#james tolbert

Team StarKid: What's your musical theatre hot take? 🤔

In the original, infected!Paul was manic (exuding forced joy as a reflection of Pokey’s glee at having caught him), but there were still many glimpses of the old Paul. For the first half of the song, at least, it wasn't clear to us if there was still some of the old Paul in there. 

Not this time! In the reprise, it's a lot clearer how being infected transformed Paul (other than the singing and dancing and having an even smoother leading man tenor voice). This infected!Paul in the reprise is confident, assured, and even predatory. Watching him perform “Inevitable,” it’s clear that that is Pokey. 

Lauren Lopez’s acting really sells how horrifying the scene is, and the choreography, lighting, and uncanny facial expressions and movements of everyone else emphasizes that. The infected corner her and chase her. Paul keeps grabbing her and dancing her around like a ragdoll, or grasping her hands tightly and not letting her go, uncaring of how terrified she is. 

And the editing in the proshot now?! When Paul and Emma first hug, just the little detail of his face being hidden as Emma smiles with relief gives an underlying note of suspense. 

And then Jon’s acting?? He pulls off infected!Paul so well. Truly in his villain era. Pokey shines through here, in Jon's performance, like nowhere else in the show. 

And the way Paul practically snarls at her, “If you give us one last show stopping number” before forcibly pushing her into the spotlight?! With Paul’s expression, it's clear how much he’s demanding it of her. Pokey’s frustration and insistence on having his way really shows through in that moment, too! 

My favorite underrated new choreography moment from “Inevitable” was after the line “Or I might be inclined to plant my seed”:

Paul stalks towards Emma, a spotlight trained on him. It’s like he’s glowing from within like the meteor, brimming with godlike power from Pokotho. 

The line “plant my seed” was always a creepy and rape-y line, but the choreography really underlined it. The way Paul stalks toward Emma filled me with visceral fear for her. This moment really felt like in a horror movie when the monster slowly and confidently approaches its victim.

And right before that, too, Paul already had Emma in his arms! He pushed her away, between the rows of the other infected, only to chase after her again. And isn't that exactly what Pokey is doing, reliving the chase and capture of Paul and his friends over and over again?