THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN NERDY BLOGGER POST

Say that five times fast. (Because "Talk Like a Pirate Day" should be celebrated all week long!)

by Amanda Louise Miller, part-time parodist 

So many things are neat when one's acquiring their "MM" degree.
(Espec'lly at a school where music theatre's^[1] a specialty!)
There's History and Theory for your music nerd inspire-ment,
AND Music Theatre^[1] Lit, where surfing YouTube's a requirement...

("And Music Theatre Lit, where surfing YouTube's a requirement.")

("And Music Theatre Lit, where SURFING YOUTUBE'S A REQUIREMENT.")

("AND MUSIC THEATRE LIT, WHERE SURFING YOUTUBE IS A CLASS REQUIREMENT!")

And one of the best finds in all this "research" I would say, by far,
is just how many parodies of Gil' and Sullivan there are.
I started a collection 'cause of all the jolly kicks we got
from this amusing mash-up that pairs "General" with Mixalot:

That's only the beginning, though.  As every YouTube surfer knows:
The pay dirt's in the sidebar where they list related videos.
And as I cruised the Tube of You, elated at the varied host
of parodies available, I knew that I would have to post

the greatest and the cleverest, so readers could avoid the trap
I found the times when what I found was not-so-clever. (More so crap.)
So now, before your patience proves itself to be ephemeral,
check out these awesome parodies of "Modern Major General."

("So now, before your patience proves itself to be ephemeral...")

 
("...Check out these awesome parodies of 'Modern Major General!'")
 

• First, the original.  Written by Gilbert and Sullivan in the 1870s, "The Modern Major General" has been since parodied by everybody from David Hyde Pierce to the Animaniacs. 

• "The Cold Open."  From one of my favorite short-lived TV shows of all time, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
     
  
   
• "The Elements," by Tom Lehrer.  (Where were YOU the summer I took Chemistry at Northeast Community College and had to memorize the periodic table, hmmm?)

• "Every Major's Terrible" (dedicated to all you "Undecided's" out there, and because I will always be a sucker for one-man-band acapella videos!)

 



•  "The Very Model of a Modern Homosexual!"  ('nuff said.)

• Because Halloween is coming up next month, and my go-to "Flo, the Progressive Insurance Lady" costume is getting a little expected...

• And last, but certainly not least, I'll round out my collection with just a little bit of politics...  
 

So now, before my post is done, I have to say, I've learned a lot:
A retro show like Penzance can be funny, relevant, and hot.
From middle school to pro productions, I can state with clarity,
it takes a work of genius to inspire so much parody!

^[1]Thanks to [title of show] we know this word can be pronounced with either 2 or 3 syllables, so pbtthtpbt.  :)

AMANDA LOUISE MILLER is working on her MM degree in Music Composition at Oklahoma City University (and special thanks to my Musical Theatre Lit classmates for their help in these photos!) 
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