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Mickey Jo Theater
I need to start with asking you both just in general, what is your worst like least favorite so song in any musical that feels harsh to specific composers to like. So you're about to done commercials? I mean yeah it's fair enough to say, like, this is a great show, but this song is not good. If you ask me, the worst song of all time, it's gonna be like. And this entire show is garbage.
Kate Reinking
Yeah. Cause I just thought of my least favorite show, which. The songs individually aren't bad. It's the collective that's bad.
Mickey Jo Theater
So I don't think I know what this. Do you wanna whisper to me what this is? Do it with charades. What was that? This is going so well already. Oh, my God. Hey.
Kate Reinking
Hello.
Mickey Jo Theater
My name is Mickey Jo, and I'm obsessed with all things theatre.
Kate Reinking
And this is Kate Reinking. And I love talking about theater because theatre is life.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yay. We are both stagey content creators and IRL friends.
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. We met in person in the rush line of Parade.
Kate Reinking
We did. Which I was not rushing.
Mickey Jo Theater
No, you were just walking past.
Kate Reinking
I was walking by and I was like, oh, I know that guy.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. And we disagree about theatre constantly.
Kate Reinking
All the time.
Mickey Jo Theater
As we're going to prove today as we discuss very spreading positivity and joy, our least favourite songs in some of our favorite musicals.
Kate Reinking
They can't all be winners.
Mickey Jo Theater
No, no. There are so many shows and there are so many scores, and there are so many songs in those scores, and not all of them are good.
Kate Reinking
I just realized I'm gonna have to, like, remember songs from shows in general.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's why I have my phone here.
Kate Reinking
Great. Okay. We have. We have assistants.
Mickey Jo Theater
Neither of us are as young as we used to be, so that's. That's what that is. Aaron James is off camera supplying us with a randomly generated list of musicals. Your first show is Kiss Me Kate. Oh, not your kind of half namesake.
Kate Reinking
Yeah, I mean, yeah, I have.
Mickey Jo Theater
There's one that comes to mind. Oh, no, no, I. I have one.
Kate Reinking
I immediately thought, brush up your Shakespeare, but I actually like that song, so I don't know why that's a classic. No, I do. I do. That's. That's not my answer at all. That was just immediately what came to mind.
Mickey Jo Theater
I thought of, you know, before. So when he meets her in the dressing room and they sing Wunderbar and they're like that song we sang together in that show. Wunderbar. Wunderbar. There's a famous star. It's very like you're on a carousel in Disneyland.
Kate Reinking
Yeah, yeah. No, that is.
Mickey Jo Theater
It's that all. We open in Venice. We next play Verona, then onto Ramona. Lotta laughs in Ramona and Madua, then Padua.
Kate Reinking
That is absolutely the answer. I Hate that song.
Mickey Jo Theater
On to the next. That was easy. Jesus Christ Superstar.
Kate Reinking
Oh, I'm sorry, but it's. I don't know how to love him.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wow. Okay. This is. The thing about you is you are always gonna go for a. We're gonna get to Wicked, and you're gonna be like. Defying gravity's not that great.
Kate Reinking
Like, no, never.
Mickey Jo Theater
You love a controversial.
Kate Reinking
It's so like, girl, come on.
Mickey Jo Theater
There's worse options. I promise. There's worse. Worse options. I've done Jesus Christ Superstar. So what really sucked? Both to hear and to sing. See, there's bits of the Last Supper that get cool because of the confrontation.
Kate Reinking
Like, yeah, there's. There's no part of. I don't know how to love him that gets cool.
Mickey Jo Theater
It's just in the last one, they're like, look at all my trials and tribulations when. Oh, the lyric that I hate. Then when we retire, we can write the gospel so they'll still talk about us when we've died. Bom, bom. It's so, like.
Kate Reinking
None of that bothers me as much as freaking, I don't know how to love him. I'm so sorry.
Mickey Jo Theater
What is it about it?
Kate Reinking
I don't know. It's just. It's so slow. And I don't care about her at all as a character.
Mickey Jo Theater
So how do you weigh that against everything's all right? Try not to get worried. Try not to turn off to problems that upset.
Kate Reinking
I just like that more musically fair.
Mickey Jo Theater
That also has another fun argument in the middle. Woman. You find ointments brand new and expensive. I. I don't know how to love him by himself can be a snooze. I just think about it in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Trio when it's Judy Kuhn. And that's nice.
Kate Reinking
Sure. Nice is different than good.
Mickey Jo Theater
Nice is different than good. Next show. Yeah. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.
Kate Reinking
Oh, gosh. I feel like there's something. We may have to look up the song list for this one.
Mickey Jo Theater
I. I have issues with some of the Lydia material, but I don't know if it's the songs or the Diction on the Cross recording.
Kate Reinking
Oh, I. I don't love Home.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's what I was thinking of, because Dead mom is Dead Mom's great. A classic of the genre. Ready, set? Not yet.
Kate Reinking
That's cute. I love that song.
Mickey Jo Theater
It's not Barbara 2.0.
Kate Reinking
It's not Barbara 2.0, but I think it's like, I almost want to go with the prologue but it's so. Yeah, but it's so, like, intentionally that way. And they get out of it so well that I can't fully say that.
Mickey Jo Theater
Oh, there's so many bangers that come towards the end. You've got Barbara 2.0. What? I know now.
Kate Reinking
Yeah. I think it's horrible. I think it's hard Home.
Mickey Jo Theater
So that's. I mean, if that's your worst song in your score, that's a good score. That's a pretty good.
Kate Reinking
And that just. I. Yeah. To me, it never. It never fully hits that emotional landing that we want in that moment. And I'm just like. I'm a little bored.
Mickey Jo Theater
It doesn't. Yeah. It doesn't follow up to. Does it reprise any of Dead moments?
Kate Reinking
I don't know, because I. Skip it. So I.
Mickey Jo Theater
The Dead mom reprise. Because I was like, there should be a triumphant reprise of it. No, that's in Mama, if you're listening.
Kate Reinking
Duh. And that.
Mickey Jo Theater
Just blow your mind. Shake, shake, shake, shake. Tanora. Which is a great part of the score, actually. So if they did that in her. But she's not ready to do that in home. Okay, fine. Home. Do you know why? Because it's not home from the Wiz
Kate Reinking
or home from Beauty and the Beast. Is that. Is this home?
Mickey Jo Theater
Is this. There's too many homes.
Kate Reinking
So many homes.
Mickey Jo Theater
Too many homes.
Kate Reinking
A house is not a home.
Mickey Jo Theater
No. No one should have this many homes. Anyway. Aaron. Next. Aladdin. Oh,
Kate Reinking
what's the one with the three best friends?
Mickey Jo Theater
Babcac. Omar, Aladdin, Kasim, Miracle. I remembered that.
Kate Reinking
Clearly. I don't. Because. Skip track.
Mickey Jo Theater
Did I get this? The names right? No. I have such irritation with this. And the one they added to Hunchback. They're the same song. We'll be a million miles away.
Kate Reinking
I love A Million Miles Away.
Mickey Jo Theater
Stop. What did I tell you? What did I tell you after A Million Miles Away? It's competent because it's. Look at the songwriters. They're not going to churn out something terrible. But it's just so generic. And it's indicative of the problems in the show, which is like, we have to pad for time here because we want the genie to be.
Kate Reinking
You're not wrong. I still love it. That's a song. And if we're. If we're talking about padding time, then whatever. Whatever and whatever.
Mickey Jo Theater
I have cat Camara. L.
Kate Reinking
You could have just added a boo puppet.
Mickey Jo Theater
Okay, you make a good point. I can't remember. What's the rest of that song? That's not them just singing that. Does it ever get good? No, you wouldn't know. You're skipping it.
Kate Reinking
That's true. That's true.
Mickey Jo Theater
There's like, five songs in a row in this. In this show that are all new.
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
And the Broadway audience, like, hearing this for the first time. People must have been like, what is this you've got?
Kate Reinking
I mean, Proud of yout, Boy was a cut song from the anime film.
Mickey Jo Theater
You go from one jump ahead, and then you are in, like, new territory.
Kate Reinking
That's true.
Mickey Jo Theater
Like, 40 minutes. Another show. Please, my love into the woods. Oh, I thought about this.
Kate Reinking
You know, my gut is telling me, stay with me.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wow.
Kate Reinking
Except for Heather Headley's version, which is the best version I've ever heard in my life. And the fact that we don't have a cast recording of that is criminal.
Mickey Jo Theater
How do you feel about our little world? Are we counting that it exists in a lot of.
Kate Reinking
Sure. I don't love our little world. I like to stay with me. Yeah, I mean, you know, if we're counting that, then, sure, that would be it.
Mickey Jo Theater
I don't know how I feel about
Kate Reinking
ever after Journey Over All Is Mended.
Mickey Jo Theater
Do you know, I think it's the bit that the witch sings where I'm like, you can be as dexterous as you want, but there is no way to sing that to that rhythm. It just. It's just impossible. I was empty I had everything but beauty and power and a daughter like flower in a tower Then I went into the wizard get my wish Now I'm ordinary Lost my power and my flower and happy now and there's no way to actually get that on the Beast.
Kate Reinking
I love that part.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's my power and my flower we're unhappy now there's no way it's okay.
Kate Reinking
It's okay to be wrong.
Mickey Jo Theater
Have you heard the My Little Pony version of it at the Gala?
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
I think a problem I have with it is I now think about that.
Kate Reinking
Okay. Well, there you go.
Mickey Jo Theater
At the gala with the ponies. I'm going to eat some apples. Look it up if you haven't. It's a wild time. I can only assume it was done with permission.
Kate Reinking
I feel like an earlier version of me would have said, no more. But that is a song that has grown on me exponentially as I got older.
Mickey Jo Theater
I do get to know more every single time. And I'm like, oh, now we're really into the meat of it. And then it's over so fast. I always think that it's more substantial and truly, the great bit is, like, two lines, because it's. Can't we just live out our lives with our children? Like it's no more, duh, duh. No more. Like, he doesn't have the baker. Only seems like twice. Yeah, it is. It's not. There's so much of his, like, running away. Let's do it. Free from the ties that bind. So, final answer. Giants in the sky. No, I'm joking. Aaron James. Let's move on. What's the next show?
Kate Reinking
Oliver. Oliver. Oliver.
Mickey Jo Theater
You're not allowed to say all of it.
Kate Reinking
There are good songs in Oliver.
Mickey Jo Theater
You be nice to Oliver or I'm gonna have some things to say about Annie.
Kate Reinking
I would say. You can say what you want about Annie. I don't like Annie. I don't claim her.
Mickey Jo Theater
They're our nation's children, and I think
Kate Reinking
they should both be orphans.
Mickey Jo Theater
I've got great news for you.
Kate Reinking
Yeah, I would say whatever. The Gravekeeper song is the worst song in the show.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's your funeral. That's your funeral. I didn't know it until I saw it really recently because it took me a long time to see Oliver on stage. And it's not in the movie.
Kate Reinking
Oh, that's true. That is a good film.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's your. It is. Yeah, it is. That's one of the good. Like, they used to do a good job quite consistently back in the day of musicals. And then we got so bad at them, and we've started to get good again. We had a little bit of a
Kate Reinking
good run in the early 2000s. There's some bad ones in there, don't get me wrong. Yeah, but when you have Chicago and Dream Girls, there's some good ones.
Mickey Jo Theater
Hairspray.
Kate Reinking
Hairspray, sure.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. Good times. Good times. But, yeah, that's your funeral. That's our skip track. Your next musical is Cats.
Kate Reinking
What's the song that comes after Gus the theater cat? That is, like, the. Not Even Angelica Ball.
Mickey Jo Theater
The racist one.
Kate Reinking
The racist one.
Mickey Jo Theater
Growltiger's last song.
Kate Reinking
That's the one.
Mickey Jo Theater
We were talking about this earlier because Aaron said, oh, the DJ Angelica Ball is called Griddlebone. And I was like, it doesn't mean anything. But it's a. It's a smart thing to do dramaturgically because even in the VHS recording, they sing in Macavity. I might mention Mungo Jerry. I might mention Griddlebone. Griddlebone's not in that version of the show.
Kate Reinking
Correct.
Mickey Jo Theater
Where's. Who's that? Who's Griddle Bone? And so now is there anything. Oh, the naming of cats and the addressing of the cats are both like, I feel like I'm. I feel like I'm holding my breath underwater trying to survive.
Kate Reinking
You're not wrong. Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
The naming of cats is a difficult matter, but also the slowest delivery in the world of the line, a cat is not a dog, only redeemed by when they're like.
Kate Reinking
And at that point, you're like, okay, this can end.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. Yeah. Otherwise, great songs.
Kate Reinking
So many bops.
Mickey Jo Theater
So many bops. The next musical is Waitress. Oh, is there a skip track in Waitress? Yes.
Kate Reinking
I mean, yeah, I actually like Old Joe's Song.
Mickey Jo Theater
Oh, I. Yeah, no, not Old Joe's Song. It's Earl's song. The till the sun will shine, you will still be mad. And I feel like if we didn't say that, we would be endorsing domestic abuse, and we don't, so that has to be.
Kate Reinking
I don't mind that song, though.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wow. Wow. Okay. Do you have beef with the Dr. Pomatter? Like, you remind me of a girl I once knew.
Kate Reinking
I love it. Only takes a taste.
Mickey Jo Theater
Okay. I don't know. I'm trying to think of, like.
Kate Reinking
I mean, really, if we're going with a skip track, it's the Pomatter ballet.
Mickey Jo Theater
Oh, wait, that barely counts. Okay, well, because, well, you're talking about, like, listening to the cast recording, but, like, in the context of the show
Kate Reinking
and seeing it is very minuscule. Honestly, I think it's love you like a table. I'm so sorry.
Mickey Jo Theater
How do you. Where do you stand on the morality of Waitress? Because this is the other debate.
Kate Reinking
The morality of Waitress.
Mickey Jo Theater
I just saw a TikTok the other day being, like, how Dr. Pomatter takes advantage of her and it's medically unprofessional.
Kate Reinking
Oh, yeah, okay, sure, if you want to get into the weeds of it. But who cares? Let the girl have her affair.
Mickey Jo Theater
Who. Who cares? Pies.
Kate Reinking
And she was always in a position to say no. Like, she does leave the office, right?
Mickey Jo Theater
She calls him. She makes the appointment that she does not need.
Kate Reinking
She does. No, she does kind of need the
Mickey Jo Theater
appointment in the context the moment we watched this recently, and I was like, oh, she sees dawn and Ogie connect meaningfully. He does, like, never getting rid of me. Then they have their, like, one if by land, two if by sea, Civil war.
Kate Reinking
Sure, sure.
Mickey Jo Theater
And then she says, oh, almost makes you believe again. Pie starts talking about this pie, and then she makes an appointment, and it's really feeble. She's like, if I just, like, had any concerns, like, maybe I need to come in. And then at the appointment, she's like, isn't there anything else you want to say to me? And then it's.
Kate Reinking
She.
Mickey Jo Theater
She wants it.
Kate Reinking
You're not. You're not wrong. But I do think, like, even in, like, the morality of. He gets her there to the office, there's nobody else there. I think even then, she clearly is okay to leave. Like, she's never in a spot where it's. She feels unsafe.
Mickey Jo Theater
She's out the door.
Kate Reinking
She's out the door.
Mickey Jo Theater
She comes back in and kisses him when he's like, you left your bag.
Kate Reinking
And in the movie, I think she makes it to the street. Like, she's like, all the way out there.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wow.
Kate Reinking
And then.
Mickey Jo Theater
We don't have time for that in the stage musical.
Kate Reinking
We don't. He can't do a set change.
Mickey Jo Theater
Quick turnaround. Anyway, that's waitress.
Kate Reinking
Sorry, table.
Mickey Jo Theater
Your next musical is Gypsy. We talked about this the other night.
Kate Reinking
We did, we did. We did.
Mickey Jo Theater
You said gimmick like a queen. Crazy.
Kate Reinking
I did say gotta get a gimmick. I take that back.
Mickey Jo Theater
Good. Cuz there's. I mean, there's obvious contenders. Like, there's the little lambs of this world.
Kate Reinking
I love little lambs.
Mickey Jo Theater
I'm not. I'm not saying it, but it's.
Kate Reinking
It's such a great moment for Louise, and I think it's not Rose's turn. I almost want to say, have an egg roll.
Mickey Jo Theater
Have an egg roll. Mr. Goldstone, in terms of the narrative, you could lift that out and the show would still work. And I don't know that you could say that about any other song.
Kate Reinking
I do think Gypsy is a perfect show, unfortunately, so. This is hard.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. Have a cookie. Have to. But all it does is, like, Tells us detail. That song, like, celebrates a moment of triumph and tells us details about her we already know. Right. I don't think that adds anything. That's a good suggestion. I think I'll agree. Also, I don't know if I've ever had.
Kate Reinking
You're not sticking with some people. I think that was your.
Mickey Jo Theater
I did not say some people. I did.
Kate Reinking
Oh, no, you said small world. Small world.
Mickey Jo Theater
Some people.
Kate Reinking
That's her first song, Small World, isn't it?
Mickey Jo Theater
What in the hell?
Kate Reinking
I. I'm just gonna thrust horrible opinions on you.
Mickey Jo Theater
I. Small World is a yawn, honey. You're a man who likes children. What if we did it literally double the speed and made it a patter song and it's over.
Kate Reinking
Honey, you're a man who likes children.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's an important sign. Honey. I'm a woman with children. Isn't it? Isn't it small and funny? And it's done. I only like it because the reprise, when she sadly sings it to herself after he's left, which is not always in the show. That's. That's nice.
Kate Reinking
It's a great moment.
Mickey Jo Theater
And your next musical is Wicked. This has been discussed a lot.
Kate Reinking
It's got to be Sentimental Man.
Mickey Jo Theater
It's the world of options. Are Sentimental man wonderful or something bad? And I think there's. We need Sentimental man because it's just a little setup for. Since once I had my own day in the sky. I think everyone deserves a chance to fly. And the rhyme of helping you in your ascent allows me to feel so parental. Ascental and parental. That's Schwartz being.
Kate Reinking
That's a great rhyme. It doesn't make it a good song.
Mickey Jo Theater
It redeems it just enough. Because something bad has nothing of that to offer. Like the best lyric in Something Bad is enough to give pause to anyone with pause, which is cute but silly.
Kate Reinking
I just love the moment where she's like, oh, my gosh. Now I can't even remember because I do skip something bad. I'm so sorry. But the moment where she says to him, that's why we have a wizard.
Mickey Jo Theater
So nothing bad.
Kate Reinking
Yeah. Like that's such an important moment.
Mickey Jo Theater
That's the script.
Kate Reinking
It is the. Sure, sure. I guess you could cut it.
Mickey Jo Theater
I'm not cutting the whole script script. The worst song in Wiccan is not the book.
Kate Reinking
Just an act, too. Okay, fine. That's something bad. It's something bad. I'm so sorry.
Mickey Jo Theater
Something bad. Wonderful is like.
Kate Reinking
I am more likely, however, to listen to something bad than I am to either of the wizard songs.
Mickey Jo Theater
I do like the camp drama of it couldn't happen here in Horses. I. You know, I'm feeling euphoria just remembering the experience of getting through that song. And then the, like, establishing music of Dancing through life is like the light at the end of the freaking tunnel after something bad. When. And you're like, oh, thank God. Good music again. Heathers.
Kate Reinking
Ooh, are we counting? I did just see Heathers. Are we counting cut tracks. I. I think, though, I like blue, so I wouldn't say blue.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. I find blue and its replacement sort of interchangeable.
Kate Reinking
You're welcome.
Mickey Jo Theater
Once you were geeky and nerdy. Now you're flirty, breaky and dirty.
Kate Reinking
Unfortunately, I think it's shine a light.
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Kate Reinking
Nothing is everything.
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Kate Reinking
Yeah, it's funny to me it's between Shine a Light and Dead Gay Sun. But Dead Gay Son is I would rather listen to it than Shine a Light.
Mickey Jo Theater
Big Fun escapes this conversation purely by virtue of dang dang diggity dang.
Kate Reinking
I love Big Fun and I think in the sub genre of like high school party songs, it's one of the better ones.
Mickey Jo Theater
This is a conversation all of its own because the worst one is from Mean Girls, correct? See, we do agree. What are you talking about that's an objective. If the world over doesn't agree on that, they're wrong.
Kate Reinking
Whose house is this?
Mickey Jo Theater
Because I think be more Chills is also better.
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
But maybe Big Fun is the best of those. Maybe you're right. Yeah.
Kate Reinking
Larry o' Keefe knows how to write a song.
Mickey Jo Theater
He does? He does indeed.
Kate Reinking
Plus, Dead Gay's son gets the gasp moment. And you don't get that in like, Shine of Light is Shine Light makes
Mickey Jo Theater
me actively nervous as a man in the audience because there's a non zero chance that I could be Steve. Yeah. Singled out via flashlight.
Kate Reinking
I use sitting in the first three rows often because I feel like when you're sitting further back in London, they
Mickey Jo Theater
used to find you in London, like other palace. They'd get you. It's. It's a theater that does that. So they can be on the pro shot. It's like a man in like the seventh row, I think.
Kate Reinking
Oh, my God.
Mickey Jo Theater
So nobody is safe unless you go in drag. Wow.
Kate Reinking
I've only ever seen in the front in like the same section on Off Broadway.
Mickey Jo Theater
I think they should expand the gender binary of Steve.
Kate Reinking
Well, they can't, because then it wouldn't make sense for her to fake it.
Mickey Jo Theater
Les. Oh, my God.
Kate Reinking
Dog eat dog.
Mickey Jo Theater
No, True. So true. Actually, is there anything worse than Dog eat dog?
Kate Reinking
No.
Mickey Jo Theater
Again, I've done this show. There were bits that were like, you know, Valjean reprises basically the whole of I Dreamed a Dream.
Kate Reinking
I would take every single reprise over ever having to subject my ears to dog eat dog again.
Mickey Jo Theater
But it's a nice. It's the completion of the Thenardier arc. Because it's when he gets real dark.
Kate Reinking
You know who I don't care about in Les Mis? The Thenardiers.
Mickey Jo Theater
Either of them.
Kate Reinking
Either of them.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. And if I said Castle on a cloud, then what?
Kate Reinking
Oh, yeah, you know, I'm not bad with that answer.
Mickey Jo Theater
Then what? Famously hate children. There is a castle on a clown. Because everyone always talks about like, isn't it clever that this line deliberately doesn't rhyme? And I'm like, but why is that clever?
Kate Reinking
What's the point?
Mickey Jo Theater
I dun dun dun da something toys. There are a hundred boys and girls Them being like, we could have rhyme, but we didn't. But the rest of the song still rhymes. Why? What's the reason? What is the reason? Young cassette. Next musical is rent. Well, here we go.
Kate Reinking
Your eyes when we said our goodbyes, baby no.
Mickey Jo Theater
Is offensive out of my mind no. The melody of like, how'd I let you slip Away when I'm running so to hold you now A death for one more day. No, it's too good.
Kate Reinking
I would stay dead if I was Mimi.
Mickey Jo Theater
You'd be like, sing a better song.
Kate Reinking
I was listening to that boy's song and I was like, angel, I'm staying here.
Mickey Jo Theater
Turn around, girlfriend, and listen to that boy's song. She considers it. She's like, it's not great. It's a skip track. And so I'm gonna skip life. Wow. It's. No, it's gotta be that bit in the middle of. We were talking about this on the subway the other day, and I said you could cut Santa Fe from the show.
Kate Reinking
And Insane. Take it.
Mickey Jo Theater
Not because I don't like it. It just doesn't interfere with the structure. Like, you don't lose anything structurally, you.
Kate Reinking
That. First of all, that is the moment that we get all of these friends interacting for the first time out in public. In addition to that, it sets up Roger going to Santa Fe in the second act.
Mickey Jo Theater
Isn't a musical about friends interacting in public. Do they need to. Does that need to be part of it? I don't know.
Kate Reinking
Because it makes sense that when he's trying to find some meaning in the world, he goes back to that one really great night that he had.
Mickey Jo Theater
You're putting a lot of. I've never connected that thought before. Wow. I'm gonna look at this show very differently from now on. But I can't abandon the hatred and the rage that that song brings out in the middle of la vie. In the middle of la vieboheme. And this joy. I've got to come down from the high of that for. I should tell.
Kate Reinking
Oh, yeah. No, I should tell you.
Mickey Jo Theater
Well, here we go. When you don't. That's a song. You don't think it could possibly get slower? And then it does.
Kate Reinking
Oh, no.
Mickey Jo Theater
Oh no. I'm like, am I dying? Is life slowing down?
Kate Reinking
They are.
Mickey Jo Theater
Am I having a bad trip? Why? What's happening right now? The Phantom of the Opera.
Kate Reinking
And if I said music of the night.
Mickey Jo Theater
You enjoy doing this. That's what this is. You just enjoy it. I have beef with all I ask of you because I think it is non deliberately a contradictory lyric. Cuz when they're like, love me. That's all I ask of you. And I'm like, right, but you said 12 other things.
Kate Reinking
I'm not gonna lie. Every song in Phantom kind of sounds the same. So I don't even know which one's the worst.
Mickey Jo Theater
I famously enjoy the Weird little ones, like, I love notes.
Kate Reinking
I love notes. I love. You know, obviously, masquerade.
Mickey Jo Theater
It's really not amusing. He's abusing up addition. In addition, I love.
Kate Reinking
Poor fool. He makes me laugh.
Mickey Jo Theater
How do you feel about the point of no return?
Kate Reinking
I love point of no return.
Mickey Jo Theater
Okay.
Kate Reinking
I honestly think it may be, jokes aside, music of the night, justice for brigadou.
Mickey Jo Theater
I mean, if we're talking about plagiarism, they lose us. It's musical. Legally Blonde.
Kate Reinking
That is a skip free show.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. That may be a perfect score. What's the worst?
Kate Reinking
I think it's Ireland.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wow. I was gonna say. Is it take it like a man?
Kate Reinking
No. God, I love shopping for guys.
Mickey Jo Theater
I knew that's what you were gonna say.
Kate Reinking
Watching them change right before my eyes. Don't watch me change, Steve. There you go. Great song.
Mickey Jo Theater
Is it the first time we hear the song Legally Blonde, huh?
Kate Reinking
That's the best number in the show.
Mickey Jo Theater
The first one. Yes. Just Let Me Be Leaky Blonde. The title shoehorned into the lyric. The title is. Shoot. They took that lyric. They took the title. And they were just like. No, because.
Kate Reinking
Because Callahan just insulted her by saying that she was Legally Blonde. So she's like, just let me be Legally Blonde. If that's all they see me as. Yeah. But then obviously he started seeing her as something more than just that and freaking assaults her. And so she's, like, not defending that. I'm not saying you are. I'm not saying you are. But then she's like, just let me
Mickey Jo Theater
be that he was calling her Legally Blonde because, like, she was like, a Barbie playing at being a lawyer. That's the implication. And if she goes home, then she's not even doing that anymore, so she wouldn't be Legally Blonde. Also the original title of the movie. Because they never say Legally Blonde in the film Legally Blonde. It's a pun on Legally Blind.
Kate Reinking
Sure.
Mickey Jo Theater
And the stage musical does not acknowledge that it's a pun. And that's like. It's a funny turn of phrase from Callahan. But then it implies that she saying it so sincerely doesn't know if she knows it's a pun. It's weird that she sings it like that. If she doesn't, it makes her seem dumb, which undermines the whole point. I didn't know I had such strong feelings about this, but it's brought out in me doubling down. Yeah. Legally Blonde from Legally Blonde. It's also what I go to every time I want to make fun of a show, trying to create a show. Based on a movie that tries to create a title song. I always think it's like just let me be Shrek the Musical. Like I think about it, but it's such a good moment because you think the Karate Kid. That's why I sang the time traveler's wife thing.
Kate Reinking
It makes sense.
Mickey Jo Theater
Time traveler's wife. She's the time traveler's wife. Oh, yeah. And the remix is great.
Kate Reinking
The remix is great. But the remix is what you expect them to do with Lili Blonde. The remix is them reclaiming the insult.
Mickey Jo Theater
We're gonna have a fight after this.
Kate Reinking
This is the fight. This is the fight.
Mickey Jo Theater
Erin. Next show. What's the next show? Dear Evan Hansen, oh,
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Mickey Jo Theater
Is it to break in a glove?
Kate Reinking
No, it's sincerely me.
Mickey Jo Theater
Wild, wild teenagers in their bedrooms the world over are disagreeing with you about this one as they sing about drugs. I guess if we're going with like the full expanded universe of dear Evan Hansen, it is absolutely. I was gonna. What's. What's their version of Beautiful ghosts from the film the something ones.
Kate Reinking
The anonymous ones.
Mickey Jo Theater
The anonymous ones.
Kate Reinking
No, I like that song.
Mickey Jo Theater
I thought that was a good.
Kate Reinking
I could not sing your mama. I could not sing a single how
Mickey Jo Theater
does the title go?
Kate Reinking
Just let me be anonymous 1.
Mickey Jo Theater
Do you know what I could sing right now? Start to finish note perfect. The whole of Sincerely.
Kate Reinking
That's fair. I can sing Breaking a Glove To
Mickey Jo Theater
Break in a Glove probably is one of the better musical theatre dance songs. Yeah, the party songs. We've got to talk about the dance songs.
Kate Reinking
And it's such a. It's a such. Such a great moment between the two of them because you see this dad who really wanted to connect with his son and wasn't able to. And then you see Evan, who never was able to connect with his dad. It was a formative moment when his dad left.
Mickey Jo Theater
I love that we're taking turns being superficial about this because you're like, here's the dramatic reason behind it. And I'm like, song is kind of dull.
Kate Reinking
But then you get that great harmony moment between the two of them where it's like follow through. It just takes a little patience, takes a little time.
Mickey Jo Theater
Little perseverance, little uphill climb.
Kate Reinking
Ah, it's great.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah. Miracle. We went for different harmony lines there. Okay, so if not that, then I'm not willing to say it's sincerely me.
Kate Reinking
That's fine.
Mickey Jo Theater
But it is
Kate Reinking
actually. It can't be sincerely me because that's when you get the most amazing trees line. I think I take it back in
Mickey Jo Theater
terms of I'm usually a dear Evan Hansen defender. I think many of the accusations against it are sort of misaligned. And yet its greatest crimes are probably exemplified in Only us.
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
I feel confident in all the answers I've given.
Kate Reinking
Yeah.
Mickey Jo Theater
And we agreed on occasion.
Kate Reinking
We did. We agreed more than we thought we were going to agree.
Mickey Jo Theater
I think that we took in turns coming at it from very different angles in terms of this is boring versus this is, like, worthwhile to the show. So much to consider if you would like to See a Part 2 When we are next in the same country, which is happening a couple more times this year, maybe. Who knows? Honestly, who knows? Let us know in the comments and suggest some shows or feel free to wildly disagree with us and share your own thoughts about the musicals that we discuss here and what their worst songs are.
Kate Reinking
I think the most surprising part of all of this is that Beetlejuice is such a strong score.
Mickey Jo Theater
Yeah, Beetlejuice. The best musical theatre score of all time. Anyway, thank you so much for joining us. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to Kate's YouTube channel, which will be linked everywhere and all over the screen. All over the screen. And as always, we both hope that everyone is staying safe and that you
Kate Reinking
have a stagey day.
Mickey Jo Theater
Bye bye for 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theater. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
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Mickey Jo Theater
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Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Episode: Are These the Worst Songs in These Musicals? | A Stagey Debate ft. Kate Reinking (TheatreIsLife)
Hosts: Mickey Jo Theatre & Kate Reinking
Date: May 10, 2026
In this lively and humorous episode, theatre critics and content creators Mickey Jo Theatre and Kate Reinking (TheatreIsLife) embark on a spirited debate: What are the worst songs in beloved musicals? Drawing from their deep knowledge and strong opinions, they tackle a series of major shows—ranging from “Kiss Me Kate” to “Dear Evan Hansen”—randomly generated off-camera by Aaron James, dissecting the weakest links in otherwise classic scores. The conversation is peppered with playful jabs, musical nerd-outs, and honest disagreements. While the tone is lighthearted (“We disagree about theatre constantly” – [03:38]), both hosts bring thoughtful analysis on why certain numbers just don’t stack up.
If you’ve ever found yourself skipping a song on your favorite cast recording, or arguing over which Sondheim number you’d cut, this episode is for you. Mickey Jo and Kate bring both critical rigor and affectionate irreverence, making a compelling case for why not every song in every classic is as golden as fans pretend. Their honest, detailed rationale for each “worst song” also doubles as an insightful primer on what makes a great musical number—and why some land with a thud, even in masterpieces.
Suggested Next Listen:
A potential Part 2, or a deep-dive into “high school party songs” in contemporary musicals, per their Heathers discussion.