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MTV News' Amy Wilkinson tells 'Twilight' Tuesday that catchy songs, inside jokes make the off-Broadway parody work.
For the most dedicated "Twilight" fans, the yearlong wait between the theatrical releases of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" and "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" is painful, to say the least. Luckily, due to the popularity of the franchise and vampires in general, there are a variety of ways to bridge the gap, a few of which we touched on previously via fan suggestions. These include re-reading the books and re-watching the already-released movies, as well as getting your vampire fix via TV shows like "The Vampire Diaries" and "True Blood."
The latest addition to the fangtastic fray is the off-Broadway musical parody "Twilight: The Musical." MTV News' own Amy Wilkinson was lucky enough to attend the first preview in New York Monday. Thanks to her detailed summary, we now know more about the action in the plot, but for those who want to know more about the show's potential and audience reactions, this week's "Twilight" Tuesday is dedicated to digging a little deeper into the production by way of Wilkinson's experience. This will help you know what to expect if you make the trek to New York to see the show when it officially opens.
Here are five reasons you'll enjoy "Twilight: The Musical."
It's a Parody
Although we take our "Twilight" very seriously, it's sometimes just as entertaining to make light of the saga's more melodramatic, overwrought elements. And when a parody is executed well, it can be a delightful companion piece to the source material. It also helps to manage your expectations accordingly.
"To be completely honest, I wouldn't say that they were incredibly high," Wilkinson said of her expectations going in. "Mostly because this is an off-Broadway production, and from what we were told when we first arrived, they'd only been practicing for about 24 hours. So I didn't have the highest expectations going in, but I think for the time they had it turned out really well."
The "Twilight"/ "Harry Potter" Blend
Yes, Harry, Ron and Hermione make an appearance in "Twilight: The Musical," and despite the seemingly obvious appeal to two obsessive and proud fanbases, Wilkinson reported that it's more entertaining than off-putting.
"The way it was used worked well. There might be something that is a bit cloying about it, marrying these two franchises whose fans never seem to get along very well, so it might be a bit baiting in that regard, but I think the way they did it made sense," she said. "They traded in the three villains in the original 'Twilight' for three 'Harry Potter' characters and there were some good jokes that came out of it."
Vampires and Wizards That Sing!
This is a musical after all, so we are happy to hear that the songs, while campy at times, don't suck. Wilkinson said that one in particular is likely to get stuck in your head, a catchy little ditty called "Die Bella Die." Apparently and appropriately, it's Hermione's villainous theme song.
The Inside Jokes
In addition to dialogue lifted straight from Melissa Rosenberg's screenplays, the production pokes fun at a few memorable and slightly maligned moments, one of which Wilkinson said stood out for its laugh-out-loud factor.
"The one moment that the entire audience busted a gut over was in reference to a scene from the first 'Twilight' movie, when they're going on the biology class field trip and Alice Cullen is asking Bella if she's going to ride on their bus. In the movie Robert Pattinson's Edward is kind of like, 'Oh no, she's not,' but in the production I saw, Colin Hanlon, the guy playing Edward, turned around and yelled as loud as he could, 'SHE'S NOT COMING!' I don't know what it was about that, but the entire audience nearly died. The actor himself was cracking up, everyone was cracking up because it rings true to how bizarre that moment is in the film."
A Few Stars Are Born
In the spirit of how far "Glee" star Darren Criss has come from his "A Very Potter Musical" days, there are several actors in this musical worth keeping an eye on due to their breakout star potential, like Jenna Leigh Green, Lauren Lopez and Jeffry Denman, who all play multiple roles in the production.
"[Green] is pretty much the MVP of the production," Wilkinson said. "She does four or five characters (including Hermione, Rosalie and Esme), and there are times when her characters almost have lines back-to-back and she's running behind the stage to take off a wig or throwing off her cloak to return to the stage and deliver a line. She's definitely one of the hardest-working people on the stage. She was great to watch."
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