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[0:01] ♪ Musical number: "I Am Alive" — performed by Next to Normal Cast ♪

[0:57] Jess: Welcome back to Musicals with Cheese! Today, we're diving into the brand-new Proshot of the West End production of Next to Normal.

[1:21] Andrew: I can't believe we're finally talking about this.

[1:47] Jess: I know! It's such a major upgrade from the original Broadway version.

[1:57] Andrew: It definitely deserved a Broadway run.

[2:07] Jess: Absolutely! This beautifully captured performance is a fantastic consolation prize.

[2:27] Andrew: I mean, the way they handle the material is just incredible.

[2:51] Jess: Right? The emotional depth really shines through in this production.

[3:19] Andrew: And the performances are top-notch.

[3:29] Jess: Yes! Each actor brings something unique to their role.

[3:39] Andrew: I was particularly impressed with the lead.

[3:49] Jess: Same here! They really embody the character's struggles.

[3:59] Andrew: It's a tough role, but they make it look effortless.

[4:23] Jess: And the staging! The set design really enhances the storytelling.

[4:43] Andrew: It feels so immersive.

[4:53] Jess: Exactly! You really feel like you're part of the experience.

[5:03] Andrew: I can't wait to discuss all the details.

[5:13] Jess: Let's dive into the first act!

[5:23] Andrew: Sounds good to me!

[5:33] Jess: So, what were your initial thoughts?

[5:43] Andrew: I was blown away by the opening number.

[5:53] Jess: It's such a powerful way to set the tone for the show.

[6:03] Andrew: And the music is just fantastic.

[6:13] Jess: Definitely! The score really elevates the emotional impact.

[6:23] Andrew: I found myself really connecting with the characters.

[6:33] Jess: That's the beauty of this show; it resonates on so many levels.

[6:43] Andrew: I appreciate how it tackles such heavy themes.

[6:53] Jess: Yes, mental health is a central focus, and it's handled with such care.

[7:03] Andrew: It makes you think about your own experiences.

[7:13] Jess: That's what great theatre does!

[7:23] Andrew: I love how it challenges the audience.

[7:33] Jess: Exactly! It pushes you to reflect and engage.

[7:43] Andrew: And the performances really drive that home.

[7:53] Jess: They do! Each actor brings their own truth to the role.

[8:03] Andrew: I can't wait to see how the story unfolds.

[8:13] Jess: Trust me, it only gets better from here!

[8:23] Andrew: I'm excited to dive deeper into the characters.

[8:33] Jess: Let's talk about some of the standout moments.

[8:43] Andrew: Yes! There are so many to choose from.

[8:53] Jess: Each scene is packed with emotion and meaning.

[9:03] Andrew: I love how the music complements the storytelling.

[9:13] Jess: It's a perfect marriage of lyrics and score.

[9:23] Andrew: You can really feel the tension building.

[9:33] Jess: Absolutely! It keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[9:43] Andrew: I can't wait to see how they resolve everything.

[9:53] Jess: Just wait until you see the second act!

[10:03] Andrew: I'm ready for it!

[10:13] Jess: It's going to be an emotional rollercoaster.

[10:23] Andrew: Bring it on!

[10:33] Jess: Let's keep the discussion going!

[10:43] Andrew: I'm all in!

[10:53] Jess: Perfect! Let's explore the themes further.

[11:03] Andrew: I'm curious about how they portray family dynamics.

[11:13] Jess: It's a crucial aspect of the story.

[11:23] Andrew: I can see how it affects each character.

[11:33] Jess: Yes, the relationships are complex and layered.

[11:43] Andrew: It makes for some powerful moments.

[11:53] Jess: Definitely! The writing is sharp and insightful.

[12:03] Andrew: I appreciate the honesty in the dialogue.

[12:13] Jess: That's what makes it so relatable.

[12:23] Andrew: I can't wait to see how it all ties together.

[12:33] Jess: Just wait until the climax!

[12:43] Andrew: I'm on the edge of my seat!

[12:53] Jess: Let's keep the excitement going!

[13:03] Andrew: Absolutely!

[13:38] Jess: And actually, they had dramaturgists there on set and mental health experts to make sure they are representing this properly. It felt real. It felt more real than I thought it would, which going into a musical about bipolar disorder is like, how is this going to vibe? And she takes sitcom comedy lines that Alice Ripley delivered and makes them kind of a part of the character as a self-preservation tool, as opposed to like, let me wing to the audience and be like, here's a joke for you. And she plays the mania insanely well. She plays the depression insanely well. At the end of the day, she is still very much a character and a human being. Yeah. Feels like an actual person struggling, not a character struggling.

It feels authentic to something. I guess my question is, Andrew at the time really pointed out and harped on that this is a bad musical in his opinion. I was on the other side of it, and we also thought about whether or not Shaggy or Scooby Doo's last names were Doo. Scooby Doo's last name is Doo, Shaggy's last name is Rogers. Yeah, that's what I said. He's like, no, his name's Shaggy Doo. When did this episode come out? It was like one of our first 50 episodes. That tracks. But he said it was very anti-medication, very pro, like, get off your meds and go find the world because, you know, medicine is the devil. It felt very anti-medication. And having reflected upon that, yeah, it is, that original production does not want you to be on meds.

Yeah, I've been on meds, so they're fine. It's fine. No one else is fine. This set design is actually moving. I hate to say this, but they have a Hamilton spinny doodle. A spinning stage. A turntable, turntable. Yes. Turntable stage. That made me realize how boring the original staging of that musical was because they would just put people in random places on the stage, throw a spotlight on them, and nothing's moving. There's barely any dancing in that show. And I know there's the meme that Jess hates dancing. I hate badly integrated dancing. Here is some of the greatest choreography interpreted into like, what is a normal, like, basic story. And everything's moving. Everything's constantly going.

And it makes the still moments actually mean something. Yeah. That being all the things put together, I think the Henry and Natalie story just falls flat on its face in this production, though, which is a thing I really liked in the other production.

[16:19] Andrew: Well, it's to the detriment of Henry and Natalie is the detriment of developing the family really well and making that more powerful. It's like in the Heights movie, how we cut the one love story we actually developed so we could develop a different one that was underdeveloped.

[16:47] Jess: The thing is, you're right. And much like in the Heights movie, it is the right decision to make. It's the good choice. It's the more interesting one of the two. So I feel bad for that poor Henry actor. He was trying to make it work.

[17:02] Andrew: He is and he in this production, they basically make him nothing more than a reflection of what Dan and Diana were as kids. And it is very effective of like showing the repeating of history. Yes. Because they're both enabling the worst habits of their partners. And that really became clear here, where I think in that original musical, it was aspirational. Here it is falling down the same worn patterns as before. And oh my god, we're all failing. Yeah, we're all just gonna end up like her parents.

[17:39] Jess: And do it. I guess my question is, while Natalie definitely has issues, is she mentally ill in the same way that Diana is?

[17:47] Andrew: I don't think. I think she has inklings of it. But I think if I think because Diana caught it so late in her life, she caught in her like was like right after the baby died. So it's like her early 20s. But if she's already having like Natalie's already having like OCD symptoms, potentially a little bit of mania. If you catch that in like therapy, get just normal therapy at a young enough age, you can probably curb it potentially. I'm not gonna theorize on a character's hypothetical mental illness treatments because I am not qualified to do. But like I think I think if she chooses to pursue it, I think this version of Henry would encourage her to pursue it. She could be okay, but she'd struggle probably for a few years, though.

[18:30] Jess: And I guess what do you think Gabe actually represents in this production? I know I've spoken my theory. But for context of why I asked this, throughout the entire thing, Gabe is only something visible to Diana and it is a physical thing to her. But then in the end, when Diana leaves, it is revealed that Dan has seen Gabe the whole time. It has been gaslighting Diana the whole time, which is fucked up, but a really chilling reveal. Is he just a representation of grief? Is he?

[19:02] Andrew: I don't I don't I feel like he's a representation of like path like not dealing with your past to a degree, potentially. I don't know. It could be he could be like eight things. That's like the cool thing about this character. You can like go any direction is like the MC and cabaret like you can go any kind of direction.

[19:18] Jess: Oh, yeah, I rewatched the cabaret video recently because I just felt like it.

[19:23] Andrew: So you're a huge egomaniac. Yeah, I watch my own. Let me look at my let me look at my own work here. Truly, I watch my own videos to remind myself I still know how to edit videos.

[19:34] Jess: You should rewatch the Andrew Lloyd Webber one. That one's good.

[19:37] Andrew: I did. I did rewatch that one, too. That was really good. You did a great work. You do. Yeah, I did good at that. That took months. So I hope so. But Gabe, back to Gabe. Oh my god. I don't know. It's OK not to derail this. Go for it. But breaking news, SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Epic Games for its use of A.I. for Darth Vader's voice in Fortnite. We are getting some shit on record now. Oh, hell yeah. We're really dating when we recorded this.

[20:06] Jess: It's supposed to get posted tomorrow. What are you talking about? That's true.

[20:11] Andrew: So what are you? Have you seen the clips of Darth Vader in Fortnite? No, I haven't.

[20:17] Jess: They are getting him to say slurs, say be racist against Romanians. Um, he like because they'll be like, what is what do they call cigarettes in Britain? And then he'll be like, oh, and then say the gamer slurs. Um, and yeah, it's just he has committed so many hate crimes. And you know what? They tricked a 97 year old man to signing his life rights away right before he died. And God bless Disney. Damn Disney. You let us down again.

[20:52] Andrew: It's it's almost like his ghost is still here, like Gabe from next to normal.

[20:57] Jess: Yeah. OK, so, Gabe, I feel like Gabe is like a ghost of the past to a degree, is like a thing that's just always there and you're not dealing with. It's like a thing that happened, like a traumatic thing happened to you a while ago that you've been putting on the back burner for such a long time. I think that could be part. It could be something. I don't know. Gabe is just one of those characters like represents. It could be like a ghost of trauma. It could be the ghost of mental illness. It could be the representation of mental illness. Just be a ghost like I don't know. But it's really interesting how you can discuss this with people and they all have different things to say about this one character based on their own experiences.

[21:36] Jess: That being said, now we kind of talked about the themes, talked about that. We talked about A.I. Darth Vader. We're hitting all the important. You're hitting the important things next normal. A.I. Darth Vader. That is truly so relevant. Let's talk a little bit about the songs.

[21:52] Andrew: There's so many. I kind of just want to hear like your top three because I've got my top three and I can I can kind of bring them up and then we can chat about it.

[22:02] Jess: Just another great opening, maybe a little too upbeat and rocky. This is kind of what set this to sound of the early 2000s that I hate, but I think it's done best here.

[22:13] Andrew: Yeah, I still think it's a little too upbeat for what it feels like a sitcom until it. But I think that makes the turn work better when she gets to manic making the sandwiches. So it's like, oh, this isn't a sitcom. This is real life. This is a bipolar woman who needs to get her shit together. And you and I have experience talking about these composers a little bit in a weird way. Yes, we worked together on a video about if then on a with a with a person we won't mention.

[22:47] Jess: And that was their follow up to next to normal. And clearly, they have not done good work since.

[22:55] Andrew: What do you mean? What about that song in Freaky Friday about wanting to screw your teenage daughter's crush?

[23:02] Jess: Yeah, you know what? Kind of like it. I mean, I kind of like the reproduction song from Grease, too, so I totally get it.

[23:09] Andrew: Freaky Friday ain't ass. It is not bad. I like superhero, but no one else fucking knows what that musical is.

[23:16] Jess: I don't know.

[23:17] Andrew: Yeah, it's it's it's reheated nachos of next to normal. But you know what? I like next to normal.

[23:22] Jess: Yeah. But so just another day, I think actually works pretty well. And I still kind of miss some of the songs cut from the original Broadway soundboard I listen to.

[23:35] Andrew: Sorry, I just got reminded that Brian Yerke worked on the 13 Reasons Why show for Netflix.

[23:39] Jess: Oh, yeah, that's that was his big thing. Yeah. And I hate that. I know.

[23:41] Andrew: Why do you think Brian Darcy James is there?

[23:46] Jess: It's all connected.

[23:48] Andrew: They're all connected. This triggered me so bad. I had a bad week of mental health issues. I do miss the song Costco where Diana freaks out at Costco. I miss the original version, which was the title of this musical for a very long time of Wish I Were Here, which is called Feeling Electric, which was this rock song about electricity. And then she got therapy.

[24:14] Jess: Yeah, that was like the act one closer as opposed to the act two opener. And then act two opened with Natalie singing this hard rock song about growing up unstable. I miss all of those songs.

[24:25] Andrew: Bad. They're terrible.

[24:27] Jess: They made the right call.

[24:30] Andrew: But I miss them.

[24:31] Jess: Okay. As far as the songs in this, I'm gonna I've been meaning to get on the soapbox for a while.

[24:38] Andrew: Yeah.

[24:38] Jess: I miss the mountains.

[24:39] Andrew: Okay.

[24:40] Jess: They changed the orchestration for this production. It's a lot better. It sounds great. Just had to get that a call. But there's a very famous clip of Patti LuPone teaching a master class.

[24:49] Andrew: Oh, I miss the mountains.

[24:51] Jess: Yeah, and some girl was singing this and then Patti LuPone's like, you know, mountains can be whatever you want. For my case, mountains could be an orgasm. You never know. And then they cut to the talking head of the girl. She's like, I don't know what she means about the mountains being an orgasm. And I'm here to say I know exactly what she means about the mountains being an orgasm.

[25:11] Andrew: That's so random and out of pocket.

[25:14] Jess: I can't.

[25:15] Andrew: Yes, but I get it.

[25:18] Jess: She's trying to find a way to ground this in an acting decision. And if you are on a lot of different medications, I don't know. I don't pretend to assume what medications you are on. But a lot of them can make it so you can't have an orgasm. Like that is.

[25:38] Andrew: Yeah, I will. I will be blunt in this. I used to be on Lexapro. I'm not on it much anymore. I'm pretty, pretty okay nowadays.

[25:45] Jess: She dumped it on the sink just like Diana did.

[25:48] Andrew: I didn't jump down the sink or so. I just said my psychiatrist retired and I've been kind of procrastinating getting a new one. But I'm feeling okay, so I'm not feeling pressured on it. So but yeah, I was on Lexapro. And during my psychiatrist appointments, she would periodically ask me about my symptoms. And one of the most famous symptoms of taking Lexapro is your sex drive goes down. So I get what you're saying, Patty. I feel like so many people have talked shit about that. But I see what you were trying to do there.

[26:20] Jess: Also, I'm not going further in detail about that. Don't ask.

[26:23] Andrew: Don't ask. Leave her alone.

[26:24] Jess: She said as much as she wants to. But I think if you're teaching young people that don't have much of a frame of reference, what it is like to be a 30 to 40 year old woman dealing with this, locking that into a performance choice like that is smart and wise. I feel like we should stop making fun of her for it.

[26:42] Andrew: My little pony is better at acting than you.

[26:45] Jess: That's true.

[26:46] Andrew: That's just true.

[26:47] Jess: But Cassie Levy, once again, does a very, very good job here.

[26:50] Andrew: Oh, yeah.

[26:51] Jess: Is Cassie Levy British?

[26:52] Andrew: No, she's American.

[26:53] Jess: Oh, okay. She's the one American here.

[26:55] Andrew: Okay. Yes.

[26:56] Jess: Yes. She was kind of the celebrity casting.

[26:58] Andrew: Oh, okay. Okay. And then, of course, there's Superboy and the Invisible Girl, which is like the famous one that everyone sings and like all the fucking shows and whatever.

[27:08] Jess: I always kind of skip that song.

[27:11] Andrew: Well, I've taken Miranda to see this show three times because, you know, it's playing live. I'm going to go.

[27:18] Jess: Every time she's like, there's only one good song, and it's "Superboy and the Invisible Girl," I'm like, you have no idea how wrong I think you are. I'm with Miranda. I get it, but I feel like it's overplayed, and I think in that video I made a thousand years ago, I claimed my favorite song was "Wish I Were Here," and I stand by it! That song fucks, and the harmonies are incredible. What's the context for that one?

[27:47] Andrew: "Wish I Were Here" is the opening to Act 2, while she's getting her ECT.

[27:51] Jess: Oh, that one's a good song. Yeah, yeah. And it's like the one moment where Diana and Natalie really kind of sync up through their own destruction of their brains. I think it's a neat idea. I don't know how great it's executed ever, but as far as songs I listen to on my iPod, this is one of the top ones.

[28:09] Andrew: You just dated yourself so bad.

[28:11] Jess: I did, I did. Have you watched the rehearsal at all?

[28:15] Andrew: I've been behind. I'm behind on all my shows right now.

[28:19] Jess: There's an entire episode about how Sully Sullenberger was obsessed with Evanescence, and makes the theory that—

[28:27] Andrew: No spoilers, no spoilers! No, no, no, no, that's all I want to hear. That's all I want to hear.

[28:31] Jess: You will have to watch, is all.

[28:32] Andrew: Don't tell me anything else. I want to come and clean to any Nathan Fielder project. This is why I have "Finding Francis" on my wheel, so.

[28:39] Jess: That is one of the best episodes of television I ever saw was the Sully episode, is all I'm saying.

[28:44] Andrew: Okay, I'll have to catch up, but we're also behind in the last of a season two right now, so it's a—

[28:49] Jess: I stopped giving a shit when the thing we all knew was going to happen happened.

[28:53] Andrew: I want to see what else happens!

[28:56] Jess: Is there any other songs that you felt really compelled by?

[29:00] Andrew: I like "Superboy and the Invisible Girl." I'm going to defend it, but it's only because I'm a girl and I felt that way a lot growing up, so.

[29:09] Jess: You had an older brother, right?

[29:10] Andrew: I had an older brother and an older sister, so.

[29:12] Jess: I had, like, double older siblings above me. I'm like, I exist!

[29:16] Andrew: Well, how about I say, out of all your siblings, I think you're the coolest.

[29:20] Jess: You haven't met my other siblings.

[29:21] Andrew: They like my things on the cheese wheel thing.

[29:24] Jess: Oh, that's my sister. My brother doesn't do social media.

[29:29] Andrew: I think you're the coolest, but I don't think that would change if I met them.

[29:32] Jess: Oh, I have a story from high school relating to this.

[29:35] Andrew: Let's go.

[29:36] Jess: So, my older brother was on the basketball team, and one of my classmates was in the same grade. One of my classmates had an older brother who's the same grade as my brother. So, once during class, this kid. Okay, so the younger kid is in class with me. He has an older brother who's my brother's age, so.

[29:53] Andrew: Okay.

[29:54] Jess: I'm, like, 15 at the time. They're both, like, 18. The older kids are, like, 18 at the time.

[29:58] Andrew: 18.

[29:59] Jess: Gotcha, gotcha.

[29:59] Andrew: 17.

[30:00] Jess: So, this kid comes up to me in, like, a class, and he's like, is your brother my brother's name? My brother's very private. I don't know how to put his name. That's his legal name, brother's name. Hey, are you my brother's? Insert brother's name here. Ready to insert brother's name here. And I'm like, yeah, that's my brother. And he was like, your brother is so fucking cool, man. To my face. And I'm like, I've known him since I was born, and he's annoying as shit, so. But we're good now, because we're both in our 20s, so it's like we don't care.

[30:29] Andrew: That's good.

[30:30] Jess: Yeah, also, none of us live near each other. All of my siblings live away from me.

[30:35] Andrew: Yeah, sometimes being away from your sibling is good.

[30:38] Jess: Yeah, but I'm the closest. I'm closest to my parents, so I'm their favorite right now.

[30:42] Andrew: Yeah, I think you've always been their favorite.

[30:44] Jess: No, I haven't.

[30:45] Andrew: Okay, "Superboy and the Invisible Girl."

[30:48] Jess: You're on songs, right?

[30:49] Andrew: Yeah.

[30:50] Jess: Okay, so I like that one. I feel like we had to talk about "I'm Alive" obligatorily.

[30:56] Andrew: Yeah, it's a cool little rock song.

[30:59] Jess: It's a cool little rock song. I don't hate it. It's better in this production where they give him a little microphone and they make it like a rock song instead of the original production where Aaron Tveit was pole dancing.

[31:07] Andrew: Yeah, he was pole dancing in those clips I saw.

[31:11] Jess: It was weird. I was like, why are you a stripper? Choices were made.

[31:16] Andrew: We gave that musical the Pulitzer.

[31:19] Jess: I know.

[31:19] Andrew: Why?

[31:21] Jess: I say that about "Rent," too. We gave that musical the Pulitzer. There's so many better musicals.

[31:25] Andrew: There's the Pulitzer.

[31:27] Jess: Like, I don't know. Most of the Pulitzer winning musicals kind of suck ass, except maybe "Hamilton."

[31:32] Andrew: Yeah, I have a soft spot for "Hey, Number Three."

[31:35] Jess: Oh, "A Strange Loop."

[31:36] Andrew: Oh, "A Strange Loop." That's a good one. And that guy did the "Teeth" musical.

[31:41] Jess: That guy will continue to do interesting things and not repeat himself.

[31:45] Andrew: Is there a bootleg of the "Teeth" musical?

[31:47] Jess: There's got to be.

[31:48] Andrew: Okay.

[31:48] Jess: It's been something I've been wanting to do for a while.

[31:50] Andrew: Okay.

[31:51] Jess: If you find it, could you send it to me to watch?

[31:52] Andrew: Yeah, yeah. I'll send it in the Discord.

[31:55] Jess: I love "Teeth." Like, I love that movie. So good. I don't want to talk about it with you guys because it's with men and I don't want to, like, make you watch a bunch of penises get crunched.

[32:01] Andrew: Do you think we're children?

[32:07] Jess: No, but like, that's a lot.

[32:10] Andrew: No, it isn't. We're not weaklings.

[32:12] Jess: I think Andrew deserves some more pain in his life.

[32:15] Andrew: Oh, okay.

[32:17] Jess: Andrew won't listen to this.

[32:19] Andrew: Andrew won't listen to the episodes he's in.

[32:22] Jess: I don't listen to the episodes I'm in. I listen to the "Cars" episode just for the "Life is a Highway" bits.

[32:27] Andrew: Oh my gosh. You've got to listen to some of the post Nathan episodes.

[32:30] Jess: I know. I know. I'm just so busy with my other podcasts.

[32:33] Andrew: "What Went Wrong" went weekly.

[32:35] Jess: I know. I know. I'm there too. I'm with you. I'm so busy on the "What Went Wrong" train.

[32:41] Andrew: Yeah, it's so good.

[32:43] Jess: There's probably another song. They all kind of blend together at some point. I want to mix all the "Haze" with "Perfect For You," which is a song I used to really like, but now I see is manipulative as shit.

[32:53] Andrew: A little.

[32:55] Jess: The context is just like, no, no, no, I will fix you.

[32:59] Andrew: Yeah, I'm more interpreted as like, like, I'm not gonna try to fix you actively, but I'm gonna be with you through all the bad shit and do what I can. I think he's the problem I have with this production is gay or Henry is no longer actively listening. He is very surface level saying platitudes, which is an interesting take and fits the lyrics. I think he does kind of come around to like when he says the reprise of like, you could go crazy. I go crazy. It's true. But those that first "Perfect For You" is just like, oh, you're just trying to get—

[33:35] Andrew: Oh, yeah, that first one is get in your pants mode. Like very teenage boy. I'm into you. Also, Cassie Levy makes a choice of kissing Henry directly on the lips.

[33:48] Jess: Yeah. Which is interesting because later Henry inspires her to remember her son. There's a lot of stuff going on.

[33:56] Andrew: Yeah, the incest is back. It's just like it's nowhere near as lent into, but it's there.

[34:02] Jess: There's no errant pole dancing, but it's just subtle.

[34:05] Andrew: Yeah. Like the opposite of "White Lotus" season three, which wet places.

[34:10] Jess: The opposite of Kanye and his cousin.

[34:13] Andrew: All right, we got to wrap this up. What was your overall thoughts on "Next to Normal" and your cheese rating?

[34:18] Jess: Elizabeth Esten.

[34:19] Andrew: Oh, God, use my full name.

[34:22] Jess: Elizabeth J. Esten.

[34:23] Andrew: Yes, my middle name.

[34:24] Jess: Good job. That was a shot in the dark. I did not know if that was—

[34:28] Andrew: That's it. You're right. You're right. But the J stands for the letter J.

[34:31] Jess: She doesn't have a middle name.

[34:33] Andrew: No, I have a middle name. The letter J.

[34:35] Jess: Okay, as far as the world's concerned, it's the letter J, but I do have a middle name.

[34:39] Andrew: Nope, nope. It's just like Homer Simpson. The middle name is the letter J.

[34:41] Jess: Anyway, I like this a lot. It's the production, like technical wise, because I think about that a lot in pro shots. The editing is really well done. The lighting is really well done. Like everything. It looks beautiful. Like it's definitely worth watching just for that. The story is handled better from what I can tell. I've never seen the original production because, you know, I didn't watch a lot of theater in high school. Like, unless I just watch my YouTube channel, I just watch your YouTube channel. And then I did musicals in high school. So like I was stage crew. I did not perform anything. Also, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is just a bad musical. I'm just going to say that out loud.

[35:15] Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

[35:18] Jess: It was my senior. I like my old Bamboo, though. It was my senior show was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

[35:23] Andrew: Um, my senior show was "Pearly." And they wanted me to be the racist white guy in "Pearly," and I said, nope.

[35:30] Jess: Oof, yeah. And then I came back and directed "Into the Woods" and said, we're going to do something fun now. Well, honestly, what hurt the most is a year after I left, they did "Little Shop."

[35:42] Andrew: Oh, they finally did something good.

[35:43] Jess: I'm like, goddamn, you do one of my favorite shows when I'm gone. You bastards. And then they did "The King and I," even though they had very few people who could play those characters. But anyway, my theater program is a hot mess sometimes. I like "Next to Normal." It's a good show. It's a little it's like sad, but like not that sad, I guess. I don't know how to describe it. I enjoyed it, though. It was a good it was a good time. Overall, it was really well, it was very impactful and well done. Since this is the bonus content, I'm not going to Google anything clever. I'm going to give it brie cheese.

[36:18] Andrew: Oh, I miss brie.

[36:20] Jess: Yeah, I am discount brie.

[36:23] Andrew: Nah, I think you guys are your own distinct tastes.

[36:27] Jess: Yeah, and I think you guys bring very different vibes to it.

[36:33] Andrew: But we're also with brown haired women trying to work in media.

[36:37] Jess: Ah, we're both successfully working in media.

[36:42] Andrew: Yeah, yeah, that's true. We are successful.

[36:44] Jess: Yeah. Like, don't try don't undervalue your own success.

[36:48] Andrew: I don't want to change my cheese rating from before.

[36:51] Jess: So you looked it up in the spreadsheet.

[36:54] Andrew: I know I have not done it yet. I am going to, though.

[36:57] Jess: OK, keep stalling.

[36:59] Andrew: I'm pretty good at stalling. Most time people don't even notice it unless I announce it, which I think is funny.

[37:04] Jess: You do all the time. You're a copy of your stalling.

[37:07] Andrew: I gave it Lady Jane Cheese for some reason.

[37:10] Jess: What the hell is Lady Jane Cheese?

[37:12] Andrew: I don't know. But also, I'm discovering that the "Next to Normal" episode was our follow up to our "Phantom of the Opera Love Never Dies" episodes with Elisa Hansen.

[37:22] Jess: Oh, God. That just screams of a whole different world of the show.

[37:27] Andrew: Yeah, we really evolved.

[37:29] Jess: I don't know if we evolved. I think we might have devolved.

[37:33] Andrew: Maybe. We might have become something worse.

[37:35] Jess: I don't know. That "Cat in the Hat" episode broke me.

[37:39] Andrew: Yeah, and apparently I sent you the review of We Have Become Too Much Like YouTube Poops and My Antics. And it just goes to show that no matter whose fault it is, anything that goes wrong with the show, it always is me.

[37:53] Jess: It'll always be my fault.

[37:55] Andrew: Yeah, neither of us can blame, except for that one time they someone yelled at you for not knowing anything about Taylor Swift, you and Andrew.

[38:03] Jess: It's always just me.

[38:05] Andrew: It's always like, man, Jess is editing ass. Jess isn't even editing. And then sometimes it'll be like, man, these guys opinions on mental health and bulimia is ridiculous. When I am the one saying, Andrew, your thoughts are stupid, and they just throw that my dissenting opinion out the window and just attribute his to both of us. No, it's like when the chapel thing went down like 6,000 years ago, and she actually made a statement about what she actually believed fully, and no one, everyone forgot. So, you know, it's it's pretty good. It's pretty, pretty great. Life is good. We'll see you next time on whatever we decide to do.

[38:40] Jess: Wait, there's got to be another ProShot coming out.

[38:47] Andrew: I don't know. Like "Frozen" ProShot.

[38:51] Jess: Yeah, that'll never come out.

[38:53] Andrew: Yeah, that's true. Maybe I can just keep showing you. Have you ever seen the like full musical "Sweetie Todd"?

[38:58] Jess: Nope.

[38:58] Andrew: Have you ever seen the "She Loves Me" ProShot with your favorite guy in the world, Zachary Levi?

[39:03] Jess: No, and I don't want to. But it does have Jane Krakowski.

[39:06] Andrew: That musical is like a 10 out of 10. And that recording was also a 10 out of 10. And it just pisses me off that Zachary Levi ruins it.

[39:14] Jess: Zachary Levi fucking sucks.

[39:17] Andrew: Yeah, but honestly, maybe we should add "Harold and the Purple Crayon" on the wheel.

[39:22] Jess: Could be fun.

[39:23] Andrew: I've heard it's just boring.

[39:24] Jess: Oh.

[39:25] Andrew: Like it's not interesting fun.

[39:27] Jess: I would vet it.

[39:27] Andrew: I would vet it out by yourself.

[39:29] Jess: Oh god, you're gonna make me watch that by myself?

[39:32] Andrew: I mean, you should vet out some of these potentially bad movies, so we don't end up an episode being like, that's fine.

[39:37] Jess: You see, that's the problem, because I vet everything that isn't a Patreon request. Because at that point, I'm like, it's gonna be what it's gonna be. You know what I mean?

[39:48] Andrew: But, you know, everything I usually have an idea of. And I think like even the ones that I didn't have an idea of, like "Sharkboy and Lavagirl," I think that's one of our best episodes.

[39:58] Jess: Yeah, yeah. You went in blind.

[40:00] Andrew: I went in knowing too much. So we'll see what's coming up. We got some great things coming. Tell your friends about this show if you're enjoying it. And if you're not enjoying it, tell your friends anyway. It's like a little prank. We'll see you next time, kids.

[40:10] Jess: Bye!

[40:15] Andrew: Bye!

[40:32] ♪ Musical number: "I'm Alive" — performed by Andrew ♪

[40:40] Andrew: I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive!