The holidays are upon us once again! Of course this means that we get to find gifts for our favorite people. If you’re like us, then many of your closest friends/family are also big fans of Broadway. That’s why we’ve searched online for some of the most unique and fabulous gift items that pay tribute to the best musicals out there! All of them are truly fantastic. They go far and beyond the typical souvenir t-shirt, mug and key chain you find for sale post-performance at the theater. (But of course, those items are always available too!)
“Cats” musical figurines
Fans can choose from Jemima, Munkustrap or Victoria. All three cats strike a beautiful pose reminiscent of their characters in the musical; the figurines are very detailed. When you turn the key at the base of the figurine, suddenly you hear the soft, poignant notes of “Memory” play. Get this figurine here.
Munkustrap musical figurine... and it's the exact same pose we remember from the musical!
“Cats” charm bracelet
Absolutely gorgeous and stylized charm bracelet for any female fan. The bracelet comes with 5 charms: 2 silhouettes of “Cats” dancers, 2 glowing cat eyes that are signature of the musical’s logo, and (in case some people still don’t recognize it) a silver tag with the title of the musical etched in. It’s fun, yet elegant, which mirrors the tone of the show itself. Enjoy it here.
Sphinner.com released an early premiere of Green Day’s new recording of “21 Guns” performed with the cast from the stage musical American Idiot, based on the band’s best-selling album. This release is extra special since it allows fans of Green Day or the rock musical to listen to cast members give the song theatrical flair before the tune is released officially on December 22 for digital download online. Plus, it’s just so meaningful to hear the actual band perform with the original cast since there was a stand-in band on stage for all the production dates.
Listen to “21 Guns” song premiere by the cast ofAmerican Idiot and the band Green Day here.
For those who missed American Idiot and the buzz around it, the production ran at Berkeley Repertory Theatre on September 15, 2009 until the extended run date of November 1, 2009. The rock musical is the vision of director Michael Mayer, who also directed Spring Awakening on Broadway. Perhaps in part due to the Tony Award-winning success of Spring Awakening(which likewise has a strong rock flair), Mayer was inspired by Green Day’s album to speak with the band about the possibility of a full-on stage musical based on their music (primarily drawing from songs from this album and new music from their most recent album release “21st Century Breakdown”).
The production is full of eye-popping visuals and is a compelling homage to the grungy spirit of punk; the music is loud, urgent and driving and takes on an almost hypnotic quality when combined with the fast movements and dance sequences. Reviews for the production were mixed though, primarily because of the abstract storyline that leaves much to be inferred. The audience needs to interpret what’s going on most of the time since the song lyrics and the character’s poetic monologues don’t really flesh out ideas so much as reiterate them. As for the non-linear plot, Green Day’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong admits: “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s what I love about it. When people see it, it’s going to be my wildest dream.”
American Idiot’s story revolves around three characters: Will (who gets his girlfriend pregnant but remains an immature stoner), Tunny (who is seduced by flashy TV commercials to join the army), and Johnny – aka. the Jesus of Suburbia – who is fed up with monotonous small town life and goes to the city only to be wrecked by drugs and the punk scene. Essentially it’s a story with one of those twist endings – what the characters don’t want to hear is what they were really going for the whole time. Everything comes full circle and leads to epiphany, though it’s of the sombre kind.
Green Day chose to specially record “21 Guns” with the musical’s cast after the production’s closing because it represents a pivotal scene in the story where Johnny decides it’s time to get his act together. The band wanted to provide fans with something to listen to for those who missed the show’s run in Oakland, CA. The track features stars John Gallagher Jr. (from Spring Awakening fame) – Johnny, Matt Caplan – Tunny, Michael Esper – Will, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Christina Sajous and Mary Faber, with musical arrangement by Tom Kitt.
Compared to the original Green Day version of “21 Guns” below, fans can hear that the re-worked music added theatrical flair. The harmony of voices is positively beautiful in the collaborative release.
While there are no set plans, Mayer envisions the production will eventually come to Broadway. The rock musical is definitely rough around the edges right now, so we expect more clean-up of the characters and plot with more meaningful dialogue interspersed between the song numbers. Even then, older crowds still might not appreciate the musical’s apathetic and aimless angry message but they can just write it off as “new age”.
