@@boomothy You didn't do anything wrong, this musical isn't for everyone. What I meant is that understanding is not a a prerequisite for enjoying it, but you're not required to like it. It's pretty weird
I've been obsessing over what this thing is trying to say, and realy I dought I know anything (please ignore any spelling mistakes I suck at spelling) basically the entire thing revolves around the first story told, rose and purl are sisters rose falls in love with the astronomer, the astronomer steals her work and falls in love with purl. Purl goes to the bear and yadda yadda she gets the things by tricking purl over and over, rose evesholy got everything, and even tho the bear dosent do it in that life time he dose it as the pusher in a different life, something to keep in mind is that the people who are singing are playing difrent life's as the same person, like the astronomer, roxies dad, the father in father and sone, ect ect. I'm still trying to crack the story in its entirety, so there are definitely things I'm missing, so if you got more info i would apresheate some pointers
Musical producers: we cant release recorded versions of our musicals, we will lose MONEY Dave: Come my children, I know you have been waiting for the music
I have such a love for this man. ^_^ No idea who he is, but every chuckle and burst from him on the album gets a smile out of me every time. Something about just the abandon with which he is amused and enjoying it.
i saw a production of this where the actor who played Brent's characters played the violin instead and this line and also "our son had fled to NYC with his cello" were just. comedy gold
Honestly, this is like every single parent who's ever been supportive of their children's art while completely oblivious to the technical aspects. "My son's playing his slidy, pear-shaped guitar. Look at him go, so talented!" "Dad it's called a 'cello', but thanks"
I’ve decided to create a grand analysis of the plot of Ghost Quartet here for people who desire to know what tf is going on. While I do believe Ghost Quartet works best as a thematic, emotional experience than a purely storytelling one, the plot is SUPER fascinating regardless. Warning: this post will be LONG. So basically, Ghost Quartet consists of several connected ghost stories all featuring different reincarnations of the same four characters. This comment will recap the four ghost stories separately: because the events are scattered all over the place and because the musical isn’t really meant to follow real life logic, there is literally no way you can arrange the series of events into a linear chronological order. I recommend rewatching or listening to the live album if you didn’t understand before cuz everything really clicks into place and it’s kinda mind blowing when you actually get it. *The Two Sisters: One Pot Of Honey* In this story, Brittain Ashford plays Rose, Gelsey Bell plays Pearl, Dave Malloy plays The Astronomer, and Brent Arnold plays The Bear. Rose and Pearl are sisters who live by the sea. Rose falls in love with a man in the trees called The Astronomer and they spend their time looking at the stars together. However, it turns out that The Astronomer is just using Rose so that he can claim her poetry as his own and he secretly starts making out with her sister the moment he and Rose break up. Pretty douchey if you ask me. After finding this out, Rose finds a magic Bear in the forest and asks him to kill The Astronomer and turn Pearl into a crow. The Bear vows to do it if Rose gives him one pot of honey, one piece of stardust, one secret baptism, and a photo of a ghost. Rose then gathers all these items throughout several different lifetimes, including one where she tricks a reincarnation of Pearl called The Soldier into falling in love with her and giving away her honey. However, it turns out that The Bear is a lazy dick who just wanted some free honey and he doesn’t do what he promised. Rose gets drunk and ends up pushing Pearl into a river anyway, where Pearl drowns and her breastbone is turned into a spooky fiddle that can only play the song of her death. Pretty fucked up. *[Songs in this storyline: The Camera Shop, Soldier and Rose, The Astronomer, The Telescope, Bad Men, Wind and Rain]* *Arabian Nights: One Piece of Stardust* This story’s version of Rose is a girl named Dunyazad, who lives in an ancient Persian palace. Pearl is now Dunyazad’s sister, Scheherazade. The Astronomer is now a piano player named David. The Bear is now Scheherazde’s royal husband, Shah Zaman. Basically, Scheherazade is a badass storyteller and Shah Zaman vows to kill her once she runs out of stories to tell. Every story is a magic little piece of stardust. Whenever she’s not busy entertaining Shah Zaman, Scheherazade spends her time dancing with and telling stories to her younger sister Dunyazad, who is slowly getting closer to remembering all the lives she has been. Meanwhile, David is busy playing the last piano on earth in the hopes that the ghost of famous musician Thelonious Monk will come to him and grant him peace. Over the course of 1001 nights, Dunyazad somehow dies and the original Rose arrives from the future to ask Scheherazade for the piece of stardust asked for by The Bear. Scheherazade gives her the piece by telling a story about the empty person she used to be versus the empty person she is now. Shah Zaman then kills her and proceeds to drink all alone in his room and not talk to anyone alive for 42 years. Pretty fucked up. *[Songs in this storyline: Tango Dancer, Monk, Bad Men]* *The House of Usher: One Secret Baptism* This story’s version of Rose is a girl living in the 1800s named Roxie Usher. Pearl is now Roxie’s mother, Lady Usher. The Astronomer is now Roxie’s Father. The Bear is now Roxie’s brother, The Son of the Usher parents. Roxie’s childhood is mostly uneventful, being read stories every night by Lady Usher. The only creepy thing about Roxie is that she can talk to what may or may not be her dead sister, a “starchild” named Rose who wants Roxie to join her in the afterlife. Many years later, teenage Roxie hooks up with a mysterious astronomer who abandons her after she gives birth to a reincarnation of herself called The Starchild. However, The Starchild ends up being kidnapped by the original Rose, who needs her for the secret baptism requested by The Bear. Roxie then falls into a deep depression and wastes away. After she dies, The Son drunkenly argues with The Father and moves away to the city, vowing to push anyone who pushes him first. At the same time, Lady Usher slowly becomes more and more insane, keeping Roxie’s corpse locked up in her basement. A horrific storm surrounds the house and The Father reads Lady Usher a story about a subway murder in order to calm her down. While reading, they hear Roxie awakening from the dead (either she was still alive when they locked her up or she is now the ghost of Rose). She then breaks out from the basement and kills Lady Usher for fucking The Astronomer back when they were Rose and Pearl. Pretty fucked up. *[Songs in this storyline: Starchild, Usher Part 1, Family Meeting, Fathers and Sons, Usher Part 2, Lights Out, Usher Part 3]* *Subway: A Photo of a Ghost* This story’s version of Rose is called The Photographer. Pearl is now The Victim. The Astronomer is now The Driver. The Bear is now The Pusher, who is actually The Son from the Usher storyline after he moved to the city. While waiting for the subway train to arrive, The Victim plays a game on her phone in which she’s a Soldier and she stabs a great big Bear on its side. Also on the subway station is The Pusher, drunk and screaming about the apocalypse. He sees The Victim pushing The Bear in the game and he fulfills the vows he made in his various other lives by pushing The Victim back onto the train tracks as revenge. The Driver can’t stop the train and it’s in this moment that The Victim becomes a “ghost” due to her inevitable death. During these few seconds, The Photographer decides to take a photograph of The Victim as she’s about to die instead of helping her so that she can have the photo of a ghost for The Bear. After The Victim is run over, The Photographer is haunted by what she’s done and she destroys her camera in shame. She visits a camera shop for a new one, where The Shop Owner just so happens to be a version of Pearl who tells her the story of Rose and Pearl and the spooky breastbone fiddle. In the end, the four spirits who have been traveling on this journey together all meet up. The Photographer, now in the form of Rose, vows to let the dead be dead and forgives Pearl and The Astronomer for their mistakes. The Photographer and The Driver dance together to the music of Thelonious Monk being played by The Pusher. They eventually give birth to the original Rose and Pearl, thus restarting the entire cycle. Not actually that fucked up compared to the other stories. *[Songs in this storyline: The Camera Shop, Subway, Fathers and Sons, Usher Part 2, The Photograph, Bad Men, Usher Part 3, Hero, Midnight]* *[Songs that are either only thematically relevant or are kinda just there for fun: I Don’t Know, Any Kind of Dead Person, Four Friends, Prayer]* There are also a LOT of parallels between storylines that are really cool to decipher. For example, Lady Usher reading bedtime stories to Roxie is a direct parallel to Scheherazade telling stories to Dunyazad which is also a parallel to The Camera Shop Owner telling The Photographer the story of the fiddle. It’s a ton of fun figuring all these out. Also fun fact, all of the storylines in Ghost Quartet are actually based on existing stories or events. Ghost Quartet just remodels them to fit its complicated overarching plot. Most importantly though, the theme of this musical, or at least what I think it is, is that the only ghost that can haunt you is the ghost of who you used to be. None of us are special and all of us have done and will continue to do fucked up things, but that shouldn’t stop us from forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. None of us will ever transcend to be the Next Big Thing, but that’s okay. Because we are blessed to be in public and witness the stars. We are blessed with the ability to remember and change. We are blessed to exist at the same time as this complete masterpiece by Dave Malloy.
I like this a lot! I had a crack at making this kind of summary a few months ago, here's what I came up with: vince94-1.tumblr.com/post/616610285579534336/ghostquartetchronological
vince94 Oooh your post is really cool! I love how poetic it is and how it uses the lyrics from the show to rlly drive forward. It’s fascinating how every single summary post of Ghost Quartet all contradict each other in at least one tiny plot detail, it’s really cool to have a musical that’s so scattered and abstract that it can be interpreted and told in several different ways.
i JUST realized that the fool and the pusher are the same person. not the same person as in brent plays them/they're the reincarnations of each other, but the same person as in LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON. during fathers and sons, edgar runs his son out of the usher household, and the fool goes to new york and becomes the pusher. literally "and if anyone pushes me, i'm gonna push them back." pearl hits the bear in the game on her phone, 'pushing' the fool, so he pushes her back, literally. i don't think i'm ever going to stop realizing new things about this show
I sort of knew that they were the same person, but HOLY SHIT I never connected it with that line. Thank you Cthulhu! You've done it again, you old cosmic entity, you.
@@dennisb9864 am I the only one who kinda understood the plot? Lmao idk it took me a few listens to understand but it’s confusing cause the timeline is all over the place from what I’ve gathered so far rose falls in love with an astronomer he then cheats on here and steals her work with her sister pearl she goes to the bear to curse them and has to get honey, stardust, etc so she travels through timelines n sht. The second song where she goes to get her camera fixed I think is actually rose cause she took a picture of her sister from a different timeline dying then she smashed it and then she’s obviously nervous when the store person mentions her and her story (hence her saying don’t you remember followed up by what the bear requested) Roxy and the usher family is the family that loses the child (roxy is the teen mom who then later dies) the soldier and rose really only happened in one song I also couldn’t tell you how she got honey from a soldier but maybe it’s not meant to be like actual honey maybe the honey was love or sex idk cause she says ‘take my honey’ so that implies some spicy sht lmao. Uhhh father and son is set up for the pusher I think cause he says if you push me I’ll push you back and he inevitably pushes pearl in front of the train, the ancient and stardust and all that I think is like,,,idk they’re prob from the future? I’ve always kinda imagined that scene just not being on earth but it still could be just in some post apocalyptic time hence why the guy playing piano hurts himself cause their god like banned it or smithing still don’t know what’s going on there but in the set up it says that rose pretends to care so that was interesting I just picked up on that now that her interactions with the ancient was literally all fake like damn rose chill. Oh and also the song star child is the child rose stole. But ya it’s all weird meta timeline sht just to get revenge on her cheating lover and in the end it doesn’t work cause the bear tricked her. Anyways that’s my TED talk correct me on anything I got wrong or if y’all wanna add to it lol.
I was lucky enough to see a local production in person last year and it was overwhelming enough to just see a version of it so this has me freaking out.
ok idk about anyone else, but the blackout made me weirdly emotional??? after listening to this album for almost four years, that is such a creative choice for this side
for anyone interested, the genius lyrics annotations are made by Dave Malloy himself, and they're possibly the best use of genius lyrics I've seen yet.
All right, was anyone going to tell me that "I'll keep drinking for 42 years" Shah Zaman and "hasn't spoken to anyone alive in 42 years" Iranian man were the same person, or was I just gonna have to figure it out for myself at 3 a.m. one night?
yeah, like how you realise that pearl the soldier is pearl's avatar on her phone game, and usher's son went to new york and became the pusher, and pushed rose back when she hit him on the game
this musical says "incomprehensible. have a great day" rights anyways the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life is that i got to see a malloy musical live (in london at the beginning of the year, it was fantastic) so i can die happy really
When Dave and Brittain danced they fit together perfectly, and he rubbed her back lightly and oh my god this was beautiful. Also Gelsey played the accordion so in the revival of Great Comet she should play Pierre
how does this sound even better than the cast recording that was produced out of it?? you can hear all the harmonies so perfectly and GAH! I’m so happy
My life now just feels like a desperate search to find someone else who loves this show like I do….thank god for these comments or Id think I was going crazy
I fell you on a spiritual level, I rewatch and relisten to Ghost Quartet at least once every two weeks and have horrible memory so every time I listen to it my mind is blown because of how amazing Ghost Quartet actually is omg
When the "Nothing is wrong with your computer" text popped up, I surrendered to the possibility that it would just be a black screen until Prayer; the subtle light flashes in Usher pt. 3 then proceeded to confuse me.
the moment i clicked on this video and saw that it was legit, i started crying. ghost quartet was the first malloysical i fell in love with, and it has taught me so so much. it's such a blessing to finally see the four of you performing this, even through a video. dave, brent, brittain, gelsey: y'all are absolute angels and legends and there has never been a more powerful quartet than you four. gonna watch this soon, maybe later. thank you so much for posting this, especially in this time.
our local college theatre group did a production of this and my friend and i went to the first showing, after that we were just completely enchanted and we went to both of the two showings afterwards. i’ve never experienced anything as confusing and hypnotic as ghost quartet
i had always wondered why gelseys voice sounded different when she was lady usher, I have no idea how it never occurred to me that she was using an old-fashioned microphone
Oh my god thank you for this! As someone who is advocating for and researching accessible theatre/the digital preservation of theatre this is such a wonderful gift and I couldn't be happier to see my favourite musical made so easily available to people!
Ikr reading the comments after watching it and there’s so many people like “it’s incomprehensible (and I love it)” and I’m like skill issue. It’s completely comprehensible and I love it. It makes me feral actually how much I understand it.
If u don't understand the plot it's actually simple: a woman has her dreams of being a poet shattering only to reignite her creative passion through the art of photography
Dave, First, you're a god and a king for essecntially leaking your own proshot. HUGE John Cameron Mitchell energy (who has "leaked" proshots of himself performing Hedwig both off and on Broadway). Second, I've heard rumblings Great Comet was housecam filmed with three or so cameras when it was at the ART. I really pray that's what makes it way online next.
I know that the end can be read as the cycle between Rose and Pearl beginning again, but I like to read it as the time loop/time fuckery the characters were trapped in genuinely coming to an end because all the characters realized what was going on and forgave each other and themselves. While The Wind And Rain kind of could counteract this, to me it is a hopeful look back on how far they've come and a prayer for all stories to be resolved in the end. I think the fact that Rose and Pearl have the chance to grow up together is good. I just like to hope.
One thing i dont think ive seen anyone mention. In 'the telescope' as 'rose' is singing "never take the stars away from me" it ends with an awful screeching noise. But when 'PEARL' sings "never take the stars away from me" the piano and cello play the rest very beautifully. Symbolizing that dispite how much the astronomer may try and act like he loves rose (just to steal her poetry) he cannot hide his affections for pearl or his dislike of rose (tune plays out correctly with the woman he loves vs incorrectly with the one he doesn't) To me that screech sounds very similar to someone hitting the breaks too hard on a car. Kinda like the astronomer putting a hard stop to rose trying to be too affectionate with him because in the end he doesn't *really love her*
the penultimate track is left off of the standard version of the album. I'd never listened to the live version before watching this, but I love it. there's something about the piano progression in the beginning, the casual conversation, it's simultaneously some levity from the last side of the show, and insight into the story. "I don't actually think that's happened yet." just hits in some weird emotional way I don't think I can describe after knowing the rest of the show for so long. I was always under the impression that the events in the story were all from the past, but I could've been wrong. maybe it hasn't happened yet.
it's both. time doesn't really exist here, because everyone is a ghost, while at the same time being alive. something about being caught in a moment. the inevitability of death that we will only truly realise in the split-second we face it. the memories of people we were and weren't and are and might be
you published it!!!!! i can't believe you published it!! i spent like, what, two years listening to ghost quartet and having no idea what it looks like? and now i can just WATCH it? thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, ghost quartet means everything to me, you guys did an amazing job, this is like a weird whiskey dream come true
For anyone who is coming through here now and is feeling confused, I offer a lens to see this story through. It might not be the most accurate or best one, but it's a good start (at least for me): Rose is running through time and reality semi-possessing other versions of herself to get the Bear's items. They are always the same four souls reshuffled into new roles in the different stories, but 'Two Sisters' Rose is specifically hunting for something most of the times she appears in a story with what she wants.
DJ If we get a proshot of Great Comet by staying in quarantine for another month, lock me up (Though he might use the excuse that there’s a perfectly good bootleg out there)
Bethany Powell Also Three Pianos(www.newmusicusa.org/profile/davemalloy/auf-dem-fluse/), Little Bunny Foo Foo, and even any possible recording of his Dewdrops Requiem!!!
I listened to this entire show in the background whilst cramming for an exam tomorrow. I have no idea what the story was but I enjoyed all of it. 10/10 would be disoriented again.
SHUT UP SERIOUSLY IM SO HAPPY IM CRYING ghost quartet has been my favorite musical for 3 years i’ve watched every production i could find on youtube and listened to the cast albums so many times i’m so happy right now
I've loved Ghost Quartet for ages and only just discovered this recording! thank you Dave, Brittain, Gelsey and Brent for always finding me when I seem to need you most.
Brittain’s voice is so hauntingly beautiful, I’d recognize it anywhere. Anything she’s in next I’m going to see. I went to see Great Comet right before it closed and Ingrid Michelson was playing her part that day and although I love Ingrid i was devastated not to get to hear Brittain!
how did i miss this oh my..... ghost quartet is one of my favourite musicals of all time, it means so much to me and has become a central part of who i am since i first listened to it. it was always my dream to see it live!!! (i live in australia). ill cherish this video so much, thanks dave :,) i adore ghost quartet
watching 1:25:16 when you've spent almost an entire year at some level of touchstarved really does hit different. why am i crying a little bit watching them slow dance. i felt a tear slip out when he touched her waist
been listening to the album version for around 2 or 3 years and regretting that i both did not know of this during its in person showings and also wouldnt have been of drinking age at the time, all the while not knowing this recording was just a click away for some time now! glad to have finally discovered it and gotten part of the visual experience ive been wanting.
Beyond how amazing it is to be able to watch this in full, It really gives me a greater appreciation for how much effort the cast put into this show - beyond Any Kind of Dead Person and The Wind and Rain, every sound you hear in the show was made by them. Also, being able to see the lighting firsthand is amazing; there was clearly so much dedication to making this show wonderful!
Wes Anderson's shots are always so bright though haha. It's gotta be dark and spooky. I imagine it as one of those movies where the camera is constantly moving around and in one long unbroken take (like Birdman).
ALSO! Just gotta say, PROPS to the lights and camera people. Lighting: stupendous. Filming: I am amazed you captured this whole thing so well and so crystal-pretty-clear T-T
THANK YOU for posting this Dave Malloy! As someone who's been following ghost quartet for a few years now, I've always wanted to watch you guys perform live! but I live in south east asia and the chances of that are almost nill. best of wishes and all the best! This musical has helped me go through some of the toughest periods of my life. Its odd, but its true.
I've been obbsesed with Great Commet for about a year and I just listened to GQ for the first time today and while trying to find clips to watch but found this instead and it makes me so happy.
dave I owe you my Life thank you so much!! as someone who lives too far away to ever see some of my favorite shows, it means the world to me when creators do things like this. I hope I can support you and your work in any way in the future!! thank you
Dave Malloy really said “You will not understand any single thing going on this entire musical and you WILL enjoy it”
i didn't understand anything and i still didn't enjoy it. What did I do wrong?
@@boomothy You didn't do anything wrong, this musical isn't for everyone. What I meant is that understanding is not a a prerequisite for enjoying it, but you're not required to like it. It's pretty weird
@@boomothy what if you
didn't try to understnd
All I know is those two girls are incredible singers.
I've been obsessing over what this thing is trying to say, and realy I dought I know anything (please ignore any spelling mistakes I suck at spelling) basically the entire thing revolves around the first story told, rose and purl are sisters rose falls in love with the astronomer, the astronomer steals her work and falls in love with purl. Purl goes to the bear and yadda yadda she gets the things by tricking purl over and over, rose evesholy got everything, and even tho the bear dosent do it in that life time he dose it as the pusher in a different life, something to keep in mind is that the people who are singing are playing difrent life's as the same person, like the astronomer, roxies dad, the father in father and sone, ect ect. I'm still trying to crack the story in its entirety, so there are definitely things I'm missing, so if you got more info i would apresheate some pointers
Disney plus: *Releases Frozen 2 three months early*
Dave Malloy: "Hold my whiskey"
*Hold my whiskey
@@starky6266 YOURE RIGHT, IM AN ABSOLUTE BUFFON, LET ME FIX THIE ARRONIUS CRIME
Dave: “SMASH YOUR GLASSES ON THE FLOOR”
matt reeves: ""hold my batarang"
dave malloy really said i'm gonna be an absolute legend and randomly drop a full recording of ghost quartet huh
okay but matt reeves gave us a trailer for the batman and he only shot 25% of it
I'm gonna print this entire video out and eat it
E v e r y S i n g l e F r a m e
@@josephsolari3259 At a frame rate of 30fps, that would be 170250 printed images
Ava and then have your bones made into a fiddle
i'm gonna print out the entire trailer for the batman and eat it
That is the amount of sense this makes before you watch it all the way through
Musical producers: we cant release recorded versions of our musicals, we will lose MONEY
Dave: Come my children, I know you have been waiting for the music
He really is such an amazing man
It scares me that my like on this was the 666th...
@@aleksandrkobrynich7174 he is
any of the cast: I-
that one guy in the back: HAHAHA
I have such a love for this man. ^_^ No idea who he is, but every chuckle and burst from him on the album gets a smile out of me every time. Something about just the abandon with which he is amused and enjoying it.
“like to put a hand on a pretty girl’s knee!” “PRETTY BOY’S KNEE!” WLW/MLM SOLIDARITY
Dave Malloy really said "Come get y'all's serotonin"
dave malloy is the only man i trust in this crisis
dave malloy is the only man i trust, period
Dave has just been sitting on this fully edited proshot of his show for almost 5 years, and just now he thought “it’s my time to shine”
Dave: and our son played his guitar
Brent: *
aggressively plays his cello*
This shouldn't be funny but its got me cackling.
i saw a production of this where the actor who played Brent's characters played the violin instead and this line and also "our son had fled to NYC with his cello" were just. comedy gold
Honestly, this is like every single parent who's ever been supportive of their children's art while completely oblivious to the technical aspects. "My son's playing his slidy, pear-shaped guitar. Look at him go, so talented!"
"Dad it's called a 'cello', but thanks"
40:29
I’ve decided to create a grand analysis of the plot of Ghost Quartet here for people who desire to know what tf is going on. While I do believe Ghost Quartet works best as a thematic, emotional experience than a purely storytelling one, the plot is SUPER fascinating regardless. Warning: this post will be LONG.
So basically, Ghost Quartet consists of several connected ghost stories all featuring different reincarnations of the same four characters. This comment will recap the four ghost stories separately: because the events are scattered all over the place and because the musical isn’t really meant to follow real life logic, there is literally no way you can arrange the series of events into a linear chronological order. I recommend rewatching or listening to the live album if you didn’t understand before cuz everything really clicks into place and it’s kinda mind blowing when you actually get it.
*The Two Sisters: One Pot Of Honey*
In this story, Brittain Ashford plays Rose, Gelsey Bell plays Pearl, Dave Malloy plays The Astronomer, and Brent Arnold plays The Bear. Rose and Pearl are sisters who live by the sea. Rose falls in love with a man in the trees called The Astronomer and they spend their time looking at the stars together. However, it turns out that The Astronomer is just using Rose so that he can claim her poetry as his own and he secretly starts making out with her sister the moment he and Rose break up. Pretty douchey if you ask me. After finding this out, Rose finds a magic Bear in the forest and asks him to kill The Astronomer and turn Pearl into a crow. The Bear vows to do it if Rose gives him one pot of honey, one piece of stardust, one secret baptism, and a photo of a ghost. Rose then gathers all these items throughout several different lifetimes, including one where she tricks a reincarnation of Pearl called The Soldier into falling in love with her and giving away her honey. However, it turns out that The Bear is a lazy dick who just wanted some free honey and he doesn’t do what he promised. Rose gets drunk and ends up pushing Pearl into a river anyway, where Pearl drowns and her breastbone is turned into a spooky fiddle that can only play the song of her death. Pretty fucked up.
*[Songs in this storyline: The Camera Shop, Soldier and Rose, The Astronomer, The Telescope, Bad Men, Wind and Rain]*
*Arabian Nights: One Piece of Stardust*
This story’s version of Rose is a girl named Dunyazad, who lives in an ancient Persian palace. Pearl is now Dunyazad’s sister, Scheherazade. The Astronomer is now a piano player named David. The Bear is now Scheherazde’s royal husband, Shah Zaman. Basically, Scheherazade is a badass storyteller and Shah Zaman vows to kill her once she runs out of stories to tell. Every story is a magic little piece of stardust. Whenever she’s not busy entertaining Shah Zaman, Scheherazade spends her time dancing with and telling stories to her younger sister Dunyazad, who is slowly getting closer to remembering all the lives she has been. Meanwhile, David is busy playing the last piano on earth in the hopes that the ghost of famous musician Thelonious Monk will come to him and grant him peace. Over the course of 1001 nights, Dunyazad somehow dies and the original Rose arrives from the future to ask Scheherazade for the piece of stardust asked for by The Bear. Scheherazade gives her the piece by telling a story about the empty person she used to be versus the empty person she is now. Shah Zaman then kills her and proceeds to drink all alone in his room and not talk to anyone alive for 42 years. Pretty fucked up.
*[Songs in this storyline: Tango Dancer, Monk, Bad Men]*
*The House of Usher: One Secret Baptism*
This story’s version of Rose is a girl living in the 1800s named Roxie Usher. Pearl is now Roxie’s mother, Lady Usher. The Astronomer is now Roxie’s Father. The Bear is now Roxie’s brother, The Son of the Usher parents. Roxie’s childhood is mostly uneventful, being read stories every night by Lady Usher. The only creepy thing about Roxie is that she can talk to what may or may not be her dead sister, a “starchild” named Rose who wants Roxie to join her in the afterlife. Many years later, teenage Roxie hooks up with a mysterious astronomer who abandons her after she gives birth to a reincarnation of herself called The Starchild. However, The Starchild ends up being kidnapped by the original Rose, who needs her for the secret baptism requested by The Bear. Roxie then falls into a deep depression and wastes away. After she dies, The Son drunkenly argues with The Father and moves away to the city, vowing to push anyone who pushes him first. At the same time, Lady Usher slowly becomes more and more insane, keeping Roxie’s corpse locked up in her basement. A horrific storm surrounds the house and The Father reads Lady Usher a story about a subway murder in order to calm her down. While reading, they hear Roxie awakening from the dead (either she was still alive when they locked her up or she is now the ghost of Rose). She then breaks out from the basement and kills Lady Usher for fucking The Astronomer back when they were Rose and Pearl. Pretty fucked up.
*[Songs in this storyline: Starchild, Usher Part 1, Family Meeting, Fathers and Sons, Usher Part 2, Lights Out, Usher Part 3]*
*Subway: A Photo of a Ghost*
This story’s version of Rose is called The Photographer. Pearl is now The Victim. The Astronomer is now The Driver. The Bear is now The Pusher, who is actually The Son from the Usher storyline after he moved to the city. While waiting for the subway train to arrive, The Victim plays a game on her phone in which she’s a Soldier and she stabs a great big Bear on its side. Also on the subway station is The Pusher, drunk and screaming about the apocalypse. He sees The Victim pushing The Bear in the game and he fulfills the vows he made in his various other lives by pushing The Victim back onto the train tracks as revenge. The Driver can’t stop the train and it’s in this moment that The Victim becomes a “ghost” due to her inevitable death. During these few seconds, The Photographer decides to take a photograph of The Victim as she’s about to die instead of helping her so that she can have the photo of a ghost for The Bear. After The Victim is run over, The Photographer is haunted by what she’s done and she destroys her camera in shame. She visits a camera shop for a new one, where The Shop Owner just so happens to be a version of Pearl who tells her the story of Rose and Pearl and the spooky breastbone fiddle. In the end, the four spirits who have been traveling on this journey together all meet up. The Photographer, now in the form of Rose, vows to let the dead be dead and forgives Pearl and The Astronomer for their mistakes. The Photographer and The Driver dance together to the music of Thelonious Monk being played by The Pusher. They eventually give birth to the original Rose and Pearl, thus restarting the entire cycle. Not actually that fucked up compared to the other stories.
*[Songs in this storyline: The Camera Shop, Subway, Fathers and Sons, Usher Part 2, The Photograph, Bad Men, Usher Part 3, Hero, Midnight]*
*[Songs that are either only thematically relevant or are kinda just there for fun: I Don’t Know, Any Kind of Dead Person, Four Friends, Prayer]*
There are also a LOT of parallels between storylines that are really cool to decipher. For example, Lady Usher reading bedtime stories to Roxie is a direct parallel to Scheherazade telling stories to Dunyazad which is also a parallel to The Camera Shop Owner telling The Photographer the story of the fiddle. It’s a ton of fun figuring all these out. Also fun fact, all of the storylines in Ghost Quartet are actually based on existing stories or events. Ghost Quartet just remodels them to fit its complicated overarching plot.
Most importantly though, the theme of this musical, or at least what I think it is, is that the only ghost that can haunt you is the ghost of who you used to be. None of us are special and all of us have done and will continue to do fucked up things, but that shouldn’t stop us from forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. None of us will ever transcend to be the Next Big Thing, but that’s okay. Because we are blessed to be in public and witness the stars. We are blessed with the ability to remember and change. We are blessed to exist at the same time as this complete masterpiece by Dave Malloy.
I like this a lot! I had a crack at making this kind of summary a few months ago, here's what I came up with: vince94-1.tumblr.com/post/616610285579534336/ghostquartetchronological
vince94 Oooh your post is really cool! I love how poetic it is and how it uses the lyrics from the show to rlly drive forward. It’s fascinating how every single summary post of Ghost Quartet all contradict each other in at least one tiny plot detail, it’s really cool to have a musical that’s so scattered and abstract that it can be interpreted and told in several different ways.
@@giomuncal2634 Yeah!
omg thank you so much for taking the time to write down all that
How is this not the top comment?? 10/10 analysis.
i JUST realized that the fool and the pusher are the same person. not the same person as in brent plays them/they're the reincarnations of each other, but the same person as in LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON. during fathers and sons, edgar runs his son out of the usher household, and the fool goes to new york and becomes the pusher. literally "and if anyone pushes me, i'm gonna push them back." pearl hits the bear in the game on her phone, 'pushing' the fool, so he pushes her back, literally. i don't think i'm ever going to stop realizing new things about this show
Shah Zaman is the man in Iran as well
I sort of knew that they were the same person, but HOLY SHIT I never connected it with that line. Thank you Cthulhu! You've done it again, you old cosmic entity, you.
@@mattlibra3139holy shit
Dave really just pity gifted us his confusing musical didn’t he
Hey, I'll take it
Still a more cohesive plot than Cats
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@@epicremarc F A C T S
@@dennisb9864 am I the only one who kinda understood the plot? Lmao idk it took me a few listens to understand but it’s confusing cause the timeline is all over the place from what I’ve gathered so far rose falls in love with an astronomer he then cheats on here and steals her work with her sister pearl she goes to the bear to curse them and has to get honey, stardust, etc so she travels through timelines n sht. The second song where she goes to get her camera fixed I think is actually rose cause she took a picture of her sister from a different timeline dying then she smashed it and then she’s obviously nervous when the store person mentions her and her story (hence her saying don’t you remember followed up by what the bear requested) Roxy and the usher family is the family that loses the child (roxy is the teen mom who then later dies) the soldier and rose really only happened in one song I also couldn’t tell you how she got honey from a soldier but maybe it’s not meant to be like actual honey maybe the honey was love or sex idk cause she says ‘take my honey’ so that implies some spicy sht lmao. Uhhh father and son is set up for the pusher I think cause he says if you push me I’ll push you back and he inevitably pushes pearl in front of the train, the ancient and stardust and all that I think is like,,,idk they’re prob from the future? I’ve always kinda imagined that scene just not being on earth but it still could be just in some post apocalyptic time hence why the guy playing piano hurts himself cause their god like banned it or smithing still don’t know what’s going on there but in the set up it says that rose pretends to care so that was interesting I just picked up on that now that her interactions with the ancient was literally all fake like damn rose chill. Oh and also the song star child is the child rose stole. But ya it’s all weird meta timeline sht just to get revenge on her cheating lover and in the end it doesn’t work cause the bear tricked her. Anyways that’s my TED talk correct me on anything I got wrong or if y’all wanna add to it lol.
gelsey handing out instruments to the audience during any kind of dead person is everything i want in life
Mmmhmm T-T And I never knew about the passing out of instruments at the last song. It just makes my heart really happy for some reason.
I don't know about God, but I believe in Dave Malloy
dave when he casted himself as melville
A protestant this and a catholic that, to me it’s just diddly squat
God loves you
It’s so crazy how “Hero” is the Eleven O’Clock Number of the show, and the scene that immediately follows it is called “Midnight.”
I like the trend in Dave Malloy musicals of free booze being given to the audience during the show. A man after my own heart.
54:36
"I sure hope the Shah thinks so!"
*Cut to black screen*
"BAH!"
Peak Comedy.
ok but maybe the man on the platform screaming about the apocalypse screaming about the day of revelation is at hand was on to something.......
FINALLY. AFTER FIVE YEARS.
*FIVE WHOLE YEARS*
note: there is nothing wrong with your computer
Hahahaha. I LOVED that note. And I needed it. I would have flipped otherwise, probably.
@@youraisemeupj1234 lol so true. I was looking down and suddenly saw words up on the screen and just went "oh no" as my immediate reaction
epic
Everything is all beautiful and romantic, Gelsey smiles and is all sweet and Brent really said
"tHaNkS, i PrAcTiCe aLot..."
its so surreal after listening to the live album for like, 3 years now, to finally actually see it!!
RIGHT
i've had to live vicariously through different productions who released their performance videos on youtube
Andreas Warren yes me too !!
I was lucky enough to see a local production in person last year and it was overwhelming enough to just see a version of it so this has me freaking out.
EXACTLY!! I've listened to the live recording over and over and now like. I Can See It 👁👁
ok idk about anyone else, but the blackout made me weirdly emotional??? after listening to this album for almost four years, that is such a creative choice for this side
Our lord and savior Dave Malloy has finally answered our prayers.
for anyone interested, the genius lyrics annotations are made by Dave Malloy himself, and they're possibly the best use of genius lyrics I've seen yet.
the part in prayer where the lights slowly fade back up on brittain and gelsey truly killed me
All right, was anyone going to tell me that "I'll keep drinking for 42 years" Shah Zaman and "hasn't spoken to anyone alive in 42 years" Iranian man were the same person, or was I just gonna have to figure it out for myself at 3 a.m. one night?
yeah, like how you realise that pearl the soldier is pearl's avatar on her phone game, and usher's son went to new york and became the pusher, and pushed rose back when she hit him on the game
@@nemnyoom Legit screamed when I realized the meaning of "and if anyone pushes me I'm gonna push them back"
this musical says "incomprehensible. have a great day" rights
anyways the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life is that i got to see a malloy musical live (in london at the beginning of the year, it was fantastic) so i can die happy really
"Midnight" comes right after "Hero", and "Hero" can arguably be dubbed an 11 O'Clock Number. Dave Malloy, you're a genius in more ways than they know.
When Dave and Brittain danced they fit together perfectly, and he rubbed her back lightly and oh my god this was beautiful. Also Gelsey played the accordion so in the revival of Great Comet she should play Pierre
We don't deserve Dave Malloy in this world, he's far too amazing to actually exist
I'm still trying to prove to myself that he's not a dream I made up or some shit
It has come to my attention that Brittain Ashford is amazing
DAVE YOU CANT JUST DO THAT WITHOUT WARNING ME
how does this sound even better than the cast recording that was produced out of it?? you can hear all the harmonies so perfectly and GAH! I’m so happy
More practice maybe?
Live is almost always better than the cast recording
Better immersion
My life now just feels like a desperate search to find someone else who loves this show like I do….thank god for these comments or Id think I was going crazy
I fell you on a spiritual level, I rewatch and relisten to Ghost Quartet at least once every two weeks and have horrible memory so every time I listen to it my mind is blown because of how amazing Ghost Quartet actually is omg
I didn’t think Gelsey Bell’s scream in The Photograph could get scarier until you set it in PITCH BLACK. WHAT THE FUCK.
When the "Nothing is wrong with your computer" text popped up, I surrendered to the possibility that it would just be a black screen until Prayer; the subtle light flashes in Usher pt. 3 then proceeded to confuse me.
the moment i clicked on this video and saw that it was legit, i started crying. ghost quartet was the first malloysical i fell in love with, and it has taught me so so much. it's such a blessing to finally see the four of you performing this, even through a video. dave, brent, brittain, gelsey: y'all are absolute angels and legends and there has never been a more powerful quartet than you four. gonna watch this soon, maybe later. thank you so much for posting this, especially in this time.
What’s this?!?!?! Another person who can understand this musical. We are elite.
malloysical is my new favorite term!
our local college theatre group did a production of this and my friend and i went to the first showing, after that we were just completely enchanted and we went to both of the two showings afterwards. i’ve never experienced anything as confusing and hypnotic as ghost quartet
This is going to get us through self-quarantine, and possibly the rest of our lives
i had always wondered why gelseys voice sounded different when she was lady usher, I have no idea how it never occurred to me that she was using an old-fashioned microphone
I’m actually about to cry. Thank you so much Dave Malloy for how much you’ve done for the community. We love and support you in whatever you do!
Oh my god thank you for this! As someone who is advocating for and researching accessible theatre/the digital preservation of theatre this is such a wonderful gift and I couldn't be happier to see my favourite musical made so easily available to people!
Ooo, the staging of "Fathers and Sons"! The blackout at "Lights Out"! This is fantastic, I'm so glad this has been uploaded!
Let's just thank Dave Malloy 1. for existing, 2. for writing this, 3. for starring in it, 4. for recording it, 5. for sharing it with us.
Also: I think I actually understood it!!! :-D
The single greatest notification I’ve ever received, God bless
i love being wired differently and understanding this whole musical
Ikr reading the comments after watching it and there’s so many people like “it’s incomprehensible (and I love it)” and I’m like skill issue. It’s completely comprehensible and I love it. It makes me feral actually how much I understand it.
If u don't understand the plot it's actually simple: a woman has her dreams of being a poet shattering only to reignite her creative passion through the art of photography
Finally I understand what was so funny with Malloy's "There's ice down here too"
Dave,
First, you're a god and a king for essecntially leaking your own proshot. HUGE John Cameron Mitchell energy (who has "leaked" proshots of himself performing Hedwig both off and on Broadway).
Second, I've heard rumblings Great Comet was housecam filmed with three or so cameras when it was at the ART. I really pray that's what makes it way online next.
I know that the end can be read as the cycle between Rose and Pearl beginning again, but I like to read it as the time loop/time fuckery the characters were trapped in genuinely coming to an end because all the characters realized what was going on and forgave each other and themselves. While The Wind And Rain kind of could counteract this, to me it is a hopeful look back on how far they've come and a prayer for all stories to be resolved in the end. I think the fact that Rose and Pearl have the chance to grow up together is good. I just like to hope.
When your the only person you know who's more excited about this recording than the Hamilton Pro-Shot
One thing i dont think ive seen anyone mention. In 'the telescope' as 'rose' is singing "never take the stars away from me" it ends with an awful screeching noise. But when 'PEARL' sings "never take the stars away from me" the piano and cello play the rest very beautifully. Symbolizing that dispite how much the astronomer may try and act like he loves rose (just to steal her poetry) he cannot hide his affections for pearl or his dislike of rose (tune plays out correctly with the woman he loves vs incorrectly with the one he doesn't) To me that screech sounds very similar to someone hitting the breaks too hard on a car. Kinda like the astronomer putting a hard stop to rose trying to be too affectionate with him because in the end he doesn't *really love her*
THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER time to make all my friends watch ghost quartet
I love that lovely little moment at the end when the audience realizes that they are the ones carrying the music.
I wish so hard I could add captions to this so more people could watch...
the penultimate track is left off of the standard version of the album. I'd never listened to the live version before watching this, but I love it. there's something about the piano progression in the beginning, the casual conversation, it's simultaneously some levity from the last side of the show, and insight into the story.
"I don't actually think that's happened yet." just hits in some weird emotional way I don't think I can describe after knowing the rest of the show for so long. I was always under the impression that the events in the story were all from the past, but I could've been wrong. maybe it hasn't happened yet.
it's both. time doesn't really exist here, because everyone is a ghost, while at the same time being alive. something about being caught in a moment. the inevitability of death that we will only truly realise in the split-second we face it. the memories of people we were and weren't and are and might be
you published it!!!!! i can't believe you published it!! i spent like, what, two years listening to ghost quartet and having no idea what it looks like? and now i can just WATCH it? thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, ghost quartet means everything to me, you guys did an amazing job, this is like a weird whiskey dream come true
It's been decided David Malloy is my new father thank you very much
For anyone who is coming through here now and is feeling confused, I offer a lens to see this story through. It might not be the most accurate or best one, but it's a good start (at least for me):
Rose is running through time and reality semi-possessing other versions of herself to get the Bear's items. They are always the same four souls reshuffled into new roles in the different stories, but 'Two Sisters' Rose is specifically hunting for something most of the times she appears in a story with what she wants.
preludes proshot next...? am i pushing it?
I WILL DIE IF HE DOES THAT
Every month we’re quarantined give us a musical challenge
(Jk jk I know that’s not plausible but a person can dream)
DJ If we get a proshot of Great Comet by staying in quarantine for another month, lock me up
(Though he might use the excuse that there’s a perfectly good bootleg out there)
you're right and you should say it
Maybe Octet? Idk since the soundtrack was released just 3 months ago.
Literally just waiting for how good "and lady ushers heart burst" is gonna feel after watching this whole thing
It was all I hoped it would be
ghost quartet is the love of my life and thats a fact y'all
also 'and this terrible night will pass' hits different right now not gonna lie
thank you mr malloy sir for my LIFE this is all i have ever wanted i can die peacefully now
I love Dave Malloy with all my heart (And he might as well release Great Comet and Octet too...)
And maybe for Preludes(any cast would do, Off Broadway or London), Beardo, the Entirety of Beowulf, and Moby Dick too!
Bethany Powell Also Three Pianos(www.newmusicusa.org/profile/davemalloy/auf-dem-fluse/), Little Bunny Foo Foo, and even any possible recording of his Dewdrops Requiem!!!
Bethany Powell HE’S RELEASING BEARDO, MAN!!!!!
www.broadwayworld.com/article/Early-Dave-Malloy-Musical-BEARDO-Will-Stream-for-Two-Weeks-20200410?
@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 i would actually die for a recording of preludes with keith ramsay
Currently making a wholeass chart to explain the plot to my mom because she's a little confused
And more than a little more frightened LOL
Since when is this a thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy
Yess, I hope this means some day we’ll get a whole Octet too.
Dave Malloy is the only man I respect in these trying times. This is such a good recording!!! Like what an absolute legend for just dropping this.
I listened to this entire show in the background whilst cramming for an exam tomorrow. I have no idea what the story was but I enjoyed all of it. 10/10 would be disoriented again.
how is the audience not standing on their chairs screaming the whole time
SHUT UP SERIOUSLY IM SO HAPPY IM CRYING ghost quartet has been my favorite musical for 3 years i’ve watched every production i could find on youtube and listened to the cast albums so many times i’m so happy right now
I don't know why the algorithm blessed me with this but I thank it
Dave Malloy I have no way to express how much love and respect I have for you, so I'll just attempt to express my gratitude by watching the ads fully.
I've loved Ghost Quartet for ages and only just discovered this recording! thank you Dave, Brittain, Gelsey and Brent for always finding me when I seem to need you most.
Brittain’s voice is so hauntingly beautiful, I’d recognize it anywhere. Anything she’s in next I’m going to see. I went to see Great Comet right before it closed and Ingrid Michelson was playing her part that day and although I love Ingrid i was devastated not to get to hear Brittain!
i love that he uploaded this. i've been trying to get some friends to listen to this show and now i can make them watch this with me for a movie night
From then until now, still my beloved Ghost Quartet… ♡
Not me turning the brightness of my device up to see if I can catch any movement after lights out lmao
thank you for supplying the gays with the content we deserve
how did i miss this oh my..... ghost quartet is one of my favourite musicals of all time, it means so much to me and has become a central part of who i am since i first listened to it. it was always my dream to see it live!!! (i live in australia). ill cherish this video so much, thanks dave :,) i adore ghost quartet
watching 1:25:16 when you've spent almost an entire year at some level of touchstarved really does hit different. why am i crying a little bit watching them slow dance. i felt a tear slip out when he touched her waist
They should have given Sonya an autoharp in Great Comet because THE SHEER POWER OF BRITTAIN WITH AN AUTOHARP!!!
GOD this show slaps
been listening to the album version for around 2 or 3 years and regretting that i both did not know of this during its in person showings and also wouldnt have been of drinking age at the time, all the while not knowing this recording was just a click away for some time now! glad to have finally discovered it and gotten part of the visual experience ive been wanting.
kudos to that triangle player in the audience at the end
46:15 to 47:00 is so captivating, the expressions on their faces are just incredible
Beyond how amazing it is to be able to watch this in full, It really gives me a greater appreciation for how much effort the cast put into this show - beyond Any Kind of Dead Person and The Wind and Rain, every sound you hear in the show was made by them. Also, being able to see the lighting firsthand is amazing; there was clearly so much dedication to making this show wonderful!
Love this show! Love Gelsey Bell! Love Britain Ashford! Love Dave Malloy! Love Brendt Arnold!
If there is a ghost quartet movie, it needs to be directed by Wes Anderson.
Wes Anderson's shots are always so bright though haha. It's gotta be dark and spooky. I imagine it as one of those movies where the camera is constantly moving around and in one long unbroken take (like Birdman).
oh, i am so spoiled this quarantine thank you dave malloy
ALSO! Just gotta say, PROPS to the lights and camera people. Lighting: stupendous. Filming: I am amazed you captured this whole thing so well and so crystal-pretty-clear T-T
THANK YOU for posting this Dave Malloy! As someone who's been following ghost quartet for a few years now, I've always wanted to watch you guys perform live! but I live in south east asia and the chances of that are almost nill. best of wishes and all the best! This musical has helped me go through some of the toughest periods of my life. Its odd, but its true.
Dave you just cured my isolation depression
Dave may not be a monk but he is a hero and he is special!!!
I've been obbsesed with Great Commet for about a year and I just listened to GQ for the first time today and while trying to find clips to watch but found this instead and it makes me so happy.
I was literally just reminiscing on gq and how happy it made me when mr malloy decided to drop this like??? The man sees all
dave I owe you my Life thank you so much!! as someone who lives too far away to ever see some of my favorite shows, it means the world to me when creators do things like this. I hope I can support you and your work in any way in the future!! thank you