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[0:00] Jess McAnally: Hello, I'm Jess. And I'm Andrew. And welcome to Musicals with Cheese, a podcast where I try to get Andrew to like musical theater. And today we're joined by a wonderful special guest. Would you like to introduce yourself?

[0:14] Christi Esterle: Hi, I'm Christi Esterle, and I'm best known as Diva in Musical Hell. Wonderful show. Please check it out. There's no reason that you're here that you wouldn't have already known about this. But if you haven't, what are you doing with your life? Please watch her. She is amazing. And today we are covering something a little bit out of left field, maybe not so much because of the month, but just because of the content. But we are covering Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock's She Loves Me.

[0:50] Jess McAnally: She loves me. And to my amazement. I love it. Knowing that she loves me. She loves me. True, she doesn't show it. How could she when she doesn't know it?

[1:07] Andrew Clark: Oh, it is kind of a holiday thing. It does climax around Christmas. So that works.

[1:12] Jess McAnally: It fits. It fits. There's a Christmas song in it. I mean, it works perfectly, I think.

[1:18] Christi Esterle: Yes, there is. All right. So She Loves Me is a musical written by with a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock adapted from the 1937 play Perfumery by Miklos Laszlo. The plot revolves around the Budapest shop employees, Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash, who despite...

[1:37] Jess McAnally: Georg. Georg, shit.

[1:41] Christi Esterle: It's what they ever say, his first name in the show once or twice. I remember it very well. It's also the way you pronounce the main character in The Sound of Music.

[1:52] Andrew Clark: Yes, Georg von Trapp. Christopher Plummer's character in The Sound of Music.

[1:55] Christi Esterle: Yes. All right, Jess, try that again. Anyway. No, I'm keeping the mistake. Who despite being consistently at odds with each other at work are unaware of each other's secret pen pals through a lonely hearts club. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1963 and subsequently had productions in the West End in 1964 and award-winning revivals on each side of the Atlantic in the 1990s, as well as regional productions.

[2:26] Jess McAnally: She Loves Me. She Loves Me was revived again on Broadway in 2016, and the production became the first Broadway show ever to be live streamed, which is really incredible. So just in general, what did we all think about She Loves Me?

[2:39] Christi Esterle: It's something I actually had to warm up to. This is a musical that really depends on the people in it, the actors to make it work, because it is, you know, kind of... I don't know if silly is the word for it, but it is kind of a broad story. I would call it cheesy. I think cheesy is actually the right word for this.

[3:08] Andrew Clark: That might actually be a right word. By the way, if this plot is sounding familiar to anybody out there, this is hardly the first version of Perfumery ever to be done. There was the movie The Shop Around the Corner, the 90s Meg Ryan Tom Hanks film You've Got Mail. So it's been done a lot of times. And it's effective and it's ageless. Like even today with catfishing, it feels even more effective.

[3:31] Christi Esterle: Exactly. That's one of the reasons why they did it in the 90s, because it was basically the early Internet era version of this story. Instead of pen pals, you know, they're writing emails to one another. Nowadays, they would be texting or, you know, on Tinder or something. And it's lucky because a lot of the shows from like the mid-20th century really don't age well because the story doesn't quite hold up to like the Internet standards of things like why don't they just do this? Why don't they just do that? But we have still similar stories that are used on like reality television that are quite similar to Amalia and Georg. I feel like this is like it's almost just a basic romantic comedy plot, pretty much. It's a little cliché, but it might be one of the first to do it. So I'm not sure on that.

[4:18] Jess McAnally: It is. It's kind of the whole basic they're these two people, you know, they kind of... well, they think they don't like each other, but they do like each other. But there's this complication. And the complication, you know, tends to go on for a bit longer than anybody would have any right to do. And but it works. And it really works depending on the performances. And I'm very... I think we're all very blessed to have had the Zachary Levi, Laura Benanti production be the one that is now safe for the history books because they both really bring the charm and the enthusiasm to that production that I don't think quite like Judy Kuhn and any of the people like Barbara Cook were able to bring.

[5:00] Christi Esterle: Absolutely. I have to say this because the first time I saw this, it was in a regional production. And the people who were playing Amalia and Georg just were not clicking at all. And the guy playing Georg in particular was being... OK, I've got to explain there's this point in the musical where Georg figures out Amalia is his secret pen pal, but she doesn't know that it's him. And so, you know, there are these scenes where he's kind of... it feels like he's kind of yanking her chain almost because he's on a secret and she isn't. And when I first saw it, it was just so mean-spirited the way he did it. And I was thinking like, why would she want to be with you after this? But watching Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi do it, I was like, I got it because, you know, he was just so weirded out by the situation that he didn't know how to handle it. And he was just going about it all the wrong way. And it was actually kind of charming in a way. And that made it work for me.

[5:57] Andrew Clark: And I had a similar experience to where the first version I saw of it was the 1978 BBC film that they made where no one could really sing well and it was shot on a potato, but very much a similar situation to you where I just felt like he is manipulating her so he can get his own way and there was no romance to it. And then I saw Zachary Levi completely reinterpret it. And I'm like, oh, I see why she might be into you now.

[6:26] Christi Esterle: Exactly. I think the version I saw was the live stream version, I'm assuming. I thought all the performances were actually really good in that. So I'm glad that this is so heavily cast. If it's so heavily based on the performances, I'm glad that this is the one I got to see.

[6:45] Jess McAnally: I think you were very lucky in the seeing both the production design. I think the production design of the 2016 revival was one of its best aesthetics. Like it looks like a dollhouse.

[6:56] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I thought that was actually really neat. I would call it more like a jewel box. It's like this little elegant shop and then it opens up and you see all this beautiful perfumes and cosmetics and gilded staircases. And it's very beautiful.

[7:12] Andrew Clark: All right. Before we get too much into the specifics, do we want to go into like the overall plot of She Loves Me? I think we all basically covered the main part. I think we do need to talk about a lot of the subplots because there are some significant ones going on here. And they're actually pretty well developed for a romantic comedy. I mean, it's not just there to be funny. There's actually some really good moments for the secondary characters.

[7:36] Christi Esterle: All right, Diva, you go into that real quick. Like I elaborate on them.

[7:43] Jess McAnally: OK, so the main one is that concerns Ilona, who is a girl who works at the shop with Amalia and Georg, and she is dating Steven. I am going to totally mispronounce his last name. I think it's like Kodai. Is that right?

[7:59] Christi Esterle: Kodai. It's like spelled Kodaly, but it's pronounced Kodai. Yeah. And she's had this on and off again relationship with him. And he's just this total asshole womanizer jerk who, you know, is she is too good for and hasn't quite figured that out yet. And she's got this whole process where she's kind of on and off again with him and eventually figures out that he's no good for her. And she, you know, has this solo a trip to the library where she talks about going to the library and meeting with Paul, who, you know, opens up her love of literature and becomes a much better partner for her. That was kind of an interesting one. And it does kind of tie into the other subplots as well.

[8:44] Andrew Clark: Would you say that Kodai is the villain? Because I think I was talking with Jess when I was first watching this and I was mentioning that he is about as close to the antagonist as this play has, because, well, it's, you know, he has this thing with Alona, but there's also this bit with Mr. Marichek, if you want to get into that, because that kind of ties in there as well.

[9:06] Christi Esterle: Yeah, basically that ties directly. And so Marichek is... well, at first you just... he just kind of comes out and he's just kind of being a dick to everybody or... or how is his name pronounced? It's not George. It's Georg.

[9:20] Andrew Clark: Georg, yes. Specifically him. And then later you find out that it's because he thought that his wife was cheating on him with Georg, but it actually turns out to be Kodai. And basically right before the intermission, there's a... you think he committed suicide. He does try to kill himself. It's actually a pretty dark moment for what's a light romantic comedy. And it leaves you hanging for so long.

[9:58] Christi Esterle: Yeah, it's really dark. And then they go into like a comedic section for like four songs or something like that. And it's like, uh, didn't he just try to kill himself? Like, oh, my God.

[10:10] Andrew Clark: It's a little... it's a little tonally awkward, I'd say. But I mean, it leaves you wanting to see what happens in Act Two really badly.

[10:20] Christi Esterle: Definitely. And there's a neat little follow up after that, where the delivery boy, Arpad, is visiting him in the hospital after while he's recovering from the suicide attempt. And Arpad basically sells himself as the next salesman for Marichek's store. And they kind of built this... I don't know if friendship is the right word, but it's a really nice relationship moment between them.

[10:43] Andrew Clark: It is. But it's also like time and a place, Arpad.

[10:43] Christi Esterle: Yeah, kind of. I mean, didn't Arpad see this happen? Like, I feel like he'd be a little more traumatized than he is.

[10:59] Andrew Clark: He's also so willing to, like, cover the whole thing up for him. It's... I don't know. It just seems like it's awkwardly handled. It's also funny. It's like if you are going to have a suicide subplot in a romantic comedy, that's the way you handle it.

[11:09] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I guess. Just try not to mention it as much as possible. Like, it's just like, oh, yeah, this happened, but whatever. Sidestep that under the carpet. Fun.

[11:27] Andrew Clark: And he's like, he's all smiles immediately after. It's like, dude, is no one going to check to make sure he doesn't, like, try this again?

[11:36] Christi Esterle: Exactly. Well, I don't think the villain of this is really Kodai as much as it is dramatic irony.

[11:42] Andrew Clark: Yeah, well, that and Amalia and Georg just being completely bullheaded about each other, you know, well into the second act. There's this one scene where Amalia is sick and Georg comes to visit her and she's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. You're trying to get me into trouble at job. I'm perfectly fine. I just need to get up. And she's just all loopy and feverish and ridiculous. And he has to basically force her back into bed.

[12:10] Christi Esterle: And I don't know, I actually felt the relationship between Georg and Amalia like that hate turned love, because that's very similar to the very long time relationship I have with my girlfriend, where we just despise each other at first and then it grew into something more as we learn more about each other. So I felt real to me, at least in the Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi production.

[12:31] Andrew Clark: Absolutely. And it is, you know, a very classic trope, obviously, you know, we're talking Beatrice and Benedict, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. This goes way, way back. So it can be done very well, but it's also very, very easy to do terribly.

[12:49] Christi Esterle: And I think it relies entirely on performance.

[12:52] Andrew Clark: I think so, too. Now, why did Georg not tell her who he was for so long? Like he knows for a very long period of time and he just does not tell her.

[13:04] Christi Esterle: Well, I think that goes back to the power dynamics of the mid-20th century. It's like, can't let her have the power. I've got this power. Use it to my advantage.

[13:13] Andrew Clark: Yeah, there's a bit of that, but also Zachary Levi's interpretation of the character. I got the impression that he didn't know yet again, he didn't know how to handle this. And he had this impression that if he told her it was just going to completely destroy their relationship and he wasn't sure he wanted that to happen. It just seemed like a bit of cowardice where it seemed obvious that she probably would have responded positively to it since she was kind of turning around to him anyways.

[13:42] Christi Esterle: Well, he doesn't know that she doesn't show that immediately to him while in his presence. It's only when he leaves and she sings Vanilla Ice Cream that it's like obvious.

[13:57] Andrew Clark: Yeah, I mean, even later in the show, though, it takes him... it takes a lot of coercion to get him to actually finally spill the beans.

[14:04] Christi Esterle: Well, then you've been lying for months. You get just like changes. I almost feel like it's just happened at that point. I feel like at that point it would have been almost more negative than if he just come right out with it because it's like.

[14:16] Christi Esterle: Why didn't you just tell me you've known this whole time?

[14:19] Jess McAnally: I wonder how that day would have gone if he had been honest, like, and just showed up.

[14:24] Andrew Clark: It would have been very short, I think.

[14:26] Jess McAnally: All right, do you guys want to talk about this song specifically?

[14:28] Andrew Clark: Because this is from the same songwriters as Fiddler on the Roof.

[14:32] Christi Esterle: Absolutely.

[14:33] Andrew Clark: Oh, really?

[14:33] Christi Esterle: Yeah.

[14:34] Andrew Clark: Yes, it is.

[14:36] Christi Esterle: I actually didn't know that.

[14:38] Andrew Clark: So we had just done Fiddler on the Roof two weeks ago.

[14:42] Christi Esterle: Good morning.

[14:43] Andrew Clark: Good day.

[14:44] Jess McAnally: How are you this beautiful day?

[14:46] Christi Esterle: Isn't this a beautiful morning?

[14:48] Andrew Clark: Very.

[14:50] Christi Esterle: AC Bose, how's this?

[14:52] Andrew Clark: That's an awfully elegant pose.

[14:53] Christi Esterle: But is all that elegance necessary?

[14:56] Andrew Clark: And why?

[14:57] Christi Esterle: Good morning, good day, which is the opening number, introduces all the characters, but it feels a little too on the nose to me.

[15:03] Andrew Clark: I feel like it's not even really that great of an introduction to the characters either.

[15:07] Christi Esterle: Because, like, you don't really get a sense of who any of the characters are, just that they all work at this one place and they think it's a nice day.

[15:14] Andrew Clark: Yeah, it's, you know, on most memorable opening numbers, I wouldn't put it in my, you know, top five or top ten.

[15:21] Christi Esterle: But it's nice.

[15:22] Andrew Clark: I just feel like Andrew texted me in the middle of it saying, like, everyone just seems too nice.

[15:26] Christi Esterle: I feel suspicious.

[15:31] Andrew Clark: Well, like even the mustache twirler guy who's like a total sleazeball, like he's just saying, like, oh, it's a beautiful day.

[15:37] Christi Esterle: We should all go have a picnic.

[15:42] Andrew Clark: It's like, OK, sure, I'm down.

[15:46] Christi Esterle: Let's go have a picnic.

[15:46] Andrew Clark: Like, I wouldn't know who the important character is if the audience wasn't cheering for them.

[15:51] Christi Esterle: Well, yeah, because he's not even the first one to come out.

[15:53] Andrew Clark: It's the other guy that comes out.

[15:56] Christi Esterle: The head, the heavier one.

[15:59] Andrew Clark: Sipos, yeah.

[16:00] Christi Esterle: Sipos.

[16:01] Andrew Clark: OK, he might be my favorite character, but, you know, it's hard to hate the best friend character in any romantic comedy.

[16:10] Christi Esterle: I just like that he's got this perspective where nothing really matters.

[16:13] Andrew Clark: Just don't lose your job, which is a later song.

[16:17] Christi Esterle: But he's extremely pragmatic.

[16:19] Andrew Clark: Yes.

[16:20] Christi Esterle: So all the characters work together at this perfumery where they sell shampoos and perfumes and all this stuff, which is a very interesting setting altogether, which I like just because it's cool and you don't often see it.

[16:34] Andrew Clark: And it's metrosexual.

[16:36] Christi Esterle: And I like that, too.

[16:37] Andrew Clark: And then Amalia comes in and basically wows them all by being able to sell an object that they thought they could never sell by thinking outside of the box.

[16:47] Christi Esterle: So she wins us over immediately.

[16:49] Andrew Clark: I never used one.

[16:50] Christi Esterle: If you want to clip your earlobes, you may want to dye your hanging nails.

[16:56] Andrew Clark: Have a little on your husband's face.

[16:59] Christi Esterle: Won't he be surprised?

[17:03] Jess McAnally: I can talk personal for a sec.

[17:05] Christi Esterle: I work in sales and I liked all the songs about sales.

[17:10] Jess McAnally: I thought it was fun.

[17:10] Christi Esterle: And I liked the jerk customers that they had come in, which are just it's all real.

[17:10] Andrew Clark: It's all real.

[17:19] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I really like Sounds While Selling, which is the second song where it's basically, you know, an average day at the shop and you have all these customers and you're just getting little snippets of the conversation and they flip through.

[17:32] Jess McAnally: So they I can't I'm spacing on like any specific lyrics, but it comes off completely ridiculous.

[17:39] Christi Esterle: Like I need some cream for my ears or something like that.

[17:43] Andrew Clark: I need a brush to something with my chin or I don't remember.

[17:46] Christi Esterle: And if you put all these like specific requests, like I need a cream for my chin, I need a brush for my nose.

[17:50] Jess McAnally: And it's like, I need a cream for my nose and a brush for my chin.

[17:55] Christi Esterle: Mm hmm.

[17:57] Andrew Clark: I think it's a really clever song.

[17:59] Christi Esterle: And I also like the little thank you, madam, that they do every time somebody leaves.

[18:04] Andrew Clark: And I like the fact that they, you know, basically just break off whatever they're doing just to do this one number at the door of the shop while the customer leaves.

[18:11] Christi Esterle: And then they go right back to bickering or, you know, whatever they're doing.

[18:15] Jess McAnally: Imagine working at Panera and having to do that every time anyone exited.

[18:19] Christi Esterle: I'm just imagining like I go into my job and suddenly this is a thing.

[18:28] Andrew Clark: Oh, man, that would be a nightmare.

[18:30] Christi Esterle: They do not pay me enough for this.

[18:33] Andrew Clark: I feel bad enough for the people who have to sing happy birthday songs to the customers in restaurants.

[18:39] Christi Esterle: No, that's so bad.

[18:42] Andrew Clark: Every time they come out and I'm like, oh, just why do they have to do that?

[18:45] Christi Esterle: And nobody even wants them to do that, either.

[18:48] Andrew Clark: The people at the table do that.

[18:50] Christi Esterle: I mean, have you ever seen them?

[18:51] Andrew Clark: They're just like, absolutely.

[18:52] Christi Esterle: Yay.

[18:52] Andrew Clark: It's your birthday.

[18:53] Christi Esterle: Yay.

[18:54] Andrew Clark: I am not being paid enough for this.

[18:56] Christi Esterle: I have to do this or I won't get a tip.

[18:58] Andrew Clark: I have so much shit to do back in the kitchen, but I'm out here.

[19:03] Christi Esterle: Here I am singing the song young, strong.

[19:07] Andrew Clark: Oh, I was something in days gone by with some girl who just happened to catch my eye.

[19:21] Christi Esterle: Now, what do we all think about Days Gone By, which is Marachek's one and only song, really?

[19:28] Jess McAnally: I love that song.

[19:29] Christi Esterle: I mean, it's, you know, beautiful and nostalgic, and I think it fleshes out the character very well.

[19:35] Andrew Clark: Now, was this song supposed to take place before he learned about the like before he got that anonymous letter?

[19:41] Christi Esterle: Yes.

[19:42] Andrew Clark: Like, it wasn't really clear how many days it had been when he started just coming in and he suddenly just hates Novak.

[19:48] Christi Esterle: Rude.

[19:51] Andrew Clark: A rude dude.

[19:54] Christi Esterle: But I do like the song.

[19:56] Andrew Clark: It's a little waltzy, but it feels out of nowhere.

[19:59] Christi Esterle: I feel like it needs more of an introduction.

[20:00] Andrew Clark: It's like suddenly they're from dialogue to like sung, and I feel like you need like that little like cadence beforehand to lead them into it.

[20:09] Christi Esterle: I think with this type of show, you could just kind of have a song just for fun because it's such a lighthearted show.

[20:14] Andrew Clark: How clever do we think Amalia's little trick to like turn the cigar box into a candy box?

[20:20] Christi Esterle: That would not work with a real customer.

[20:22] Andrew Clark: No, she's obviously talking out of her ass, but you have to give her credit for trying.

[20:27] Christi Esterle: A candy box?

[20:31] Andrew Clark: Who's going to buy a candy box with music?

[20:34] Christi Esterle: That's absurd.

[20:35] Andrew Clark: Fat people, apparently.

[20:39] Christi Esterle: Oh, yeah, she's just she's coming at it like I'm fat, too.

[20:43] Andrew Clark: You got to understand.

[20:44] Christi Esterle: It's like, come on, get out of here.

[20:48] Andrew Clark: And depending on how good the music is, I don't know how good it would be at deterring someone to eat candy.

[20:53] Christi Esterle: It's like, oh, that's nice.

[20:54] Andrew Clark: I'm going to have another piece.

[20:55] Christi Esterle: Yeah, it's like in Zelda, you open up the box and there's a little jingle like, hey, you got some video game reference.

[21:01] Andrew Clark: I don't know why I made that.

[21:02] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[21:03] Christi Esterle: I really think the three letter song is crazy, clever and cute.

[21:27] Andrew Clark: Like the goofy excitement that Georg and Amalia have about the letters that they're getting from their like supposed lovers.

[21:34] Christi Esterle: I feel like it's very relevant now because it's just people are just texting constantly on these like social.

[21:44] Andrew Clark: What would you call like dating sites?

[21:45] Christi Esterle: Essentially, it's Tinder.

[21:46] Andrew Clark: I really don't.

[21:48] Christi Esterle: Yeah, you don't know these people at all, but people just they act as if they're really like dating already.

[21:54] Andrew Clark: And it's like you're really just texting someone you've never met.

[21:58] Christi Esterle: Yeah.

[21:58] Andrew Clark: Back then you had to work up before you sent them the new pics.

[22:03] Christi Esterle: Yeah, you could kind of open with those now.

[22:06] Andrew Clark: First thing you send to judging just right away.

[22:11] Christi Esterle: And it sets up the fact that Amalia and Georg, despite hating each other, actually love through letters.

[22:16] Andrew Clark: Yeah, it's basically the reveal of the entire premise.

[22:20] Christi Esterle: So, yeah, I thought there was going to be like a liar revealed kind of plot with it, because like Georg mentions later that he's sort of made up some stuff, but they never really go anywhere with that.

[22:34] Andrew Clark: Yeah, that is like in Tonight at Eight.

[22:36] Christi Esterle: He does admit that he like kind of fudged some facts.

[22:40] Andrew Clark: Yeah, it never really comes up, though, like she never is like, oh, well, you said you did this and it's it's really you.

[22:45] Christi Esterle: So that's definitely not true.

[22:48] Andrew Clark: Despite of all I've written, she may not be very smitten and my hopes perhaps may all collapse, kaput tonight at eight.

[22:58] Christi Esterle: I wish I knew exactly how I'll act and what will happen when we dine tonight at eight.

[23:04] Andrew Clark: I know I'll drop the silverware, but will I spill the water or the wine?

[23:08] Christi Esterle: How did we all like Tonight at Eight?

[23:09] Jess McAnally: I think that's a good like.

[23:12] Christi Esterle: It's a great pattern song, and I love watching, you know, Zachary Levi basically flipping out.

[23:17] Andrew Clark: He brings out his best like what's that guy from the Frank Capra films?

[23:24] Christi Esterle: I can't think of his name right now.

[23:27] Andrew Clark: Yes, he brings out his best Jimmy Stewart for that song.

[23:30] Christi Esterle: The guy that plays gay org in the live stream.

[23:32] Andrew Clark: What is that actor's name?

[23:33] Christi Esterle: Zachary Levi.

[23:34] Andrew Clark: Is he any movies or anything?

[23:36] Christi Esterle: He's about to be in Shazam.

[23:38] Andrew Clark: Oh, right.

[23:38] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I felt like I seen him somewhere the whole time.

[23:44] Andrew Clark: He's relatively famous.

[23:46] Christi Esterle: You think he's going to sing in Shazam?

[23:48] Andrew Clark: I somehow doubt it.

[24:06] Christi Esterle: Um, but all these songs are good is the sad part.

[24:10] Andrew Clark: Yeah, like I don't know which ones I skip because I don't want to skip.

[24:13] Christi Esterle: I don't know his name because it's a really cute moment between Amalia and Alona.

[24:17] Andrew Clark: It is.

[24:18] Christi Esterle: And Alona has this great line like, tell me all about this guy in your life.

[24:22] Andrew Clark: I live to suffer.

[24:24] Christi Esterle: Which feels like so modern despite it being written in the mid 20th century.

[24:29] Andrew Clark: Exactly.

[24:31] Christi Esterle: Let me live vicariously off of your much better life.

[24:35] Andrew Clark: That's a cute song.

[24:38] Christi Esterle: Is she singing about like her love life behind it?

[24:42] Andrew Clark: Yes.

[24:43] Christi Esterle: I couldn't really make out exactly what she what she was saying that entire time.

[24:46] Andrew Clark: So songs.

[24:48] Christi Esterle: I don't know his name.

[24:49] Andrew Clark: It's basically she's saying that she doesn't really know who this man is that she's been writing to, but because she's been reading, you know, reading all his letters, she feels like she knows him already.

[25:01] Christi Esterle: Yeah, but the other girl is also singing behind it.

[25:04] Andrew Clark: And I think she's singing about her own love life or something like that.

[25:06] Christi Esterle: Or questioning why she's not like worried about this.

[25:09] Andrew Clark: Ah, yeah.

[25:11] Christi Esterle: Okay.

[25:12] Andrew Clark: Then Gator gets fired.

[25:15] Christi Esterle: Because apparently I think he just didn't like appreciate Mr. Marachek enough.

[25:20] Andrew Clark: It kind of something like that.

[25:22] Christi Esterle: It comes out of nowhere, but it obviously is explained later as to why.

[25:27] Andrew Clark: When I first watched it, though, I was I was kind of I was a little confused.

[25:32] Christi Esterle: I'm like, what?

[25:33] Andrew Clark: All of a sudden, Marachek is just a villain for no reason.

[25:37] Christi Esterle: He was so nice to the first scenes, and then he just turns out of nowhere.

[25:40] Andrew Clark: He's such a nice guy early on, and then he's just like suddenly he's upset that, you know, the tubes of paste are coming out the wrong end, which I don't even know how it's all Malia's fault.

[25:54] Christi Esterle: Is she really that bad at putting in the paste or do you think Marachek set her up?

[25:58] Andrew Clark: I mean, she's new at the job, so it's probably on her.

[26:00] Christi Esterle: She did the job earlier at the other perfumery that she had a letter to come out the other end.

[26:06] Andrew Clark: Like, how do you even pull that off?

[26:09] Christi Esterle: I think, you know, you like have to seal it properly and and it didn't get sealed.

[26:14] Andrew Clark: So it's like all spilling out, you know, the little thin end of the tube.

[26:19] Christi Esterle: Oh, so the back part is open and you pour the you put the paste in or whatever cream and then you seal it up.

[26:27] Andrew Clark: That makes a lot of sense, actually.

[26:28] Christi Esterle: I don't know why I didn't think of that.

[26:33] Andrew Clark: For some reason, I thought they were putting it in the front.

[26:37] Christi Esterle: Which actually doesn't make any sense at all.

[26:39] Andrew Clark: A lot more time consuming.

[26:41] Christi Esterle: You need the little funnel.

[26:43] Andrew Clark: They all come here just for the mood.

[26:47] Christi Esterle: And if you don't believe me, try tasting our food.

[26:53] Andrew Clark: That's why we have got to preserve our romantic atmosphere.

[26:53] Christi Esterle: Romantic atmosphere.

[27:05] Andrew Clark: Can we just jump to that?

[27:07] Christi Esterle: What do you think of this song?

[27:07] Andrew Clark: I want to hear what you what you think, honestly, before I go off.

[27:11] Andrew Clark: This is one that I don't remember too much of.

[27:13] Christi Esterle: Oh, geez.

[27:13] Christi Esterle: I seem to recall that there was like some wordplay going on.

[27:17] Andrew Clark: But it's something the all the waiters are like dancing or the.

[27:23] Christi Esterle: Yeah, it doesn't really make much sense.

[27:26] Andrew Clark: And it's kind of out of nowhere with characters we don't even know.

[27:30] Christi Esterle: And I don't know.

[27:37] Christi Esterle: I mean, you have this big group number for no particular reason, I suppose.

[27:43] Andrew Clark: But they have that with the other numbers sometimes.

[27:46] Christi Esterle: And it doesn't seem like it's as nonsensical as this particular one.

[27:52] Andrew Clark: Well, that's to be expected with musicals.

[27:52] Andrew Clark: I don't know.

[27:52] Christi Esterle: It might just be there to like cover costume change or something.

[27:57] Andrew Clark: Although they don't really I don't think they change costumes.

[27:59] Christi Esterle: It's the same.

[28:00] Andrew Clark: He's wearing the same costume as he wore at work earlier.

[28:04] Christi Esterle: Yeah.

[28:04] Andrew Clark: But originally, you know, sometimes they would just throw in like this, you know, random number like, you know, brush up your Shakespeare and kiss me, Kate.

[28:13] Christi Esterle: I mean, it's a great song, but it's basically exists so that these two guys can be in front of the curtain and sing while they're doing a scene change behind it.

[28:21] Andrew Clark: So just what do you think of this romantic atmosphere?

[28:24] Christi Esterle: It needs to be cut down by like a minute and a half.

[28:27] Andrew Clark: OK, it couldn't work.

[28:32] Christi Esterle: As like a full like comedy number, but it feels like it goes on way too long.

[28:37] Jess McAnally: I think if it was funnier, it would work, but it just it wasn't really that funny.

[28:42] Christi Esterle: And it's just it's just weird dancing with.

[28:45] Jess McAnally: I think that all has to do with the performance by the gentleman that plays the waiter.

[28:50] Christi Esterle: I feel like he plays it up too much. And while every other actor is very charismatic and big with their actions, aren't quite as extravagant and flamboyant as that specific actor.

[29:02] Jess McAnally: It feels you get the whiplash from that live performance.

[29:06] Christi Esterle: I think that sums it up pretty well. I think Jess nails it.

[29:10] Jess McAnally: This is why they pay me the big bucks.

[29:13] Christi Esterle: Jess, they don't pay you anything, Jess.

[29:15] Jess McAnally: All right. So Mr. Novak comes in and he's like, Oh no, my girl is like Amalia and I hate her. I'm going to go and ruin her whole night because, you know, my date didn't go well.

[29:32] Christi Esterle: He just kind of sits at her table, drinks all of her wine and makes like snide remarks at her the entire night.

[29:40] Jess McAnally: And thankfully, the live stream like removes the song Tango Tragique and turns it into dialogue because that song is just kind of morbid and mean.

[29:51] Christi Esterle: Yeah, he like tells her this story about a girl who, you know, goes on a blind date and ends up dead in a ditch. And that works as dialogue, but as a song, it just feels way too mean.

[30:02] Jess McAnally: Oh, so that's a song in other performances?

[30:06] Christi Esterle: Yes. Yes.

[30:07] Jess McAnally: Oh, I didn't even know that.

[30:10] Christi Esterle: And this is basically where, you know, you're either going to, you know, either, you know, kind of see where Georg is at or, you know, you're just going to be like, Christ, what an asshole.

[30:23] Jess McAnally: And I think removing this song makes him less of an asshole.

[30:27] Christi Esterle: Even with just the dialogue, though, it's still kind of just a really mean thing to say.

[30:31] Jess McAnally: And this is where he's kind of like, it's almost too far. It's almost too far.

[30:36] Christi Esterle: But then she gets even by saying, like, you are going to spend your rest of your life selling this shit and being a useless human being.

[30:45] Jess McAnally: You know, and she's she's probably right, because he does get ownership of the shop, so I can't imagine him leaving.

[30:52] Christi Esterle: Yeah, but he gets to be owner of the shop so he can, you know, like nag other people to sell the stuff.

[30:58] Jess McAnally: Is he the owner or is he the manager?

[31:15] Christi Esterle: You know, the Act One Closer, Amalia has this fantastic solo, Dear Friend, where she thinks she's been stood up by her pen pal and she's just, you know, really heartbroken about it.

[31:40] Jess McAnally: And I think that's part of the reason why Georg can come off like, you know, such a dick in this scene, because she has this beautiful song about how sad she feels.

[31:50] Christi Esterle: And you're like, oh, yeah, she's she's pretty upset about it. But she waits there for so long, like she doesn't give up. She basically waits until the restaurant closes.

[32:03] Jess McAnally: Like, I know she has a line that like she can sit for her whole life for it. So it's two more hours. But at the same time, I think most people would be upset probably about an hour in.

[32:15] Christi Esterle: But she doesn't get angry. She doesn't get angry at her dear friend. She just gets angry at Mr. Novak.

[32:20] Jess McAnally: Well, that is her dear friend.

[32:21] Christi Esterle: Probably.

[32:22] Jess McAnally: Yeah, she probably thought he thought he scared him off or something.

[32:26] Christi Esterle: Then we enter Act Two and we start with Arpad trying to convince Mr. Barachek, who isn't dead, just shot himself in the arm somehow.

[32:35] Jess McAnally: OK, so, yeah. How does that work?

[32:37] Christi Esterle: I so what I was thinking is he was going to shoot himself in the head and Arpad somehow like startled him. So he moved the gun or something like that.

[32:49] Jess McAnally: They both reach for the gun.

[32:52] Christi Esterle: Something like that. Or maybe he really was just cleaning his gun. You know, who knows?

[32:59] Jess McAnally: Yeah.

[33:00] Christi Esterle: Between this and the Frederick in A Little Night Music, characters in musicals are really bad at shooting themselves in the head.

[33:09] Jess McAnally: In real life, there's a very high success rate for that.

[33:16] Christi Esterle: Somehow in fiction, though, it never works.

[33:19] Jess McAnally: Yeah, that's weird.

[33:21] Christi Esterle: Yeah.

[33:21] Jess McAnally: So Arpad tries to convince Mr. Barachek to give him a promotion. And by the end of it, he gets his promotion. He makes up with Mr. Novak and it all goes well.

[33:31] Christi Esterle: Good.

[33:31] Jess McAnally: Good job, Georg. You did it.

[33:34] Christi Esterle: You did it.

[33:35] Jess McAnally: Yeah, it works. He goes and knocks on Amelia's door and opens up to her bedroom and gives her ice cream.

[33:43] Christi Esterle: And she gets angry, thinking, like, you're just here to make sure I'm really sick. And then she starts demanding where her shoe is.

[33:50] Jess McAnally: And probably my favorite patter song in the entire show.

[33:53] Christi Esterle: I'm feeling so much better. I feel so gay and giddy. Won't you follow me on my way? You are going to bed, which is where you belong. See? There is nothing wrong with me. I am going. You can't stop me. Stop it. Now, please, drop me. No, you're not leaving this room. Where's my shoe? You're going nowhere but back to me.

[34:21] Jess McAnally: Yeah, it's it's really funny because, you know, she's obviously not feeling well and she's trying to show him up, you know, even though she's feverish and, you know, should really be, you know, lying down.

[34:37] Christi Esterle: I just think it's so weird that she's in her bedroom after all that happened.

[34:45] Jess McAnally: It's not usually.

[34:47] Christi Esterle: Well, yeah, it is usually not something that somebody man in that era would be doing.

[34:54] Jess McAnally: Not only are they not romantic partners yet, they don't even like each other. And she's in her pajamas sick and he's just in her bedroom.

[35:03] Christi Esterle: He knocks on her bedroom door and she's not expecting like, how did this happen?

[35:07] Jess McAnally: I like how she just slams the door as soon as she hears that it's him.

[35:11] Christi Esterle: But it's she's he's in your house. Shouldn't you escort him out?

[35:18] Jess McAnally: I don't know. I can't remember a throwaway line about her mom letting him in.

[35:23] Christi Esterle: I don't remember that.

[35:24] Jess McAnally: I don't. Maybe I didn't catch it.

[35:26] Christi Esterle: That would make sense. At the same time, though, whose mother her mom's now her mom's letting a strange man into her daughter's bedroom, which is just weird.

[35:36] Jess McAnally: Well, Amalia is the kind of person that meets people on Tumblr and calls him her boyfriend.

[35:40] Christi Esterle: So true.

[35:44] Jess McAnally: I brought your daughter some ice cream. Can I just go up to her bedroom? I know she's sick and in her pajamas. Oh, why sure, young man.

[35:53] Christi Esterle: We need we need mom yelling down, yelling up the stairs like the mom in It's a Wonderful Life. Amalia, Sam Wainwright's on the phone.

[36:02] Jess McAnally: Oh, my goodness. And then he gives her the vanilla ice cream from the shop that her mom owns that she can have any other time. But because he gave it to her, it's an important thing. There's also a line where she says that the mother might have served him.

[36:20] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Which means that the mother wouldn't be home, right? Unless he bought this ice cream a different time.

[36:25] Andrew: It's just a joke about how she looks old compared to her mother.

[36:29] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: That's sure, sure. But at this, you know, he's in her house, in her bedroom. The mother's not there, potentially. I'm just I'm just throwing it out there. Did you notice that on the wallpaper? There is ice cream as her wallpaper.

[36:45] Andrew: I did not notice that. Is that actually true?

[36:47] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yes. And that bothers me. But also, I'm like, oh, well, you put effort into it.

[36:53] Christi Esterle: Well, that's why she sings a song about it. It's not just any old ice cream. She fucking loves ice cream. Even when it spills on her shirt and she has to pick it up and put it back into her mouth.

[37:05] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yeah. Laura Benanti is my hero.

[37:07] Christi Esterle: She's fantastic. And she's doing My Fair Lady right now on Broadway, which is just brilliant casting.

[37:14] ♪ Musical number ♪

[37:38] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: All right, let's talk about a trip to the library.

[37:42] Christi Esterle: But she also finds joy in the fact that this person wants something out of her that isn't sex. He just wants to read her.

[37:50] Andrew: Yeah. Well, she has this moment where he, you know, asks her about the way of all flesh and she didn't know it was a book title. So she smacks him.

[37:58] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: I mean, that is a weird thing to ask someone.

[38:02] Christi Esterle: Yes.

[38:03] Andrew: I mean, it's kind of on this optometrist Paul that he didn't like use his brain there.

[38:08] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Was it more common for people to be illiterate in this time? Like, because she says she's actually illiterate, right? Or am I wrong?

[38:17] Christi Esterle: I believe so. Yes. Like that's like not even knowing how to read is pretty, uh, I don't know. It's pretty major, which is kind of odd because you'd think she'd have to have, you know, at least some basic knowledge in order to be working at the shop because she's got to bring stuff up and be able to, like, read the labels and everything.

[38:36] Andrew: Well, I imagine it's different than maths than like actual literature. I figure she knows like basic words, but probably doesn't know like how to fit through a sentence.

[38:47] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yeah. Like when you're illiterate, it's probably different levels of illiteracy, right? Like being able to read basic words and then being able to read novels. It's probably two different levels, right? I mean, I've never been illiterate in my life, but I imagine it's like that.

[39:02] Christi Esterle: Yes, you have. Just I'm sure you were like when you were like three. Everyone's been illiterate. Come on, Jess.

[39:11] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: You can't just come out here with that. I was born born with a book in my hand kind of thing. All I'm saying is that a trip to the library is one of the best story songs ever written in Broadway history.

[39:22] Christi Esterle: Like it's right.

[39:23] Andrew: I will. I will second that.

[39:25] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yeah. Just coming out here with a really high praise. I mean, you got two thirds vote against you, so

[39:31] Andrew: I didn't say anything negative.

[39:34] ♪ Musical number ♪

[39:49] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: How about we go down to Kodai's final song, Grand Knowing You?

[39:52] Andrew: Oh, yeah. Grand Knowing You.

[39:57] Christi Esterle: I like this song.

[39:59] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: I like it, too, but it's almost kind of anticlimactic because, you know, after all he did to Alona and Georg and Marichek, you almost kind of want him to see some comeuppance. And then he gets the song and he's like, well, screw you losers. You're all going to work for me one day. Bye.

[40:15] Andrew: I'm going to bang all of your wives.

[40:18] Christi Esterle: He's like, I'll be seeing your wife and kids real soon. I don't know. It's it's kind of funny. He doesn't get any comeuppance at all. He just kind of he gets fired. He's like, I'm out of here.

[40:31] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Not even a second like of like remorse is like, oh, good.

[40:36] Andrew: No, no.

[40:38] Christi Esterle: He's got that nice mustache, though. You can't feel you can't really feel that angry about it.

[40:43] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yeah, he's got a mustache. He's got a cane or he had a cane. He threw it to the other guy.

[40:49] Andrew: Yeah. And we got to say, because we've been giving so much praise to Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi, but Gavin Creel as Kodai and Jane Krakowski as Alona are absolutely fantastic in this as well.

[41:01] Christi Esterle: Agreed.

[41:01] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Like when you have a musical, the second couple often feels like the second thought. But in this, like they bring it up like really high, like they're at equals with the leads and they kill it.

[41:14] Andrew: Kodai doesn't really get very much presence, though. I wish he had more.

[41:18] Christi Esterle: Two songs.

[41:19] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Yeah, he's got well, they're fantastic songs. There's this one and then there's Alona, which is his big seduction song, you know, when they're when Alona is trying to, you know, push him away. But he succeeds in winning her back again. And again, they do this fantastic song and dance. And it ends with Jane Krakowski in splits and Gavin Creel's just dragging her across the floor. And it's it's wonderful.

[41:51] ♪ Musical number ♪

[42:04] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: Let's get to the Christmas song.

[42:05] Andrew: Yeah, why are we doing this now? Let's talk about that.

[42:08] Christi Esterle: Ho, ho, ho, fellas. The most Christmassy Christmas song ever because it is about capitalism. And waiting until the last minute to do your shopping and absolutely resenting the people who actually get it done on time.

[42:20] Jesse "Jess" McAnally: A hundred percent.

[42:23] Andrew: But it's a fantastic song. And there's also, you know, a lot of good plot development going on in between as Georg and Amalia are actually working together and kind of actually starting to relate to each other in person instead of through their mail correspondence.

[42:42] Christi Esterle: It makes me feel happy to watch them, like, get along in person. Like, I know this is what we're all building up.

[42:47] Christi Esterle: But like seeing it makes me so happy inside. I think that's important because you actually need to see them, you know, liking each other for themselves before that big finale, because otherwise you're like, Wait, what? Where did that come from? I also like the fact that it is just shopping. It's not really overtly Christmas, other than the fact that the store is busy. Yeah. Which is very relatable as someone who anyone who's worked retail. Yes. And it gets increasingly frantic the closer it gets to Christmas, which is also very relatable. Again, Jane Krakowski has this bit, you know, each time they go through the verse, she has this bit where she kind of does this little leap across center stage. And then through each verse, as it gets more hectic and more frantic, she's just basically kind of flopping her way through it. Yeah, which was great. Overall, just really good. Really, really good. And I say that a lot. So not very high praise, but it's still praise.

[43:50] Jess McAnally: I am so sorry about last night. It was a nightmare in every way. But together, you and I will laugh at last night. Someday, dear friend. It's really true. Then it's what I'd hoped for. That it was you, dear friend. I had to tell you I couldn't stand it until you knew.

[44:24] Andrew Clark: All right. Are we willing to talk about the finale where Georg and Amalia finally like this has been built up so much and you're just like wanting it, begging for it to happen, they need to get together, please. It would have been funny if they just ended it and they didn't get together all the build up. And then he's like, I'm actually your pen pal. She's like, Oh, that's a little creepy. Fair. That's fair. OK. OK, see you tomorrow. Oh, that would have been such a bad ending. No, she would end up with like iPad or something.

[45:06] Christi Esterle: I was I've had our head and her pad a heart that he doesn't get a girl. That's so sad. He doesn't even get his motorcycle. Yeah, but he gets it. He gets his dream job, so that's cool. But is it worth it if you don't have a motorcycle? Who are they going to hire for the new delivery boy? He'll do both. What are you talking about? He said he'd do both. You can't do both. You can't be in the store and delivering stuff at the same time. It's nonsense.

[45:40] Jess McAnally: No, but they finally get together and it's like, thank God. And it's beautiful and they embrace and like snow is falling and it's perfect. Merry Christmas, everyone. Yeah. And it's so good, the reinterpretation of the music like he starts with the I'm so sorry about last night. It's a nightmare in every way. And you expect it to go into like the ice cream melody. And it does. But she sings the dear friend like lyrics to the ice cream melody. It's so crazy. So crazy. Jess is mind blown. Fucking like reinterpretation out the wazoo. What? You can do this.

[46:18] Christi Esterle: Well, it makes sense because, you know, she's like, you know, finally associating, you know, her dear friend with Georg, who was, you know, who she was singing about in vanilla ice cream. So it's putting those two together. It's brilliant. It's like a really well constructed songwriting. They go, they go home and he gets his present, which is one of those music box candy things. And probably to meet her mother, less like your friend was supposed to. He's already met her mother.

[46:56] Andrew Clark: You're right. And let us or gave him ice cream or possibly both. She possibly either way, he's met her. She's definitely met her at least one time. She's probably instigated the breakup. But to be honest, like you lied to her for so long. What the fuck?

[47:15] Christi Esterle: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. All right. Do we want to talk about why this live stream with Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski and Zachary Levi is historic?

[47:25] Jess McAnally: It's historic.

[47:26] Christi Esterle: How so? Eva, explain.

[47:29] Andrew Clark: It's basically the first major Broadway production to live stream on the Internet. I think there might technically be one before it, but this was the one that got all the publicity and everyone was paying attention to. And it was definitely worth it because this is a top notch cast of a classic musical. And this is definitely something I think that we're going to see more of if we're lucky in the future, because obviously with travel expenses and ticket expenses, you know, music theater is not always accessible to everybody. And this is a great way to make it available to a wider audience.

[48:07] Christi Esterle: So when they streamed it, did they charge for the stream? Is it all ad revenue they're going off of? Like, how did that work?

[48:13] Andrew Clark: It was on Broadway HD, which is a subscription service, you know, kind of similar to Netflix, only it's like taped productions of plays and musicals. It frustrates me because they haven't done anything since that. Like that was like their big experiment, and I worry that it failed for them and they haven't tried anything like I would love if they did like My Fair Lady.

[48:38] Christi Esterle: Absolutely.

[48:40] Andrew Clark: But they never even tried. Definitely would be a good way to get more people into musicals without requiring a huge investment from them. But we know why they don't do that for Broadway, and they often do it for London. Like, there's a reason why we don't have Patti LuPone as Mama Rose, that we have Amalda Staunton. It's because the unions and the stage union and the screen actors union are very different things. And you can't have one without the other. And it's stupid. It's fucking moronic.

[49:14] Jess McAnally: Yeah. You hear that, Trump? You got to break up these unions.

[49:19] Christi Esterle: Uh, no.

[49:22] Andrew Clark: I make I'm making a joke, a joke. I'm just saying.

[49:26] Jess McAnally: Don't give him any ideas.

[49:27] Andrew Clark: I'm just saying that we need to, like, figure out a way that we can be able to record Broadway shows without breaking anyone else's contracts and being able to work with the Screen Actors Guild as well as the stage union.

[49:42] Christi Esterle: Yeah. How does that how did the whole Fathom events, Fathom events things fit in? Because they do some of those as well.

[49:48] Andrew Clark: They do that. But usually it's like for bigger stage things where like everyone's already in the saga already, which is why I think she loves me works so well is because everyone on there was already like TV actors, usually. Right. It I don't know 100%, but I know that's mainly the reason why it's not a big thing. Like if you have a giant ensemble, it's really hard for you to get the like them on screen. And which is why I like it, it would be impossible to do as like a Broadway HD event unions. They work really well when they want to, but they also mess up a lot of other things. It's complicated.

[50:31] Christi Esterle: I was so nasty.

[50:33] Andrew Clark: Well, he deserved it.

[50:36] Christi Esterle: But even so, that George is not like this. This is a new judge that I don't know. Somehow, it all reminds me of Dr. Jeff and Mr. High, right before my eyes. A man that I despise has turned into a man I like. It's almost like a dream. And strange as it may seem, he came to offer me.

[51:07] Andrew Clark: All right. So what is our overall opinions on She Loves Me? Diva, you go first.

[51:18] Christi Esterle: Again, I think this is something it really depends on the cast that you see. But since we've been talking so much about the 2016 live cast, it's really a fantastic version of the story. And I would definitely recommend that you see it like this, because it's about as good as the musical gets.

[51:36] Jess McAnally: Diva, I know I'm not sure if you listen to our show, but what is your cheese rating?

[51:42] Christi Esterle: OK, so what are we doing?

[51:44] Andrew Clark: One to ten here.

[51:45] Christi Esterle: If you want me. No, no.

[51:48] Andrew Clark: So you basically just pick a type of cheese that you would give it. And that's about it.

[51:55] Christi Esterle: OK, I would give it. I think it would be like a nice mellow smoked Gouda. It's cheesy, but it's a very good, rich kind of cheesy. And it's great comfort food.

[52:10] Jess McAnally: That's I would have to agree with that. That's a good cheese rating right there. Like, that's perfect. Like, that is 100 percent the description of it.

[52:17] Christi Esterle: I would say it would be like like the cheese that kind of tastes like chocolate.

[52:23] Jess McAnally: What? What? What?

[52:25] Christi Esterle: Exactly. She's the kind of cheese. Have you guys ever been to like, are you eating fondue? Are you eating fondue without like cleaning out the pot first?

[52:35] Jess McAnally: No. In Frankenmuth, Michigan, there is a specific cheese that is chocolate like they take like all like, OK, I don't know how to feel about that.

[52:46] Christi Esterle: I'm going to I'm going to give it a big thumbs down for right now, though.

[52:49] Jess McAnally: I will take you to Frankie Muth whenever you come to Michigan and you will taste that.

[52:52] Christi Esterle: OK, well, over here in New York, we don't have that chocolate cheese, not that I know of.

[52:59] Andrew Clark: Anyways, I already I'm going to agree with the cheese rating that was already given to it. And I'm going to just elaborate that. I also really liked this and I thought it was fun. What was my catchphrase again? It was a I like I, I really liked the whole the whole thing. I can't remember what I said that one time, but that I really liked it. I thought it was great.

[53:29] Jess McAnally: Andrew's review of everything, whatever I said. What is your thing, Jess?

[53:34] Jess McAnally: I really think this show is fun. Like, there is not a moment of it where I feel like I'm bored and every character, even like little people like Lazloff, like he's fun. I enjoyed every second of it. I mean, the waiter goes on way too long. This show is just like eating a caramel and watching it slowly melt and you feel good inside.

[54:04] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I think we're all in pretty much agreeance. It's a good show. It was good. Please, definitely. Please download Broadway HD or at least get it on Amazon Prime and give the show a watch like it's great.

[54:19] Andrew Clark: Andrew, do you want to do our ending bullshit?

[54:25] Jess McAnally: I hate it when you have me do it, Jess, but I know you're too drunk, so I have to.

[54:31] Andrew Clark: OK.

[54:35] Jess McAnally: OK, well, thanks, everyone, for listening to our show. Make sure you check us out on iTunes and Spotify and Stitcher and musicals with cheese. Twitter at Cheesy Musicals and Instagram and Musical Theatre Lives. If you'd like, you can hit us up with an email. Musical Theatre Lives at Gmail dot com.

[54:55] Andrew Clark: And just why don't you do our title card thing?

[54:57] Jess McAnally: Our title card was created by Jolene Casco. Her Instagram is Jolene Casco, and she's amazing. She does such great work and she does it so fast. And she's really just a nice human being. So please give her some attention.

[55:11] Christi Esterle: Now, Christy, I know you have a thousand things you want to promote that are much more interesting than this. So please promote them.

[55:19] Christi Esterle: OK, you can find my videos on YouTube under Musical Hell or on Musical Hell dot com. I am on Twitter under Musical Hell and Divas Musical Hell is a Facebook and I'm pretty much there. I'm on Tumblr as well. So come find me. Come watch my stuff and, you know, subscribe, like, share and do all that other fun stuff you're supposed to do.

[55:47] Jess McAnally: I mean, if any of us are on Twitter or Tumblr after the porn is removed.

[55:52] Christi Esterle: Yes, exactly.

[55:54] Jess McAnally: I will still be there after the porn purge, theoretically, so.

[55:59] Christi Esterle: I'll be on there for like a week and then wonder why I'm still there.

[56:04] Andrew Clark: Yeah, it depends on how active everybody is after that.

[56:08] Christi Esterle: Why did they do that? I don't understand because they got kicked off the App Store because there was too much like pornography and child porn and all that horrible bullshit.

[56:18] Jess McAnally: It makes sense.

[56:21] Christi Esterle: And just getting rid of all of it was easier than actually trying to, you know, deal with the problem. And it hurts like sex workers and people that like sell things that are of like it's a complicated situation, but I don't think it's the right call. Tumblr was literally the dark web.

[56:41] Jess McAnally: Essentially. Pretty much.

[56:44] Andrew Clark: All right. Thank you guys for listening. I'm Jess and I'm Andrew and I'm Diva. And thank you for listening to Musicals with Cheese. We'll see you next time.