

What's this show about?

Okay so;

The Politician is a political satire and dark comedy staring Payton, a boy who dreamed of being president of the usa since he was seven, and has been preparing to be president since then with the help of Mcafee (best girl), James (trans icon), and Alice (a fucking badass).

In season one he is trying to become student body president, which Astrid (also a badass, but meaner) tries to stop by first getting River (her bf and Payton's sorta bf) to run against him. Then some spoilery stuff happens and River can't run against him so Astrid rus against him instead.

There's also two girls called Infinity and Skye and they're pretty cool too.

Payton and Mcafee are my personal faves, Mcafee because she's confident and also I have a crush on her, Payton because while he's for the most part a dick, he has some soft moments (like at the end of season two when he's holding his baby) and I live those moment so much

There's a musical number in the first episode and in the last, both are really good (imo) but are kinda forced (not that I mind). The show itself is kinda campy and unrealistic but it's fun so I don't care.

Season one is pretty gay, and while season to is gayish, it retcons a LOT of the original gayness, which isn't fun. Like it makes the main character, who was in love with a boy originally, straight. Mind you I choose to ignore that and instead listen to the actor who plays Payton who, in a redit QnA thingy where he said that Payton was probably Pansexual.

This show is also really pretty. The school it takes place is is fancy af (and has an awesome school library), most of the leads live in mansions, and the clothes!!! I want the clothes so bad!!!

The show is kinda like if Riverdale was a political satire, was more intentionally campy and "bad", and had a MUCH smaller fandom. It's not the best, and it's not for everyone, and it certainly had it's flaws, but I like it.

(Also it has cast members from deh and sometimes there would be a line or a shot that kinda reminds you of deh and I think that's cool)

Here's some gifs from the show that I like

Abico watched the sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the secluded Maroon village, nestled at the edge of an ancient forest hidden in the rolling hills of the Jamaican mountainside. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and the distant sound of drumming heralded the eve of the annual festival. A celebration steeped in legend, where it was said the spirits of ancestors returns, danced in the moonlight, weaving magic and wisdom into the fabric of the village. He stood at the fringe of the forest, his city-worn shoes sinking slightly into the soft earth, a stark contrast to the rigid, paved streets he had grown accustomed to. The forest, with its towering trees and the chorus of unseen creatures, felt like a world apart from the concrete jungle they he left behind. It's been years since he departed, but now he had returned seeking respite from the relentless pace of city life. Yet now, faced with the enveloping embrace of nature, he felt an unexpected twinge of apprehension. "Yuh look lost, chile," a voice said, breaking through Abico's reverie. He turned to find Tabaka, an elder whose skin bore the intricate tapestry of time, leaning on a gnarled walking stick. His eyes twinkled with a knowing light, as if he could see right through Abico's carefully constructed facade. "I'm just… trying to remember," Abico replied, his voice trailing off, lost in the echoes of memories he thought he had left far behind. "Remember or rediscover?" Tabaka asked, his voice gentle, yet laden with meaning. He motioned for Abico to follow him back towards the village, where the preparations for the festival were in full swing. The air was alive with the smell of roasting breadfruit and the sweet, tangy aroma of jerk spices. As they walked, Tabaka spoke of the festival's origins, "Me sure you remember, that dis festival is how we commemorated the time when the spirits of the forest revealed themselves, guiding our ancestors to this bountiful hidden treasure during a time of great conflict with the British." "You really tink dem story deh true?" Abico asked. "It's more than just stories and superstitions boy," Tabaka replied, his voice rising with passion. "It's about connection—to the land, to our past, and to each other." Abico listened, feeling the weight of Tabaka's words. "Our people was far from our homeland, and they had bad people trying to put dem back into bondage. This place became a refuge for those who escaped, looking for freedom from the lashing of the slave driver whip. The festival is a continued celebration of our people's survival thanks to the gifts of the forest. This is a time when our ancestors return to share in the celebration. It's the only way for us to maintain a connection them, else we lose everything about who we were and who we may become. Don't you remember boy?" Abico, did not respond. His eyes trailed off in the distance, as he reflect on his years living in the city that offered escape and anonymity. But here, in this village cradled by the ancient hills, he was forced to confront the disconnection he felt not just from hims roots but from himself. "Look, me no know what happen to you, but me glad you come home. You can go to your mother's house and get ready. I will let everyone know you come back," Tabaka said as he turned and walked back to the village square. Later in the evening, the sun had already retired and a tapestry of stars were unfurling across the sky. The village square was alive with the rhythm of drums, the air resonant with the melodies of traditional songs passed down through generations. Abico watched, feeling like an outsider among his own people, the joy and unity of the celebration a stark reminder of the solitude he had known in the city. Compelled by a force he couldn't explain, he found themselves drawn to something coming from the forest. He was sitting on a tree stump watching the festive event, but he just stood up, turned and slowly walked towards two large trees leading in to the darkness beyond the village.

The drumbeats fading into the whisper of leaves and the soft murmur of the earth beneath his feet. Every movement seemed purposeful, as the forest seemed to breathe and alive with unseen presence. And then, the unexpected happened. A soft glow illuminated a clearing ahead, where the figures of dancers swayed in the moonlight, their movements ethereal, transcendent. Abico stood, transfixed, as the realization dawned upon him—this was the mystical event Tabaka had spoken of, the spirits of their ancestors, the very essence of the legend. In that moment, the city, with its noise and haste, felt like a distant dream. Abico understood the wisdom Tabaka had tried to impart—the importance of connection, of roots, of finding one's place in the continuum of time. As Abico watched, spellbound by the ethereal dance of the spirits in the moonlit clearing, one figure detached from the swirling, otherworldly congregation and moved toward him. This being, composed of light and shadow, seemed to carry the weight of centuries in its gaze, a gaze that pierced Abico's soul, recognizing the turmoil and disorientation that churned within. The mystical being, with a presence as calming as the forest's whispers, leaned close to Abico. Its form was translucent, shimmering with a light that seemed to radiate warmth and understanding. In a voice that was a mere breath on the wind, it whispered in Abico's ear. The words, though spoken softly, echoed with the force of ancient truths, dissolving the barriers of doubt and confusion that had clouded his spirit. With a gentle touch that felt like the caress of the breeze, the being conveyed an assurance that Abico's path, though winding and obscured, was his own to tread, a journey back to self, to the essence of who he was meant to be. And just as the revelation settled within Abico's heart, the being stepped back, returning to the collective dance of spirits. In the brief moment that followed, it faded from view, dissolved by a gust of wind that swept through the clearing, leaving behind a trail of luminous particles that shimmered like stars being drawn back into the night sky. Abico, now bathed in a newfound sense of peace and clarity, turned back toward the village. The weight of uncertainty that had once burdened his steps was lifted, replaced by a lightness and tranquility that stemmed from an unspoken promise to his ancestors. He walked back with a new sense of purpose. When he returned to the village, the festival was at its peak. Abico moved through the crowd, no longer an observer but a participant, his steps in harmony with the ancient rhythms. At the center of the square he found Tabaka among the revelers, his eyes reflecting pride and understanding. He could tell something had changed. "Yuh see it, don't yuh?" Tabaka asked, his voice barely audible over the celebration. Abico nodded, words unnecessary. He had seen his ancestors, felt their connection, and understood the profound truth that what he had been seeking in the city—belonging, purpose, peace—had always been here, in the heart of their ancestral village. Tabaka, nod back in recognition as Abico, stepped into the circle and joined in the dance. The celebration continued through the break of dawn when the sun was painting the sky with hues of gold and pink. Abico sat up like the other villagers watching the light creep over the hills, bathing the forest and the village in a warm glow. This was the end of the festival, but for Abico, it was the start of a new journey. He realized that returning wasn't merely a physical act but a spiritual journey to rediscover what was truly important. He saw Tabaka seated in a chair, so he walked over to him. "Mawning Missa T. Me glad me come back, cause all a we always tink there is something out dere better dan what we have here. But to be honest, me neva feel complete. It always seem like a piece a me is still back here. Every night me dream bout coming back here, living here.

Me dream bout me grandfather, me neighbor Miss Junie, every body inna deh village. But coming back here mek me reconnect wid the legends and traditions dat offered not a retreat from the world but a way to face it with a renewed sense of self and belonging. Me know now dat me belong to a line a people who me ago always have a connection to." There was a soft echo of drums fading in the distance, and so was Tabaka. His aged face held a smile as he disappeared and the drums were replaced by the quietude of the morning. Abico knew then that the city would call him back, with its challenges and its pace, but now he carried with them the connection, wisdom, and the strength of his ancestors. He now understood no matter how far he may roam, he will always find a path to guide him back home to his roots.

Theater confession time.

If you would have told me last year, let alone in 2017, that I would be willingly going to watch deh in the theater, I wouldn't have believe you.

But when the offer in musical theater where you live is limited, your accessibility to them is limited, and in comes a production with a) a great cast, b) a great orchestra, c) a fantastic work in translation and adaptation and d) genuine and good production work, you might bite the bullet.

So I did.

I can barely believe it but I actually enjoyed myself.

The issues from the original don't fully disappear but they made several changes that improved it a lot. Plus, this cast helped immensely to sell it to me in a way I hadn't experienced before. It isn't suddenly Next to Normal but it's much much better imo. And, according to some folks we've talked to who've seen it on Broadway proper (not, you know, through 👢s like me), we're not the only ones who think this way.

I've been thinking about it and I believe it's a sum of a lot of decisions and characterization changes that improved the material in a way I hadn't thought possible while trying to maintain the core of it which is, in essence, flawed imo. They couldn't drastically change everything, but they edited songs, changed some lyrics, removed some things and changed pretty much 90% of the characterizations in some small but very perceivable way, from what I can tell. When you look at it from afar, it might seem it isn't very different but you do get a whole different result out of it and when you start looking at it in more detail, you unpack all the changes.

I went primarily because I knew Julia Zenko and Laura Conforte were gonna be stellar no matter what (and boy were they), but I ended up liking the thing enough to hope they allow them to make a cast recording, if it were ever possible.

I never thought this day would come, but there's one version of this musical I actually enjoyed. Querido Evan Bs As production, you did it.

5 Jamaicans Named In Top 200 Best Singers of All Time by Rolling Stones

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5 Jamaicans Named In Top 200 Best Singers of All Time by Rolling Stones

When Rolling Stone, the iconic five-decade pop music magazine, released its Top 200 Singers Of All Time on January 1, 2023, nobody would have been surprised to find at least a few prominent Jamaicans populating the list, which was topped by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billie Holiday, and Sam Cooke. While the list predictably included the reggae legend Bob Marley (at number 98), he was only the 3rd highest ranked of the magazine’s five Jamaicans.

  The widely beloved and recently departed Toots Hibbert made the list at number 94. Three other Jamaicans with longstanding ties to VP Records were also included. The highest ranked of these was none other than the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Emmanuel Brown, at number 67 (highest among all Jamaicans), who sat just behind and just ahead of contemporary Caribbean superstar Rihanna at number 68 and just behind David Ruffin of The Temptations, good company indeed. “His soulfulness was unimpeachable,” according to writer Michaelangelo Matos. This acclaim should come as no surprise, since Brown had been previously recognized by National Public Radio as one of the world’s 50 Great Voices in 2010.

Dennis Brown would see 13 LPs on VP Records and five on Greensleeves during his career – more than any other VP Music Group artist. VP paid tribute to Dennis Brown in 2016 with an all-star cast of performers revisiting his catalog. In 2018, VP released King Jammy Presents Dennis Brown Tracks Of Life, another tribute bringing the singer’s original master tapes back to life with new combinations.

According to writer Noah Schactman, ‘if an airhorn could sing,’ it might be comparable to the penetrating voice of Barrington Levy, ranked number 119 on the list. Levy’s career traces to the earliest years of VP Records. Three of the company’s first singles on its Roots From The Yard imprint in 1979 were Levy’s “Revelation,” “Collie Weed,” and “A Yah Me Deh.” After being a major force in the 1980s, Levy stepped up his game at the end of the decade and into the 1990s with his major hit covers of Bob ndy’s “Too Experienced” and “My Time.”  VP released his definitive greatest hits anthology, Too Experienced, in 1998.

Also included on the list is one of Jamaica’s great voices of the 1990s and 2000s, Luciano. Writer Michael Goldwasser, who also produced the singer, says that Luciano has “a range that extends from a rich baritone up to a strong falsetto. And he’s a master of the lost art of harmonizing.”

Luciano stepped into the reggae spotlight after the tragic passing of Garnet Silk in December 1994, becoming the next champion of dancehall’s revived cultural sound. “Poor And Simple” from 1993 was his first release on VP, followed by “One Way Ticket” and “Jah Is Alive,” and the album One Way Ticket in 1994, all produced by Fatis Burrell for Xterminator. Luciano had major label releases through Chris Blackwell’s Island Jamaica in 1995 and 1996 but would reconnect with VP starting in 1999 with the outstanding Sweep Over My Soul. Eight more albums followed, including Serious Times in 2004 and its enduring anthem, “Give Praises.” Luciano has remained active, consistent, and relevant to the present.

VP offers congratulations to these five artists for this well-deserved recognition and for their exceptional legacies in bringing reggae and Jamaican culture to the world.

Stream the best of Dennis Brown on Spotify.

Dear Evan Hansen cast reunion and the final performance of Jennifer and Michael

smol things i noticed about mike faist’s connor murphy

*the real connor gfhbfbdhh

-hair tie on wrist

-fidgets with rings

-bites lip

-chipped black nail polish

-debby ryan ear tuck when trying to befriend evan

-even though evan never put a last name in his letter when he mentioned zoe, connor immediately thinks/knows it’s his sister bc he’s convinced everyone’s out to get him

-connor gets more mad when evan laughs at him (compared to jared) bc he’s a nobody. in connor’s eyes, if the nobody laughs at you — ur lower than low