'Once Upon a Time' musical review: 'The Song in Your Heart'

We shared our review of the general plot of “The Song in Your Heart,” and now it’s time for a closer look at the songs, their lyrics, and some behind the scenes clips from rehearsals.

"Powerful Magic"

This Snowing duet was entertaining with their surprise at singing. I especially found it interesting how conceited Charming was with his vocal ability (“My do I sound good!”). His character just doesn’t strike me as the arrogant type. Anyway, “love is the most powerful magic of all” are perfect lyrics for Snowing’s story. It was their love that broke the sleeping curse, and created a savior. From the beginning of the show, true love has been referred to as the most powerful magic of all.

Some of the lyrics that are worth mentioning include Snow’s declaration that “words expressed through song are a weapon like the queen has never seen.” This reminds me of all the times Rumple uttered the words “love is a weapon!”

Another line that caught my attention was how “love can overcome curses, potions and beans.” The first thing I thought of was how Neal fell through the portal right after being shot. As he’s falling he and Emma express their love for each other, but that didn’t stop it from happening. It didn’t overcome the bean’s portal. Other than that, I like it.

"Love Doesn’t Stand a Chance"

During the Evil Queen’s solo, “Love Doesn’t Stand a Chance,” she confronts the dwarves and breaks Grumpy’s axe. It made me wonder how many axes he’s gone through. Also, as I was perusing fan commentary, there were many who expressed shock at the Evil Queen’s use of an inappropriate term to describe Snow. I want to remind them that this isn’t the first time Lana Parrilla’s character has used such language.

From the beginning of Season 3:

Then, in the twelfth episode of Season 4:

I have to say, the choreography for “Love Doesn’t Stand a Chance” did such a good job of capturing the Evil Queen’s frustration and anger as she went around half dancing and kicking stuff, and Parrilla just killed it with her evil voice! Is there a part you really liked about it?

How about her showdown with the Charmings?

She might have won, but it certainly wasn’t due to any help from Rumplestiltskin! After all, the Dark One doesn’t sing.

"Wicked Always Wins"

Let’s look at why the Evil Queen won that match against Snowing. It was really Zelena. I guess in a way wicked did win, but no one will remember any of the singing sequences so in a way it didn’t win. Too bad Rumple will never know it was her or that he chose the wrong one. Rebecca Mader has an amazing voice and for many Oncers, hers was the best performance.

"Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine"

Captain Hook is the only character who burst into song and didn’t seem shocked or perturbed by it. He just went right along with it. I suppose it was because all he really cared about was his revenge. I just love the line when he says “some say let it go, but I say hell no!”

Here’s a behind the scenes clip of Colin O’Donoghue practicing the choreography for “Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine:”

By the way, O’Donoghue broke his foot during one of the many rehearsals for this scene, and just kept going. It happened while doing the chair tipping move. Here’s a clip of him explaining it at the Once Upon a Time Vancouver convention:

"Emma’s Theme"

It’s the background music that’s been part of our psyche since the show began, and captures the essence of Emma during those intense moments. The following is the actual score written by Mark Isham (instrumental):

Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary wanted to use Emma’s theme music in her solo. The original score plus their writing and Jennifer Morrison’s amazing voice come together to make this short, but heart wrenching addition to the musical episode:

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"A Happy Beginning"

The writers and composers brought the musical episode to a magical close with this Disney-esque song. Everyone sings and dances together, even Jared Gilmore (Henry). I have to admit, it’s cheesy, but it's my personal favorite... except for the clock tolling at the end.

The musical aspect of this episode was met with the expected combination of enthusiasm and contempt. Whatever your preference, I hope you will tune in to the season finale. I will live tweet through @carissashuman.