Celebrate Musicals Week Tag

Celebrate Musicals Week from Miss Dashwood at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. A tag from the said Miss Dashwood!

1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?
My Fair Lady. For multiple reasons; it's one of my top three favorite musicals, and I looove Audrey Hepburn. I was going to go with Cinderella, but I saw someone else did that one, soooo….

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?
My mother being also a musical lover, she introduced us to it when I was roughly ten or so.

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?
Wouldn't it be Loverly, the Rain in Spain, and I Could Have Danced All Night.

4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face. Sorry – It's very sweet and all, but I just can't get attached to the tune.

5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?
Eliza and Colonel Pickering.

6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?
I've only seen the movie (1964), but the CD we have is the Julie Andrews Broadway version.

7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?
Yes, possibly. I also really like Cinderella (for sentimental reasons), West Side Story (but it's maybe a little too serious), and The Pajama Game (but it lacks the plot that the others have). And, of course, The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof. But I think MFL wins out over the rest.

8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?
It depends on which musical I've seen most recently. :) Right now, it's probably Pajama Game.

9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?
The Rain in Spain dress (below) and the pink dress at the end (find a few shots of it here)

I love this one best. :)

10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?
Higgins's last line would be humbler. And I would have Audrey sing for herself. Don't get me wrong – Marni Nixon does a beautiful job. But I just love Audrey's voice...

11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?
Eliza, with an edited script, would be my top choice most likely.
Or Maria from West Side Story, or Maria from Sound of Music.

12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?
Sorry to be boring…. but I must say I find the cast to be to perfect to be improved.

13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?
Yes. Definitely a musical fan.

14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?
NO!
15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
Using Pandora since there is nothing on my iPod right now...
1. Friend Like Me from Aladdin. Ummm… I like it, I guess. But I don't just go and listen to it on purpose.
2. You're the One that I want, from Grease. I hate Grease. That's all there is to say.
3. Honor to Us All, from Mulan. A long time ago, I started watching this movie. We had to stop it, and we never finished. I've never even heard of this song.

Hundred-and-seventh Beautiful People this month

But it's not about Win this time. It's about Finn.
Finn is in her story. He's her one friend. He is NOT a beau of any sort! At least, he's not supposed to be (he's not her love interest in this story, but I can I help it if in years to come…)
I'm doing two, from April (Year of Grace 2011) and May of the same year.

How old is he/she?
Almost seventeen.

What does he/she do with his/her spare time?
He's usually with his family.

Does he/she see the big picture or live in the moment?
Big picture. (Now, Win is is a live-in-the-moment-er, for sure).

Is he/she a perfectionist?
No. (But Win is.)

What does her handwriting look like? (round, slanted, curly, skinny, sloppy, neat, decorative, etc.)
Large, sometimes misspelled words (he only had three-four years of schooling).

Favorite animal?
He loves horses. He loves their gentle strength. And sheep, because they're so dumb (his neighbor has sheep).

Does he/she have any pets?
A flock of chickens, but they don't really count.

Does he/she have any siblings? How many? Where does he/she fit in?
He's the eldest of five siblings (all girls, ages 14, 11, 9, and 6-almost-7). His father is dead and his mother is a semi-invalid, so he mostly takes care of them.

Does he/she have a 'life verse' and if so what is it?
Philippians 4:4, 6-7 : Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Favorite writing utensil?
Doesn't have one.

(My apologies for the comments about Win (since this IS about Finn!). She is very proud and insists that I write about her.)

What type of laugh does he/she have?
Sometimes a quiet chuckle, or a very loud, and long.

Who is his/her best friend?
Probably Winn.

What is his/her family like?
Loud, giggly, a little wild. But he loves them.

Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus?
Yes, he is. But the story doesn't really talk about it.

Does he/she believe in fairies?
No. But he tells stories about fairies to his sisters.

Does he/she like hedgehogs?
Yes. He finds them interesting and funny.

Favorite kind of weather?
Sunny and warm. 80s or so.

Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?)

Yes. He's not sarcastic but he can appreciate sarcasm (Winn can be sarcastic!). He likes teasing his sisters and Win.

How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had.
He was taken out of school at about 9 or ten, because his father and mother and one sister were all sick. So he had to help out. (His father and sister ended up dying, and his mother is a lifelong semi-invalid.) But he loves learning, so he tries to learn by helping his sisters with their school work.

Any strange hobbies?
Hmm… Not that I know of.  Ask him. :)

More about Win

So, as I've said, I was going to work on Hellen's story. Earlier, I did have to work on Hellen's story. But now I have to work on Win's. It's justs the ways things works.
I'm going to do another Beautiful People (January 2012) for her, and at the end I'll share a snippet, too.

1. If your character’s house burned down, and they were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, what would they do? Where would they go?
      She would never beg. Ever. She would take Lorelle and walk through Covington (her town) looking for work. If she couldn't find work, she'd do anything she could, except ask for help. If she was at her wits end, and Lorelle (her toddler sister) was starving (she'd starve herself first), she would finally humble herself and go to Colin.

2. Are they happy with where they are in life, or would they like to move on?
      She is not content. She is lonely and poor, though she would never admit either. In her heart of hearts, she does want to "move on" but she doesn't talk or consciously think about her needs (she pretends not to have them).

3. Are they well-paid?
    No. She's not dirt-poor, but she almost is. But she was born a noblewoman and she acts like a noblewoman.

4. Can they read?
    Yes.

5. What languages do they speak?
      Just one. This is in a parallel universe, so I don't know what that is. But I picture her with an English accent.

6. What is their biggest mistake? 
      Deciding not to tell Finn certain things (like losing a job, or how dangerous her mystery is getting…).

7. What did they play with most as a child?
      Horses. Her father was always on a horse, and she was always near him.

8. What are their thoughts on politics?
      She doesn't have time for politics. She needs to focus on real life. 

9. What is their expected life time?
      She'd probably answer she doesn't have time to think about that either. She needs to work.

10.If they were falsely accused of murder, what would they do? How would they react?
      If she didn't have Lorelle to think about, she would stubbornly refuse to ask for help. She would deny it, of course, but she wouldn't "lower herself" by weeping or hiring a lawyer or giving them a speech about her innocence. But she would be frightened (though she wouldn't allow even herself to know that).
But she does have Lorelle to think about. So she would go to Finn or (swallowing her pride) Colin. She would borrow money from one of them to pay a lawyer, and she would find a relative who would take care of Lorelle, in the case of her conviction.



It begins:

“...You’re really very lucky. The debt isn’t excessive and you’ll even have some small bit of money left over after the sale of the house.”

“What, are you suggesting I sell the house?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Win, you don’t have much choice. I know someone who will buy it.” My cousin is not a cruel man, and very wise in money matters, I’m sure. At 21, he came into the inheritance from his dead father a year ago, and still has most of it left. But he doesn’t understand emotional things like sentimental houses as well as I would like.

“But where would we live? I don’t know anyone who would take both Lorelle and I in. And I won’t be separated! We’re all each other has, now.”

Colin pushed Father’s chair back from the desk and rose. He took hold of my arm, to stop my pacing, and said slowly,

“Well, you could live with me.”

Confused, I peered into his eyes.

“Live with you? Have you spoken to Auntie? I wouldn’t think she would like that.”

“I didn’t mean with my mother. I meant with me.” He paused, letting his words sink in.

“You don’t mean –”

“Yes. As my wife. Will you have me?” As the full import of his words sunk in, I jumped back, almost afraid of him now.

I forced a laugh. “You’re joking.”

He shook his head.

“Colin, I- I can’t...” I tried to pull my arm away, but he stepped closer. “I’m hardly old enough, I–”

“Why not? You’re almost sixteen; six years is a small difference. As a woman alone in the world without a fortune and without a father to protect her, you have little chance of marriage, and you’re also unprotected.” He paused. “And look at it this way: if you sell the house, you’ll have no house and little money. If you keep it, you’ll have a house but you’ll have no money and you’ll be in debt. You have no income.” He stepped closer. “Think of Lorelle.”

“Colin, that’s not fair!” I cried.

“It’s only true. She needs food and care, and you can giver her neither. I would offer you all of that, and you refuse me without thought. Consider it, Win, before you make such a rash decision.”

Winnifred, Anne, etc.

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. We started school Tuesday, though, and anyone who's ever been in school knows the first week of school hits you like a wave that you weren't expecting. I have Biology every Tuesday (plus homework on the other days), Algebra every day, history, literature, and random miscellaneous thingers. Also, as mentioned in the last post, I'm in drama.

The play is Anne of Green Gables! My sister and I are so excited. One of my best friends got Rachel Lynde! Nan got Marilla! And I... got Anne! It's so unbelievable! I've never had half the lines I had (which is cool, but I'm not sure how I'll memorize them all!). It's so weird to have so much attention when I've always had small parts (except Mr. Beaver - that was a biggish part, but it wasn't as fun because I was playing a boy).

So that's been really exciting. Our first read-through was Wednesday. The script isn't as good as we could wish, but it's not as bad as some. To quote a wise old man, "It's not as good as it should be, but it's not as bad as it could be!"

But also, I'm going to have to either dye my hair (my mother would correct me "color, not die!) or get a wig. I'd rather die my hair, but, although the picture of the girl with the lamb isn't me (obviously), my hair is the same dark black. I just don't know if my hair would go all the way red, without bleaching it (*shudder*). So I don't know.

Yes. The picture. This is Winnifred, from my laundress story. It's the perfect picture. She looks sort of sad, curious, suspicious, and mysterious. I didn't think Winnifred had bangs, but you can't quite tell from the picture whether the girl actually does have bangs or whether it's just the way her hair is parted.

Last weekend we went to my grandma's cabin by the lake, so I'm kind of sunburnt. But it's freckling out. :)