Musicals made me do it

 This image. This is THE IMAGE. The only image one would ever need the internet for. The image that basically raised me. I could gush about this single image for hours and hours, but nobody would listen to me, so I'm letting it all out here. some 2013esque Percy Jackson fanart Let me set the scene:  A random 6 year old girl is sitting around her room in 2015, gazing at her books. Suddenly she finds Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, a book she had picked up a while ago but never actually read. Grabbing it off her shelf, she opens the first page and BAM! She's 11 years old dressed up in a camp half blood t-shirt, wearing a cringe orange cap and drinking a coke that is inexplicably blue in color. I was absolutely obsessed with the Percy Jackson series, as well as the Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase, the Kane Chronicles and literally anything that came from Uncle Rick's desk. Yes, I had the Pinterest boards, the awful tattoo ideas that I am eternally grateful I never got i...

 I spent DAYS of my life researching the history of musical theatre for a project last year only to condense it all into a small timeline. But you know what, I think it's time for all that work to shine.  When did musical theatre get started? Well it's not really a simple question, trust me I'm a nerd. The use of music and drama together dates back to ancient civilizations. Greek and Roman dramas often incorporated music and dance into their performances. Most medieval morality plays in Europe also included elements of music and spectacle. They were often set to church chants, with the intention of educating the audience on good Christian values. Meanwhile, in Renaissance Italy, the "commedia dell'arte" troupes presented improvised performances that combined music, dance, and comedy. Another possible source of inspiration for musical theatre is vaudeville shows. Vaudeville shows often featured dance numbers and musical acts Some stock characters from Commedia ...

Perhaps one of the saddest things in the word for me is losing touch with something that once brought you joy. Waking up one day and realizing you don't remember the names of every single cast member for a show that dominated your childhood or walking past the spot on your bookshelf that housed your old favorite books, and noticing how dusty it's become. For me, one of the joys that I thought had slipped away completely was my love for the Harry Potter franchise. The books, the films, and the magical world of Hogwarts had a tight grip around much of my childhood. I attribute much of my interest in literature to me devouring that entire series at the age of five, and can say I would be a different person without it. That being said, thanks to JK Rowling's general awfulness and also the terrible CGI of the movies (seriously, how did anybody ever buy that they were actually flying?), it was safe to say that the magic wore off as I grew up.  That is, until I FOUND something cal...

 Have you heard of the all American prophet? A thirteenth birthday candle. A manifestation journal. Desperate late-night searches on visa applications to to the US. What do all three of these things have in common? Well, these were just some of the ridiculous ways I tried to get myself a ticket to see the Book of Mormon. I was around 14 when sullenly, I decided that this was only a dream. The end.  yeah just kidding.  one night I had a dream where an angel appeared to me and told me that salvation was buried in the form of gold plates under a hill near my house. Well, not particularly. My parents told me that they would buy me tickets to see two shows on the West End, any two of my choosing. Based on the title of the post I'm sure you already know that I chose to see the Book of Mormon. After a long chat with a very confused but very helpful employee at Delfont Mackintosh Theatres (shout out Paul) I finally got my grubby hands on those coveted tickets.  I WAS HAVING ...

Hi! My name is Anya, I’m 16 years old and writing this blog for my IBDP CAS project. I’m in my first year of the Diploma Program and currently focusing on physics and math. However, all of that is irrelevant, the only thing you need to know about me is that I love musicals. Like I really love musicals. Describing it as an addiction is probably the closest I’ll get to capturing just how obsessed I am with all things musicals. Sure, I started off with Hamilton, I know I’m basic, but slowly I fell down into the rabbit hole and soon found myself surrounded by an all-encompassing addiction to showtunes. I don’t want to be a theatre kid who’s only hobbies include listening to musicals, talking about musicals and watching musicals, but THE PARASITES, THE PARASITES within me want only musicals and nothing else will satiate their hunger. Since my friends and family have all given up on listening to me talk about musicals, I’ve decided to turn to you dear reader (yes I study English Literature ...

"Spies never die, Spies are Forever." Spies are forever is an original musical written by the theater troupe ‘Tin Can Brothers’. The show is set in the 1960’s and parodies numerous films from the spy genre. ‘Spies are Forever’ focuses on two spies, Agent Curt Mega(played by, you guessed it Curt Mega) and Owen Carvour (played by Joey Richter) and all the shenanigans they get up to. It is no longer being performed, although high quality recordings uploaded by ‘Tin Can Bros’ themselves are up on YouTube for free. So, after you read this, run don’t walk to watch this beautiful show for yourself. With the Wikipedia section through, let’s get into it. ‘Spies are Forever’, though often defined as a comedy is so much more than that. This is perhaps the only show that can pull off a singing N*zi as well as tragic commentary on the Lavender scare with no whiplash. At first glance it appears that the show is a classic take on the spy genre, with macho spies, femme fatales, and evil vi...