Oh hi! This came up as a suggested video for me and I couldn’t resist. 😂 It’s weird to hear someone break down my technique since I don’t really think about it in the moment. Thanks Lawrence University for the classical training. ⚫️👄⚫️👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
Oh Hi Emily! That’s insane. Just like your performance in RTC! If you ever wanted to chat about your time with RTC let me know! I know the cyclones would flip out! I don’t think I could do what you did. Lawrence University must be amazing. I feel like this performance required a crazy amount of support and training! Brava! 👏 thanks for watching and stopping by!
Fun fact: for those whistle ranges the actress did it on accident and they kept it in, later in the cast recording and Atlanta shows she added an extra note
Actually! The reason she's singing in a more operatic choir style is that she has no memories of who she is. She sings in what's considered to be the default style of music because she has nothing else to base her song on
@@singwithAshleyits true! In the musical all the choir kids sing in their own style but jane has no memory of what she liked so she sings like that because all she knows is the carnival and choir
What I absolute love, too, is how she changes from a desperate, whistly and gentle voice to this accusing, almost bitter tone. „Why Lord?!“ Always gives me the chills.
I feel as though I should explain! This show is about a school choir from a small Canadian town who die in a rollercoaster accident. They're, in a way, pleading their cases for who should be given another chance at life. Some songs are about who they wish they could have been, some songs are about who they are, and some are about why they really should be given another chance! Jane's head is a replacement, taken from the doll she's occasionally seen holding. Every song is good but I think you really have to start with the introductory song to get the full explanation. Sometimes it's called Fall Fair Suite, sometimes it's the Uranium Suite, the song has been changed multiple times so it's really up to whether or not you want a video of it. Excellent video!!
The opening number is split into two parts "Uranium" and "Suite" each part differs each time depending on the song, and "Waiting for the drop" is completely different. The Uranium Suite (Used from the album and after) The Fall Fair Suite (Off-broadway/Chicago) Tragic fact (Canada?) Waiting for the Drop (Seattle)
It’s also important to add that they died in an accident, and they visit Karnak the fortune teller machine before getting on the ride, who knew they would die before-hand, but couldn’t say a thing because he was forced to stay shut. Everyone died, and all people were identified as poor children from the chamber choir of their school, but her body, found with the same uniform, was without a head, and since no one claimed her, no one could identify who she was. She and everyone else are ghosts in limbo battling for who lives.
I saw a theory that commentated on the fact that Jane doe’s song is so much more complex musically wise because she knew nothing about her past except that she was in choir. It’s her only bit of information so she pops off using that sweet, choral tone
What I love abt this musical is that each character’s song is a different genre that matches their personality/backstory. You should listen to talia! It’s a beautiful song and one of my favs from the musical :)
The mourners behind her are there because it’s an “I want” song. She wants there to be people to mourn her because she is unidentified so no one can mourn her
I think it’s amazing because Emily (the girl who played hand doe) is on a stage with people filming her, her chest is suppressed kind of because she’s wearing a harness, and she’s flying, and as she’s flying goes upside down and spins around while singing those high notes perfectly, she did amazing.
Another fun bit of speculation: The ascending and descending portions (as well as her flight pattern in this version) can be interpreted as the path of the roller coaster that killed her! It derailed at the top of the “loop de loop” before she was somehow decapitated, and she has a slow vocal ascent followed by the faster descent, and then the final, more isolated note in that passage could be interpreted as her head landing somewhere separately from the rest of her body. It’s a fun use of implied word painting lol. There’s a college streaming their production for free this weekend (I think it’s Ohio College? Ohio University? I don’t remember) and they really leaned into to coaster path parallel, with the backup members of the choir using a string of lights to outline the roller coaster throughout this song. One more fun fact: The actress in this version, Emily Rohm, put a rehearsal video of this song on TikTok where all of the lights were up and you could see the flight mechanism really well. It’s not wires (those would probably tangle during the flips anyway), but more of a bicycle seat strapped to a long arm that a stagehand lifts up and down like a really fancy seesaw. She does have some sort of safety harness under the costume, but I *think* most of her weight is on the seat when she’s upright.
Has that behind the scenes been put on UA-cam? I've been so fascinated by that flying effect, and knew it couldn't have been wires just because of that insane sideways 360 she does at "does no-one care". I briefly thought it might be some sort of hydraulic system attached to a seat based harness for it to be that precise, but that would have eaten up the budget and made too much noise. What a fantastic and simultaneously practical way to pull off something so darkly magical. Truly the carny spirit brought to musical theatre.
That *really* helps the roller coaster illusion, making her seem to be held by a seat even though she’s floating. I always thought it looked strange compared to other folks being suspended from a wire.
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet, but according to the people who made the musical, some of those high notes (especially the part where her voice climbs and then falls towards the beginning of the song) represent her screams during the accident. I highly recommend this show though, it's amazing!!
There's actually a part in the beginning where Jane Doe says "When a lioness has babies with a lion she stops making love with the lion. Sometimes he gets so jealous that he eats the babies, you would think the lioness gets upset. But it's actually quite the opposite, she makes love with the lion again." And then in this song she says "Time eats all his children in the end." Which someone said it could be because everyone including her parents didn't know who she was and just moved on.
Ok so, at the beginning of the play she's there "without a head" but then when she shows up she has a headless doll, so Jane doe "replaced" her head with the doll's. Cause in the pictures with the choir she originally has brunette hair while here she has blind hair that's styled like a doll's. Just thought that was neat for anyone who hasn't seen the play
Since they are breaking the fourth wall, they didn't want the audience to be grossed out at the sight of a headless body so they decided to use the doll's head.
I think the screams at the end are an interpretation of them "flying off the rails" on the cyclone, notice everyone pretty much has some sort of scream expect for Constance, who says that "She didn't scream like the other kids".
10:47 I think during her introduction to her chest voice, she’s starting to get a bit frustrated and angry that her body was unidentified and that nobody knows who she is, and that she’ll forever be forgotten and unknown. :-)
In reference to the thing you didn’t like at 16:00, I think the “why, oh why, oh whYy” is supposed to sound like crying, like catching breath, without the gross snotty sounds or heavy breathing. It also might be an artefact of this musical style. Edit: Oh, and a final catch: the rest of the choir sings the first four notes of Dies Ire while Jane sings her final note. You know, the medieval chant of death that asks “god, why?” I was wondering where we’d hear a full version of that since we’d been getting the half version this whole time. The last two notes are like Jane’s motif, half the chant of death, and most of her song is calling out to god to complete her (and thus her theme) since she only can sing the “ire” so she needs others to give her the “dies”. Second Edit: Although, on second thought, her cries of “why, Lord” may have the “dies” part. All the more Dies Ire.
Watching reactions to the live preformance this song is so fun because SHE SINGS UPSIDE DOWN It makes everyone shook the first time, i remember i literally cried and screeched the first time i watched it and just watched it on repeat for like an hour. Your comments are super helpful aswell!
Context: A choir or six students went on The Cyclone rollercoaster and all died in a freak accident. In the musical, the fortune teller (robot dude on the side) brings them all so they can tell about their hopes and dreams. The six kids, including the beheaded girl known as Jane Doe throughout the musical, can each vote for someone to be brought back to life, but it has to be unanimous Each of the kids gets their own song or two, and Jane’s song talks about how she wishes she knew who she was before dying. Nobody remembers her, not even herself. Her head was replaced by a doll’s head, which is why she has a headless doll “Jane Doe is what the coroner said. They found my body, not my head”
Everyone’s reccomending what the world needs but I disagree it’s kind of meant to sound bad vocally. You should do talia it’s beautiful and heavy on vocals
I feel like they made oceans voice kinda sound “bad” because she’s supposed to be like the bratty annoying smart character that thinks she’s better than everyone.
i don't know how to explain it but her vibrato is so heavy. it's so much more pronounced, especially during the transition. which i think is insane. the amount of practice she probably had to do, doubled with the emotion and attitude of the song just makes it such an amazing, powerful song.
A bit late, but the opening scene (in the ballad) is part comedy, Jane Doe, having no knowledge of her past, doesn't have portraits fall from her past as her introduction. Every song begins with the character pushing the lever, having pictures descend behind them, and then they begin their song. So Jane, being a Jane Doe, has no past for pictures to descend *from*, it's actually a pretty good way of doing visual storytelling without being super overt.
According to the actress, Emily Rohm, she had very little time to learn with the rig (and was not informed about it till they put the harness on), so she basically had to get it down the first day.
The first decending melisma during the transition actually functions as a leit motif throughout the show for what (i think) is the roller coaster breaking down; the "fall." The last thing those kids ever heard
also at the beginning when she pulls down on the fortune teller’s (Karnak) lever on the bumpers behind her theres supposed to be childhood photos that get projected that’s why she does it multiple times and looks behind her
This is a great reaction, and the song is so good. I just wanted to point out that John Smith is just a name for an average generic man. John Doe and Jane Doe are names of unidentifiable bodies. The last name being Doe for both genders explains her “John and me” phrases.
I thought John and Jane doe were people whose names cannot be disclosed for legal or *other* reasons. But i guess they could be unidentified as well in that regard.
I remeber reading a comment saying that people speculate that the high notes in the song are ment to be her screams as the Rollercoaster decapitates her. 😰 Also the beginning was jane pulling a lever tht was ment to show photo's of her past, given the fortune teller didn't read her fortune that day nothing showed up.
Okay I love this reaction because I also love figuring out all the different aspects that make a performance and you do this beautifully. My lil fun fact I want to throw in is that she isn't on a fly system. She leaves right before her song (and with a cape right after) because she is in a hip harness that attaches to a pole. This is also why she doesn't turn around at any point during this staging. So, absolutely, the times they have the curtain closed and her "wings" (the lighting effect gives me 😍) are out are the times they're locking/unlocking her from the pole. Thought you might enjoy this knowledge, I found it fascinating. Thanks for this video!!
That makes sense! She does look a lot more stable than being on a fly rail system. You’re right! There is no way she’d be able to turn herself like that! I knew she was on something, just assumed it was a fly rail system because that’s all I’ve ever used! Still don’t know if I’d manage singing on a railing system either! Is he’s intense! Thanks for this! 🙏
the wide vowel for oh whY is to go along with the rest of the whistles, representing her screams on the coaster!!! i feel like the wide y adds to the scream affect when you really analyze it.
Jane doe Said “Time eats all his children in the end”, this is referencing greek mythology where Kronos the god of time basically saw in the future that his children were going to eat up taking over the throne. Of course Kronos didn’t like that so he ate his own kids but luckily Zeus if I remember correctly killed his father Kronos and freed his siblings.
One of my personal favorite parts of this song is when she does the descent from her "oooos" into the "AAAAaAAAaaaah" because it feels like someone on a rollercoaster going up and then down and agh I love this song so much
the entire musical was beautiful, but i was and still am intrigued by this song. it’s such a pretty song, along with a pretty voice and it’s almost mesmerizing. ❤️
Haha unintentionally! My hair is braided into a natural headband. Ocean’s is an actually headband. But so many have pointed out my resemblance to her! My voice is similar as well! I actually had no idea who ocean was until I read about her in the comments! I had to ask my students who she was 🤣 Thank you for watching!!
16:10 There's a theory she went so high and cut it abruptly because in the ride she was screaming and then her head got ch0pped off, cutting her scream
Am I the only one who thinks she looks EXACTLY like Ocean?! Also I love how many things I didn’t realize what Ms. Emma Rohm had to do until you said something lol
Oddly enough, the first thing I thought when I heard The Ballad of Jane Doe was that it sounded almost like a cross between Stephen Sondheim and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
This was so wonderful! I've been waiting for a vocal coach to react to something from this musical, you should check out other pieces from the musical if you are interested. There's a song for a mezzo call "what the world needs" that I think would be interesting to hear your thoughts on, especially as a mezzo. Thank you for your video 🙂
if you ever plan on watching this musical I give you a warning it gets very crazy and I got to say Noel's lament and space age bachelorman are very... interesting to say the least
This is one of my new favorite videos on UA-cam; I love this song and performance, and you give every second of it every bit of focus (and awe) it deserves!
im LOVING this. id totally recommend watching the full musical! i don't believe its up publicly anymore but i have the link to the unlisted video if you'd like it
its a great musical- even better with context. some songs are definitely strange but they all fit the characters so well and make for a very interesting and entertaining hour and a half
The sad part when Jane Doe introduction she is pulling the level to show her life. Since no one remember hers and her soul doesn't remember their io picture of her childhood or family. Plus her move is like a doll marionette.
I would love to see some sort of reaction/comparison between this original version and Anna Pantsus cover of it. They are so very different performances, and while Anna's is not a live recording, She has such a different take on it, that I would love someone musically versed to put into words what those differences are because I can't seem to find the words for it, despite listening to both versions dozens of times
about her flying, ive seen some bts and she actually isnt on a wire! the mechanics are actually super cool. its almost like an arm from way back upstage reaching out diagonally connecting to her waist. this is how it doesnt drag up her shoulders or clothes at all. oml, its so cool!!
btw she was not on a fly rig during this song, behind the curtain there is a counterweight system that she gets connected to by an exposed harness on the back of her costume
I just watched this video but I had to come back. I am not a professional singer and have 0 training. But I love singing. I watched your video and tried a few of the things you mentioned and I FINALLY hit the notes I wanted to for so long. I have played around with my mouth space and breathing and I made it!!! Thank you!
So excited to watch this! Saw this show for the first time about a month ago and was blown away by this scene. It takes hell of acting and singing chops for an actress to pull this off
Others may have commented this but in the show each character had their own song which are completely different styles and the other actors plat backup so the ranges on all of them was incredible. Love this song and your commentary adds such an amazing element to it as someone with no musical training. 😊
someone said that jane does ballad is actually a lament and noels lament is actually a ballad… if you search up the meaning to the words, you’ll find out why. i dont wanna do research for a yt video right now 💀
Please please please react to more songs from Ride The Cyclone! I know that Space Age Bachelor man isn't the most impressive song but I want to know your thoughts on it!
i’d argue with the ‘not the most impressive’ part, ricky’s high notes are *amazing* also the vocal choices and difference are very interesting if you listen to the cast recording
For anyone who wants context: Ride The Cyclone is about 6 teens who die in a roller coaster accident. They are brought to a sort of pseudo-afterlife wherein they are given the opportunity for one of them to live again. While 5 of the teens were in a choir together, the 6th one was decapitated in the accident and was never identified, since no one recalls a 6th member of the choir. They never found her head, no one ever claimed her body, and despite the matching uniforms the other choir members don't know who she is either. Something about that causes her spirit to have lost any and all memory of her life prior to her death. It's heavily implied that she has replaced her own head with the head of a doll- hence the black eyes, pale skin, and blonde ringlets. The insane high notes are probably to allude to her screams as the coaster derailed, same with her flying around the stage.
I don't know if anyone has explained it yet (and I know it's been 3 months but anyways) The choir of Uranium city went on a roller coaster and they had an acident, they all died and in the afterlife they have to vote for someone to come back to life. Also Jane Doe was the only body unidentified etc. (that was a really vague explaination guys don't worry it was just to give context to those who don't know)
I really really wish this song was popular (or even existed) like a decade ago so that I could've learned it back when I was actively training my higher register, because now I'm doing the opposite lol
Yes! As our body grows our voice is more prone to drop! I was trained as a classical soprano. Now I can barely hit some of those notes. A lot of that has to do with my desire to sing that high now… But my voice is definitely dropped.
QUESTION- (if you see this 😅) Do you know what vocal techniques is in the song? Im considering doing it as my solo for my music GCSE, but I don’t wanna choose it to seem impressive if it is not gonna get me many marks for techniques, etc
A headless mysterious girl in a school uniform, sings a song of an unending dream-like state ("Karnak's Dream of Life"). The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune teller automaton, introduces himself as the show's narrator ("Welcome..."[This track is often not featured in live productions, rather is housed on the recording]). Karnak tells the audience that he is able to predict the exact moment of a person's death and formerly could inform the subject of the details of their demise, but the carnival in which he operated set him to "Family Fun Novelty Mode," meaning that he could only repeat vague predictions and fairground advertising. Karnak reveals that he will die soon, as a rat he has named Virgil has been gradually chewing through the rubber of his power cable and will soon bite down on 200 volts of electricity, instantly killing both of them. "As there is nothing more base than death," Virgil is enlisted to play the bass. Karnak has constructed this show as a "final apology". After their deaths, Karnak, in his guilt, summons the spirits of five teenagers before they may proceed to the true afterlife. Karnak had read the fortunes of the teenagers from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, but could not warn them of their impending death because of his family-friendly setting. Karnak introduces the audience to the Saint Cassian Chamber Choir and recounts their deaths on The Cyclone, a malfunctioning rollercoaster, while the teens sing about their hometown ("The Uranium Suite"). The five teenagers arrive at Karnak's limbo and are told of their death. Each teen is introduced and given a "catchphrase." Karnak reveals the teens are being placed into a game of life and death, where they must compete for a chance to return to life. Karnak reads a prophecy: "Whoever wants to win it the most shall redeem the loser in order to complete the whole." A sixth victim, the "mystery contestant," dubbed Jane Doe by the coroner, is introduced. She is the same character who opened the show. Since no family came to claim her body when it was found headless, and Karnak never read her fortune, her identity is unknown by both herself and everyone else ("Jane Doe's Entrance"). In the off-Broadway costume and prop design, it is suggested that Jane has replaced her head with that of a doll, whose body she carries around with her. Jane's entrance frightens the other choir members, but Karnak proceeds undisturbed and begins the competition. The first contestant is Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, a perfectionist over-achiever. As a child of "far-left of center humanists," Ocean always felt like the self-proclaimed "white sheep" of the family. She tells Karnak that she "has seen enough reality TV" to know what he wants her to do. She proceeds to sing a song themed around her own self-importance and ego, comparing herself to the other teens and pointing out how they all fall short compared to her. She believes she is the only one worth bringing back to life, as she has the highest chance of succeeding in the world ("What the World Needs"). After her song ends, Karnak reveals that the choice of who lives will be made by group consensus. Though Ocean clumsily attempts to take back her words, the rest of the choir, including her best friend, Constance, has been incredibly offended by her social Darwinist rant. The next contestant is Noel Gruber, the only gay boy in his small town who dreams of being a cold-hearted French prostitute, but was instead stuck working at a Taco Bell. He sings about his desire to live the tragic, loveless life of his alter ego, "Monique Gibeau" (inspired by Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel), who dies of typhoid flu at the end of the song ("Noel's Lament"). After his song, Ocean expresses annoyance that his song did not have a moral. She insists that every story has a lesson ("Every Story's Got a Lesson") and gets Constance to perform an anti-drug improv PSA with her, though it soon becomes clear that Constance's dark sense of humor is antithetical to how Ocean wants her to be. The third contestant is Mischa Bachinski, a Ukrainian adoptee who immigrated after his mother, dying from radiation poisoning while on a Chernobyl disaster clean-up crew, put him up for adoption and lied about his age. When he reached Canada, his adoptive parents were expecting a "recently potty-trained" two-year-old, but instead received a violent teenage boy with a drinking problem. To cope with the isolating treatment he received from his adoptive parents, he turned to "self-aggrandizing commercialized hip-hop," posting his own original raps to UA-cam. His song begins as a gangsta rap track that heavily relies on autotune ("This Song Is Awesome") before transitioning into a passionate Ukrainian love ballad to his online fiancee whom he met through his UA-cam comment section ("Talia"). The fourth contestant is Ricky Potts, a boy who was born with an unnamed degenerative disease that left him mute and unable to walk, though in the afterlife his ability to speak has been restored and his physical impairment has vanished (as of the 2023 version of the script, Ricky no longer has a degenerative disease and is only mute because of trauma).[11] To combat this, Ricky developed complex fantasies, based on his childhood spent mainly with his 14 cats, to retreat into, particularly his own "religion," in which he is the savior of a race of sentient, anthropomorphic cats from a distant galaxy ("Space Age Bachelor Man"). In the off-Broadway script, he concedes his chance of being resurrected, but this was removed in later versions. Rather than singing about her hopes, dreams, and fantasies, Jane Doe sings about her own despair ("The Ballad of Jane Doe"). Jane's headless body was found in the wreckage, and though she was presumed to be a member of the choir because of her uniform, her body went unclaimed and her identity remained unknown following the stress-induced death of their choir director later that day. Her spirit has no memory of who she was. After hearing Jane's tale, the choir rallies together and holds a birthday party for her featuring a rewritten birthday song, sharing a tender moment with each other ("The New Birthday Song"). While Ricky bonds with Jane by giving her one of the names he had been "saving up" in life, and Noel and Mischa connect over seeing each other as they want to be seen, Ocean and Constance finally come to a head. Ocean, still desperate to return to life, hurts Constance deeply in her own self-obsession. Constance, fed up with being Ocean's sidekick, finally stands up for herself by punching Ocean in the breast. Finally taking her turn, Constance reveals that, just three hours prior to the accident, she had lost her virginity to a 32-year-old carnie in a porta-potty. She says she did it to "just get it out of the way"; however, she backtracks and reveals that it was more of an action of self-loathing. She enacts a conversation she thought would happen when people found out; "Constance the lifer lost it to a carnie in a porta-potty. Why, of course she did." Frustrated with her image as the "nicest girl in town," Constance talks about her family's pride for having worked in Uranium City "since they opened the mines" and that though she agreed with them at first, high school made her think it was lame to feel that way and she descended into loathing. Feeling guilt for how she resented her parents, she recalls the moment the coaster derailed, and how all her anger and misconceptions had dropped away as they flew through the air. Constance shares how she finally learned to appreciate every small moment in her life and love her small town. She laments that "it took a horrible accident for me to realize how goddamn wonderful everything is." She then sings of her love for her life and her town ("Sugar Cloud"). At the end of her song, Ocean apologizes to Constance, "as if seeing her friend for the first time." At last, it is time for the final vote. Karnak suddenly changes the rules, telling Ocean that she alone will get the deciding vote because she has the highest Grade Point Average. Having a crisis of conscience, she refuses to vote for herself. Recalling Karnak's prophecy, she realizes that Jane is the only one who doesn't have memories to take to the afterlife with her. Ocean says that while the teenagers died young, they at the very least had a life, admitting that she would "gladly take her seventeen years over nothing." The choir support Ocean in her decision and send Jane to "The Other Side." Karnak reveals her name to be Penny Lamb (a character in Richmond's play LEGOLAND). Whether she returns to life as Penny or starts a new life is left ambiguous. We see a compilation of home movies of her new life from youth to old age ("It's Not a Game"). Virgil finally tears through the rubber, killing himself and Karnak before the latter can give his final piece of insight. As Karnak dies, he says the same fairground advertising he told the teens before they rode the Cyclone: "Your lucky number is seven. You will soar to great heights. Be sure to ride The Cyclone." The remaining teens unite and sing an uplifting song ("It's Just a Ride") before their spirits travel to whatever comes next. If you read this. I LOVE YOU❤
Fun fact: the way they made jane doe fly was by a black crane behind the curtains. They had a torso grab thingy and attached it to her which is why they used the umbrellas to cover her and the lights are mostly out. You can see it on the actors insta or tiktok when she learned how to sing upside down they practiced moving the crane
You remind me of another pretty redhead vocal coach I know on youtube, maybe you and Hannah Bayles should collab sometimes! You're the sweetest and I think y'alls sense of humour would blend really well together lol Great video, glad to see this musical is getting more recognition!
Oh hi! This came up as a suggested video for me and I couldn’t resist. 😂 It’s weird to hear someone break down my technique since I don’t really think about it in the moment. Thanks Lawrence University for the classical training. ⚫️👄⚫️👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
Oh Hi Emily! That’s insane. Just like your performance in RTC! If you ever wanted to chat about your time with RTC let me know! I know the cyclones would flip out! I don’t think I could do what you did. Lawrence University must be amazing. I feel like this performance required a crazy amount of support and training! Brava! 👏 thanks for watching and stopping by!
Hi Emily just want to say as an aspiring singing you my idol 😊
You're AMAZING
OH MY GOD IT'S JANE DOE! Your character creeped me the hell out but your operatic voice is SO GOOD.
HOLY QUACKAMOLE
She sings a lot with head voice for someone whose body has no head
This comment made my day 😂
Maybe she's on to something here
@@carolinemary7876 well her head isn’t
@@ChyChy13469 JAIL
these comments are as unhinged as the rollercoaster
the reason why she is going "AaAaaAaHHhHh" is bc its supposed to represent her screams as she's dying
It’s so dark lmao
It does make sense
Her arm going up and down during the high note is the roller coaster going up and falling
Fun fact: for those whistle ranges the actress did it on accident and they kept it in, later in the cast recording and Atlanta shows she added an extra note
source ?
The actress mentioned it on her tiktok
What's her tiktok???!
@@chungleandthebims167@emilyrohm
@@emilee_16 that is an amazing name
"Her versatility is really good, going from choral singing to singing more from the chest."
"Cool, wanna see me do it while flying?"
🤣👏
Actually! The reason she's singing in a more operatic choir style is that she has no memories of who she is. She sings in what's considered to be the default style of music because she has nothing else to base her song on
Interesting take on it!!
@@singwithAshley You sound like you dont argree lol
@@user-om1jc3vt9t oh! On the contrary, I truly enjoy the different perspective! I hadn’t looked at it that way yet.
@@singwithAshleyits true! In the musical all the choir kids sing in their own style but jane has no memory of what she liked so she sings like that because all she knows is the carnival and choir
What I absolute love, too, is how she changes from a desperate, whistly and gentle voice to this accusing, almost bitter tone. „Why Lord?!“
Always gives me the chills.
Like Animal by Sir Chloe! In Animal she goes from a calm tone but when she says “I’m asking nicely. Give me what I want!” She’s very angry and bitter
REAL! The “And when all is said and done, isn’t there anyone to tell me who I am?!?!?” ALWAYS GIVES ME THE CRAZIEST CHILLS JUST THINKING ABOUT
I feel as though I should explain! This show is about a school choir from a small Canadian town who die in a rollercoaster accident. They're, in a way, pleading their cases for who should be given another chance at life. Some songs are about who they wish they could have been, some songs are about who they are, and some are about why they really should be given another chance! Jane's head is a replacement, taken from the doll she's occasionally seen holding. Every song is good but I think you really have to start with the introductory song to get the full explanation. Sometimes it's called Fall Fair Suite, sometimes it's the Uranium Suite, the song has been changed multiple times so it's really up to whether or not you want a video of it. Excellent video!!
Thank you! I needed this explanation! So glad you enjoyed the video!
The opening number is split into two parts "Uranium" and "Suite" each part differs each time depending on the song, and "Waiting for the drop" is completely different.
The Uranium Suite (Used from the album and after)
The Fall Fair Suite (Off-broadway/Chicago)
Tragic fact (Canada?)
Waiting for the Drop (Seattle)
@@pdtrx4900 Thank you for being able to explain what I couldn't particularly understand myself!
It’s also important to add that they died in an accident, and they visit Karnak the fortune teller machine before getting on the ride, who knew they would die before-hand, but couldn’t say a thing because he was forced to stay shut.
Everyone died, and all people were identified as poor children from the chamber choir of their school, but her body, found with the same uniform, was without a head, and since no one claimed her, no one could identify who she was. She and everyone else are ghosts in limbo battling for who lives.
Completely unrelated to your comment I’m just excited to see someone with a Star Trek profile pic. Love Deanna Troi
I saw a theory that commentated on the fact that Jane doe’s song is so much more complex musically wise because she knew nothing about her past except that she was in choir. It’s her only bit of information so she pops off using that sweet, choral tone
I like it!
What I love abt this musical is that each character’s song is a different genre that matches their personality/backstory. You should listen to talia! It’s a beautiful song and one of my favs from the musical :)
exactly how i put it when i tell people about this musical lol
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@@pianolover3711 she’s gonna have to prepare herself for that one
@@pianolover3711 You can predict the future can't you?
TALIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The mourners behind her are there because it’s an “I want” song. She wants there to be people to mourn her because she is unidentified so no one can mourn her
14:55
Jane: **angelic AF as she flies**
Ashley: Show off 😏
Jane: later spins around
Ashley: 😧
I think it’s amazing because Emily (the girl who played hand doe) is on a stage with people filming her, her chest is suppressed kind of because she’s wearing a harness, and she’s flying, and as she’s flying goes upside down and spins around while singing those high notes perfectly, she did amazing.
The girl who played **Jane** doe
I concur!
hand doe, where her head is replaced by the doll’s hand instead of head
@@sishere7768thanks i hate it.
''Is she a ghost "
They all are
Another fun bit of speculation: The ascending and descending portions (as well as her flight pattern in this version) can be interpreted as the path of the roller coaster that killed her! It derailed at the top of the “loop de loop” before she was somehow decapitated, and she has a slow vocal ascent followed by the faster descent, and then the final, more isolated note in that passage could be interpreted as her head landing somewhere separately from the rest of her body. It’s a fun use of implied word painting lol.
There’s a college streaming their production for free this weekend (I think it’s Ohio College? Ohio University? I don’t remember) and they really leaned into to coaster path parallel, with the backup members of the choir using a string of lights to outline the roller coaster throughout this song.
One more fun fact: The actress in this version, Emily Rohm, put a rehearsal video of this song on TikTok where all of the lights were up and you could see the flight mechanism really well. It’s not wires (those would probably tangle during the flips anyway), but more of a bicycle seat strapped to a long arm that a stagehand lifts up and down like a really fancy seesaw. She does have some sort of safety harness under the costume, but I *think* most of her weight is on the seat when she’s upright.
a fun? horrific? theory that i've seen about her singing in her flight pattern was that Jane is basically screaming while preforming her high notes
@@celestevioletta omg I love it
Has that behind the scenes been put on UA-cam?
I've been so fascinated by that flying effect, and knew it couldn't have been wires just because of that insane sideways 360 she does at "does no-one care".
I briefly thought it might be some sort of hydraulic system attached to a seat based harness for it to be that precise, but that would have eaten up the budget and made too much noise.
What a fantastic and simultaneously practical way to pull off something so darkly magical.
Truly the carny spirit brought to musical theatre.
@@Thommy2n I don’t think it is, but her TikTok is just her name without spaces and the video is pinned at the top!
That *really* helps the roller coaster illusion, making her seem to be held by a seat even though she’s floating. I always thought it looked strange compared to other folks being suspended from a wire.
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet, but according to the people who made the musical, some of those high notes (especially the part where her voice climbs and then falls towards the beginning of the song) represent her screams during the accident. I highly recommend this show though, it's amazing!!
And the flight sequence represents the track of the coaster :)
REALLY?!?! Omg thats such a cool fact
There's actually a part in the beginning where Jane Doe says "When a lioness has babies with a lion she stops making love with the lion. Sometimes he gets so jealous that he eats the babies, you would think the lioness gets upset. But it's actually quite the opposite, she makes love with the lion again." And then in this song she says "Time eats all his children in the end." Which someone said it could be because everyone including her parents didn't know who she was and just moved on.
I was like
“Can’t wait for Ashley to see her spin”
God was the wait worth her reaction XD
Ok so, at the beginning of the play she's there "without a head" but then when she shows up she has a headless doll, so Jane doe "replaced" her head with the doll's. Cause in the pictures with the choir she originally has brunette hair while here she has blind hair that's styled like a doll's.
Just thought that was neat for anyone who hasn't seen the play
Omg I hadn’t made the connection of replacing her head with the dolls, that’s actually brilliant! ^_^
Since they are breaking the fourth wall, they didn't want the audience to be grossed out at the sight of a headless body so they decided to use the doll's head.
I think the screams at the end are an interpretation of them "flying off the rails" on the cyclone, notice everyone pretty much has some sort of scream expect for Constance, who says that "She didn't scream like the other kids".
Intrigue! You’re right! She did say that!
10:47 I think during her introduction to her chest voice, she’s starting to get a bit frustrated and angry that her body was unidentified and that nobody knows who she is, and that she’ll forever be forgotten and unknown. :-)
as soon as i heard you say "it has to be so hard to sing while floating" i knew you would be shocked when she did the spin 😭😭
I saw an interview with Emily Rohm and she said that she didn't know she was going to fly until they day they fitted her with the harness!
“That’s wack” -Mischa
Madwickedawsome!!!!@@Wendigo_Bones
@@Wendigo_Bones a wigity wigity wack!
In reference to the thing you didn’t like at 16:00, I think the “why, oh why, oh whYy” is supposed to sound like crying, like catching breath, without the gross snotty sounds or heavy breathing. It also might be an artefact of this musical style.
Edit: Oh, and a final catch: the rest of the choir sings the first four notes of Dies Ire while Jane sings her final note. You know, the medieval chant of death that asks “god, why?” I was wondering where we’d hear a full version of that since we’d been getting the half version this whole time. The last two notes are like Jane’s motif, half the chant of death, and most of her song is calling out to god to complete her (and thus her theme) since she only can sing the “ire” so she needs others to give her the “dies”.
Second Edit: Although, on second thought, her cries of “why, Lord” may have the “dies” part. All the more Dies Ire.
Addressing the flying, Emily Rohm described it as singing while doing a straight plank (of what I heard)
Watching reactions to the live preformance this song is so fun because SHE SINGS UPSIDE DOWN
It makes everyone shook the first time, i remember i literally cried and screeched the first time i watched it and just watched it on repeat for like an hour. Your comments are super helpful aswell!
Context: A choir or six students went on The Cyclone rollercoaster and all died in a freak accident. In the musical, the fortune teller (robot dude on the side) brings them all so they can tell about their hopes and dreams. The six kids, including the beheaded girl known as Jane Doe throughout the musical, can each vote for someone to be brought back to life, but it has to be unanimous
Each of the kids gets their own song or two, and Jane’s song talks about how she wishes she knew who she was before dying. Nobody remembers her, not even herself. Her head was replaced by a doll’s head, which is why she has a headless doll
“Jane Doe is what the coroner said. They found my body, not my head”
Everyone’s reccomending what the world needs but I disagree it’s kind of meant to sound bad vocally. You should do talia it’s beautiful and heavy on vocals
I could do both! Thanks for watching!
@@singwithAshley I love hearing about vocal stuff this was very interesting to me so I’m curious on what you think of talia lol
@@singwithAshley yes please do! I would love to see more
I feel like they made oceans voice kinda sound “bad” because she’s supposed to be like the bratty annoying smart character that thinks she’s better than everyone.
i don't know how to explain it but her vibrato is so heavy. it's so much more pronounced, especially during the transition. which i think is insane. the amount of practice she probably had to do, doubled with the emotion and attitude of the song just makes it such an amazing, powerful song.
The “time eats all his children in the end” is the same melody as Sally’s Song from NBC almost exactly “it’s not be, for I am not the one”
A bit late, but the opening scene (in the ballad) is part comedy, Jane Doe, having no knowledge of her past, doesn't have portraits fall from her past as her introduction. Every song begins with the character pushing the lever, having pictures descend behind them, and then they begin their song. So Jane, being a Jane Doe, has no past for pictures to descend *from*, it's actually a pretty good way of doing visual storytelling without being super overt.
Your reaction to her spin on the harness DID NOT disappoint 😂
According to the actress, Emily Rohm, she had very little time to learn with the rig (and was not informed about it till they put the harness on), so she basically had to get it down the first day.
The first decending melisma during the transition actually functions as a leit motif throughout the show for what (i think) is the roller coaster breaking down; the "fall." The last thing those kids ever heard
also at the beginning when she pulls down on the fortune teller’s (Karnak) lever on the bumpers behind her theres supposed to be childhood photos that get projected
that’s why she does it multiple times and looks behind her
Okay but she looks and sounds exactly like Ocean lmao
Not sure who the ocean is, but I hope it’s good! 😅 can’t wait to find out !
@@singwithAshley She’s another character from Ride the Cyclone! Her song is called “What The World Needs.” You should totally listen to it!
that’s what i was thinking!
Literally! For a sec I thought the actress was reacting to her own musical😂
I was looking for this comment!!!
She has the most impressive vocals I have EVER heard
you would make a PERFECT ocean
This could be the best compliment or the deepest burn
This is a great reaction, and the song is so good. I just wanted to point out that John Smith is just a name for an average generic man. John Doe and Jane Doe are names of unidentifiable bodies. The last name being Doe for both genders explains her “John and me” phrases.
Caught my mistake in the edit! Jane just sang my brain to space I guess! 🤣👏👏
@@singwithAshley fair
it can also be read as a reference to John the Baptist, who died by decapitation
I thought John and Jane doe were people whose names cannot be disclosed for legal or *other* reasons. But i guess they could be unidentified as well in that regard.
I remeber reading a comment saying that people speculate that the high notes in the song are ment to be her screams as the Rollercoaster decapitates her. 😰
Also the beginning was jane pulling a lever tht was ment to show photo's of her past, given the fortune teller didn't read her fortune that day nothing showed up.
It’s super creepy
Okay I love this reaction because I also love figuring out all the different aspects that make a performance and you do this beautifully. My lil fun fact I want to throw in is that she isn't on a fly system. She leaves right before her song (and with a cape right after) because she is in a hip harness that attaches to a pole. This is also why she doesn't turn around at any point during this staging. So, absolutely, the times they have the curtain closed and her "wings" (the lighting effect gives me 😍) are out are the times they're locking/unlocking her from the pole. Thought you might enjoy this knowledge, I found it fascinating. Thanks for this video!!
That makes sense! She does look a lot more stable than being on a fly rail system. You’re right! There is no way she’d be able to turn herself like that! I knew she was on something, just assumed it was a fly rail system because that’s all I’ve ever used! Still don’t know if I’d manage singing on a railing system either! Is he’s intense! Thanks for this! 🙏
I saw this musical live and it was great! Jane Doe is definitely a goal role. I love her ballad it's INCREDIBLE
I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE, TURN IT UP
111th subscriber 😌
You HAVE to react to what the world needs from this musical, its very funny! Plus you look a bit like the character who sings it lmao
Intrigued! I shall!
@@singwithAshley yes you should definitely react to more songs from this musical!! 😆😆
you literally picked the creepiest one to do first but she's so goood
I really did, didnt I 😂😅😅 No regrets! 😂🤣
the wide vowel for oh whY is to go along with the rest of the whistles, representing her screams on the coaster!!! i feel like the wide y adds to the scream affect when you really analyze it.
I like that take on it! Great catch!
Jane doe Said “Time eats all his children in the end”, this is referencing greek mythology where Kronos the god of time basically saw in the future that his children were going to eat up taking over the throne. Of course Kronos didn’t like that so he ate his own kids but luckily Zeus if I remember correctly killed his father Kronos and freed his siblings.
Love this!
What's funny is that Greek mythological references are made in Legoland as well. I believe it's a tie in.
I’m pretty sure it’s also a reference to the her earlier line about the lions
@@SerialAnkleBiter ohhh that also makes sense
One of my personal favorite parts of this song is when she does the descent from her "oooos" into the "AAAAaAAAaaaah" because it feels like someone on a rollercoaster going up and then down and agh I love this song so much
the entire musical was beautiful, but i was and still am intrigued by this song. it’s such a pretty song, along with a pretty voice and it’s almost mesmerizing. ❤️
Id recommend listening to the entire thing without stopping at some point. It’s very impressive if you listen without a stop
I love how you're wearing the same hairstyle as another character in the musical, Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg! At least I think it's the same, lol
Haha unintentionally! My hair is braided into a natural headband. Ocean’s is an actually headband. But so many have pointed out my resemblance to her! My voice is similar as well! I actually had no idea who ocean was until I read about her in the comments! I had to ask my students who she was 🤣
Thank you for watching!!
I suggest listening to all the others songs! Personal suggestions: Noel's Lament, What the World Needs, and Talia
Your wish is my command! Check out my most recent upload!
16:10 There's a theory she went so high and cut it abruptly because in the ride she was screaming and then her head got ch0pped off, cutting her scream
Not her looking exactly like ocean
Is that a Dazai pfp I’m seeing :3
Am I the only one who thinks she looks EXACTLY like Ocean?! Also I love how many things I didn’t realize what Ms. Emma Rohm had to do until you said something lol
Little funa fact the high notes of this song are very implied to be Jane Doe screams after she's falling out of the roller coaster to her death
Oddly enough, the first thing I thought when I heard The Ballad of Jane Doe was that it sounded almost like a cross between Stephen Sondheim and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
This was so wonderful! I've been waiting for a vocal coach to react to something from this musical, you should check out other pieces from the musical if you are interested. There's a song for a mezzo call "what the world needs" that I think would be interesting to hear your thoughts on, especially as a mezzo. Thank you for your video 🙂
Been waiting for a vocal coach to react to this insane performance!
I need her to watch Space Age Bachelor Man with Alex's high note
if you ever plan on watching this musical I give you a warning it gets very crazy and I got to say Noel's lament and space age bachelorman are very... interesting to say the least
My teacher’s husband wrote this musical and it’s crazy to see how big it has gotten
Very cool! 😎
Can you find a way to ask him to add the disability back? (You know who I’m talking about.)
@@victoriaveselka I don’t know him that well unfortunately!
@@LillyJones-je8yg aw! :( I understand, it’s just horrible that they took it away.
Damn. We could say you were in "the room where it happened"
This is one of my new favorite videos on UA-cam; I love this song and performance, and you give every second of it every bit of focus (and awe) it deserves!
I know this is a reaction, but the fact that she pauses it every 30 secs it's making me anxious because she stops at the more important parts HAHAHAAH
Duly noted! Thanks for the feedback!
@@singwithAshley 🥰
SHE’S LITERALLY OCEAN OMG
im LOVING this. id totally recommend watching the full musical! i don't believe its up publicly anymore but i have the link to the unlisted video if you'd like it
its a great musical- even better with context. some songs are definitely strange but they all fit the characters so well and make for a very interesting and entertaining hour and a half
ALSO some of the higher notes i feel are in reference to her screams, as the song relates heavily to her death
i know you aren’t talking to me but can I have it LOL
@@aspenella ofc! gimmie a second to get it
@@aspenella ua-cam.com/video/MoxHEPNhCA4/v-deo.html
If your gonna continue this series I heavily suggest listening to What The World Needs or Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud
The sad part when Jane Doe introduction she is pulling the level to show her life. Since no one remember hers and her soul doesn't remember their io picture of her childhood or family. Plus her move is like a doll marionette.
16:53 it’s giving ocean vibes! (From rtc)
STOP UR COMPLETELY RIGHT
Wow, I would love to see more reactions to this musical! Some song suggests from this is What the World Needs and Taila!
Your wish is my command! Check out my most recent upload! Just for you 😉
I would love to see some sort of reaction/comparison between this original version and Anna Pantsus cover of it. They are so very different performances, and while Anna's is not a live recording, She has such a different take on it, that I would love someone musically versed to put into words what those differences are because I can't seem to find the words for it, despite listening to both versions dozens of times
I'd love to see you react to other songs from ride the cyclone! Love hearing your voice!
about her flying, ive seen some bts and she actually isnt on a wire! the mechanics are actually super cool. its almost like an arm from way back upstage reaching out diagonally connecting to her waist. this is how it doesnt drag up her shoulders or clothes at all. oml, its so cool!!
I wanna see the bts! So cool! Thanks for the info!
@@singwithAshley also, THE ARM IS CONTROLLED BY A PERSON!! LIKE WHAT?- sorry its just so cool to me
btw she was not on a fly rig during this song, behind the curtain there is a counterweight system that she gets connected to by an exposed harness on the back of her costume
I just watched this video but I had to come back. I am not a professional singer and have 0 training. But I love singing. I watched your video and tried a few of the things you mentioned and I FINALLY hit the notes I wanted to for so long. I have played around with my mouth space and breathing and I made it!!! Thank you!
So excited to watch this! Saw this show for the first time about a month ago and was blown away by this scene. It takes hell of acting and singing chops for an actress to pull this off
Others may have commented this but in the show each character had their own song which are completely different styles and the other actors plat backup so the ranges on all of them was incredible. Love this song and your commentary adds such an amazing element to it as someone with no musical training. 😊
"Show off."
*.005 seconds later she goes upside down while maintaining support and not wavering in the slightest *
SHOOOOOK! 🤣
I love how you described the lack of diction to a blob in space
We aim to please 🫡
someone said that jane does ballad is actually a lament and noels lament is actually a ballad… if you search up the meaning to the words, you’ll find out why. i dont wanna do research for a yt video right now 💀
🤣 thanks for sharing!
I adore your work! As someone trained operatically, it’s awesome to hear you break this down! :)
The way you went “Transition :D“ made my day omg 😭
"I felt like I just rode the cyclone" In this situation thats not very good...
Please please please react to more songs from Ride The Cyclone! I know that Space Age Bachelor man isn't the most impressive song but I want to know your thoughts on it!
i’d argue with the ‘not the most impressive’ part, ricky’s high notes are *amazing* also the vocal choices and difference are very interesting if you listen to the cast recording
For anyone who wants context: Ride The Cyclone is about 6 teens who die in a roller coaster accident. They are brought to a sort of pseudo-afterlife wherein they are given the opportunity for one of them to live again. While 5 of the teens were in a choir together, the 6th one was decapitated in the accident and was never identified, since no one recalls a 6th member of the choir. They never found her head, no one ever claimed her body, and despite the matching uniforms the other choir members don't know who she is either. Something about that causes her spirit to have lost any and all memory of her life prior to her death. It's heavily implied that she has replaced her own head with the head of a doll- hence the black eyes, pale skin, and blonde ringlets. The insane high notes are probably to allude to her screams as the coaster derailed, same with her flying around the stage.
What I love is that the high notes represent her screaming which is just a nice detail and also horrifying.
I love how you are reacting to the ballad of Jane doe and you kinda remind me of ocean (appearance wise [ocean is one of the other characters]) 😊
I don't know if anyone has explained it yet (and I know it's been 3 months but anyways) The choir of Uranium city went on a roller coaster and they had an acident, they all died and in the afterlife they have to vote for someone to come back to life. Also Jane Doe was the only body unidentified etc. (that was a really vague explaination guys don't worry it was just to give context to those who don't know)
Thanks for this video. I love every minute of it.
I really really wish this song was popular (or even existed) like a decade ago so that I could've learned it back when I was actively training my higher register, because now I'm doing the opposite lol
Yes! As our body grows our voice is more prone to drop! I was trained as a classical soprano. Now I can barely hit some of those notes. A lot of that has to do with my desire to sing that high now… But my voice is definitely dropped.
@@singwithAshley I meant more of because I'm openly trans now but thats cool to know!
QUESTION- (if you see this 😅) Do you know what vocal techniques is in the song? Im considering doing it as my solo for my music GCSE, but I don’t wanna choose it to seem impressive if it is not gonna get me many marks for techniques, etc
I’m now convinced all vocal coaches have red hair, first my teacher, Hannah Bayles, and now you
A headless mysterious girl in a school uniform, sings a song of an unending dream-like state ("Karnak's Dream of Life").
The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune teller automaton, introduces himself as the show's narrator ("Welcome..."[This track is often not featured in live productions, rather is housed on the recording]). Karnak tells the audience that he is able to predict the exact moment of a person's death and formerly could inform the subject of the details of their demise, but the carnival in which he operated set him to "Family Fun Novelty Mode," meaning that he could only repeat vague predictions and fairground advertising. Karnak reveals that he will die soon, as a rat he has named Virgil has been gradually chewing through the rubber of his power cable and will soon bite down on 200 volts of electricity, instantly killing both of them. "As there is nothing more base than death," Virgil is enlisted to play the bass.
Karnak has constructed this show as a "final apology".
After their deaths, Karnak, in his guilt, summons the spirits of five teenagers before they may proceed to the true afterlife. Karnak had read the fortunes of the teenagers from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, but could not warn them of their impending death because of his family-friendly setting. Karnak introduces the audience to the Saint Cassian Chamber Choir and recounts their deaths on The Cyclone, a malfunctioning rollercoaster, while the teens sing about their hometown ("The Uranium Suite"). The five teenagers arrive at Karnak's limbo and are told of their death. Each teen is introduced and given a "catchphrase." Karnak reveals the teens are being placed into a game of life and death, where they must compete for a chance to return to life. Karnak reads a prophecy: "Whoever wants to win it the most shall redeem the loser in order to complete the whole."
A sixth victim, the "mystery contestant," dubbed Jane Doe by the coroner, is introduced. She is the same character who opened the show. Since no family came to claim her body when it was found headless, and Karnak never read her fortune, her identity is unknown by both herself and everyone else ("Jane Doe's Entrance"). In the off-Broadway costume and prop design, it is suggested that Jane has replaced her head with that of a doll, whose body she carries around with her. Jane's entrance frightens the other choir members, but Karnak proceeds undisturbed and begins the competition.
The first contestant is Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, a perfectionist over-achiever. As a child of "far-left of center humanists," Ocean always felt like the self-proclaimed "white sheep" of the family. She tells Karnak that she "has seen enough reality TV" to know what he wants her to do. She proceeds to sing a song themed around her own self-importance and ego, comparing herself to the other teens and pointing out how they all fall short compared to her. She believes she is the only one worth bringing back to life, as she has the highest chance of succeeding in the world ("What the World Needs"). After her song ends, Karnak reveals that the choice of who lives will be made by group consensus. Though Ocean clumsily attempts to take back her words, the rest of the choir, including her best friend, Constance, has been incredibly offended by her social Darwinist rant.
The next contestant is Noel Gruber, the only gay boy in his small town who dreams of being a cold-hearted French prostitute, but was instead stuck working at a Taco Bell. He sings about his desire to live the tragic, loveless life of his alter ego, "Monique Gibeau" (inspired by Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel), who dies of typhoid flu at the end of the song ("Noel's Lament"). After his song, Ocean expresses annoyance that his song did not have a moral. She insists that every story has a lesson ("Every Story's Got a Lesson") and gets Constance to perform an anti-drug improv PSA with her, though it soon becomes clear that Constance's dark sense of humor is antithetical to how Ocean wants her to be.
The third contestant is Mischa Bachinski, a Ukrainian adoptee who immigrated after his mother, dying from radiation poisoning while on a Chernobyl disaster clean-up crew, put him up for adoption and lied about his age. When he reached Canada, his adoptive parents were expecting a "recently potty-trained" two-year-old, but instead received a violent teenage boy with a drinking problem. To cope with the isolating treatment he received from his adoptive parents, he turned to "self-aggrandizing commercialized hip-hop," posting his own original raps to UA-cam. His song begins as a gangsta rap track that heavily relies on autotune ("This Song Is Awesome") before transitioning into a passionate Ukrainian love ballad to his online fiancee whom he met through his UA-cam comment section ("Talia").
The fourth contestant is Ricky Potts, a boy who was born with an unnamed degenerative disease that left him mute and unable to walk, though in the afterlife his ability to speak has been restored and his physical impairment has vanished (as of the 2023 version of the script, Ricky no longer has a degenerative disease and is only mute because of trauma).[11] To combat this, Ricky developed complex fantasies, based on his childhood spent mainly with his 14 cats, to retreat into, particularly his own "religion," in which he is the savior of a race of sentient, anthropomorphic cats from a distant galaxy ("Space Age Bachelor Man"). In the off-Broadway script, he concedes his chance of being resurrected, but this was removed in later versions.
Rather than singing about her hopes, dreams, and fantasies, Jane Doe sings about her own despair ("The Ballad of Jane Doe"). Jane's headless body was found in the wreckage, and though she was presumed to be a member of the choir because of her uniform, her body went unclaimed and her identity remained unknown following the stress-induced death of their choir director later that day. Her spirit has no memory of who she was. After hearing Jane's tale, the choir rallies together and holds a birthday party for her featuring a rewritten birthday song, sharing a tender moment with each other ("The New Birthday Song").
While Ricky bonds with Jane by giving her one of the names he had been "saving up" in life, and Noel and Mischa connect over seeing each other as they want to be seen, Ocean and Constance finally come to a head. Ocean, still desperate to return to life, hurts Constance deeply in her own self-obsession. Constance, fed up with being Ocean's sidekick, finally stands up for herself by punching Ocean in the breast.
Finally taking her turn, Constance reveals that, just three hours prior to the accident, she had lost her virginity to a 32-year-old carnie in a porta-potty. She says she did it to "just get it out of the way"; however, she backtracks and reveals that it was more of an action of self-loathing. She enacts a conversation she thought would happen when people found out; "Constance the lifer lost it to a carnie in a porta-potty. Why, of course she did." Frustrated with her image as the "nicest girl in town," Constance talks about her family's pride for having worked in Uranium City "since they opened the mines" and that though she agreed with them at first, high school made her think it was lame to feel that way and she descended into loathing. Feeling guilt for how she resented her parents, she recalls the moment the coaster derailed, and how all her anger and misconceptions had dropped away as they flew through the air. Constance shares how she finally learned to appreciate every small moment in her life and love her small town. She laments that "it took a horrible accident for me to realize how goddamn wonderful everything is." She then sings of her love for her life and her town ("Sugar Cloud"). At the end of her song, Ocean apologizes to Constance, "as if seeing her friend for the first time."
At last, it is time for the final vote. Karnak suddenly changes the rules, telling Ocean that she alone will get the deciding vote because she has the highest Grade Point Average. Having a crisis of conscience, she refuses to vote for herself. Recalling Karnak's prophecy, she realizes that Jane is the only one who doesn't have memories to take to the afterlife with her. Ocean says that while the teenagers died young, they at the very least had a life, admitting that she would "gladly take her seventeen years over nothing." The choir support Ocean in her decision and send Jane to "The Other Side." Karnak reveals her name to be Penny Lamb (a character in Richmond's play LEGOLAND). Whether she returns to life as Penny or starts a new life is left ambiguous. We see a compilation of home movies of her new life from youth to old age ("It's Not a Game"). Virgil finally tears through the rubber, killing himself and Karnak before the latter can give his final piece of insight. As Karnak dies, he says the same fairground advertising he told the teens before they rode the Cyclone: "Your lucky number is seven. You will soar to great heights. Be sure to ride The Cyclone."
The remaining teens unite and sing an uplifting song ("It's Just a Ride") before their spirits travel to whatever comes next.
If you read this. I LOVE YOU❤
11:30 at this time the people behind her are the other five teenagers who died in the roller coaster crash
try auditioning for jane doe bc bc ur a vocal coach and i think ur voice is perfect for her
When this show was in Atlanta, my ex choir teacher played in the band for the show 😭😭 one if the coolest things ever to know
after the first reaktion to the harness i was so excited for the upside down singign
watching this because i'm singing this song for voice lessons :) thanks for the tips!
Good luck! Hope it helps!
Fun fact: the way they made jane doe fly was by a black crane behind the curtains. They had a torso grab thingy and attached it to her which is why they used the umbrellas to cover her and the lights are mostly out. You can see it on the actors insta or tiktok when she learned how to sing upside down they practiced moving the crane
You remind me of another pretty redhead vocal coach I know on youtube, maybe you and Hannah Bayles should collab sometimes! You're the sweetest and I think y'alls sense of humour would blend really well together lol Great video, glad to see this musical is getting more recognition!
I get Hannah Bayles comparisons even prior to my UA-cam series start! I take that as a high compliment! Love her!