3 Broadway mashups we’d love to see for a good cause
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt teamed up for March’s Hamildrop and March for our Lives with a mashup of “You Will Be Found” and “The Story of Tonight.”
If you haven’t listened to the latest Hamildrop, you’re missing out. It’s pretty much guaranteed to make you cry.
Hamilton and In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda teamed up with Dear Evan Hansen‘s Ben Platt to make the saddest mashup I’ve ever heard. Seriously. There’s also an official video that’s black and white and heartbreaking.
With that in mind, we thought up some other Broadway mashups that would be easy to use to raise funds for a good cause and also break a couple of hearts.
Waitress‘ “You Matter to Me” x Hamilton’s “That Would Be Enough” for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
According to the NCADV, 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. That’s nearly 10 million people a year.
Waitress: The Musical is all about a woman getting out of an abusive marriage and finding her path as a single woman. Between 21 to 60 percent of victims of intimate-partner violence lose their jobs because of the abuse.
The loss of Jenna’s (the main character’s) job is something we see threatened by her husband, Earl. He doesn’t allow her to have a car or her own bank account. The baby that is the catalyst for the musical, and the movie it’s based on is the product of coerced sex.
Eliza Hamilton would have done everything she could to help Jenna. Here’s a perfect lyric mashup to show you why these two songs would go great together:
"Come out of hiding. I’m right here beside you, and I’ll stay there as long as you let me.Look at where you are. Look at where you started. The fact that you’re alive is a miracle. Just stay alive — that would be enough.You matter to me. Simple and plain and not much to ask from somebody. You matter to me… I promise you do, you’ll see. You matter to me.If this child shares a fraction of your smile or a fragment of your mind, look out world, that would be enough."
La Cage aux Folles‘ “I Am What I Am” x Rent‘s “Take Me or Leave Me” for The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is my choice for this mashup because it’s perfect for both of these songs. La Cage Aux Folles focuses on a gay couple, while one of Rent’s main conflicts is between Maureen and Joanne as they find the right balance in their relationship. Musically, they would work together very well if done right. I’ve shown that in the short snippet of lyrics here:
"Life’s not worth a damn till you can say ‘Hey world! I am what I am!’Take me for what I am. Who I was meant to be, and if you give a damn, take me baby, or leave me."
Into the Woods’s “Children Will Listen” x Les Miserables‘ “Bring Him Home” for Together We Rise.
I chose Together We Rise for this mashup because both of these songs are about raising children and bringing them home safe. Together We Rise is a non-profit organization that supports children in foster care by providing them with resources and activities as they enter and leave the system.
The two songs would make a beautiful musical composition when put together:
"How do you say to your child in the night? Nothing’s all black and nothing’s all white. How do you say it will all be all right when you know that might not be true? What do you do?Bring him peace. Bring him joy. He is young. He is only a boyChildren may not obey, but children will listen. Children will look to you for which way to turn, to learn what to be.He’s like the son I might have known if God had granted me a son."
What would your favorite song mashup be and what would the cause be? Leave it in the comments!