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Othersode #43: Phantom of the Suburbs / Hamilton!

July 27, 2020 The Squad
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Othersode #43: Phantom of the Suburbs / Hamilton!

Join us *in the room where it happens* to talk about Hamilton, the 2015 hit Broadway musical that recently became available to stream on Disney+! We talk about our favorite characters and moments, how women are represented, deviations from history (but in a not-annoying way!), other musicals that have had crossover cultural success, and how "Hamilton" represents our particular politico-historical moment. Also—the #BookSquadBlog is back! Check it out for brand new content! For our next #Bookpisode on August 10, read Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey. Then, check out the new film adaptation of The Secret Garden for our next #Othersode on August 24. Send your thoughts on Hamilton or any other topic we’ve covered to thesquad@booksquadgoal.com or DM us on social media @booksquadgoals!

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

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In 3-Podcast Tags Theater, Music
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Missing Rasputin: A Review of Anastasia the Musical

November 14, 2019 Leah Rachel von Essen
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For my birthday last year, I bought myself a last-minute ticket for Anastasia the Musical.

I was excited, looking forward to a spectacular dress transformation in “Once Upon a December,” to the live musical twist on the fantasy, to Dmitri enchanting.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed; and I ended up staying up late that night to watch the animated film, which reminded me even more distinctly how much better it was. 

There were many “small” choices that bothered me about the musical’s execution. One of the biggest was that the actress who plays Countess Lily, aka the Sophie analogue, is thin. From when I was young, Sophie being so sexy while being unapologetically fat, without it being a big joke, was vital for me, and I was incredibly disappointed to see a rather thin actress play her. “Once Upon a December” was not nearly as big as I anticipated it would be, especially considering that the scene of the ballet was so breathtaking—they could have done better for sure.

The creators of the musical took an interesting turn that had tremendous potential: they decided to make the story more realistic, getting rid of the demonic sorcerer Rasputin and the green monsters that haunt the film. It was an intriguing twist with a lot of potential, but ultimately, it didn’t work because of their indecision and their failure to commit to the idea fully.

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In Blog Tags Guest posts, Theater
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Was "Moulin Rouge: The Musical" Spectacular, Spectacular?

October 25, 2019 Kelli & Emily
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Kelli and Emily are at it again, going to the theater and coming here to share our reviews and make you very, very jealous of the cool stuff we’ve seen. This time, we’re talking about Moulin Rouge, the broadway musical based on the 2001 Baz Luhrman movie of the same name. Spoilers for both the movie and the play to follow, but like, dang, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, what are you doing?

Emily: Moulin Rouge is my favorite movie of all time. So when they FINALLY got around to making a musical, which first premiered on July 10, 2018 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, I knew I WAS DESTINED to see it. Then it came to New York, and that’s when I knew I would have to drag my theater buddy Kelli along. Kelli is not as obsessed with Moulin Rouge as I am, but she was game anyway. Now here we are, one play and one rewatch of the movie later, ready to discuss this thing. So let’s get into it. Kelli, you saw this movie a super long time ago, and you didn’t really remember it going into the play, so how was that for you?

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In Blog Tags Movies, Theater
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RENT: 525,600 Times Yes!

January 29, 2019 Mary & Emily
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When Mary asked Emily if they could do a blog post about RENT, LIVE! (ok it wasn’t totally live but we’ll discuss that) together, Emily said, “525,600 times yes!” So here they are, discussing Rent, their love for Rent, and their discussion about how this whole FOX spectacle came together. And how it didn’t. So without further ado and before we start bursting into song, let’s get into it, shall we? After all, no day but today! Sorry. I’m sorry.

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In Blog Tags Theater, Mary posts, Emily posts
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: No Secrets Kept

September 14, 2018 Kelli & Emily
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Last weekend, Emily and Kelli had the ABSOLUTE PLEASURE of attending the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts I and II. Now, as promised, we offer you their spoiler-filled discussion of the play — just don’t tell JK Rowling, please. #KeepTheSecrets #UnlessYouHaveABlog

(SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. SERIOUSLY. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.)

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In Blog Tags Kelli posts, Group posts, Books, Theater, Harry Potter, Emily posts
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Happy Wedding Day to Mary and Todd! We love you both and can’t wait to watch you tie the knot today! @thefavoritenpc @tadasborne #MaryToddLincoln
On next Monday’s #othersode, we’re taking a deep dive into the history of racism in our country. Read along with us (or listen for free on Spotify!) for our discussion of Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. Episode drops 6/29! ?
We’re dedicating our next #Othersode to talking about a very important subject. Read along with us for Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi. Episode drops 6/29! 📸: @onegirlreading
Happy Juneteenth! Help lift up Black voices and support Black-owned businesses this week by buying books by Black authors from Black-owned bookstores! (These shops all have online ordering!)📚 Want to share some other Black-owned bookstores? Tell us
Hey, Goalies! Murray and the Squad would like to encourage you to buy books by Black authors this week! Pictured are some of Murray’s top picks (courtesy of @avidbookshop!), but we’d love to hear more of your favorite books by Black autho
Happy New Episode Day! Check out our discussion of Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett — plus a special interview with Erica Boyce, author of Lost at Sea! Available wherever you get your podcasts!

made with love by emily, kelli, mary, and susan. <3 thanks to Katelyn Elaine Photography for our group photos.

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