Time for some extremely funny news that feels fake but isn’t! In case you missed it:
Today on the almost-anniversary of the rebellion featured in Les Mis, the official Les Mis musical twitter account decided to celebrate by…….tweeting an enthusiastic endorsement of the Queen. This is despite the fact that the primary goal of the rebellion in Les Mis was to eliminate monarchy. Despite the fact that all the rebels in Les mis despise monarchy as an institution and consider it inherently evil/useless/tyrannical.
It feels like satire! The fact that they used an illustration of a poor starving child who in the novel symbolizes the Suffering of the French People under tyrants and tried to turn it into a piece of unironic pro-monarchy art is just? (???)
There’s something to say here about how everything political in Les Mis gets stripped away when it becomes a product for mass consumption, including the now relatively popular political belief that monarchy is a Bad form of government. Like the original novel DOES have issues with being overly middle-class/moderate at points— but there many aspects of the book that are radical and anti-authoritarian, and those aspects are always the first things to get sanded away. (See also: the way Les mis adaptations often portray police as Good Heroes fighting for Justice, which is the exact opposite of the ACAB point the book was going for )
But even putting aside all the political stuff—— the reason this fails is also because it’s Bad Branding? XD. If we’re gonna treat Les mis as a brand (ugh), then that brand is not about licking the monarchy’s boots. Les Mis’s brand is about the exact opposite of that. The kind of Jubilee joke I’d expect from a big corporate Les mis twitter account that understood its brand would be something like “Looks as if we haven’t got around to overthrowing that monarchy yet! But there’s still time!. ^_^ come see our next performance in {touring location}”. You know— a lighthearted toothless Revolution joke.
But we don’t even gET lighthearted toothless corporate Revolution jokes!
Instead we get this bafflingly sincere “I want to buy a queen plate with a picture of a starving child suffering under a tyrannical government on it.”
But YEAH my favorite thing about this tweet is the way everyone unanimously mocked it:
[Image ID: An ‘Alice by Heart poster. In the middle near the top is an illustrated gold pocket watch ‘Alice By Heart’ is is red text above it. Under the clock there is white text that reads “A New Musical. A white curtain behind it that splits the background into two sections.” Over the curtain is a grey top of a stone subway/ tube tunnel. Underneath the curtain is a collage of John Tenniel Illustrations over illegible text and an illustation of a rose garden. At bottom over the visuals is white text which reads: “Booth Theater/ 222 West 45th Street” with ‘www.alicebyheart.com’ under it in smaller text. On the curtain reads ‘Book by Steven Sater & Jessie Nelson. Lyrics by Steven Sater. Music by Duncan Sheik’. /End ID]
I just think it’s an interesting show even with its flaws. Also John Tenniel made some pretty good Illustrations for collageing: I did try to pick ones significant to the show though! (The blurred text is from the first chapter of Alice in Wonderland)
Note: I picked a random broadway theater on a list I found it has not run at the Booth Theater as of 2021.
We are ONE WEEK away from the pre-order date for IF I TOLD YOU!
Looking for a theatre book? How about some sapphic romance? A whole-ass brand new musical? Paige + Alex are the perfect escape.
Paige Parker danced before she could walk. After a lifetime of performing, her wildest dreams come true: she gets the chance to originate a lead in a Broadway show. Determined to make the most of her time in Chicago, where the musical is workshopping, she vows to find herself. No more crushes, no more dating, no more mistakes. But all of that changes when stand-up comedian Alexandra Tate walks into her life.
Sweet, sexy, and fun as hell, Alex sweeps Paige off her feet. Gone are Paige’s rules, as well as her insecurities about not being worthy of love. The magic of Chicago summer surrounds them, and even though they try their best to simply enjoy the time they have, they can’t help falling in love.
Autumn and life-long dreams pull them in different directions. What comes first – a love like neither’s ever known, or opportunities that they’ve yearned for their entire careers? If their ambitions don’t keep them apart, Alex and Paige could find a way to their own happily ever after.
I can’t wait for you to meet Paige + Alex and go through the process of mounting a brand new musical.
—
Paige Parker danced before she could walk. After a lifetime of performing, her wildest dreams come true: she gets the chance to originate a lead in a Broadway show. Determined to make the most of her time in Chicago, where the musical is workshopping, she vows to find herself. No more crushes, no more dating, no more mistakes. But all of that changes when stand-up comedian Alexandra Tate walks into her life.
Sweet, sexy, and fun as hell, Alex sweeps Paige off her feet. Gone are Paige’s rules, as well as her insecurities about not being worthy of love. The magic of Chicago summer surrounds them, and even though they try their best to simply enjoy the time they have, they can’t help falling in love.
Autumn and life-long dreams pull them in different directions. What comes first – a love like neither’s ever known, or opportunities that they’ve yearned for their entire careers? If their ambitions don’t keep them apart, Alex and Paige could find a way to their own happily ever after.
The If I Told You cover reveal is coming! I can’t wait for you to meet Paige and Alex, and see the brand new musical I’m mounting in the book. Follow me for updates!
Evie’s recovering from a tragic loss and the story picks up when she’s on the cusp of rejoining life; of doing fun things and allowing herself to find enjoyment in them. Of course, it helps to have a really good friend, and in her case, it’s Danny. I adore their relationship and what an important secondary character he turns out to be. There’s nothing I didn’t like about Danny. I wish I knew someone like him.
Ethan is a surprise. He’s presented as a rich, talented, good looking singer who seems to have the Midas Touch – he’s successful with anything he does. The author makes it clear that he works hard to get where he is, but he is also at a pivotal moment in his life. Fame has its downsides and what he needs is balance. But where can he find it, and what will it look like? The most endearing and cute thing about him is his puppy. The author shared just enough for me to get the impression that Ethan really adores his furry buddy.
Ms. Easton’s writing is able to capture the nuances of emotion and paints them with words so readers get the feeling they’re experiencing them too. The breathless anticipation, the yearning and the joys of discovering they are more than physically compatible – it’s off the charts fantastic. Yes, the bedroom door is open but it’s not described like a reader is standing over them, giving a narration of details. No, I found just enough to be happy they had such wonderful satisfying sparks between them. I was happy that they were happy.
The conflict is basic. Can she get beyond her loss and grab the promise of a future filled with love? Can Ethan trust that their budding relationship is strong enough to trust her with his secrets? That what he feels is real and could it survive long distances and separation? Do they each feel for each other what they think they feel for the other? Such basic, human questions that if answered correctly can lead to a happiness only found in movies.
I should give warning – there are tears. Not mine though. No. The characters experience a catharsis or two and with emotions that passionate and deep, tears are a release and part of the healing.
I didn’t get all the movie lines in the book but I totally got the Horatio Alger reference. It was quite clever of the author; being able to weave quotes throughout the dialogue as part of the dialogue. It was fun.
The story wraps up with not only an HEA for Evie but for Danny too. I am enchanted with how upbeat, positive, romantic and tender this novel is and heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for a well told, feel-good romance.
In my next book, I’m mounting a whole-ass new musical at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago. I can’t wait for you to get to know Paige when she gets the role of a lifetime.
I haven’t even sent it to my publisher yet, so I don’t know when it will be out, but keep an eye on my posts!
My current inspiration for the next book. I can’t wait for you to watch Paige shine. And if you’re missing theatre, check out my debut novel LOVE ME A LITTLE at the links in my bio!
