Monday, June 25, 2012

Musical {Guest Post}!

Hey guys! I'm Kaleigh and I blog over here!

When Beccah asked if I'd like to do a Musical, I knew exactly what musical I would share. Let's tell a story shall we?

Once upon a time, there was a really dorky little girl named Kaleigh. One might almost call her a dweeb. Kaleigh would come home for elementary school, smelling of crayons and dandelion crowns, get herself a snack and sit down to watch her afternoon movie. And what movie did she choose, you ask? 


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Yes, I was obsessed with the musical Gigi. Now if you know anything about this musical, please don't judge my mother too harshly. I had no idea what the actual story line was until I was about 18. 

Gigi is a musical adaptation of the book by the same name, was directed by Vincent Minnelli, and is credited to be the last traditional MGM movie-musical.

Set in 20th century Paris, the story revolves around Gaston and Gilbert, a.k.a Gigi. Gigi is the granddaughter of once popular courtesan Madam Alvarez and is in training to take up the *ahem* family tradition. 
 Gigi, played by Leslie Caron

Gaston is a spoiled, wealthy playboy who is bored with life. Amid rumors of infidelity in his mistress, Gaston decides to leave fashionable Paris. After publicly humiliating his mistress, Gaston agrees to play Gigi at cards for a chance to  take Gigi and Madam Alvarez on a vacation to the seaside. Naturally, Gigi wins.
After spending so much time with Gigi, Gaston quickly falls in love with her. But Gigi is not your typical courtesan, and things don't go the way Gaston plans.
I won't spoil the story for you but believe me, it's worth watching! Some of my all time favorite songs are in Gigi, including "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" sang by Honoré Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), Gaston's charming uncle. Gaston also sings a cynical love song called "It's a Bore" that will get stuck in your head for days.
But my favorite part about Gigi has to be the costumes. Throughout the musical you slowly start to see Gigi maturing through longer skirts and feminine costumes until finally, she emerges as a graceful and confident woman.
Many people have commented on the resemblence between Gigi and My Fair Lady. In fact, a song Gigi sings called "Say a Prayer for Me" was initially intended for Eliza Doolittle, but was dropped and eventually picked up for Gigi. While the two musicals definitely have some resemblance, Gigi is an endearing story that is well worth watching.

 There's so  much more I could say about Gigi, but I'll let you check it out for yourself. If you do watch, let me know! We can sigh over Gaston together ( totally had a crush on him as a little girl)

Thanks for having me Becs!







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