New Songs in Movie Musicals

I’m in a very musical theatre mood, so I’ve been watching movie musicals and listening to countless cast recordings, including multiple recordings of the same show. It’s incredibly entertaining to watch and/or listen to multiple versions of the same show for the sake of comparison. It’s amazing how much the enjoyment of a show can fluctuate from something as small as a directorial change or cast swap. However, as I’ve been listening, I’ve been reminded of a larger change, one that seems odd but is actually very common in movie musicals: an added song. In most cases, movie musicals are shorter than their onstage counterparts, and more often than not at least one song from the stage gets cut. It seems odd, then, that there are often new songs in the movies. As a general rule, I’m skeptical of this. I understand additions if there are gaps in the existing material, but it’s harder to justify cutting a popular song for one that is untested (and particularly if the song was added purely as awards bait). It’s certainly true that some of these song swaps are unjustifiable mistakes but, to my surprise, I actually found a few that are not only welcome but actually wonderful.

Without further ado, here are ten movie musicals that, for better or for worse, tried something new.

“What Ifs” from Mean Girls

• Notable songs cut (or drastically shortened): “Where Do You Belong?”, “Meet the Plastics,” “Fearless,” “Stop,” “Whose House is This?,” “More is Better,” and “Do This Thing”
• Song swapped: “It Roars”
• Original songs written by Nell Benjamin and Jeff Richmond
• New songs written by Nell Benjamin, Jeff Richmond, Michael Pollack, and Reneé Rapp

Left: Movie Cady during “What Ifs.” Right: Onstage Cady and Damien during “Stop.”

For the record: I saw the show onstage long before I saw the movie, and went into the film knowing the original songs very well.

I was hyped when I heard about this movie. I like the original movie, but I LOVE the musical adaptation; I followed the production of Mean Girls closely and was excited by most of what I heard. In particular, the casting of Renée Rapp and Jaquel Spivey had me particularly enthusiastic: movie musicals don’t always hire bona fide Broadway vocal talents, and it struck me as a very good sign that this one had. Despite my interest, I didn’t make it to the theatre and therefore had time to read a bunch of online reviews (and get one from my sister) before I saw the show myself. I was warned that the songs have a different feel in the movie than onstage, so I was prepared for it. While Janis and Damien still get to have very theatrical sung moments, most of the other characters have their songs shifted subtly for a less overtly Broadway sound. Their songs are a little more pop-y, more tiktoky. This might be a controversial opinion but I was kind of into it. I absolutely missed the songs that were cut—Spivey is SO GOOD as Damien that cutting anything he would have sung feels like a mistake, and “More is Better” is thematically an important song, not to mention beautiful) but on the whole I really liked the movie. I had a great time with it and will happily watch it again.

With this new direction, “It Roars” doesn’t exactly fit Cady’s vibe… or her voice. It has been said before and often that actor Angourie Rice doesn’t have the vocal dynamism (or, in any case, wasn’t directed to showcase the vocal dynamism) for Cady’s more powerful songs. I’d argue that Janis and Regina are more the protagonists of Mean Girls the musical than Cady is (they have all the best songs! And Janis sings “I’d Rather Be Me,” which is arguably the big solo of the show, the type that would normally be reserved for the hero), but onstage Cady still has some big vocal moments. The movie removes them. Her verses of “Apex Predator” are given to Damien (it’s not the best thematic choice, but it sounds amazing so I’ve forgiven it), “More is Better” hit the wastebasket, both “Stupid with Love” and “Stars” are sung much smaller (except a verse that is sung by a different character), and “It Roars” is swapped for the much meeker “What Ifs.” It’s a cute enough song. It’s pretty, and it has a less theatrical, more popish sound that fits in with what the movie seems to be doing with Cady. The energy after “A Cautionary Tale” drops quickly being followed with “What Ifs,” in a way that I don’t like, but I don’t hate it. I can see movie!Janis singing “It Roars,” but movie!Cady doesn’t have that energy, and that song wouldn’t work with the soft, flat sound she maintains throughout the movie. If you asked me which song I prefer I would take “It Roars” every time, but I get what was intended with “What Ifs” and I wouldn’t call it a failure.

Verdict: A qualified miss

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“Still Holding My Hand” from Matilda

• Notable songs cut: “Pathetic,” “This Little Girl,” “Loud,” “Telly”
• Song swapped: none directly
• Original songs written by Tim Minchin
• New song written by Tim Minchin

Left: The movie’s Miss Honey and Matilda during “Still Holding My Hand.” Right: Mr. Wormwood performing “Telly” onstage.

For full transparency: While I had listened to the original cast recording many times before seeing the movie adaptation, I have never seen the stage version of Matilda.

Musical Monday: Duets

I recently rewatched all the High School Musical movies. I love those movies, both because they’re legitimately great and because I have a ton of nostalgic affection for them. I used to watch HSM2 on the last day of school every year, and even now it wouldn’t be right to go the whole summer without seeing it. During the rewatch, I noticed that the High School Musical franchise has a lot of non-romantic duets. I realized that duets are almost always sung by lovers, and that duets by friends or rivals are, strangely, a lot less common. Platonic friends don’t usually get duets to themselves; I guess the duet seems like a romantic medium. Thankfully, though, there are musicals–like HSM–that expand the types of duos who get to sing together. I decided I’d compile a list of ten musicals with at least one great platonic duet. It was surprisingly difficult to come up with them at first, but as soon as I got to ten I thought of a few more I couldn’t leave off and eventually ended up with fifteen.

1) High School Musical

High School Musical is what inspired me to start this list, so obviously I had to start with it. Across three movies, High School Musical has a ton of great duets. My favorite songs are the ones sung by Ryan and Sharpay, who are siblings. They sing “Bop to the Top” and “What I’ve Been Looking For” in the first movie, “Fabulous” and “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” in the second, and  “I Want It All” in the third. The second movie has “I Don’t Dance,” which is sung by Ryan and Chad as they transition from rivals to friends. Finally, Troy and Chad sing “The Boys Are Back” in the final movie, which is a song about their lifelong friendship. I like all the songs in HSM, but if I ranked them all, these songs would all rank highly; that’s actually true of all these entries. Plantonic duets are freaking awesome and I wish they got more attention.

2) The Spongebob Musical

There isn’t any romance in this musical (I mean, I guess aside from Plankton and his computer wife, but whatever), but there are a lot of friendship songs and that’s a big reason for why I love this musical as much as I do. Having a best friend is awesome, so it’s kind of sad how few songs there are about best-friendship. Spongebob and Patrick’s “BFF” is a precious song and it’s not even the only platonic duet in this show. It’s not even the only platonic duet for Spongebob and Patrick! They also sing “(I Guess) I Miss You.” The best thing about the duets in this show is they demonstrate how versatile duets can be. Love duets are pretty much all I love you and you love me, but Spongebob has a wider variety. “BFF” is about being friends. “(I Guess) I Miss You” is about owning up to your issues and reaching out to friends. “Daddy Knows Best” is about family, communication, and misunderstandings. “Chop to the Top” is about resilience. They’re all dynamic, fun songs and they’re all totally different.

3) Be More Chill

“BFF” is my favorite song about being best friends, but I also really like Be More Chill’s “Two Player Game.” As in Spongebob, the most important relationship in Be More Chill is between the protagonist and his best friend rather than the one between the protagonist and his love interest. I’ve written a lot—in my book reviews—about my love for quality platonic and/or familial relationships, and I’m glad that at least a few modern musicals are using duets to emphasize them. “Two Player Game” is sung by two unpopular best friends, Jeremy and Michael, and it’s about teamwork and how their friendship sustains them through the hard times.

4) RENT

RENT has some absolutely spectacular duets, but most of them are sung by people in romantic relationships. There are two that aren’t, and one of them is—not coincidentally—my favorite song in the whole show. I rarely see “What You Own” on other people’s lists of favorite RENT songs but it is just so good. Unlike the other songs on this list up until this point, it’s not so much a song about a relationship as it is about two people sharing an experience. Mark and Roger are good friends, but they’re not singing about their relationship to each other; they’re singing about a shared disillusionment. I love every song in RENT, but whenever I listen to it, I repeat this song at least once. I don’t know if it’s the rock sound or the highly relatable search for meaning, but this is one of the most addictive, powerful musical songs I’ve ever heard. “The Tango Maureen,” which is an aggressively contentious song sung by Mark and Joanne about a mutual love interest, is also great.

Cats 2019 Review

Cats was my introduction to musical theatre, and even though I’ve since discovered and adored tons of other shows, Cats is still one of my absolute favorites. The 1998 version is absolute perfection, but I was still extremely excited when I found out that someone was turning Cats into a movie. The unadulterated excitement didn’t last long, though.

I was bewildered by the lengthening list of A-list actors because Cats is a show that calls for insane dancing chops and exuberance, not for star power. I understand stunt casting, and for certain roles—Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella, Bustopher Jones, and Gus the Theatre Cat—it’s fine. But there are other characters where that absolutely does not fly.

Two particular announcements struck me as spectacular missteps: When I saw Rebel Wilson’s name attached to the project, I knew that there was going to be at least one song that went the route of cringe humor and gross-out gags. Not choosing a dancer to play Mr. Mistoffelees was one of the most glaring signs that Cats 2019 wasn’t going to capture the stage play. Cats is all about the movement, and even though the whole cast is made up of spectacular dancers, Mr. Mistoffelees is a featured dancer.

And then, of course, the infamous trailer came out. To be honest, I wasn’t that bothered by the CGI. Do I like it? No. Do I hate it? Not really. Obviously it could’ve been better, but I wasn’t one of those people going around talking about how it was the stuff of nightmares. The unsung dialogue and cringe humor were the bits that bothered me.

Then the movie came out and everyone hated it. I don’t go to the movies often, so I figured that as much as I love the stage show, I’d wait to see the movie until it was cheaper to do so.

Well, I have finally seen it. It’s bad, but it’s not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be from the reviews.  Most of the reviewers were fixated on the CGI, which—as I said—didn’t bother me that much, and I didn’t read a single review from the perspective of a fan of the stage show.

A lot of the most oft-repeated criticisms had nothing to do with the movie adaptation and everything to do with the show. People were confused about what a Jellicle Cat is or obsessed with the lack of plot. For the record, plot is actually not necessary. Most sitcoms don’t have one, but no one would write off Friends or Seinfeld for the lack. And then there are scores of people who—inexplicably, to my mind—simply hate musicals but went to see Cats anyway. Seriously. What were they expecting?

All this to say, here’s a critique of the Cats movie from someone who unabashedly ADORES Cats.

Here’s a picture of me with Mungojerrie

Musical Mondays Kickoff (My Two Favorite Shows!)

Because I spend most of my time on this blog reviewing books, I don’t often talk in depth about musicals. But I LOVE musicals. My parents have taken me to musicals my whole life, and there’s nothing I look forward to more than going to a show. Now, with everything shut down, I’m really missing seeing things live (and I’m terrified I’m going to miss Hamilton, which I am supposed to see in June). I signed up for BroadwayHD and have seen a bunch of shows that I wouldn’t otherwise have seen, which has been fantastic, and has really gotten me thinking about the shows that I love. And since I have the extra time right now (like a lot of people, I got furloughed), I decided it was as good a time as any to finally put some musical content on this blog.

So, for the foreseeable future, Mondays are going to become Musical Mondays. This week I’m only going to talk about my two all-time favorite musicals. After that, I’ll talk about five shows a week, starting with ones that I’ve seen in some way or another and ending with the ones that I love sight unseen.

I really hope that you’ll listen to these beautiful musicals if you never have. If you have, though, please talk to me about them in the comments… or tell me about the shows you love most!

Les Misérables

How I’ve experienced it: I was introduced to Les Mis through the 2012 film, and have since listened to just about every cast recording out there. I was lucky enough to see it live last year, and it is absolutely glorious. Without doubt, it is one of my top five favorite musicals. I’ve also read the novel several times.

It’s about a man who escapes prison and tries to become a better man… and along the way crosses paths with a dogged policeman, the daughter of a prostitute, an unsavory innkeeper, and a group of idealistic revolutionaries.

Why is it so good? The music is stunning and the story, while very sad, carries a sort of hope for a better future. It’s one of the most inspiring pieces of art I have ever experienced. There are very few stories that have stayed with me in the way that this one has, and I honestly think that hearing it for the first time changed me as a person. Also, it has lyrics like “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise,” which is the kind of thing we need right now. It was physically painful for me to narrow my list of “favorite songs” down to just three, because I adore every word sung in this show. I only rarely cry, but Les Mis has moved me to tears more than any other piece of art.

My recommendation (if you can’t see it live): Watch the 2012 movie and either the 10^th or 25^th Anniversary Concert. Overall, I prefer the 10^th anniversary “Dream Cast.” The leads are, in my opinion, better: Philip Quast as Javert is my personal favorite, but Colm Wilkinson as Valjean, Lea Salonga as Èponine, Michael Ball as Marius, and Ruthie Henshall as Fantine are also amazing. The only reason I can’t 100% say the 10^th is better than the 25^th is because Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras is spectacular, whereas the actor from the “Dream Cast” is, in my opinion, just okay.  Also watch the movie, because watching something acted is always going to be more compelling than simply seeing actors stand in front of microphones.  If you’re not opposed to long books, you should read it as well, because it is beautiful.

My favorite songs: “Stars;” “One Day More;” and “Do You Hear the People Sing”

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Cats

How I’ve experienced it: My whole childhood, basically, was spent obsessively watching and rewatching the glorious 1998 proshot. I’m frankly shocked that I didn’t learn to dance because I adored—and continue to adore—that production and spent hours leaping onto couches, pretending to be the cats. My sister and I literally choreographed a routine to “Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat” that basically consisted of walking around in circles and occasionally spinning around. I’ve seen Cats live more often than literally any other show. I have Cats merchandise. I’ve read the original T.S. Eliot poetry book so many times that there are only like three pages still attached to the spine. I love, love, love this show. I know it’s popular to hate on Cats these days because of the movie, but I will hear nothing against it.

It’s about cats.

Why is it so good? Literally everything. The dancing and costuming are iconic. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer’s double cartwheel! Mr. Mistoffelees’ jump split and fouetté turns! Victoria’s solo dance! If you like dancing even a little bit, Cats is a must-see. Cats singlehandedly ignited my lifelong love of musical theatre. It has no plot, but I don’t even care because every song in it is so fun and joyful. It’s mostly upbeat and energetic, but still manages to have one of the most famous ballads in “Memory.” Just thinking about Cats makes me smile.

My recommendation (if you can’t see it live): Watch the 1998 version! The dancing is gorgeous. It’s so high energy and fun. I seriously spent half my life singing along to it. Elaine Paige is rightfully held up as one of the best Grizabellas and Jacob Brent is magnetic as Mr. Mistoffelees (my favorite character, if you can’t tell). I haven’t seen the much-maligned movie version yet, but even if it were wonderful, it couldn’t reach the heights of this perfect version. Update: I’ve seen it, and it’s not wonderful.

My favorite songs: “Mr. Mistoffelees;” “The Rum Tum Tugger;” and “Macavity the Mystery Cat”

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Please talk to me in the comments about your favorite musicals!

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gif credits here and here

2020 Quarterly Report Jan-Mar

So ends the first quarter of 2020. Not gonna lie: it hasn’t been great so far. Still, entertainment-wise, I enjoyed myself.

Despite quarantine, I haven’t read any more than usual. I usually read around 100 books a year, but decided to read less this year so I can focus  more on fiction writing (this is also why not all these books have linked reviews; I’m allowing myself the occasional freedom of reading without reviewing). So far, it’s paying off. I managed to finish the first draft of a novel I started in November 2018. It’s also true that my reading trends are changing because of social distancing. I didn’t manage to stock up at the library before everything shut down, so I’m rereading books I own or borrowing books from family members. That’s going to skew my reading away from contemporary YA and fantasy and towards historical fiction (courtesy of my mom) and memoirs/graphic novels (from my sister).

As a blog reader, I really like monthly wrap-ups; in the future, I think I’m going to start doing those instead of quarterly ones. That will make them shorter, more frequent, and less formal sounding (“quarterly” yikes), all of which–I think–will be improvements.

Books:

What I Loved:

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Genre: YA Fantasy

Why I loved it: It’s got great writing, a full cast of complicated but lovable characters, a strong and central brotherhood, a unique magic system, and a fast-paced story

Read it if you’re a fan of Adam Silvera or the X-men, looking for diverse fantasy, or want to try Silvera without being emotionally devastated.

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 Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

(reread)

Genre: YA sci-fi

Why I loved it: it has a terrifying but fascinating concept and great interpersonal relationships, is fiercely creative, and makes the insides of a troubled mind real in a way unlike anything else I’ve ever read

Read it if you like sci-fi, want something drastically different, or like psychological thrillers that aren’t too terrifying

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Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

(reread)

Genre: Nonfiction writing advice

Why I loved it: Lamott is a great writer, and she keeps it real

Who should read it? Wannabe writers, especially those who dream of fame and fortune and see writing as the way to get there rather than the goal itself

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Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Genre: YA contemporary romance

Why I loved it: It mixes a cute, shippable romance with timely social commentary that is both inspiring and necessary; it’s not afraid to make a stand, but it tells an enjoyable story first

Read it if you like your romances to be filled out with substantive familial relationships, enjoy Becky Albertalli’s writing, are interested in politics, or lean towards books with a solid moral stance

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I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Genre: YA contemporary romance

Why I loved it: This book has everything I love: flawed but immensely lovable and compelling characters, fandom, internal focus, smooth writing, and that intangible thing that makes a book impossible to put down

Read it if you want something that digs into the beautiful and the ugly of fame and fandom and doesn’t shy away from tackling mental illness while still maintaining a loving, hopeful tone

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Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul

(reread)

Genre: YA contemporary

Why I loved it: I adore Dear Evan Hansen the musical, and this novel–while being immensely enjoyable on its own merits–does an admirable job of expanding on the existing story and adds dimensions to Connor’s character in particular

Read it if listening to the soundtrack isn’t enough Dear Evan Hansen for you, or if you’re simply looking for an excellent YA novel that balances moral ambiguity with effective depictions of mental illness.

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Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

(reread)

Genre: YA romance

Why I loved it: This novel is centered on the platonic love story between two best friends. The two protagonists are painfully real, and their experiences offer a complex and unusual perspective on the world that really resonates with me

Read it if you love YA that isn’t afraid to tackle the messiness of the world and that will leave you longing for a friendship like the ones depicted within its pages

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Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Genre: classics, historical fiction, science fiction

Why I loved it: It is very, very emotionally affecting. Rarely have I felt so indignant or helpless while reading a novel. The mix of the slave narrative with science fiction, especially with the modern (well, 1970s) mindset/narration, is something I’ve never seen before.

Who should read it? People who loved blended genres or classics

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What I Liked

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Genre: YA LGBTQ+ romance, bildungsroman

Why I liked it: It has many well-balanced relationships, is unapologetically progressive, and features diverse characters and complicated but loving family dynamics

What kept me from loving it? I didn’t love any of the characters, and there’s some pointless drama

Read it if you like queer romance or are interested in diverse contemporary novels

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SLAY by Brittney Morris

Genre: YA contemporary,

Why I liked it: the complicated race relations, celebration of Black culture, and deep dive into gaming are all done well

What kept me from loving it? I’m not a gamer, so I was out of my depth, and the twist–while good–was obvious

Read it if you’re a gamer, a YA fan, or looking for novels dedicated to Black excellence

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Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Genre: adult contemporary

Why I liked it: it’s got great writing, a well-balanced cast, and light but sure handling of complicated ideas

What kept me from loving it? it’s very sad and the central premise–a plane going down and a single person surviving–gave me nightmares for a week

Read it if you’re looking for a well-written novel and don’t mind a downer

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The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Genre: YA romance

Why I liked it: it’s a cute, quick celebration of fandom

What kept me from loving it? one of the two central romances is painfully contrived, and the book is similar enough to superior novels of the same genre that it couldn’t avoid unfavorable comparison

Read it if you like sweet but slightly cheesy romance, are a fangirl (or fanboy), or if you’re looking for a modern-day fairytale

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Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Genre: JF contemporary

Why I liked it: Kate DiCamillo always has quirky and immediately likable characters, and this is no exception

What kept me from loving it? I didn’t realize this is a sequel to a book I haven’t read (Raymie Nightingale), so I didn’t have the emotional connection I needed. Also, while I did enjoy it, it doesn’t stand up to some of DiCamillo’s other books, like Flora & Ulysses or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulene

Read it if you love Kate DiCamillo

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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Genre: YA contemporary

Why I liked it: the narrative voice is fresh and funny, and the protagonist is consistantly held responsible for his behavior

What kept me from loving it? it rests heavily on existing stereotypes without doing much to challenge or deconstruct them

Read it if you are looking for something quick, fun, and comfortable

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Lady Susan by Jane Austen

(reread)

Genre: classics, epistolary novels

Why I liked it: Jane Austen is always fantastic, and Lady Susan is a character unlike any of those found in her other novels. Selfish, unscrupulous, and devious, her pursuits of her own ends cause no end of vexation for her relations (and no end of amusement for her readers)

What kept me from loving it? the conclusion is rushed; it almost feels like Austen got tired of this story and wanted to be done with it

Read it if you love Jane Austen and are interested in her lesser known works, or if you loved the movie adaptation with Kate Beckinsale and are interested in a comparison

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The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

(reread)

Genre: YA romance

Why I liked it: Becky Albertalli is a fun author, and she portrays those underrepresented in romance; the protagonist here is a fat girl who longs for–but fears–her own love story

What kept me from loving it? Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as well on the reread. It’s a bit too crass for me , and a few of the characters the reader was supposed to care about rub me the wrong way

Read it if you’re in the mood for a nerdy romance with an atypical heroine and an adorable love interest.

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What I Neither Liked Nor Disliked

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Genre: YA romance

Why I’m neutral: It has lots of diversity, but somehow felt very safe and standard anyway. This book has gotten lots of hype for featuring an asexual protagonist, but I’m pretty sure that’s just because there are so few of them, and not because Let’s Talk About Love does an especially good job with it

Read it if you really, really need asexual rep and have already read The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and Radio Silence

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Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza

Genre: YA contemporary

Why I’m neutral: There are some storylines that might have been compelling with better writing, but there are too many emotional gaps to get fully invested

Read it if you’re looking for books about gamers or female friendships

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What I Disliked

Love Boat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Genre: YA romance

Why I disliked it: it hits every single basic romcom trope but does nothing new with them

Was there anything I liked? the first half has promise, and some of the cultural elements are interesting

Read it if you’re a hardcore romance fan or looking for Asian (specifically Chinese) representation

Instead, try: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram or To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

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American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Genre: Adult contemporary

Why I disliked it: the depiction of Mexico as 90% murderous crime struck me as melodramatic at best and racist at worst, the characters are thinly drawn, the plot is driven by dumb luck, and overall the book isn’t enjoyable enough to make up for how culturally-appropriative it feels to read it

Read it if you want to be a part of the conversation

Instead, try: Something by a Hispanic writer. (Sorry for the lack of specific recommendations. This is a blind spot of mine that I’m trying to correct)

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What I Hated

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Genre: thriller

Why I hated it: the first half treads water, the reveals come too easily, there’s a weird pro-pedophilia tilt, it uses homophobic tropes, and is a bit boring

Was there anything I liked? The writing keeps you reading

Read it if you like thrillers but don’t mind what’s listed above

Instead, try: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or My Whole Truth by Mischa Thrace

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The Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Genre: YA dystopia

Why I hated it: I didn’t care about the characters, the world doesn’t make sense and is only halfway explained, there’s lots of meaningless action, and the writing is mediocre

Was there anything I liked? Honestly, no. I nearly DNF’d this a dozen times

Read it if action is the most important element of a story for you

Instead, try: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or Legend by Marie Lu

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On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Genre: Classics

Why I hated it: it’s about a bunch of sexist idiots driving around, doing drugs, and having sex without any plot to hang it all together

Was there anything I liked? I was interested to read it because apparently it inspired Supernatural, but I expected a whole lot more nuance than I got, so… eh

Read it if it is on your 100 Books to Read Before You Die poster

Instead, try: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Shows

Grey’s Anatomy/Station 19

I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy for a while. I just picked up Station 19, starting from season 3, because of all the crossovers. I’m on the opposite wavelength of most fans. I’m still mostly enjoying Grey’s, but I am way more interested in the firefighters now. For me, Grey’s has a stark divide between the characters whose stories work for me and those who I couldn’t care less about. I generally care when it focuses on Meredith, Catherine, Bailey, Richard, Koracick, Levi, Link, Amelia, or even DeLuca (except when they’re reduced to stupid baby/pregnancy plotlines). Owen and Jo, though. They’re the actual worst. If we had to lose Karev, couldn’t we have sent Jo packing with him? Because that way they would’ve avoided the character assassination AND dropped the second worst character in one swoop. And just don’t get me started on Owen, who is the worst. Teddy is awful, too, mostly because her two personality traits are ‘Owen’ and ‘military.’

I want to watch the first two seasons of Station 19, because I’m enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Like its mother show, it’s got a few weak characters (lookin’ at you, Andy), but I got invested in everyone else very quickly. Travis and Vic are lots of fun, and I even care about Ben now. How did that happen? I found him incredibly annoying on Grey’s and kept complaining that he was nowhere near good enough for Bailey, and now I actually… like him? What? Plus, the musical nerd in me goes “That’s right… HERCULES MULLIGAN” anytime Dean walks into the scene.

Sex Education

Season 2 of Sex Education came out in January, and it was just as good as the first one. It’s an incredibly awkward show to talk about because almost every plotline has at least some element of cringe to it, but it’s just really good. My sister recommended it to me and at first I was very skeptical because nothing about Sex Education makes it sound like a show I’d like (or that she’d like, for that matter), but it’s actually a very smart, funny show that is both very entertaining and actually somewhat educational. Also, Eric is the best.

Musicals

I really should make a post about some of my favorite musicals, because I love them SO MUCH but never actually end up talking about them on this blog. But musicals may actually be my for-real top favorite thing. I listen to cast recordings obsessively. I make musical themed jeopardy boards and force my family to play them. I write long reviews of every musical I get to see live. I seek out movie musicals and professionally filmed stage productions. My phone case says “My brain is 95% Broadway show tunes and 5% useless stuff.” I love musicals.

And since I’ve been stuck inside, I’ve been watching and listening to them more than usual (which, again, is saying a lot). I watched Jersey Boys. I rewatched the 1991 version of Into the Woods and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, both of which were staples of my childhood. I watched The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall again. I’m psyching myself up to watch the Cats movie, since I absolutely adore that musical but am a little afraid because of the bad reviews. I have a long list of shows from BroadwayHD that I want to watch while stuck indoors. Also, I watched The Spongebob Musical, which sounds stupid but is actually a new favorite of mine because it is precious and very timely.

Seriously. It’s a great musical at any time, but it is especially good to watch while in quarantine.

What have you been watching and reading?

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 4×09 Review (I Need Some Balance)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a very weird show. There’s no way to explain “I Need Some Balance” to someone who isn’t very familiar with the show without making it sound absolutely bonkers, because it is absolutely bonkers. Here’s the one sentence recap: A young woman battles a yeast infection while parodies of her least favorite musical lampoon her dating woes with music and interpretive dance, and things only get worse when three of her ex-boyfriends show up at her house while she’s on a much-delayed date with a new(ish) guy. With the context… it’s still weird, but it’s a good weird. Let’s break down the new episode.

Darryl vs. Bert

Rebecca, Nathaniel, and Greg take up the bulk of the episode, but Darryl and Bert still take the time to duke it out for the affection of their underlings. Darryl makes his return to work after his paternity leave only to learn that Bert has entirely won over Paula, Maya, Jim, and George (probably the rest of the office as well, but they weren’t in the episode. I see you skipping work, Tim, Mrs. Hernandez, and Sunil). Worse, he’s grown a spectacular mustache… and Darryl’s hasn’t quite grown back. Darryl is threatened and feels he’s losing his position as the office Dad, so he picks fight after fight with Bert. It starts small but escalates to taking the office to Disneyland so they’ll leave Bert’s weekly staff airing of grievances. When Darryl and Bert come to actual blows, Paula steps in and calls a professional. For a second, I expected Dr. Akopian, but it I was wrong. Enter Father Brah.

Because Father Brah is completely amazing—seriously, is there anyone, in-universe or out, that doesn’t love Father Brah? I’ll answer that: no, there isn’t—he sorts the issue out very quickly. Darryl and Bert hug it out, but they ignore Father Brah’s suggestion to view their work environment through a professional lens. In any case… problem solved.

Workout Buddies!

For obvious reasons, it has become way too awkward for Greg to stay with his dad, so he’s currently living with White Josh. White Josh has a suggestion for Greg to help him get over his Rebecca funk: go to the gym. It’s not Greg’s usual scene, but he agrees in large part because White Josh promises him that the gym is a drama-free zone. It’s not.

Greg meets Nathaniel at the gym and the two hit it off immediately even though Nathaniel is very fit and Greg is the most relatable gym-goer of all time:

NATHANIEL: You need the 40s?

GREG: Oh, no, I’m not gonna need those because I can’t lift them ‘cause they’re too heavy.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I warmed up to New Greg. There was too much pressure on him last episode, because it was his first one. Now the first impression is made and has settled. Plus, Greg has matured and changed since he left in season two. Last episode was about seeing the new Greg. This episode lets him be a little snarkier, a little more like the Greg we knew when he was a regular. He’s sober, but he’s still Greg. If I had to pick between the two Gregs, I would still go with Santino Fontana’s, but I’m fine with the new guy now.

Greg and Nathaniel become friends quickly, which surprises them both since neither is particular adept at making new friends. Although, as Nathaniel points out approximately eight thousand times, he’s a nice person now, so he’s doing things differently.

NATHANIEL: …but I’m nice now, so…

GREG: You know, you don’t have to say it, you could just be it, and people will think it.