The "fame" section is actually a blend of two EVITA references. The opening arpeggio is a reference to "High Flying Adored" while the second section "You don't stay long but were oh so glad you came" is a reference to "Your queen is dead, Your king is through" from "Oh, what a Circus" as he stands behind a group of rioters with signs. Remembering that Che Guevera is a narrator type character.
I also noticed that, in the credits, the character names for all the hippies are just the actors' first names. The movie version of Godspell did the same thing.
Melissa's Cabaret number also has a few chord progressions and riffs from Funny Honey from Chicago. It's subtle but they throw it in there for a couple seconds. Someone else in the comments also pointed out Evita references. Tituss's role in the Fame song is the same as Che's role in The Money Kept Rolling In number from Evita.
as someone who isn't as hardcore a musicals fan but imprinted on jcs as a teenager, i think i really got what this season has been for all the die-hard theatre kids with all my leo-dicaprio-pointing-at-the-screen moments with all the jcs easter eggs this episode haha
9:41 if you isolate the rest of the vocals the Joanne character is singing the lines from Ladies Who Lunch “everybody dies” “who still wears a hat” “I’ll drink to that”
I can’t help thinking, that in the finale, Topher will sacrifice himself to save the others, thereby fulfilling his destiny as JC. Perhaps the “Doorway to Where” is heaven? Loving 🥰 this show, it brings me so much joy.
With you talking about Aaron Tveit's Topher character referencing the leads in JCS and Godspell (as well as Hair and Pippin), the penny finally dropped and I realized . . . CHRIST-opher.
The 'sour macaron' part made me spit my tea! I half expected them to launch into the whole 'get out, they're waitiiiiing, get OOOOOUT, they're WAITIIINGGGG..' routine😆
when josh asks mel to help bring kratt down i’m reminded of phantom like “i’m just asking you to lure this old creepy man somewhere so we can take him down and you should do it bcs he’s literally obsessed with you” idk if it’s just me though
In the confrontation with Josh and Tofa as Josh walks in the room there is a guitar riff played that is identical to the one in damned for all time (from Jesus Christ Superstar)! I think this might suggest that there may be some double crossing that happens between these two couples!
I also thought of Pajama Game lol even though I don't know the show at all. Another great episode - loved the JCS references especially the weird lyric! I was wondering what the last song was referencing but Burt Bacharach makes a lot of sense. Looking forward to the finale!
I have been so freaking ready for Tituss to get a Judas number ever since Josh met Topher. That was where my head was at, but im appreciating the Che overlap now too.
Pretty sure the paper Titus is reading is in reference to Gypsy when Baby June and the news boys are performing and they are holding papers and the paper boys sing "Extra, Extra, Hey, look at the headline Historical news Is being made Extra! Extra!..."
I think the 'fame' section sung by Titus Burgess (I'm not to sure on the spelling) is kind of remiss of Evita not Fame. Its more like Evita with songs like 'oh what a circus' and there is one other that I don't know what the actual name is, as that was my first thought upon hearing it.
Hatching a plan to use the main female character as bait to take down the "owner" of the theatre only to have him kidnap her as part of HIS evil plan. Sounds a lot like another long running show on both sides of the Atlantic (though not on Broadway anymore since last week)
I was curious about the name “Honey” on the orphan board. Like “Funny Honey” or something. I definitely heard some “Funny Honey” notes in Melissa’s solo but I agree it’s mainly “Maybe This Time” inspired. Also Barry Sonnenfeld (who was part of season 1) worked on Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix and those twins on the stage were part of Count Olaf’s theater troop. Could be a nod to his work on that show or even just a hat tip to the man himself. My theory is we will get a la cage aux folles moment from Sgt. Rivera (I thought this the moment he touch the feather boa in episode 2). Topher will be Kratt’s son again episode 2 Josh’s line in prison plus how much Topher hates Kratt. And yes his name must be Christopher. The “gang” (Jenny, Topher, the hippies, Codwell, Dooley, Madam Frau, and the orphans) will all help save Melissa and Josh (Like Annie).
Oh my god that's why the twins looked familiar! I assumed it was something musical theatre related buried in my mind, but ASOUE is where I recognise them from.
Great recap! I’m really curious how they’re going to wrap everything up in just one more ep! I noticed “Schwartz’s Happy Family Portraits” in the background this episode which made me laugh. The half horse man (while also being suspicious as you point out) kind of reminds me of the cow in Gypsy. But that might be too far of a stretch 😂
I havent watched enough musical theater to get a lot of the reference, buttt I’m glad now I know which song Sour Macaroon is referencing. My fave bit was the snaps Jenny did 😂
Mel's solo number on the swooshy silver wall looks like the IVY pictures Mel takes in episode 1. After they like it the wall starts pulsing red. The darkest part of the show is 'They've gone Kaput' where Jenny (Mel's womb) is singing about the previous IVF attempts that didn't take, ending with the latest death of Elsie. 'Joanne' is being kept drunk on a cocktail of IVF drugs but if Josh doesn't make friends with the rest of Mel's Otto-immune system then Topher and the rest of the tribe from his happiness bus are doomed.
Berger, not Claude. Claude is the guy who's about to join the army while Berger was the leader of the hippie tribe in Hair. Apart from that, great video as always
I’m disappointed that there’s been a lot from Promises Promises which is not the most memorable of musicals when compared with the nowhere to be seen nods to iconic shows Camelot, My Fair Lady, Fiddler or even How to Succeed. Maybe they were too tricky to shoehorn into the plot which is understandably quite complex.
A lot of the shows you mentioned are still in that "Golden Age"/traditional musical feel. Cinco Paul obviously wanted to move forward in time and feeling. When you pull up a list of Broadway musicals from the 60's and 70's, the great choices are endless. Bachrach's Promises is also supported by Marvin Hamlisch's Thier Playing Our Song and A Chorus Line all with "of the moment" music and not throwbacks. Yes Chicago and Cabaret are throwbacks but their mood and style is definitely new and modern and dark and sexy which hadn't been seen on the Broadway stage before.
In an interview Cinco Paul stated he restricted himself to 1965-1979 (apart from a few one- off references) and I don't think Camelot, MFL etc fall within this era. I also think he wanted to set a vastly different tone from the previous season, and these shows fall between the darker and/or subversive tone of the other 60s/70s musicals and the relatively 'light- hearted'* tone of the ones in the previous season. It would be harder to fit them into the current aesthetic and keep the show cohesive. *i say light hearted, but i don't personally believe many older shows are as cheesy as they're made out to be. imo season 1 misrepresented them a fair bit. hence the quotation marks.
Since Pajama Game is a golden age musical, I wonder if their pijamas were part of their intended Schmigadoon-visiting wardrobe?
I love this idea!
4:55 apparently Keenan and Cinco were moved to tears because of how proud they were when Cicely sang and you can see it on Keenan’s face
The "fame" section is actually a blend of two EVITA references. The opening arpeggio is a reference to "High Flying Adored" while the second section "You don't stay long but were oh so glad you came" is a reference to "Your queen is dead, Your king is through" from "Oh, what a Circus" as he stands behind a group of rioters with signs. Remembering that Che Guevera is a narrator type character.
I definitely got the Evita vibes in that number!
It is actually “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Evita” was from the 80s.
Evita opened 1978 on West End and 1979 on Broadway. Since both ALW… I still hear Evita as I'm not as familiar with JCS.
Good catch! Now that you mention it the whole number is also a nod to The Money Kept Rolling In
@@ChienaAvtzon 👎👎 Evita premiered in the 70s and there are several Evita references such as Rivera's costume, which is a nod to Juan Peron
I also noticed that, in the credits, the character names for all the hippies are just the actors' first names. The movie version of Godspell did the same thing.
All productions of Godspell do that too
also the original production of Hair did that before the book was frozen.
I was so proud of Cecily with her performance. She sounded sooooo good!
Melissa's Cabaret number also has a few chord progressions and riffs from Funny Honey from Chicago. It's subtle but they throw it in there for a couple seconds. Someone else in the comments also pointed out Evita references. Tituss's role in the Fame song is the same as Che's role in The Money Kept Rolling In number from Evita.
The sour macaroon reference can also be a reference to season 1
Cuz they say “sweet as a macaroon” in the first song
as someone who isn't as hardcore a musicals fan but imprinted on jcs as a teenager, i think i really got what this season has been for all the die-hard theatre kids with all my leo-dicaprio-pointing-at-the-screen moments with all the jcs easter eggs this episode haha
9:41 if you isolate the rest of the vocals the Joanne character is singing the lines from Ladies Who Lunch “everybody dies” “who still wears a hat” “I’ll drink to that”
I can’t help thinking, that in the finale, Topher will sacrifice himself to save the others, thereby fulfilling his destiny as JC. Perhaps the “Doorway to Where” is heaven? Loving 🥰 this show, it brings me so much joy.
Loving these break - downs & constantly amazed at your depth of Musical Theatre Knowledge.
How about "Les Schmiserables" for Season 3 ?
With you talking about Aaron Tveit's Topher character referencing the leads in JCS and Godspell (as well as Hair and Pippin), the penny finally dropped and I realized . . . CHRIST-opher.
It would have been great if MickeyJo was doing TV show recaps when Glee was on TV.
The 'sour macaron' part made me spit my tea! I half expected them to launch into the whole 'get out, they're waitiiiiing, get OOOOOUT, they're WAITIIINGGGG..' routine😆
when josh asks mel to help bring kratt down i’m reminded of phantom like “i’m just asking you to lure this old creepy man somewhere so we can take him down and you should do it bcs he’s literally obsessed with you” idk if it’s just me though
In the confrontation with Josh and Tofa as Josh walks in the room there is a guitar riff played that is identical to the one in damned for all time (from Jesus Christ Superstar)! I think this might suggest that there may be some double crossing that happens between these two couples!
I'm usually awful at pulling out references but i picked out the Maybe This Time reference in the first song. I was proud of myself.
I also thought of Pajama Game lol even though I don't know the show at all. Another great episode - loved the JCS references especially the weird lyric! I was wondering what the last song was referencing but Burt Bacharach makes a lot of sense. Looking forward to the finale!
Jesus does a big high "Get out! They're waiting. Get ooooooouuutt!" to Judas in the Last Supper sequence.
Season 3: SCHMANETEVKA!
I’m loving watching these with my fiancée and can’t wait for your Season 2 episode 6 one. :)
The confrontation with Jenny and Topher reminded me of its all over from Dreamgirls as well
Obsessed with that 2nd song... keep randomly singing, "Hey hey Josh, oh my gosh".
I have been so freaking ready for Tituss to get a Judas number ever since Josh met Topher. That was where my head was at, but im appreciating the Che overlap now too.
Pretty sure the paper Titus is reading is in reference to Gypsy when Baby June and the news boys are performing and they are holding papers and the paper boys sing "Extra, Extra, Hey, look at the headline Historical news Is being made
Extra! Extra!..."
Was thinking the same thing!
I think the 'fame' section sung by Titus Burgess (I'm not to sure on the spelling) is kind of remiss of Evita not Fame. Its more like Evita with songs like 'oh what a circus' and there is one other that I don't know what the actual name is, as that was my first thought upon hearing it.
It is actually based off “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
‘I’ll drink to that’ lady is basically the Pete of this season. Gets repetitive thing that they do every episode.
Hatching a plan to use the main female character as bait to take down the "owner" of the theatre only to have him kidnap her as part of HIS evil plan.
Sounds a lot like another long running show on both sides of the Atlantic (though not on Broadway anymore since last week)
and also not in the correct time period...
In melissas song i also heard underscores of “funny honney”! Great episode
I thought that Kratt’s “marry me or your guy dies” was a reference to Phantom maybe? Idk lol
In Famous as hell when they all sing at the same time, if you listen closely to Aaron's part it's giving a Gethsemane vibe from JC superstar!
I was curious about the name “Honey” on the orphan board. Like “Funny Honey” or something.
I definitely heard some “Funny Honey” notes in Melissa’s solo but I agree it’s mainly “Maybe This Time” inspired.
Also Barry Sonnenfeld (who was part of season 1) worked on Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix and those twins on the stage were part of Count Olaf’s theater troop. Could be a nod to his work on that show or even just a hat tip to the man himself.
My theory is we will get a la cage aux folles moment from Sgt. Rivera (I thought this the moment he touch the feather boa in episode 2).
Topher will be Kratt’s son again episode 2 Josh’s line in prison plus how much Topher hates Kratt. And yes his name must be Christopher.
The “gang” (Jenny, Topher, the hippies, Codwell, Dooley, Madam Frau, and the orphans) will all help save Melissa and Josh (Like Annie).
Oh my god that's why the twins looked familiar! I assumed it was something musical theatre related buried in my mind, but ASOUE is where I recognise them from.
Great recap! I’m really curious how they’re going to wrap everything up in just one more ep! I noticed “Schwartz’s Happy Family Portraits” in the background this episode which made me laugh. The half horse man (while also being suspicious as you point out) kind of reminds me of the cow in Gypsy. But that might be too far of a stretch 😂
FAME was a film first in 1980…. Not musical theatre until later that decade. I agree with others here that it sounds more EVITA.
I havent watched enough musical theater to get a lot of the reference, buttt I’m glad now I know which song Sour Macaroon is referencing.
My fave bit was the snaps Jenny did 😂
The Fame section sounded a lot like Evita's Che, maybe High flying adored
Agreed!
A lot of ALW! I got very excited when I saw the prominent Lloyd St sign at the beginning of the episode.
The three backup singers are definitely also a visual reference to the trio of secretaries in Turkey Lurkey Time.
Mel's solo number on the swooshy silver wall looks like the IVY pictures Mel takes in episode 1. After they like it the wall starts pulsing red.
The darkest part of the show is 'They've gone Kaput' where Jenny (Mel's womb) is singing about the previous IVF attempts that didn't take, ending with the latest death of Elsie.
'Joanne' is being kept drunk on a cocktail of IVF drugs but if Josh doesn't make friends with the rest of Mel's Otto-immune system then Topher and the rest of the tribe from his happiness bus are doomed.
Berger, not Claude.
Claude is the guy who's about to join the army while Berger was the leader of the hippie tribe in Hair.
Apart from that, great video as always
in the movie, Claude is an outsider, but in the play Claude is the leader of the tribe with Berger being his right hand man.
So... Tituss is both the Pippin Narrator and Judas from JCS? Just like Ben Vereen was?
i thought that sounded like a dionne warwick sung/bacharach written song & thought i had to be wrong; didn't realize he'd written a musical!
What do y'all think are Sgt Riviera and Madam Frau's backstories? They clearly go way back.
Did anyone else hear shades of "Nowadays" in "It's My Turn Now"?
Or "Company" in "Theres Always A Twist"?
“This is not recreational homosexuality,” would be great on T-shirt if you’re selling merch!
Wish we got more eps or longer eps can't believe we only have 1 ep left
I think kratt is going to be revealed as tophers dad
Why do I want Mickey Joe to be my best friend?
Me too
Could the twins be a reference to Side Show?
If your not subscribed to this channel your a sour macaron
A sour dour almond flour sour Macaroon! 🤣
I don’t think i identified a single specific reference from this episode, usually I get at least a couple, not good from me
Where's Aeron?
I’m disappointed that there’s been a lot from Promises Promises which is not the most memorable of musicals when compared with the nowhere to be seen nods to iconic shows Camelot, My Fair Lady, Fiddler or even How to Succeed. Maybe they were too tricky to shoehorn into the plot which is understandably quite complex.
A lot of the shows you mentioned are still in that "Golden Age"/traditional musical feel. Cinco Paul obviously wanted to move forward in time and feeling. When you pull up a list of Broadway musicals from the 60's and 70's, the great choices are endless. Bachrach's Promises is also supported by Marvin Hamlisch's Thier Playing Our Song and A Chorus Line all with "of the moment" music and not throwbacks. Yes Chicago and Cabaret are throwbacks but their mood and style is definitely new and modern and dark and sexy which hadn't been seen on the Broadway stage before.
@@terryhastings2465 excellent response
In an interview Cinco Paul stated he restricted himself to 1965-1979 (apart from a few one- off references) and I don't think Camelot, MFL etc fall within this era. I also think he wanted to set a vastly different tone from the previous season, and these shows fall between the darker and/or subversive tone of the other 60s/70s musicals and the relatively 'light- hearted'* tone of the ones in the previous season. It would be harder to fit them into the current aesthetic and keep the show cohesive.
*i say light hearted, but i don't personally believe many older shows are as cheesy as they're made out to be. imo season 1 misrepresented them a fair bit. hence the quotation marks.