The Toad's Burrow

      Yeah I went to go watch Wicked . You've seen what I reviewed, was that ever really a surprise? What is a surprise, at least to me, was that the film was actually surprisingly good. Look, sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in twitter drama, and negativity only feeds off negativity, so going into it all the press I knew about this film was: the colour grading was bad/could be improved, whatever Cynthia Erivo is doing, Ariana Grande body discourse, and of course Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater cheating discourse. All of this to say, there was not exactly a lot of positive momentum for this film in my mind going into it, people were complaining hard about the fact that it was only part 1, afraid that Hollywood would do what Hollywood does best and stretch out this musical to five hours or something like they tend to do with finale's in action movies. Luckily, I can report that Wicked  has weathered the storm, remarkably well in fact I'd say. Frankly, of all the...

      Look, don't get me wrong, I've watched this movie a couple of times, I appreciate just how much of a spectacle is. But ultimately, I think that there's one fatal flaw to this film, and that is as a musical, the songs just aren't that catchy. I think some of the songs are fine, like Roxie , Mr. Cellophane , or Cell Block Tango, but unlike some of my favourite musicals, I would never listen to any of these songs outside of this movie. I suppose part of it is the cabaret style, it's kind of old fashioned and most of them are slow, so I don't think it's doing the songs any sort of favours. But by that same token it could still work, just look at parts of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out by Panic! At The Disco. Sure there's a lot of nostalgia fueling my love for it, but it genuinely does have some good songs in that cabaret sort of style.     I'd give this musical a longer review, but I think it would be forced. Am I being a bit unfair thinking that ...

      To be honest, this movie was not as bad as I remember, and yes I did watch this movie twice. However, it has been quite some time since I watched it, and my sister had wanted to watch it, so I figured I'd give it a go. However, I have to report that while the CGI cat fur is quite odd, that's not the worst part of the movie, it's the fact that it's boring. Like, I wouldn't say I snoozed through it all, or that I expected some masterpiece, but I think a movie that tries to be as shocking or as odd as this one really shouldn't have this issue. Let me explain.     Cats  is not meant to really have that dense of a plot. It's pretty much a showcase of all the different cats, and just supposed to be on big jolly time with cats dancing and singing their hearts out to entertain the audience. In fact, I remember doing research on this musical (yes I did research), and seeing an interview where they discussed the audition process for the musical. They prioritize...

     I guarantee you that if someone told you that they were going to do a musical retelling of the six wives of Henry VIII, you'd be intrigued. Obviously there's the whole misogyny angle, and maybe you could work something interesting out of all the different perspectives on someone who generally was not considered a good person, but otherwise you'd think it'd be kind of plain. Never in your life would you imagine it be whatever this is. If you want a quick review of Six , here it is, it's more show than musical, and honestly that's not a bad thing, there really isn't much fluff, it's a big spectacle, but despite it all it's a blast, and only 80 minutes to boot, less than half the length of some musicals.     When I watched this production earlier today, I have to say that I was genuinely impressed, the lighting, the band, the singing, it really did just feel like a show. The chemistry was on point, the dancing was fun, and there was loads of claps ...

     Filmed in Toronto? Check. John Travolta in Drag? Check. Zac Effron? Check. A moral that doesn't feel thrown in? Check. Great music? Of course. Hairspray  is about everything I'd want in a musical, and more. I mean after watching the 2024 Mean Girls  remake yesterday in theaters with my sister, it was genuinely astonishing how much better Hairspray was. The cast was belting out songs, the choreography was actually on point, and they let the songs breathe. It's almost amazing what can happen when you let a musical actually be a real musical.     This was a blast, and I do have to highlight John Travolta. It's kind of amazing how realistic he felt, and at times you really do forget that it's a man doing drag. I'd love to find out how he does it, because without him, this musical falls apart. He plays the role of the mother so convincingly, and the relationship he has with Tracy is so adorable, who knew the man had it in him? I certainly didn't. Funni...

      A fantastic and simply delectable time, and well worth the 2 hours and 24 minutes it demands from you. Look, of course I love musicals, so I don't know why I was so skeptical of Waitress: The Musical, maybe it was because of the fact that it's main motif is "sugar, butter and flour", or maybe it's because I only remembered it for being a movie, but I will never doubt it again. I just finished watching this newly released musical with my sister, and while I was "yapping" throughout, as my sister so affectionately put it, it's because I simply loved it so much, though I do have some questions.     First of all, why did Dr. Pomatter stay with his wife? Was it for empowerment reasons? Because honestly Jenna had all the reason to leave her husband, Earl, because I really hated his actor. Almost too much, because his angry scenes felt a bit too realistic for me, and like I genuinely hated him, and felt like he had to be getting that anger from somewh...

      Look, Hamilton is kind of peak musical to me so forgive me if this entire article just sounds like me gushing over it. It's just that this really is what made me fall in love with musicals in the first place, and can you blame me? Look, I was in grade 9 and just exploring my unrealized passion for theater, and this musical was the perfect starting point. It didn't sound too theatrical, and it was about a historical character I legitimately knew nothing about. Not to mention, unlike other musicals, the story is entirely within the songs, so it was easy to listen along and visualize it all, sort of like a deluxe audiobook.     And well, this run of Hamilton  has been pretty much everything I could have wanted or expected when I was originally supposed to see a live version of this show. From the lighting, to the songs, to the energy, I can say with confidence that 14 year old me would have been absolutely ecstatic to have known he would have been able t...

      As a musical fan, one habit I've developed it watching multiple renditions of a musical in succession in order to gauge what I loved about each version, and I can safely say while I did enjoy this movie, I think the 2023 Toronto run of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was better, if on the sole basis of it not having really aged parts that make you go, wait this is for kids? Keep in mind I literally just poured all my energy into reviewing the musical in the very last post, so this won't be a conventional review, and mostly just me talking about how aged this musical has truly become.     First off, I'd like to note that I didn't realize God or Jesus isn't mentioned a single time during this musical. I guess I never noticed the exclusion because it's not like this musical isn't overtly religious, but they never even said that Joseph's gift was God-given or that God has a plan for him, and I suppose that's a good thing. To really rea...

      If I told you that someone made a musical rendition of the classic bible story involving Joseph and his twelve brothers filled with humour packed to the brim, your first thought would instantly go to  VeggieTales , the Christian animated series involving a loveable cast of vegetables. Now, before you start raising pitchforks, keep in mind that I actually think the comparison between VeggieTales  and  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is quite apt, and frankly high praise considering I loved VeggieTales  as a kid, because I think  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  brings the same family fun with a lot more flare.     To be honest, when I first heard of this musical, I was a bit skeptical, I mean as someone who grew up in a religious household, I've seen religion shoehorned in quite possibly all facets of life, from odd plates, to conventions and even poorly made animated films (not VeggieTales ), so ...