"Why Dorothy and Toto Went Over The Rainbow, To Blow Off Auntie Em!"

Note to self--I really should keep track of anniversaries of when musicals went on Broadway (if they are ever fortunate enough to make it there).  The musical I'm talking about is Johnathan Larson's most famous script that is known as RENT.

Based off of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème, the show follows the lives of eight friends over the course of a year starting and finishing on Christmas Eve from 1987 to 1988, while living in New York City.  Four out of the main characters--Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel--have AIDs, while the other four--Mark, Benny, Maureen, Johanne--do not.  (I mention that because a theme for the show is not regretting anything and to make a great impact in the world somehow before inevitable death comes.)

For the 1996 Tony Awards, this musical was nominated in ten categories but won only four (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score [all three taken posthumously by Johnathan Larson--he died the morning of RENT 's first preview Off-Broadway on January 26, 1996] and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Wilson Jermaine Heredia--Angel).

Personally, I would most likely choose the song "Santa Fe" because it's my top favorite song out of the whole show (I have four favorite songs in it, and two of them are from Mark's Mom, so they aren't really songs).

However, I do have a soft spot for "La Vie Boheme" but only if I include the entire Life Cafe scene it's in--it's the only scene from any show I can recite by heart.

One Night In Bangkok

I just finished watching The Hangover Part II and Mike Tyson sang "One Night In Bangkok" from Chess. I wish I knew this musical better but it has some pretty powerful music (plus Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, and Adam Pascal starred in the main roles when the show went on tour.)

Here's the official (not Pascal) Broadway recording of it.

Comparisons between Frozen and Wicked

So Disney Pixar recently released a box-office and family-friendly success Frozen. Released on Nov. 27, the story is about two sisters left a kingdom after their parents were lost at sea—the elder, Elsa, has this power where everything she touches turns into ice and runs away from civilization after her powers were discovered; the younger, Anna, craves for a relationship with her sister (who shuts herself away from Anna) and longs to be in love and free from that household. (I know the story is more complex, but this is the abbreviated version.) 

Meanwhile, thespians around the world are well aware of Wicked, the prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It describes the backstory of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and how she became the witch we all know and love, but by rebellion against the wizard Oz. 

I personally believe Frozen and Wicked have extremely similar qualities. Here are 10 I noticed (feel free to comment). 

1. Idina Menzel plays (sings, rather) both main female leads (Elphaba and Elsa), who were both misunderstood and ran from the societies they knew and grew up in. (Not to mention their key songs, Defying Gravity and Let It Go, are about going against the crowd and becoming the person they were meant to be.)

2. Both female leads (Elsa and Elphaba) have magical powers the townsfolk fear. 

3. Both supporting girls (Glinda and Anna) are constantly loyal to their companion and seem opposite of them. 

4. Both supporting girls are played by well known blondes of the same name (Kristen Bell and Kristin Chenowith). 

5. Both supporting girls have character songs that show them as caring and wanting to reach out and connect to their buddy (Popular and Do You Want to Build a Snowman?).

6. Both supporting males (Fiyero and Olaf) sing songs about having a carefree life and not realizing what they're singing can really mean. (Dancing Through Life hints that Fiyero will become the Scarecrow and In Summer hints that Olaf doesn't understand he would melt in the sun.)

7. Both supporting girls (Glinda and Anna) fall in love with men that don't return their affections. (Boq fell in love with Elphaba's sister Nessarose and Hans was only using Anna to gain the throne.) 

8. There are animals that are important in the story. (Sven the reindeer accompanies Kristoff and Anna as she goes to find Elsa and Doctor Dillamond was a talking Goat professor at Shiz and partly inspired Elphaba to go against the Wizard.)

9. Both main females had some harm come to their sisters (Anna became frozen in ice and Nessarose was crushed by a house). 

10. Marriage was mentioned in both stories. (Kristoff's family insisted that he and Anna should wed and almost set up a marriage, while Glinda was engaged to Fiyero, Elphaba's love.)

Day Twenty-Seven: Chess

Happy New Year's Eve/ Day (depends on where in the globe you are!) I'm trying to write this post before 2013 arrives just to say I did it! I originally thought I would be done the 30 Days before this happened, but I got lazy. :P

Anyway, today's post is a musical I would love to see starring my favorite performers, which for me is Chess. I love Chess, I love the story line, and people have heard some of the songs from this show- whether  they realize it or not.

So, there's a world chess championship and that year's match would be held in a town in northern Italy. The town, Merano, is preparing for the association's arrival- meanwhile, Frederick "Freddie" Trumper of the United States arrives with Hungarian-born English-raised girlfriend and second Florence Vassy. Florence notices how Freddie is spoken in a negative light in the press because of his "bad boy" attitude. She asks Freddie to control his temper, but he ignores her and assaults a journalist who questions his and Florence's relationship. 

Freddie's Russian opponents, Anatoly Sergievsky -and his second, Alexander Molokov- watches Freddie embarrass himself on television. Anatoly laments on what he gave up to be where he was. The head of the chess association asks both contestants to a clean game, while both contestants secretly wish to defeat their opponents. The match becomes intense, resulting to Freddie destroying the chessboard and storming out of the arena. Florence apologizes for Freddie's actions and tries to set up a peace meeting between Anatoly and Freddie.

It turns out, Freddie did the outburst because of an American media company offering a higher price to him if he did it. Freddie and Florence argue about it until Freddie changes the conversation about Florence's missing father, who was captured by Soviet forces during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Florence leaves for the resort where she told Anatoly to meet Freddie and herself so they can have a diplomatic response to the chess match.

Freddie doesn't arrive with Florence, which leaves Florence and Anatoly awkwardly together, waiting. However, romance arises between Florence and Anatoly and the two embrace. Suddenly, Freddie enters, interrupting the two. Freddie was late because he was negotiating another business deal with the same media company. The chess tournament proceeds with Anatoly dominating to where he needs only to win one more match to win the tournament. Freddie acts childish to his defeats, which results to Florence leaving him. 

Freddie is left to reflect on his childhood while he sends the head of the chess association a letter of resignation, which results in Anatoly automatically becoming the world champion. Anatoly leaves Russia and seeks for refuge in England, with Florence accompanying him. The press discovers the secret relationship and swarm the two. When asked why Anatoly is deserting his country, he answers by saying his land's only border is around his heart.

A year goes by, and Anatoly returns to defend his title in Bangkok, Thailand. Freddie is already there because he's the media company's special presenter for the year's championship. Florence and Antoly are openly lovers, but both worry for Antoly's estranged wife, Svetlana, arriving from Russia. Anatoly thinks that  Molokov, planned this in order to get Anatoly to return to the Soviet Union. Molokov has been training a new guy named Leonin Viigand to challenge Antoly: Molokov plans on spying on Anatoly and plots his downfall.

Freddie is manipulated by the head of the company to humiliate Anatoly on a live interview between himself and his former opponent. Molokov blackmails Svetlana to making Anatoly lose the match. The head of the media company, Walter, discovers about the release of American agents if he can ruin Anatoly's play- he convinces Florence that if she makes Anatoly lose, then her father will be released as well. Neither of the ploys make Anatoly lose the match. Molokov and Walter team up and ask Freddie to personally persuade Anatoly and Florence. Freddie, who wants revenge from Anatoly and is interested in winning back Florence, tries to talk to the couple- however, they dismiss him.

Svetlana and Florence talk one-on-one about their romantic relationships with Anatoly. Florence confesses that it would be best if Anatoly returned to Svetlana and their children. Anatoly is told to go to a certain temple and meets Freddie there. Freddie puts aside his personal agenda and decides to help Anatoly; he tells him of Viigand's flaw in how he plays in order to help Anatoly win.

Both Anatoly and Viigand have won 5 games apiece, but Anatoly wins the final match. He feels as though this will be the only thing he can accomplish in life. Svetlana and Florence scold Anatoly for his reaction to winning the chess match; he didn't care at all. Later, Florence tells Anatoly that he should return home to the Soviet Union with Svetlana. Walter later tells Florence Anatoly returned with Svetlana back home. Walter also admits that no one knows if Florence's father is alive or not. Florence sobs that Walter uses people's lives for nothing and repeats Anatoly's statements at the end of Act 1, about having the only borders lie around her heart.

(I just realized I did the West End version of this show, so sorry! It's all too confusing for me now. Just read it for yourself; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_(musical)#Plot_2)

So, the song I'll choose is "Anthem" because I think it's a good piece to represent the show (this is sung at the end of Act 1, when Anatoly is asked why is he leaving Russia). This stars Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, and Adam Pascal!

Day Eighteen: Rent

Today's post, as foretold in the last, is the musical with the best lyrics. And I think it's Rent.

Yes I know it's basically Aids: The Musical, but I really enjoying the lyrics, they're so moving to me! "There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss!"

So I'll give a recap of the show. It takes place in Alphabet City in NYC in the late '80s/early '90s, and the entire first act takes place on Christmas Eve. There's these two guys; Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, and Roger, a musician who wants to have one great hit and has been dealing through withdrawl (from drugs, obviously). Their power gets cut off by their landlord and ex-friend, Benny, who is married to the daughter of the Grey corporation that is taking over the city.

Meanwhile, Roger and Mark's good friend, Collins, gets jumped while heading to the guys' apartment and is left on the streets for dead. But then Angel, a guy on the streets playing the bongos, finds Collins and brings him back to his place to care for him. Collins and Angel (who is later revealed to be a drag queen) are instantly attracted to each other. Roger is trying to write his song, but is interrupted by Mimi, who uses her blown-out candle as an excuse to flirt with Roger. Collins finally arrives at the apartment and introduces the two guys to Angel. 

Benny drops by the apartment, hassling the guys about paying the rent for the apartment. But he offers a deal; if the guys can get Maureen to cancel her protest, he'll let them live in this new studio project, rent-free. The two reject his offer and Benny leaves. Angel and Collins invite Roger and Mark to come to an HIV support group meeting.

Mark's ex-girlfriend, Maureen, who also turned lesbian and dumped Mark to date a lawyer named Johanne, is running a protest that would take place that night at midnight at this lot that was being closed down. Johanne is her stage manager and is working the technology aspect for the protest. Maureen called Mark to go help Johanne, despite Johanne demanding that Maureen doesn't call him for help. 

While fixing the sound equipment, Johanne and Mark lament about Maureen and how her sultry ways drove Mark nuts and drives Johanne crazy now. Mark warns Johanne that Maureen will get worse, to which is proven true later in the scene. Mark leaves and hurries to the support group meeting.

Mimi comes back to the apartment and attempts to seduce Roger. In response, Roger kicks her out and pushes her away. He then confesses aloud to an empty apartment about his fear of dying of AIDS. (He got it from his previous girlfriend, who committed suicide after discovering they both were positive.)

Collins talks about his dream to leave New York City to go open up a restaurant in Santa Fe. Soon after, Collins and Angel confess their love to each other and commit into a relationship. Johanne is still nervous as she finishes preparing for Maureen's show. Roger finds Mimi and apologizes for his behavior. He tries to make it up to her by inviting her to the protest and to have dinner at the Life Cafe afterwards with the gang, to which she agrees. The people on the streets are protesting.

Maureen arrives and gives her performance. At the cafe after the show, Benny makes rude comments about the performance and the group's Bohemian lifestyle. Mark and everyone else in the cafe rejoice to them living in the Bohemian lifestyle. Meanwhile, Mimi confronts Roger for ignoring her during dinner. The two talk and discover the other is HIV-positive, which brings them closer. Johanne returns, explaining that Mark and Roger's building has been padlocked. A riot breaks out on the streets as Mimi and Roger share their first kiss.

Act two takes place over the course of one year. Long story short (I don't feel like recapping the rest of the show) all the couples go through a point where they don't speak to each other, except for Angel and Collins. Angel dies from AIDS. And while Roger and Mimi broke up, Mimi was dating Benny (even though Benny's married.)

After Angel's funeral, Roger leaves for Santa Fe, and Mark works at this new reporting company called Buzzline. Roger comes back and Mark realizes that this isn't what he wanted at all. Mimi disappeared but was found in the park, shivering and dying after being kicked out of her apartment when Benny's wife found out he cheated. Mimi dies, but Roger's song (which he finally wrote!) brings her back to him, and the entire gang celebrate.

My favorite song out of the show (it really moves me, especially the ending of it) is "Goodbye Love," which is showing the group falling apart as Roger leaves for Santa Fe. (The actual song doesn't start until a little after 1 minute.)

Day Seven: Wicked

Today's post is a musical featuring your favorite female singer, and the singer has to be none other than Idina Menzel!

So, let me explain Wicked first. It's similar to The Wizard of Oz, but it's told in the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Idina Menzel in the first Broadway debut). The show shows a side of the witch that is good, not evil, as The Wizard of Oz once demonstrated.

The show starts off at the end of The Wizard of Oz, with the Wicked Witch being melted and everyone rejoicing about it. Glinda recalls that Elphaba was conceived between the Munchkin Governor's Wife, wh and a mysterious stranger with a bottle of green elixir (who is discovered to be the great wizard Oz, whom everyone knows is human). 

The next scene shows that Glinda (whose actual name is Galinda) and Elphaba met at Shiz University and were roommates. Elphaba goes to college only to take care of her disabled younger sister (confined to a wheelchair after being born without arms.) Nessarose. Elphaba was excluded from Madame Morrible's Sorcery Seminar, but after discovering Elphaba has magical powers, she lets her in and thinks she can be useful for the wizard. 

Part of the show discusses how Animals (notice how I capitalized the word) can be considered people too and shouldn't be considered as just animals. (Animals are animals that can talk and feel and think and act as human beings.) 

Fiyero, a Winkie Prince, is introduced to the story, as well as a Munchkin named Boq, an old childhood friend of Elphaba. Boq tries to ask Glinda to this fancy party, but turns him down and tells him to ask Nessarose instead, her feeling as though her and Fiyero would be a better match. Glinda gives Elphaba a black-pointed hat, and when she wears it, she's at first ridiculed. Glinda ends up feeling remorse for what she did and the two start a strange friendship.

Back at the dorm room, Elphaba explains that her sister was born disabled because her mother, wanting her second child to not be born with green skin, was fed milk-flowers, which resulted in Nessarose to be born prematurely.  Glinda decides to give Elphaba a makeover to make her more admirable and appealing to the other students.

A Shiz professor, Doctor Dillamond (who is an Animal) is taken away by Ozian officials. The new history teacher brings in an Animal cub in a cage and suggests that if Animals were born into cages, they would lose their speech. Elphaba and Fiyero are outraged by this, so they let the cub go free after class. Elphaba thinks she might have feelings for Fiyero but is unsure.

The Wizard requested a presence with Elphaba. Boq doesn't show much interest in Nessarose, so when Glinda questions that, Nessarose answered that maybe it is herself that's not right. Glinda tries to impress Fiyero, which fails miserably, so Elphaba invited Glinda along with her to see the Wizard.

Elphaba is taken personally to the side to have her  powers tested, which she did by having monkeys grow wings, but then discovers that both Madame Morrible and Oz has been behind the troubles in Oz with the Animals and creating cages for them. The Wizard tries to convince her to join his side, as her powers would be very useful for him and his army. 

Elphaba runs out with the spell book (written in this strange language that only certain people can read) and her and Glinda run to the attic of the palace. Morrible turns the townsfolk against Elphaba and she decides to do what is right and not join the Wizard. Glinda, however, decides to follow behind him and become a public figure. She leaves the attic on a broomstick she encharmed, earning her nickname created by Morrible, "The Wicked Witch of the West."

Time has passed (20 years, maybe?). Elphaba has hidden from Oz and is no where to be found.  Yet Glinda, now the Wizard's assisstant, has announced she's engaged to Fiyero. Elphaba returns to Munchkinland, where Nessarose became the new Governor after their father died due to shame from Elphaba defying the Wizard. Elphaba turns the silver slippers Nessarose had gotten when they were younger into ruby red slippers, giving her complete mobility of her legs and being able to walk. Nessarose has restricted the Munchkinlanders from leaving the area, including her crush Boq. Nessarose tries to read from the spell book that Elphaba stole, which results in Boq literally losing his heart and Elphaba turns him into the Tin Man, so he can live.

She returns to the Palace and tries to free the winged monkeys. The Wizard tries to convince her to join him,  but after seeing the speechless Doctor Dillamond among the monkeys, she refuses. She runs into Fiyero and the two proclaim their love to each other. Glinda discovers this and tells Madame Morrible that Elphaba will come to Nessarose's aid, should she need it. Morrible conjures up a tornado with Dorothy's house landing in it and landing right on top of Nessarose, killing her instantly. 

Elphaba arrives just as Glinda send Dorothy and Toto down the Yellow Brick Road. The guards capture her, but Fiyero gives himself in to give time for Elphaba to escape. He gets dragged into the woods and was threatened to be killed if he didn't give up her whereabouts. Elphaba tries casting spells to save Fiyero, but fears it was no use.

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man (Boq) and the Cowardly Lion are sent by the Wizard to kill Elphaba. The Cowardly Lion is the cub that Fiyero and Elphaba had released at Shiz. She captures Dorothy, refusing to let her go until she takes off the ruby slippers that belonged to Nessarose. Glinda tries to convince Elphaba to let Dorothy go, but she won't do it. The two forgave what the other had done and realized that their lives would be different if they hadn't met. Elphaba gives her the spell book, providing she takes control of Oz. Dorothy throws a bucket of water at Elphaba, who then starts to be mysteriously melting away. Glinda sees that all that is left of Elphaba is her hat and a vial of green elixir, which the Wizard has an identical. (Here it's officially revealed that Oz is Elphaba's father and she is part Oz and part human).

Fiyero, it's discovered, was turned into the Scarecrow when Elphaba was casting spells to save him. It is revealed that Elphaba didn't die but descended down a trap door, convincing everyone that she was dead. The two leave Oz as the city is celebrating Elphaba's death. Glinda and Elphaba look up at the night sky, appreciating their friendship and that both "have changed for the better."

(I swear, these describings are getting longer and longer.)

I love Idina Menzel. She is my absolute idol. She debuted in Broadway as none other than Maureen Johnson in Rent, Sheila in Hair, Amneris in Aida, Elphaba in Wicked (duh), and recently, Florence in Chess (in Concert.) I love listening to her voice. I think it's great no matter what singing technique she uses! (If those shows aren't familiar to you, she was Nancy in the Disney movie Enchanted.)

I'm choosing the song she sings when she first realizes that she has feelings for Fiyero after they free the cub, I'm Not That Girl.