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[0:00] Tori Bullard: You're listening to Stage Door Podcast, the podcast celebrating theatre and creativity from on-stage mishaps to career-defining moments. Hosted by Thespians, myself, Tori, and co-host Eliza. Fortnightly, we will bring you industry professional guests, deep dives, and more.

[0:21] Tori Bullard: Hello and welcome back to Stage Door Podcast. Today is a very special day as this is our first deep dive episode of the new season, which of course means we are joined by our deep dive correspondent, Gareth Isaac. But before we get started, we would like to acknowledge the Thurawal people of the Eora Nation.

[0:40] Tori Bullard: And the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of this land on which we work, live, and record, and recognise a continuing connection to land, water, and community. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

[0:54] Gareth Isaac: Hello, friends. I'm back.

[0:56] Tori Bullard: Hello, Gareth. Welcome back to the podcast. This is our first episode with you for the season, so that's pretty exciting.

[1:02] Gareth Isaac: I know, isn't it wonderful? It's so lovely to be back and talking musical theatre notary. But I guess before we get started, though, how is everyone? What's everyone been up to?

[1:11] Tori Bullard: Well, I mean, I'll kick off, I guess. I'm doing Grease. I'm going to date the episode. We're in our last three weeks here in Melbourne before I get a nice relaxing week off. I don't have to hand jive for seven days. And then we kick off at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.

[1:26] Tori Bullard: So by the time that you hear this episode, you will have kicked off at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, and you'll be back. You'll be back with me.

[1:33] Gareth Isaac: Hell yeah, baby. Back to Sydney.

[1:35] Tori Bullard: It's so awesome. I mean, we got to see you at the opening in Melbourne, which was so fun.

[1:41] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, it was wonderful. It was so nice to have you both there.

[1:43] Tori Bullard: Oh, it was awesome. It was so good to see you on the stage. And like, gosh, Grease was so good.

[1:48] Gareth Isaac: It was a lot of fun. I think audiences in Sydney are going to have the time of their G-dang lives.

[1:53] Tori Bullard: Yeah.

[1:54] Gareth Isaac: It seriously is so good. And like, it's, I don't know how to say it's like a reimagining, but it kind of is. It feels really, it feels like they've like, created, I was saying this to Annalise, I feel like it's a whole new musical.

[2:07] Gareth Isaac: It's a refreshing take on an old classic. It's like, this is going to be the dumbest simile on earth. It's like Vanilla Coke. We are the Vanilla Coke of musicals, and I'm okay with that. We're still the taste you love, but with a nice little twist. And that twist is Annalise Hall, Joe Spanti, Keanu Gonzalez, and Mackenzie Dunn.

[2:23] Tori Bullard: Oh, aren't they fabulous? And you.

[2:25] Gareth Isaac: They're our four leads. Oh, yes, I'm also involved. I'm also involved. Eliza, I believe you've had a significant life update as well.

[2:34] Eliza Gunther: I did.

[2:35] Tori Bullard: What's that little piece of jewellery I see on your left hand?

[2:39] Eliza Gunther: I got engaged, so that was pretty fun.

[2:43] Tori Bullard: I screamed.

[2:44] Eliza Gunther: Literally last week, I got engaged, which was just crazy. Oh my goodness. My whole family surprised me. I got surprised by the whole thing. It was at the Botanical Gardens. Of course I said yes, so that's exciting.

[2:59] Tori Bullard: It'd be so awkward. You're like, I said, I said no, but I got to keep the ring.

[3:03] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, if you were, if you were this cheerful about turning down the proposal, I'd be a little concerned.

[3:08] Eliza Gunther: Exactly. But you know what was so funny, though, when we were doing the proposal, so he didn't really like say all of his speech because he got too nervous when we first said it.

[3:19] Tori Bullard: I know, Tori is already laughing because Tori knows where this is going, but he was too nervous to say his speech when he was proposing. So I was after we'd said hello to my family, I'd said yes. While we were still there, he says, Tori and Taylor, no, and Ashley or your friends, how about we call Tori? And then Tori didn't answer.

[3:40] Tori Bullard: I was at work. I would like to preface this, I was at, I specifically, okay, hang on, wait, wait, wait. You were two hours late.

[3:46] Eliza Gunther: I was two hours late.

[3:47] Tori Bullard: For an engagement.

[3:48] Eliza Gunther: I was.

[3:49] Tori Bullard: At, I planned my lunch break. Like, Rodney and I had it planned. I was like, okay, I'm going to lunch at one. That gives me half an hour for like, you know, like, even if it's like the last like two minutes of my break. But I got a text from Rodney saying so she's late, right as my break was about to end. And I was like, I was like, I can't have my phone on me while I'm at work. So I was like, I was like, what do I do? So I would kind of was just like, desperately checking my phone waiting and nothing happened. Of course, I walked away for like two seconds to help a customer. And that's when the phone call came through.

[4:22] Eliza Gunther: This actually tracks.

[4:24] Eliza Gunther: It really does. And so I called Tori. And then I was like, oh, well, Tori hasn't answered. Oh, can you tell me your lovely speech while we're standing here? So the camera's rolling, right? They've got it. He's got someone, one of his family members filming, and he's selling his speech that he didn't get a chance to speak. And then Tori calls three times during the speech. And he has his Apple watch on. And so it goes off every time. And every five seconds, we'd be like, sorry, Tori, back to the speech back to lovely speech. Oh, sorry, Tori, back to the lovely speech. And there's a video of it. And it's so funny.

[4:58] Tori Bullard: Fuck me running. Are you kidding me?

[5:02] Eliza Gunther: I was just like, I was like, no, I've missed it. I've missed the call. So I was like, I was like, it was like, maybe two minutes later. I was like, if I call back.

[5:08] Tori Bullard: I'm like, oh my god. Oh my god.

[5:10] Eliza Gunther: Go through. I know.

[5:11] Tori Bullard: I know. Anyway, so I was just like, I was like-

[5:12] Eliza Gunther: You can't keep doing this. I'm going to cringe myself into a black hole.

[5:15] Eliza Gunther: We got there eventually.

[5:16] Eliza Gunther: So anyway, I really appreciated the love. And I got to, I did get to talk to Tori eventually after that. But it was a beautiful weekend. And yeah, so I got engaged. That was kind of crazy. That's-

[5:25] Tori Bullard: Congratulations.

[5:27] Tori Bullard: That's my big news. Yeah.

[5:28] Gareth Isaac: We did it. We did it.

[5:30] Tori Bullard: We did. How have you been, Tori? What's new with you?

[5:33] Tori Bullard: I've been good. I've been very busy. I guess my biggest update is I left my full-time job as a bookseller. I still work there one day a week at Harry Hartog because I love it there so much. It's such a beautiful place to work. But I decided that this year, the Year of Our Lord and Saviour 2024, that I wanted to pursue performing full-time. So I have stopped working full-time in retail, which is like such a win. I now, crazily enough, work from home part-time as a podcast producer for another podcast.

[6:08] Gareth Isaac: Hell yeah.

[6:09] Tori Bullard: So I guess when, even, not if, when that becomes a thing, I'll let you guys know. Don't think it will be something that anyone here will really particularly be interested in. I'll be honest. It is fitness related.

[6:20] Eliza Gunther: Are you implying that I am unfit?

[6:22] Tori Bullard: I'm not replying that you're unfit. I'm implying that you might not want to do an obstacle course race.

[6:27] Gareth Isaac: Never doubt Gareth and I. We will always support.

[6:29] Tori Bullard: Everyone saw Gareth's reaction.

[6:31] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, look, I've been doing the hand jive eight times a week. I've been running up and down those bleachers at Rydale High. My legs are so strong.

[6:38] Eliza Gunther: All right, well, picked in Spartan races in April. 5Ks, 20 obstacles. Want to come along and do it with me?

[6:45] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, great. Let's go. As long as the obstacles are like, not much higher than my knees, I should be fine.

[6:51] Eliza Gunther: That shouldn't be a problem.

[6:52] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, no, they're definitely, they're definitely not. They're definitely is like, you got to pull yourself up a rope and you got to climb over the shit and...

[6:58] Eliza Gunther: Okay, I'll sit and watch you both. I'll be this.

[7:02] Gareth Isaac: If you want to go, you go.

[7:05] Eliza Gunther: I think you, I think you messed up a little bit in saying that because now, like, I've got an expectation.

[7:09] Gareth Isaac: As long as we keep someone on the side with, like, water and Ventolin, I'm going to be fine.

[7:14] Eliza Gunther: Look, I plan to die during the race.

[7:17] Gareth Isaac: Respectfully pass away, yes.

[7:19] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, you have to attempt every obstacle. However, you do not have to, like, if you try and pull yourself up the rope and you're like, I cannot physically do that, you don't have to do the obstacle, but you have to do something else. You have to, like, do burpees or squats or something.

[7:32] Gareth Isaac: Okay, great. So it's like every musical theatre dance class I ever did. Wonderful.

[7:36] Eliza Gunther: Can I also just say, Tori and I both had six auditions this past week, which, A, massive clap on the back for us for getting into the room for that, because that was not easy.

[7:48] Tori Bullard: I don't know about you, Eliza, I couldn't walk for a solid day after that audition.

[7:54] Eliza Gunther: I'm not kidding. Stacia and I went to the ballet on Tuesday night. We were up in the back, in the top level of the Capitol. I felt like I could not walk up and down the stairs.

[8:07] Tori Bullard: Eliza's going to be like, I was fine.

[8:08] Eliza Gunther: Oh, yeah, but the stairs at the Cap are unforgiving at the best of times, as a former chock-top salesman. Like, I can't imagine after a dance audition.

[8:17] Tori Bullard: Well, and there was so much squatting involved with that dance audition that I was not expecting. Everything else was fine.

[8:22] Eliza Gunther: One of the songs is literally called Get Down. What are you expecting?

[8:25] Tori Bullard: And it wasn't even Get Down that you had to get down. Can I just say?

[8:29] Eliza Gunther: No, it wasn't even in Get Down. It was in All You Wanna Do.

[8:32] Tori Bullard: Oh, no.

[8:33] Eliza Gunther: And I was like, wow, all right, here we go. Here's the squatting.

[8:36] Tori Bullard: Anyway, that is a little bit of a life update from all of us. We're all doing well. We're all thriving. It's 2024. Eliza, do you want to kick it off?

[8:47] Eliza Gunther: Yes. So today we'll be talking about possibly the most accessible form of musical theatre, the movie musical. From adaptations to original pieces, the movie musical has served as a gateway to our most beloved art form for nearly a century, dating all the way back to the late 1920s, when sound recording was being incorporated into films. In 1927, the first movie musical, Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer, premiered and was an immediate smash hit and paved the way for at least 74 musical films to be released over the next two years, 72 of which were released in 1929.

[9:35] Eliza Gunther: The trend towards including music in films allowed popular composers and performers of the day another avenue to share their work outside of Broadway. Composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, stage stars such as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, and choreographers and directors like Busby Berkeley all leapt at the chance to experiment with the new medium. This also allowed animators like Walt Disney to expand their horizons with the first American-made feature-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves premiering to critical acclaim in 1937.

[10:01] Eliza Gunther: With the advent of the book musical on Broadway in 1943 with Oklahoma, many movie musicals began emulating the shifting sensibilities and became less vehicles for popular songs and more dedicated to telling a story through song, or at the very least adapting stage musicals that would follow the trend Oklahoma began.

[10:17] Eliza Gunther: If we were to name every single movie musical we'd absolutely be here all day and we're all very busy people, but the medium has brought to life some incredibly notable examples such as Rent, Moulin Rouge, Singing in the Rain, Funny Girl, and every single Disney animated feature since the 1930s. Modern movie musicals are still being produced with both Mean Girls and Wicked receiving musical film adaptations in 2024.

[10:39] Eliza Gunther: Can I just say I didn't realize that Wicked was going to be in two parts.

[10:44] Gareth Isaac: Oh really? You didn't see that?

[10:45] Eliza Gunther: No, I was unaware of it until I watched Catherine Steele do a reaction to the trailer and she was like oh and that's I assume where like part one will end and then part two will pick up and I was like excuse me?

[10:59] Gareth Isaac: Yeah I think the general assumption is that they're going to be creating new material because Stephen Schwartz is directly involved. Number one it's a pet peeve of mine I'll come back to later, movie musicals creating new songs for reasons.

[11:15] Eliza Gunther: But, uh, there's a lot of scuttlebutt going around that they might be expanding the story and pulling more from the OG novel of Wicked to allow for further, like, uh, expansion of the world. Which I think is really cool, because there's a lot of bits in that novel that never get touched on. Like the fact that Dr. Dillamond gets shot in the head.

[11:37] Gareth Isaac: Wait, what?

[11:39] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, you guys should read Wicked. It's wild.

[11:41] Tori Bullard: Oh my god.

[11:42] Eliza Gunther: I have read Wicked a very long time ago. I feel like when I first saw Wicked for the first time, which was many moons ago. But I feel like also a point of contention with this, with Wicked the movie musical, that I'm so incredibly scared for. And I feel like every theatre person across the world is scared for is the fact that we don't know who is playing Dr. Dillamond. He's not seen in the trailer. It has not been mentioned. We're so scared that it's going to be a revival of Cats and James Corden.

[12:09] Gareth Isaac: Keep James Corden away from it, please.

[12:12] Eliza Gunther: Is that what people are scared of?

[12:14] Gareth Isaac: Yes.

[12:15] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, people are so scared that it's going to be James Corden or it's going to be, like, something ridiculous.

[12:20] Tori Bullard: He was already rotten in Into the Woods. He was already rotten in Cats. Every movie musical the man touches turns to garbage. Leave it alone.

[12:29] Gareth Isaac: I didn't notice that. I feel like I did. I did notice. I mean, one thing that we were going to talk about today, which is kind of a good segue to, is the whole Mean Girls, Wonka, a lot of these new musicals that aren't actually showing that they're musicals in the trailer. Because Wicked kind of did, like, you get the riff at the end, but you don't really get anything throughout. You can see that there's obviously dancing and things. But I don't know, to maybe the average viewer, they wouldn't know that it's like fully a full blown musical.

[13:02] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, I completely agree. You got the most notable riff of notable riffs at the end of the trailer and the occasional, like, whispered echoey lyric of Defying Gravity through the trailer. That's not enough to clue into the hoi polloi that this is a Broadway show being given a filmic life. And internet comments, garbage fire though they are, are reflecting that. They're saying, wait, what's that song playing in the background? Why is she screaming at the end of the trailer? I don't get it. It's, it's a little funny. And then there's people trying to explain it in the comments. And it's just like, this musical's been around for 20 years, man. I don't know what to tell you.

[13:43] Tori Bullard: Well, that's exactly, you know what, I went and saw Mean Girls the musical at the cinema. And the chick selling me the ticket literally said, I just want you to be made aware that this is a musical. So apparently, and then we had this full blown conversation that apparently all these people have been really angrily leaving the theater or asking for refunds because they had no clue that they were in for a musical. So now they have to actually tell people before they see a musical movie that it is a musical and not just the movie Mean Girls or the movie Wicked or the movie Wonka, which I think is so funny.

[14:18] Eliza Gunther: I get that they should be advertising much more in trailers. I think especially that they are musicals and we should also be able to get a taste of what to expect. But A, people should not be angry that it's a musical. Like, it's camp as fuck. Just like, get over it. Unless you're, like, what's your problem? Are you, are you scared of having a little bit of fun of having a little sing song? But also people can like, look up what the movie is based on as well. Like, I'm like, if you looked up Mean Girls and like looked at I'm sure there's a little synopsis that's like based on the Broadway musical, which is based off of the movie. Like you could get a little bit of an idea, but like, don't be a little bitch about it. Like, just enjoy it.

[14:57] Gareth Isaac: It's a shockingly sad turn of events that most moviegoers nowadays do not have media literacy and the internet has somehow made it worse. I, I do want to point out, I haven't seen all of Wonka yet. I've seen snippets of the movie itself because I've been busy. I don't have time to go to the movies at the moment. The music in it is really good. There's some pretty catchy shit in there. Okay, come on now. I want to see Timothee Chalamet singing. Like I'm kind of here for it. He's actually quite on pitch and is able to tell a story and be expressive through music. It's very cool. And I wish they had shown some of that in the trailers because then I'd be far more inclined to make time to go see it. Otherwise it's just like, cool. It's, it's a, it's a Wonka prequel from the Paddington guy.

[15:39] Tori Bullard: See, the reason that I haven't watched Wonka is because of Timothee because I don't, I feel a bit uncomfortable. Honestly, I feel a little bit uncomfortable. The trailers that I've seen and the little clips that I've seen, he makes me feel a little uncomfortable in that role. Like I will watch it eventually, but I was like, I'm not going to go out of my way to the cinemas to watch it because I've enjoyed seeing him in what I have seen him, especially things like Dune. I loved him in, um, but I don't know why seeing Timothee sing, I was like...

[16:16] Gareth Isaac: How many more ways can you mutilate that man's name?

[16:20] Tori Bullard: I've done it the same way both times and it's how Florence Pugh says it, so...

[16:24] Eliza Gunther: I would ask then, Tori, would you be more inclined to see it and possibly more comfortable with it if you had seen it was a musical in the trailers?

[16:31] Tori Bullard: Honestly, it actually might've put me off more.

[16:34] Eliza Gunther: Okay. Only because...

[16:34] Tori Bullard: Alright, we've stumbled onto something here. I've seen one clip or like one or two clips of him singing and like, not that he sound doesn't sound good. I think he sounds actually surprisingly quite nice, um, and quite smooth as well, which I wasn't expecting. It's just him singing for me. I think I've seen him in so many like more serious roles that seeing him sing, it kind of feels like a parody.

[17:03] Gareth Isaac: If we're on the topic of people in movie musicals who probably you wouldn't expect to see in movie musicals, let's talk about the OG of this one. Let's talk about the big dog, the top cat. Let's talk Les Mis.

[17:08] Eliza Gunther: Oh! That wasn't even on my radar for this. You'll remember Russell Crowe, you'll remember bloody old mate Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, like all of these actors who you wouldn't expect to see in a movie musical suddenly rocking up and taking the keys down.

[17:26] Gareth Isaac: This is Devil's Advocate. Les Mis is actually one of my favourite movie musicals and I know, I know it's but that's actually the first time I saw Les Mis was actually as a movie musical when I was young. I didn't see the musical before that and I don't actually think Russell Crowe is that bad in this. I don't think any of them are. I feel like they're more acting towards the characters and yes, it's not vocally perfect. It's not what you want to hear vocally but at the end of the day, I'm still like, I don't know. I don't think it was that bad. I think his acting was pretty good in it but necessarily, maybe the singing didn't give you everything you had to hope for.

[18:02] Eliza Gunther: I'll say that point.

[18:03] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, no, I agree. I think that they're all really phenomenal actors and that is what made such a big, I think, impact in it and also with them being film, like it's that hard thing. Film versus theatre, the acting styles are, you might not realise it from an outside point of view but they're entirely different and I think it takes a lot of nuance to be able to convert a stage show into a movie musical well and I think that all of those actors did it with such genuine emotion, with such nuance and yeah, I agree. The vocals could be, absolutely could be stronger but I think with what they did, they did really well. The only gripe I ever have with Les Mis is the length of it but obviously, it's hard because you don't necessarily, it's like picking what would you cut if you were to cut anything from a musical.

[19:02] Tori Bullard: I mean, I personally know what I would cut which brings forth another point. You'll remember how Valjean, for some reason, is singing a song to Baby Cossette while they're in a carriage and travelling that never shows up in the original stage production.

[19:16] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, this is a point that movie musicals, specifically adaptations of Broadway shows, will frequently have in them. The songwriters of the source material will always write a new song for an adaptation of a Broadway show so they can be in contention for the best Oscar, best songwriting Oscar.

[19:31] Gareth Isaac: Oh, I didn't even think about that. Interesting. I didn't think it was for that reason at all. When was the last time you saw an adaptation of a Broadway show and they just had a random new song in there?

[19:43] Tori Bullard: I'll talk on it but Dear Evan Hansen.

[19:48] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, there you go. My biggest gripe is the live-action Beauty and the Beast.

[19:53] Eliza Gunther: Which one was the new one in that one?

[19:59] Tori Bullard: The Beast's song which replaced If I Can't Love Her which is Alan Menken's greatest song.

[20:05] Gareth Isaac: No, no, no, that was sad. That was sad.

[20:09] Eliza Gunther: I've never seen the live-action Beauty and the Beast.

[20:11] Tori Bullard: Yeah, you're not missing much and that's me as an Emma Watson stan. I didn't mind it. It wasn't the best. I love Beauty and the Beast but I just can't necessarily, like, if I'm going to go watch Beauty and the Beast, I'm going to go watch the animation versus the live-action.

[20:21] Eliza Gunther: I agree. I don't care how many celebrities you turn into furniture. I don't care that Ewan McGregor's a candlestick. I don't care that Ian McKellen's a clock. Give me cartoons and give me back If I Can't Love Her.

[20:30] Tori Bullard: The only way I'm able to watch them is if I look at them as a completely different product. Like, something that's entirely different. That's what I did with Mulan because I love the animated Mulan and I, when they did the live-action, I was just like it's its own, it's its own thing entirely. And to be fair, it kind of was created that way. It was created in a different, totally different way. Much more based around the original mythology but that's not necessarily the point.

[21:00] Eliza Gunther: On the point, though, of adding new songs, I agree that sometimes you're like, for what? However, I did watch Dear Evan Hansen and I know nobody else here has watched Dear Evan Hansen. As in, when I say nobody else, I mean the three of us here.

[21:13] Tori Bullard: When you say you watched Dear Evan Hansen, you have torn this movie apart. I'm looking at the notes here. It is...

[21:18] Gareth Isaac: Okay, I don't think I tore it apart. It's incredible.

[21:25] Tori Bullard: Tori has pulled thread after thread after thread and commented on every facet of this film. It is stunning work. So, okay, a few things that I think are important to note. I'll talk about one of the big things in a second but in terms of song, Alana gets her own song in the movie musical adaptation and I fucking loved it. I feel like Alana got to actually have a character in the movie that wasn't... She had so much more depth. I feel like in the musical, I honestly barely remember her other than I feel like she used what happened as, you know, you kind of realize everybody is using what happened to Connor kind of a little bit for their own benefit. Some more than others. But in the musical, it feels like Alana just uses it to start another club and then when it goes to shit, she blames Evan. Whereas in this, it's because she's dealing with her own mental health issues. It's called The Anonymous Ones and it is so beautiful and especially when you see it in the movie.

[22:32] Eliza Gunther: So much about- like I actually cared about this character. And when shit started to hit the fan, the person who I felt worse for was her, because she goes to Evan and is like- spoiler alert if you haven't seen it, if you plan on watching it- but she's like, what are you on? And he's like, what the fuck? And she's like, well I'm on Lexapro, because all you see is this very put together person who is the president of all these clubs. And then she's like, well I'm on Lexapro, this is what I'm dealing with. And she sings "Anonymous Ones," which is all about hiding these issues that you have, because it's not who you're like, meant to be. At least that's how I took it, like it's not who you're portrayed to be.

I loved it. And when everything goes down, it hurts so much more for Alana. That being said, they did cut "Anybody Have a Map" and "Good for You," which broke my heart. Yeah, "Anybody Have a Map" actually makes them other characters' characters. Yes! They absolutely in no way shape or form should have cast Ben Platt. He is a 30-year-old person, around 16-year-olds, well people literally look 16. At moments, I won't lie, there are a couple of shots where he looks very small and meek, and you could get away with it. 95% of the time, if you focus on that person's face for too long, it's game over and someone please throw that god awful wig in a blender. It is horrendous. Yeah, I will say I've never been the biggest fan of Ben Platt's acting on stage or off stage, but speaking as a currently 32-year-old playing a 17-year-old, I will speak in his defense on that.

If you can pull it off, and if you do look the part, by all means go for it. You don't look the part, Benji. Go home. I think it's also different with movies versus stage. On stage, we all get away with a lot. Apparently the camera adds 10 years. Honestly, sometimes I go, wow, I can play the mom now, you know? I'm 25, but maybe I am 35, who knows? But on stage, you go from playing a 17-year-old to someone who's older, whereas in a movie sense, you can't really get away with that, and that's one of the... and also when you're that famous. I think the thing is, I will say I am a Ben Platt stan. I do love Ben Platt. I know Gareth might disagree, and that's fine, but I do think because he's so in the public's eye, people couldn't really get past it.

It's not like he's a new face and no one knew who he was, and so they weren't going, how old is he? People know that he's played that role a long time ago, and he's now a very different age, and he got away with it because it's a musical. You're a far distance away, there's heights involved, there's really strategic casting involved. So yeah, it is unfortunate that the movie musical didn't do as well because for a lot of people who can't afford to go and see Dear Evan Hansen on the stage, that's a really amazing opportunity to go and watch the movie. In my opinion, I would recommend watching it because I think that it is shot beautifully. I feel like all of the other character choices outside of Evan are done so, so well.

The, you know, there's some little like orchestration fun moments that I really enjoyed. The atmosphere that they create in some of the opening scenes, like the overwhelmingness for Evan I think was done really well. Overall, I gave it like a 6 out of 10. My main gripe is Ben Platt. Also, Jared. I was not a fan of the actor for Jared.

[26:12] Tori Bullard: I feel like Eliza is really up on the Dear Evan Hansen soapbox today. I love it.

[26:16] Eliza Gunther: No, I love it!

[26:17] Tori Bullard: Sorry, it's because I watched it yesterday.

[26:19] Eliza Gunther: No, it makes me really happy. Like, watching you just go to town on something is one of the highlights of these deep dives.

[26:25] Tori Bullard: This is going to turn into a Dear Evan Hansen deep dive, isn't it?

[26:29] Eliza Gunther: I will stop talking about Dear Evan Hansen in a second, I promise. You know what's so funny? Rodney, the newly fiancé, he loves this film. Like, he loves Dear Evan Hansen. He watched it and he was like, you need to watch this film. Like, it's the best. And I'm like, no, but I've heard it's bad. And he tried to convince me for months to watch this film. Every date night, he'd be like, are we watching Dear Evan Hansen? And I was like, no, no, we're not. No, we're not. And then it disappeared off Netflix. And then I was really sad that I didn't get to watch it before. And I'm like, no, I'm not paying for it now. Netflix, just bring it back.

[27:02] Gareth Isaac: You're not getting my money, Platt.

[27:04] Eliza Gunther: We're getting the vibe of movie musicals. Les Mis cast some strong screen actors who couldn't necessarily lift the musical weights. And then we have on the other end of the spectrum, Dear Evan Hansen, who truthfully cast some theatre actors who overacted the shit and chewed the scenery so hard and were too old for the role. So it's a fun discussion. Where do they meet? Where is the twain?

[27:25] Tori Bullard: Yeah, where is the middle ground? And I think that's just like casting someone not based on, like based on talent alone and whether or not they fit the role. I think it's either you're a big name, but you're a really good film actor, so let's cast you. Or it's like, you're a really great musical theatre performer, but you're not quite fitting this role. But you'll be good because you're well known in that sphere. Actually, just audition and cast the best person for the role, whether it's the singing, whether it's the acting, and they've got to be able to match all of those things instead of the name. I think that's where it can sometimes get muddy. And I know you need the names, but not always in the role that's going to carry the entire show.

[28:06] Eliza Gunther: Yes, and that is why I'm excited for Wicked. Number one, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Number two, Jonathan Bailey as Fiero is going to be the most electric thing on the screen. There was a viral clip going around a few years ago of him singing "If I Didn't Believe in You" from the last five years. The subtlety of his choices and storytelling have never made me more excited to see a movie musical in my life. And I'm so glad that leaked because I feel like people wouldn't have appreciated him as much. A lot of people were saying that, oh, why did you cast Mr. Bridgerton? Why did you get Anthony Bridgerton just to do that? Oh, we get it. He's hot. Why are you ruining? Oh no, he can sing. Oh no, he's got chops.

Oh no. And that's a perfect example. And I'm excited to see it. Obviously, I can't comment on it yet. But it seems like they've actually cast someone who's really good for the role because they could have gone for someone way more famous than him. Like, yes, he's like, he's well known at the moment. But I think he probably would have gotten that role on merit because Wicked is so big. They are kind of casting on merit rather than stunt casting. And it will definitely be the stunt casting of other roles that they do. I mean, obviously, you've got Ariana Grande as Glinda, but we're yet to see how, but she's also very talented, and we're yet to see her performance on that screen, which is what people are really excited to see.

Like, is this stunt casting? Or is this actually casting people because they're right for the role? Sometimes you can have both when you look at the Mean Girls casting. Now, not all the Mean Girls casting, there's one particular role in Mean Girls that I'm not going to even talk about. But the casting of Renee Rapp and Auli'i, they were both, they carried that whole movie.

[29:45] Gareth Isaac: Oh yeah, Electric.

[29:46] Eliza Gunther: They were phenomenal. So I think sometimes you can have both name and talent. But it is definitely like they have to be right for the role. And I do think that both Renee Rapp and Auli'i were right for that role.

[30:02] Tori Bullard: I agree.

[30:03] Gareth Isaac: Totally agree. Well, I guess on that note, we're going to move into a little bit of a game. So today, I have taken on the role of Game Master.

[30:10] Eliza Gunther: I get a break.

[30:15] Gareth Isaac: Yes, Gareth gets a break because Gareth has had a big day, is slaying it on the big stage, and still turning up for your friends. So you're absolutely killing it.

[30:26] Tori Bullard: Hey, hey, colleagues.

[30:27] Gareth Isaac: Sorry, I can't be your friend.

[30:29] Tori Bullard: I'm kidding. I love you both.

[30:30] Eliza Gunther: So we're going to do a bit of a quiz. What I'm going to do is each of you are going to get a question each, and then I'm going to have a tiebreaker question as well. Tori, let's start you off. You're going to start.

[30:42] Tori Bullard: Oh God, I'm going to fail this so badly.

[30:46] Eliza Gunther: Okay. What 1964 movie musical is based on the play Pygmalion? Is it The Music Man? Is it Yankee Doodle Dandy? Or is it My Fair Lady?

[31:01] Tori Bullard: It's My Fair Lady. I studied Pygmalion in high school.

[31:05] Eliza Gunther: Oh damn, I thought I'd get you on that one.

[31:08] Tori Bullard: No, because I saw a production of Pygmalion and I was like, wait a second. This is awfully familiar to me.

[31:14] Eliza Gunther: Where's the songs?

[31:16] Tori Bullard: Yeah, I was like, come on, Eliza, sing me a tune.

[31:20] Eliza Gunther: Why isn't she singing about lots of chocolate?

[31:22] Tori Bullard: Lorraine in Spain.

[31:24] Eliza Gunther: Yes, it is My Fair Lady. Okay, Gareth, how many Von Trapp children are there in The Sound of Music? Is there six? Is there five? Or is there seven?

[31:35] Gareth Isaac: Thank you for the multiple choice. That saved my ass. There's seven of them.

[31:38] Eliza Gunther: There are seven. There are seven indeed.

[31:39] Gareth Isaac: I haven't watched Sound of Music since I was a child.

[31:43] Eliza Gunther: And those who know me, that was a long time ago. Okay, so now I'm going to do two that aren't multiple choice to make it harder, but the next two are going to be multiple choice. Okay, Tori, who voices Belle in the 1991 animated musical Beauty and the Beast? Is it Paige O'Hara? Is it Linda Larkin? Or is it Jodie Benson?

[32:05] Tori Bullard: Paige O'Hara?

[32:07] Eliza Gunther: Yes, big say.

[32:08] Tori Bullard: That was just, I literally, O'Hara, I was like, that sounds really familiar in regards to Beauty and the Beast.

[32:15] Eliza Gunther: Hmm, I knew it wasn't Benson.

[32:17] Tori Bullard: No, because that's Ariel.

[32:18] Eliza Gunther: Yes, it is.

[32:19] Tori Bullard: That's Ariel.

[32:20] Eliza Gunther: It is, it is. God love her.

[32:22] Tori Bullard: Oh, I love her. She's so cute when she like, sings with little kids and stuff and like, oh, so cute.

[32:28] Eliza Gunther: Okay, Gareth, true or false? The Wizard of Oz won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1939.

[32:36] Gareth Isaac: Ooh, if it was 39, I want to say it was false.

[32:41] Eliza Gunther: Yes, couldn't work.

[32:42] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, because I don't think it took it out that year.

[32:45] Eliza Gunther: It did not, it did not take out the Oscar.

[32:48] Gareth Isaac: I couldn't tell you what did.

[32:50] Eliza Gunther: I couldn't either. But I know for a fact it didn't get Best Picture.

[32:52] Gareth Isaac: It didn't, I wish I could tell you, but anyway.

[32:54] Eliza Gunther: So now these two are going to be non-multiple choice because you guys are too good at this. Okay, Tori. Where does Regina George hook up with Shane Omen?

[33:05] Tori Bullard: Oh my god, hang on, wait. Are we talking, okay, where physically?

[33:10] Eliza Gunther: Physically.

[33:10] Tori Bullard: Like what room?

[33:12] Eliza Gunther: Yes.

[33:13] Tori Bullard: In the janitor's closet.

[33:14] Eliza Gunther: That is incorrect.

[33:17] Tori Bullard: Wait, hang on, hang on. Okay, wait, are we talking musical or movie? Because they're different.

[33:22] Eliza Gunther: It's from the 2024 Mean Girls, from the 2024 Mean Girls. But you can give me a name of like, it's very specific. It's like something in another room, like in a bigger room. But it was, it's a room within that and that's part of it.

[33:39] Tori Bullard: I mean, point of contention, Tori already got an incorrect response.

[33:43] Eliza Gunther: Yes, it's in the projection room in the auditorium.

[33:47] Eliza Gunther: So that is the correct answer. Okay.

[33:50] Tori Bullard: That's not where they are in the movie. In the movie, they're in a janitor's closet.

[33:54] Eliza Gunther: The fourth floor janitor's closet.

[33:56] Tori Bullard: We're doing. I'm sorry. Are we doing a movie episode or are we doing a movie musical episode?

[34:00] Eliza Gunther: That's what I'm talking about in the movie musical.

[34:02] Tori Bullard: No. In the movie musical, they are in the projection room from the 2024 musical.

[34:07] Gareth Isaac: I just looked it up.

[34:08] Tori Bullard: But that's not what it shows in the clip.

[34:10] Eliza Gunther: And maybe Tori did win that, but.

[34:11] Tori Bullard: I'll accept it. But that.

[34:13] Eliza Gunther: Tori's like, I'm going to look it up right now.

[34:15] Tori Bullard: Tori's going to fact check.

[34:17] Eliza Gunther: I will. I won't do it right now.

[34:19] Tori Bullard: But they're in the janitor's closet when he walks in on them. I'll be quiet now.

[34:23] Eliza Gunther: You are. I don't think you.

[34:25] Gareth Isaac: No, you've lost the point.

[34:28] Eliza Gunther: Okay. Gareth.

[34:30] Eliza Gunther: What song opens the film Chicago?

[34:33] Gareth Isaac: That would have to be All That Jazz, wouldn't it?

[34:36] Eliza Gunther: Unless they changed it around in the movie version.

[34:39] Gareth Isaac: You are correct. It is All That Jazz.

[34:43] Eliza Gunther: Very, very nice.

[34:44] Tori Bullard: Okay, well, I'm actually just going to do a tiebreaker anyway.

[34:47] Tori Bullard: I know that Gareth has technically won, but just for a bit of fun, this will be worth two points.

[34:52] Eliza Gunther: It's a tie maker, if anything.

[34:54] Tori Bullard: It's a tie maker just because it's going to be fun.

[34:57] Tori Bullard: So when you know the answer, say your name as quickly as possible, and then the first one to get in will get to answer the question.

[35:05] Eliza Gunther: Are we waiting until you finish the question entirely?

[35:08] Tori Bullard: Yes, you have to finish until I finish the question entirely.

[35:11] Tori Bullard: What musical features the song If I Were a Rich Man?

[35:15] Tori Bullard: Tori.

[35:16] Gareth Isaac: Tori.

[35:16] Tori Bullard: Oh my god, Tori got it in.

[35:18] Tori Bullard: Fiddler on the Roof.

[35:19] Gareth Isaac: With this laggy ass internet, how did they get in first?

[35:22] Eliza Gunther: I don't know. They did. They did.

[35:25] Tori Bullard: I'm sorry. I'm looking at Tori's feed right now.

[35:26] Tori Bullard: There are three pixels that vaguely represent them.

[35:30] Eliza Gunther: How did this happen?

[35:33] Gareth Isaac: Guess what?

[35:34] Eliza Gunther: The evil laugh.

[35:34] Gareth Isaac: We're tied, bitch.

[35:36] Eliza Gunther: Oh no, that was two points. You took it. You've won.

[35:39] Tori Bullard: You did. You won. You won.

[35:42] Eliza Gunther: Hold on, I have something for this.

[35:43] Gareth Isaac: I'm evil.

[35:48] Eliza Gunther: I was ready for my own, but I'm giving it to Tori.

[35:51] Gareth Isaac: You give it to Tori instead.

[35:54] Eliza Gunther: Congratulations, Tori. You are the winner of our movie musicals quiz.

[35:58] Tori Bullard: Thank you.

[35:59] Tori Bullard: Probably should have been Gareth, but I'm too kind, so...

[36:02] Gareth Isaac: And I love an underdog.

[36:03] Tori Bullard: I am...

[36:04] Gareth Isaac: Hey, hey, hey. You said it was two points, so like...

[36:07] Tori Bullard: I did.

[36:07] Gareth Isaac: It's me.

[36:08] Tori Bullard: I did. I did.

[36:08] Gareth Isaac: I'm fucking upset-y spaghetti over here.

[36:10] Eliza Gunther: I know. It's tragic.

[36:12] Tori Bullard: Hey, you guys did really good.

[36:14] Gareth Isaac: Thank you. I appreciate that very dearly.

[36:18] Eliza Gunther: Oh my goodness.

[36:20] Eliza Gunther: On the heels of my disappointment, friends, do we want to dive back into a quick little conversation on movie musicals?

[36:27] Eliza Gunther: Do you guys have a favourite?

[36:29] Eliza Gunther: And, oh, here's something to spice it up.

[36:32] Eliza Gunther: Do you have a favourite adaptation movie musical?

[36:34] Eliza Gunther: Like, of an existing Broadway show?

[36:37] Eliza Gunther: And do you have a favourite original?

[36:38] Gareth Isaac: Oh!

[36:40] Eliza Gunther: Think your golden era MGMs.

[36:42] Eliza Gunther: Think like you're singing in the rains.

[36:44] Eliza Gunther: Your Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

[36:46] Eliza Gunther: That sort of era.

[36:47] Gareth Isaac: Oh my gosh, I need a minute to think about this now.

[36:50] Tori Bullard: Yeah, right? It's a toughie.

[36:51] Tori Bullard: I'm happy to dive into mine if you want to do mine, just for a bit of fun.

[36:55] Eliza Gunther: Do it.

[36:56] Tori Bullard: I mean, my favourite original gotta be The Wizard of Oz.

[37:01] Gareth Isaac: Oh, yeah.

[37:03] Tori Bullard: It's absolutely marvellous.

[37:05] Tori Bullard: It sets a tone really nicely.

[37:07] Tori Bullard: And the music drives the story so hard and fast towards a beautiful climax.

[37:12] Tori Bullard: It's fantastic.

[37:13] Tori Bullard: And my favourite, like, standard movie musical?

[37:17] Tori Bullard: It's not an adaptation.

[37:19] Tori Bullard: It's a jukebox.

[37:20] Tori Bullard: And I mentioned it on our jukebox episode.

[37:21] Tori Bullard: It's Across the Universe.

[37:23] Gareth Isaac: Really? Is that your favourite?

[37:24] Tori Bullard: It's gotta be.

[37:25] Tori Bullard: It's all the music of the Beatles.

[37:27] Tori Bullard: All the design of Julie Taymor.

[37:29] Tori Bullard: And a really beautiful, heartbreaking love story.

[37:33] Tori Bullard: All in the middle of it.

[37:34] Gareth Isaac: Oh my god.

[37:35] Tori Bullard: Yeah, it makes me cry every time.

[37:38] Gareth Isaac: So I did have mine.

[37:40] Gareth Isaac: I have momentarily lost it.

[37:42] Gareth Isaac: But I don't...

[37:43] Gareth Isaac: Oh, no, no, I've got it back.

[37:44] Gareth Isaac: I've got it back.

[37:44] Eliza Gunther: Put that on a bumper sticker.

[37:46] Gareth Isaac: I have momentarily lost it.

[37:47] Gareth Isaac: I have momentarily lost it.

[37:48] Gareth Isaac: No, I've got it.

[37:49] Gareth Isaac: I've got it.

[37:50] Gareth Isaac: But it's West Side Story.

[37:51] Eliza Gunther: You know the movie musical West Side Story?

[37:54] Gareth Isaac: Yeah.

[37:54] Gareth Isaac: Was that a movie musical first?

[37:57] Tori Bullard: I'm fairly certain it was a stage production first.

[38:00] Tori Bullard: And then it became a film.

[38:01] Tori Bullard: And the film became far more popular.

[38:04] Gareth Isaac: Yes, okay, that makes sense.

[38:05] Gareth Isaac: But yeah, I really love West Side Story.

[38:08] Gareth Isaac: It just really...

[38:10] Gareth Isaac: I loved it growing up.

[38:11] Gareth Isaac: And it was a movie I watched all the time with my grandfather.

[38:14] Gareth Isaac: So it's definitely one of those kind of older musicals that I still watch.

[38:17] Gareth Isaac: And so I didn't really love the new adaptation of West Side Story.

[38:23] Gareth Isaac: It just didn't really feel like it hit the same core as that original movie did.

[38:28] Gareth Isaac: Which was a little disappointing to me.

[38:30] Tori Bullard: But I guess on the side of that, of other musicals...

[38:34] Gareth Isaac: I have three.

[38:35] Tori Bullard: I have, like, also...

[38:37] Gareth Isaac: Alright, greedy.

[38:38] Tori Bullard: I'm really greedy.

[38:39] Gareth Isaac: But also My Fair Lady, like, that's another one for me.

[38:42] Tori Bullard: Yeah, fair.

[38:43] Gareth Isaac: Like, Les Mis was another one.

[38:46] Gareth Isaac: And Chicago.

[38:47] Gareth Isaac: I've got to say, I way prefer Chicago as a movie musical than a stage show.

[38:51] Tori Bullard: But that's just my personal piece of tea.

[38:52] Gareth Isaac: Wow, that's a huge call to make.

[38:55] Tori Bullard: It's a huge statement.

[38:56] Gareth Isaac: I haven't seen it live as a musical.

[38:59] Gareth Isaac: But I've seen a lot, like, I've watched it online.

[39:01] Gareth Isaac: And I don't love it as much as the movie.

[39:05] Tori Bullard: And I know that that's, like, very controversial.

[39:08] Gareth Isaac: And I think both have their place.

[39:09] Gareth Isaac: They're just very different things.

[39:11] Tori Bullard: I just think they're really different from each other.

[39:13] Tori Bullard: And they're not, like, the set, everything.

[39:16] Tori Bullard: The way that it's presented.

[39:19] Tori Bullard: Completely different things.

[39:21] Gareth Isaac: And I think that Chicago does very well in its element as a movie musical.

[39:24] Gareth Isaac: But it does very well as well as a stage show.

[39:27] Tori Bullard: They're just very different.

[39:29] Tori Bullard: Okay.

[39:29] Tori Bullard: Yeah, so that's mine.

[39:30] Tori Bullard: Sorry, I did, like, five or six.

[39:32] Gareth Isaac: I think you only did three.

[39:36] Tori Bullard: Four.

[39:36] Gareth Isaac: Four, four, four.

[39:37] Eliza Gunther: Oh my.

[39:38] Eliza Gunther: At least one of us can count.

[39:40] Gareth Isaac: Well, so I think my favourite movie musical that was then adapted into a musical...

[39:49] Gareth Isaac: I think this classifies...

[39:50] Gareth Isaac: It's what I grew up, like, loving is Moulin Rouge.

[39:53] Eliza Gunther: Oh, yes.

[39:57] Gareth Isaac: Which did make for me...

[39:58] Gareth Isaac: I was really excited when they announced that they were adapting it to a stage musical.

[40:02] Gareth Isaac: I was really hoping for more original music.

[40:04] Gareth Isaac: I definitely can understand the pull of continuing it as a jukebox musical.

[40:10] Gareth Isaac: Because that's technically what it's like, a jukebox movie musical.

[40:13] Gareth Isaac: But I grew up absolutely loving that.

[40:16] Gareth Isaac: Movie musical that was adaptated...

[40:18] Tori Bullard: Adapted.

[40:19] Gareth Isaac: No, no, no.

[40:21] Gareth Isaac: No, we're going with adaptated.

[40:22] Tori Bullard: That's where we put all the money on.

[40:24] Gareth Isaac: That was adapted from a show I actually love.

[40:29] Gareth Isaac: And I still love it now.

[40:30] Gareth Isaac: I watch it relatively frequently.

[40:32] Gareth Isaac: Is The Last Five Years.

[40:33] Eliza Gunther: Oh, that's a good one.

[40:36] Gareth Isaac: With Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

[40:37] Eliza Gunther: I love them both very dearly in that movie.

[40:41] Gareth Isaac: And I feel like it gives it so much opportunity.

[40:44] Gareth Isaac: Again, kind of that thing of movie musicals can give more opportunity for a little bit more detail to really see and understand the intersection timeline that they do with The Last Five Years.

[40:56] Gareth Isaac: Which is, I think, what makes that show so special.

[40:59] Gareth Isaac: Is having, you know, Jamie starting from the beginning of the relationship and having Kathy start from the end of the relationship.

[41:07] Gareth Isaac: That point in the middle where they get married and then continuing on.

[41:11] Gareth Isaac: I feel like you actually really get more opportunity to see it in the movie musical.

[41:16] Gareth Isaac: So I personally love it.

[41:19] Tori Bullard: I'm sorry, I was on my Dear Evan Hansen soapbox for quite some time there.

[41:26] Eliza Gunther: What is everyone's final thoughts?

[41:27] Eliza Gunther: Movie musicals.

[41:29] Eliza Gunther: Do you have any that you highly recommend?

[41:30] Eliza Gunther: Do you have any that you're like, don't touch with a 10-foot pole, aka Cats.

[41:35] Gareth Isaac: Cats you shouldn't touch anyway, it's a bad musical.

[41:39] Tori Bullard: But my baby, my dear sweet child, Phantom of the Opera, got a pretty average movie adaptation.

[41:49] Tori Bullard: Decided to cast Gerard Butler as the man in the mask.

[41:52] Tori Bullard: He didn't do a terrible job, but it's like, he could have gotten anyone really.

[41:56] Tori Bullard: There were many, many other people that could have filled those shoes.

[41:59] Tori Bullard: And also Joel Schumacher was not the man for it.

[42:02] Tori Bullard: Like, not the director for it.

[42:03] Tori Bullard: That just didn't have the same impact and it was a bit upsetting.

[42:06] Gareth Isaac: Yeah, and also go watch Across the Universe.

[42:08] Tori Bullard: Go watch it, guys.

[42:09] Eliza Gunther: I think for me, like, I was looking at a lot of Disney stuff as well, and how I'm just like, don't touch those classics unless you're gonna do them well.

[42:14] Eliza Gunther: I don't know, there's something slightly off about an animation that's very whimsical and they can do so much there.

[42:23] Eliza Gunther: And then putting it into a movie that they kind of get restricted from.

[42:29] Eliza Gunther: I mean, yeah, you've got other musicals like The Greatest Showman.

[42:33] Eliza Gunther: That is a completely original movie musical and was very hyped up in its time.

[42:38] Eliza Gunther: And everyone was singing the songs from it.

[42:40] Eliza Gunther: And it brings musical theatre to the main stage in such a celebrated way.

[42:46] Eliza Gunther: So I think the movie musical definitely has its place in musical theatre.

[42:50] Eliza Gunther: It has its place in the movie world.

[42:52] Eliza Gunther: And it's always exciting to see musical theatre accessible.

[42:56] Eliza Gunther: Because sometimes going to see a musical is expensive.

[42:59] Eliza Gunther: And when your parents are trying to introduce you to the art form, it is very much going to see the movie musicals.

[43:05] Eliza Gunther: So I am very excited by all these new adaptations of movie musicals coming to the film world.

[43:13] Eliza Gunther: And I'm excited to see how they keep evolving.

[43:16] Eliza Gunther: And all the mistakes that past ones are making, they keep changing them and keep upgrading them and learn from them.

[43:24] Eliza Gunther: And I'm really excited to see the resurgence of the movie musical at the moment.

[43:28] Eliza Gunther: It's really exciting for all of us that are in that community.

[43:33] Tori Bullard: So yeah, there's definitely a place for it.

[43:36] Tori Bullard: I think give movie musicals a chance.

[43:39] Tori Bullard: Don't get shitty when you go and see a movie musical, even if it's by accident.

[43:43] Tori Bullard: But enjoy it for what it is.

[43:45] Tori Bullard: It's camp.

[43:46] Tori Bullard: It's fun.

[43:47] Tori Bullard: It's a bit ridiculous.

[43:49] Tori Bullard: That's why we love it.

[43:51] Tori Bullard: So don't be shitty about it.

[43:54] Tori Bullard: Just actually sit and enjoy it.

[43:56] Eliza Gunther: Yeah.

[43:56] Eliza Gunther: This is your sign.

[43:57] Eliza Gunther: Go and watch a movie musical this weekend.

[44:00] Eliza Gunther: Let us know what you guys think.

[44:01] Eliza Gunther: What is your favourite movie musical?

[44:03] Eliza Gunther: We'd love to hear that.

[44:05] Tori Bullard: But I think that kind of brings us to the end of the episode.

[44:08] Tori Bullard: I think we might have to revisit movie musicals.

[44:10] Eliza Gunther: There's a lot more to discuss.

[44:11] Gareth Isaac: I agree.

[44:12] Eliza Gunther: Maybe a part two sometime in the future.

[44:14] Tori Bullard: I saw Into the Woods on there and I was like...

[44:16] Eliza Gunther: I know, we didn't even get to Into the Woods.

[44:18] Tori Bullard: We didn't even touch Into the Woods.

[44:20] Tori Bullard: And I did not get on my Phantom Soapbox this whole episode.

[44:23] Eliza Gunther: You should be thanking me.

[44:23] Gareth Isaac: Well, because you've already had two bloody episodes on Phantom, sir.

[44:27] Tori Bullard: I will never stop.

[44:30] Eliza Gunther: But thank you guys so much.

[44:32] Eliza Gunther: Thank you, Gareth, for coming on.

[44:33] Eliza Gunther: How amazing.

[44:34] Eliza Gunther: You're now doing Grease and everyone should go and watch it in Sydney.

[44:38] Gareth Isaac: That's where you're heading next.

[44:39] Gareth Isaac: So when are you playing Grease in Sydney?

[44:43] Gareth Isaac: Ah, we start on March 24th and then we play through for a while there.

[44:48] Eliza Gunther: Beautiful.

[44:48] Eliza Gunther: Well, anyone listening, go and catch Gareth at Grease.

[44:53] Eliza Gunther: Absolutely smash it.

[44:54] Tori Bullard: But alright, until next time, stay happy, healthy and safe and we'll see you then.

[44:59] All: Bye!