🍋‍🟩⭐️Limelight | Episode 4

THEME "Center Stage" (Judge 2's Theme) The curtain is rising! For this round, you’ll be submitting a song originating from a stage musical or that has received a professional theatrical production. Whether it’s a beloved Broadway classic, an off-Broadway gem, or a modern theatrical performance, your submission must come from a musical written for the stage!
ChloeKay - "Look What Happened To Mabel" by Mack and Mabel "Last year a group of 4 theatre actors/actresses came to my city to perform classic Broadway songs. And this one was the one that stuck out to me the most. I loved every moment of her singing so of course when I got home I had to hear the original. And I loved it even more! I just vibe with this song so much and I feel like it’s a classic Broadway gem." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 7 Points "I will not lie…the first thing I thought when listening to this is, “are you NUTS!?”! But then I listened again and it's actually kinda cute and gave me the giggles (speaking of, that little giggle in the middle of the song is cute af)! More of a reaction than most of the submissions got. It almost reminds me a little bit of Annie or something. Do I think this is a top-quality song? No. But this is a musical theme. If I had to choose to go to 1 musical based on the submissions from this round, this is the one that I would choose to see. In fact, it's the only one I would want to see. So I guess that definitely needs to be considered in my ranking!" - JUDGE 2 - 2 Points "This song honestly took a bit for me to get into, I felt like it was a little too slow for a while and I was just waiting for..everything about this song to pick up. However, when it finally did, I was extremely impressed. I really enjoyed Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods and I think this song showcases her singing abilities pretty well. After doing some more research into this song, I learned that this is sung when she realizes her newfound magic on camera, which explains why this song is slow for a little bit. Even with understanding that, I feel like your notes about the song does not really do a lot of justice for this song. I feel like if you explained more of what this song was about I would be able to rank it higher. I'm not saying that the song is bad, I think it is pretty good but unfortunately it does fall into the bottom half of the submissions this round." - JUDGE 3 - 7 Points "I wish you could see my face right now because I’m smiling so wide. Everything about this was so wonderful. You did pretty much exactly what I was hoping someone did this round. You gave us a 70’s Broadway song, which was an out of the box choice. You used a musical I’ve never heard of before. And you submitted a damn good song that I loved every second of. I certainly considered whether or not this submission was platinum demo worthy. I ultimately decided against it because while I thoroughly enjoyed the song I can’t say it fully captured me, and that’s what I look for when I consider my platinum demo. Still, you did a fantastic job." TOTAL POINTS: 16 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Cray - "This Is the Moment" by Anthony Warlow "I selected “This Is the Moment” as it is one of the defining anthems of the Jekyll & Hyde production. In the song, Dr. Jekyll celebrates reaching the culmination of years of hard work and determination as he prepares to carry out his groundbreaking scientific experiment. It’s filled with hope and conviction as he believes he is on the verge of changing medicine forever and freeing humanity from its darker nature. This moment is a pivotal turning point in the musical because it marks the moment Jekyll commits to the experiment that ultimately unleashes his alter ego, Edward Hyde. While the music is triumphant and inspiring, the audience knows that this decision sets the entire tragedy in motion. As a result, this number serves as both Jekyll’s greatest personal triumph and the beginning of his downfall, making it one of the most important and memorable songs in the show." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 4 Points "Gosh, you and whoever submitted ‘Sonya Alone’ are kind of in the same predicament. You guys went about your notes in a similar way and gave us the most insight on the actual musical that your songs came from. The problem is that I just kind of get bored with both of the songs..even though the themes of both are solid. I think this one maybe has a tiny bit more excitement, at least. Though I think the quality of these two similar submissions is a bit better than the Mean Girls submissions, I would personally rather listen to the Mean Girls submissions on a loop than I would these. So this is a bit of a predicament for me too in terms of ranking." - JUDGE 2 - 7 Points "I've also never heard of this musical before, and this was a pretty good introduction to this musical. I think you did a very good job of explaining what this song is about so it helped me understand more of this song which I think really helps me like this song even more. I had to search up who sang this song because of how impressed I am by his voice. Anthony Warlow is extremely talented, and I really really enjoyed this song! It is getting extremely hard for me to rank these songs because I feel like the stronger submissions this round really stands out, and there's also not really a single song in this round that I necessarily hate. You are making this really difficult for me (in a good way) LOL. Really good job this round!" - JUDGE 3 - 8 Points "You really have my brain in a tizzy. Before we got the submissions I never once considered that I would give out my platinum in the musical theater round, and honestly…that’s exactly why I feel you deserve it. This song is brilliant. It’s absolutely brilliant. And everything you said in your notes highlights the reason why. “this number serves as both Jekyll’s greatest personal triumph and the beginning of his downfall” you hit the nail on the head. Dramatic irony is a powerful tool and this song utilizes it so well. I love that since Jekyll & Hyde is such a classic story, you don’t need to see the musical to know how it goes. Which means when this song shows up in the play, audiences aren’t meant to view it as a celebratory moment, because we know that he is celebrating an experiment that is going to go tragically wrong. This is a triumphant and victorious song that is utterly tragic and heartbreaking with context and oh my god it gives me goosebumps. This is beautifully written, beautifully composed, beautifully performed, it’s just beautiful in every single way and I can go on and on and on and on about how incredible this submission is or I can just shut the fuck up and give you my platinum. I think I’ll choose the latter. Congratulations." Cray has received a PLATINUM DEMO award from Judge 3!!! He will receive a 7-point bonus for this round. This means that Judge 3 no longer has a Spotlight Award to hand out. TOTAL POINTS: 26 (19 from Judges + 7 from Spotlight Award) -----------------------------------------------------------------
KaliMinaj - "Sonya Alone" by Brittain Ashford (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 112, Original Broadway Cast) "Great Comet deserves its own moment...it's this wild, genre-bending "electropop opera" adapted from a slice of Tolstoy's War and Peace, and it's unlike anything else I've ever heard in a theater. "Sonya Alone" is the quiet gut-punch of the show. It's Sonya watching her best friend Natasha spiral and fall apart, and instead of judging her or walking away, she just... stays. She promises to love her no matter what. Brittain Ashford's voice has this fragile, folk-worn quality that makes the whole thing feel less like a performance and more like someone actually breaking open in front of you. It's a small song in a huge, maximalist show, and that contrast is exactly why it destroys me every time. I picked this particular video, a fan-made lyric video, because the person who made it said they couldn't find a full lyric video of the OBC recording anywhere, so they made one themselves. That kind of quiet devotion feels like the perfect way to submit this song. ❤️" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 2 Points "I really appreciate your notes and reasoning for picking this song. The theme of the song is great! Who wouldn't want a friend like that? Sadly, my issue is that I think this might be the portion of the musical where I would accidentally get a little sleepy, sleepy! Not because it's a lullaby but because it just wouldn't hold my interest. That sort of shakiness in the voice reminds me of Celtic music and I enjoy it there. I thought it seemed a little forced in this song so I wasn't a huge fan of that either. Definitely don't beat yourself up over this score. Seems like pretty much everyone struggled with this round!" - JUDGE 2 - 5 Points "I've never heard of this musical before and your note about this song definitely made me interested in this song..and wow, this song is beautiful. It captures how hard it is to watch your friend fall apart but still care so deeply for them in such a beautiful way. The build up of this song is built very well in my opinion. The only reason why this is ranked a little lower is simply because I like the other songs more, but I definitely would love to learn more about this musical. Good job!" - JUDGE 3 - 6 Points "Wow…this was incredibly raw, emotionally captivating, and beautiful. This is almost everything I could want from a Broadway ballad. I appreciated that while it stayed pretty restrained throughout, there were still dynamics instrumentally and emotionally. I also appreciate that you introduced me to a musical that I’ve personally never heard of before. I could’ve seen a song like this getting my top spot but this round was really strong, and ultimately I had to make the tough choice to put two submissions above yours, but I think you did a really great job this round." TOTAL POINTS: 13 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Lewis - "And You Don't Even Know It" by Max Harwood "I’ve decided to submit ‘And You Don’t Even Know it’. This is a huge risk and I feel like this will not be taken seriously or be the judges taste. It is one of my favourite musicals. Musically, it requires exceptional rhythmic precision and amazing breath control. If you like this track I would be 100% advice going to see the musical!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 8 Points "You're right, it isn't my taste. Luckily for you…neither are a majority of the other submissions which is a bit of a shame, isn't it? This and one or two others are the only submissions that I wasn't super disappointed over having to listen to more than once. Other than this being sooo long, it's at least fun, funny & memorable. Sure…the lyrics are hella weird in parts but at least this submission made me giggle! In a round where everyone seems to have struggled, I think you are deserving of my top spot. Congrats!" - JUDGE 2 - 8 Points "I've never heard of this musical before so first impressions of a song from a musical I haven't heard of is extremely important because it determines if I am remotely interested in learning more about the musical. I don't know why you think this song is a risk because this theme is for songs from musicals, and this is an AMAZING pick. When I think of musicals, this is definitely in mind. Everything about this song screams musical to me and the instruments in this song are extremely catchy. I really like this song a lot and I think you did a fantastic job this round!" - JUDGE 3 - 1 Point "Yeah sorry but I don’t think I’ll be taking your advice and going to see this musical. Nothing about this song worked for me. It feels so unfocused and all over the place. I think it’s trying extremely hard to be one of those musical theaters with dynamics and theatrics but it just doesn’t execute well at all whatsoever. I appreciate the risk you took with this but like I said last round, the thing about risks is I actually have to like the song, and I just didn’t like this unfortunately, but obviously if you enjoy this musical feel free to keep enjoying it! Not for me though." TOTAL POINTS: 17 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Lexus - "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" by Jennifer Holliday "At this point I'm trying really hard to impress you with my choices, so this is why I choose a very emotional song with an amazing voice. To me the musicals are about to express strong feelings which words are not enough, and can you mf deny this is not an example of that? No girl, YOU 👏 CAN👏 NOT👏 !!!!!! You hear Jennifer singing and you feel vulnerability and how heartbroken she is, it really gives me fucking chills just to listen. Thanks to glee and rupaul's drag race I've known this amazing song and think that this week I can scape from the bottom. Besos putas" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 6 Points "Well yeah…you probably will escape from the bottom with this. Unfortunately, that isn't saying a whole lot this round. I think this is definitely one of the better submissions but I still don't think it's great. Although I feel like I'm being yelled at during parts of this song, there's no denying that she has a very strong voice. That's essentially what these points are for. Otherwise, I don't particularly care for the song itself! It isn't super unique or something that I would voluntarily listen to again!" - JUDGE 2 - 6 Points "Guess what? You did impress me. This song is beautiful and Jennifer Holliday has an AMAZING voice. Deadass out of this world. When I think of musicals, these are definitely vocals I am thinking of when I do. She is singing her fucking heart out. This was a great submission, it makes me want to do more research into this musical." - JUDGE 3 - 4 Points "AND YOU. AND YOU. YOU’RE GONNA LOVE MEEEEEEEEEE. Why must you do this to me??? There’s no denying that this is one of the greatest Broadway songs of all time. That’s kind of my problem. I’ve heard this song a billion times. I feel like EVERYBODY knows this song. Sure the Jennifer Holliday version (aka the original) doesn’t have 15 million views. But Jennifer Hudson’s cover for the Dreamgirls movie has 43 million. I just don’t think it was an interesting pick for this round. If you wanted to go the Dreamgirls route you had an entire catalog of songs to choose from. For example, I think “I Am Changing” would have been a great pick for this round, it is one of the more popular from the musical but not nearly as iconic as the one you chose. This song is incredible in every single way. I just want you to dig deeper when it comes to making creative choices in this game. I hate that I’m giving this masterpiece 4 points, I really do. Holy fuck this song is astounding and my heart is trying to convince me to say screw it and give you my platinum demo but 4 is genuinely the highest I can go because I want to respect creative choices, which is the backbone of this game." TOTAL POINTS: 16 -----------------------------------------------------------------
melanie - "I'd Rather Be Me" by Barrett Wilbert Weed "i’m just going to start this off with saying i’m not a musical girly. like.. at all. i’m so sorry ugh! i don’t like musicals, like just talk it out stop singing at each other.. so i was really struggling with this theme, so i approached it by listening through songs i found in a playlist.. and when this one played, i knew i had to take it. not only because mean girls is one of my favourite movies so in a way i still stay true to myself, but because i actually like the way this song is produced. the rhythm is perfect for me to enjoy it, the voice is beautiful but also, the lyrics, despite it not being a super sad song or whatever, are really meaningful and i like the message it delivers. like.. it’s okay to be you and don’t change who you are just to fit in!! like just as a reference, me and i think a looot of people are soooo the girl on the left.. and some of us change ourselves, but luckily i was able to be like fuck no im good enough the way i am and if people dont value that they dont deserve me in their life mhmhmhmhm" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 3 Points "Lol! Am I, you? Or are you, me? Mean Girls is also one of my favorite movies! Oddly enough, I also do not really know much about musicals…so judging this round is also me simply listening to the playlist that was curated by y’alls submissions and ranking based off which I subjectively preferred pretty much! Unfortunately, I don't think you're going to like my subjectiveness. This song just sorta reminds me of something that I would hear in a Disney show or something. Not that that's always a bad thing but I just don't think it's a great fit in this context. It just seems a little immature, maybe? I do love the “Everybody has opinions but that doesn't make them true” line! Sadly that isn't enough to get you in the top half of my rankings but it might give a little boost, as do your notes!" - JUDGE 2 - 4 Points "Having two songs from Mean Girls is pretty funny and the fact that both of them are sung by Barrett is also funny. I can't believe you hate musicals though, that almost makes me want to rank you lower because I just can't believe people can hate musicals. However, I think this Mean Girls song is much better than the other one in this list by far. I absolutely love Barrett in this song and she is genuinely just so talented, I am honestly addicted to any song that she sings and this is one that I really enjoy. Great job for someone who hates musicals!" - JUDGE 3 - 3 Points "I’d like to thank TikTok for the way I flinched when I heard “raise your riiiiight finger.” Please know that there was a big gap between you and the bottom two songs. I liked this a lot more than the other Mean Girls song - it felt much more dynamic and gave me the quintessential Broadway energy that I 100% expected to hear this round, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I liked this song, but it kind of failed to stand out in terms of originality. I get that musical theater isn’t your thing, and I think that you found a solid song in spite of that, but the competition is leveling up and we’re getting to the point where I can only give 3 points to a “solid” submission. Don’t take this as an indication of you doing anything wrong, it’s just that the rest of the pack really stepped it up this round." TOTAL POINTS: 10 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Space - "Apex Predator" by Barrett Wilbert Weed "i’m submitting “apex predator” bc it perfectly captures the energy and creativity of modern musical theater. the song comes directly from the broadway production of mean girls and showcases the humor, personality, and storytelling that make theatrical songs memorable to me. i think it brings the world of mean girls to life while highlighting how fun & unique it is" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 1 Point "I have seen Mean Girls (the movie) more times than I care to admit. So opening this setlist to not only 1 Mean Girls submission, but 2 was a little exciting. But then I listened to them and was a little disappointed. This just wasn't very exciting or stand out in really any way. Their voices are fine and they really belted that final note. There's also a tiny bit of stereo panning if you listen with headphones which is neat. But the song itself didn't have a whole lot to be desired. It seems a tad novice in terms of songwriting. Like someone thought of the term ‘Apex Predator’ and thought it sounded like a cool title but didn't actually care much about the rest. As mentioned in another critique, don’t take the score too hard. I think everyone really struggled here!" - JUDGE 2 - 1 Point "Barrett Wilbert Weed is one of my favorite actresses that has performed on Broadway, and this song continues to show me why. Barrett is pretty good in this song. I don't really like Mean Girls as a musical that whole much if I am being honest but there are a couple of bops. However, I do think there are better songs from Mean Girls that could have been submitted for this round." - JUDGE 3 - 2 Points "This feels incredibly flat and one note for a song from Mean Girls. I’m aware of the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls and I’m pretty sure I’ve actually heard both of the Mean Girls songs that were submitted before. I’m surprised that this is seemingly the more popular of the two because I liked this a lot less. When I think of Broadway songs I think of dynamics, and this just didn’t feel very dynamic to me. I get what you’re saying about the lyrical content and how that showcases the personality and humor of the story. I really just wish the song didn’t sound so flat and dull because it doesn’t help the personality shine through in my opinion." TOTAL POINTS: 4 -----------------------------------------------------------------
TheBreeze - "Beautiful" by Jessie Mueller "I embarrassingly didn't know who Carole King was going in to see this play. I enjoyed learning about her story in how she went from writing songs for other artists to finally having the courage to break free from that cycle to create her own project. As iconic as the Tapestry album is, I do believe this kind of music gets buried in the TikTok generation of content being pushed to us nowadays. The title track from this experience I feel captures the right kind of mindset needed going into each day to pursue your dreams and aspirations like she did!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 5 Points "Glad you were introduced to the iconic Carole King! I don't particularly think that this song is super stand out or memorable in any other round. However, with the submissions that came in for this theme, I think you probably picked one of the better ones overall. The message of the song is super nice as is the voice! I suppose this could be seen as a bit of an easy pick since it's from a musical based on an actual musician and not a movie/etc. However, perhaps others could have benefitted from taking this route as the song itself is superior than many that are from other random productions." - JUDGE 2 - 3 Points "I have heard of this musical before, but I have never listened to a song from this musical, and this was a decent introduction! It makes sense that this is the opening song to this musical because this definitely hooks me in and makes me want to listen to more songs from this. Her vocals are amazing and the whole song is pretty catchy. Great job!" - JUDGE 3 - 5 Points "Is it cheating to put this song this high in the musical theater round? It’s literally just a Carole King song. It honestly didn’t cross my mind that we’d get songs from a jukebox musical, but if the original is also within the view limit, then you know what? It’s fine with me! Carole King is incredible, and this song is fantastic. With that being said this is obviously not nearly as good as the original song, but for a Broadway adaptation, this is quite good! This didn’t really blow me away as a submission but I thought it was a solid pick." TOTAL POINTS: 13 ----------------------------------------------------------------- And with that, I'm very sorry Space but you have been eliminated from Limelight! :( You were a fun presence to have around and tysm for playing!! <3 --- CONTESTANTS ChloeKay Cray KaliMinaj Lewis Lexus melanie TheBreeze --- ELIMINATED brookie KnowUh Space