Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, by Lisa Peterson (dir.) (musical theatre, 2017)

[lb_lee]

KAT: Oh never give your money to no musician

ERNEST: Or explorer!

KAT: Don't give us dollars shekels pesos pounds or yen

ERNEST & KAT: 'Cause despite our best intentions
You'll need legal interventions
If you ever want that money back again

Because you know we ain't like other folks
We push and pull and pry and coax
The beauty from the boring and mundane
We don't know from financial things
We live like paupers, dream like kings
And everybody thinks that we're insane

Blurb: After the father of her baby leaves her to tour with a Journey tribute band, plus 36 hours without sleep, a video game music composer and single mother Kat starts having visions of famous explorer Ernest Shackleton, who encourages her to get her life together as he tries to survive his disastrous expedition to the Antarctic. Romance ensues... sorta!

Why is it worth your time?: It's cute, arguably too much so. The music's enjoyable, it's a feel-good story. Even the reviewers who didn't like it had to admit they hadn't seen anything like it and that it was visually appealing. If you're into musicals, give it a shot!

Plural Tags: visions, abuse not mentioned, realitymashing

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: The BroadwayHD version has subtitles!

Misc Notes: Currently available on BroadwayHD or Amazon video, or as a musical album. There have been a few live shows in the past.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, directed by Don Roy King. (Musical theatre, 2001)

[lb_lee]

Jekyll: [while stumbling around dizzily and laughing, then writing in a notebook] No noticeable behavioral differences...

Blurb: David freakin' Hasslehoff plays the virtuous Dr. Jekyll and his murderous headmate Mr. Hyde. Watch him devour scenery, wear enormous fur coats, and have a full-on conniption on stage as the two headmates battle for dominance.

Why is it worth your time?: This musical is ridiculous. I cannot call it good, but I have watched it twice. You are either here to watch David Hasslehoff howling and clawing at his clothes, or you do not want to watch this. Even though Jekyll and Hyde is the millstone around many a multi neck, I can't deny, I enjoy how Hasslehoff portrays the switches and uses body posture, voice, and hair to show who's in charge at any given time.

Plural Tags: switching, abuse not mentioned

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Available on DVD and VHS. The DVD, shockingly, has no subtitles.

Lost In A Good Book, by Jasper Fforde (genrebender prose, 2002)

[lb_lee]

“I would so hate to be a first-person character! Always on your guard, always having people read your thoughts!”

Blurb: Second book in a series; The Eyre Affair is the first. "When Landen, the love of her life, is eradicated by the corrupt multinational Goliath Corporation, Thursday Next must moonlight as a Prose Resource Operative of Jurisfiction - the police force inside the BookWorld. Along with jumping into the works of Kafka and Austen, and even Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences, the authenticator of a newly discovered play by the Bard himself, and the only one who can prevent an unidentifiable pink sludge from engulfing all life on Earth."

Why is it worth your time?: Much like the first book, it's pretty good and enjoyable, especially if you're a book nerd. Watching Thursday Next, a fictional character who thinks she's not, talk about fictionality with people who are fictional characters even in the context of her life, is fun. She also gets to talk to her nonexistent-husband in her dreams, and he helps her figure out a key plot point. (She also talks with her deceased nemesis.)

Plural Tags: fictivity, introjects, abuse not mentioned, memory work, otherworld

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Available as ebook, audio book, and paper book, in many editions. This is easy to find in libraries. Has been translated into German and French (and presumably Spanish, since the third book was and who translates a third book but not the second?)