Challenges 21-24: The Literary Collection

From here on out, all the prompts will be traits associated with a particular musical character. These ones won’t be tied to anything Harry Potter-related in order to give these characters a chance to shine in their own right. The four musicals featured in this set are, as the name implies, all based on classic literature. The order of the challenges is meant to tell a story of how my discovery of one musical led me down a research rabbit hole to the others and ultimately to my favorite Broadway star.


Challenge 21: Unrequited

She took my love
But now it’s plain to see
She’s no time for one
As lowly born as me

- I Will Have My Vengeance; Wuthering Heights: the musical


Colors used: black, blue gradient, green gradient, green/blue/purple tie-dye

Inspiration: I found this musical completely by accident in 2020. One of my friends had watched a Wuthering Heights movie but couldn’t remember which one it was when I asked, and in the process of trying to identify that movie, I learned that this show was a thing. This musical has one of the most confusingly structured soundtracks I’ve ever heard, but I do like almost all of the songs on it. I chose this one because it describes Heathcliff’s belief that his feelings for Cathy are unrequited. For the bracelet colors, I used black and blue to reflect Heathcliff’s dark nature, and the blue is also a subtle nod to that other Heathcliff (my charrie). I thought the green gradient and tie-dye colors looked like colors one might find on an English moor, and the twisted double strand design represents how inextricably linked to each other the two main characters are.




Challenge 22: Cold

The man inspires a thousand lies
The lover makes his choice
Remaining coldly in control
Aware that sadly on the whole
It is the fool who bears his soul
I’ll give the man a voice

- A Misunderstood Man; Heathcliff: the musical


Colors used: black, blue gradient, purple gradient, white

Inspiration: Same source material, same character, different show! When I learned about the other Wuthering Heights musical, I thought, how cool would it be if my actor kid Heathcliff someday played this Heathcliff? So I researched as much as I could about that show and in the process learned about this lesser known but better structured musical adaptation. I kept the same black and blue colors from the other Heathcliff bracelet for cohesiveness’s sake but added purple and white for a cooler color palette to reflect his cold nature.




Challenge 23: Brave

I will never lose faith
I will never lose heart
For you have restored my trust
And I know you're afraid
I'm as scared as you are
But willing to be brave
Brave enough for love

- Brave Enough for Love; Jane Eyre: the musical


Colors used: black, blue gradient, gray, cream; flame charm

Inspiration: We can thank the YouTube algorithm for me discovering this show! After researching the two Wuthering Heights musicals, I started getting a lot of recommended videos of other shows based on classic literature, including this one. I was never much of a Jane Eyre fan and have mixed feelings about the musical itself, but I love the songs. This one is my favorite because its message can apply to all forms of love, not just the romantic kind, and it inspires me to be brave for my loved ones. There’s a lot of blue and gray in the Jane Eyre promotional material, so I used those colors in the bracelet. I added black and cream/beige because those colors are prominent in the main characters’ costumes, and the flame charm represents the fire that occurs near the end of the story and the use of fire imagery/foreshadowing throughout the show.




Challenge 24: Kindness

The low companions, low desires
I scorn but yield to every day
Make me unworthy of your caring
Yet you still don’t turn away

- If Dreams Came True; A Tale of Two Cities: the musical


Colors used: burgundy, black, gray, light gray

Inspiration: This is another musical that I discovered thanks to the YouTube algorithm, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. I found this song at a dark time in my life and saw so much of myself in this version of Sydney Carton. Seeing the way he became a better person inspired me to do the same, so this is not just my favorite song from A Tale of Two Cities, but my favorite song from any musical ever! I knew going in that I was going to do something with this; it was just a matter of finding the right prompt to fit the song. I chose this one because it was Lucie Manette’s kindness that transformed Sydney Carton. For the colors, I used burgundy because Sydney wore a burgundy tie in the video I saw of this song. He wears a lot of dark colors, black in the Broadway version and gray in the PBS concert version, so I incorporated those colors and ordered them from dark to light to represent his lightening outlook and in a way, turn to the light.