When it comes to musical, it is my happy place.
So when I heard that Once Upon A Time is going to have a musical episode, I was estatic.
After all, I’ve been wishing for a musical episode since Season 3, when the Wicked Witch of the West joined the series. Yes, because of the Wicked Musical.
Of all the series whose characters should burst into a song when the emotion calls for it, of course, it should be Once Upon A Time.
Considering their characters are from a musical disney movies and with the exception of Zelena.
And now that the episode had finally aired, Oh, they didn’t disappoint.
The songs in the episodewere written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.
(1)Powerful Magic appealed to me because I love how they adapted the original with a bird singing with Snow White. I already knew about Josh Dallas’ impressive voice, but I was surprised of Ginnifer Goodwin’s voice. I love how she sounds a lot and that she sings exactly the way she talks.
(2) Then the Evil Queen’s song, “Love Doesn’t Stand A Chance. Lana Parrilla’s voice may not be like Goodwin and Dallas, but she totally rocked the song by visiting different characters and destroying their happy moments. The musical arrangement matches her personality. Best part of the song is her dancing. I have to admit that sometimes I miss the evil queen because I’ve loved and rooted for her happiness. I love how strong she was, and how she redeemed herself.
(3) Zelena’s Wicked Always Wins wins top performance for me. The lyrics is catchy, sassy, and wicked as Zelena is and the musical arrangement of the song is so Zelena. Rebecca Mader nailed the Wicked Witch of the West, the emotions, and the story of the song. Some people may say it’s not Defying Gravity but, she didn’t just enjoy doing the song, she did it with the kind of passion and enthusiasm that is needed in broadway acting. And that’s one of the important things in doing a musical. It’s not noticeable, but I’ve noticed the similarities from the Wicked Musical.
(4) Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) is also accurate to the character, and the lyrics is dark. I was expecting his voice or act to be psychopathic like. You know, a man with a thirst for vengeance, but he still did great job with a song. His voice got potential. I love fight stunts and the choreography. The lyrics wordy creative. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of Hook, but I love how he changed his ways for Emma. I admire and appreciate what relationship he’s got with Emma especially what they’ve gone through.
(5) Emma’s Theme, you will hear it from the flashback. Showing us how young Emma already have the song in her heart to defeat the dark fairy. The theme is beautiful, meaningful, powerful, and haunting in a good way. Maybe because it’s also the main theme of the show. Just like in other musicals, for me, Emma’s theme, this song in her heart is a foreshadow of what she have to defeat the black fairy. Jennifer Morrison’s voice is pleasant to hear. Her head tone is amazing.
(6) The Happy Beginning is the last song. With the final battle brewing, the last song is a good reminder of hope, and what the show is been showing and telling the audience since season 1. How good triumphs over evil. I wish they invited other people they encountered from other realms, but of course I understand why they didn’t. I also wish the cast danced with the dancers in this song even with just a simple choreography.
I’d say that the musical is a gift to the fans. And it was a great gift because once the season 6 ends, there’s going to be major changes in the show and we’ll be saying goodbye to Emma, Snow White, and Prince Charming.
I’m so grateful, I’d got to enjoy the series and especially the musical episode.
I wish that there’s going to be a Season 7 and that Zelena will still be there. I’m also hoping to watch other disney stories and other untold stories we grew up watching.
So to those who haven’t seen the musical episode, see it with an open mind. Bearing in mind that a musical is about telling the story and not about how great their voice is. Of course, people in musicals have admirable vocal prowess as my mentor calls it, it’s because they’ve been singing for years.
Of all the musicals done by series, this one will certainly give you a disney feel and the lyrics for the characters are very well written. So congratulations to the cast, staff, and crew for a a job well done.
This was so well-thought out! I agree with most of what you said, I was pleasantly surprised with the songs 😊
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