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TRS cleanup


* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Michael says this in "Little by Little Reprise" [[spoiler: after finally realizing Sara and Tom's affair. It's clear he doesn't mean it.]]
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Not a trope.


* YourCheatingHeart: Sara. [[spoiler: And Tom, as it happens.]]

to:

* YourCheatingHeart: Sara. [[spoiler: And Tom, as it happens.]]----

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* TheCasanova: [[spoiler: Tom]], at least if the Narrator's lines in "Crying Scene Reprise" are anything to go by:
--> '''The Narrator''': All the ladies loved him\\
Something 'bout his eyes\\
If he had turned them on you\\
You'd understand why I-



** Certain lines from "Narrator 1" are repurposed in "I'll Be There" to underscore Tom's increasing SanitySlippage and obsession with Sara.



** The synopsis of the show makes mention that a baseball bat is given prominence before the opening number. [[spoiler:Take a wild guess what the Narrator winds up killing Tom with.]]

to:

** The synopsis of the show makes mention that a baseball bat is given prominence before the opening number. [[spoiler:Take a wild guess what the Narrator winds up killing Tom with.]]



* ListSong: “Murder Ballad” references many famous murder ballads.

to:

* ListSong: “Murder Ballad” references many a few of the more famous murder ballads.ballads, specifically [[Music/BobbyDarin "Mack]] [[Music/EllaFitzgerald the Knife,"]] [[Music/TheBeatles "Maxwell's Silver Hammer,"]] and [[Music/JimiHendrix "Hey Joe."]]



* ProperlyParanoid: "Sugar Cubes and Rock Salt" has Michael fretting over the state of his marriage with Sara, and for good reason, as it turns out.

to:

* ProperlyParanoid: "Sugar Cubes and Rock Salt" has Michael fretting over the state of his marriage with Sara, and for good reason, as it turns out.not knowing at the time that he's being cheated on.



* TonightSomeoneDies: Promised by the Narrator at the end of "Murder Ballad."



* TimeSkip: After "Troubled Mind/Promises," the narrative leaps forward about five years to cover Sara & Michael's marriage, their child, and what Tom's been up to in the interim.
* TonightSomeoneDies: Promised by the Narrator at the end of "Murder Ballad."



* {{Yandere}}: Oh, but does Tom get a case of it after Sara leaves him for the second time.

to:

* {{Workaholic}}: It's shown that Tom throws himself into his career as a bartender after he and Sara break up, and it's eventually revealed that he's become successful enough to own his own bar, the King's Club.
* {{Yandere}}: Oh, but does Tom get a case of it after Sara leaves him [[spoiler: for the second time.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Sara. [[spoiler: And Tom, as it happens.]]

Added: 2010

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‘’Murder Ballad’’, with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is a SungThroughMusical that centers around a woman named Sara who grows dissatisfied with her Upper West Side life and pines for her rougher past, and a love triangle that — as the title would imply — [[MurderTheHypotenuse ends in tragedy.]]

to:

‘’Murder Ballad’’, ''Murder Ballad'', with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is a SungThroughMusical that centers around a woman named Sara who grows dissatisfied with her Upper West Side life and pines for her rougher past, and a love triangle that — as the title would imply — [[MurderTheHypotenuse ends in tragedy.]]



* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Michael says this in "Little by Little Reprise" [[spoiler: after finally realizing Sara and Tom's affair. It's clear he doesn't mean it.]]



* AnyoneCanDie: "A king, a queen, a club, a knave. One is destined for the grave…"

to:

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Towards the end of "Little by Little Reprise," Michael delivers a devastating one to Sara: [[spoiler: "Tell me, was Tommy inside you when you forgot Frankie yesterday?"]]
* AnyoneCanDie: "A king, a queen, a club, a knave. One knave/One is destined for the grave…"



* {{Bookends}}: The show opens and closes with songs that directly address the audience and comment on the appeal of stories like these.



* DarkReprise: "Little By Little Reprise"

to:

* DarkReprise: It could be easier to list which recurring songs ''don't'' get this treatment...
** The most drastic example is
"Little By Little Reprise"by Little." Originally, the song is about Michael putting together what's wrong with Sara after bumping into her on the street one night; [[spoiler: the reprise has him finally piecing together the truth of Sara's affair and leaving with their daughter.]]
** "You Belong to Me" was already a very dark song, where Tom becomes violently possessive when he learns Sara is ending their affair. [[spoiler: The reprise features all four characters building up the resolve to kill after the LoveTriangle blows up in the park.]]
** One of the only major aversions is "Troubled Mind," which first appears as Michael takes care of Sara after they first meet, and reappears later as a lullaby the two sing to their daughter, Frankie.
** In a more amusing example, the second "I Love NY" reprise features the Narrator singing about how much she hates how gentrification has changed New York.
* [[spoiler: DeathByWomanScorned: Tom is murdered by the Narrator, who was his girlfriend before the affair with Sara.]]



* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: A minor case with Sara after she gets married to Michael, explored in "Coffee's On." The life of a stay-at-home mom just doesn't suit her.



* IfICantHaveYou: Both versions of "You Belong to Me" are about this in some way.
* InteractiveNarrator: On occasion, the Narrator will harmonize with Sara, Tom, or both. This is among the clues that she has more skin in the game than she's letting on.



* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Tom in “Answer Me.”

to:

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Tom in “Answer Me” and "You Belong to Me."



* RecurringRiff: The Narrator and Prattle songs share a basic structure, but the actual composition of each varies from song to song.

to:

* RecurringRiff: The Narrator "Narrator" and Prattle "Prattle" songs share a basic structure, but the actual composition of each varies from song to song.



* TonightSomeoneDies: Promised by the Narrator at the end of "Murder Ballad."



* StarvingArtist: Sara and Tom trying to make it work as these may be the root cause of their separation.

to:

* StarvingArtist: "Naive, ambitious and underfed" Sara and Tom trying to make it work as these may be is one of the root cause causes of their separation.



* ViewersAreGeniuses: A working knowledge of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave makes "The Crying Scene" a particularly interesting number, especially as it draws a comparison between the show's love triangle and that of the triangle in ''Film/JulesAndJim''.

to:

* ViewersAreGeniuses: A working knowledge of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave makes "The Crying Scene" a particularly interesting number, especially as it draws a comparison between the show's love triangle and that of the triangle in ''Film/JulesAndJim''.''Film/JulesAndJim''.
* {{Yandere}}: Oh, but does Tom get a case of it after Sara leaves him for the second time.

Changed: 4

Removed: 84

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No longer a trope.


* ViewersAreGeniuses: A working knowledge of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave makes "The Crying Scene" a particularly interesting number, especially as it draws a comparison between the show's love triangle and that of the triangle in Film/JulesAndJim.
* YourCheatingHeart: The central conflict of the show. [[spoiler: Two cases of it.]]

to:

* ViewersAreGeniuses: A working knowledge of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave makes "The Crying Scene" a particularly interesting number, especially as it draws a comparison between the show's love triangle and that of the triangle in Film/JulesAndJim.
* YourCheatingHeart: The central conflict of the show. [[spoiler: Two cases of it.]]
''Film/JulesAndJim''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
No longer a trope, per TRS.


* VoiceTypes: Sara's a mezzo-soprano, the Narrator's an alto, Michael's a tenor, and Tom's a baritone.
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Not to be confused with [[Main/MurderBallad the song form]].

to:

Not to be confused with [[Main/MurderBallad the song form]].form]] or the [[Music/MurderBallads Nick Cave album]].

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-> ‘’There’s always a killer’’\\
‘’So logically, someone has to die.’’\\
‘’We sing the murder ballad’s warning;’’\\
‘’There but for the grace of God, go I.’’

to:

-> ‘’There’s ''There’s always a killer’’\\
‘’So
killer''\\
''So
logically, someone has to die.’’\\
‘’We
''\\
''We
sing the murder ballad’s warning;’’\\
‘’There
warning;''\\
''There
but for the grace of God, go I.’’I...''


Added DiffLines:

* LetsDuet: Sara has two: "Turning Into Beautiful" with Michael, and "Mouth Tattoo" with Tom.

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* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Sarah with Tom.

to:

* TheAlcoholic: Implied by Tom in "I Love NY": "It's 2 AM, I'm drunk again/It's 3 AM, I'm drunk again/It's 4 AM, it's 4 AM, it's 4 AM..."
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Sarah Sara with Tom.



* AnyoneCanDie: A king, a queen, a club, a knave. One is destined for the grave…

to:

* ArcWords: "Clubs and diamonds, spades and hearts..."
* AnyoneCanDie: A "A king, a queen, a club, a knave. One is destined for the grave…grave…"



* BatterUp: [[spoiler:The Narrator beats Tom to death with a baseball bat.]]



* FirstLove: Sara and Tom continue to pine for each other, even after not seeing each other for years and each being in serious relationships with outer people.

to:

* FirstLove: Sara and Tom continue to pine for each other, even after not seeing each other for years and each being in serious relationships with outer people.other people.
* {{Foreshadowing}}
** The synopsis of the show makes mention that a baseball bat is given prominence before the opening number. [[spoiler:Take a wild guess what the Narrator winds up killing Tom with.]]
** The Narrator harmonizing with Sara during "Prattle 2" is the first hint that she's more than just an observer in the story.
** There's also this lyric from "Narrator 6":
--> '''The Narrator''': He had someone to come home to\\
Who loved him more than he knew...



* LocationSong: Three of them, all called "I Love NY".



* TheMissusAndTheEx: “Prattle 5.”

to:

* TheMissusAndTheEx: “Prattle 5.”5”
* {{Motifs}}: For the Narrator, playing cards ("Clubs and diamonds, spades and hearts"). For Sara, movies.



* TheOneThatGotAway: Said word-for-word by Tom in “Sara.”

to:

* TheOneThatGotAway: Said word-for-word by Tom in “Sara.”“Sara”.
* OneWomanSong: "Sara".



* ProperlyParanoid: "Sugar Cubes and Rock Salt" has Michael fretting over the state of his marriage with Sara, and for good reason, as it turns out.



* RecurringRiff: The Narrator and Prattle songs share a basic structure, but the actual composition of each varies from song to song.



* SanitySlippageSong: "I'll Be There" can be this for Tom, depending on how it's played.



* StarvingArtist: Sara and Tom trying to make it work as these may be the root cause of their separation.



* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: After building up to it for an hour and a half the preparation for and act of the murder take 25 seconds from start to finish.

to:

* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: After building up to it for an hour and a half half, the preparation for and act of the murder take 25 seconds from start to finish.


Added DiffLines:

* ViewersAreGeniuses: A working knowledge of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave makes "The Crying Scene" a particularly interesting number, especially as it draws a comparison between the show's love triangle and that of the triangle in Film/JulesAndJim.
* VoiceTypes: Sara's a mezzo-soprano, the Narrator's an alto, Michael's a tenor, and Tom's a baritone.

Changed: 16

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None


* The Reveal: [[spoiler: Not only was the Narrator Tom’s girlfriend, who he neglected during his affair with Sara, but she killed him.]]
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Towards the end of the original production, thanks to [[spoiler: Rebecca Naomi Jones’ snarky characterization of the Narrator.]]

to:

* The Reveal: TheReveal: [[spoiler: Not only was the Narrator Tom’s girlfriend, who he neglected during his affair with Sara, but she killed him.]]
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Towards the end of the original production, thanks to [[spoiler: Rebecca Naomi Jones’ snarky characterization of performance as the Narrator.]]

Removed: 75

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** Also, [[spoiler: a facet of the Narrator’s motivation for killing Tom.]]

Changed: 64

Removed: 84

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None


* DarkReprise: [x]

to:

* DarkReprise: [x]"Little By Little Reprise"



* IAmSong: [x]
* IfICantHaveYou: Among the things said by [x] in [x].



* IWantSong: [x]



* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: During [x], Tom can be seen [[spoiler: pushing the Narrator aside in order to get at Sara. This hints towards the nature of their relationship.]]

to:

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: During [x], "The Crying Scene", Tom can be seen [[spoiler: pushing the Narrator aside in order to get at Sara. This hints towards the nature of their relationship.]]



* QuarrelingSong: [x]

to:

* QuarrelingSong: [x]"Answer Me"

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None

Added DiffLines:

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/81224.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Michael (John Ellison Conlee), Sara (Caissie Levy), Tom (Will Swenson), the Narrator (Rebecca Naomi Jones).]]
-> ‘’There’s always a killer’’\\
‘’So logically, someone has to die.’’\\
‘’We sing the murder ballad’s warning;’’\\
‘’There but for the grace of God, go I.’’
-->-- “Murder Ballad”

‘’Murder Ballad’’, with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is a SungThroughMusical that centers around a woman named Sara who grows dissatisfied with her Upper West Side life and pines for her rougher past, and a love triangle that — as the title would imply — [[MurderTheHypotenuse ends in tragedy.]]

It had two Off-Broadway runs: one at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage II in 2012 (which spawned a cast recording), then at the Union Square Theatre in 2013. The casting was the same in both productions, with the exception of Caissie Levy replacing Karen Olivo as Sara in the 2013 production.

Not to be confused with [[Main/MurderBallad the song form]].
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Sarah with Tom.
* AllKnowingSingingNarrator
* AnyoneCanDie: A king, a queen, a club, a knave. One is destined for the grave…
* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Or bat-crazy, as is the case with the Narrator.]]
* BettyAndVeronica: Michael is the Betty to Tom’s Veronica.
* [[spoiler: BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama: In the original production, Tom was played by the white Will Swenson, while the Narrator was played by the black Rebecca Naomi Jones.]]
* BSODSong: “Little By Little Reprise” for Michael. “You Belong To Me” for Sara and Tom. [[spoiler: “Clubs and Diamonds” for the Narrator.]]
* CockFight: A slight variation, given that [[spoiler: when it goes down at King’s Club, Sara is also an active participant.]]
* CommitmentIssues: Tom. [[spoiler: At least at first…]]
* CurtainCall: “Finale.”
* DarkReprise: [x]
* [[spoiler: DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Tom’s death solves both [[LoveTriangle Love Triangles]].]]
* DestructiveRomance: Tom and Sara.
* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: The show opens with a promise that one of the characters will die. Before that happens, though, we spend a solid hour and a half getting to know them.
* FirstLove: Sara and Tom continue to pine for each other, even after not seeing each other for years and each being in serious relationships with outer people.
* TheGentlemanOrTheScoundrel: Michael is the Gentleman. Tom is the Scoundrel.
* HellIsThatNoise: The strange tape-static loop that opens the show.
* IAmSong: [x]
* IfICantHaveYou: Among the things said by [x] in [x].
** Also, [[spoiler: a facet of the Narrator’s motivation for killing Tom.]]
* IWantSong: [x]
* ListSong: “Murder Ballad” references many famous murder ballads.
* LoveTriangle: Tom, Sara, and Michael. [[spoiler: Also, Sara, Tom, and the Narrator.]]
* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: During [x], Tom can be seen [[spoiler: pushing the Narrator aside in order to get at Sara. This hints towards the nature of their relationship.]]
* TheMissusAndTheEx: “Prattle 5.”
* MurderBallad: The entire show, but more specifically “Clubs and Diamonds”.
* [[spoiler: MurderTheHypotenuse: In connection with DeathOfTheHypotenuse above, the Narrator killing Tom resolves not one but two [[LoveTriangle Love Triangles]].]]
* TheOneThatGotAway: Said word-for-word by Tom in “Sara.”
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Tom in “Answer Me.”
* PsychoExGirlfriend: Tom [[spoiler: and the Narrator.]]
* QuarrelingSong: [x]
* The Reveal: [[spoiler: Not only was the Narrator Tom’s girlfriend, who he neglected during his affair with Sara, but she killed him.]]
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Towards the end of the original production, thanks to [[spoiler: Rebecca Naomi Jones’ snarky characterization of the Narrator.]]
* SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate: “Free will and fate both play their parts…”
* TheSongBeforeTheStorm: “You Belong To Me Reprise”
* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler: Tom becomes this after Sara ends their affair.]]
* SungThroughMusical
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: After building up to it for an hour and a half the preparation for and act of the murder take 25 seconds from start to finish.
* TheKillerInMe: [[spoiler: The Narrator was the killer all along.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: The central conflict of the show. [[spoiler: Two cases of it.]]

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