whatcha got that can be mine?
This is a post that I literally waited MONTHS to make. :|
Sometime last year I stumbled upon a 2003 off-Broadway musical called Zanna, Don't! A Musical Fairy Tale ("a gay-is-good musical that crusades for heterosexual's right to love each other"). Jai Rodriguez (from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) is Zanna, Heartsville High's very own magical matchmaker in a world where homosexuals are the norm, and heterosexuals are subject to heterophobia (Also a world where chess champions, not football quarterbacks, are considered sex symbols.) where, naturally, problems happen when a boy and a girl end up falling in love.
Naturally, I went out and bought the CD, and I thought I'd share it with the flist, as I'm sure most of you would enjoy this, whether you're single or taken. :D
Here's the list of songs, but the cut following it details the plot (as taken from the CD summary) in case you wanted to understand everything that was going on. (Asterisked songs are highly recommended.)
It's the beginning of the school year at Heartsville High, and Zanna, the school's magical matchmaker, is as determined as ever to make sure everyone in town is happily paired up (WHO'S GOT EXTRA LOVE?).
When heart-throb chess champ Mike Singer confesses he has a crush on the new quarterback in town, Steve Bookman, Zanna snaps into action and, before you know it, Mike and Steve are scurrying off hand in hand (I THINK WE GOT LOVE).
Meanwhile, over at the town diner, part-time waitress Roberta is enraged to learn that her girlfriend has been cheating on her, and she vehemently puts an end to their relationship (I AIN'T GOT TIME). Zanna once again shifts into high gear, plotting to match Roberta with over-achiever Kate Aspero. As luck would have it, Kate just happens to be holding auditions for the Girls' Intramural Mechanical Bull-Riding Team that very afternoon. So with a little dose of Zanna's magic, Roberta successfully bucks her way into Kate's heart (RIDE 'EM).
Exhausted but triumphant after a hard day's work, Zanna sings his magic wand to sleep and retires for the evening, content that all is right once again in Heartsville (ZANNA'S SONG) ... or is it?
The next day at Drama Club meeting, the kids decide to put on a musical that addresses the controversial issue of whether or not heterosexuals should be allowed in the military. The play within the play includes BE A MAN, a musical number that explores Heartsville's gay-only military policy, and DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL, an overly dramatic plea for tolerance that is reprised in a poignant ballad in which Kate and Steve secretly start to realize that they--gasp!--have feelings for one another.
Kate and Steve try to pretend nothing has happened, though it is obvious that they are quite shaken up. When Mike proposes moving in with Steve after graduation, Steve gently tries to avoid the issue by asking Mike id maybe they should slow down. Mike reassures Steve that the quick speed at which two people fall in love is a sure sign that they were meant for each other, a sentiment echoed by a trio of locals (FAST). Scared and confused, Steve rushes out of the I'm OK, You're OK Corral, leaving Mike perplexed as to Steve's unpredictable mood swings and behavior (I COULD WRITE BOOKS). And to add to the bewilderment, Zanna has the alarming revelation that he himself is also in love ... with Steve!
Both mystified and frustated by the inattentiveness of their respective mates, Mike and Roberta playfully fantasize about how much easier life would be if they could be in love with each other (DON'T YOU WISH WE COULD BE IN LOVE?). Alone in their own worlds, Kate, Steve, and Zanna all join in the song, determined to find a way to bury their feelings.
At the State Chess Finals, it is obvious that Kate has been working extra hard to be the perfect girlfriend to Roberta, and Steve has even gone so far as to proclaim he is going to ask Mike to exchange varsity rings with him after the tournament. To help Mike win the match, Roberta leads the crowd in a raucous chess cheer (WHATCHA GOT?). In the celebratory frenzy of Mike's victory, Kate and Steve unwittingly end up locked in a deep kiss. The town is thrown into chaos, while Mike, Steve, Kate, and Roberta are left utterly devastated (DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE?).
Later that night, in an effort to prevent the ostracized Kate and Steve from running away from home, Zanna digs through an old book of magic and finds a spell which will make the world safe for heterosexuals. Even though he may lose his magical powers in the process, Zanna decides it is a risk worth taking ('TIS A FAR, FAR BETTER THING I DO / BLOW WINDS).
When the thunder and smoke from the spell clear, we see Kate and Steve once again located in a kiss, but this time as King and Queen of the Prom. To celebrate, Tank, the DJ of the school's student-run radio station, leads everyone in a spirited rendition of the prom theme song (STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN). Zanna arrives and is shocked to learn that something has gone terribly wrong with the spell--not only has the entire town become heterosexual, but they also remember nothing of the previous world. When Zanna tries to correct things, the students tease him for being so different, breaking his wand and abandoning him. Alone and magic-less, Zanna reflects on the way life used to be (SOMEDAY YOU MIGHT LOVE ME).
Unbeknownst to Zanna, the students quietly return to listen to his song, and they proceed to apologize for their appalling behavior (STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN (REPRISE)). As they sing and dance into the distance, they ask Zanna to join them in a post-prom celebration, but Zanna gently declines, preferring to be alone for a little while. Just as Zanna is about to go home, Tank rushes in--in true Prince Charming fashion--to return Zanna's shoe and declare his secret long-standing crush on him (SOMETIME, DO YOU THINK WE COULD FALL IN LOVE?). It seems not everyone has forgotten the way things used to be, and perhaps love is stronger than magic after all (FINALE).
Sometime last year I stumbled upon a 2003 off-Broadway musical called Zanna, Don't! A Musical Fairy Tale ("a gay-is-good musical that crusades for heterosexual's right to love each other"). Jai Rodriguez (from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) is Zanna, Heartsville High's very own magical matchmaker in a world where homosexuals are the norm, and heterosexuals are subject to heterophobia (Also a world where chess champions, not football quarterbacks, are considered sex symbols.) where, naturally, problems happen when a boy and a girl end up falling in love.
Naturally, I went out and bought the CD, and I thought I'd share it with the flist, as I'm sure most of you would enjoy this, whether you're single or taken. :D
Here's the list of songs, but the cut following it details the plot (as taken from the CD summary) in case you wanted to understand everything that was going on. (Asterisked songs are highly recommended.)
- Who's Got Extra Love? *
- I Think We Got Love
- I Ain't Got Time *
- Ride 'Em **
- Zanna's Song
- Be A Man **
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell **
- Fast
- I Could Write Books
- Don't You Wish We Could Be In Love? *
- Watcha Got? **
- Do You Know What It's Like? **
- 'Tis A Far, Far Better Thing I Do
- Blow Winds
- Straight to Heaven ***
- Someday You Might Love Me
- Straight to Heaven (Reprise)
- Sometime, Do You Think We Could Fall In Love? ***
- Finale
It's the beginning of the school year at Heartsville High, and Zanna, the school's magical matchmaker, is as determined as ever to make sure everyone in town is happily paired up (WHO'S GOT EXTRA LOVE?).
When heart-throb chess champ Mike Singer confesses he has a crush on the new quarterback in town, Steve Bookman, Zanna snaps into action and, before you know it, Mike and Steve are scurrying off hand in hand (I THINK WE GOT LOVE).
Meanwhile, over at the town diner, part-time waitress Roberta is enraged to learn that her girlfriend has been cheating on her, and she vehemently puts an end to their relationship (I AIN'T GOT TIME). Zanna once again shifts into high gear, plotting to match Roberta with over-achiever Kate Aspero. As luck would have it, Kate just happens to be holding auditions for the Girls' Intramural Mechanical Bull-Riding Team that very afternoon. So with a little dose of Zanna's magic, Roberta successfully bucks her way into Kate's heart (RIDE 'EM).
Exhausted but triumphant after a hard day's work, Zanna sings his magic wand to sleep and retires for the evening, content that all is right once again in Heartsville (ZANNA'S SONG) ... or is it?
The next day at Drama Club meeting, the kids decide to put on a musical that addresses the controversial issue of whether or not heterosexuals should be allowed in the military. The play within the play includes BE A MAN, a musical number that explores Heartsville's gay-only military policy, and DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL, an overly dramatic plea for tolerance that is reprised in a poignant ballad in which Kate and Steve secretly start to realize that they--gasp!--have feelings for one another.
Kate and Steve try to pretend nothing has happened, though it is obvious that they are quite shaken up. When Mike proposes moving in with Steve after graduation, Steve gently tries to avoid the issue by asking Mike id maybe they should slow down. Mike reassures Steve that the quick speed at which two people fall in love is a sure sign that they were meant for each other, a sentiment echoed by a trio of locals (FAST). Scared and confused, Steve rushes out of the I'm OK, You're OK Corral, leaving Mike perplexed as to Steve's unpredictable mood swings and behavior (I COULD WRITE BOOKS). And to add to the bewilderment, Zanna has the alarming revelation that he himself is also in love ... with Steve!
Both mystified and frustated by the inattentiveness of their respective mates, Mike and Roberta playfully fantasize about how much easier life would be if they could be in love with each other (DON'T YOU WISH WE COULD BE IN LOVE?). Alone in their own worlds, Kate, Steve, and Zanna all join in the song, determined to find a way to bury their feelings.
At the State Chess Finals, it is obvious that Kate has been working extra hard to be the perfect girlfriend to Roberta, and Steve has even gone so far as to proclaim he is going to ask Mike to exchange varsity rings with him after the tournament. To help Mike win the match, Roberta leads the crowd in a raucous chess cheer (WHATCHA GOT?). In the celebratory frenzy of Mike's victory, Kate and Steve unwittingly end up locked in a deep kiss. The town is thrown into chaos, while Mike, Steve, Kate, and Roberta are left utterly devastated (DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE?).
Later that night, in an effort to prevent the ostracized Kate and Steve from running away from home, Zanna digs through an old book of magic and finds a spell which will make the world safe for heterosexuals. Even though he may lose his magical powers in the process, Zanna decides it is a risk worth taking ('TIS A FAR, FAR BETTER THING I DO / BLOW WINDS).
When the thunder and smoke from the spell clear, we see Kate and Steve once again located in a kiss, but this time as King and Queen of the Prom. To celebrate, Tank, the DJ of the school's student-run radio station, leads everyone in a spirited rendition of the prom theme song (STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN). Zanna arrives and is shocked to learn that something has gone terribly wrong with the spell--not only has the entire town become heterosexual, but they also remember nothing of the previous world. When Zanna tries to correct things, the students tease him for being so different, breaking his wand and abandoning him. Alone and magic-less, Zanna reflects on the way life used to be (SOMEDAY YOU MIGHT LOVE ME).
Unbeknownst to Zanna, the students quietly return to listen to his song, and they proceed to apologize for their appalling behavior (STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN (REPRISE)). As they sing and dance into the distance, they ask Zanna to join them in a post-prom celebration, but Zanna gently declines, preferring to be alone for a little while. Just as Zanna is about to go home, Tank rushes in--in true Prince Charming fashion--to return Zanna's shoe and declare his secret long-standing crush on him (SOMETIME, DO YOU THINK WE COULD FALL IN LOVE?). It seems not everyone has forgotten the way things used to be, and perhaps love is stronger than magic after all (FINALE).