The Greatest Broadway Love Duets. Ever.

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I guess this week’s theme is love? But that’s okay, who doesn’t ~love~ a good Broadway love duet? I know I love them, especially singing both parts of them. It’s what I do best. Here’s my list of the absolute best ones:

  • In a Crowd of Thousands- Anastasia. I love this song so much, I might devote an entire post to it in the future.
  • Only Us- Dear Evan Hansen. It’s just the cutest little love story… until you remember it’s all a lie.
  • Crazier Than You- Addams Family. It’s so fitting to the show, and so fiery- I love it.
  • Unlikely Lovers- Falsettos. Technically, this is a quartet, but it’s two couples and also collectively a group of 4 friends. It’s my song for when I need to cry it all out.
  • What You Mean To Me- Finding Neverland. The melody of this song is haunting. It’s gorgeous. And it’s almost magical.
  • When You’re Home- In the Heights. Benny and Nina are so happy together, it’s goals.
  • All I’ve Ever Known- Hadestown. The way they describe how they feel for each other really makes you want to fall in love. I love it I love it I love it.
  • Suddenly, Seymour- Little Shop of Horrors. APPRECIATE IT OR ELSE. Literally this song is perfect. So much love for Little Shop.
  • Come What May- Moulin Rouge. If you haven’t heard this yet, get off my page and listen to it. It’s amazing.
  • Something to Believe In- Newsies. Definitely a cute way to describe love, “having something to believe in.” It gets me every time.
  • Falling Slowly- Once. Love at first sight, anyone?
  • Forever Yours- Once on This Island. She literally gives her life for him. Wow.
  • I’ll Cover You- Rent. RIP Angel. I love this song. It’s so cute and pure and super catchy too.
  • All I Ask of You- Phantom of the Opera. Of course this is on the list, how could it not be? Side note, I wish I was Christine. That’s all.
  • You Matter to Me- Waitress. The lyrics to this song might be the sweetest thing I will ever hear.
  • As Long As You’re Mine- Wicked. Ah, the love triangle finally completes itself. A great song to sing along to at any time any day.

Forbidden Love?

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It’s a common trope. It’s been around for centuries. Romeo and Juliet started it all. Star-crossed lovers whose fates are intertwined, but they can’t be together for one reason or another. Musicals both classic and contemporary often reuse this plotline. Let’s talks about some of the best forbidden love stories Broadway has ever seen.

First of all, we’ve got the classic- Maria and Tony, the gold standard for Broadway couples. West Side Story may be the best example of the star-crossed lovers trope, since it’s very obviously based on Romeo and Juliet itself. The love Maria and Tony had for each other ruined every Broadway fan’s life by setting the bar way too high, let’s be real. Not to mention the fact that they gave us beautiful songs like “One Hand, One Heart” and “Somewhere (There’s A Place For Us).”

Next up is probably my personal favorite couple to ever grace the stage- Jack Kelly and Katherine Plumber! This dynamic duo from Newsies should be at the top of every list, and their forbidden love story is a little different. As it turns out, Katherine happens to be the daughter of the man that causes all Jack’s problems, but she wants to support the strike anyway. Love triumphs over every conflict, including this one that she wants to keep a secret from Jack, but her father has other plans.

Let’s just talk about Ti Moune and Daniel in Once on This Island!!! They come from opposite sides of the island they live on, which separates them not only by distance but also by social class, since Daniel is of the light-skinned upper class and Ti Moune is a peasant from the other side. But the gods of their island tend to meddle a little bit and bring them together, against Daniel’s family’s wishes, which doesn’t turn out well for either of them in the end. 10/10 recommend Once on This Island and it needs more appreciation!

In a sense, unrequited love is a form of forbidden love, which means that characters such as Erik (the Phantom of the Opera himself) and Eponine (everyone’s favorite relatable lonely girl) qualify for this list as well.

I think those three are the best examples of the recycled plot of the star-crossed lovers. Can you think of another? I’m sure I left out at least a couple.

My Favorite Musical

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Anyone who knows me personally will tell you I often refer to certain musicals as my “Second Favorite.” To which they’ll respond, “What’s your favorite then?” Well, the answer isn’t simple. So here’s my explanation to everyone why I never say a particular show is my favorite musical.

First of all, I’m not good at picking favorites. That’s part of the reason. I really have a lot of favorites, but you won’t hear me refer to any one show as my favorite. It’s like asking a mother to pick her favorite kid. They’re all her favorites. I have a group of shows that always stay in that category, but it also changes when I revisit a show or get into a new one. I bet if someone asked me every day for a week what my favorite musical was, I would tell them a different answer every time. It depends on my mood, the time of day, the weather, what’s going on in my life- anything can contribute to what I’ll answer that question with.

Here’s my group of shows that always stay at the top: Hadestown, Tuck Everlasting, Finding Neverland, Dear Evan Hansen, Waitress, Newsies. Now, if I get tickets to a show, I’ll get super into that show and it will be up there for a while too. (This happened when I saw A Bronx Tale in May.) There’s also shows that I tend to forget how much I love, like Anastasia and Bandstand. And lastly, there are shows that resurface in my mind from time to time. The worst offender here is In the Heights. I love it so much, but then it disappears from my consciousness for weeks at a time and suddenly comes back.

So that’s the best explanation I have as to why every show I say is my “second favorite” isn’t really my favorite. Do you have a favorite musical? What makes it your favorite?

My Take on A Rumor Concerning the Wicked Movie (The End of my Hiatus)

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I’m back!!! After a much longer break than I intended, I finally have new content to share. School starting back up combined with my writer’s block kept me away, but I will try and post more often from now on. Anyway, I’ve heard rumors from multiple sources that Ariana Grande is being seriously considered for the role of Elphaba in the Wicked movie adaptation, originally set for release sometime next year. Before I start sharing my thoughts, I would like to acknowledge that yes, I do know that Ari has Broadway training and was in the musical 13 as a teenager. I’ve done my research.

That being said, I just don’t think Elphie is a role she’s fit for. I’m not completely against the idea of her being on Broadway or even in the movie (Nessarose, possibly), but this part is one that someone else should fill the shoes of. The only advantage to having her in it would be mainstream buzz from the non-Broadway crowd, but that could be done if she were in any role. (Again, Nessarose.) Here is a list of underappreciated and talented Broadway actresses who should be casted instead:

  • Hailey Kilgore, known for the revival of Once on This Island, would be a great fit.
  • Talia Suskauer, who recently took on Elphaba in the National Tour.
  • Jessica Vosk, another past Elphaba who was a total fan favorite.
  • Ariana DeBose, whose credits include Hamilton (OBC) and A Bronx Tale (OBC)
  • Maggie McKenna, who recently finished the tour of Dear Evan Hansen as Zoe Murphy and was phenomenal. She’s also a relatively fresh face.
  • Laura Michelle Kelly, a personal favorite of mine for Finding Neverland.
  • Fantasy: Eva Noblezada, even though she says she’ll never leave Hadestown.
  • Jasmine Cephas Jones, original Maria Reynolds in Hamilton.
  • Mandy Gonzalez of In the Heights
  • Ashley Park, known for originating Gretchen in Mean Girls.
  • Kiersey Clemons, Joanne in Rent Live!

And I’m sure I’ll think of more after I publish this. Also for the role of Glinda some Hollywood talent that could still sing the role includes Anna Kendrick or Amanda Seyfried. Other Broadway actresses I would cast as Glinda are Betsy Wolfe, Laura Osnes, and Kara Lindsay (again.) Casting directors, hear my prayer: give Broadway actresses the attention they deserve!!!

Who would you cast in these two leading ladies’ roles? Let me know in the comments 🙂

Goodbye to Be More Chill and the Prom, and also I saw Lion King!!

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Today, August 11th, begins the chain reaction of Broadway shows closing in the next few months, leading with Be More Chill, which opened earlier this year, and the Prom, which had about a year-long run. Next Sunday, we say farewell to the Cher Show, King Kong, and Pretty Woman. But as for right now, two shows that meant a lot to a lot of people are going up for the last time.

Beginning with Be More Chill, a show that has one of the biggest fanbases out there and is one of the “Golden Four” along with Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Heathers. Fitting in that category, it’s a show with a mainly teenage demographic. Written by Joe Iconis, the show’s journey is impressive-many of the cast members have remained from the workshop to the Off-Broadway and now the Lyceum Theater. So the closing of this show is hitting hard for a lot of teens, as it left an impact on many and even saved the lives of some.

Now for The Prom, which saved many other people for a completely different reason. The show paved the way for LGBTQ+ respresentation. Now, saying that is blatant erasure of shows like Fun Home and Falsettos, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. What I mean is the initial responses were better in the community than those shows were originally and personally, I like this show a lot more in general than Fun Home, which is the fandom’s main rival for the Prom. It also had the first ever LGBTQ+ kiss on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Many people across the nation have gotten hope for their situations from the triumph of Emma and Alyssa. So, thank you, Prom, for giving people a safe space.

With all that being said, I’m not sure these shows were quite ready for Broadway- they just don’t sit on the same level as the smash hits in other theaters. I don’t mean to drag either in any way, since they’re still wonderful pieces of art, but if they had waited a couple more years, they could have made the show even better and last longer on the Great White Way. Nonetheless, it’s tragic to see such well-loved shows leave us.

On a brighter note, I saw the Rafiki Tour of Lion King on Friday! I tend to throw around the word ‘masterpiece’ a lot, and now I realize how much I needed to rethink my vocabulary choice. I don’t think I really knew the definition of the word until I saw the sheer spectacle that is Lion King. Seriously, if you ever get the chance to see it, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DO IT. You will absolutely not regret it. It’s truly just beautiful. ❤

Appreciation for In the Heights!

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Well, you already know what this is going to be about, because you had to have seen the title to have made it this far, so here are some of the best things about In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first major Broadway success!

THE ORCHESTRATIONS. If you know, you know. If you don’t, let me tell you: the pit for this show is INSANELY COOL. The Latin style of the score opens up opportunities for amazing details that most people don’t notice but I’m a music nerd so…yeah. There’s this one little trumpet solo in “When You’re Home” when the ensemble is singing, “no pare sigue sigue” that gets stuck in my head every single time I listen to it. And the whole show starts with a traditional Latin beat played on claves, a percussion instrument any average person wouldn’t recognize. And if you still need more examples, listen to “The Club.” Just trust me on this one.

The motif of wanting to go somewhere better than where you are but eventually realizing that you’re happiest at home is largely common in theatre, but this show takes it to another level. Usnavi, the main character, dreams of leaving Washington Heights and going ‘home’ to the Dominican Republic to be in the place his parents got their roots in before emigrating to New York. But when a barrio-wide blackout and {{{SPOILERS SKIP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THEM}}} the passing of Abuela Claudia change everyone’s plans, not to mention his scoring of Vanessa, the girl of his dreams, he sees that his roots and his family are there with his parents’ bodega.

The CAST! I mean, you just can’t go wrong with those amazing human beings. (I’m speaking specifically about the OBC, but every cast is equally spectacular!) Karen Olivo, who plays Vanessa, pretty much got her first claim to fame here, going on to play Anita in a WSS revival and now originating Satine in Moulin Rouge: the Musical! Christopher Jackson, AKA Benny, kept in touch with Lin, evidently, since he is the singing voice of Moana’s father in the Disney movie and the original George Washington in Hamilton! Not to mention Lin himself, who we all know is one of Broadway’s biggest and most well-loved names in the present. Mandy Gonzalez (Nina) remained close with Lin, playing Angelica Schuyler at one point in Hamilton, too.

There’s a lot more to say about this amazing musical, but I haven’t even seen it in person yet, so I’ll save it for when the highly anticipated MOVIE ADAPTATION (starring Anthony Ramos who I love) that I’m super excited about comes out in June of next year!