Okay, going to post a bunch of bts pictures of the Sunday sequence from #ticktickBOOMmovie now. This was an early draft of the tableau, though we didn't end up putting Howard McGillin aka the longest running Phantom on the roof... -LMM #SundayDeepDive
Would not have happened w/o my fearless 1st AD @MComitini, who had to juggle LEVELS of quarantine & keep artists 6 feet apart at all times. Almost every group shot you see is several separate shots put together in postproduction. We had 3 days to get it. -LMM #SundayDeepDive
Example: @Andre_DeShields and @heebyfluff shoot at the same time, same with @MjRodriguez7 and Joel Grey, but I had to shoot them separately and put them all together after. Multiply by *you've seen the movie* and you get a sense of the logistics involved. -LMM #SundayDeepDive
Before the Legends arrived, we rehearsed with Ryan Heffington's incredible crew of dancers to work out blocking. Every dancer in the film, from No More to Susan's dance troupe, helped us out, wearing Legend signs. -LMM #SundayDeepDive#ticktickBOOMmovie
Yes, the goal was to have each Legend have something that evokes their theater history: @heebyfluff got so back into character as Big Al from Fun Home she started sketching again...-LMM "Your swagger and your bearing..." #SundayDeepDive#ticktickBOOM
The final shot of the sequence pulls back so far, we had to take out a wall and roll into the soundstage next door 🤣 Here's the master shot rehearsal. -LMM #ticktickBOOMmovie#SundayDeepDive
In praise of Andrew Garfield & @OfficialBPeters:
Originally I had Jon adjusting Bernadette's hat, like George does Dot in Sunday in the Park with George. On the shoot day, Andrew was like, "This feels...wrong. it feels fussy." We brainstormed the right gesture... #SundayDeepDive
@OfficialBPeters Then Andrew remembered, "Can we do the Sondheim 80th heart squeeze?" I had showed him the moment when @OfficialBPeters & @PatinkinMandy sang "Move On" at Sondheim's 80th Bday celebration, & Bernadette squeezes her heart on "I would be so pleased." We did THAT. #SundayDeepDive
Wasn't supposed to be in it. Originally it was Chip Zien & Joanna Gleeson, aka the Baker & Baker's Wife from Into The Woods in the kitchen. But the pandemic made their participation impossible, & I was already quarantined so. Dressed as a chef half the day. -LMM #SundayDeepDive
The Rent alums--Daphne, Adam and Wilson--had an emotional reunion. Between setups, I snuck them over to the set of Jonathan's apartment. Adam says he first met Daphne in Jon's apartment. -LMM #SundayDeepDive#TickTickBoom
Real talk: this was the most stressful sequence in #ticktickBOOMmovie . We were always behind schedule & we were always out of time. Lots of emotional energy to keep everyone's spirits high during reshoot after reshoot. All that to say...
When Pippa & Renee showed up, a huge weight lifted. My friends were here & they came to play. I'll never be able to repay them for rallying the crew, lifting me up, & their kindness that day. Love you forever @Phillipasoo & @ReneeGoldsberry. -LMM #TickTickBoom#SundayDeepDive
Flash forward 8 months to June 2020: additional photography. We rebuilt the set & went back to work because we needed 100% more @Chita_Rivera. In picture 2, she holds forth for the cast...-LMM #SundayDeepDive#TickTickBoom
It's during this additional photography that with choreographer Karla Puno Garcia, we decide to adjust the Rent alum's choreography to reference their Boho Days table choreo...-LMM #SundayDeepDive#TickTickBoom@daphnerubinvega@alicebrooks
Yup. June 2021. Time is a Dalí clock right now, forgive me. 🤣 -LMM
In JUNE 2021, we have VACCINES, which we did not have the November prior. So I was able to have the actors in the same shot at the same time, and use a steadicam to add movement to the sequence and bring it home...-LMM #ticktickBOOMmovie#SundayDeepDive
That's all for now. Thank you for watching #ticktickBOOMmovie. Grateful for you. -LMM
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On Sondheim's 80th birthday in 2010, @roundaboutnyc asked a bunch of theater composers to each write a song for the occasion & perform it for the maestro himself. Or as @lindsayabaire put it that evening: "It's Michael Jordan's birthday: dribble for him."
(1/i dunno yet by -LMM)
An intimidating assignment, to say the least. To begin to say what Sondheim means to you, to Sondheim himself. Everyone went at it differently & brilliantly. I went...meta. I rewrote the lyrics to Barcelona from Company & made it about the evening itself. One problem...(2/ha)
the central conceit of my rewrite hinged on @TheRitaMoreno being the other singer in the duet.
I did not know Rita Moreno.
And she had no idea who I was.
Here's an excerpt of my email to her agent (it went ON): (3/whee)
The resolve that the Ukrainian people have shown since this invasion began is humbling & inspiring. We advocate for an immediate end to Russia’s hostility against them, so they may continue to chart their own future. Ukrainians, we are with you. 🇺🇦 -LMM (1/4)
Donating may seem like a drop in a bucket, but it's a place to start. Our family will be donating to @UrgentAct, a feminist fund that protects, strengthens and sustains women and non-binary human rights defenders at critical moments. (2/4)
They are responding to requests from groups and individuals seeking emergency evacs; legal, financial, med support, survival training, shelter capacity, access to alt comm channels. (3/4)
One of the best side missions of @freestylelove supreme is that somewhere around 2004, I called dibs on making the pre-show playlists, & they just continue to let me? Anyway, I made EIGHT for the Bway run this year, here they are...--LMM open.spotify.com/playlist/16V7C…
The only mission in the pre-show playlists is to create as wild an array of music as possible: we don't know what's gonna happen in @freestylelove, so prepping the audience to be ready for anything is impt--LMM open.spotify.com/playlist/3c7uE…
On this #GivingTuesday, we are grateful for all the orgs with which we collaborate throughout the year. Here we highlight 4 orgs we love - we will be matching all gifts made through these links -LMM (1/6)
.@DRMariposas creates sustainable solutions to end generational poverty in the Dominican Republic by educating + empowering girls. They just launched a Spanish book series for kids & are raising money to print + distribute to children in DR. (2/6)bit.ly/3ljbtLA
My mom @ltmphd is on board of @PPAct which has been leading organizing + advocating for repro rights + education. This week #SCOTUS will hear a case explicitly asking to overturn Roe v. Wade. We cannot sit back + hope the courts protect our rights. (3/6)bit.ly/3llRCvr
It’s been a busy few weeks, but we are excited to finally announce the last 2 #YOULLBEBACK Flashtakes winners and the @Prizeo GRAND PRIZE winner!
We're sending our #YOULLBEBACK flash winner @lstearn to NYC for a New Year's Eve experience with @MHMarquisNYC! We hope you enjoy New Year’s Eve in the Big Apple!
Okay, here's a #VivoMusicDeepDive, I have a little time.
If you haven't seen #VivoMovie yet on @NetflixFilm , bookmark this thread til AFTER you've watched, porfa!
First song, One of A Kind...-LMM 1/??
Started writing One Of A Kind in 2009, and the dare to myself was simple: Start with the simplest rhythm in the world, and just keep building. Organ plays 2 chords, oompah oompah, and take off from there.
#VivoMusicDeepDive
Vivo's first two lines were originally:
"Tough crowd, nothing I haven't seen before, I'll have to pull out the stops & give them even more-" which are now in the reprise.
I was also playing Usnavi 8 shows a week at the time, so this is semi-autobiographical... #VivoMusicDeepDive