This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Jesse McAnally: Hello, I'm Jesse McAnally. And I'm Andrew DeWolf. And I'm Liz Esten. And welcome to Musicals with Cheese, a podcast where I try to get Andrew and Liz to like musical theatre. How are we doing today, my friends?

[0:18] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, man, is it Halloween? It's spooky season! I've been waiting for this all year. We got some fun stuff coming up. And I'm really excited about today's topic because as of recording, no one else has really seen it unless you've paid money for it. We paid money for this? I did. So we all did. Yes. Um, I've been having a really good week. But sadly, it's because I murdered a person.

[0:46] Jesse McAnally: He was bullying me hardcore. And I did a murder. And now my life is a lot better. I think everyone's life might be a lot better from that, honestly. Yeah, just a positive change in the world. Oh, no, it's his ghost. And I got murdered. That is what this is about. Nerdy Prudes Must Die! Cue the music!

[1:10] ♪ Musical number: "High School is Killing Me" — performed by the cast of Nerdy Prudes Must Die ♪

[1:33] Andrew DeWolf: Alright class, pop quiz. I hope you've been getting the books. Miss Water. Shit.

[1:39] Jesse McAnally: I was up on three last night and I couldn't study. Didn't want to anyway. I was deep in a Twitter fight about a problematic puppy. Problematic cooch. I had amputations trying to cop the crypto to lunch money. There's nowhere to turn for the class of 2021.

[2:05] Jesse McAnally: Nerdy Prudes Must Die! is a musical written by Nick Lang and Matt Lang with music and lyrics by Jeff Blim. The show opened at the El Portal Theater in Los Angeles, California from February 16th to 25th, 2023. The show was released on digital download on September 15th and on YouTube on October 13th. We might be just getting this the week out.

[2:26] Jesse McAnally: The plot is when the biggest losers at Hatcher Field High unwittingly complete an accident evil ritual, they unleash an all-powerful angry spirit with a grudge against nerds. That's when Stephanie Lauder, Grace Chastity, and a cast of social rejects must fight to save themselves and Nerdy Prudes everywhere. But can any of them survive this fury of a bully from beyond the grave?

[2:52] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, we're back in StarKid territory. It's StarKid season and all the kids are in it. This is probably the fastest turnaround between StarKid episodes since Black Friday and the guy that didn't like musical episodes.

[3:05] Jesse McAnally: You know, and we probably shouldn't spoil this whole thing.

[3:08] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. Why not? Fuck it.

[3:12] Jesse McAnally: Well, I don't want to step on their toes, you know.

[3:16] Andrew DeWolf: That's fair enough. But what do you think, Andrew? Sincerely, because this is brand new, like hot off the presses and we don't usually get to do hot off the presses stuff. We're not like Ben Brantley.

[3:27] Andrew DeWolf: So I think I mean, we just did one that I thought wasn't that great with the last StarKid one. I feel like this one was a bit better. This one was on the upper end of the StarKid scale, I would say.

[3:43] Jesse McAnally: I would agree. Liz, what about you? You've been a StarKid stan for years.

[3:47] Liz Esten: Yeah, I really enjoyed it. It's been I was thinking about it like when I went to work today and it's really grown on me.

[3:54] Liz Esten: A lot of the songs are really well done. I like a lot of the character interactions. I think Grace Chastity is like up there with the StarKid side characters, like with iconic quotes like years from now.

[4:06] Jesse McAnally: StarKidHands will continue to quote this woman ad nauseum and annoy everybody on Tumblr.

[4:10] Liz Esten: Very gif-able. Yeah, very gif-able show. I really enjoyed it. And all the performances are pretty good overall.

[4:17] Andrew DeWolf: Mariah's back. So just delightful.

[4:19] Liz Esten: Yes, she is wonderful. However, in a little bit of a different tier than everyone else, I think I brought this up to you when I was first watching it.

[4:30] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, she's kind of playing in a different kind of league than all the rest of the kids. I'm not going to lie. I was really excited for this. I was really like I thought the premise was good.

[4:41] Andrew DeWolf: This is like, oh, this is going to be the Hatchetfield episode that I really, really like. And the first act was that. And I am discovering a trend with StarKid musicals where the first act will have me completely on board and sold and then they will lose me hardcore in act two.

[4:58] Liz Esten: I could kind of see why that would happen with this one. So is Hatchetfield something they've done before?

[5:05] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, it is in the same universe as the guy that didn't like musicals and Black Friday. They are all in the same universe with recurring characters that will return.

[5:16] Liz Esten: Jesse, I think I was telling you about the frustration I had with the recurring characters in this one. I think a couple of days ago I hadn't finished watching it a couple of days ago and you mentioned to me there's cameos in act two and I mentioned you did a lot of eye rolling and I was like, I'm sure I won't hate it that much. And then I started eye rolling.

[5:38] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like I missed it and it might be because it's been so long since I've seen it. Was it the mayor?

[5:50] Liz Esten: No, it was the coffee shop scene.

[5:52] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, where they reveal that Joey Richter's nerd character who is a lead in this and had a very small bit role. They contextualize it and brought back the two leads from the guy that didn't like musicals who also reappeared in Black Friday. They are the characters that appear in all of them.

[6:06] Jesse McAnally: And I just like, I don't care. It was played by Robert Mannion in that one.

[6:22] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I saw that. I saw the musicals live, so I remember it vividly.

[6:26] Liz Esten: We've avoided talking about that, but didn't you send pictures of his junk to like fellow cast members and get kicked out of the group?

[6:34] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I did a lot of bad stuff. We don't talk about him anymore. And that's their kid fandom.

[6:44] Liz Esten: Yeah, trigger warning. Robert Mannion was like the cute boy that everyone was obsessed with until he did a problematic and got kicked out and no one ever brings him up anymore.

[6:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, he did show a stopping number, which everyone liked, and then they revealed he sucked. So, you know, bye. Well, another Hatchetfield production that they were going to do was Working Boys the musical, which was his big number from a guy that didn't like musicals.

[7:15] Liz Esten: And I don't think that's going to happen anymore.

[7:17] Andrew DeWolf: No, they stopped selling merch of it, too, I think.

[7:20] Liz Esten: Yeah. See, I thought Hatchetfield was just a clever pun on like what Haddonfield or something from Halloween. I forget what it is.

[7:33] Andrew DeWolf: It is that. No, it's a trilogy. This is a third one.

[7:36] Liz Esten: The trilogy, it's unrelated, though, so it's kind of like it isn't unrelated because the characters pop up for like 15 seconds and then they use themes as if we're supposed and the audience fucking loses their shit every time they play a melodic theme from like Black Friday or the guy who didn't like musicals.

[7:45] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, people love Wiggly. It's thematically connected. It's all like different, different takes on horror. Like, this is a little more on the ghost slasher end of things.

[7:57] Jesse McAnally: Yeah. So from the slasher end, because I'm a fan of like dumb horror movies. We all are. All three of us.

[8:05] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I was looking for references and stuff. I honestly didn't find as many as I was expecting. I did kind of latch on to this idea that I think they were doing I Know What You Did Last Summer.

[8:10] Liz Esten: Yes. Yes. But that was the only thing that I really got.

[8:13] Andrew DeWolf: What are you waiting for?

[8:16] Liz Esten: What are you waiting for?

[8:19] Andrew DeWolf: That and I the they said bitch a lot and they said bitch a lot, which I'm pretty sure, you know, Nightmare on Elm Street. That's the joke.

[8:27] Liz Esten: Freddy always says bitch a lot.

[8:28] Andrew DeWolf: Freddy does say bitch a lot.

[8:30] Liz Esten: He does.

[8:32] Andrew DeWolf: I'm a big Freddy fan and I think the bitch goes a little far.

[8:36] Liz Esten: He doesn't start until like the third movie, though, doesn't he?

[8:38] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it starts with Welcome to Primetime, bitch, and it just gets worse as the series progresses.

[8:44] Liz Esten: That's the only good one. And then after that, I was just like, oh, well, it worked that one time. We'll just keep doing it.

[8:49] Andrew DeWolf: Let's just put it back in the movie. I know you improvised it the first time, Robert, but just keep putting it in. Add bitch.

[8:56] Jesse McAnally: Well, we're talking about swearing and this is where I'm starting to think I'm too old for Starkid shows.

[9:02] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I no longer find joy or humor in just the punchline being I'm going to say a swear.

[9:11] Liz Esten: I can feel that like there is just so many things where it's just like, oh, we said fuck.

[9:18] Andrew DeWolf: And Starkid does have like and this is why I feel like it's like what I talked about before, where they have a high, a high floor, but a low ceiling.

[9:27] Liz Esten: Like a lot of their jokes are just like we do something mildly shocking and that's about it.

[9:34] Andrew DeWolf: And it's like that can work, but you can only go so far with that.

[9:38] Liz Esten: Like you can't like you can't achieve the true greatness, you know, of like something that will stand the test of time with something like that.

[9:46] Andrew DeWolf: And I also feel like post Twisted, they're afraid of sentiment.

[9:50] Liz Esten: They're really terrified of sentiment or having any kind of emotional core outside of maybe a romance at the best.

[9:57] Andrew DeWolf: They even they even like to kind of undercut now because like the ending of this with Grace, like where she just becomes evil.

[10:05] Liz Esten: Well, yeah, I spoiled it.

[10:07] Andrew DeWolf: It's a spoiler, but hopefully this is out by the time that it's out behind us.

[10:11] Liz Esten: Yeah, I did not feel that.

[10:14] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know.

[10:15] Liz Esten: I loved Act One.

[10:16] Andrew DeWolf: Let me just say Act One was probably leading into like my favorite Starkid show, probably on the upper echelons of most stage shows like comedy stage shows.

[10:26] Liz Esten: Then Act Two really fumbles the ball for me.

[10:29] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like Act Two still isn't like that bad.

[10:32] Liz Esten: It's just it's not it doesn't deliver on what Act One promised.

[10:37] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I don't. I don't love that.

[10:40] Liz Esten: They mixed their genres a bit and started doing the whole like they have to cast spells or there's like I think it's way too much.

[10:48] Andrew DeWolf: I wish they had just been like, oh, he's a ghost now.

[10:50] Liz Esten: Instead of being like, oh, there was a ritual.

[10:52] Andrew DeWolf: No, I don't.

[10:53] Liz Esten: Yeah.

[10:54] Andrew DeWolf: Like it just it just he just comes back.

[10:56] Liz Esten: Yeah.

[10:57] Andrew DeWolf: You know, and like if you're doing I know what you did last summer.

[10:59] Liz Esten: That's what they do in that movie.

[11:01] Andrew DeWolf: He just comes back in the third.

[11:05] Liz Esten: And I know you did last summer.

[11:06] Andrew DeWolf: He's a straight up zombie.

[11:07] Liz Esten: It's the zombie of the killer from the first one.

[11:10] Andrew DeWolf: Like, I'm pretty sure in the first one, he is actually technically still alive.

[11:14] Liz Esten: He is.

[11:15] Andrew DeWolf: No, he.

[11:16] Liz Esten: No, is he?

[11:17] Andrew DeWolf: And he's still alive in the first one.

[11:19] Liz Esten: And then he dies and he becomes a zombie in the third.

[11:21] Andrew DeWolf: Look, I know you did last summer and I was talking to Jess about this. It's like a movie with way more cultural impact than it deserves.

[11:29] Liz Esten: But also no one has seen it.

[11:30] Andrew DeWolf: It's like it's like that movie that everyone parodies, but then no one has actually seen the movie.

[11:35] Liz Esten: I can't think of even a better example.

[11:37] Andrew DeWolf: It's like that is the movie that everyone parodies and no one has actually watched it.

[11:41] Liz Esten: Yeah.

[11:42] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, I feel the same way because I feel like I couldn't watch it now because like scary movie is played with it too much.

[11:48] Liz Esten: I've also actually seen like over half of the TV series Amazon did because I was like really bored one day and I wanted to watch crap.

[11:55] Andrew DeWolf: And it was legit one of the worst shows I've ever seen in my life.

[11:58] Liz Esten: Like it doesn't even have anything to do with the movie.

[12:01] Andrew DeWolf: It has the same premise as the movie, but they add twins and TikTok and weird stuff.

[12:07] Liz Esten: And it's like like it's like one twin dies, but it's a mix up because they think one twin died, but one twin didn't die.

[12:14] Andrew DeWolf: So the one twins pretending to be the other twin.

[12:17] Liz Esten: And it's very confusing and never makes any sense.

[12:20] Andrew DeWolf: Also, it's set in Hawaii inexplicably.

[12:22] Liz Esten: Well, the ocean is like a thing in the in the first movie because he's like a fisher.

[12:27] Andrew DeWolf: Except in the third one, because it's set in Colorado.

[12:30] Liz Esten: But it's more of a it's not it's not like a Hawaii ocean, though. It's more of like a New England, like fishing village type thing.

[12:37] Andrew DeWolf: You know, it makes sense.

[12:39] Liz Esten: There's a fisherman present in the first one.

[12:41] Andrew DeWolf: Well, yeah, I actually kind of liked the first one.

[12:44] Liz Esten: I watched it for the first time relatively recently, and I thought it had some like fun moments.

[12:50] Andrew DeWolf: I really love the and the parody, the shit out of it.

[12:53] Liz Esten: But the scene where she's on the stage and the guy's getting killed in the balcony.

[12:57] Andrew DeWolf: So that's such a good scene.

[12:59] Liz Esten: But they've really they have ruined that with like I think Scary Movie did that.

[13:03] Andrew DeWolf: Also, the second one isn't that bad.

[13:05] Liz Esten: It's pretty bad, but like it has Jeffrey Combs and Jack Black as a pot dealer.

[13:10] Andrew DeWolf: So it has its like micro moments.

[13:12] Liz Esten: You're like, this isn't the worst movie I've ever seen in my life.

[13:16] Andrew DeWolf: But this one initially they kind of do it. So like the bully kid dies accidentally, but he still blames the nerd kids. And when he kills the first kid and they do the thing.

[13:27] Andrew DeWolf: He writes it on the wall, he says his last words on the wall or whatever, which is kind of similar to what he does in I Know What You Did Last Summer. I feel like they could have leaned in more to that instead of going with this whole ghost, demon, zombie ritual route. Okay, the thing that frustrates me about the story is I love the characters. I love these characters so much. I love... I think the bathtub scene in this is one of the best Starkid scenes in a while. 100%. I also feel like they didn't go far enough with it. They went pretty far, but I mean, it was good. I feel like they should have done more with it later. I feel like, I don't know, I feel like they're afraid of sexuality that is taken seriously. Like, even in Twisted, it's put down to like, my penis is an innie.

[14:21] Jess McAnally: Yeah. I can, I mean, I can...

[14:23] Andrew DeWolf: Or a song is a dick in sheep's clothing.

[14:26] Jess McAnally: I can see where that fear would come from, because like, they feel like if they mess it up, it's going to be like, really cringey.

[14:32] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. And they kind of idealize his body and objectify his body, but it doesn't feel like for anyone's gaze. Well, it's for specifically this weird, sexually repressed girl.

[14:47] Jess McAnally: Yeah. Yeah.

[14:48] Andrew DeWolf: And some of that really lands for me when it's like, dirty girl soup.

[14:51] Jess McAnally: Yeah. That is such a funny line.

[14:54] Andrew DeWolf: It's so fucking weird, but you also, you can totally see like, someone that is that sexually repressed would 100% be thinking that type of shit.

[15:02] Jess McAnally: Oh, yeah.

[15:06] Andrew DeWolf: All right. I love Angelina Giratana.

[15:10] Jess McAnally: I think that's how you say it.

[15:12] Andrew DeWolf: I think she is really the standout person in this show, where she really gets all the comedic beats, all the really funny bits. Like, she's the new like, Lauren Lopez as far as...

[15:24] Jess McAnally: Is this Grace Chastity?

[15:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yes. Grace Chastity, yeah. Where she feels like a real human being while still being a comedic foil. I think they should have put more of a focus on her. And I think they should have leaned in with give her a mother character that is super overbearing. Like, do Carrie.

[15:43] Jess McAnally: Yeah. Yeah.

[15:44] Andrew DeWolf: That would have been more fun to play with. But I also feel like they were like, oh, parents don't need to be involved here aside from the mayor character.

[15:52] Jess McAnally: But it would have been so good. She does have parents in it, and they're like, clueless. I feel like you should have leaned in and had her be like a comedically over-the-top, overbearing Christian parent, you know, like, just like, absurd, like, nailing their door shut. And like, I don't know what, like, I can't even think of the jokes. But like, something like that. Do Carrie.

[16:16] Andrew DeWolf: Or even do that with Mariah's character, Steph Lauder, who I think is also a great character. Edgy, kind of dumb, educational-wise.

[16:26] Jess McAnally: Very like, gay from Victorious coded, for context.

[16:29] Andrew DeWolf: Very bisexual coded.

[16:31] Jess McAnally: Yeah, very bisexual coded.

[16:33] Andrew DeWolf: Um.

[16:33] Jess McAnally: Yeah, she's into both types of ties.

[16:37] Andrew DeWolf: Bo and Texas.

[16:39] Jess McAnally: Yes. Bolo.

[16:41] Andrew DeWolf: Bolo.

[16:42] Jess McAnally: Bo and Bolo. I think she, Mariah is like in a different kind of class of performer than all the rest of them. Where everyone is very good comedians, I think Mariah is the only good actor among them.

[16:50] Andrew DeWolf: And maybe that's a bit diminishing. But like, she's the only one that feels like they don't have to try to play for the scenery, chewing the scenery in every moment. And still looks very confident and performs the scenes very well.

[17:13] Andrew DeWolf: Like, my biggest struggle with this show, especially in Act 1, is Joey Richter, former guest of this show, as, oh god, I don't even remember his character's name.

[17:24] Jess McAnally: Peter Spankofsky, I think.

[17:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it's a joke. I don't like how broad he plays it. I don't like that it doesn't have any much variety in how he plays it. I don't feel his emotional connection to Mariah's character, Steph. I feel very lost with that character. And I feel like, it feels like a performance from another show. And if we're having our only emotional core being this romance between Steph and Spankofsky, why are we playing it so broad? Especially when Mariah's playing it a little bit more grounded.

[18:00] Jess McAnally: Yeah, I think that that was one of the weaker parts, is that, basically what you said, they needed to really lean in, because that was the only core that they had. Because the rest of it is just jokes. Which, I mean, as a comedy, I think it still works fine. And if that's what you're going to Starkid for, which it is, you're probably going to like this. But if you wanted more, if you wanted something like what they did with Twisted, so long ago.

[18:25] Andrew DeWolf: I think that Dylan Saunders is an incredible actor first, and he happens to know how to nail a good joke. So when it gets a little more distressing for his character, you buy it. But also when he is nailing a joke, he's nailing a joke. He, with God love him, Joey Richter can nail a joke, but I don't think he's a good emotional drive to any scene.

[18:49] Jess McAnally: Yeah, just a comedic, very comedic actor.

[18:52] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I think also the way the character's written is also holding him back a little bit, because he can do emotional. If you've seen Starship, which not a lot of people have, admittedly, he does well in that with the emotional arcs. But just some characters, you just can't pull it out.

[19:10] Jess McAnally: I mean, how good is he in Me and My Dick? That's got emotional arcs, right?

[19:14] Andrew DeWolf: We don't talk about that one.

[19:15] Jess McAnally: We don't.

[19:17] Andrew DeWolf: Also, watch Starship. I'm going to be, maybe we'll do Starship next.

[19:22] Jess McAnally: That's been one. It's either going to be Starship or Annie. It'll be one of the sci-fi ones.

[19:27] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like Mariah is probably the next Darren Criss, as far as Starkid goes, where it's like, you are kind of in a different category than everyone else. And I hate saying that, because it makes it feel like all that.

[19:42] Jess McAnally: Other things I want to bring up that I think really make this stand out, I noticed that the choreography was really next level in this production. And then I looked at the choreographer. Lauren Lopez did the choreography, and she fucking nailed it. It was really, really good. It was easily the best dancing I've ever seen in a Starkid performance. And she's also acting and doing double duty there.

[20:06] Andrew DeWolf: That being said, what do we think about her weird bisexual, like, headgear braces character?

[20:10] Jess McAnally: This was one of the characters that die off, like, super fast, right?

[20:16] Andrew DeWolf: No, they die, like, at the top of act two.

[20:20] Jess McAnally: I think her name's Ruth Fleming.

[20:22] Andrew DeWolf: Ruth Fleming, yeah. I don't think I struggle with her. I just think that, once again, they undercut a lot of darker moments. Like, when they are cutting up the body, I'm not gonna joke about her cutting off his nipples. Like, things like that. I'm like, go for the dark comedy, but don't undercut the darkness.

[20:42] Andrew DeWolf: However, Ruth has probably, like, one of the most clever songs that I'm pretty sure only I enjoy, even among the Starkids fans, which is the song she sings at act two. I even need to remind myself what it's called.

[20:57] Jess McAnally: If I Loved You.

[20:59] Andrew DeWolf: No, no, that's Just For Once is Ruth Fleming's song.

[21:03] Jess McAnally: Oh, Just For Once, yeah, might be. I was just, I'm looking at the summary. Which I think, on its own, as a scene, is a brilliant scene, where it's making fun of the fact that high schoolers are made to do plays made for 45-year-olds. And that, in and of itself, is a hilarious idea. So you got this 15, 16-year-old kid being like, at 39, I had this cancer diagnosis and I loved all the attention from it. And then my husband left. And playing all these very specific emotions that a child would not have context for. I think it's a brilliant song. And then she gets murdered right after. Has nothing to do with the rest of the plot. Any other situation, I would hate the fact that it's there. But I think it's so fucking funny.

[21:47] Andrew DeWolf: Initially, I thought I hate the barbecue monologues joke. And then it kept going. And I was just like, this is actually funny. Like, this is really good. It was like Pee Wee Herman style. You stick around with it long enough. It slingshots the moon and comes back to being funny again.

[22:02] Jess McAnally: But who cares what we think? It's time to compare our opinions to the real critics over on Letterboxd.com. It's time for previews!

[22:09] Andrew DeWolf: The Letterboxd game, one star, five star. And Andrew, it's you against me. Because Liz picked out the Letterboxd reviews today. It's been a while. Finally, he gets a taste of his own medicine.

[22:19] Jess McAnally: All right. There is some horniness in this round of things.

[22:23] Andrew DeWolf: I'm ready.

[22:24] Jess McAnally: Because it's Starkid. Of course it's horny. Who wants to go first?

[22:26] Andrew DeWolf: Andrew goes first. His name starts with an A.

[22:30] Jess McAnally: Sure.

[22:31] Andrew DeWolf: Max Yeagerman, I can fix you.

[22:34] Jess McAnally: You can't.

[22:35] Andrew DeWolf: We're going to go with five, though.

[22:36] Jess McAnally: He's a corpse.

[22:37] Andrew DeWolf: Can't fix a corpse. I mean, there's a lot of other things you can't fix. So, all right. Are you ready, Jess?

[22:43] Jess McAnally: Mm-hmm.

[22:43] Andrew DeWolf: This is all caps. Leave room for Jesus.

[22:47] Jess McAnally: That's a five.

[22:48] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[22:49] Jess McAnally: Hell yeah.

[22:50] Andrew DeWolf: Hell yeah. Why am I so red-looking?

[22:54] Jess McAnally: No, I am too. Don't worry.

[22:57] Andrew DeWolf: She was so horny and gay that she had to start killing people. That's my review of Heathers, too. We're going to go with five again.

[23:05] Jess McAnally: That's a one, Andrew.

[23:08] Andrew DeWolf: Spoiler, some people didn't like this show on Letterboxd, so it's not a five.

[23:12] Jess McAnally: I will say, this is probably going to be one of their more controversial and polarizing ones.

[23:17] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, once it gets on YouTube, I'm excited to see what the comments are. I think it might be the one where they get a dislike ratio that hurts them.

[23:25] Jess McAnally: Yeah.

[23:26] Andrew DeWolf: Are you ready, Jess?

[23:27] Jess McAnally: I'm ready.

[23:28] Andrew DeWolf: I knew she was going to say that.

[23:29] Jess McAnally: I knew she was going to say that.

[23:30] Andrew DeWolf: I knew she was going to fuck the dead guy.

[23:34] Jess McAnally: I fucking called it.

[23:35] Andrew DeWolf: One star.

[23:37] Jess McAnally: Five.

[23:38] Andrew DeWolf: Fuck!

[23:39] Jess McAnally: I mean, no shit. That was very telegraphic. It was set up from the beginning.

[23:44] Andrew DeWolf: I literally predicted it while watching Act 2. It was like, so she's going to have sex to make the prophecy happen, right? Boom.

[23:51] Jess McAnally: I hate the prophecy.

[23:53] Andrew DeWolf: I hate that that's how it's resolved.

[23:56] Jess McAnally: It's a lot.

[23:56] Andrew DeWolf: It's a lot. I can get into some details on it later because I have the internet.

[24:00] Jess McAnally: I don't mind that that's how it resolved. I just don't like the fact that the prophecy thing exists at all.

[24:04] Andrew DeWolf: I don't. I mean, sex being the thing that wraps it up, but also like, I don't know. It's a bit of a funny subversion since like usually in horror movies, sex is what gets you killed. But I mean, with the title, it feels a little too on the nose for me.

[24:18] Jess McAnally: Maybe.

[24:19] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe. All right. Right, Andrew?

[24:21] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[24:21] Jess McAnally: What being horny does to a motherfucker?

[24:25] Andrew DeWolf: Um, one star.

[24:27] Jess McAnally: One star.

[24:27] Andrew DeWolf: That's a five.

[24:29] Jess McAnally: Ah, ready, Jess?

[24:31] Jess McAnally: I'm always ready.

[24:32] Andrew DeWolf: This is misspelled, by the way. Um, delicious.

[24:36] Jess McAnally: That's a five.

[24:37] Andrew DeWolf: That's correct. Uh, I love horny gay people.

[24:41] Jess McAnally: Uh, that's a five.

[24:43] Andrew DeWolf: Correct. Do you love horny gay people, Andrew?

[24:46] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, how do you feel about horny gay people?

[24:48] Jess McAnally: Uh, I don't like horny people at all.

[24:49] Andrew DeWolf: Damn, asexual king. My client has no further comment at this time.

[24:55] Jess McAnally: That's a five.

[24:56] Andrew DeWolf: That's a one.

[24:57] Jess McAnally: Fuck!

[24:59] Andrew DeWolf: All right, Andrew, you can get, you can, you can catch up. You can win or get ahead.

[25:04] Jess McAnally: Bread and butt sex.

[25:06] Andrew DeWolf: Came from the butt.

[25:07] Jess McAnally: That's true.

[25:09] Andrew DeWolf: Bread and butt sex.

[25:11] Jess McAnally: Uh, oh yeah, that's, that's the, that's the joke that they, yeah, we're gonna give it five because they're doing the joke.

[25:15] Andrew DeWolf: Correct. All right, Andrew is winning. Gonna fucking kill you in your sleep.

[25:21] Jess McAnally: Excellent. Jess gets one more to tie it.

[25:24] Andrew DeWolf: Tie it, and there's one more after that, so.

[25:26] Jess McAnally: So Andrew can still beat me no matter what. Technically. Even though I went first, so I'm literally cheating, but you know, it's fun.

[25:34] Andrew DeWolf: Why don't we just call this last one a tiebreaker and whoever guesses it first.

[25:38] Jess McAnally: Yeah, let's, we can do that.

[25:41] Andrew DeWolf: So do you want to do the next two as that?

[25:43] Jess McAnally: No, I have to tie it first, but if I get it.

[25:48] Andrew DeWolf: All right, ready?

[25:50] Jess McAnally: Ready.

[25:50] Andrew DeWolf: I had fun.

[25:51] Jess McAnally: You're tricking me, that's a one star.

[25:53] Andrew DeWolf: Correct.

[25:53] Jess McAnally: All right, this is a tough one.

[25:58] Andrew DeWolf: Okay.

[25:59] Jess McAnally: So I want to hear buzzing sound.

[26:00] Andrew DeWolf: Okay.

[26:01] Jess McAnally: It's, it's one word.

[26:03] Andrew DeWolf: Normal.

[26:04] Jess McAnally: Jess.

[26:05] Andrew DeWolf: Five.

[26:06] Jess McAnally: Correct.

[26:07] Andrew DeWolf: I win!

[26:09] Jess McAnally: I think he just guessed.

[26:10] Andrew DeWolf: That is a hard, what?

[26:12] Jess McAnally: I just knew if I buzzed, I had a 50-50 chance, Andrew.

[26:16] Andrew DeWolf: God dang. If you buzzed at the same time, you could have squeezed it.

[26:19] Jess McAnally: Um, you know what else we can squeeze? Our wonderful patrons. How about we go into a mid-show?

[26:24] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[26:25] Jess McAnally: Jess is horny tonight.

[26:26] Andrew DeWolf: So horny.

[26:27] Jess McAnally: For our Patreon.

[26:37] Andrew DeWolf: Hey guys, sorry to interrupt you in the middle of the show, but we're horny for Patreon. Today's show is brought to you by the extremely kind donations by our donors over at Patreon. Patreon is this wonderful place where you can give us money and we can do better content for it. Um, so give us money. Give us your fuck.

[26:54] Jesse McAnally: Put it in the bag. If you give us money, we'll do extra podcasts and we'll do commentaries. Give us your money and you can hang out with us and we'll do these fucking live streams and we'll play Jackbox Game. Give us your money and we will do anything you ask. Just give us your fucking money and we'll do things for you.

[27:15] Andrew DeWolf: Oh my god, our current patrons are...

[27:19] Jesse McAnally: Yes! Frasier, Sammy the Adequate of Mt. Jacobson, Liana Morton, Kaylee Blazier, Cinemageddon Reviews, Villainous Miss Sofina Ali, TheOmegaGeek, Paige Pearson, Maddy Wargel, Eliza Erdman, Anna Loskatova, Sarah Den Blaker, Evan Ball, Zachary Torres, Rora Marasso, Mara Forloin, Lisa L., Possessed Washing Machine, Nick Roten, Puffyboy, Julia Hardy, Jay Kusia, Sydney Hicks, Anna Bell, Billy Clifton, Andrew Wright, TheRedCabooseKaboom and Katie. They give us the financial support that helps us keep the lights on here at Musical.G. So give us your fucking money! To be just like them, they give us their fucking money!

[28:32] Andrew DeWolf: We have some very cool bonus content on the Patreon, check it out!

[28:37] Jesse McAnally: We do, but also, before we get back to the show, we've got some new reviews on our show on Apple Podcasts and we always read those. So let's take a look at the first one. It's from OOV. And they said, their title is, The show is... in about 20 dots. As if to imply that they're holding for tension. Show is funny. Andrew and Jess, yes. It's all yes. I hate it. No, I don't. Or do I? Who knows? I have completely, totally, totally legitimate question. Thoughts on Letterboxd the Musical?

[29:15] Andrew DeWolf: It's an idea, but I feel like there wouldn't be a coherent plot.

[29:19] Jesse McAnally: No, it'd just be random horny plus gibberish.

[29:22] Andrew DeWolf: It'd be a lot of horny.

[29:24] Jesse McAnally: Thank you for the review.

[29:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that was a five-star review. Thank you for reading us a review. Leave us more. The next one is from SirLY. They said, great podcast. Very humorous and entertaining.

[29:37] Jesse McAnally: I am 98% sure that was my own father re-reviewing this show.

[29:43] Andrew DeWolf: That would make some sense.

[29:45] Jesse McAnally: Thank you, Jesse's dad.

[29:47] Andrew DeWolf: At least no one called it educational.

[29:49] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, don't do that.

[29:51] Andrew DeWolf: It would be a false lie.

[29:53] Jesse McAnally: And this one is from the YouTubes. And this is from Brook3312. Hey guys, just came across your video. I know it's a podcast, but you guys should film it. Don't be afraid. Good topic.

[30:08] Andrew DeWolf: We do film it, and they go specifically to our Patreon. We feel like if we gave that out to everyone, it would become a little less special. So you get the audio only, and they get the video, plus extended conversations that no one else gets. Unedited, by the way.

[30:23] Jesse McAnally: Unedited completely. If you like the fun editing, the video won't have that. But you'll get to see us.

[30:30] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, and you get to see a lot of things that Andrew correctly cuts out, but they are funny in the moment.

[30:37] Jesse McAnally: Yes, there is certain episodes where you are missing a ton of content if you aren't watching the video versions.

[30:43] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, specifically Brent Black episodes, I think like 45 to 50 minutes get cut out of those.

[30:49] Jesse McAnally: Or more recently, our School of Rock episode, where we cut some insane ramblings.

[30:58] Andrew DeWolf: Can't share those with the public.

[31:00] Jesse McAnally: Literally, we would get in a large amount of trouble if those got out.

[31:05] Andrew DeWolf: They already are out.

[31:07] Jesse McAnally: Oh, no! Well, let's get back to the show. How did you like the opening number, High School is Killing Me?

[31:21] ♪ Musical number: "High School is Killing Me" ♪

[32:33] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like the song is mostly fine, but the lyric in the chorus is a little strange to me.

[32:43] Jesse McAnally: Which one?

[32:46] Andrew DeWolf: What are they saying? Something, melody, rhythm, melody?

[32:51] Jesse McAnally: I don't remember how it goes. High School is Killing Me. It's got me out of my rhythm and my melody.

[32:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that feels weird to me. I don't know why. It's got me out of my rhythm and my melody. Maybe they should have done something with it and I would have liked it, but I feel like they didn't.

[33:08] Jesse McAnally: They also call it a fallacy two lines later.

[33:10] Andrew DeWolf: Because fallacy rhymes with melody.

[33:12] Jesse McAnally: Yes.

[33:13] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, if you're drunk.

[33:14] Jesse McAnally: Jeff Blim, are you drunk?

[33:16] Andrew DeWolf: I think Jeff Blim, it's not like I don't hate that. It felt weird to me, that particular lyric.

[33:22] Jesse McAnally: I think a lot of the lyrics in the show are a little iffy, but I think all the lyrics written by Jeff Blim for all the StarKid shows are kind of iffy, too.

[33:33] Andrew DeWolf: Dare we mention Mud On Your Dick?

[33:36] Jesse McAnally: You know, I was listening to it. I think it's actually Blood On Your Dick.

[33:41] Andrew DeWolf: I'm pretty sure it is Blood On Your Dick. It's just we keep thinking it's Mud On Your Dick.

[33:45] Jesse McAnally: I'll look it up. I think it's Blood. Not that that makes it better. It's just I think that that is what it's supposed to be.

[33:53] Andrew DeWolf: I thought it was literally Mud On Your Dick, but I'm often wrong. Let's talk about your favorite number, Dirty Girl.

[34:01] ♪ Musical number: "Dirty Girl" ♪

[35:16] Jesse McAnally: It's so over-the-top that I feel like it just... This is StarKid, you know? This is what you came here for. You know? Am I wrong on that?

[35:26] Andrew DeWolf: I like it. In the moment, I think I really thought it was funnier when she brings up her fantasy to the man himself and assumes that he knew the context. And like a reasonable person, he's like, dirty girl soup, why the fuck would I say that? She's like, that's what you said in my fantasy. And then he finds it hot inexplicably.

[35:45] Jesse McAnally: I think it's just because he thinks she's hot.

[35:47] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[35:49] Jesse McAnally: Does he just want her because she's Christian or does he have like actual feelings for her, do you think?

[35:55] Andrew DeWolf: I honestly, I think the bully character has basically no personality traits outside of just being the bully. Although I do think it's funny when he basically forgives everybody and misinterprets them trying to get revenge on him as the nicest thing anyone's ever done for him. And then he dies immediately after by accident and then blames them anyways.

[36:19] Jesse McAnally: Yeah. I think his death is very funny. I really like the first act. I think the first act is near perfect, honestly. I really like the bully the bully and bury the bully counterpoint. I really think that's where Grace really kind of shines. And you see like what is supposed to be like this fun little prank turned seamlessly into a horrendous murder cover up with the same beat, same melody and everything.

[36:46] Andrew DeWolf: You know, we sometimes talk about structure and everything, right?

[36:49] Jesse McAnally: Yes.

[36:51] Andrew DeWolf: And I don't know if Starkid shows typically follow the traditional structure, but let's pretend that they do.

[36:55] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[36:57] Andrew DeWolf: I think the bully is the one with the I Want song since it is immediately after the opening number or where he sings about how he is a literal monster. And then, of course, becomes a literal monster.

[37:10] Jesse McAnally: I think that High School is Killing Me is more of a prologue and literal monster is kind of setting up the tension, which would make cool as I think I am the I Want song.

[37:20] Andrew DeWolf: Okay, so you think that there's a prologue song. Also, I did look it up. So in the film version, Cory Doris sings Mud, but Jeff Blum confirmed it's supposed to be Blood.

[37:32] Jesse McAnally: But why?

[37:33] Andrew DeWolf: We were half right.

[37:35] Jesse McAnally: But why would you make it wrong in the film version that everyone would look at?

[37:39] Andrew DeWolf: I guess I don't know why. I don't know the logic. I guess Jeff Blum confirmed this on the Internet at some point.

[37:45] Jesse McAnally: Is it because YouTube censors Blood?

[37:47] Andrew DeWolf: That probably was it, most likely. Maybe they thought Mud was funnier.

[37:52] Jesse McAnally: Mud is not funnier. Okay, off topic. Act One Closer, Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

[38:25] ♪ Musical number: "Nerdy Prudes Must Die" ♪

[39:46] Andrew DeWolf: This song is good, but it frustrates me. Because it feels like there's too many words for the lyric. There's too many words for the phrase. It feels like they're racing to try to get the words out. Does that make sense?

[39:58] Jesse McAnally: I kind of felt that as well. I almost feel like they should have come up with a different title for this. Nerdy prudes must die is just a little bit long.

[40:08] Andrew DeWolf: It's wordy, but all of them.

[40:10] Jesse McAnally: It's too many syllables. Guy That Didn't Like Musicals is also wordy. And that also feels like they're racing to fill that into the phrase too.

[40:17] Andrew DeWolf: The guy who didn't like musicals!

[40:19] Jesse McAnally: Nice!

[40:22] Jesse McAnally: Maybe they think it's funny when it's quick like that. Which, in a way, it has a certain feel to it.

[40:28] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know, but even when they sing dirty dudes must die at the end it still feels like they're rushing to try to get it in before the hit.

[40:35] Jesse McAnally: Dirty dudes must die!

[40:37] Andrew DeWolf: Dirty dudes must die!

[40:39] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, they go really fast.

[40:41] Andrew DeWolf: Because it's a lot of syllables to throw in to like half a measure.

[40:45] Jesse McAnally: It doesn't feel very melodic and it throws me off all the time.

[40:50] Andrew DeWolf: Not worth bringing up, but I do like the Nighthawk song just because it has the cheer in that. And I don't know, it may be the Camp Rock 2 in me I love a good stupid cheer.

[40:21] Jesse McAnally: Night!

[40:21] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:22] Jesse McAnally: C!

[40:22] Andrew DeWolf: Night!

[40:23] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:23] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:24] Jesse McAnally: Fly!

[40:24] Andrew DeWolf: And!

[40:25] Jesse McAnally: Night!

[40:25] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:26] Jesse McAnally: C!

[40:26] Andrew DeWolf: Night!

[40:27] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:27] Andrew DeWolf: C!

[40:28] Jesse McAnally: Night!

[40:28] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:29] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:29] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:30] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:30] Andrew DeWolf: Duh!

[40:31] Jesse McAnally: Duh! Duh!

[40:31] Andrew DeWolf: Caw! Caw!

[40:32] Jesse McAnally: Oh my god, it's so stupid! The caw caw is so freaking...

[40:33] Andrew DeWolf: They don't do that more than once too, it's not just in the song.

[40:33] Jesse McAnally: They do it like five or six times.

[40:34] Andrew DeWolf: Five times? It's so fucking weird.

[40:35] Jesse McAnally: I love it, and they just refer to the game as the big game.

[40:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[40:36] Jesse McAnally: Like...

[40:36] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:37] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:37] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:38] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:38] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:39] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[40:39] Andrew DeWolf: Ha!

[40:40] Jesse McAnally: Ha!

[41:10] Andrew DeWolf: I have a title from Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, which will make that impossible to Google for the rest of time.

[41:40] Jesse McAnally: If I loved you, you would know it. If I loved you, I would show it. If I loved you like you should be loved. Loved you like I'm capable of. If you were the one I'm thinking of, oh. Oh babe, I'd let you know.

[42:04] Andrew DeWolf: I almost wish that it was more of an intentional reference. I mean, it may be an intentional reference, but I feel like they should have quoted the song or something.

[42:12] Jesse McAnally: Not even once. It's more like, if I loved you, you would know. It's very kind of rock. This might be a presumptuous thing.

[42:20] Andrew DeWolf: I don't think Jeff Blim knows a lot about musical theater.

[42:24] Jesse McAnally: That is probably true.

[42:26] Andrew DeWolf: Whereas I think.

[42:27] Jesse McAnally: He probably doesn't know that he just named a song after one of the most famous music theater songs ever.

[42:32] Andrew DeWolf: I really don't think he has a big breadth. Whereas I feel like A.J. Holmes, who did the score for Twisted and all that, and the Harry Potter musicals, really has an understanding of musical theater and references and a deep, the wealth of knowledge.

[42:48] Jesse McAnally: So we can throw little references and callbacks and things.

[42:51] Andrew DeWolf: Or Jeff Blim is like, oh, it'd be funny if they did. He's a real kind of like dude's dude kind of songwriter.

[42:58] Jesse McAnally: Which is fine. I mean, it's not a bad thing. We need that type of writer sometimes, but I think it sets us apart from a lot of like proper Broadway theater.

[43:07] Andrew DeWolf: Also, A.J. Holmes did the music for Me and My Dick, so.

[43:11] Jesse McAnally: But he also did Twisted, didn't he?

[43:13] Andrew DeWolf: He did do Twisted, but I'm just saying he also did Me and My Dick, so everyone has a moment.

[43:18] Jesse McAnally: Also, Derrick Chris did lyrics for Me and My Dick.

[43:21] Andrew DeWolf: I did know that one. He did the lyrics for the first Harry Potter, the second Harry Potter and Me and My Dick and a little bit of Starship.

[43:28] Jesse McAnally: Me and My Dick must be really good.

[43:30] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, kids, vote. You guys really like talking about it. Vote at home. Should we do Starship next or Me and My Dick next?

[43:37] Jesse McAnally: Please vote for Starship.

[43:38] Andrew DeWolf: Or one of the Harry Potters.

[43:40] Jesse McAnally: I'm campaigning for Starship.

[43:42] Andrew DeWolf: Please vote for anything but one of the Harry Potters.

[43:44] Jesse McAnally: Anything.

[43:45] Andrew DeWolf: I don't want to cover Harry Potter.

[43:47] Jesse McAnally: What is our overall thoughts on Nerdy Prudes Must Die and our cheese ratings?

[43:52] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like we've been more negative than I really intended because, I don't know, I feel like I kind of liked this one for the most part.

[43:58] Jesse McAnally: I feel like we front-loaded the positivity, though.

[44:00] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that's true.

[44:01] Jesse McAnally: I think that what I kind of felt was weak was the music, honestly.

[44:07] Andrew DeWolf: And that feels a little mean to say, but on some ways I think the music was one of the weaker aspects of this.

[44:15] Jesse McAnally: And I really more enjoyed some of the story things that they were doing, especially in the first half.

[44:22] Andrew DeWolf: That being said, it's still a completely good Starkid musical.

[44:27] Jesse McAnally: And if you have, what, two hours and you want to watch something on YouTube, it's probably a good use of your time.

[44:35] Andrew DeWolf: Fair enough.

[44:37] Jesse McAnally: As far as a cheese rating, I feel like they referenced a cheese in the show, but I can't remember.

[44:45] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe we give it butter instead of a cheese.

[44:49] Jesse McAnally: Instead of butter, we say butt sex instead.

[44:51] Andrew DeWolf: Can't you?

[44:53] Jesse McAnally: You're making us think about that night at the lake.

[44:55] Andrew DeWolf: I struggle with this show because I can tell that they like horror tropes, but I don't believe the writers like horror movies.

[45:03] Jesse McAnally: And maybe that's a like if they did, they would reference it the way that they reference specific Disney movies or they respect Disney musicals and things like that.

[45:13] Andrew DeWolf: Whereas here it just felt like they like the idea of some horror aspects.

[45:19] Jesse McAnally: There is not a single like there's they don't play with the narrative at all like they play with a little bit of the sound in the soundscape.

[45:27] Andrew DeWolf: But I did not feel the horror elements were effective and therefore the comedy just felt like all that they were offering.

[45:33] Jesse McAnally: And when that kind of fell flat in the second half, when you're trying to take a little more seriously, it just didn't hit for me.

[45:39] Andrew DeWolf: So really, I feel conflicted about this.

[45:43] Jesse McAnally: And I know I sound more negative than I should, but I think it's because I loved the first act so fucking much.

[45:49] Andrew DeWolf: And then the second act felt like it kind of let me down a bit more.

[45:53] Jesse McAnally: And I'm now noticing that is a fairly common trend with Starkid musicals, especially the more recent ones with the score by Jeff Blim.

[46:01] Andrew DeWolf: I would love it if they did something a little different.

[46:05] Jesse McAnally: I know we love the Hatcherfield thing, but maybe try taking a step back and doing something a little differently for the next one.

[46:11] Andrew DeWolf: But the things I like, I really, really like.

[46:15] Jesse McAnally: And I will give this soft goat cheese from Dirty Girl Farm.

[46:19] Andrew DeWolf: Because I'm going to make some Dirty Girl soup.

[46:23] Jesse McAnally: And that is in Andes, New York.

[46:27] Andrew DeWolf: I was thinking cheddar cheese soup after some reflection. I feel like that's fitting.

[46:31] Jesse McAnally: Perfect. Alright, Liz.

[46:35] Andrew DeWolf: I struggled with this initially, but some of these started to grow on me a little bit.

[46:39] Jesse McAnally: I think this will be either a love it or hate it in general among Starkids.

[46:43] Andrew DeWolf: There's a lot of aspects that we're nitpicking.

[46:47] Jesse McAnally: Act 1 is so good that Act 2 just kind of drips down in terms of quality.

[46:51] Andrew DeWolf: But I enjoyed it overall. I thought the performances were good.

[46:55] Jesse McAnally: I thought the songs were decent across the board.

[46:59] Andrew DeWolf: Some of them weren't super strong, but they were solid.

[47:03] Jesse McAnally: I enjoyed this a lot, and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

[47:07] Andrew DeWolf: If you're a fan, if you've been a fan of Starkid for a while, if you're a fan of musicals in general.

[47:15] Jesse McAnally: I do miss there's more horror movie references in it, though. I totally agree with that.

[47:19] Andrew DeWolf: So I'm going to give this the cheese grater from Evil Dead Rise.

[47:23] Jesse McAnally: Because... spooky!

[47:27] Andrew DeWolf: Did you like Evil Dead Rise?

[47:31] Jesse McAnally: I loved Evil Dead Rise.

[47:35] Andrew DeWolf: I was in theaters with three people in the theater with me and my significant other. It was delightful.

[47:39] Jesse McAnally: It was when I was in the midst of making the movie.

[47:43] Andrew DeWolf: And it was the first day that I just had to not think about it for an hour.

[47:47] Jesse McAnally: It's a perfect don't-think movie.

[47:51] Andrew DeWolf: Truly one of the most calming, wonderful experiences I've had in months up to that point.

[47:55] Jesse McAnally: So I don't want to re-watch it any time soon.

[47:59] Andrew DeWolf: Because I'm scared it won't be as good as that first watch.

[48:03] Jesse McAnally: It's on Max if you want to check it out.

[48:07] Andrew DeWolf: Have you watched it, Andrew?

[48:11] Jesse McAnally: I have not.

[48:15] Andrew DeWolf: He's like, did you watch Evil Dead Rise? I was like, hell yeah!

[48:19] Jesse McAnally: He's like, that was the most disgusting movie I've ever seen.

[48:23] Andrew DeWolf: Truly, truly heinous stuff.

[48:27] Jesse McAnally: There's no hope in that movie. There's no joy in that movie.

[48:31] Andrew DeWolf: I'm like, yeah, I think you're going for the wrong things with an Evil Dead movie.

[48:35] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, if you're going for hope and joy, don't go see an Evil Dead movie.

[48:39] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know, Evil Dead 2 is pretty funny.

[48:43] Jesse McAnally: Honestly, I would expect an Evil Dead movie to be very funny.

[48:47] Andrew DeWolf: It is not funny. I don't know about hopeful.

[48:51] Jesse McAnally: I've only seen the first Evil Dead because I watched it while I was working on Evil Dead the Musical in college.

[48:55] Andrew DeWolf: And I was at a party watching it, and by the time I got to Evil Dead 2, I was too drunk to enjoy Evil Dead 2.

[48:59] Jesse McAnally: So I went in the kitchen and kept drinking.

[49:03] Andrew DeWolf: Andrew, you have to put Nerdy Prudes Must Die in your Starkid ranking at the bottom of this.

[49:07] Jesse McAnally: Remind us where everything else is.

[49:11] Andrew DeWolf: In A-tier we have Guy That Didn't Like Musicals and Black Friday.

[49:15] Jesse McAnally: In B-tier we have Trail to Oregon and Holy Musical Batman.

[49:19] Andrew DeWolf: In C-tier we have The Very Potter Musical, and we don't have anything in D-tier.

[49:23] Jesse McAnally: Yet.

[49:27] Andrew DeWolf: Me and My Dick are still coming.

[49:31] Jesse McAnally: I'm probably going to put this at the bottom of A or the top of B.

[49:35] Andrew DeWolf: Honestly, I'd put it above the other two.

[49:39] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[49:43] Andrew DeWolf: See, I'm kind of remembering those and being like, yeah, I like those, but I don't really remember anything about them.

[49:47] Jesse McAnally: You know, I'll take Jess's opinion into consideration.

[49:51] Andrew DeWolf: We will put it right below Twisted.

[49:55] Jesse McAnally: So this is Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

[49:59] Andrew DeWolf: And I feel like you made a great point during your recap there.

[50:03] Jesse McAnally: There really just needed to be more horror movie references.

[50:07] Andrew DeWolf: I felt like they just didn't know.

[50:11] Jesse McAnally: They knew the tropes, but they didn't know the movies or anything.

[50:15] Andrew DeWolf: Not to throw this out, but it's very similar to American Horror Story, where I feel like Ryan Murphy likes horror movies, but he doesn't love them enough.

[50:19] Jesse McAnally: So I will never watch that show.

[50:23] Andrew DeWolf: That show has one good season and a bunch of garbage.

[50:27] Jesse McAnally: That show looks to me like it's supposed to be horror for people that don't like horror.

[50:31] Andrew DeWolf: No horror fan I've ever interacted with actually watches that show.

[50:35] Jesse McAnally: I've never seen any of it.

[50:39] Andrew DeWolf: My girlfriend really loved it.

[50:43] Jesse McAnally: My girlfriend really liked it for the first five, six seasons.

[50:47] Andrew DeWolf: So I would watch it.

[50:51] Jesse McAnally: And the only good season is the second season that takes place in an asylum where someone is put in there that is not supposed to be there.

[50:55] Andrew DeWolf: And that alone is kind of scary.

[50:59] Jesse McAnally: And then horrible things happen there.

[51:03] Andrew DeWolf: That is the only one that has an effective premise.

[51:07] Jesse McAnally: Every other one is garbo.

[51:11] Andrew DeWolf: I heard Coven is pretty good, but people like witches.

[51:15] Jesse McAnally: It might be a hot take for me, but I don't think a TV horror series can ever be good unless it's anthology.

[51:19] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I'm with you.

[51:23] Jesse McAnally: What about season long anthology?

[51:27] Andrew DeWolf: I've seen Scream season one. It's not good.

[51:31] Jesse McAnally: Horror works long form.

[51:35] Andrew DeWolf: Horror of Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass.

[51:39] Jesse McAnally: So I watched Haunting of Bly Manor and I thought it was good, but I did not think it was scary.

[51:43] Andrew DeWolf: I watch Midnight Mass because I'm a Catholic.

[51:47] Jesse McAnally: I'm a former Catholic, so it's extra scary to me.

[51:51] Andrew DeWolf: But I found it scary, but I didn't find it scary scary.

[51:55] Jesse McAnally: It was creepy.

[51:59] Andrew DeWolf: I think long form horror like that doesn't work unless it's being told in a specific way.

[52:03] Jesse McAnally: The example I would think of is Marble Hornets or something like that.

[52:07] Andrew DeWolf: Like an internet series where it's short bits and it's being fed to you.

[52:11] Jesse McAnally: Flanagan's scariest stuff is short.

[52:15] Andrew DeWolf: Like his movies.

[52:19] Jesse McAnally: Hush is his scariest movie and it's the shortest project he's ever made.

[52:23] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. Doctor Sleep freaks me the fuck out.

[52:27] Jesse McAnally: I watched it with my dad.

[52:31] Andrew DeWolf: I'm going to throw one that I know no one has seen, but I think is one of the most underrated scary shows ever.

[52:35] Jesse McAnally: And that is the Fox Exorcist series.

[52:39] Andrew DeWolf: Does anyone else remember this?

[52:43] Jesse McAnally: I remember it coming out and then being cancelled immediately.

[52:47] Andrew DeWolf: It was cancelled after two seasons and it had some of the best currently now horror directions.

[52:51] Jesse McAnally: Like Ty West who did Pearl and X was one of the directors of Ant-Man and the Wasp.

[52:55] Andrew DeWolf: It is truly one of the most haunting and horrifying TV shows ever put on.

[52:59] Jesse McAnally: And it was on just a network show.

[53:03] Andrew DeWolf: I was thinking of Rosemary's Baby, the TV show that got promptly cancelled very quickly.

[53:07] Jesse McAnally: It's like the Heather's TV show that got cancelled before it even aired.

[53:11] Andrew DeWolf: Speaking of cancelled before it even aired, thank you guys for listening.

[53:15] Jesse McAnally: We're on iTunes, Spotify, and nowhere else but Musicals with Cheese.

[53:19] Andrew DeWolf: We're on Twitter at CheesyMeatsicles, Patreon MeatsiclesCheese, Instagram MeatsiclesCheese, YouTube page MeatsiclesCheese, Patreon-only podcast PatreonMeatsiclesCheese, email us at musicaltheatrelives@gmail.com or keeperofthecheese at julietantonio. I love you, Juliet.

[53:23] Jesse McAnally: Here's some ASMR for you. Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

[53:29] Andrew DeWolf: Thank you to the Broadway Podcast Network for having us on the platform and for not kicking us off or whatever the fuck that just was.

[53:37] Jesse McAnally: Alright guys, do we have anything left to say?

[53:39] Andrew DeWolf: I'm gonna drink the soup.

[53:41] Jesse McAnally: Thanks for watching!