Musical Aesthetics Asks

Elliot + Musical asks

HAMILTON

wax seals. writing in ink. that moment when your stomach drops and you realize something horrible is about to happen. a single candle in the dark. heated arguments. ballroom dancing. stacks of paper overflowing a desk. fresh beginnings. the ticking of a clock. loud arguments. hand kisses. the barely-there trace of a word that’s been erased. passive aggressive texts. icy faces and wet cheeks. blood on the ground.  forgiveness. quiet gasps into silence. 

FALSETTOS

the tetris music. a pen scraping against paper. dayenu. the muffled sound of crying in your mother’s room. tense silence at the dinner table. a chess board left in the middle of a game. carefully placed decorative pillows. stimming. red hoodies. kisses in the back of a dark bar. baseball. a hand on your thigh. sweaters. prayer shawls. too much champagne. the beeping of hospital instruments. hickeys all over your body. boxes full of old polaroids. fresh flowers on a gravestone.

IN THE HEIGHTS

piragua. flags blowing in the wind. muffled latin music. champagne bottles popping loudly. fireworks. slushies being slurped through a straw. pigeons picking bread-crumps. candles in a blackout. the hottest day of the summer when the air seems to turn liquid. fire-escapes. taxis. dress-shirts and black ties. record scratches. graffiti. streetlights. winning lottery tickets. gossip at the salon. stacks of school books. the sound of a train going by. secrets kept away from the neighbors. coming home at the end of the day.

SPRING AWAKENING

wildflowers. white sundresses. first kisses. clammy hands holding each other. flower crowns. haylofts. tingly feelings all over. goethe. endless darkness. cold hands. silent screams. chalk against a chalkboard. all-nighters. wine yards. too-tight braids. bruises. innocence lost. graveyards. loveletters. adults that don’t get it. piano lessons. study dates. phantom touches. whispers that stop when you get close. rolled down knee socks. your dad’s gun. 

LEGALLY BLONDE

tiny dogs. red bull. pink. hello kitty. getting cat called. corduroy. leather messenger bags. the sound of high heels against tiles. scented paper. unworn fancy dresses. smeared lipstick. walking up on stage during your graduation. the flow-feeling you get into when studying something you actually care about. the scent of department stores. the tense atmosphere in court rooms. finding unexpected sisterhood. 

WAITRESS

the scent of freshly baked pies. flour on your hands. old diners from the 60s that still look the same. southern hospitality. those dreadful minutes after you take a test and have to wait for a result. feeling lonely at night while someone else is asleep right next to you. contorted guitar chords. old recipe books passed down through generations. knowing something is wrong but doing it anyway. nights spent curled up on the couch with true crime shows. 

Musical Aesthetics Asks