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Apple TV+ Can Make Good Shows Actually (UNTIL THEY CANCEL THEM)

 Remember in the last article when I promised that one about an actual musical was coming soon? Well, here it is, timely as ever. I am still talking about a show as in a TV show, not a live show. However, this is a musical style show, called Schmigadoon! Schmigadoon! is a musical comedy series on Apple TV+ that parodies and pays tribute to various eras of musical theatre. Starring Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, the story follows a modern couple who becomes trapped in a magical town where everyone acts as if they are in a studio musical. Schmigadoon is broken down into two seasons, with season one exploring the titular, Schmigadoon and season two exploring Schmicago. As you can tell, both names are remixes of popular musical titles, Brigadoon and Chicago respectively. In true Brigadoon fashion, the entirety of season one focuses on the golden age of musical theatre. For more technical information about this era, check out my article about the history of musical theatre! But f...
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Apple TV+ Cannot Make Good Shows

 Before you accuse me of click baiting you, I want to make it clear right out of the gate: THIS IS NOT ABOUT A MUSICAL. Now, I have talked about non-musicals on this blog before, but they were usually music adjacent. Meanwhile, this has nothing to do with anything, it's just a small preview to another article about a musical that is coming soon I promise. Um okay by soon it could mean anywhere from today to in 10 weeks, so we'll see how that goes.  I love talking about shows that I adore on this blog, and today we're going to be talking about a TV show that I adore, but not for the same reasons as everything else I've covered here. That is, 'Invasion', a science fiction show created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. It's an Apple TV+ original that follows an alien invasion through the perspectives of ordinary people across different continents.  Now, this sounds like any old show, and I'm sure you're wondering, what made it so good that it sticks out ...
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Nobody Cares

 Oh yes dear reader, whatever exhaustive, depressive episode I've been going through still isn't over. After remembering that I basically have to start and finish an IA by...  basically tomorrow, take the mock and final test for a college entrance exam before the day after that, and then deal with my hindi orals next week, I suddenly fell back into my lethargy. No, I promise this won't just be a trauma dump, instead it will be me talking about a musical that reminded me of the dredge of everyday existence. That is of course, Groundhog day: The Musical. Yes folks, this is a real thing and it's actually very good. I've been obsessed with this musical since I was in 9th grade, and often found myself sobbing to 'Hope' of all songs. Listen, I don't know what could've been going on to make a 13 year old jam to a song about repeatedly trying to end your life, but it wasn't pretty.  Groundhog Day largely follows the plot of the movie, following a weather...
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The Conventions of Musical Theatre

 Me? I'm just tired (tired, tired, tired)  Before you get too worried about me dear reader, please know that this line is not a desperate call for help, rather it's a line from Next to Normal, a musical that has fully captured my life and soul. Don't worry, I won't make you sit through another article about it, but in light of my exhaustion from other aspects of life, my complete fixation on a non-musical thing that has been taking over my life, and my inability to juggle multiple tasks, I've decided that the only way to get back to writing is to write. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, I'm very very tired, which is why we'll have to keep this article light. Let's talk about the conventions of musical theatre.  Music Songs and dances provide characters with a medium to express their feelings in a more profound and emotive way than traditional dialogue. The use of music and movement allows performers to convey a wide range of emotions, from joy and love...
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High School is Killing Me

 Classroom arrest, is God the one giving the test.  All my fellow IB students know my pain all too well. Exams finish one week, EE due the next, three separate IAs due after, my English oral the week after, and it never ever ends. In between the endless internal assessments, unit tests, homework assignments, and college applications, I often found myself going back to the same lyrics in my head 'High school is killing me'. This is a line from another Starkid musical from the Hatchetfield trilogy (I know you're all sick and tired of me talking about Hatchetfield, but you should be grateful it's not a fourth article about Hamilton). This is the third musical in the series, entitled 'Nerdy Prudes Must Die'. Because I don't hate myself, I will be shortening 'Nerdy Prudes Must Die' to NPMD.  NPMD is something that can only be described as a wild ride. The story follows a bullied boy, Peter Spankoffski falling in love with a popular girl, Stephanie Lauter....
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Can't We Be Seventeen?

 We can learn how to chill It finally happened! She’s 17! I’ve been excited to turn this age forever given how culturally significant 17 is in musical theatre. Jack Kelly from Newsies  was 17, there’s a song in the musical Tuck Everlasting  called 17, Be More Chills Jeremy Heere is 17, it’s basically the age for all teenager-centric musicals. But today, I’m here to talk about a different, far darker show that touches heavily on the theme of being 17. That show is Heathers: The Musical . Based on the 1989 cult classic film, Heathers: The Musical  is an unapologetically sharp, chaotic, and strangely heartfelt exploration of high school’s social hierarchies. It’s a world where popularity is everything, where cafeteria seating arrangements determine your worth, and where teenage angst can literally turn deadly. The story follows Veronica Sawyer, an ordinary teen who finds herself pulled into the orbit of the Heathers, three impossibly popular girls who rule Westerberg Hi...
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Szin and her impact on the world

Hamilton animatics could honestly apply for partial custody of me, given how pivotal they were in raising me. I already know what you're thinking "PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT HAMILTON AGAIN". I'm sorry (I'm really not), but in order to close this trifecta of posts about my addiction to Hamilton, I simply must talk about the thing that started it all. I've previously alluded to the fact that, when I first watched Hamilton, I wasn't very impressed. However, I never really stated how I ended up changing my mind about the musical. The answer is of course, Hamilton Animatics.  If you're unfamiliar with animatics, they are essentially animated music videos over songs. These are very popular in many fandoms, with the Hamilton fandom often prioritizing hand-drawn simplistic characters over songs from the show. But to reduce them to “just fanart with audio” misses the point entirely. Animatics were a lifeline for the Hamilton fandom, and, honestly, for the sho...
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