The assortment of songs in this installment really runs the gamut of emotions, from the truly comedic (Donna Lynne Champlin in By Jeeves) to the tragic (Sandra Mae Frank and Katie Boeck in Spring Awakening) with hope, frustration, and joy thrown in (Wicked, High Fidelity, and Legally Blonde, respectively) for good measure. I hope you'll take the time to listen to (or better yet, watch where available) each of these entries. Although I didn't do it in purpose, I feel like there is truly something for every emotion in this batch. These were tweeted between April 24, 2022 and May 8, 2022. All entries in my 365 Days of Musical Theater Series can be found here. 61. 'That Was Nearly Us' from By Jeeves (Donna Lynne Champlin as Honoria, John Scherer as Bertie) Filmed Version (2001) I don't remember why or how my father and I ended up at the Broadway opening night of By Jeeves in October 2001, but I am forever thankful that we did. Based on novels by P. G. Wodehouse (that I had never heard of, let alone read) which follow the misadventures of one Bertie Wooster and his valet, the titular Jeeves, By Jeeves is the definition of charming. It uses a small cast and has a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn. Outside of Jesus Christ Superstar, it is my favorite of ALW's works. After using such a downer for my last song in the entry prior, I wanted something that was a good deal of fun and the first thing that came to my mind was Donna Lynne Champlin's turn as Honoria, Bertie's ex who clearly still has feelings for him that he certainly does not reciprocate. Champlin is vibrant, relentless, and hilarious, and an absolute must-watch. In fact, the entire show is--and thankfully there is a filmed version that you can watch in full here. The songs (especially 'It's a Pig' which makes me laugh so hard I cry) are best when viewed in context, but once you see the staging, they become delightful even with just the audio. Whenever I need a smile, this farce is one that I turn to, and with moments like 'That Was Nearly Us' it never ceases to help. Watch here. 62. 'Model Behavior' from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Laura Benanti as Candela) Original Broadway Cast (2010-2011) I fully admit that I don't remember too much from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I sat in a seat that was so far away it was practically outside, and left the performance with three things about it etched in my mind: the pre-show curtain having a recipe on it for Gazpacho, Brian Stokes Mitchell comparing tomorrow to an ice cream sandwich on a silver platter, and Laura Benanti's hilarious 'Model Behavior.' I thought everyone needed to hear her rambling, panicky phone call song because this was the true highlight of the show for me. Listen for the bit about the spider/raisin, it is my favorite. Listen here. 63. 'Cryin' in the Rain' from High Fidelity (Will Chase as Rob) Original Broadway Cast (2006) High Fidelity was not perfect, but it should have had a longer run on Broadway. I drove up to Boston to see its pre-Broadway run and loved it, then loved it again when it played (very briefly) in New York. Based on the book and film of the same name, it tells the story of Rob, a record store owner, whose relationship with his current girlfriend, Laura, falls apart, leading him to consider his past girlfriends and what went wrong each time. The show was witty, with seriously underrated performances from its cast, and a score I still love. 'Cryin' in the Rain' is a short song from the second act where Rob (played expertly by Will Chase) is at his wit's end and vents his frustrations in supremely dramatic (and raging) fashion. I've always loved it. I think I even used it as my alarm sound at one point because the opening is just so demanding that I knew it would wake me up. It may have only had 14 official performances on Broadway (for some of which Will was ill--and yes, I remember him hiding glasses of water around the stage) but it is still something I listen to, and I'm pleased to share it in case others missed out on the fun. Listen here. 64. 'Get Out and Stay Out' from 9 to 5 (Stephanie J. Block as Judy) Original Broadway Cast (2009) Dolly Parton is an American treasure as well as one of the best songwriters of the modern era. The theater community was lucky to have her write the score for 9 to 5, the musical based on the 1980 film of the same name, that she starred in alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. My favorite part of it was 'Get Out and Stay Out,' the 11 o'clock number performed by Stephanie J. Block whose character, Judy, has finally decided to evict her ex-husband (aptly named Dick) from her life. It's a powerful anthem about recognizing one's self worth and removing toxic people from your life, and it's great. Listen here. 65. 'Mr. Bojangles' from Fosse (Ben Vereen, Edwaard Liang, Brad Anderson) Filmed Version (2001) There were a lot of things I liked about Fosse, which showcased all the Bob Fosse choreography a person could ask for, with 'Rich Man's Frug', 'I Gotcha', and 'Mr. Bojangles' at the top of my list. I picked 'Mr. Bojangles' because it's beauty is in its subtlety, which differentiates it from many of the other numbers. Watch here. 66. 'Swing!' from Wonderful Town (Donna Murphy as Ruth, Company) Tony Awards Performance (2004) Donna Murphy is a Queen of Comedy in my book, and if I ever was lucky enough to have even 1/100 of the talent she has, I'd be happy. Her performance as Ruth (the decidedly un-hip sister) in Wonderful Town was a tour-de-force and although she certainly wasn't the first and won't be the last to play the role, I am certain she will always be the best in my heart. In 'Swing!' she is tasked with the job of promoting a club called the Village Vortex where she gets drawn in by the swing music. My closest friends will tell you that I love to drop lines from this into conversation (particularly 'get hep' and lies about my favorite dish being fish). I never liked the sweet role of Eileen (Ruth's sister), because I am definitely a Ruth myself. Do yourself a favor and listen to the whole cast recording (especially '100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man'), but also let yourself fall in love with Donna Murphy in 'Swing!' because it is pure fun. Watch here. 67. 'So Much Better' from Legally Blonde (Laura Bell Bundy as Elle Woods, Company) Filmed version (2007) On this day I was looking at a list of musicals I'd made at the beginning of my 365 Days and I wanted to use one that I hadn't listened to in a long time. Legally Blonde jumped out at me and I considered 'Legally Blonde Remix' for its famous high belting, but then I remembered the frenetic energy of 'So Much Better' from the moment in the show when Elle Woods celebrates a major victory. Then I remembered that the show was filmed and aired on television (not sure how I forgot about that) and that excited me because I love when I can share actual performance clips. Watch here. 68. 'Rose's Turn' from Gypsy (Bernadette Peters as Rose) Tony Awards Performance (2003) Rose, the infamous overbearing stage mother of Gypsy Rose Lee, is a role any self-respecting diva of the stage or screen with a presence wants to play. I've been a fan of the Gypsy film (due to my love of Natalie Wood) since the dawn of time, but my first encounter with the show on a professional stage was the production helmed by Bernadette Peters as Rose in the early 2000s. My mother and I sat very close to the stage and she drew me in immediately. Bernadette Peters may be petite, but she is powerful, and so hers is the version I chose to share. Watch here. 69. 'I Want it All' from Baby (Liz Callaway as Lizzie, Catherine Cox as Pam, and Beth Fowler as Arlene) Tony Awards Performance (1984) Baby closed on Broadway shortly before I was born so, for obvious reasons, I never got to see it. However, as a theater lover who listened to anything and everything I could, the cast album eventually crossed my path and the two most-popular songs from it at the time were 'The Story Goes On' (where a woman realizes her pregnancy will lead to the continuation of her family line just as she was the continuation of her ancestors' line) and 'I Want it All' (where three pregnant women at different stages of life examine all their dreams and how they, well, want it all.) I hadn't listened to Baby in years when it returned to my consciousness early in the pandemic. I'd agreed to write some monologues for the 365 Women a Year Monologue project. One of the women assigned to me was Carmen Barros, an incredibly accomplished Chilean actress and singer. I worried my lack of Spanish would make it hard for me to research her, but then I found a video of her performing 'I Want it All' in Baby and as soon as I watched it my worries went away. I was taken in immediately by her easy command of the stage and charisma, and suddenly writing was easy. It reminded me, too, of how great this song is. Although I used the original English version for this post (which you can watch here), I hope you will also check out Carmen Barros in the Spanish-language version (which you can watch here), she'll be the one in the grey suit/skirt. 70. 'Funny Honey' from Chicago (Ruthie Henshall as Roxie) London Cast Recording (1998) At the end of the 1990s, it was announced that Ruthie Henshall was going to make her Broadway debut in Chicago. This made my teen heart grow several sizes with excitement. I'd fallen in love with her as Fantine in the concert version of Les Mis that I watched regularly and the London cast recording of Chicago that featured her as Roxie Hart was my preferred version. The thing was, when she came to New York this time, she wasn't going to be playing Roxie, she was going to be playing Velma. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing her perform 'Funny Honey' live, but ended up absolutely blown away by her Velma--she was one sassy bitch. It was a magnificent experience (as was meeting her after) but her 'Funny Honey' is such a central part of my musical listening history that I had to share it. Listen here. 71. 'Mama Who Bore Me/Bitch of Living' from Spring Awakening (Sandra Mae Frank and Katie Boeck as Wendla & Voice of Wendla/Daniel Durant and Alex Boniello as Moritz & Voice of Moritz, Company) Deaf West Revival Tony Awards Performance (2016) Sometimes a revival can completely change your opinion of a musical. For me, the biggest example of this is Spring Awakening. When the original Broadway production opened in 2006, I saw it but I didn't fall in love with the show despite some great musical moments and super-talented performers. Then, a decade late, the Deaf West production came to Broadway and all that changed. This version, for me, got to the heart of what Spring Awakening should be as an exploration of the troubles that come with growing up in a society that continues to restrict, oppress, and fail its children. It wasn't overly flashy and loud, but it made sure the audience saw the vulnerability of its characters and was perfectly cast. It hit me in the heart. I will never stop being upset that we did not get a professionally-released video recording of this production, but I am glad that I can at least show you the two songs that they performed for the Tony Awards. It is a thing of beauty and completely unforgettable. I found myself watching this on repeat after seeing the recent documentary about the original production. Now you can watch it, too. Watch here. 72. 'Lost in the Wilderness' from Children of Eden (Darius de Haas as Cain) American Premiere Recording (1998) Children of Eden (which, as the title suggests) covers Biblical themes from the book of Genesis, has not yet made it to Broadway, but it was incredibly popular in my theater-loving circles when I was growing up. The song that's always appealed to me the most is 'Lost in the Wilderness,' in which Cain (of the famous pair of brothers, Cain and Abel) expresses his rage and frustration over the fact that their parents (Adam and Eve) got them kicked out of Eden and have also prevented them from exploring beyond a designated area. To me it has always been a lament and an attempt to give Abel a reality check. I've been listening to Darius de Haas on this recording for...well...a very long time, so I was happy to get this chance to share it. Listen here. 73. 'There is Nothing Like a Dame' from South Pacific (Florence Henderson) Broadway Backwards (2015) Despite being a classic, South Pacific has never been one of my favorite musicals. Then, I attended Broadway Backwards 2015 and Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady!) came on stage and did the most delightful version of 'There is Nothing Like a Dame' that I have ever seen. This is that performance. Watch here. 74. 'The Wizard and I' from Wicked (Idina Menzel as Elphaba) Original Broadway Cast (2003 - Present) When Wicked is the topic of conversation, 'Defying Gravity' is the song that usually comes up with regard to the character of Elphaba. It is an important one, for sure, but I've always preferred 'The Wizard and I.' It's a great moment when Elphaba shares her hopes and dreams and admits that one of them is to have the green removed from her skin so that others will accept her. It is a sweet instance of vulnerability and one that I think everyone can relate to, because who among us hasn't ever wished things were different? Listen here. 75. 'Me and the Sky' from Come From Away (Jenn Colella as Beverley, Company) Original Broadway Cast (2017 - 2022) I have a complicated relationship with Come From Away. I recognize that it is a much-loved show, but I had difficulty sitting through it. I don't think I was (am) ready for a musical about 9/11, but a great many people certainly had the opposite reaction. One of those people was my mother, who absolutely adored it and saw it multiple times without me being the impetuous for the repeat (a rare thing!) So, when Mother's Day came around, I selected 'Me and the Sky', performed by the magnificent Jenn Colella, as a nod to my mom's love of this show. It's a song about what happens when you've dedicated your life to something that becomes a literal weapon of mass destruction. People with access to Apple+, I believe, can still watch a filmed version of the show in its entirety or you can listen here.

Welcome to the fourth entry in my 365 Days of Musical Theater Series. In this one, we have several songs from musicals based on historical events, the Deaf West production I wish I had seen in full, a travel essential, my favorite song from the musical production I've seen the most, and a one from a show that probably doesn't technically qualify for this list, but I have no regrets about including. As always, it is full of beautifully-voiced people singing gorgeous music and I hope you enjoy them. These songs were tweeted between April 9, 2022 and April 23, 2022. All entries in my 365 Days of Musical Theater Series can be found here. 46. 'I'm Martin Guerre'/'How Many Tears?' from Martin Guerre (David Campbell and Maria Friedman) Hey, Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh (1998) In addition to the concert My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies concert that I've mentioned in past posts, I also loved watching Hey, Mr. Producer! as a kid because it covered such a wide array of musical theater, much of which I had not yet seen on stage at the time. One of the musicals showcased was a then-upcoming production of Martin Guerre. Based on a medieval French incident involving an absent man returning to find someone impersonating him and trying to take his family, I was intrigued by it. The two songs performed here are perhaps the musical high points of the score, and the second song ('How Many Tears?') is one I've always enjoyed singing when the opportunity arises. Watch here. 47. 'Where Do I Go?' from Hair (Julia Murney) Actors Fund Benefit Recording (concert 2004, album release 2005) Hair has never been a show that really resonated with me, but when the recording of the Actors Fund Benefit Concert was released, the new interpretations of classic songs was something I appreciated. Of all the performances captured on it, Julia Murney's rendition of 'Where Do I Go?' was possibly the one I listened to the most, that's why I shared it here. Listen here, especially to her gorgeous crescendo. 48. 'Buenos Aires' from Evita (Elena Roger as Eva, Ricky Martin as Che) Broadway Revival Cast (2012-2013) 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' gets all the attention when it comes to talking about songs from Evita, but for me 'Buenos Aires' has always been the best song in the show. It's confident, sassy, and bouncy. I loved Elena Roger in the 2012 Broadway revival, and the recording that features her is my favorite (sorry, Patti LuPone), so that is the one I used. Watch here. 49. 'The Schmuel Song' from The Last Five Years (Norbert Leo Butz as Jamie) Off-Broadway Cast (2002) Just over 20 years ago I went to see a musical called Thou Shalt Not (based on Thérèse Raquin, I will probably use it one day in the future) My favorite performance in that show was from one Norbert Leo Butz, and after it, he told me about this show he was working on called The Last Five Years, so I made sure to keep my eyes out for it. This turned out to be a wonderful life choice, because The Last Five Years is one of those shows I will never stop loving. It is a two-character piece following the arc of the marriage between Jamie (an author) and Cathy (an actress), in which he tells their relationship story from start to finish while she tells it simultaneously from finish to start. Their timelines only coincide once, at a special point in the center, and the whole show is as beautiful as it is tragic. It was nearly impossible to pick a song from this show because I love them all (I even considered a song cut from the show called 'I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You' that I think is the absolute height of romance), but ultimately I chose 'The Schmuel Song' because it doesn't get the attention it deserves and it is a beautiful story song about love, time, and dreams. Listen here. 50. 'Confrontation' from Jekyll & Hyde (Robert Cuccioli as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde) Original Broadway Cast (1997-2001) Robert Cuccioli's turn as Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde is something I will never forget. In particular, I was mesmerized by his performance of the song 'Confrontation' during which he had to play both Jekyll and Hyde in continued rapid succession as they fought against each other (or, he fought against himself.) With a simple flip of his hair (back for Jekyll, in his face for Hyde) and deft use of body language, Cuccioli switched back and forth with a mastery that left me breathless. I've always regretted that when the show eventually sold shirts for charity that said 'Hair Switch Project' (a wink to 1999 film The Blair Witch Project), I did not get one. I remain disappointed that the Broadway revival utilized projections for Hyde during 'Confrontation' because I feel like it removed the performance magic and left the actor only actively playing one of the two sides of the character. As such, Cuccioli and the original production will always be superior to me, and this song is the one I think of when Jekyll & Hyde is mentioned. Listen here. 51. 'Gethsemane' from Jesus Christ Superstar (Paul Alexander Nolan) Exclusive Fan Concert (2012) The first time I saw Jesus Christ Superstar was in my Catholic grade school when we watched the film. I've often joked (because I know how untrue it is likely to be, historically speaking) that the film's lead, Ted Neeley, is exactly how I picture Jesus in my head and JCS is a staple in my listening rotation, especially during Holy Week as Easter approaches. I knew that at some point during Holy Week I would use 'Gethsemane,' the famous solo Jesus has in Act II where he goes through a torrent of emotions regarding his fate of death. I've seen it performed with varying degrees of impact, but the only one I've ever felt rivaled Neeley's was Paul Alexander Nolan's, so that is what I chose. Luckily, a concert (non-costumed) version of his interpretation was professionally filmed. Watch here. 52. 'Barrett's Song' from Titanic (Brian d'Arcy James as Frederick Barrett) Original Broadway Cast (1997-1999) For the anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, of course I was going to pay tribute and choose a song from the Tony-winning musical. I will never forget seeing this show on Broadway. As the ship began to sink, it tilted on the stage, something so wonderful that few other moments of technical stage wonder have ever come close to touching its place in my heart. The stage production opened around the same time as the film, though they told very different versions of the ship's story, and I remember telling people (and probably annoying them with it) that the musical was far superior. This song, with energy I love and well-written foreshadowing, shows the perspective of a stoker named Barrett who questions the wisdom of the orders he receives to help increase the ship's speed. Listen here. 53. 'Commencing in Chattanooga' from The Scottsboro Boys (Joshua Henry as Haywood Patterson + Company) Tony Awards Performance (2011) After Titanic, I was in the mood for another musical inspired by history (yes, I know, when is that not my mood? humor me!) and the first thing that popped into my head was the brilliant Tony Awards performance by The Scottsboro Boys in 2011. The Scottsboro Boys is based on the story of a group of African-American boys who were put on trial for the alleged rape of two white women. Their lives were ruined (understatement) by the ordeal and the last of the boys were not fully exonerated until 2013. This song comes from early in the show, before everything goes awry. For the emotional core of it, listen to 'You Can't Do Me', but beginning with 'Commencing in Chattanooga' is always a good idea. Watch here. 54. 'Muddy Water' from Big River (Michael McElroy as Jim, Tyrone Giordano as Huckleberry Finn, Daniel H. Jenkins as Voice of Huckleberry Finn) Broadway on Broadway (2003) Broadway on Broadway was one of my favorite events when I was a young theater fan. It took place in Times Square before crowds that filled multiple blocks. Sometimes, promoters gave out fans or bandanas for current Broadway shows. It was so much fun. I loved going with my family and seeing all the shows perform. In 2003, Big River performed. I didn't know much about this musical based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and it was my first time seeing a sample of a Deaf West production. I was thrilled to find a video of it to share with everyone for this project. The Deaf West/Roundabout production of Big River combined traditional musical theater with ASL and utilizing both hearing and Deaf talent. This one, short number was enough to completely revolutionize my understanding of what musical theater could be. I will always be sad that I did not see this production in full, but in a future post you will see that I did see a different Deaf West production, and I loved it. Watch here. 55. 'Ariadne' from The Frogs (Nathan Lane as Dionysos) Broadway Cast (2004) As much as I love Stephen Sondheim music, The Frogs (based on an Ancient Greek comedy) has never been at the top of my list. However, I have always enjoyed the song 'Ariadne', in which Dionysos sings about his late wife. I've found it is rarely heard out of context, so I chose it. Listen here. 56. 'Ring of Keys' from Fun Home (Sydney Lucas as Small Alison, Beth Malone as Alison) Original Broadway Cast (2015-2016) I have a dear friend named Eric who I met back in 2004. No one I've met loves Fun Home (the musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name) the way Eric does. I picked this song, where young Alison is out to eat with her father and sees a butch delivery woman whose existence speaks to her on a cellular level. This one is for him. Listen here or watch the Tony Awards (2015) performance here: 57. 'Are We the Waiting' from American Idiot (Stark Sands as Tunny, Joshua Henry, Company) Original Broadway Cast (2010-2011) On April 20th I decided to tweet a song from American Idiot in honor of the anniversary of its opening on Broadway. Although I think the show has no weak spots, there was also no question about which song I would use. 'Are We the Waiting' is my favorite moment in the show, due to the nuance and beauty of Stark Sands' turn as Tunny (the member of the main trio who decides to join the armed forces.) This show resonated with me on many levels, and as my friend once commented, it felt like the Hair of our generation. It's no wonder then, that it is the single Broadway production I have seen the most. Back when it was running, the cast did an AOL Sessions performance that included this song. Stark's performance there was as pure and wonderful as it was on the stage during the show. I was disappointed to be unable to find that anywhere that allowed me to embed it here, but I highly suggest that you click here to watch it. If that's not your thing, then you can also just listen here. 58. 'Once Upon a Time' from Brooklyn (Eden Espinosa as Brooklyn) Broadway on Broadway (2004) There was a period (c 2004) where everyone who fancied themselves a belter decided they needed to since 'Once Upon a Time,' the big number from Brooklyn, a musical where the cast portrayed a group of homeless New Yorkers who, in turn, were performing the story of a girl named Brooklyn who was searching for her father. I'm not kidding when I say it was done into the ground by these young Broadway belter hopefuls. This is 'Once Upon a Time' as it was originally sung for the Broadway stage by Eden Espinosa. Watch here. 59. 'Haven in the Sky' from Tell Me on a Sunday (Denise Van Outen) London Production (2003) I was in a traveling mood this day, but I had nowhere to go, so instead I chose 'Haven in the Sky' for my song of the day. This song has been my go-to whenever I am on a place since, well, 2003. I find it hypes me up, but not so much that I can't just relax and enjoy the flight. To me it symbolizes the start of an adventure, and any time an opportunity arises, it has always stayed with me. The lyrics are so embedded in my mind that I cannot travel without asking myself if I've found peace of mind in terminal four. Listen here. 60. 'Bye, Bye, Blackbird' from The History Boys (Samuel Barnett as Posner, Jamie Parker as Scripps, Dominic Cooper as Dakin, James Corden as Timms, Russell Tovey as Rudge, Andrew Knott as Lockwood, Sacha Dhawan as Akthar, Samuel Anderson as Crowther) Film version (2006) The History Boys is a play. That is why it does not belong on this list. However, it is a play that had multiple scenes including music. It is also the play that I love most. I will never forget seeing the marquee go up on the Broadhurst. I didn't know much about the show, but the premise (a group of boys in a 1980s British school attempt to gain entrance to Oxford and Cambridge) spoke to me, a then-undergraduate pursuing a BA in history. The play marries drama with humor and tackles complex issues from educational methods to the relationships between teachers and students and further, the not-so-simple task of growing up. It is no secret that I saw this production 24 times in the approximately 24 weeks it ran on Broadway, and that I was mesmerized every time. I'm not a major crier, but I cried during the 'Bye, Bye, Blackbird' scene every single time. There have been many full-blown musicals that I don't think employ songs in as impactful a way as The History Boys. So, when the anniversary of the play's opening on Broadway arrived, I broke my own rules to share this song...but I must warn you, if you watch the scene, it is a major plot spoiler. I do not suggest watching it without reading the script or watching the film from the beginning. Watch here. (warning a second time: this video has plot spoilers!)

When I started my quest to tweet (and later, blog about) 365 musical theater songs, I told myself not to get too excited and use up all of my favorites in the beginning. A year is a long time. I promised myself I would spread out those Favorites (capital F for emphasis) so that they could be peppered in throughout the year for random bursts of pure joy…and I've been horrible at actually doing that. You already saw in my last post (#16-30) that I dropped one of my favorites in for St. Patrick's Day. Well, in this edition, I feature four of my favorite male performers, the song that I think might be the greatest company number ever done, and a clip of a concert that sparked my obsession with singers performing songs from roles they would probably never play. I may have failed at holding back, but that means the selection featured in this post is one I really love. I hope you love it, too. These songs were tweeted between March 25, 2022 and April 8, 2022. All entries in my 365 Days of Musical Theater Series can be found here. 31. 'Giants in the Sky' from Into the Woods (Ben Wright as Jack) Original Broadway Cast (1987-1989, this version aired on American Playhouse in 1991) I was too young to see Into the Woods during its original Broadway run, but I was the perfect age to watch the filmed incarnation regularly when it was released for public purchase. My favorite part was always when Jack (of beanstalk fame, who young me thought was gorgeous) sang 'Giants in the Sky,' his fast-paced number about the discoveries he made as a result of climbing the beanstalk and encountering the titular giants in the sky. When done well (or, perfectly, as I would argue Wright did it) it's like watching someone grow up right before your eyes. Watch here. 32. 'Solidarity' from Billy Elliot (Company) Original London Cast (2005-2016) It's hard for me to put into words how brilliant I found the staging for 'Solidarity' in Billy Elliot. Based on the film of the same name, about a young boy who develops a love for ballet at the same time as the miners in Thatcher England are going on strike, this song combines those two elements. On the one hand you have Billy at his dance classes discovering his potential and on the other you have the picketing miners. The choreography is magnificent and the song is extremely memorable. Listen here or watch a short clip of it from the Broadway production below to get an idea of the breathtaking visuals: 33. 'Soul of a Man' from Kinky Boots (Stark Sands as Charlie Price) Original Broadway Cast (2013-2019) My biggest failure in terms of spreading out my favorites was not keeping Stark's 'Soul of a Man' for later in the year. I intended to, because it is truly at the top of my favorite solo performances list. I've been a fan of Stark's since he made his Broadway debut in Journey's End and in 2012, my friend Danielle was kind enough to join me on a road trip to Chicago to see the pre-Broadway run of Kinky Boots. The show is a hopeful celebration of self-discovery and acceptance, and Stark's emotional solo 'Soul of Man' was, to me, exactly what musical theater should be. I've seen it many, many times live since then--because it moved to Broadway (and, by the way, Stark was among those Tony nominated for it.) I definitely planned to save posting about it for later, an exchange with my friend Louie caused me to be unable to resist indulging in sharing this performance any longer. It is the pinnacle of perfect musical theater for me, and I cannot stress enough just how special I think it is. Watch here. 34. 'I'm Alive' from next to normal (Aaron Tveit as Gabe) Original Broadway Cast (2009-2011) Aaron Tveit won a Tony Award for his role in Moulin Rouge last year, but I'll never be over the fact that he wasn't even nominated for his portrayal as Gabe, the son at the center of the family drama next to normal. I remember confidently putting him down as not only nominated, but winning, in my family's Tony predictions contest. Tveit expertly walked that fine line between charming and disturbing, giving Gabe all the layers he needs for the story to work (but you won't get spoilers from me), and flying around the multi-level set like it was nothing. It was truly spectacular to behold. This song has been a staple on my playlists for years, and I doubt it'll ever be removed. It definitely sits near the top of my favorite male performances list--which is why in my intro to this post I admitted that I failed to spread my favorites around as much as I'd intended. Watch here. 35. 'Role of a Lifetime' from bare: a pop opera (Michael Arden as Peter) Original Off-Broadway cast (2004) bare is the story of a young man named Peter who falls in love with Jason, a very popular student at their Catholic boarding school. Although Jason returns his feelings, when their relationship becomes public it has catastrophic results. When I saw it for the first time in a little Off-Broadway house attached to a courthouse, it grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until I was weeping at the conclusion. 'Role of a Lifetime' comes early in the show, as Peter reflects on the hidden nature of their relationship and his concerns about the situation. I chose it because it's a great introduction to the show and Arden's performance is breathtaking. That said, the entire show (which has taken on multiple incarnations) has been released as an audio recording and as I believe the show is musically wonderful from start to finish, I highly suggest expanding just beyond this number (if you ever want to see me weep, just play the title song in my presence.) Listen here. 36. 'Life Upon the Wicked Stage' from Show Boat (Anna Kendrick) My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies (1998) Following all those dramatic male songs, I felt the urge to change things up a bit. I wanted a female song that amused me. The first one that came to mind was a very young Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) singing 'Life Upon the Wicked Stage' (an adult number) supported by the Kit Kat girls from the cast of Cabaret. This bundle of curiosities was part of the concert My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies. As with Into the Woods, I did not attend this concert in person, but I did own the video recording of it. I view many of its performances as iconic and they were incredibly influential on me (one of the biggest was #42 in this very post), so you will see it pop up a few times as we go through this year. For now, though, enjoy a little fun. Watch here. 37. 'Stepsister's Lament' from Cinderella (Ann Harada as Charlotte + women's ensemble) Broadway cast (2013-2015) I decided to follow up one piece of smile-making entertainment with another by featuring Ann Harada (one of the stage's great comedic actors and nicest people) as Cinderella's stepsister Charlotte. In this classic song she wonders (or rather, laments) that men go for women like Cinderella who are 'obviously unusual' and 'simply lovely' as opposed to a 'solid' and 'usual girl' like her. It's a fabulous moment for all the characters in life who aren't the ingénue. Listen here. 38. 'One Song Glory' from Rent (Will Chase as Roger) Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2008) Although this updated take on the opera La Bohème achieved legendary status with my generation very quickly, I was never a fan. Still, when Will Chase (who I adore) stepped into the role of Roger on Broadway at the tail end of 2005, I had to return. I ended up seeing it several times while he was there (it was worth it) and although I've never been converted to being a devotee like many people I know, two songs grew on me: 'One Song Glory' a ballad in which Roger contemplates his mortality and unfulfilled creative life and 'Santa Fe' a dreamier number sung primarily by the characters of Collins and Angel. To me, Rent isn't Rent without Will (even though, yes, I know he isn't the original) so I had to feature him as the representative of this 90s classic. Watch here. 39. 'She Loves to Hear the Music' from The Boy from Oz (Stephanie J Block as Liza Minnelli) Original Broadway Cast (2003-2004) Quite understandably, most people remember The Boy from Oz for Hugh Jackman's award-winning turn as Peter Allen, but when I saw the show I left thinking about Stephanie J Block's spot-on performance as Liza Minnelli. So, for this day, I chose her big (and sparkly) solo number. Listen here. 40. 'This is Not Over Yet' from Parade (Brent Carver as Leo Frank, Carolee Carmello as Lucille Frank) Original Broadway Cast (1998-1999) Parade is based on the true story of Leo Frank, the Jewish man in Georgia convicted of the murder of Mary Phagan a teen factory worker. He appealed this decision, but in 1915 he was taken by a mob and lynched. It was a series of events that caused major conversations around the country, including a focus on antisemitism. As you can imagine, it's not a happy musical. However, 'This is Not Over Yet' is, outwardly, a happy number: it occurs when an imprisoned Leo learns from his wife that his case will be re-examined and feels a surge of hope. It was recently announced that Michael Arden (who sings 'Role of a Lifetime', #35 on this list) will direct a special production of it this November, so it's the perfect time to revisit the original. Listen here or watch the Tony Awards performance of the song here. 41. 'Something's Coming' from West Side Story (Cheyenne Jackson as Tony) San Francisco Symphony (2013) One of my big musical theater confessions is that I've never really liked West Side Story. I've seen and heard many versions of it, but I've always felt the first half dragged too much for me to get invested in the second half. I usually mentally check out before intermission. I know this is blasphemy to many, but I can't help it, I feel how I feel! Even with shows I don't like, though (like with Rent above), there is usually at least one song I enjoy. In West Side Story, that song is 'Something's Coming.' It's a song that, when done by someone like Cheyenne Jackson, is boiling over with pure life, and I love that. Listen here. 42. 'Man of La Mancha' from Man of La Mancha (Linda Eder) My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies (1998) I trace my obsession with singers performing pieces that they traditionally would not sing directly back to the moment young me saw Linda Eder sing 'Man of La Mancha' during the My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies concert. Her performance shook my world and shifted my perspective...it also sparked my desire to be someone who sang a lot of songs that purists and traditionalists thought I shouldn't. She was one of the female singers whose work most influenced me when I decided to start voice lessons. No one will ever sing this song better than her in my mind. Watch here. 43. 'The Mad Hatter' from Wonderland (Kate Shindle as Mad Hatter) Original Broadway Cast (2011) Although Wonderland was technically a flop, I loved this spin on Alice in Wonderland. In particular, I loved the decision to make the Mad Hatter a woman with two powerful, awesome, show-stealing numbers. The first (which contains another thing I love: a plethora of very quick lyrics) is the one I chose for this. The other, darker, song is one you should also listen to - it's called 'I Will Prevail.' Kate Shindle's stunning costumes and dedication to a complex embodiment of this character who is traditionally male and occasionally Johnny Depp made it a performance that I adored, and it's still on my list of roles I'd love to play. Listen here. 44. 'Being Alive' from Company (Raúl Esparza as Bobby) Company, filmed for Great Performances (2008) When I was considering a song from Company it was difficult to choose which one, because the show (about a single person named Bobby/Bobbie who spends their 35th birthday surrounded by lots of friends who wonder when they will finally get married) is so rich in fantastic songs. In addition to 'Being Alive' I particularly also suggest watching Madeline Kahn's famous rendition of 'Getting Married Today.' But the reason I chose Raúl Esparza's 'Being Alive' was because Company, and Raúl's performance in particular, is very near and dear to the hear of one of my friends, so this one is for Deborah. Watch it here. 45. 'Fable' from The Light in the Piazza (Victoria Clark as Margaret) Original Broadway Cast (2005-2006) In 2005, my friend Jill and I developed an obsession with the musical The Light in the Piazza. While she was enamored with Kelli O'Hara's wonderful turn as Clara (a young woman with developmental disabilities due to a childhood injury who finds unexpected love on a trip to Italy) and wanted to sing all of her music, I was drawn to Victoria Clark's depiction of Margaret, Clara's mother. Clark eventually won the Tony for the role, and deservedly so in my book. Her 'Dividing Day' (about the crumbling of her marriage) is an underrated masterpiece, but I chose the song 'Fable' because it is a masterpiece of an 11 o'clock number that show tremendous character growth through self-reflection, and everyone should hear it. Listen here. Happy listening! I'll be back soon with 15 more songs, including one from the musical production that I've seen the most, several based on historical events, and one that probably shouldn't even be on this list!

Hello, and welcome (back?) to my adventure in creating a list of 365 musical theater songs for the 365 days of a year. If you missed the first entry (#1-15) you can view that here. I continue to hope that it will delight readers either by reminding you of shows you forgot or by introducing them to new ones as much as it delights me while I make it. If you follow along with this series of entries for long enough, you will also likely learn a lot about my taste. Spoiler: I love solo numbers and there are some performers I could (and often do) listen to on loop so they will creep in regularly. I am enjoying this process a lot, and it is helping me build a killer playlist, that's for sure. This entry features a severely underrated act one finale, a future pop star, a bit of Bollywood, and a flurry of Ireland-inspired songs from the week of St. Patrick's Day. I happened to use a lot of songs with videos available on YouTube during this period so you'll see those embedded below and get to watch some of the performances in action. These songs were tweeted between March 10, 2022 and March 24, 2022. 16. 'Comfort and Joy' from Bat Boy (Sean McCourt as Dr. Parker, Kerry Butler as Shelley, Kaitlin Hopkins as Meredith, Deven May as Edgar/Bat Boy, etc.) Original (Off-Broadway) Cast Recording (2001) This absurd but darling musical had an off-Broadway run that overlapped 9/11. One of my major memories of it is seeing it three days before 9/11 and then, following it, the production did an initiative that gave tickets to the show to first responders. The recipient list might have been broader than that, but it's been 21 years and my memory is obviously imperfect. I swear they did something, though. Bat Boy was inspired by an article in the tabloid Weekly World News in the early 1990s. In it, Edgar (the titular Bat Boy) gets taken in by the Parker family, but it isn't an easy life. The show is filled with dark humor but also a surprising amount of heart and commentary on how those who are viewed as different are wrongly treated. 'Comfort and Joy' is a full company number, tying all the various characters together regardless of their current states of mind, and in my opinion it is a Top 10 act one finale. Listen here. 17. 'It Can't Be True' from 13 (Elizabeth Gillies as Lucy, Caitlin Gann as Molly, Ariana Grande as Charlotte, Brynn Williams as Cassie + cast) Original Broadway Cast (2008-2009) I was watching an episode of the reboot of Dynasty this night, and of course it made me think of 13 because Elizabeth Gillies (Fallon Carrington) was one of the most memorable characters in that show. In 'It Can't Be True' her character, Lucy, masterminds a song reminiscent of Bye, Bye Birdie's big telephone number in which a rumor spreads like wildfire through the teenage population. The song also features a pre-fame Ariana Grande, who my friend Andrew and I always hoped we'd see go on for one of the main roles, but it never happened. 'It Can't Be True' is a fun number that sticks in your head. I promise you will be singing 'Everything Charlotte says is a lie' to yourself for days if you give it a try. Listen here. 18. 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Misérables (Ruthie Henshall as Fantine) 10th Anniversary Concert, London (1995) On March 12, I wanted to celebrate Les Mis because it was the anniversary of its opening night on Broadway in 1987. To do it, I turned to the version of Les Mis that I saw first: the concert done in 1995 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original West End production. When that concert aired on PBS, young me developed a lifelong love for it. One of my favorite parts of that concert was (and still is) Ruthie Henshall's turn as Fantine. Despite seeing Les Mis in a wide variety of incarnations over the years, Henshall's Fantine and her haunting 'I Dreamed a Dream' has always been my favorite take on the role. Watch here. 19. 'Breeze Off the River' from The Full Monty (Patrick Wilson as Jerry) Original Broadway Cast (2000-2002) The Full Monty is one of those shows where there isn't a song I don't like. After I tweeted this one (which is a sweet song about Jerry's love for his son) because I was in a warm, fuzzy kind of mood, I thought about how if it had been a different day I would have tweeted 'Big-Ass Rock' or 'You Walk with Me,' which shows just how much I think you should listen to the entire cast recording. Ever since there was a private presentation of the show in 2019 with Stark Sands, I've been dreaming of a revival with him in the lead. It is one of those shows that just, in my opinion, really works and doesn't have any dull spots. Listen here. 20. 'Shakalaka Baby' from Bombay Dreams (Preeya Kalidas as the singing voice of Rani/Ayesha Dharker acting as Rani, Raza Jeffrey as Akaash, + cast) Original London Cast (2002-2004) One of my go-to songs for when I want to feel happy is 'Shakalaka Baby.' The song involves the characters of Rani and Akaash (and a phenomenal ensemble) dancing in a fountain on stage. Yes, some people had quibbles at the time about there being lip syncing involved, but that was part of the plot: they were filming a Bollywood dance number, and in most cases, movie musical numbers are recorded with the performers using a track recorded at a different time. If you're looking for something a little more serious, I also suggest listening to 'The Journey Home.' Watch here. 21. 'The Wedding' from The Pirate Queen (Áine Uí Cheallaigh as Evleen + cast) Original Broadway Cast (2007) This next series of tweets was during the build up to St. Patrick's Day so I was in the mood for music with Irish inspiration behind them. Although The Pirate Queen (which is about Grace O’Malley) wasn't the blockbuster success some people were hoping it would be before it opened, I became obsessed with 'The Wedding' and I've always thought that if I ever got married, this would be played at some point during either the ceremony or reception. Listen here. 22. 'Gold' from Once (Steve Kazee as Guy + cast) Original Broadway Cast (2012-2015) 'Falling Slowly' may be the most well-known song from Once, in both the original film and the stage adaptation, but 'Gold' will always be my favorite. In the Broadway production, Steve Kazee's tender vocals around lyrics like 'And I love her so/I wouldn't trade her for gold' spoke to my heart. I was thrilled when his work in this show was recognized with a Tony Award. The fact that I first saw it St. Patrick's Day weekend and it is set in Ireland is why I decided to treat myself (and now, all of you) to 'Gold' at this point. Watch here. 23. 'The Streets of Dublin' from A Man of No Importance (Steven Pasquale as Robbie) Original Off-Broadway Cast (2002) For St. Patrick's Day I decided it was time to post the song I regularly cite as one of my all-time favorite musical theater songs. A vibrant, bouncy, and gorgeous number where the character of Robbie (who says he lacks the words to express himself) expertly describes the atmosphere of Dublin, it has everything I love in theater: exquisitely descriptive lyrics, soaring vocals, perfect mood-setting music, and the opportunity to display emotional power. A lot of people have performed it since Pasquale (my second-favorite performance of it was Jason Danieley's in a concert production), but the first one I heard--the one that made me declare it a favorite--had to be the one I featured. I admit to being the annoying person who sings this song whenever she goes to Dublin, and I'm not ashamed of it. I love it that much. Listen here. 24. 'Astonishing' from Little Women (Sutton Foster as Jo March) Original Broadway Cast (2004-2005) Growing up, whenever I engaged with the story of Little Women, I always thought of myself as someone others called a Jo but who wanted to be a Meg. I loved the story for what it was, but never really felt a deep connection to one of the characters like my friends did. When I was older and saw the Broadway production of Little Women, my appreciation for the story expanded. Songs like 'Some Things are Meant to Be' and 'Take a Chance on Me' delighted me, but the idea of singing Jo's big act one finale number ('Astonishing') was the first time I didn't mind that people seemed to think she was the character I was most like. Listen here. 25. 'We'll Take a Glass Together' from Grand Hotel (Michael Jeter as Otto, Brent Barrett as Felix) 1990 Tony Awards (Original Broadway production, 1989-1992) I have never seen Grand Hotel, but I have watched this energetic (and elastic!) clip from the 1990 Tony Awards dozens of times over the years. Jeter's performance in this number is one I always wish I had been able to see live. Since I was too young when the show was on Broadway I didn't get to see it, but I am still celebrating how great it is by giving it a day on my list. Watch here. 26. 'Where is the Life that Late I Led?' from Kiss Me, Kate (Brian Stokes Mitchell as Fred Graham / Petruchio) Broadway revival cast (1999-2001) After thinking about Grand Hotel, I decided to go with a pair of songs from older musicals, but because I attended revivals of them that I loved, I used those versions over the originals. In this one, it's Brian Stokes Mitchell slaying 'Where is the Life that Late I Led?' as his character Fred performing as Petruchio in a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. His pairing with Marin Mazzie (whose 'I Hate Men' was as stellar as you'd expect) was my introduction to this musical, and I am glad for it. Listen here. 27. 'Old Devil Moon' from Finian's Rainbow (Cheyenne Jackson as Woody, Kate Baldwin as Sharon) Broadway revival cast (2009-2010) When it was announced that Cheyenne Jackson was doing Finian's Rainbow for Encores!, of course I was in. It was a sweet production and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was happy when it transferred to Broadway and I got to see it again. Jackson and Kate Baldwin played well off of one another and their 'Old Devil Moon' was simply charming. Watch here. 28. 'The Ballad of Booth' from Assassins (Neil Patrick Harris as the Balladeer, Michael Cerveris as John Wilkes Booth) Broadway Cast (2004) I've long considered Assassins to be a musical that should be used in classrooms as a gateway to the discussion of the darker side of American history. It is a grim show, with bits of humor, that looks at those who either succeeded in or attempted to assassinate US Presidents. The music styles reflect the eras of the events and the songs are a mixture of the characters themselves and an outsider called the Balladeer (who, SPOILER, later becomes Lee Harvey Oswald.) I could have picked any song from this show and been happy with my choice, but I landed on 'The Ballad of Booth' because Cerveris' characterization of Booth is something I don't think can be topped. I waited many years to see this show on Broadway (I was preparing to finally see one when it was canceled, understandably, in the wake of 9/11) and the 2004 cast that we finally got was everything I hoped it would be. This song, and this show in general, contains many potentially (likely) upsetting aspects, so considering that before diving into it is a good idea. It is, to me, a way of approaching the history of the assassins while staying far away from anything that could be misconstrued as agreeing with or glamorizing them. Listen here. 29. 'The Glamorous Life' cut from A Little Night Music (Audra McDonald) Sondheim! The Birthday Concert (2010) Although this magnificent solo number is not in A Little Night Music in the form depicted here, it is a true classic. It is a rollicking number for a traditional soprano that I call a Singer's Song, meaning that regardless of whether audiences like it (though I think they do) it is one hell of an adrenaline rush to sing. Intended to be sung by a girl about her absent actress mother, it is usually performed by adult women (like Audra, famously) and with good reason: it's a beautiful beast of a number. I sang it regularly in my musical theater class days and it's one that I will never, ever get tired of singing or hearing others sing. Watch here. 30. 'Meadowlark' from The Baker's Wife (Tituss Burgess) r Family Cruise (2009) The Glamorous Life' and 'Meadowlark' are completely different but they both display what I enjoy about powerful solos. 'Meadowlark' is another one I've loved singing for years, but my favorite version of it is not the famous Patti LuPone version on the cast recording. No, mine is by Tituss Burgess. (Confession: I am an absolute sucker for songs being gender switched, or at least performed by people who would not usually be cast in the roles.) I first saw Tituss perform 'Meadowlark' in a concert that featured those types of switches--Broadway Backwards 4--but that particular one is not online to my knowledge although there are pictures of it here. As such, I have gone with a video of him singing it on an r Family Cruise instead. Whenever I return to this rendition, my heart gets caught in my throat for the duration. Burgess takes this song originally about a woman using the story of a meadowlark and a king as a means of working through her debate about leaving her husband for a younger man and brings it to a level of beauty I've never seen anyone else capture. Watch here. Until next time, happy listening! As this series grows, you will be able to find every entry here.

Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, it was not uncommon to find me at at a Broadway theater on any given day of the week. When the theater industry very understandably shut down, I spent the time without live theater listening to shows I hadn’t seen or heard in a very long time. What this caused was a beautiful, nostalgic journey through shows I loved (and some I didn’t). Now, of course, theater is back in action, but I really enjoy regularly reminding myself of the music that I’ve loved over the last 25+ years. To keep the fun going of listening to things that I know make my heart happy, I decided to begin a Twitter thread (which you can find here) that posted a different song from musical theater every day for a year. This blog series is where I allow myself to explain why I chose the songs, reflect on them, and sometimes suggest other songs from the show that I almost used. As of the start of writing this, I have been tweeting songs for 80+ days and no, not all of them are from Broadway productions. My dream is to not do much (if any) repeating of shows. We will see, as time goes on, if I maintain that or am unable to fight the urge to post a second song from a show I already featured. It is my hope that anyone who comes across this series will enjoy going along for the ride and either find some new (to them) music to listen to or be stirred to remember something they haven’t heard in a long time. If either of these things happen to you, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Many of the songs I've selected have been recorded multiple times by different artists. I've made sure to specify the rendition I listened to that day and, as much as possible, included links for you to also listen. Happy listening! These songs were tweeted from February 23, 2022 to March 9, 2022. 1. 'Ich Bin Kunst' from Taboo (Boy George as Leigh Bowery) Original Broadway Cast (2003-2004) When I was in college I painted a lot of lyrics on my walls. One such lyric was 'Ich bin kunst' (German for 'I am art') from this Taboo song. Written by Boy George, Taboo follows the story of his younger self in Britain as he rose to fame and endured private struggles. Although the Broadway production was mired with bad press and did not last all that long, it was an instant cult classic, and I was among those regularly at the theater. The score is one of the best pop-influenced scores I've ever heard, and I highly suggest checking out the rest of it (especially songs like 'The Fame Game' and 'Petrified'), but I chose 'Ich Bin Kunst' because on the day I started this adventure I was thinking about those lyrics on the wall and the song that it came from. In it, the character of Leigh Bowery (a depiction of a real performance artist played by Boy George) addresses the audience about his life while the ensemble surrounds him in examples of his many created outfits. It is at turns challenging and playful, and certainly unforgettable. Listen here. 2. 'Summer, Highland Falls' from Movin' Out (Michael Cavanaugh) Original Broadway Cast (2002-2005) Growing up on Long Island means I have been hearing Billy Joel musical all my life...but somehow I missed 'Summer, Highland Falls' until I went to see Movin' Out. This musical, which featured Michael Cavanaugh as the vocalist for Joel's music and a host of extremely talented dancers, brough the song into my life and it quickly became one of my absolute favorite. The opening lyric of, 'They say that these are not the best of times/But they're the only times I've ever known', is something that has stayed with me forever and it feels more accurate with every passing year. Listen here. 3. 'Let it Sing' from Violet (Joshua Henry as Flick) Original Broadway Cast (2014) Taboo and Movin' Out I really wanted to change gears and listen to a song that soared...and that's where 'Let it Sing' came in. Set in the US south in the 1960s, Violet follows the story of a young girl with a scarred face as she attempts to find a preacher who she hopes can cure her. Flick, a Black soldier she meets along the way, sings this song to her as part of their burgeoning relationship. Performed by Joshua Henry and containing lyrics like, 'You got to give yourself a reason to rejoice/For the music you make counts for everything', it is sure to move you. Listen here or watch Henry's 2014 Drama Desk performance here: 4. 'Sweet Liberty' from Jane Eyre (Marla Schaffel as Jane Eyre) Original Broadway Cast (2000-2001) Ever since I first saw Jane Eyre on Broadway when I was in high school, Jane has been near the top of my list of dream musical roles and 'Sweet Liberty' is one of the reasons why. I had tweeted three male songs in a row and wanted to change it up, so I decided going with a role I would give almost anything to play. If anyone out there has this kind of power: please revive it and also please put me in it. I'm ready. Listen here. 5. 'Marry Me a Little' from Putting it Together (John Barrowman as The Younger Man) Original Broadway Cast (1999-2000) One of my longstanding disappointments is that the world did not get a cast recording of the short-lived Sondheim revue Putting it Together from the Broadway production. Loosely centered around an older couple (Carol Burnett and George Hearn) and a young man and woman (John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall), it was full of classics like 'Not Getting Married Today' and 'Could I Leave You?' but for me John Barrowman's 'Marry Me a Little' was the absolute highlight for me. I went to the opening performance and then when closing was announced, I returned for that. Luckily, it was recorded in video format for posterity, so you can still watch it now, even if a proper cast recording wasn't released. Watch here. 6. 'I Wish I Could Go Back to College' from Avenue Q (John Tartaglia as Princeton, Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Kate Monster, Rick Lyon as Nicky) Original Broadway Cast (2003-2009) The day that I tweeted this was my first day at a new job on a college campus, and I had not spent regular time on a college campus since I was in graduate school. The first thing, then, that came to mind was this nostalgia-laden song from Avenue Q. It must be said that Avenue Q is one of my favorite musicals, and I could have chosen any song from it. Indeed, 'Purpose' would have been a good choice too because it is what inspired my Twitter handle. I cannot say enough positive things about the original Broadway cast of this show. It came out at the time when I was an undergrad and hit close to home in many ways while also making my sides split with laughter. The show is a special one and the cast was filled with wonderful people who showed me boundless kindness. I will never forget shouting my face off in Radio City Music Hall when it won the Tony. The music is, of course, partly by a pre-Frozen, pre-EGOT Bobby Lopez. Listen here. 7. 'The I Love You Song' from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Celia Keenan-Bolger as Olive, Lisa Howard and Derrick Baskin as Olive's Parents) Original Broadway Cast (2005-2008) Although Spelling Bee is a really wonderful interactive comedy, 'The I Love You Song' is an emotionally-charged number about a little girl's relationship (or lack thereof) with her parents. I considered going with 'Woe is Me' which is my other favorite song from the show, but 'The I Love You Song' has gorgeous harmonies and is possibly my favorite Broadway song performed by a trio. At the time I tweeted this song I was watching The Gilded Age, which features Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs. Bruce, so Spelling Bee was on my mind. Listen here. 8. 'Don't Walk Away' from Xanadu (Cheyenne Jackson as Sonny + cast) Original Broadway Cast (2007-2008) Cheyenne Jackson made his Broadway debut in Thoroughly Modern Millie then blasted his way on to giant Times Square billboards when he played an Elvis-like character in All Shook Up, but I fell in love with him in Xanadu. Although he had been part of pre-Broadway Xanadu, he was not the original Sonny on Broadway. The first time I saw it, James Carpinello was in the role. However, before the show officially opened Carpinello suffered an injury that would cause a long absence. Cheyenne was called in and took over and the rest is history. I liked Xanadu with Carpinello (enough to go back, obviously) but Cheyenne made a world of difference. His ability to play earnest and sincere while also hysterically funny was top notch, and his voice elevated the music to the stratosphere. To this day Xanadu remains tied for #2 in terms of productions I saw the most times (30) and Cheyenne's 'Don't Walk Away' is a major factor in why I returned time and time again. Watch here. 9. 'Grand Old Ivy' from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Matthew Broderick as Finch, Ronn Carroll as Biggley) Broadway Revival Cast (1995-1996) When I was in grade school, I went to see How to Succeed with my mother and my uncle. I have vivid memories of my mom chuckling the minute Matthew Broderick showed up on stage and of drawing the logo on my Trapper Keeper for weeks after. When thinking about this show from my theater past, I considered posting some of the classics ('Brotherhood of Man', 'It's Been a Long Day', etc.) but decided instead to go with a short, entertaining number where Finch is pretending he cares about the alma mater of a superior. It may not be the first song from the show that comes to someone's mind, generally, but it always makes me smile. Listen here. 10. 'Winter's on the Wing' from The Secret Garden (John Cameron Mitchell as Dickon) Original Broadway Cast (1991-1993) Although I was aware of The Secret Garden as a show for many years, I did not see it performed live until the 2005 World AIDS Day concert benefitting The Joey DePaolo AIDS Foundation and Camp TLC. In that production, the role of Dickon (the character who sings 'Winter's on the Wing') was played expertly by Michael Arden. It quickly became one of my favorite songs in a show overloaded with lush, moving music (if you don't love 'Race You to the Top of the Morning' do you even have a heart?) and, since that concert was never professionally released, I chose the Original Broadway version to share. Since I was tweeting this at the start of March it felt like an appropriate time to introduce this ode to the coming of spring. Listen here. 11. 'Everybody Out' from Made in Dagenham (Gemma Arterton as Rita + cast) Original London Cast (2014-2015) In 2014 I was visiting a friend in London who absolutely loves English actress Gemma Arterton (St. Trinian's, Tamara Drewe, Vita & Virginia) so of course we had to see her in the musical Made in Dagenham. The show is centered on the 1968 Ford sewing machinists labor dispute, and 'Everybody Out' is its rousing Act One finale that serves as the call to strike. I particularly suggest listening to it when you're feeling fed up about, well, anything. Listen here. 12. 'Melisande' from 110 in the Shade (Steve Kazee as Starbuck) Broadway Revival Cast (2007) You will learn quickly as this adventure progresses that there are certain voices I am a sucker for, especially when they have a solo that either tells a story or moves me with the sheer emotion shown in it. I grew up singing the female music from 110 in the Shade, but for reasons unknown, I never listened to the male songs so the first time I heard 'Melisande' was when I went to see this production. It's a big Act II number where the character of Starbuck (Steve Kazee) is talking about the power of dreams and trying to encourage Lizzie (Audra McDonald) to go beyond her comfort zone. Later, Kazee would say that he didn't believe he was ready to play the role, but when I sat in the audience watching him, I was mesmerized and I still listen to his version regularly. Listen here. 13. 'King of the World' from Songs for a New World (Ty Taylor) World Premiere Recording (1995) Another male solo that I've always loved, 'King of the World' was originally performed by Billy Porter but when he was unable to be on the recording, Ty Taylor stepped in. I was not able to see the Porter production, so Taylor's version of this song is the one I know best and his vocals are killer. Songs for a New World is a revue, so there is no major plot that the song is tied to. Composer Jason Robert Brown said questions about the meaning of the song were constantly thrown his way, so in 2006 he finally gave an answer: 'I was living in a tiny studio apartment in Greenwich Village, I had no money, I couldn’t get a job, and I saw a lot of people who I thought were extremely talented getting nowhere. I was terrified that I would never have the chance to have my voice heard, that I would just spend the rest of my life stuck in a tiny apartment, never getting to share my music with the world. The song comes out of that, I guess, as much as anything. But what’s the story? It’s a guy in prison who genuinely believes he was the king of the world.' Makes sense to me. Listen here. 14. 'Asheville' from Bright Star (Hannah Elless as Margo) Original Broadway Cast (2016) Carmen Cusack is a phenomenal performer who rightly received a lot of attention for her star turn as Alice Murphy in Bright Star, but for me Hannah Elless' Margo (a secondary character) has the best song. Situated in Act I, the audience sees Margo learn that her close friend (and crush) Billy has decided to move from their small town to Asheville in order to dedicate himself to getting published. Margo is supportive, but once she is again alone, viewers are treated to the simple, beautiful, and heartfelt song called 'Asheville.' In it, she wonders what his future holds but maintains that if his hopes don't come to fruition, he can come back home to her. I love singing it as much as I love hearing it and I was filled with delight when I was strolling through Dollywood on vacation and heard it playing over the speakers. Also, I should note that one of the writers of this show is Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin. Listen here. 15. 'All That Matters' from Finding Neverland (Laura Michelle Kelly as Sylvia) Original Broadway Cast (2015-2016) I followed 'Asheville' with 'All That Matters' because I felt like continuing my theme of songs I love to sing. The difference, though, is 'All That Matters' is much more of a vocally powerful ballad. Finding Neverland is based on the life of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, and his relationship with a widow named Sylvia and her four children. 'All That Matters' is Sylvia's solo number where she contemplates her life, grief, family, Barrie, and what it means to continue living. Listen her

There are few things in life that I enjoy more than writing, and this has been the case since I was a child. I have fond memories of being in grade school and filling up endless notebooks with stories. I also loathed when the school year ended, because it meant my writing assignments would also cease for the hot, annoying summer months. As a result, I'd beg my parents (who kindly complied) to assign me topics I could write about using my beloved encyclopedia. I have always been happiest with a pen in my hand or seated at a keyboard, writing away. This doesn't mean, however, that it is always easy. I've had more than my fair share of nights staring at my projects, wondering if they will ever be finished or wanting to throw them out the window. Difficulty comes for all of us, but for me, my overwhelming love of writing continued to be a driver. Nowadays, my relationship to writing has broadened significantly. I continually work on my own projects, but I also help others begin, edit, and/or complete their projects. Through this, I've learned a great deal about the things that can cause writers trouble at all phases of the process. Below, I give you, dear Readers, some of my favorite tips to give struggling writers: Be prepared for what you intended to write to be different from what you end up writing. All writing begins with some sort of intention regarding the final product. However, regardless of how determined you are, there are likely to be changes in the work from idea to completion. The shifts could be caused by inspiration/discovery, outside forces (like source availability), editing, or any number of other things. The point is, if you accept that there will be changes along the way, you'll have an easier time implementing them. It is also why, whenever possible, I write my abstract last. I may know what I want a project to be, but I have to wait until I see how it manifests before I can properly describe it. Build your bibliography first (if one is necessary). It always surprises me how many researchers save creating their bibliographies (/Reference/Works Cited pages) for their last task. Compiling one at the start of the project can be a phenomenal starting point. Having all your current sources listed makes it easier to cite as you go AND it gives you an instant feeling of accomplishment. Further, I've found that the act of creating the bibliography reminds me of exactly what sources I have to work with...including the ones I may have forgotten I wanted to focus on until I consult my source pile and have to type up the appropriate information. As you write, you will find reasons to add and subtract from this initial list, but beginning with all your figurative ducks in a row will make your writing life so much easier. Go with your interests. This is probably the simplest piece of advice on the list. You may not always get to write about something you love (especially if you're dealing with a class assignment), but you can always emphasize the angles that interest you. Writing is so much easier when you are invested in whatever it is you're discussing. There's nothing wrong with leaning in to the aspects of the topic that interest you the most. In fact, when an author is invested in their writing, it usually makes reading the piece more engaging for the audience. One word of caution, though: make sure that you don't focus on your own interests so much that you lose the assigned objective, if you have one. Approach writing (and editing) in pieces. Sometimes I'll meet writers who have a huge lists of things that they need to incorporate into their current project and they find it overwhelming. I get it, I get overwhelmed all the time. One of the ways I tell people to deal with this is to look at it in small pieces. If you are in the writing phase, consider whatever outlines or ideas you have and work on them one at a time. You don't even have to do them in order. I usually begin with the area at the forefront of my mind and as I work on that, I get the ideas for the rest of it. When you're editing, don't try to edit everything at once. Read the whole piece to get a sense of it, then do an editing pass for content (ask: am I saying all the things I want to say and am I saying them clearly?), and finish with another pass for grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Sometimes multiple passes for each step will be needed, but trying to do everything at once is a recipe for confusion and anger. Change your method. If you hit a block while writing on your computer, stop. Take a notebook and a pen or pencil and see what happens if you step away from the screen (and the distractions it can easily provide). I know some people severely dislike writing by hand these days, but this is my favorite way to get my brain going. I have a notebook expressly for this purpose. Whenever I get stuck while I am working on my computer, I close the file, grab my notebook, and sit on my bed. Then I write down whatever ideas I have about any aspect of the project. Sometimes it's jumping ahead to a new section, others it is rewriting something I already thought was done. On rare occasions it means simply jotting down ideas for new sources to consider. What doesn't seem to want to work while I'm using one method of writing often comes flowing out when I change it up, then I go back and type up whatever I wrote by hand later. If this doesn't appeal, check out my next idea. Record yourself. I've met with a lot of writers whose main problem is getting the words down on the paper and/or screen. I've looked at many papers where what is written has drastic issues with clarity, but when I ask the author what it is about, they can explain it to me perfectly. When this happens, I give them the tip of recording themselves. To do this, you open up any recording app you can find (most smart phones have one built in), then consider what it is you are supposed to be writing, and record yourself explaining it exactly as you would to a friend or colleague. This works for essay prompts, fiction pieces, literally anything. If you can explain it by speaking it, you can explain it when writing it. Recording it allows you to get your thoughts out without the pressure of writing, and more often than you'd think, you will be able to play it back and type exactly what you hear for a great result. Sometimes removing the physical act of writing while you're thinking can open up the entire process. Drink water and stretch. I have more experience with eye strain than I'd like to admit. I must say, I don't recommend it. You won't be useful for anything, including your writing project, if you're in pain. Make it a goal to stand up or move around at regular intervals, and keep a glass (or a travel cup to avoid spillage) of water on your desk where you can see it. People harp on about hydration for a reason: it truly does help you be a high-functioning human. Don't let the pressure of a writing deadline or difficult project lead to physical issues. Trust me, I know, I've done it, and the pain of being unable to look at a screen but also having to meet a deadline is not something you want to experience. Take a break. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will help you push through any form of writing block like stepping away from the piece for a period of time. Go for a walk. Take a shower. Let it rest over night. Do pretty much anything except work on your writing for a bit. And, while you're at it, try not to think about it too much during this time either. Your brain deserves a reset. Giving it space to exist without the constant focus on the page will allow it to come around to the solutions you were trying to hard to reach by force. If I had a dollar for every time I've had a breakthrough while in the shower or getting ready for bed, I would be rich. Give your brain space and it'll surprise you. When in doubt, read more. If taking a break doesn't work, or even if you want to do this first, turn to the sources. Read them again. Read a new one. Read something totally unrelated. Just engage with written words other than your own. You may discover the citation you didn't know you needed in one of the sources, or reading something completely outside of the scope of the paper might trick your brain into inspiration in the same way that taking a break does. Reading more will almost always have some benefit. If nothing else, the more you read, the better writer you will become through identifying what you think works and doesn't work in another writer's prose. Read your work aloud. Reading something in your head over and over can numb you to what you've written. When you've finished a draft (or a section) of your current project, read it aloud to yourself. Some things will sound off, those are the ones you need to work on. If you can't do this for yourself, ask someone you trust to read it to you. A lot of writers I help just need me to read their work aloud. Doing this helps them recognize the wording issues or places where clarity is missing. It is a good way to break out of your own head and identify issues you might have missed otherwise. Keep a 'cuts' file. I have yet to have a writing project that didn't involve making cuts and changes at some point(s) in the process. I always used to pause before cutting something because once it was gone, what would I do if I realized I wanted that old bit back? In addition to keeping a separate file for each full draft (I can't tell you how many so-called FINAL versions of pieces I have), I keep a file labeled CUTS. Then, as I edit, any time I take out a chunk of text, I plop it in there. It gives me major peace of mind because if I want to remember how I said something in a past draft it's an easy place to find the cut quickly and I can draw from it for future related pieces. I may not be able to include a sidebar about something that entertains me in one project, but who is to say that it cannot be the starting point for something else? Or, I may think I need to cut something, but then pages later I'll discover that it was just in the wrong place. My CUTS file comes to the rescue and I am ready to paste it right back in. Ask someone else to read your draft. I always know it is time to show my work to someone else when I can't stand the idea of looking at it anymore. Asking a friend or colleague (or mentor or tutor!) to read something and provide constructive feedback also serves to help your brain: tell yourself you simply cannot play with the piece at all while you are waiting for your reader's response. It's a forced break and it will help you have a clear-minded perspective when you receive feedback. Accept being slightly short of perfect. Whatever you write, you should dedicate yourself to making it the best you can. This may require many phases of editing and having beta readers and critique partners. It may also include throwing parts out and writing them a second or third (or fourth or fifth) time, but eventually you must submit your work. Knowing when to let go can be hard, but knowing you have to do it will often guide you to feel when the time is right. Don't let it pass. Submit that piece...and when you inevitably find a typo after you've submitted it, realize that this is also a universal experience. Do the work. Submit the piece. Try to forgive yourself for any missed errors. We've all been there, and we know how it feels. Now, go forth, dear Readers, and write something wonderful.

Happy Women's History Month! Although I've done a lot of writing and podcasting about women in history over the years, there are always more that I'd like to study. Some I may already know a lot about, but want to know more, while others I have only encountered in passing and they really deserve a deep dive. My list keeps growing, too, because every time I study a new area of history I uncover more people I want to learn about in the future. For this post, instead of telling you about women whose lives I have already covered elsewhere, I've selected 22 women I hope to learn more about in the future. Maybe you know all about some of them and can tell me where I should look to learn more, or maybe they will be new to you, too, and inspire future research. Every woman (or group of women) on this list is fascinating in her own right, and I am happy to have this platform to mention them even if I still have a lot of work to do to learn more about them myself. Which historical women do you wish you knew more about? Samsui Women (1930s+) A few years ago, a friend of mine from Singapore who knows I love Starbucks bearistas sent me an adorable bearista figure made to hang off the side of a mug. The bear wore red on her head and was carrying a basket. My friend told me that she was a Samsui woman, an important part of Singapore's history. Of course, I was intrigued, and ever since I've wanted to learn more. Samsui women were women who went from China to Singapore, largely beginning in the 1930s, often living communally and working in construction. My friend called them 'the women who built Singapore' (a sentiment shared by the BBC), and the red headgear on my little bearista is a depiction of their trademark clothing. (Dihya) al-Kahina (600s) The Museum of the Jewish People calls (Dihya) al-Kahina the 'Jewish Khaleesi', which was enough to pique my interest for sure. al-Kahina was a 7th-century Berber Queen and to learn about her one needs to try and separate fact from legend. A prophetess and a strong leader, she defended her lands from encroaching opposition and then expanded her own holdings, but ultimately passed away in battle against the persistent caliphate. According to Medievalists.net, her defeat did little to tarnish her reputation and she is an icon to many groups touched by her life story. Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (1652-1722) The television series Versailles is one of my favorite historical dramas. I've watched it all the way through multiple times. Although I've always had interest in Louis XIV of France and those around him, it wasn't until I watched that program that I gave much thought to the woman called Liselotte. Liselotte was the second wife of Louis XIV's brother Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Despite having three children together, their marriage was not a great success, however, very significantly, she was an extensive and detail-oriented writer which gave historians important insight into life at court. Her husband may not have appreciated her, but I certainly do. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Consort of Prussia (1776-1810) Louise (or Luise) was only thirty-four when she passed away, but she was a queen consort who had displayed significant influence with her husband (King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia) and was as respected for her intelligence and determination as she was admired for her beauty. Louise has been in the realm of my awareness for a long time, as she pops up in every biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, where it is always noted that she met with him at Tilsit on behalf of Prussian interests and severely hated him. I spend a great deal of my time researching the Bonapartes, but of all Napoleon's opponents, she may be the one who intrigues me the most. Susan La Flesche Picotte (1895-1915) At the end of last year I came across the story of Susan La Flesche Picotte, and was annoyed that I hadn't learned about her earlier. Susan is regularly recognized as the first Native American to receive a medical degree (she graduated first in her class in 1889 from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania). A member of the Omaha tribe, Susan brought her medical knowledge back to her home region and eventually opened a hospital there in 1913. That hospital is now the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center, "a community center and wellness clinic for the Omaha tribe and the residents of the Walthill area." Marian Anderson (1897-1993) When I was first learning how to sing, my voice teacher told me that for every musical theater song I wanted to undertake, I had to counter it with a classical piece. As a result, I've always enjoyed looking into the lives of opera singers, and contralto Marian Anderson is one of them. Every year I tweet about her being the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which she received for her dedication to the performing arts and humanitarian issues. She famously sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and was the first African American to sing a leading role with the Metropolitan Opera. Calling her an impressive barrier breaker is an understatement. Emma Azalia Smith Hackley (1867-1922) E. Azalia Smith Hackley is the woman whose life I encountered most recently. I came across her when I was reading about Marian Anderson, because she was mentioned as one of Marian's voice teachers. A talented performer and teacher, E. Azalia graduated from the Denver University School of Music, was also an activist (she founded a branch of the Colored Women's League in Denver) and served as an editor for the Statesman. Notably, E. Azalia was a major supporter of emerging African-American composers who also dedicated her life to preserving jubilee songs and spirituals and the Detroit Public Library has honored her by giving her name to the E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts. Rosa Bonheur (1822-1889) My introduction to Rosa Bonheur came years ago when I was reading a biography of France's Empress Eugenie. The connection was that Eugenie decorated Rosa with France's Legion of Honor (Légion d'honneur), making her the first female artist to receive it. Bonheur was a lover of animals, which showed in her artwork (she became particularly known for her depictions of horses) and according to London's National Gallery she, "lived unconventionally – she wore her hair short, smoked, and lived with her female companion, Nathalie Micas." Astrid of Sweden, Queen Consort of Belgium (1905-1935) I came across Astrid while looking up items for Footnoting History's twitter account and I was immediately intrigued. Born Stockholm, Astrid was married to Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium in the 1920s. Astrid became known for her interest in the social issues impacting her people and the couple ascended to the Belgian throne in 1934, but the following year, she was killed in a car accident. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) Emily Dickinson is arguably one of the most famous American poets to ever live, I know. But poetry has never been a big interest of mine (in truth, it's probably the last thing I choose to read). Then, in 2014, I saw Joely Richardson play Emily in an Off-Broadway one-woman show called The Belle of Amherst. It was the first time I ever encountered anything beyond her famous poems, and I was fascinated by her later years, in particular. Plus, as someone who suffered with a horrible bout of iritis in 2005 that caused me extreme pain when exposed to any light, I was really enthralled when I learned that it might have been the cause of her eye issues. Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili, Hawaiian Queen Consort (c1817-1807) Many times, in the course of my work for Footnoting History's social media pages, I have come across information about Hawaii's Queen Emma. Then, one day, I went down a rabbit hole, clicking my way through short biographies of the royals and landing on Kalama, Queen consort to King Kamehameha III. From what I've read, their marriage was scandalous because it was a love match, and she was not considered the best choice. Kalama outlived both her husband and the nephew they adopted as heir (King Kamehameha IV, Emma's husband). She was immediately added to my must-research list. Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948) Many years ago, I attended the premiere production of Frank Wildhorn's musical Waiting for the Moon (later reworked and renamed more than once, I believe). It featured absolutely stunning music and told the story of Zelda Fitzgerald, largely known in the modern day as 'F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife'. But, Zelda was (unsurprisingly) fascinating and had enough drama in her life to, well, fill a whole musical. I've always meant to do a deeper dive into her story, and to read her novel, Save Me the Waltz. Joan of Wales (d. 1237) One of the main reasons I went to grad school for medieval history was because I read Sharon Kay Penman's novel Here Be Dragons. In it, you encounter Joanna (Joan), the illegitimate daughter of King John of England, who was married off to Welsh prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, also known as Llewelyn Fawr (aka Llewelyn the Great). In the novel she is a wonderful, fleshed-out character, and that made me interested in the real woman, who appears to have been just as complex as her fictional counterpart. We know that Joan was regularly an intermediary between her husband and father, and later her husband and half-brother King Henry III. Further, she is often referred to by her Welsh name (Siwan) and a man was executed in 1230 for having an affair with her. The Women Soldiers of Dahomey (1800s+) In western Africa, Dahomey (now Benin) was home to "the only female soldiers in the world who then routinely served as combat troops." The women were technically married to the king, but Smithsonian Magazine pointed out that he never touched them, which meant they were supposed to be celibate. It's impossible not to be wowed by these women who often entered the service in their teens, were considered more impressive than their male counterparts, and lived in isolation - devoted entirely to the art of war. If you want to know how fierce they were, in the late 1800s, when the French defeated them, "each allowed herself to be seduced by French officer, waited for him to fall asleep, and then cut his throat with his own bayonet." Badass. Jaymala Shiledar (1926-2013) Performing artists are some of my favorite people, and always a source of great interest to me. When I agreed to write a series of monologues for 365 Women a Year, Jaymala Shiledar was one of the women assigned to me as a topic, and I am so glad she was. I jumped into reading about her and learned that she had been given an award for her life's work dedicated to Marathi music/theater. When she received the Padma Shri, she said, "I am overwhelmed by the honour. It is the acknowledgment of my contribution to theatre and I feel happy because the recognition has come from the Union government. I consider this a national recognition of Marathi theatre." She was a performer, a mentor, and an educator dedicated to the preservation and continuation of Marathi theater. Julie Le Brun (1780-1819) In 2016, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had a beautiful exhibition of the works of artist Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. I was excited to go and see some of her pieces that I had only ever seen on the internet (like portraits of Marie Antoinette and Caroline Murat) but once I was there the source of my fascination were the paintings of Julie Le Brun, Elisabeth's daughter. There were multiple, depicting her at various ages (including the one of child Julie shown here) and I spent a long time studying them, because while Elisabeth is very famous, one almost never hears about Julie. Maybe there's a reason for it. Julie went against her mother's wishes when she married, and the two sometimes had a contentious relationship. Isabel Neville (1451-1476) I've done extensive research on Anne Neville, Queen consort of King Richard III of England, both out of general personal interest and for Footnoting History. There are major gaps in what we know about Anne's life, and just as many (honestly, more) regarding her elder sister, Isabel, who was married to Richard's brother, George, Duke of Clarence. Most of what you hear about her comes from her relation to George or Anne, and she doesn't even have a solo entry in the Dictionary of National Biography...but if ever a full biography of her is written, I would happily read it. Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) My introduction to China's Empress Dowager Cixi came from reading numerous articles about Jung Chang's Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China when it was published in 2013. Almost every time I encounter her name, it is attached to the word 'controversial', which always sparks my interest. Cixi began, as the book's subtitle suggests, as one of the concubines of the Emperor. As the only woman out of his wives and concubines to give him a son, when the boy became the new Emperor, she rose with him and ruled as regent during his tenure and, after he passed, during her nephew's as well. Suspicious deaths and curious circumstances surround events in her adult life, but there's no questioning that she was a force to be reckoned with for about 50 years. Who wouldn't want to learn about that? Constance Lloyd Wilde (1858-1898) In 2016, I was in Dublin for the centennial of the Easter Rising and I visited Merrion Square Park. While there, I saw the Oscar Wilde Monument, an impressive three-sculpture piece by Danny Osborne. The main focal point is a lounging Oscar Wilde, the incredibly quotable writer, but the piece that drew my eye was of Wilde's wife, Constance. She is kneeling, nude, and pregnant, gazing over her shoulder at her husband. According to the artist, "It is significant that Oscar's first homosexual encounter occurred when she was at this stage of pregnancy with her second child. Here the figure is complete and realistic, and represents the tyranny of fact, and Oscar is not looking at her but beyond her." Although it has been several years now since I encountered this sculpture, I think of it often, and it certainly sparked my interest in the life of the woman who married Oscar Wilde. Tove Jansson (1914-2001) The same friend who sent me the Samsui woman bearista unintentionally introduced me to Tove Jansson. My friend had this sweet little plush that looks somewhat like a white hippopotamus but not exactly, and she carries a purse. I thought she was so lovely that I had to ask about her. She is a Moomin, specifically she is Moominmamma. Unfortunately, Moomins are not huge in the US (yet?), but I had to investigate them. They are popular characters in books and comics created by award-winning Finnish writer-artist Tove Jansson. I think Moomins are so wonderful, that I am eager to learn more about their creator. Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (1827/1828–1858) I decided a few years ago that I wanted to know more about Indian history, and that led me to India's warrior queen, Lakshmibai (alternately, Lakshmi Bai). She was a leader during the rebellion against the British Raj in 1857, and according to ODNB, one example of her leadership is that, "during the battle...at Kotah-ki-sarai on 17 June 1858—Lakshmi Bai, now entrusted with the command of the forces, mounted on horseback, and clad in her usual military uniform—a red jacket, trousers, and a white turban—encouraged them throughout the day." Later, Lakshmibai became a symbol of India's independence movement. During the Second World War, the Indian National Army chose her name to attach to its women's regiment. Pretty epic, if you ask me. Clara Bow (1905-1965) Known as Hollywood's original 'It' girl, Clara became famous as the star of silent films. However, according to ANB, "Bow had long feared that she might inherit her mother’s mental instability, and with the onset of talking motion pictures she began to suffer nervous breakdowns." Though Clara did appear in several 'talkies', she never returned to the level of fame she had during the heyday of the silent era, when she was often viewed as a sexual icon and the quintessential flapper. Do you love learning about women in history? I have so much more to learn about all of these complicated ladies, but now I want to know: who do you love to study and who do you want to learn more about?

There's a lot of advice out there (including from me!) for people considering podcasting or who have just started podcasts. This month, though, as Footnoting History celebrated its 9th anniversary, I have been thinking about being a long-term podcaster. In many ways starting a podcast is actually the easy part. You are filled with the heady excitement of creating something new and putting your voice literally out in the world. But what happens when the thrill of beginning the adventure fades away? A podcast is a lot of work, especially if it's an indie podcast and you have to do all of the work yourself. Sometimes, when I am exhausted from the routine of constant content creation, production, and release, I wonder how I do it. After giving it some serious consideration once I decided to write a post about long-term podcasting, I think I have boiled it down to some key things that help me stay engaged. I'm sharing them with you today because long-term podcasters need a helping, supportive hand just as much as those at the beginning of the podcasting road. It is my hope that by being as open and honest as I can about my own experiences you will both be able to learn from them and recognize that someone out there knows what you're feeling, because even if I don't shout about it in public all the time, there are always ups and downs behind the scenes. Keeping things fresh and maintaining your desire to be a podcaster even when the process becomes a grind can be hard, and sometimes you do have to step away from a project for good, but for those of us who are still in the midst of it, here are a few ways I keep my drive alive: Shake things up a little. I begin every single episode of Footnoting History by saying "Hey everyone, Christine here." If I don't do it, I feel out of sorts. It's a simple opening, but it became a habit, and now it centers me when I begin a recording. I've tried other ways and always ended up reverting back to that simple "Hey everyone, Christine here" before the final version is completed. But that doesn't mean everything I do has to be routine. If it was I would be bored and never want to podcast again. Because my podcast is non-narrative, I have the ability to jump around with topics, so that helps me keep things fresh, but there are other ways to do this, too. You may want to try a new theme song, or redo your website, or create a new logo. You may decide to deviate from your narrative format for a one-off episode about something tangentially related that interests you, or you may decide to try a live recording where your listeners can join in on the process. Having a process that works is amazing. Sticking to it so much that you get yourself into a rut and start to hate what you're doing sucks. For me, sometimes it's as simple as saying to myself, 'okay Christine, you've done too many biographies lately, maybe it's time for you to do a bit of legal history...' or 'you've been running this Twitter account for years, why don't you add a new hashtag like Medieval Monday so that you get to look up fun medieval things to share each week?' Small (or sometimes large) tweaks to your routine can really change your perspective, give you more energy, and possibly thrill your listeners, too. Go easy on yourself. This may seem to contradict the factor above this, because shaking things up often means adding more work for yourself. But you don't always have to shake things up and you don't always have to do more, more, more. If it's dragging you down to keep up part of the podcast, you can stop it. We had a Tumblr account once. It didn't get much traction and I didn't enjoy updating it. We no longer have a Tumblr account. It's one less thing I have to worry about. Sometimes, I'll have a year where every episode (or at least most) of the episodes I do involve me having to research the topic from scratch. It's a lot of work. When I feel the dread rising at the prospect of doing that yet again, I sit back and think, 'okay, what topic can I cover that I already know a good deal about?' As soon as I realize I will have a much smaller burden of research because I am integrating things I have already studied for a long time, I feel better. The episodes are just as good, because odds are if I know about a topic already it's because I love it (and enthusiasm reads through audio!), and my brain gets time to enjoy the process instead of worrying about simply getting it done. Sometimes, it's okay to relax by taking the easy road, and it prevents you from becoming exhausted. Listen to other podcasts. I did not start off as a podcast lover. In fact, I barely knew anything about them when I began. These days, though, a lot more people are inspired to start podcasts because they've loved listening to them for a long time. The problem is, when all you do is work on a podcast, it can be easy to lose sight of why it is a medium you loved in the first place. Find a podcast other than your own, maybe not even in the field yours covers, and listen to it. Listen to several. Let yourself enjoy it. Remind yourself why you love podcasts, so you can also reignite your desire to create a great one. Surround yourself with good people. Maybe you entered the podcasting world with a lot of friends on your production team like I did, or maybe you decided to go it alone. When I say 'surround yourself with good people', I don't mean that you have to work with anyone else, but I do mean that you should cultivate friendships within the community as a whole. Places like Twitter, Discord, YouTube, and all the other social media outlets are fine ways to connect with other podcasters if you don't already know any. If you want to be able to do this for a long time, you're going to need people to talk to who understand what you're doing and who can sympathize when you're frustrated or help you when you get stuck. You'll also need some people who know absolutely nothing about podcasting so they can help you get your mind off it on occasion. Your time is precious and filling it with people you like and trust is important. It's a heck of a lot easier to stay feeling fresh and in love with podcasting when you have others in your life who will help you work through the problems that arise and celebrate the successes that come your way. Be determined and appreciative. I recognize how good Footnoting History has been to me. Without it I wouldn't have many of my friends and colleagues, or heck, edited a book (Independent Scholars Meet the World). It helped me establish myself as an independent scholar and historian, leading me to many opportunities I might not have had otherwise. My life would look incredibly different if I did not have this constant growing presence in the podcasting world. Every time I sit back and think about where I am and what I'm doing, I am shocked by how this podcast (a format I was unfamiliar with at the start) has done so much for me. It fuels my determination to continue making the best content I can to reach as many people as I can for as long as possible. I may complain about being tired or wanting a break, but so far (and this could always change, no project is forever unless you're playing Olivia on Law and Order: SVU) my dedication to this podcast has served me well, and my appreciation for the fruits of that labor gives me reason to want to continue. Don't take it too personally. Footnoting History's success is important to me. Keeping the quality of my episodes (and my fellow hosts) high is important to me. Making sure our listeners are happy is important to me. But I know we can't please everyone. Someone out there is going to dislike the topics we choose. Someone else is going to think we should have done a topic from a different angle or chosen to focus on a theme they prefer. Someone, at some point, will leave us a review that states they simply cannot stand the sound of my voice. Good for them. Letting that sort of thing embed itself in your consciousness and dictate your feelings about yourself will make you forever unhappy. It's an easy thing to have happen and a hard thing to let run off your back, especially at the start. But one good thing about podcasts is that there a lot of them out there, so someone who dislikes yours can move on to someone else's. If 100 people listen to your podcast, and one person is moved to tell you that you stink, that's an incredibly low percentage. That means that, in all likelihood, the vast majority of your listeners actually (gasp!) like you. I'm a natural pessimist, so initially this way of thinking seemed like a bizarre mind game, but then it dawned on me that it was actually just about getting out of my head and looking at what was really going on. If your work is good and you keep at it, it's very likely the listeners will stay or grow. But if years on social media have taught me anything, it's that angry people aren't afraid to use their voice, even if they're wrong. So don't let those folks get you down. Focus on the ones who do appreciate your work, and create for them. Let the haters go elsewhere. Have other interests, too. Podcasting should not be the only thing you do with your time. Even if you don't have your sights set on some massive level of commercial success, the constant demands put on you to keep your project going and growing can make what started out as a fun hobby or side gig feel like a depressing job. Make sure it is not your only outlet for enjoyment or creativity or, heck, fun. Do other things, too. Watch movies and read books that have nothing to do with your podcast. Go out and take a walk or catch a game or paint something. It doesn't matter what it is. You may at times feel like indulging in other things will take away time when you 'should' be working on your podcast. Unless you have an episode that has to go out tomorrow and you haven't finished it yet, that isn't true. Having outside interests with no relation to the topic of your podcast is healthy, and it may end up inspiring. My love of Disney led to episodes on Pocahontas and Winnie-the-Pooh, and my affinity for the Mets caused me to eventually do an episode about Moe Berg. As much as your podcast should center on something you care about so you keep loving it, it's okay (encouraged!) to go out and love other things too. It will help you keep a balance, and possibly (even if you don't realize it at first) might inspire you in your podcasting work, and an inspired podcaster is the best kind of podcaster. May you podcast for a long time, and may you prosper as you do!

Curating a gift list is hard work, and to be frank, I don't think I've ever read one where the gifts suggested (for men! for mom! for kids! for teachers!) aligned with the personal interests of the people in my life. That said, I am an indie podcaster and I know a lot of other indie podcasters, and I pay attention to the conversations that fly around all year long. In that spirit, after reflecting on both my own feelings and those I've seen expressed by others, I've drawn up a list of things podcasters might want for the holidays -- and yes, they cover a variety of levels of financial investment, so there should be something for everyone's budget (especially since some of these suggestions are free!). Promotion, Reviews, and Ratings One thing every podcaster wants is for their podcast to grow. For indie podcasters it has become more difficult to increase their audiences in recent years due to the constant influx of new, commercially-backed and/or celebrity-driven podcasts. These podcasts come in with a ton of marketing money and often a built-in audience that independent podcasts simply can't compete with, which makes word-of-mouth support so important. If you love a podcast (or the podcaster behind it) one of the best things you can do for is to bop around to the different sites and apps where that podcast appears and leave it positive reviews. Whether they admit it or not, most hosts do check their reviews and ratings, and the more people who share that they like it, the more likely others will do the same. Want to take it a step further? Post about your love of that podcast (with a link to it!) on your social media accounts and tag that podcast in it. The host is bound to love it and feel appreciated, which makes for a happy holiday indeed. Contributions It's very difficult to run a podcast without any money at all. More often than not hosting fees and website fees and buying equipment to improve production and a barrel of other unanticipated expenses will occur. If you want to help your favorite podcaster, donating to them is always a good idea. Many podcasts now have Patreon (continued donations which usually come with perks!) or Ko-Fi (one-time donations) and contributing even $1 to that can make a podcaster's day easier and their wallet breathe a sigh of relief. Opportunities Do you know people who do interviews on the topic your podcaster covers? Or places that review podcasts? Or need guest writers? Lots of podcasters would love opportunities to speak to new audiences. Don't be afraid to request or suggest the podcasters you love whenever an opportunity arises! It makes them look popular and the hosts are bound to appreciate your efforts. Gear I cannot tell you how much it meant to me the day I learned some of my cousins had purchased Footnoting History merchandise. Having friends, family, and listeners sport a podcast's gear not only benefits the podcast financially, but also serves as advertising when others see you with it, and makes the podcaster feel pretty great. Tech Does someone in your life want to start a podcast? They can do so using their phone, but a microphone would help. So would headphones. Maybe you know someone who has been podcasting for a long time. They could be looking for an upgrade or a new pop filter. If you want to help a podcaster with their production, engage them in a talk about their process. Surely at some point the aspect they're struggling with will come up, or you will hear something they are saving toward buying. It's not always financially possible to upgrade your tech on your own, so outside help is usually a welcome thing, whether it's actually providing the upgrade or giving a contribution toward it. (But given that tech can get expensive quickly, don't buy anything that you aren't sure is wanted or can be returned - some folks are very particular about their brands and designs.) Support Being a podcaster can be both lonely and overwhelming at times, especially if the podcaster in your life is doing things solo. Although, understandably, you might not have unlimited time to give to help them, any offer would surely be appreciated -- they might want you to give a script a read before it is recorded or help them brainstorm new ideas. You never know what tasks that host has been afraid, or unable, to ask for assistance doing. The smallest offer to help lighten their load, even for just one afternoon, might be the best gift they could receive. Listeners When in doubt, and I absolutely mean this, actually listening to the podcast the person in your life creates, and then telling them you did do and actually having a conversation about it is a good choice. Many creators find the people closest to them are the least likely to listen to their podcasts or even take them seriously. A show of sincere interest - and investing the time to actually listen - would make any host's heart happy. Quiet Time Many independent podcasters record at home (me included) and it isn't always a convenient situation for anyone, as quiet surroundings make the best recording spaces. If you know a podcaster who records at home and are in any way capable of ensuring they get some quiet, peaceful recording time by all means do it. Sometimes the gift of carefree time to get good recordings done is all a podcaster's heart desires.

The holiday season is here once again, and with Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I've started to consider the things that have helped me get through These Pandemic Times. (You can find my past Thanksgiving posts here: Independent Scholars and Podcasting) Of course, my friends and family are top on the list, but for the purpose of this blog, I'm thinking more about the entertainment that has inspired me and carried me through since the pandemic started. Without entertainers and their content, I would have spiraled out of control a long time ago. Below is a list of things that have kept me engaged, inspired, and centered since March 2020. What pieces of art or entertainment have helped you stay afloat? Delta Goodrem's Bunkerdown Sessions When the pandemic began and various parts of the world entered lengthy lockdowns, Australian singer Delta Goodrem let fans into her home - virtually, of course. Every Wednesday night for months I waited up until the wee hours of the morning for her in-home virtual performances (which took place at the more convenient time of Thursday evenings for people who lived in her Aussie time zone). Joined by her boyfriend and performance colleague, Matthew Copley, Delta spent 30-45 minutes playing music and chatting with fans each week. Sometimes there were themes (Disney! Rock! B-Sides!) but my personal favorite was one where she played an absolutely gorgeous string of songs representing each album she had ever released in chronological order, culminating in dropping her first single from her new album Bridge Over Troubled Dreams. Ultimately, Delta and Matthew gave fans nearly 40 weeks of these intimate, partly-improvised, and wonderfully-fun nights. They were the anchor that got me through the darkest times. They gave me something to look forward to each week when everything else was bleak and the days blended into each other. If you have some time to spare, you should check out her music - and some of the Bunkerdown Sessions can be watched here. Winnie the Pooh Show As you'll see expanded upon below, I very much missed the theater and love Disney. Actually, though, I love Winnie the Pooh in all of his incarnations from the original A.A. Milne stories through modern shows and films. (One of my oldest stuffed animals is a much-loved and still-adorable Pooh.) In early 2021 when I began to see social media ads for an upcoming off-Broadway production called Winnie the Pooh Show, I desperately wanted to go. I also, however, wasn't sure about two things - whether I should spend the money on the VIB (Very Important Bear) experience and if I would feel ready enough to be in a theater again by the time the show came around in the fall. My family got tired of listening to me talk about these things and, after a few months, told me to just go for it. So, I did. It far surpassed my expectations. The production has a great policy where you can change your ticket dates up to a certain period before the show, which reassured me that if I didn't feel comfortable, I could postpone it. I didn't have to. They have a strict vaccination and mask policy (children too young to be vaccinated can get tested right outside the theater!), so I never worried once I was there. As for the show? Goodness, it was pure magic. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the cast and the production as a whole. I knew what the puppets looked like from marketing materials, but it didn't truly hit home to me how it would feel to see them live and hear them. Jake Bazel's Pooh voice was so spot on that the moment I heard it I became teary, because it felt as though the Pooh I had watched growing up was there in front of me. Every single cast member beyond succeeded in embodying these classic characters and I noticed that the adult couple to my left was just as transfixed as the children to my right. As a VIB, I had the opportunity to meet Pooh afterward, and I am forever thankful that my family told me to just do it and go for that experience. I have had interactions with Pooh in Disney parks since the mid-90s, but the thing about him there is that he cannot speak to you. If having a full conversation with your favorite character from childhood that sounds exactly as you imagined it would does not make your inner child and current adult heart overflow with joy, well then, I don't know what to say to you. I left with Piglet and Eeyore plushies, a bounce in my step, happiness in my heart, memories to last a lifetime, and a desire to go back (which, Reader, I did this past weekend and it was just as fantastic as the first time.) This show is simply a must for anyone, of any age, who has ever loved Pooh and his friends. I cannot fathom that any other production serving as my grand return to the theater would have triggered this level of an emotional response in me, and for that I am eternally grateful to the cast, crew, creatives, and of course Pooh and his friends. Click here for more about the Winnie the Pooh Show. Interview Podcasts I love actors, I really do. And the truth is, I don't get to listen to podcasts as often as you would think for someone who has been creating one since 2013. But during the pandemic I started taking very long daily walks. As I wandered my neighborhood for 5 or 6 miles at a time, I alternated between listening to music and finally getting to the interview podcasts I'd saved but hadn't gotten a chance to listen to. I was moved by Cheyenne Jackson on Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, loved that Stark Sands appeared on DRAMA, and most recently enjoyed hearing Jamie Dornan on Variety's Awards Circuit Podcast. But not every podcast I listened to was a new one. Two of my favorites are from several years ago: Jessica Raine and Kate Fleetwood, both on The Honest Actors' Podcast. Few things inspire and ground me like listening to artists talk candidly about their lives and careers, and I attribute one of the reasons I was able to walk so much this year to how engrossed I got in their stories. Game of Thrones It's well-documented that I love Game of Thrones and was a die-hard fan from beginning to end (yes, I mean that.) However, since the series ended I hadn't taken the time to revisit it as a whole. Early in 2021, my mother and I decided to do just that. We binged the series, doing almost a full season each day, and examined every aspect of the series with fresh eyes. Segments that I didn't like (House of Black and White and Dorne's failed representation, for example) flew by, while my favorites (literally anything involving the Lannister siblings) were magnificent to watch chronologically again. It may be a severely unpopular opinion, but this re-watch made me appreciate the final season more than I did originally. Yes, 'The Bells' remains my favorite episode, but above all re-watching Game of Thrones was a major comfort because I got to return to one of my all-time favorite fictional worlds and watch it in a condensed fashion that caused the tiniest of details to come into sharper focus. I'm very glad I did it, and not at all apologetic that my Twitter followers had to deal with my series-long chain of tweets during it. Belfast I actually don't remember the last time I went to a movie theater. It wasn't something I did much in the Before Times, but I knew I wanted to see Belfast when it came out earlier this month. The trailer made it clear that it was up my alley ("if I don't love this," I told my family, "they did a bad job with it") - Irish history, with Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe, and shot in black and white. So I took a trip to my local movie theater, in the middle of the day, on a weekday, when I knew there would be few people there and I was able to secure a seat with no one around me. This proved to be a wonderful idea. I completely lost myself in this simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming film, reveled in the layered performances, and left the theater dying to see it again. The 'Everlasting Love' scene has permanently etched itself into my heart in a way most movie scenes don't. Seeing something so moving in the venue where it was meant to be seen really helped me find my creativity again. That night, and most nights since, I've been able to write in a way that just flows. Sometimes all it takes is seeing the right film or show or musical at the right time to provide the inspiration you need. This was a major help there, and I am very thankful for that film and for the fact that I was able to attend it at a safe time. Plays Earlier this year I did a blog post called 21 Plays to Read in 2021 (or any year). The inspiration for this was simple: although I've spent the majority of my life devouring fiction, I have had a very difficult time focusing when attempting to read novels during the pandemic. I can't exactly explain why it happened, but it was really bothering me. I have so many bound-to-be-wonderful books on my shelf that aren't getting read! But then I realized that I did have the attention span for plays. This was a wonderful discovery because it allowed me to dive into fiction for much shorter periods of time than it took to read a novel and helped me live in a theatrical world during the first time that I have been away from attending a production for so long. I re-read old favorites like Outside Mullingar (John Patrick Shanley) and read for the first time some that I had only seen on stage like Sweat (Lynn Nottage). It was great to feel like I was still in touch with fiction and theater, when my mind and the pandemic had kept me away from both for so long. Pokémon GO It's strange, I know, to say that a mobile game built entirely on the concept of going outside and walking around during the pandemic. The thing is, Pokémon GO adapted brilliantly. Suddenly, I could do everything at home. I was able to participate in events like Community Day, catch special Pokémon, and advance in the game while purposely keeping myself away from high-risk situations. It provided a much-needed feeling of normalcy as everything else was changing. American Girl books After I read plays to help me get back into fiction again, I came across the Felicity, Kirsten, and Samantha American Girl books in my basement. Since they are short and I hadn't read them since childhood, it was a fun experience revisiting them with adult eyes. There were plots I remembered immediately and others I had no recollection of from the past. There were aspects of history I thought they handled very well and some I thought could have been more directly/better addressed. Also, above all, I need to apologize to the character of Samantha - who I never particularly liked as a child - but who I actually loved as an adult. Schitt's Creek I got on the Schitt's Creek train very late. I knew my friends loved it, but I didn't see it until earlier this year. In fact, I binged the series just in time to watch the finale on the night it aired. I immediately recognized a kindred spirit in Stevie and think I might be some sort of strange hybrid of Stevie and David. I appreciate the hours of entertainment that this show gave me, because it worked wonders for preventing me from thinking about anything from the outside world for a bit. Disney World (and Disney+) As I said earlier, I've always loved Disney and I've also always loved Disney World, and when the pandemic made it clear that I wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon, I spent a lot of time dream planning the Disney World trip I would take when it was safe to go again. In the meantime, I did a deep dive into Disney+. In 2020, I did a chronological re-watch of the main Disney animated films. In 2021, I watched 100 Disney/Pixar films in 60 days, peppering old favorites in with films (mostly Pixar) that I had never seen before. Then, my family was all vaccinated, my first trip anywhere that involved an overnight stay was down to Disney World. I wanted to make sure that we went while there were still strict restrictions in place (think masking and capacity limits) and felt that the best time to do that was after many schools returned to session and before the 50th Anniversary Celebrations brought mobs to the place. I was correct. I had an absolutely blissful and safe girls trip that truly helped me come home and regroup to get through the rest of this year. Nostalgia and Stars in the House The week that theater in New York shut down in March 2020, I saw two productions: Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice off-Broadway and a preview of the Broadway musical Diana. When the announcement was made that everything was ceasing, it was difficult to wrap my head around the idea that I had no idea when I would be in a theater again. I had never gone without seeing something for more than a few weeks since I was 12 years old. So, I started to do a deep dive into old cast recordings of my favorite shows. Then Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley started doing Stars in the House. These charity-benefitting virtual interviews brought some of my favorite former casts together and featured many performers I've adored for years and years. Several of the interviews particularly made me happy, and I would make sure to watch those live instead of on delay. It was great to have a connection to the art and artists whose work has been so influential on my life, even if it was also difficult to think about how the shutdown had no known endpoint. Some of my favorite episodes were the Urinetown cast reunion, The Light in the Piazza cast reunion, Ingrid Michaelson and Will Chase, My First Time: Broadway Debuts, and Cheyenne Jackson. Staged One thing I've hated during the pandemic is seeing every show on television decide to cover it. For me, television is an escape, and reliving the trauma of what is going on when I watch a favorite show was the opposite of fun. I wanted to should "too soon!" every time I saw a new show going hard for that plot. The only exception to this is Staged. Over the course of two short seasons, David Tennant and Michael Sheen created the only program I have come across that masterfully captures what living through this pandemic is like. Playing heightened and fictionalized versions of themselves, they follow a plot about how they were supposed to be in rehearsals for a play together but once the world shut down they were instructed to continue rehearsing but at their respective homes and through video chats. The result truly follows the many moods and absurd, depressing, and even hilariously-merry moments that occur during the long lockdowns. It was healing to see the pandemic represented in such a raw and relatable way - and it was that relatability that made it so astoundingly funny.

With Halloween approaching, I've been thinking about my favorite books that are perfect for the holiday. Some of them are scary, some are not. Some are written for adults, others for children. Some are mysteries, some are horror, and some engage with the paranormal. Significantly, none of them are new, because I know a lot of phenomenal book bloggers covering new content, so I'm going to look back on some books that didn't come out this year, because they need love, too! Each book bellow kept me on the edge of my seat at some point in my life, and I hope you like them as much as I do. (As a warning, given the nature of the theme of this post, many dark and possibly disturbing themes are engaged with in these books.) The Queen's Man (by Sharon Kay Penman) I have long wished that there would be more Justin de Quincy mysteries, but alas with the death of Ms. Penman, that will likely never occur. Luckily, though, we have several, of which this is the first. Set in the 12th century during the reign of Richard I, Justin de Quincy witnesses a death that causes him to unintentionally become involved in court intrigue, where he serves none other than Eleanor of Aquitaine. Yes, please. The Dead House (by Dawn Kurtagich) Because I am easily scared, I probably would not have picked up The Dead House on my own, but I received a copy at BookCon and decided to test my scaredy-cat nature and read it. Written for a YA (possibly NA) audience, The Dead House uses non-traditional storytelling methods, consisting of interview transcripts, diary entries, and more, to set up a story about a destroyed school and multiple deaths. The book does engage with mental health issues in a horror context, which author Dawn Kurtagich addressed here. Bad Day at the Vulture Club (by Vaseem Khan) For the record: I think everyone should read every single Baby Ganesh Agency Mystery, but I limited myself to one book per author for this list. Here, Inspector Chopra (Rtd) and his fabulous baby elephant sidekick, Ganesha, investigate the murder of a wealthy man whose body was left in the Tower of Silence -- a special place for the Parsee community because it is where their dead are left to be consumed by vultures. Fall into Darkness (by Christopher Pike) Christopher Pike is known for his killer (pun intended) YA thrillers, and this and Starlight Crystal are my favorites from his oeuvre. Here, flashbacks and trial proceedings are used to unravel a murky situation: a girl named Sharon McKay is on trial for allegedly pushing her best friend off of a cliff. It's pulpy and dark (probably too dark for the very young age I was when I read it) with twists and turns, and heavy themes (drugs, sex, and suicide all feature.) It grabbed me by the collar and didn't let me go as a young reader, to the point where it was the first book I thought of when contemplating this list. By the Pricking of My Thumbs (by Agatha Christie) There are hundreds of Agatha Christie books I could have included on this list, so I can just see my Christie-loving friends wondering why I picked one of her less-popular ones. Here's the reason: I loved it. I'm a sucker for Tommy and Tuppence mysteries and the fact that Christie had her sleuthing-couple age as the books went on. In this installment, the mystery involves an old-age home, a mysterious doll, and an unidentified murderer of children. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (by Lilian Jackson Braun) Jim Qwilleran and his cats are pretty awesome at solving mysteries. So awesome, in fact, that The Cat Who... series went on for many, many years. In this, one of the early stories, Qwilleran is involved in a case surrounding interior design, jade collection, and of course, murder! It is a cozy read worthy of a warm cup of tea. The Little Stranger (by Sarah Waters) This book is masterful at building anticipation as it follows Dr. Faraday, a man called upon to tend to a patient in an old home that may not have only the living residing in it. The postwar England setting is evocative and the characters dealing with the decay of their lifestyle are well-drawn. (This book also exists in feature film form.) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (by Patrick Süskind) Perfume is, as advertised, all about scent and murder. It follows an orphan named Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who, due to his extraordinary sense of smell, becomes a perfumer. Things turn dark, however, when he comes across a girl whose scent is so magnificent it surpasses anything he has ever smelled before. (This book also exists in feature film form.) Bunnicula (by Deborah and James Howe) A sweet children's tale where a family discovers a rabbit at a film showing of Dracula, brings him home and names him - yup - Bunnicula. Only then, the family dog starts to believe Bunnicula is something akin to a vampire...a rabbit who sucks the life out of vegetables! The Pillowman (by Martin McDonagh) I've written about this play before and I am sure I will write about it again because I love it that much. Katurian Katurian has been arrested because a series of murders of children have occurred that are very similar to stories he has written. Between the truth of what actually happened to the children coming out and the reflections on the plots of his stories (in particular, The Little Jesus), this play is full of darkness that will get you turning the pages and maybe keeping the light on. The Meaning of Night (by Michael Cox) Set in Victorian England, The Meaning of Night is a long but engrossing novel that digs into the origins of a murder - by telling it from the murderer's perspective. It includes family secrets, bullying, rivalry, and revenge. Shining City (by Conor McPherson) The second play on this list, it was also the first play I ever saw that contained a scene where I cursed audibly out of fright. Reading it, it surprisingly, retains it's eeriness despite the lack of a visual scary moment. It's not a horror story, but a slow-burning ghost story about a widower who is visiting his therapist because he continually thinks he sees his dead wife in his house. Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (by Stephanie Barron) My favorite thing to do around Halloween time is get in the mood for Christmas. I haven't read one of Stephanie Barron's cozy Jane Austen mysteries that I didn't like, but this one in particular puts me in the festive spirit. Here, as the twelve days of Christmas progress, a murder that was made to look like an accident occurs, and Jane sets out to find who did it.

The history podcast world is booming, and that's a great thing for listeners. It means that you can learn about pretty much any topic you want through the simple search of a podcast site or app. The problem is, not all history podcasts are created equal in terms of quality. It's tempting to trust a podcast immediately - especially if it's listed at the top of an app, has corporate backing, a well-known host, or a shiny logo. But none of these guarantee that the information you will hear is well-researched or accurate...and you want good, solid history. As long as podcasting remains a completely open-access medium, in the sense that anyone can start one, there are no means of quality control outside of parameters set by the creators themselves. Certainly no creator is going to tell you they are providing you with bad, poorly-researched, or blatantly inaccurate history, but there are often signs. Below are a few questions I ask myself when I listen to a history podcast for the first (or the first few) times. Although there's no such thing as a perfect system, they should help you become attuned to identifying the warning signs of a low (or bad) quality history podcast. Does the host provide their sources? This, to me, is the single most important thing a podcast host can do to show they've done their research, and there's no one way to do it. They can name the sources in the episode. They can provide them in show notes on their website. They can do a mixture of both. The crucial part is that they communicate to you, in some way, where they get their information. If they don't, why should you trust them? I have heard about podcasters actually lifting quotes from Wikipedia. You do not need those in your rotation. This leads me to... What sources are they using? Some people believe you should only use sources from the last 5 years. I've never agreed with that. What I do think is key is being thorough. Old sources can be useful, sometimes more useful than new ones. A mixture is often a good idea. If multiple types of sources are available (primary and secondary) - which isn't always the case - and they are listed, that's fabulous! Utilizing sources from the culture being discussed is also a good sign (for example, I would have been a poor historian indeed if I did an episode about Pocahontas without consulting a source like the Mattaponi oral history of her.) As a listener, you are not expected to be able to identify the "best" and "worst" books on a topic, but a skim of the sources provided or mentioned should give you some feelings about if the host did their homework. Who is the host? Let me be very clear: I do not think degrees guarantee good podcasters. I know far too many academics who are absolutely awful at podcasting (both in the presentation sense and yes, sometimes, in the research department) and quite a few people without advanced degrees who are really great at what they do with public history. The thing I'm looking for with this question isn't some sort of magical amount of experience, but I am looking for transparency. You don't need to know your host's last name, but you should know something about them, their background, and their approach to history. Some podcasts will have websites with bios to help with this, but for ones that don't, you'll want to listen to how the host speaks about both their experiences and history itself. Does the host admit errors or that we can't/don't know something? With history, we can simply never know everything. Some topics have more gaps in them than others and acknowledging those gaps is important. Does the host appear to know absolutely everything about every topic with complete confidence? Do they admit when they simply do not know what happened or that there is disagreement among historians about what occurred? A good historian will be aware of the conversations around the topic they're covering. While they can (and should) form an opinion on the narrative while researching, it's always a good thing when a host acknowledges other prominent arguments. It demonstrates their knowledge and shows you, the listener, the way history really works. Further, when faced with something we do not know for sure, we use what we do know to fill in the gaps - but admitting what we know as fact and what we are speculating is important. Acknowledging these things is a sign of the strength of a person's work, not a weakness. Further, if the host makes an error (we all do, no one is perfect) do they admit it and/or correct it? Humility is also a good thing for a host to have. What do their reviews say? A podcast should not live and die by its reviews, but if you scroll through them and see multiple that mention questionable sources or methodology, it should give you pause. Keep in mind, every podcast will have someone who just doesn't like it, but when a pattern emerges that indicates bad history, approach with caution. With history podcasts being so plentiful these days, identifying one as below the quality you want does not mean your choices become limited. If anything, the fact that there are so many options means you should not have to settle. Doing a little bit of research at the beginning of your listening journey might help you have a more fulfilling experience in the long term. If you're listening to a podcast, and alarm bells start going off in your head, pay attention to them. Every host/every historian is going to have their own lens through which they present information to you, and you may not enjoy all of them, but with a little bit of effort you should be able to find many that are not only stylistically enjoyable but which also stand on the foundation of solid research that you deserve. Lead Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.