AVMBP - Days Nine & Ten

Day Nine: Favorite book-to-screen adaptions

Day Ten: Free Day

     I just decided to combine these last two days together, because all the musicals I love, I have never read the books before!! And as for a free day, I'll give my 5 favorite musical facts.

1.) Sarah Brightman as Christine Daae

Steve Barton as Raoul and Sarah Brightman as Christine
in the original 1986 production of "The Phantom of The Opera"

      When Andrew Lloyd Webber was writing the musical "The Phantom of The Opera" he used his wife (at the time), Sarah Brightman as the inspiration for Christine Daae. Sarah was eventually given the role and unexpectedly set the standard for every Christine Daae in regards to her hair. In the book, Christine had long blonde hair, but Sarah had her trademark curly brown hair and kept it that way for the role and ever since the premiere 1986 performance, Christine Daae has always had long curly brown hair.

2.) Brothers

L-R: Michael Gruber as Munkustrap, John Partridge as Rum Tum Tugger
and Jacob Brent as Mistoffelees in "CATS" (1998)

      In "CATS" three of the main male characters are all brothers. Munkustrap the storyteller is the oldest, Rum Tum Tugger, the rebel is the middle and Mistoffelees, the magician is the youngest. After finding out this fact, I watched the 1998 movie production and suddenly the relationship dynamics between all three throughout the story made sense!

3.) Bridal Inspiration

     The 1954 musical film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was the inspiration for the 1968 television show Here Come the Brides, starring Bobby Sherman, Robert Brown and David Soul. The show starts shortly after the end of the Civil War and three brothers who are former lumberjacks make their way to male dominated New Bedford, Massachusetts to start a new logging company. To keep the the company running, Jason makes a deal with the the shady sawmill owner to get 100 marriageable women to New Bedford and stay there for a full year. The show only ran for 2 seasons, but from what I've heard, it's hysterical! My sister own both seasons and I'll start watching the show soon.

4.) 15 min. of Fame

     Andrew Lloyd Webber's first hit production, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was originally only 15 min. long. "Joseph" is one of Webbers most beloved shows because of its retelling of a favorite Bible story that remains accurate and respectful while livening it up with well written songs, enjoyable humor and incredible dance numbers. Webber was also genius in the way he used various styles of music in the show, from western to Rock and Roll. 

5.) My Fair Lady...or Queen

     Julie Andrews was the first Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical production of "Cinderella." Prior to putting on the glass slippers, she was playing Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady." Both Rodgers and Hammerstein were impressed with her portrayal of Eliza and were anxious to have her as their first Cinderella. Julie was 22 years old when she played in the televised musical and was a resounding success with all audiences.

AVMBP - Day Eight: Favorite Antagonist or Villain

Day Eight: Favorite Antagonist or Villain 

      I have to be honest and say, that I've been drawing a blank on this one for the last several days!! Most villains in musicals aren't really villains, but more like anti-heroes. So, I really don't have a favorite antagonist! The closest I can get is Javert from Les Miserables and Erik from The Phantom of The Opera. The men are not heroes, but I never saw them as villains, either. 

"The Music of The Night"
performed by Ramin Karimloo

"Stars"
performed by Norm Lewis

My favorite versions of two of my favorite songs!!!

Ramin Karimloo and Norm Lewis are absolute gold in their talents!

AVMBP - Day Seven: Pick a Character; Choose Your Favorite Portrayal

Day Seven: Pick a Character; Choose a Portrayal 

Christine Daae

      Christine Daae is such a wonderfully complex and confusing character/ There is a vulnerability about Christine and a reality to her character that really brings her to life. There might be those who can relate to Christine due to her early loss in life which led to loneliness and often seclusion. She has dreams and ambitions, but is quiet and humble about them. She very kind, compassionate and knows her worth as a singer, dancer and actress, but still remains open to more learning and training. 

      It was probably many of these qualities that endured Raoul to Christine when they were children and eventually Christine to Erik. I believe that is was Christine's genuine goodness that drew Erik to her in the first place, but everything spiraled quickly when competition is thrown in the mix. When Erik begins to kill, Christine blames herself for not being better, stronger and more capable with her emotions. She loves both men dearly as well as all the people in the Opera House and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect everyone around her. 

     I love Christine because she is real. She is on the balance between obtaining her dreams as a professional actress or becoming a viscountess. There is no selfishness, arrogance, or ill-will within her; extreme loss at a young age sent her into a world of grief, but it didn't hold her back, it pushed her forward and that is what Christine does. She continues to go forward in her life even when it means looking back might break her heart. Christine is a soft-spoken fighter whose angelic voice and fierce protective heart captures everyone around her.

AVMBP - Day Six: Your Theater OTP

Day Six: Favorite OTP

OMG!!! This is so difficult because I have so many! So I'll name my top 3.

     Curly & Laurey - Oklahoma!: My absolute favorite OTP!! There is an innocence and sweetness about Curly and Laurey that I love, especially compared to Jud Fry (the villain and Curly's competition). Their relationship in the play starts put as annoying one another with teasing and banter and slowly grows in unexpected love over the course of one day. Now, it's common knowledge throughout all of Claremore that Curly is crazy about Laurey, but Laurey tries to write him off as immature and arrogant. Then when trouble strikes, the first person Laurey runs to is Curly. There is a reality is their relationship that doesn't make it sappy and allows both of them to come out in the end as heroes. 

     Adam & Milly - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Any woman who marries a man within an hour of meeting him might be considered insane, but no one ever said that Milly was conventional. Adam and Milly both marry out of convenience and not really love, at least that's what they told themselves. When Adam brings Milly to his backwoods cabin and introduces her to his rowdy brothers, all of Milly's  hopes and dreams of a family of her home quickly disappear when she realizes that Adam only wanted a cook and clean for his household. However, Milly rolls up her sleeves and gets the work done, immediately gaining the respect and admiration of Adam's brothers and even Adam himself. As the story progresses Adam and Milly slowly fall in love, although not always seen, but rather implied. When Milly kicks Adam out of the house for 6 months, both of them realize how much they loved each other and Adam returns to Milly with a stronger understanding of love, marriage and life. 

     Georg & Maria - The Sound of Music: An outgoing and forward-thinking governess who failed to become a nun. A stubborn, withdrawn Naval captain and widower who rules his house with militaristic order. Could there be a more perfect relationship?? At first glance, one may say no, but Georg and Maria's love for the children they both call their own unites these two very different people into a unlikely love story. When Georg and Maria first meet, they are hardly on correct terms and Georg finds constant fault in the new governess. Maria herself is appalled by the captain's overbearing and strict rule of his children and allow them to have the freedom that they have been restricted from. Overtime, music, laughter and temporary loss brings them together and no one could ever say it wasn't real or genuine.

AVMBP - Day Five: Favorite Theater Males

Day Five: Favorite Theater Males

      Curly McClain - Oklahoma!: Handsome and charming Curly McClain brings so much life and energy to Oklahoma! He is definitely a true hero that's admirable and strong in his own ordinary way. Although he possesses a rather arrogant attitude from time to time, Curly makes has hopes and dreams for the coming Oklahoma state. His love for Laurey is so genuine and real, and I loved watching their love story unfold slowly in the story. By the end of the play, Curly has definitely matured from the cocky cowboy he was in the beginning with a new wife and new future ahead of him.

      Marius Pontmercy - Les Miserables: A university student who goes from raving revolutionary to lovestruck lad in a matter of seconds. I always found Marius to be a fun character and in a way brings a small amount of humor to the story due to his awkward and unexpected experience in love at first sight. Then Marius' life takes a drastic change when he is forced to choose between following his beloved Cosette out of Paris or to stay with his friends and fight. Marius makes the honorable decision and risks his life to save the poor and destitute of Paris and his courage is rewarded when he is reunited with Cosette and becomes the long awaited son in his new father-in-law's eyes. 

     Georg von Trapp - The Sound of Music: Words cannot describe how so in love I was with Christopher Plummer in this film! Georg's transition from grieving widower to a loving father is an absolute testimony to what Maria's life brought to his once lonely household. His transition doesn't come quickly, but it's worth the wait. Georg's greatest attribute to his character is his courage to stand against Hitler even if it means putting his own life (and his family's) at risk. He is willing to leave everything he has ever known so he can raise his children in freedom.

AVMBP - Day Four: Favorite Theater Females

Day Four: Favorite Theater Females

     Aunt Eller - Oklahoma!: In 1906, Claremore, Oklamoma territory, the wise and strong-willed matriarch  reigns supreme as the voice of reason, understanding and good will. Not to say that the woman doesn't have a fun side; she's humorous and genteel and has no problem putting people in their place. She loves her niece, Laurey, fiercely and only thinks about what's best for her. Aunt Eller is the heart and soul of Oklahoma and defines the pioneer spirit entirely! 

     Milly Pontipee - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: I'd like to think that Milly Pontipee was probably the younger version of Aunt Eller. Spunky and determined to always make the best out of the worst of situations, Milly strides to straighten out the seven unruly Pontipee brothers, while trying bring the small town to accept the backwoodsmen. Ever since I saw this movie (at 6 or 7), I always loved Milly for her prettiness, sweetness and sense of camaraderie with everyone around her from the townsfolk, her husband, her brothers-in-law and her friends. 

     Fantine - Les Miserables: One of the most heartbreaking, but heroic characters in the whole story.  No one defines the broken human soul that longs for redemption as much as Fantine does. She is a woman who has made mistakes and spends the rest of her young life trying to atone for them. Except forgiveness is not a virtue the 19th century French have really cared to practice. Everything Fantine does is for the sake and livelihood of her daughter and in the end she is rewarded for her goodness, courage and overwhelming love. 

AVMBP - Day Three: Theater Character to Defend/Discuss

Day Three: Theater Character to Defend/Discuss

Cosette & Eponine Thenardier 

Wow! I wrote a post similar to this three years ago and it's still causing controversy! 

I'm going to copy and paste my original article into this post

Cosette

      I don't understand why people view Cosette with such dislike and raise Eponine on a pedestal. I mentioned this in my movie review, but now I'm going to go a little deeper with it. I have never really liked Eponine at all and to those who say that she is the true heroine of the story, well then you clearly haven't understood the story. Fantine is the true heroine. A single mother who gave her life for her precious daughter is far greater than a lovesick girl getting shot for a man who doesn't love her at all or at least not romantic love. It's clear that Marius cared about her, but it wasn't the love that Eponine wanted. He loved Cosette, end of story.

      I always saw Cosette as the Cinderella of the story and isn't that what people love? A poor girl from obscure beginnings who is rescued by a kind man and raised in his love. Why do people see her as a clueless airhead? They condemn her for being silly and ridiculous for falling in love with a man she only saw once, but didn't Marius do the same thing? How come Marius isn't ridiculed and called an airhead for the same reason?

     Cosette has lived a sheltered life in a convent with her father for nine years, so she hasn't really grown up around men at all. She has been raised to be innocent, generous and kind. Yet, she probably hasn't forgotten her abused former life and the Thenadiers, so she isn't that clueless about the outside world. Then comes the first glance of love from the first man who seems to notice her and she is curious, amazed and even a little scared. Give her a break, I think we've all been there.

      Quit punishing Cosette for being kind and generous. Stop going on about how she has no real importance in the story She plays a very distinct part in Les Miserables. It was because of her that her mother gave her life, it was because of her that Valjean could live the life he always dreamed of, it was because of her that Marius finally saw love in a concrete form and not as an abstract illusion. In a world that was dominated by darkness, terror and fear, Cosette stood out with a gentle, but strong light to those who needed it. Her mother, her father, and her lover.

Eponine Thenardier

     Even as a little girl and watching the musical, I found Eponine incredibly annoying. All she seemed to do was whine and moan about a man who didn't notice her. I didn't understand her role in the musical at all and even now, I'm annoyed by her. They're at the brink of a revolution and she's crying about how alone she is. Dry up Scarlett.

     Now, I'm not going to be entirely cruel. There are many honorable aspects to Eponine. She was courageous, she helped Marius find Cosette as well as take a bullet for him. There is a general charm and kindness about Eponine and that's how a lot of people see her, but they don't have to slander Cosette just because she got the guy and the poor girl didn't.

     Also, Eponine is is completely destitute, she has no home and no money and is also (in the eyes of Javert and the Parisian government) a menace to society, because she helps her father with his plots. She knew full well that Marius couldn't conceive the thought of taking her because of those qualities. Unfair as they may, they are what make Eponine who she is. She didn't join the barricades because she believed in a better world, she was there to be with Marius and nothing more or less than that.

     We all live, we all love, and eventually we all die with love, without love, or fighting for love. That's what Eponine did, she died for love. She died so Marius could live and love Cosette.

**Original Post**

AVMBP - Day Two: A Musical You Have a Love/Hate Relationship With

Day Two: A Musical You Have a Love/Hate Relationship With

The Phantom of the Opera

      Yes, it may seem strange, but The Phantom of the Opera is a musical that I love and hate at the same time. I love it for the incredible music and costumes, no doubt about that. I hate it for the love triangle! And yes, the love triangle is the whole crux of the story, but it just seemed so bland and boring. Although Erik and Raoul may have had Christine's best intentions at heart, neither one of them really seemed to care about what was truly best for her and what she really wanted.

     And that leads into the Team Erik/Team Raoul debate. While Erik is a mystery man with a deformed face, but brilliant mind, Raoul is wealthy, handsome and charming. Both men are deeply flawed as well. They are both severe control freaks who push and pull Christine into every direction they think is best. While Raoul is probably the better of the two men and there would be no way that Erik could be a proper family man, Christine is, quite frankly, better off without the two them!

Top: Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the original Broadway production
Bottom: Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in the 2004 motion picture

     Being a product of her time, Christine would eventually have to marry and settle down with a family and so the obvious choice would be Raoul. However, what life of loneliness may she have lived if she had stayed with Erik? I really don't understand why it was such a hard decision if she was seeking a happy life. While Erik acts on immense power and control, Raoul thinks on reason and understanding. Erik treats Christine like she is some prophesied goddess put on earth for his use and control and Raoul handles Christine like she's a child who has no understanding of reality.

     Now, I know that this whole story is a romance and without the romance there would be no story at all. I would have just like to have seen both men give Christine the benefit of the doubt and not wait until one is at the end of a rope to finally let her have the final decision. I always felt that Christine was more of a pawn than a player in this warped love triangle and that she was always made to act on passion and not think reasonably in order to save both of these men.

AVMBP - Day One: Favorite Musical

Day One: Favorite Musical

Les Miserables

      Without a doubt, my absolute, number one, favorite musical of all time!!!! I grew up watching Les Miserables because my parents and my older sisters are such huge fans of the story. They love the 1985 Dream Cast production and so I spent a good deal of my childhood listening to Master of The House, I Dreamed a Dream and Do You Hear The People Sing? My family is just in love with this story of redemption, faith and courage and how the musical brings all those elements of Victor Hugo's original work to life on stage and screen. 

       I also enjoyed that even though it was a musical, it didn't hide darkness that made the story so wonderful and the idea of redemption all the more beautiful. From prostitution, to lying and stealing, murder and crime. People have serious issues with the fact that there are prostitutes in the story, but Fantine becoming a prostitute is an integral part of Les Miserables. Had she not chosen to become a prostitute, than there would be no ideals of forgiveness, redemption and hope that would eventually become her salvation.

     Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserables to inform the French society of the depravity and squalor that the lower class were made to live in while the upper bourgeoisie (middle class society, like Marius and his friends) and the aristocracy turned a blind eye. Illegitimate children were the ultimate unforgivable sin and young unmarried mothers were cast into the streets and shunned from society. A criminal was always a criminal in the eyes of the law and therefore, would never be able to forge a new life for themselves. The only hope that these people had was the church and at times, the church could be just as bad or worse, which is why the Bishop of Dignee who saved (and lied for) Val Jean was such an extraordinary character because of his genuine faith and belief in humanity.

The Original Broadway Cast

The 2015 Broadway Cast

       Les Miserables is a musical that you can have a love/hate relationship with. In spite of the fact what that almost everyone one in the story dies, you're still left with an overwhelming amount of delight at what Victor Hugo accomplished in his writing. Good and evil. right and wrong, humanity and inhumanity, courage and fear, love and hate, all bound together in a historical setting of everyday life and the people that lived and died for the morals they upheld and the dreams they had for a better world to live in.

A Very Musical Blog Party

       Bella Delallo is hosting a 10 day blog party on all things musical!

RULES!

1.) You must follow my Bella's Blog to participate
2.)The Blog Party will last ten days and each day will have it's own theme.
3.) If you don't have a Blog, you can Guest Post.
4.) Have fun and don't be nasty.

Day One: Your favorite Musical.

Day Two: A Musical you have a love/hate relationship with.

Day Three: Choose a Theatre Character to Defend/Discuss

Day Four: Favorite Theatre Females

Day Five: Favorite Theatre Males

Day Six: Your Theatre OTP.

Day Seven: Pick a Character; Choose your Favorite Portrayal

Day Eight: Favorite Antagonist or Villain.

Day Nine: Favorite book-to-musical adaptation

Day Ten: FREE DAY!