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The Parody that Flipped Disney on its Head...

Wait in the Wings

135,520 views

In 2013, Team StarKid reached a crossroads.

Their musicals were getting bigger, costs were getting higher, and despite millions of views, the company struggled to turn online success into a profitable business.

Founders Nick and Matt Lang faced a crossroads. They could continue with the model they always knew or they could try something different.

That’s where Twisted begins.

Now, more than a decade later, we’re going back to the beginning.

This is a story about reinvention and happy accidents, about staring failure in the face and deciding to do something completely different, but above all else…it’s a story about what happens when you choose to begin again.

Production Credits

Written and narrated by Brendon Henderson
Script editor: Julianna W. Henderson
Additional proof reader: Justine James
Music layout: ‪@HowardHoMusic‬
Video editor: Connor Bond ‪@conno_‬
Administrative Assistant: Avery Ingvarson
Executive Producers: Zacqué Aaronson, Scuttle About Broadway, Platyelf, Kaci (flygirl)

Special thanks to Dr. Hannah Neuhauser for helping us get in touch with so much of the Twisted creative team! We couldn't have told this story without the incredible insight of Kaley McMahon, AJ Holmes, Eric Kahn Gale, Jeff Blim, and Rachael Soglin.

And one FINAL big thank you to all our Kickstarter backers and everyone who supports the channel on Patreon!

$5 Patreon Supporters:

Amanda Krueger
Ann Marie Wilson
Anne Dekker
Aria Artie
Aviva Kamens
Ayinde
Ben Childs
CameoSweets
Carl Baldasso
Cash the Composer
Cati
Cindy Lindsay
Colin Poindexter
Deborah Dakin
Devra
Elena Alexeenko
Frances McGinn
GLENDA STANSBURY
Holly T
Jadin Stoffel
Jake
Jonathan Fong
Kelseigh Ingram
Kristin J B
Marisa
Mary Edwards
mightstill
NerdyCognition
Orange
Paperdust
Phil Edwards
Rachel Goodman
Rebecca L
Rex Suba-Anderson
Ros Broome
skzip888
Susan Shinkai
tieflingfaye
Timothy Murray
TwingoLamb

If you want to help us continue preserving these stories, check out: www.patreon.com/witw

To make a tax deductible donation visit: waitinthewings.org

Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:42 Chapter 1: The Crossroads
23:55 Chapter 2: Against All Odds
41:10 Chapter 3: Whole New World

20 Comments

@WaitintheWings Creator 7 days ago (edited) Pinned

We can only make these videos with your help! Join the Patreon to support the work that goes into telling these stories and explore all of our research assets from the doc! https://tinyurl.com/twistedpatreon

@crazy_random_happenstance 5 days ago

1 HOUR DOCUMENTARY ON THE TIGER-F***R MUSICAL???? I'M SO HYPE

@milesparker557 5 days ago

It's crazy that the lyricist for the Starkid show that arguably has some of their best lyrics has never worked on another Starkid show!

@AtlasBlizzard 3 days ago

"Why does the sun go down at night?"
"Why is everyone in the kingdom WHIIIIITE?"
Absolute gold.

@sadiesadiemlady 5 days ago

YOU GOT THE AUTHOR OF WICKED FOR THIS????? Absolutely insane y'all are amazing

@monicagrace9536 4 days ago

I will never be able to stop thinking about how much of a wild range Kaley McMahon has, bc wdym she wrote the lyrics for If I Believed and the song Twisted, and then also is responsible for "I'll be the one who plunders her cave of wonders"? like how do you even DO that

@nacho_girl 5 days ago

Finding out AJ was originally Jafar makes me seeing AJ sing If I Believed and Happy Ending in London last year means so much now

@skylarseigler7793 5 days ago

“And then I got cast in Book of Mormon. It was a bummer!” 😂😂😂

@shiftedspirits1924 5 days ago (edited)

YES DUDE. my hot take is plotwise- twisted is better than wicked and i will not be taking criticism, thank you

Edit: and significantly better than the wicked books, there’s so much weird unnecessary sex stuff in them

@Mockingdragon 5 days ago

Twisted is genuinely one of my top five musicals. I'm usually not much into parody, but I absolutely love the way this show engages with what it's a parody of to make a point. The ideas about wishing and hope and pessimism and practicality wouldn't hit as hard without the Disney context. And the music is just on fire.

@okaykatieokay 5 days ago

That section of If I Believed from "but wishes are dreams and dreams are pretend" to "it logically insists that you are there, somewhere" if some of the best lyricism in the musical theatre canon. Up there with the best of Sondheim

@Klainer721 4 days ago

i’m only a couple minutes in so far but WHAT DO YOU MEAN 5 MONTHS?! that’s insane to me. this musical is hilarious and so well written. the songs are incredible. ONLY 5 MONTHS?! im dumbfounded rn

@ihmj1989 5 days ago

I was always surprised we never got more Starkid songs by Kaley and AJ - and I still think it would be so good if it happened

@Uncertain_Pine 4 days ago

I really hope we do get another Holmes and McMan musical at some point because there’s never been a Starkid show with better lyricism then this one

@Wyrmknave 3 days ago

The demo track for Everything And More sounds so pretty but Rachel's performance puts so much depth and character in, it's such a pronounced difference

@singenstattatmen5096 5 days ago

Only 14 minutes in, never knew Twisted had a dedicated lyricist, but that makes SO MUCH SENSE! Twisted has some of the most amazing Starkid Lyrics BY FAR imo. I mean, just the whole of "If I believed" would be enough to proof my point, but there are many more incredible examples throughout!

@VivaLaDnDLogs 5 days ago

Twisted is by far the best parody/satire musical StarKid has done. From the reframing of "Bonjour" into "F*** You Ja'far", Jeff Blim's utterly unhinged 33-year-old orphan Aladdin, a princess who wants to be poor (but, like, with money & servants), the undeniable showstopper that is "No One Remembers Accchmed", the well-deserved potshots at Disney, and what may be my favorite StarKid song of all time, "Happy Ending". The way all three voices combine and overlap gets me every time.

This wasn't my first StarKid show, but it's the one I recommend to newcomers!