Bop or Flop?

What hiatus? What are you talking about? Jonah and MJ are back with Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812! Find out when Jonah realizes Natalie and Natasha are the same person, if MJ will ever admit that sometimes Jonah is right, and see whether or not the show can make them forget that Josh Groban is actually a very attractive man.NotesEpic (Brechtian) Theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatreAn Epiloguehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN0P2EFjtfEOnceler Deleted Song - Biggeringhttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=biggering

An off Broadway show? A show that didn't even play in New York? That's a twist. Join Jonah and MJ as they discuss the 2013 Starkid Production, Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier. Will MJ enjoy the raunchy Disney critique? Will Jonah ever defeat Michael Eisner in a duel to the death over his crimes against the Disney parks? Only one of these questions will be answered on this episode of Bop or Flop. I guess you'll have to listen in to find out.

We are who we are, and we are talking about the second Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Jonah and MJ break down the music and cultural significance of this much loved, many times adapted show, and discuss the power and joy in standing up for others and embracing your own truth.Kelsey Grammer falls off a stagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-BqOsvj00Harvey Fierstein and Barbara Waltershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wffy5QC40ioInception kick synchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A1pIRXPCL8Je Ne regrette rienhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Kvu6Kgp88Drew Gooden - Money Planehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDLUEZX4v8A&t=735sI Am What I Am Playlisthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lupNzpcpDRk&list=PLk8SavR3SVNKeY0Y0J_qovQr9p12m6iXPFierstein Interview on many things, including draghttps://www.timeout.com/chicago/theater/harvey-fierstein-interviewLa Cage Tony Performancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLw19vv4tUUMatthew Morrison’s Nightmare Grinchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlDesT6UDmA&t=74sHow the Grinch should be with Stefan Karlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLpOFvlgyY

In part two of the episode, Jonah and MJ continue to dive deeper into the discomforts and complexities of Alvin and Thomas' strained relationship. They wonder how much we can/should sacrifice of ourselves for others, what counts as catharsis, and wether or not the statement "this is it" is encouraging or terrifying.

In the first part of an unexpected two-part episode, Jonah and MJ are prompted to ask tough questions about friendship by the short-lived Broadway musical The Story of My Life. Join the hosts as they uncover the anger, pain, insecurity, and confusion inherent in their own, and all, friendships that are wonderfully represented by the relationship between Tom and Alvin. Stay tuned for next week’s equally tense and enlightening part two!NotesBanned Tom Sawyerhttps://www.cynthiavarady.net/blog/adventures-of-tom-sawyer/The History of Indoor Plumbinghttps://www.bigrentz.com/blog/very-not-boring-history-plumbinghttps://www.johncflood.com/blog/general/history-of-plumbing-timelineNever Getting Rid of Mehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQvqDYrCi_k

Descend into madness with Jonah and MJ as they flail their way through the feline fever dream that is Cats! There's simply nothing more to say about this very chaotic episode of Bop or Flop.NotesThis is what MJ thinks Old Deuteronomy looks Likehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JADpVbYy9YcLindsey Ellis - Why Is Cats?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6iqAip-ZNoSideways - Musical Analysishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3aK-EK5V2kMemory at the Tonyshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mlllRdIfqw

It’s The Two Idiot’s Guide to Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder! Join Jonah and MJ as they dissect this fourth wall breaking tony nominated musical and lose their minds a little bit over Bryce Pinkham, patter verses, and just so many quick changes. NotesSky-Pony: Rapturehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TWGt-NLp0cOver The Garden Wallhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBh7kcSwxbgNOT THE BEEShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPDg_osR0YBackstage look at costume changeshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_l75kLxBWIHow TB influenced victorian fashionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-tuberculosis-shaped-victorian-fashion-180959029/#:~:text=Before%20the%20advent%20of%20antibiotics,emulated%20or%20highlighted%20these%20effects.Gentleman’s Guide Tony Performancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtlcEvPDkfMBelladonna and your eyeshttps://www.healthline.com/health/belladonna-dark-past

We're finally back! We have a new years resolution for the pod, but what is it? Will we stick to it? I guess you'll have to see in this episode where Jonah and MJ discuss Dreamgirls. Between arguing wether or not CC is a coward, if artistic integrity really is everything, if this could have just been the Jennifer Holiday show, and why Jonah brought JFK up for no apparent reason, Dreamgirls made the perfect vehicle to ring in the new year.NotesDreamgirls at the Tonyshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUIPKdcKKVIMore Cowbellhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0sHere’s a paper regarding cultural appropriation and musichttps://www.amherst.edu/media/view/91803/original/Hall%252B-%252BAfrican-American%252BMusic%252B-%252BDynamics%252Bof%252BAppropriation%252Band%252BInnovation.pdfHere’s some that are easier to read but still relevanthttps://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-whitewashing-of-black-music-on-tiktokhttps://www.varsity.co.uk/music/20097A brief history of payolahttps://www.vice.com/en/article/64y8y9/a-brief-history-of-american-payolaMusical Diegesishttps://www.masterclass.com/articles/diegetic-sound-and-non-diegetic-sound-whats-the-difference#3-examples-of-diegetic-sound\Somewhere That’s Greenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIvpOIUqKKAThe Devil You know from Sideshowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP68t7uZXN4Muppets Pictures in My Headhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCkHajMn8YoPRODUCTION VALUEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQa0_YhmPp0

Ep. 17 - How Do Elves Reproduce? Ft. Isa Jackowich - Elf (2010)MJ cackles maniacally at Jonah and Isa as they face unpleasant memories of their time working on Elf, the adaptation of the Will Ferrell hit. Join them as they discuss the merits and disappointments in the deviations from the original film plot, relive their rollercoaster of a time directing and choreographing a high school production, and hypothesize as to whether or not the concept of “the sins of the father” apply to receiving gifts from Santa Claus. Also, MJ has a specific point to illustrate.NoteHere's the lyrics MJ made up for Buddy's part in the hypothetical "I'll Believe Reprise" within "There is a Santa Claus".Show him you're factHe's the greatest dad of all, at least he wasIf you can do that Santa, he'll believeIf you do that Santa, I believeIf you do that Santa, he'll believeThere is a Santa Claus

Jonah and MJ are dreaming of a white Christmas and hoping they don't get cancelled for this surprisingly politically charged episode. Who would have thought that Irving Berlin's White Christmas would have sparked a conversation on the military, voting rights, wether or not Wonderful Chirstmastime is a good song, and if Die hard is really a Christmas movie?NotesWhy Christmas Music is Nostalgichttps://www.wired.co.uk/article/christmas-music-nostalgiahttps://www.futurity.org/christmas-songs-nostalgia-1636882/Sisters Reprise from the moviehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyybi7t634David Bowie and Bing Crosbyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9kfdEyV3RQArt Garfunkel - Gratefulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLN4fBXZa2YFake Swedish Cover of Wonderful Christmastimehttps://youtu.be/5IYO7GbnJq0?t=3450I Yield My Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZMsUjanegQI Yield My Time Remixhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b5E0SnLMq0Choreography - Original White Christmashttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-cXP1uDFpAWhen Words Fail - Shrek The Musicalhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFs2pmXUjQHoliday Inn - White Christmashttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gbGlm8Y