The Bitch Of Living

I'm recently become pretty obsessed (though that's a term that's used pretty broadly, isn't it?) with the musical Spring Awakening. Here's the story line: Teenagers is a small town are not being giving the information they need about sex and such by their parents, so they kind of go crazy and rebel and have sex. And 2 of the 3 main characters die. But in the end they are hopeful so it's ok. As insightful as that summary once, I suggest you read the one on wikipedia. As hard as it might be to believe, the one is a bit more thorough. This might sound like an average tale of teenage rebellion, but this tale takes places in 1800s Germany. And, with slighty "risque" subject material and song titles such as "The Bitch Of Living" and "Totally Fucked," this isn't your average musical.



Performing "Totally Fucked" on the Tony telecast. They covered their mouths on "fucked" to show the censorship. I don't know, it was pretty cool, it made me feel like going, "Yeaaaaah, stick it to the man!" Woooo. Why are italics so odd to write in??


Unfortunately, I did not see this musical on my trip to New York (I saw Phantom, an old but rightly-named classic). Because, let's face it, NO WAY was I seeing it with my parents. I mean, they show the very beginning of sex on stage. Not awkward at all.



Oh look! There they go! On a swing and everything.

Spring Awakening won the Tony for best musical, most likely blowing the competition out of the water. Mary Poppins? Are you serious? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious vs songs about teacher fantisies? Puh-lease. SEX SELLS. The cast is all really young, with the only people over the age of... proably about 25 are the two adults who play all the adult characters.



You might recognize them from this Gap ad. Spring Awakening + bright sweaters and scarfs= TOTALLY... AWESOME.



The cutie on the left is Jonathan Groff. Not only does he have a very nice voice, but I find it insanely awesome that his hometown is extremely close to mine. (Not that I'm going to tell you how close. I mean, I like to at least feign SOME sort of mystery). I honestly find this really, really cool, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because this area isn't exactly culture-rich, and to have someone from around here make it that big is pretty inspiring. Plus, my band competes against his alma mater in marching band competitions. I just think, "Whoa. He's from like...... around here!" Ok. I'll stop.



THE BITCH OF LIVING. BADASS SONG.

I've been watching lots of videos on Youtube recorded by wimply wonderful people who responded to their call of duty, and realized that illegaly recording performances for us fans is more important than breaking the law! They deserve Purple Hearts, all of 'em!



Look, I even took a picture of the THEATER as we were walking down Broadway. It was just there, like a wonderful, wonderful beacon shining from the concrete.






I'll post the music video they made for The Bitch of Living. If you like it, you can look for more videos, or just ask me. I don't want to gunk up my clean and pristine blog with lots of videos.




Those costumes are so incredibly badass, it hurts just to look.

As for songs to download, I suggest:
"The Bitch of Living" [obviously]
"Mama Who Bore Me"
"Left Behind" [because Jonathan Groff's voice is sooo sweet]
and but of course, "Totally Fucked" [because it's really fun to sing along at the top of your lungs when no one else is home. Try it. it's very therapeutic.

Oh, wait, one more video. I think this one shows how down to earth the actors are, and how they really care about the fans. I favorited it. I don't know. I'm jsut weird like that. Basically, this girl saw the musical, and her friend really wanted to go, but couldn't. So after the show, the girl who COULD go (Are you with me? Are you with me?) went to the stagedoor, and the brillant John Gallagher (who has since left :[) recorded this adorable little message for the friend. Let the gunking commence.



MUSIC:





Ooh, may I suggest The Postmarks? This CD is a perfect rainy-day, read a book album. Sleepy and a bit sad, but with a soft sort of sparkle. Bueno....


anna.