The Grinch Musical

Ever experienced a snowball fight so intense that it felt like a scene from an action movie? We kick off our season finale amidst a wild storm, diving into the quirky and unconventional side of Christmas traditions. From debating the strategic merits of aiming snowballs at heads versus torsos to spotlighting a unique black Christmas tree that's become a beloved family staple, this episode is all about celebrating the joyous individuality of holiday decorations. We even toy with the idea of social media polls to see how your Christmas tree stacks up against a minimalist twig!

Join us on a nostalgic journey through the world of holiday musicals, where we share our love for Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the surprising success of its Broadway adaptation. We reminisce about notable performances, like Vanessa Hudgens as Cindy Lou, and delve into the fascinating tale of how the Grinch's musical managed to outshine "Wicked" at one point. With amusing anecdotes and insights into cultural differences in holiday shows, our discussion reflects on the enduring charm of the Grinch story, exploring its anti-consumerist themes and the musical's catchy tunes.

As we wrap up a year filled with growth and gratitude, we extend heartfelt thanks to our listeners and guests who've supported us from the start. Reflect on our journey from humble beginnings to our excitement for future episodes featuring more musicals and diverse guests. With anticipation for upcoming productions like the "Hercules" musical and the star-studded "Cabaret" cast, we're thrilled to continue this adventure with you in the new year. Thank you for making our podcast journey so rewarding—we can't wait to see where it takes us next!

End of MLL

Chapters

• 0:00 Christmas Tree Conversations & Snowball Fights
• 11:24 Holiday Musicals and Dr. Seuss
• 18:21 The Grinch Musical
• 32:52 Deconstructing Dr. Seuss' the Grinch
• 39:20 Reflections on Christmas Traditions
• 49:42 Musical Theatre Podcast Reflections
• 59:26 Gratitude for Podcast Fans

Transcript

Christmas Tree Conversations & Snowball Fights

Speaker 1 0:26

Hello and welcome to Musical Lyrical Lingo. We're your hosts.

Speaker 2 0:29

Tim and LJ. Today and every week we will be discussing musicals, but specifically what they taught us. Here we are.

Speaker 1 0:36

Oh, our last episode of this season.

Speaker 2 0:40

Hi, are we here already? There's a lovely little leaf floating out of the window in this storm.

Speaker 1 0:46

We have come to you in the middle of of, I think, probably one of the worst storms I've experienced it's mental, it's absolutely wild.

Speaker 2 0:54

So if you hear lots of it's not interpretive dance, it's not our halloween episode.

Speaker 1 1:00

It's actually a christmas episode, but we're just in the midst of a storm. I was thinking imagine if we had had storm dara today and it was snowing at the same time. It would be like getting punched in the face multiple times.

Speaker 2 1:13

Yeah, it wouldn't be pleasant.

Speaker 1 1:15

Snow coming at you at gale force speeds. No, no, no, it would not but then snowball fights are a bit like that too. I don't understand why people enjoy snowball fights so much.

Speaker 2 1:34

You've got lovely fluffy snow, which is lovely on the ground, and then you pick it up and you compact it into a ball shape and then you throw it at someone's head and it's actually really sore. Oh, I mean it is sore, yeah, but throwing it in somebody's head's very aggressive, but surely snowball fight that's what you aim for right. No, why would you throw a snowball at somebody's head? Head is precious. You just throw it at their torso or their leg you are so boring to have snowball fight with why would you throw a snowball at somebody's head?

Speaker 1 1:56

it's the prime target you're such a boy.

Speaker 2 1:59

You're such a boy. That is the first time you've ever said that to me, but that is, that's a real boy thing, but like the aim is to knock the hat off right what I thought it was just to throw them at them. I clearly have not been playing snowball fights properly.

Speaker 1 2:17

I mean to be honest. I mean I'm saying this like I've. I've had lots of snowball fights, one we don't ever have that much snow like if we have a white Christmas. It's like heart attack yeah um and two.

Speaker 2 2:30

If a snowball fight starts, I obviously run and take well, I was gonna say you were sounding really like these are the rules, this is what you do, and I was like, oh I it's. You in a snowball fight is not an image I've ever had in my head before.

Speaker 1 2:45

No, because it hasn't happened. Okay, it was just the the train of thought I had this morning when I woke up and the house was being battered, yeah, and I went, imagine if it had snowed, that would really hurt snow coming at you at that force. And then I went, hmm, snowball fight, it's kind of the same thing.

Speaker 2 3:02

It is amazing where your mind goes sometimes.

Speaker 1 3:05

True, it's amazing where your mind goes. When you decorated that Christmas tree.

Speaker 2 3:09

I didn't decorate that one. That one is made with love.

Speaker 1 3:13

I think you need to take a picture of that one and put it on the socials so everybody can see it.

Speaker 2 3:17

Oh, but I don't want my child to think that I'm mocking them.

Speaker 1 3:23

You're not mocking them, it's just good character it does. It has absolute character and it is in keeping with our musical for today, I think the Shape of the Tree.

Speaker 2 3:33

Yeah.

Speaker 1 3:34

The top is kind of like curved and a bit wonky. Over to the side the star is a different direction from the top of the tree. It all is kind of in keeping with what we're going to talk about today.

Speaker 2 3:46

And it's almost as if the main character has done terrible things to said tree and then brought it back.

Speaker 1 3:55

I mean, it looks like the main character has torched the tree because it is black. Yeah, Is that a thing now? Black Christmas trees.

Speaker 2 4:03

I mean, I never realised having a black Christmas tree was an unusual thing. We always so, as maybe if you are just joining us for the first time, hello, this is our last episode of season two.

Speaker 2 4:16

You're welcome. This year, my husband made me very happy by purchasing my family home, so we are back in my home that I grew up in, and this Christmas tree that we are looking at. We are in a different room today because the wind was just too much. Um, and we have always had this black Christmas tree, but this has always been in this black and white room, so I don't know it was. It was purchased for this room and then, whenever we got married, we were given it as your here's your first tree, yeah, so we then brought it back to this house. I mean it, it works in this room. The the thing was decorate it with love it sure has been decorated with love.

Speaker 1 5:00

Um, I now know what I'm getting you for christmas. I'm going to get you a mini white christmas tree, so that you can have a black and a white christmas tree in the black and white room.

Speaker 2 5:08

I love it. Yeah, I mean yeah. Anytime I've said oh yeah, we have a black, we have black Christmas tree, we have a green Christmas tree as well, our main Christmas tree.

Speaker 1 5:18

Thank you, I appreciate it. I mean, this isn't not beautiful, it's just beautiful in a very unique and different way.

Speaker 2 5:24

Which isn't that really important and a lovely message to give across, especially in this day and age, that it's okay to be your own version of what everybody else is have a cremated christmas tree hold on a wee second. Do you even have a christmas tree?

Speaker 1 5:42

I have a twig what we'll do is put a picture of your black unique christ Christmas tree up on socials and then I'll put a picture of my twig up. Okay, and I would say we could have a poll. Yeah, what do we prefer? The black Christmas tree will win the surest Christmas twig. Mine is so ridiculously awful and minimalistic and Is it a twig from the local park?

Speaker 1 6:07

Oh no, it's a twiggy tree, okay. Is it a twig from the local park? Oh no, it's a twiggy tree, okay. But my rule with Christmas trees goes has to go up in less than 10 minutes, has to be able to be taken down in less than 10 minutes.

Speaker 2 6:19

I love that rule.

Speaker 1 6:23

Yeah, listen, I am not spending.

Speaker 2 6:24

You see, all of these people who spend a full weekend decorating their house, my father, I'm not into that um dad's house also looks like blackpool eliminations, I know christmas house is christmas house, like it's literally as if he's moved into a different guy, but it was always decorated so beautiful I'm a bit like you should just put a bucket out the front and let people pay, like do you know what I mean it is?

Speaker 1 6:53

it reminds you of one of those houses.

Speaker 1 6:54

It's definitely on our when we go and look for really it's always on our list, delighted to hear that if he listens anymore I'm not so even sure if he listens I think, I think he's given up on us? Yeah, I think he has to the point that I do look at myself and other people do judge me at Christmas. I mean, people judge all the time, don't they? But particularly at Christmas, I think, people do look at me and kind of think I am a bit of a Grinch.

Speaker 2 7:20

Oh no, genuinely like I do oh no, because you definitely don't give off that impression. Like you like Christmas, you just don't enjoy all of the. You don't enjoy what movie Christmas has become and the reason why this uh story was created. We're going deep.

Speaker 1 7:41

Yeah, no, I, I like put it up late. It has to be up in 10 minutes yeah and then I would bring the twig down pretty quickly after the 25th well.

Speaker 2 7:53

So the? Um the tree went up quite early this year. For us, like usually we don't put it up until about maybe the second week in december, um, but for me it was kind of just hanging over me and I wanted to get it? Um done and I'm glad it's up and it's lovely, but we bring our Christmas tree down on Boxing Day.

Speaker 1 8:13

Oh okay, grinch yeah, because I'm not even that quick?

Speaker 2 8:17

No because.

Speaker 1 8:17

I find it Normally because I have a hangover.

Speaker 2 8:19

Oh well, I just find it really sad having a Christmas tree up whenever Christmas is over, and also I hate the stress of taking a Christmas tree down.

Speaker 1 8:32

So if I just get rid of it on Boxing Day, then I feel like I can relax. Do you not have Christmas dinner? Take two on Boxing Day.

Speaker 2 8:36

Yeah, but the Christmas tree comes down.

Speaker 1 8:38

So that happens first. Yeah, is that not a very stressful thing to do on Boxing Day?

Speaker 2 8:43

No, because I'm delighted.

Speaker 1 8:45

Either he's got a twitch or he's agreeing.

Speaker 2 8:55

Got a twitch or he's agreeing, but um ep aaron's eyeball, eyeballs, eyebrows just went up and down a couple of times there. No, no, he, he's all for tree coming down, but stressful on a boxing day oh right, okay, oh, so maybe we might change it to the day after boxing day this year, maybe because we've got more than one tree. Do take down. Do you know what it is? Just regardless of when you take it down it's the most hateful task I know it is. I mean, that's why we have children.

Speaker 1 9:17

I mean, to be fair, you could just put that black tree in a box as it is and then bring it out again next year. I mean, the top of it looks like it's been squashed in a box.

Speaker 2 9:26

Would you stop it when your children hear this episode?

Speaker 1 9:29

your daughter's not going to talk to me.

Speaker 2 9:30

No, well, I think I need to actually say this publicly my daughter had nothing to do with this because she's horrified by it. She is horrified by it. She's like that's awful. And she's so proud of the other tree because she was in charge of the lights and some of the. And she did turn around and say I think that's why my brother hates me. She's like because this tree gets all the praise and all this stuff but I love it.

Speaker 1 9:59

I do love it to be fair.

Speaker 2 10:01

It's just very different it is very different, but that's all. Good, it's very sweet.

Speaker 1 10:07

Well, we have given loads of clues in our rambles there as to what this year's Christmas musical is. What was last year's Christmas musical?

Speaker 2 10:18

like we did two, didn't we? We did two.

Speaker 1 10:19

Because we get see, the problem was last year. We were like we didn't know if we would still be here a year later.

Speaker 2 10:27

So we were like we should maybe do two Christmas musicals in case we never get the chance to do it again, or like and also we've been so fortunate this year with getting to interview lots of lovely people, so we've had more episodes where we were actually like we kind of forgot that we were coming to the Christmas episodes. We were like, oh, we just need a Christmas musical it's been really busy.

Holiday Musicals and Dr. Seuss

Speaker 1 10:50

It's crept up on us, so we did White Christmas last year and Elf yeah and they're great episodes if anybody wants to get more of a Christmassy musical fix. Go back and listen to them if one episode isn't isn't enough for you this festive tide, go back and listen to last year's Christmas episodes and keep listening.

Speaker 2 11:10

We were good last year we did two great Christmas musicals, and this year we're introducing you to a musical that is not great, good good.

Speaker 1 11:24

I went literally lord when I was listening to this again because I felt I needed when I was listening to this again because, I felt I needed to. I was like what do you say Without coming across as a bit of a bah humbug, like our Christmas episode has to be jolly.

Speaker 2 11:42

Yeah.

Speaker 1 11:43

Sparkle jolly twinkle jingly, as we were last year when we talked about Elf. But Dr Seuss, have I said him right, yeah, how the Grinch Stole christmas, the musical, the musical is. It doesn't quite have the same sparkle jolly twinkle feel for me, but you know what? I have made a pact with myself that I'm going to be more positive than maybe I would be if this was a non-christmas episode okay, and I think I'm going to do the same I think we need I mean we can't be both scrooge no, no, no, definitely, definitely, not, definitely not, it is a seasonal musical

Speaker 1 12:23

shock horror, yeah and uh. So it's a seasonal musical stage adaptation of the 1957 dr seuss book book how the Grinch Stole Christmas. Full disclosure right at the very beginning. I've never read any of Dr Seuss's books, I know. And that's really unusual, isn't it?

Speaker 2 12:42

So especially in your day job. I know, as a teacher, I really should have.

Speaker 1 12:46

Yeah, no, I know I agree, and like it is hilarious, at Christmas time we do make Dr Seuss inspired Christmas cards, which is why I kind of think the Shape of your Tree is very apt with Dr Seuss and the illustrations and the styles there, but I've never read any of his books. I feel you'd like them, do you reckon I'll maybe give it a go? I mean, I've got a bit of time coming up Two weeks of a holiday.

Speaker 2 13:11

We have a great Dr Sis, so Dr Sis would be much more beloved in America. Yes, we don't really wouldn't be a book that we would read in primary school or anything like that or any of his stories. But one year when my dad was away, he did get the kids a lovely Dr Sis book, but it's got loads of the little stories that you maybe aren't familiar with. Okay, but it's the same Dr Seuss feel and love about it. Yeah, yeah, like we love the Lorax in the house, so it's a big yeah. Would you ever watch that with your kids?

Speaker 1 13:44

No, oh my goodness, I haven't like anything Dr Sissy has like passed me by. Right, okay, including Cat in the Hat. Like I know, Cat in the Hat, the character but I know nothing about Cat in the Hat.

Speaker 2 13:57

Okay, you know, I would say, out of all of them, the Lorax would be my favourite, okay.

Speaker 1 14:02

I'll maybe watch that this Christmas too. You should. I've got a bit of time coming and it it's a good wee film and it's got Taylor Swift in it. On Zac Efron Well, I mean, if Taylor Swift is there, like who can say anything bad about it?

Speaker 2 14:17

Yeah, so Dr Seuss. So if you don't know, dr Seuss was an American author. This is just a. What is that word?

Speaker 1 14:27

I don't know.

Speaker 2 14:29

It's not his real name. He wasn't a doctor.

Speaker 1 14:31

Oh really, yeah, he wasn't a doctor. Oh right, okay.

Speaker 2 14:34

It's his pet name, and he wrote the majority of his stories in San Diego, a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful place that I love. San Diego, not known for snow though, no, not known for snow.

Speaker 2 14:48

It is in California, so actually originated with the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, they first commissioned this musical, and that was back in 1994. But in 1998, so only four years later San Diego started to run it at the Old Globe Theatre, and that is located in Balboa Park, this park. We have some beautiful parks in Northern Ireland, but Balboa Park is one of the most stunning things I have ever witnessed. It's got museums, theatres, an art section like Japanese gardens stunning, absolutely stunning, and we were there three years ago three, four years ago and we went to Balboa Park and it was about it was actually Halloween, and they were already advertising for Dr Suss's how the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is done in the old Globe Theatre every year. Yeah, I think that's that's class, though't it Like something that started and it's still going?

Speaker 1 15:52

Yeah, the book and the lyrics of the musical are by Timothy Masson. I had to get that in, considering he shares the title. Original score by Mel Marvin and directed by Matt August and created and conceived by Jack O'Brien.

Speaker 2 16:06

Yeah, so I would definitely encourage everybody to go onto Mel Marvin marvin's website. He has a very impressive back catalogue of not only musicals, um, but operas and plays, and he's a lovely website I like really enjoyed like what, so it's just so he um the grinch would be the one that he has is most famous for it's.

Speaker 2 16:31

He's just sort of been involved. So timothy and him or they are writing partners, so they would do quite a lot together. There's nothing there that we would jump out and that we would know, but, um, they've done a lot and they've worked, worked a lot together. But yeah, it's just melmarvincom.

Speaker 1 16:45

Very impressive, I was very impressed yeah, I mean, as you said, the versions of the musical have been produced since the 1990s, including a broadway production that ran during two christmas seasons. Um patrick page starred as the grinch in the broadway production which debuted on the 8th of november 2006 for the christmas season, closing on jan January, the 7th yeah, but let's go back to the 1998 version, which had a lot of famous people in it.

Speaker 2 17:15

So in San Diego, vanessa Hudgens she played Cindy Louie. In both 1998 and 1999, steve Blanchard played the Grinch and he was the original Beast from Beauty and the Beast, okay, and then we had John Tracy Egan, and he's been in lots. And then we had john tracy egan, um, and he's been in lots, and uh, then obviously patrick page um was for the 2007.

Speaker 1 17:37

He's like the perfect princess name his voice oh yeah and uh, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 17:44

He's great, he's really great, and you see he's going to play or he has. He is the voice of the mirror in the new live-action Snow White.

The Grinch Musical

Speaker 1 17:53

Oh, amazing, what a perfect voice to put to that mirror.

Speaker 2 17:57

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 17:58

Yeah, he's very cool. I yeah, I have a lot of time, for I'm a bit of a Patrick Page fan, he's crossing everything he did Hades Town. Yeah, he played Hades. He did Hades Town. He played Hades, he was.

Speaker 2 18:12

He's in the Gilded Age, oh, a few ago.

Speaker 1 18:14

See, he's in the Gilded Age. I still haven't watched it.

Speaker 2 18:16

And he's in the second season of Schmigadoon, whenever the musicals are a little bit darker, darker. Speaking of Schmigadoon, it's going to be on stage, oh is it? Next year. Yeah, there was only time. Yeah, Broadway.

Speaker 1 18:28

America. Yeah, very good. Yes, there's lots to look forward to next year. We maybe might talk about that towards the end of our episode.

Speaker 2 18:35

Yeah, let's do it.

Speaker 1 18:36

So yeah, so that production in Broadway was the first Broadway musical to play 12 performances a week, 12 shows a week Isn't that insane?

Speaker 2 18:45

It's mental.

Speaker 1 18:51

Whenever you think eight shoes a week is mental for performers 12 I know. But then if you look at all of those performers out there at the moment, at this time of the year, who are doing like 12 performances a week in panto, like with like a morning, like early morning pantomime, then a mat night and an evening. I mean it must just kill christmas I know, know.

Speaker 2 19:07

Do you remember the pantos where we would have three in one day? We did many a panto in our time and I remember one year of not many names but the big star refused. Actually I think a couple of years. The big stars never did the 11 o'clock showing and we were always like, why did they get out of it?

Speaker 1 19:24

I know, and by the third time of hearing the song I think we were drained there's also been a couple of big stars in the past who refused to share the stage with the babes. Yes, it's like you need to wind your neck. In love, you're the future just the children.

Speaker 2 19:40

You're the past. Watch, you don't fall down that beanstalk what fun fact, though, especially in the the time that we're living at the moment, is that this 12 show a week production. It ended Wicked's top grossing streak I know. I know, I know, isn't that crazy, so Wicked was number one in Broadway box office for 100 weeks. 100 weeks, 100 weeks.

Speaker 1 20:06

Which no Wicked. That's not surprising, is it? But I would not have thought the Grinch would push Wicked off.

Speaker 2 20:14

But then also it's like timing and stuff as well, isn't it, of course? Yeah, christmas, it's definitely a time for family theatre.

Speaker 1 20:20

Yeah.

Speaker 2 20:21

So let's maybe discuss that as well. Is the Grinch definitely a feel good, lovey, dovey thing for children, like young children?

Speaker 1 20:32

This is why I kind of don't know if I like this musical or not, because I just think it's a lot of dark for a long time and it's only at the end where obviously the problem is resolved and it's yay. Happy merry christmas. Yeah, he's a. He's a really like he's a real meanie, like like scrooge. Like scrooge is a bah humbug, but like he's not like scary mean.

Speaker 2 21:00

Yes, yes, whereas I think for young children.

Speaker 1 21:02

I think you're right, the Grinch can be scary, scary.

Speaker 2 21:07

But fair play to them. They knocked, Wicked off that top person spot.

Speaker 1 21:13

And then the musical began a second limited run at the St James's Theatre in November 2007, again with Patrick Page returning to the role. It was originally planned that the show would run continuously with up to 15 performances a week until January 2008. But the show was halted before the morning matinee on the 10th of November as a result of the 2007 Broadway stage hand strike.

Speaker 2 21:42

Well done, fair play to them them. We work with some and have done in the past, some amazing people who work backstage, and could you imagine forcing somebody to do that many productions, not just performers? But I think at that point, well done, stage hands going. No, this is just too much.

Speaker 1 22:01

Some might have called the producers grinches absolutely um. Now, the producers brought the matter to court and were granted an injunction enabling the show to resume again on the 23rd of november yeah, well, something needed to happen.

Speaker 2 22:18

I think I was just a bit ridiculous, can't?

Speaker 1 22:21

man and also the performances just wouldn't have been good. Not at all, because you can always see a cast that's going through the motions and are like a wee bit over it. If I had 15 performances a week, I'd have been over it too.

Speaker 2 22:32

Yeah absolutely Took a wee while to get to the UK, though, didn't it?

Speaker 1 22:35

It did yeah, it didn't tour in the UK until 2019. Yeah, and that's it and that is it. They've only had one tour, haven't they?

Speaker 2 22:46

Yeah, and it was short as well, but again, is that the whole Dr Seuss?

Speaker 1 22:50

It's so massive in America, in American literature, I don't know if it is huge, huge here.

Speaker 2 22:57

No, I think the only thing that's huge here is the Jim Carrey movie, which people love, and it's the Grinch, but it's not. You know there's yeah, there's license. In the way, do you know that Dr Seuss's um wife or um Lillian? She did have artistic direction on that film, so she was allowed to say whether or not, um, she agreed with some of the direction that they were going in. Um, but yeah, so I think that's probably why it hasn't really toured. You know, you can see why elf would definitely take the top spot over grinch in the uk.

Speaker 1 23:32

Yeah, if people were doing it well, that's it, and I think elf probably killed the grinch a little bit, didn't it, because the grinch is a poor man's equivalent. I think yeah to elf, the musical you know.

Speaker 2 23:42

So if you're gonna tour a christmas family show in the uk, you're going to pick yeah elf over, over the grid and, yes, don't have panto the way we have panto, so we are very uh lucky where you can literally go to the end of the street and we could go and see a panto. Yeah, yeah, so pantos are just all around while America don't have them. That's true, yeah, and also I think that this musical is good for how it started and that's maybe where it needs to stay in that sort of smaller theatre. Don't know if Broadway or doing big tours is where this musical needs to be. That sort of smaller theatre, yeah, don't know if Broadway or big tours is where this musical needs to be. That is just my opinion.

Speaker 1 24:28

No, that is absolutely fair For anybody who doesn't know. But like me the story it's obviously Dr Seuss' classic holiday tale of the Grinch who discovers that there's more to christmas than he bargained for. In this heartwarming classic they say um max the dog who's the grinch's dog narrates as the mean and scheming grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, decides to steal christmas away from the holiday. Loving who's just gonna put it out there. I could cope with the munchkins in munchkin land. The who's in Who'sville are really annoying.

Speaker 2 25:09

They're very intense.

Speaker 1 25:13

They would turn me into the Grinch, to be quite honest with you.

Speaker 2 25:16

Okay.

Speaker 1 25:17

Could you imagine how aggravating they would be if they were your neighbours?

Speaker 2 25:22

But you're all the same, so you wouldn't really notice there's not a chance.

Speaker 1 25:27

I'd choose to be a who in tents.

Speaker 2 25:31

That's too much. It actually surprised me that you don't know, because I've now just remembered about Horton. Here's a who, and it's another great little story is he the elephant? But you see.

Speaker 1 25:40

I only know these things because of Seussical, and again when I came to susical, which is another musical for season three folks um, which is based on dr seuss like I. You know cutting the hats in that, horton's in that, but I didn't know who any of these people were until I saw I think it was a youth production of it, and I was like it's really cute musical like I don't know the characters are brilliant, but I'm like going all right.

Speaker 2 26:06

Okay, this is dr seuss okay, no idea, um, but I think that's. It is kind of important to remember that dr says wrote for a reason and to educate children about the, the bigger world and being nice people and all that. So there's some lovely messages and there's some good messages in this as well definitely get some.

Speaker 1 26:24

We also got a very clear message of the poorly received television adaptation are we doing?

Speaker 2 26:31

it are we talking?

Speaker 1 26:31

about dr seuss's the grinch musical live, which premiered on the 9th of december 2020 on nbc, with matthew morrison as the Grinch. Now it was filmed in the Troubadour Theatre in London. Um, my favorite quote is the show felt bloated and flat.

Speaker 2 26:51

I know, okay, we're gonna, we'll just talk about it now. Yeah, have you watched it?

Speaker 1 26:56

I watched it way back and I'm not gonna lie to you, because I think it's on Skymax at the moment, isn't it? And I did download it and I didn't watch it before the episode because I just was like what's the point? Because watching it again isn't gonna make me change my opinion of it anymore. I think we should probably watch it together.

Speaker 1 27:13

That would be quite good fun um, it is it, it's a slog it is a slog, but if we had like a wee, wee mulled wine I don't't drink warm wine, but what do I do? And a couple of wee like nuts?

Speaker 2 27:26

Yeah.

Speaker 1 27:27

Maybe one of those like spicy sweet nut combos yeah. I think we could get through it.

Speaker 2 27:33

I mean it's decisions were made. Let's just say they certainly were Decisions were made. It was filmed in 2020. We all know what was happening in 2020. There was no live audience whenever this was being filmed, and theatre needs an audience. It does need an audience. I also think if you're doing something for TV, it needs to be a straight run. Usually, this musical is 85 minutes long yeah and there's no break, there's no intermission yeah well, because this musical is 85 minutes long.

Speaker 2 28:04

Yeah, and there's no break, there's no intermission. Yeah, um well, because it was mbc, isn't that right? Yeah, there's breaks, and it's very obvious. There's breaks, and so you're pulled out yeah and then matthew morrison as the grunge. Now I know people love to hate matthew morrison.

Speaker 1 28:19

He's not a loved person yeah, he was once upon a time he was, but he's not anymore okay, his version of his behavior, yeah his version of the Grinch is wrong wrong, under rehearsed and very rushed, I felt so I also watched a wee film, a wee documentary, and they had said that.

Speaker 2 28:45

Actually, if you remember that Joaquin Phoenix's the Joker was released not too long before this, this is possibly what Matthew Morrison was going for he breaks the fourth wall quite a lot, and he really looks, I don't know, he looks into your soul, um, and he is, he's, he's weird and I think we should have done this for a halloween episode. Yeah, possibly I mean, I think as well in the uk, whenever we know the, the grinch, the jim carrey version, and you can, there's a a likable quality to his Grinch.

Speaker 1 29:25

I think what Matthew lacked was the camp yes, he tried to be too like.

Speaker 2 29:30

I'm going to creep you out yeah even the way he did. He wasn't over the top in his um. I think that image, I think, of the Grinch whenever he's sneaking in the houses is high knees, high knees, and that's what I kept wanting to like. Say to matthew get those knees up. Yeah, because there's a campory to it.

Speaker 1 29:48

You can be a grinch, you can be mean and nasty, but you need to be camp and like tongue-in-cheek and doing it, and I think that's why, obviously, jim carrey is jim carrey, but he is perfect, yeah, for that. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 30:04

um, whereas, yeah, you're right, matthew Morrison was just downright mean and nasty, which meant at the end, whenever, you know, the Grinch does end up getting some compassion from Cindy Lou who, and his heart grows three sizes. Um, isn't it his? Because his heart was three sizes too small, isn't?

Speaker 1 30:30

that what it is, and then two sizes and then it ends up growing.

Speaker 2 30:33

But it's kind of scary whenever that happens. It's almost like torture yeah rather than oh, it's growing and I like it and oh, I've got this warm, fuzzy feeling. That's the direction if I was directing that I would give him. You know it's, it's flowing through your body and you are starting to change this person. Not, oh, my goodness, I'm about to have a heart attack because it's a kitty show we're gonna see, yeah, yeah it's just, I think we've said enough yes, also, I just not finished, just to beat it.

Speaker 2 31:04

I do struggle a little bit with the fact that it's narrated by Max, who's the older dog. Now I know, because it's a narration like the story. Is somebody narrating a story? But I just struggle with an old Max. I don't know. I just find it a bit odd. Max is the dog.

Speaker 1 31:24

Yeah, but Max would need to be older than the Grinch to understand the background of the Grinch and how you know his upbringing and stuff like that, because is that not why the Grinch is the way he is?

Speaker 2 31:39

Is it all retrospective? No, it's all. Yeah, it's Max sitting there going this is a story, and like he's. And then you get young Max oh, I don't know no, so I don't understand why it has like could it not have been like maybe an older Cindy Lou or something, I don't know. It has to be an older Max, an older.

Speaker 1 31:58

Yeah, he knows the Grinch from better than anybody else From, almost like he's man's best friend.

Speaker 2 32:04

Yeah.

Speaker 1 32:05

And probably the Grinch's only friend, exactly, I clearly missed that A wee bit. You were just, you were more I was just you were just struggling with the performances, I think. I think that's maybe it.

Speaker 2 32:18

Anyway, Did you learn much from this musical Well?

Deconstructing Dr. Seuss' the Grinch

Speaker 1 32:21

listen the lyrics of Dr Seuss' how the Grinch Stole Christmas do explore the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of family and love at this time. Oh, it's all rainbows and fluffy unicorns. But the Grinch's heart, as we've said, is two sizes too small and I think the musical shows that the Grinch's heart, as we've said, is two sizes too small. And I think the musical shows that the Grinch's heart grows when he does realise that Christmas is more than just the toys and the trees.

Speaker 2 32:52

Yeah, that's it. Dr Seuss wrote this story as a way to combat consumerism.

Speaker 1 32:59

Yes, that's it. The who's the prototype. Prototype consumery, um. And the grinch is anti-capitalist, isn't he?

Speaker 2 33:10

so the who's, yeah, yeah, I get it yeah, and but I don't like the who's there and maybe people always assume that the grinch is just really horrible and don't realise that the who's are not getting he's in the backside? Yeah, they're not getting the true message. Do you know what the who's?

Speaker 1 33:28

remind me of. Oh, you might slap me here and tell me to get out of your house, because I don't know how you feel about this, because I know you're a massive Disney fan.

Speaker 2 33:35

What.

Speaker 1 33:36

But you know that god-awful ride in Disneyland, the Small World, awful ride in disneyland, um, yes, it's a small world. Yes, I mean, that's hard to love.

Speaker 2 34:00

I'm like I'm actually gonna shoot someone yeah, it's not the best but that's what the who's remind me of it's a small world in Disneyland and I literally was like do you know what it is?

Speaker 1 34:10

I'll happily just throw myself into the lake to end this ride earlier and do you know what?

Speaker 2 34:16

every single person feels that way. Why have I? I don't know.

Speaker 1 34:19

I think it's about the world being harmonious and everybody oh, but god, we don't need to hear the same 16 bars on a loop.

Speaker 2 34:28

No, the last time we were in Disney we got stuck on that ride.

Speaker 1 34:32

No no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I wouldn't be here right now if that happened to me, but we got stuck on it Because, honest to, goodness.

Speaker 2 34:41

Right at the end, right at the end, no, no, and then the boats weren't moving and we ended up missing the parade, which is one of the best things in Disney.

Speaker 1 34:52

It's a small world. Please tell me they turned the music off.

Speaker 2 34:55

Yeah, but that's what I was going to say. We were right at the end, like thank goodness for the you know any you know any further in, you would have just had that that do you know, do you know do?

Speaker 1 35:08

you watch that uh program, sas, yeah, um, what's that? What's the full title? Sas survivor or something? Um, where they like train up celebrities to like sas style and they have that like that interrogation and that torture stage like that they just need to sing, like play. It's a small world.

Speaker 2 35:25

My dad says that time yeah, that is a little torture. And you see, whenever we got off, we eventually got off the boat. Um, but the things you do for kids, right, we eventually got off the boat. My dad was like a child I can't believe we'll miss. We'll miss the parade because it's a small world. We're missing the parade because it's a small world. I would be livid. I'd be asking for money back right.

Speaker 1 35:47

Okay, I actually am going away today feeling a wee bit better because I thought I was real, I was a grinch for like thinking poorly of it's a small world no, I would struggle if there's anybody that adores it.

Speaker 2 36:01

I think people, you definitely go on it to like do you never take it? No um you've never been and you don't like it. No, I have, oh right.

Speaker 1 36:10

No, I would never do it again, even if I was when, if I was to go to disney yes bypassing that.

Speaker 2 36:16

I'm not doing it yes, no, it's definitely one of the ones where I'm like I don't need to do that anymore, but at that point I our youngest couldn't remember being on it right so it was like can we? Do this one.

Speaker 1 36:27

Okay, yeah, so, yeah so that's what the who's remind me of yeah, okay, good comparison thank you yeah, um, also it's. Obviously it's a family musical isn't it the?

Speaker 1 36:38

Grinch. Um, and the Grinch never had a family of his own and felt left out at Christmas, so we tried to take that out on others. And the grinch never had a family of his own and felt left out at christmas, so he tried to take that out on others. And the musical's message is that actually, if you are hurt, that doesn't mean that you have permission to then hurt others, and I think that's yeah, that is especially in today's um society of young people they they look for blood yeah and and parents look for blood.

Speaker 1 37:02

Like you know, if kids have a fallout or an argument, it's like well, what are you going to do?

Speaker 2 37:07

about it yeah.

Speaker 1 37:07

Like what's going to happen to the other child and it's like okay, but like let's learn a lesson from this. Yeah, we're here to learn lessons. We're not here to hurt each other or you.

Speaker 2 37:17

It's like if my kids are fighting and one hits the other and they go Mom, so-and-so hit me. Am I allowed to hit them back? No, it's only to see what the situation is. It's not like they come and say can I hit them? They hit me, they kicked me, they nipped me.

Speaker 1 37:34

No.

Speaker 2 37:35

Just why? What was the reason? Why did it get to that point? Let's think of the spirit of Christmas people, yeah, I do love the spirit of Christmas. Can I just say I do love the fun overture of this musical. Some of the music's nice like. Some of the music.

Speaker 1 37:51

Until the who's open their mouth, and then I go okay, but I like the overture.

Speaker 2 37:55

Do you know, if I needed to like do a wee Christmas compilation, I would maybe put that in, because it's quite, it's a beat, kind of gets you in the mood. Who Likes Christmas?

Speaker 1 38:07

Would you put You're a mean one, mr Green.

Speaker 2 38:13

It's a classic, isn't it? I think that came from the 60s TV show and then they put it into the musical.

Speaker 1 38:20

It is certainly a classic, don't we know it?

Speaker 2 38:22

because any Tom, Dick or Harry who decides to do a.

Speaker 1 38:25

Christmas album. It's always in there somewhere like it must be one of the most.

Reflections on Christmas Traditions

Speaker 2 38:31

It must be, you're right songs you're right well, in that it says you really are a heel yes um, probably the first time I heard that I maybe didn't know what a heel was and EP's eyes have just and his head just has gone up and I'm cause I have a written down. I know that this means a bad person in WWE and I know, and I know that, but I just mean that could be the first time somebody's hearing that heel means bad.

Speaker 1 39:01

Yeah, so in professional wrestling the word heel is like a baddie or villainous wrestler, normally the one that gets beaten by the heroic character.

Speaker 2 39:10

Which is called the face.

Speaker 1 39:11

The face Baby face.

Speaker 2 39:13

Oh, I always just knew it was face.

Speaker 1 39:16

Or, if you're not in the world of professional wrestling, just a contemptible person.

Speaker 2 39:20

Well, that's how it's gonna go. A person who is self-red. Is it a word that's always been about, or was it that wrestling made it Did? Wrestlers coin it? No, I think, maybe it was there, I'm not very sure yeah. Hmm, okay, he also says you're the king of simple sots. Yes, also, I don't think the chin of that's very like Godspell.

Speaker 1 39:45

Oh, here she goes with her chin. What is that one?

Speaker 2 39:51

The temptress sings in Godspell Turnback.

Speaker 1 39:58

Oh man.

Speaker 2 40:00

A wee bit.

Speaker 1 40:01

Have you done Godspell yet?

Speaker 2 40:02

Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 40:03

yes, it's like the third episode from season one we have done so many episodes, lauren, how am I supposed to remember that?

Speaker 2 40:12

yeah, turn back. Oh man, yeah, it's a wee bit like yeah okay that's actually one that you did get right. That's quite good.

Speaker 1 40:22

Sometimes I find, with your comparisons I'm like not quite hearing that one myself, lauren, but we'll go with it.

Speaker 2 40:32

It's because I have a disability and I'm a-. Oh, stop it.

Speaker 1 40:35

Stop with your disability, you're out.

Speaker 2 40:38

I do have a hearing problem, anyway.

Speaker 1 40:41

Not that big of a hearing problem. Well, I have a hearing aid, so I would say it is. That's awful. I still apologise. Okay, I'm not offended. She's a listening problem as well. Yeah, okay, shit Selective, that's what that's called, aaron.

Speaker 2 40:54

All right, all right, gang off of me.

Speaker 1 40:56

Okay, we love you dearly.

Speaker 2 41:03

You know that Sinful Sots yes. So this is something to do. It's a sound on tape that only provides facts and no emotion.

Speaker 1 41:08

I got that a sot is a drunken person an older word not often used in modern English.

Speaker 2 41:14

Yes, so I'm going to years and years and millions of years ago they would have just referred to as a drunk person, as a sot. But now, whenever you say sinful sots, um, it just means that you're you've got no emotion, you're just delivering what it is so like a newscaster tries to be a sot, a sot, um, because they're not supposed to show any emotion. So whenever maybe um people are reporting on something, it would be, you know, that's where they would be include, I don't know, like not necessarily reports, but maybe in like um commercials or films or anything like that where they input sound, because the way the, the delivery of somebody has just been no emotion, yeah so.

Speaker 1 41:58

There you go, my favourite line in your Mean Mum, Mr Grinch, is your three-decker sauerkraut toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce.

Speaker 2 42:08

I mean you wouldn't want to eat that, sure you wouldn't.

Speaker 1 42:10

Well, I didn't know what sauerkraut was. Oh.

Speaker 2 42:13

I love sauerkraut.

Speaker 1 42:14

No, I certainly don't love sauerkraut.

Speaker 2 42:20

I've never tried it. Sauerkraut Kraut.

Speaker 1 42:23

And I certainly won't be trying the kraut anytime soon. Finely cut raw cabbage which has been fermented in various lactic acid bacteria. You can keep it. Are you going to have that here for your parents? Doinguren's doing like a wee christmassy night where it's open house and we can all come and have a jolly I love that.

Speaker 2 42:45

You just told everybody it's open anybody?

Speaker 1 42:49

can come, but I didn't tell them the dates, lauren so it's all right.

Speaker 2 42:51

I know um it's on the are you gonna have sorry I am, I'm gonna, I'm Timothy.

Speaker 1 43:00

And I'm going to go. You'll hear me heaving in that toilet.

Speaker 2 43:02

I know. Do you know what, now that I think about it, you wouldn't like it.

Speaker 1 43:06

Absolutely not. Well, I'm not a cabbage fan.

Speaker 2 43:08

for a start, Well, I'm not a cabbage fan either, but I love sauerkraut.

Speaker 1 43:11

And I struggle with things like pickles.

Speaker 2 43:26

Yeah, you fermented.

Speaker 1 43:27

No, it's nice on things where it's nice on the side of like noodles or you know if you, if you maybe have in like an anti pasta place yeah, I mean we'd go with some sharp cheese.

Speaker 2 43:34

Yeah, okay, you could. You could do that, but you're probably not gonna love it not at all. But it's really good for your gut health.

Speaker 1 43:43

No doubt I'm sure it runs through you.

Speaker 2 43:45

No, it doesn't. It helps the bacteria in your stomach.

Speaker 1 43:50

So does those yogurts you can take.

Speaker 2 43:54

Okay, you stick with the yogurts, I'll stick with the yogurts. I have not had fermented cabbage, thank you. And arsenic, would you? Would you like a way inside of it?

Speaker 1 44:03

it's been used in the line to to show how gruesome and disgusting the grinch is like.

Speaker 2 44:10

That's not a good advertisement for it but it's also you need to remember when that was written like eating sauerkraut would have been, and is, a very like European dish and not something that would be in everybody's homes. Well, now, it would be much more popular and people like to eat. You know, like kombucha. I take it, you don't like kombucha.

Speaker 1 44:31

I have no idea what that is.

Speaker 2 44:32

You know the fermented drink. Oh jeez, no, okay, I value my gut. No, you obviously don't, if you don't eat these things Because they're good for your gut.

Speaker 1 44:44

They can't be good for your gut. They wouldn't stay down long enough. They'd be coming straight back up again.

Speaker 2 44:49

You eat. Anyway.

Speaker 1 44:53

Did we learn anything else? Because I'm going to be honest with you, that's the musical lyrical lingo learning that I learnt, apart from the gifts that Christmas learned, apart from the gifts that christmas should come from the heart. Gifts should come from the heart and be received with an open heart. That's what I kind of got, either that or what I read about, grinch the musical.

Speaker 2 45:14

I think you should get just little um tags made up and then just give them to people as Christmas presents and just say this gift comes from the heart it's me.

Speaker 1 45:23

I am the gift. Could you imagine people's reactions?

Speaker 2 45:28

I mean.

Speaker 1 45:28

I mean it's beautiful.

Speaker 2 45:29

It is beautiful, it should be well that's why every year I make something so like it's either butter or what did I make it last year? Like chocolate covered coffee beans.

Speaker 1 45:38

They were delicious.

Speaker 2 45:39

And I do, I've done candles, I've made breads one year, you know, because there's a lot of time and effort goes into that.

Speaker 1 45:48

I know I dreamt up not dreamt up. I dreamt about your cupcakes the other week. Oh, did you? I totally forgot about those. Do you remember our waitress cupcakes? Yeah, do you want them for Christmas? Was that season one or season two?

Speaker 2 46:01

that was season one yeah, season one, season one. I learnt one more thing in who Likes Christmas? Yeah and they say give us jimmies. They're sort of saying everything that they want and they say give us jimmies, and jammies galore. So that led me down a rabbit hole of do you know, a gym jams are slang for pajamas. So gym jams, gym jams, um is a slang for pajamas. It originated as an abbreviation of the pie, gym jams and from 1902 and um. Traditional pajamas are trousers and a shirt yeah so very good.

Speaker 1 46:38

Are you the type of family that have matching?

Speaker 2 46:40

yeah, we do, do you get them new every year. No, okay, that's good.

Speaker 1 46:45

No, we don't you just have your, your jams? Yeah, that go in a wardrobe and don't come out until christmas again.

Speaker 2 46:52

Well, for three out of four of us that happens. But you've met my son right, the one that decorated christmas. Yeah, so he would all year round whenever.

Speaker 2 47:04

Fair enough, yeah, and, and I have a thing about pajamas have to be matching. Like I say, whatever trouser you have on, you need to have the same top. And I've always been that way, especially since the kids were babies, like it had to be matching, like if they spilt something on it I had to take them off and put them on, I don't know. Just I like it. And see, now that they're a little bit older and they choose one pajamas, it destroys me. I'm like, um, that's not matching, it's fine, it's fine. I'm like it's not fine because those trousers are not matching that top, or you've no top on. You're just walking around the house with no top on. It's December.

Speaker 1 47:42

So you have problem with unmatching pyjamas, pyjamas yeah. But the tree's okay.

Speaker 2 47:49

The tree's perfect.

Speaker 1 47:50

Love that.

Speaker 2 47:50

Because the tree was made with love Of course, but maybe they just love their mismatched pyjama balls. They're just lazy, that's what it is.

Speaker 1 47:57

Just lazy. There we go. Ho ho ho, merry Christmas.

Speaker 2 48:05

I mean, that's been three Christmas musicals we've maybe introduced people to and they're a range. One's a real old.

Speaker 1 48:11

I think we were pleasantly jingle bells about that we were, we were.

Speaker 2 48:16

I mean, if you can watch the NBC 2020 Matthew Morrison version, watch it. But if you could see a production in your local theatre maybe your local children or somebody doing it I would encourage you to go and do that. Go out, or just this season, if you don't normally go to the theatre I mean not too sure why you'd be listening to a musical theatre podcast but if you don't usually go to theater, go to your local theater. Go to your local um, school, college, whatever and go and support who is doing something.

Musical Theatre Podcast Reflections

Speaker 1 48:51

I think that's what we should do this time of year yeah, but if you are a new listener and we know we've had lots of new listeners and we know we've had lots of new listeners, we have, and that's probably one of the things we're most thankful for this season before you go out to see the local theatre in your area, could you listen to a couple more of our episodes from the past stat? Because, where are we sitting on our listening?

Speaker 2 49:19

we are 200 downloads away from 10,000 downloads.

Speaker 1 49:25

So could you like download, even like you know, 10 of our previous episodes before you go to the theatre and then Watch the piece of theatre and then download another 10. Yeah, that would be great. We would love that if you could do that.

Speaker 2 49:39

And tell your friends.

Speaker 1 49:40

Tell your friends. Absolutely, spread the word. It is ridiculous that we got so excited last year at how many?

Speaker 2 49:48

oh, I think um 2000 or something.

Speaker 1 49:50

Yeah, we were like a couple away from 2000 and we just thought we were the bees knees, the bees knees. It's been quite the year for the pod it's been so fun.

Speaker 2 50:01

It's been so fun. It hasn't gone in a new direction, it's just developed, as lots of things do some would say no direction at times.

Speaker 1 50:09

I think we've had some clangers this year, but sure that makes it, keeps it fresh, doesn't it?

Speaker 2 50:15

we're only human we put a, put a poll out to see what people enjoyed about season two and a lot of it just came back that they enjoyed the banter. Yeah, they enjoyed just listening to us either, arguing Not that we argue a lot, don't argue.

Speaker 1 50:33

Trust me, you should hear her to me off air, oh shush what but yeah, they just enjoy like this little time in their ears, yeah, which is really nice. Yeah, and we enjoy that. You enjoy listening or that you listen in the first place and what have you enjoyed about this season?

Speaker 2 50:57

then, um, I have loved that we've got to interview a range of people. I think that was something we put out there. Yeah, that we wanted to do. We wanted to get talking to people. We want to expand on that. We want to talk to, like, different people within the industry, different job roles, but it was just so fun and I just love that we got to go and speak to Zoe yeah, I know our trip to London.

Speaker 2 51:26

We had our first musical lyrical lingo trip abroad it was to the big smoke and it was just so lovely to see her a thousand percent.

Speaker 1 51:34

Yeah, a thousand percent yeah, I have enjoyed all of our fantastic guests, some near and dear to us and some people that we've never met before. Yeah, so thank you to all of them. If you have appeared on our podcast this this season, thank you, and I know some will be back for sure. Not that, um. Others have said we never want to do that again.

Speaker 1 51:59

It's just you know yes yeah, um, lots of like new guests to look forward to next year. Yeah, some like big, exciting ones in the pipeline for early, early 2025 crazy. I've also enjoyed the being on other people's podcasts.

Speaker 2 52:20

Hasn't that been exciting? Yeah, and we're getting to do that again in 2025. So that's nice, so lots to look forward to, and I did sit the other day.

Speaker 1 52:29

I had a bit of time. What was I doing? Oh, that's unusual, exactly right. And I was like what could I do? So I sat and I made a list of, like you know, musicals for next term and so actual musicals that you want to do not like a couple of weeks ago, where you were like why are we doing this musical? How on earth did all shake up, make it into the list when you have all of these fantastic ones? The problem is you don't want to go biggie after biggie after biggie there's some really big ones that we have not even

Speaker 2 53:05

touched on and it's mental that we'll go into season three and we haven't looked at some of them but isn't that also exciting that we are going into season three and we haven't just focused on big musicals? It's been so lovely discovering new musicals and obviously we got to do that twice this year. Yeah, um, and I've had some people say, oh, here I started listening to x, y and z and um, I love it, like do you listen to like.

Speaker 1 53:31

We hope that that is one of the things you do take from our podcast you know to go and listen to. You know new musicals or musicals that have been out there that you've never listened to before, because I think that's what keeps musical theater alive.

Speaker 2 53:45

Do you know what?

Speaker 1 53:46

I mean, rather than listening to this and even like even the wicked film like that is going. Not, that wicked was starting to die off, no, but it's just invigorated again. I think and given it a new lease of life, that I think musicals like Wicked that have been around for such a long time sometimes need a wee bit of a wee kick up the backside Do you know what I mean. Like just to fire them again, but yeah it's nice and also. Experience a new writing.

Speaker 2 54:17

That's really important and what we've sort of been saying all this. Episode 2 is wicked. The musical wouldn't have happened without theater yeah, and theater doesn't happen with right, local productions, without passion for something, so yeah, I think next seasons, when we approach, we do the big age. I mean, I feel that's not just going to be a one episode no, but I don't know if our listeners will allow us to go another season yeah, I think I think we have to.

Speaker 2 54:53

We've got some lovely followers on our socials and who also listen, obviously, to the pod, who are currently in the UK tour, so wouldn't that be fun if we were able to chat to them that would be fun so watch this space.

Speaker 1 55:09

I know what are you looking forward to next year. It doesn't necessarily have to be to do with the podcast, just in the world of theatre. Is there anything you're looking forward to?

Speaker 2 55:17

I mean, I don't know how many times I've said it bless my soul, herc is on his way. Yeah, so hercules will be so flying into the theater next year, excited yeah I mean, I think I've already got like we're going and we'll be going to see that. Yeah, and that's when does it open?

Speaker 1 55:38

August, because something I got very excited about this week was that the new, or the next, cast for Cabaret has been announced it has, and not only has it got one of my favourite performers, but it's got two Adam Lambert is going in as MC and Marisha Wallace is going in as Sally Bowles she cares, that's some casting.

Speaker 1 56:03

I know and that only dropped like two, two or three days ago like how exciting and um, I love what they've been doing with that production absolutely, and, and you know what, like I've kicked myself that I haven't seen it yet. But every time they bring out another cast, you're like going oh, but that'll be great too, that'll be great too. So I'll say it at some point yeah um, also I think we should go and see.

Speaker 1 56:33

I think next year we need to go and see more theater together yes um, and I think one of the things we should see next year is the uk tour of joseph, because the production shots were released this week and don't they look amazing?

Speaker 2 56:46

they do, and I feel like there's been a real injection of energy. Now that show is an energetic show anyway. Yeah, um, we obviously knew the original inside out, upside down, back to front, starting as many times so, um and I know that our lovely friend of the pod, richard, um seen the last re sort of thump of it and said that, um, it was good, they really enjoyed what they had done with it. So I'm actually intrigued to see what so it's coming to belfast isn't it, I think we should go and see that.

Speaker 1 57:17

I think we should go and see that. I think we should go and see Only Fools and Horses. Yeah, we can do that.

Speaker 2 57:22

Actually, do you know what? There's some really good musicals coming.

Speaker 1 57:26

Yeah.

Speaker 2 57:26

Not just in Belfast, but in Dublin too. So yeah, we should.

Speaker 1 57:32

Lots to look forward to.

Speaker 2 57:34

And lots of just fun, exciting times.

Speaker 1 57:37

I'm ready for a wee break, though. I'm ready for a wee break now. I'm ready for a wee week off, two weeks actually. I've got two weeks off.

Speaker 2 57:43

That's nice. And are you just going to vegetate and watch musicals?

Speaker 1 57:47

A thousand percent yeah, maybe not watch the Grinch that Stole Christmas. No, no, don't do that.

Speaker 2 57:53

There are some musicals on over Christmas period like Matilda will be on.

Speaker 1 58:03

There'll be some plays on too, if you're into that? Did I read a Merry Widow is appearing somewhere on BBC 2 or BBC 4? Normally, if you're looking for a musical at Christmas time, sky Arts is normally a good place to spot them. Bbc 4 is normally very good, and BBC 2 as well, so that's one of my favourite things about Christmas, though getting like a TV guide and sitting down with my red marker and just like circling and I was not watching it recording it, and then you've got like yeah, I think that's where most of the musicals that are saved on my box are from like Christmas showings I'm like save keep yeah, oh no.

Speaker 2 58:39

It's nice for a rainy day when you just need to go to a musical theatre to lighten up your life did you see that Hello Dolly is up for what's on stage award are we surprised? I know, I know some lovely shows performers, and is it January?

Speaker 1 58:55

when we win our podcasting award.

Speaker 2 58:57

It is the 9th of January.

Gratitude for Podcast Fans

Speaker 1 58:59

What a start to the year Lauren, right though.

Speaker 2 59:02

I mean it is.

Speaker 1 59:03

Winning an Irish podcast award like honest to goodness. You are manifesting life we thought like 2024 was good, like what a start to 2025.

Speaker 2 59:16

I mean we've had some lovely engagement from some other Irish podcasters that are nominated too. So, if anything, we've had a great experience from that.

Speaker 1 59:26

Why are you talking like we're not going to win?

Speaker 2 59:28

No, I'm not, I'm just saying. I'm saying all the positives that have come from it.

Speaker 1 59:33

Well, from us to you, can we just thank you very much for listening to us waffle on again for another year. I know I think we'll come back in the new year. I think give it a go again, um, with more fun and exciting things hopefully in the pipeline yes, 100.

Speaker 2 59:53

Yeah, thank you for listening. Thank you for being there. Thank you for allowing us to do this podcast without um. You guys, there is no uh podcast, because we'd just be talking to ourselves.

Speaker 1 1:00:03

I mean there would be, but we might just be listened.

Speaker 2 1:00:07

We might just listen to ourselves I mean, if there was just one person listening. Do you think?

Speaker 1 1:00:13

remember at the beginning we thought that's what it would be. It would be like maybe 10 max. Our friends will listen like we'll do it for our friends I know, I know it's crazy. So much nicer though it's lovely, you've got fans all over the world yeah, well, thank you and have a wonderful christmas indeed, and we will be back in the new year ho, ho ho bye.