Musicals..., which do you love........and loathe? Options

[muddypaws]

the sound of music for me...climb every mountain and edelweiss are my favourites (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[briantrumpet]

I have mixed feelings about Oklahoma. The score is magnificent, but the plot is rather distasteful in its unsympathetic treatment of Jud Fry and its cavalier dismissal of his death at the end.

Until I played in the show, I didn't realise quite how unsettling the story is - the fact that everyone is really complicit in Jud's death (especially when the 'legal system' is prepared to ignore what happened) to me suggests that perhaps the plot is not distasteful at all, but more of a commentary on the way that communities lose any moral authority when they ignore true justice. I ended up not liking any of the characters at all. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

As for my least favourite musical ... Briga-bl**dy-doon. (That's tmesis, by the way, if you want to look it up in a dictionary.) Totally silly story, without the benefit of a good score (cf. Carousel - silly story but packed full of great songs).

[music_mad]

My Favourites:
Sound of Music
West Side Story
Mary Poppins
Les Mis
We Will Rock You
Mamma Mia

And my dislikes:
High School Musical (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)
Saturday Night Fever

[Crotchetymum]

As for my least favourite musical ... Briga-bl**dy-doon. (That's tmesis, by the way, if you want to look it up in a dictionary.) Totally silly story, without the benefit of a good score (cf. Carousel - silly story but packed full of great songs).

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Can't remember a single song from Brigadoon, but Carousel's 'You'll never walk alone' is spine-tingling.

Chicago, High Society, and does Porgy and Bess come under musical?

[briantrumpet]

Can't remember a single song from Brigadoon

I did the show for a week, and sadly I can:
Heather on the Hill
Almost Like Being In Love

Actually, Almost Like Being In Love is an almost passable tune, but just cries out for the proper big band arrangement that it doesn't get in the show.

I met a violinist once who had played in the pit for Brigadoon for nine months ... aaaaaaaaarrrrrgghhhhh! For most shows a week is enough, with the exception of West Side Story, 42nd Street, Guys & Dolls & The Full Monty, which I could all do happily for extended periods. Copacabana is a good show too to play, but I'm not so sure from the audience's point of view. I've never done Chicago (yes, it is a musical, but it's been withdrawn from amateur operatic production for several years now) but would love to.

Does Porgy and Bess come under musical?

Porgy & Bess was written as an opera, but was fairly recently converted to a musical by Trevor Nunn. Though I didn't get to see this reworking, I think I'd prefer it to the operatic version, as I've never been able to get through the DVD of the opera ... there's something that makes singing accompanied recitative whilst hanging out the washing that, well, just doesn't wash with me.

[Alder]

I have mixed feelings about Oklahoma. The score is magnificent, but the plot is rather distasteful in its unsympathetic treatment of Jud Fry and its cavalier dismissal of his death at the end.

Until I played in the show, I didn't realise quite how unsettling the story is - the fact that everyone is really complicit in Jud's death (especially when the 'legal system' is prepared to ignore what happened) to me suggests that perhaps the plot is not distasteful at all, but more of a commentary on the way that communities lose any moral authority when they ignore true justice.

Woah. I clearly need to watch Oklahoma again! It's years since I saw it on stage, is the plot that different from the film version? (Where Jud has a history of obsessing/burning things down when he doesn't get his way, attempts murder and dies at his own hand?)

[Bing]

Ooh. I love most musical theatre, so this is fun.

LIKES:

The Desert Song
Chorus Line
Fiddler on the Roof
Curtains (Kander and Ebb - saw it on Broadway last year - great fun)
Guys and Dolls
Singing in the Rain
Salad Days
Follies
Les Mis/Miss Saigon
La Cage Aux Folles (or most stuff by Jerry Herman!)

Really getting into anything by Jason Robert Brown - Last Five Years; Parade; Songs for a New World

Anything that Gene Kelly was in. I agree that B****doon is lousy - but I'll watch it for Gene Kelly. Same goes for anything with Gordon Macrae in.

DISLIKES:

Seussical
Hairspray
Wicked
Not hugely into anything by ALW to be honest. Also, not desperately fond of some of the 60's/70's rock musicals - Hair; Godspell; The Wiz

and that's for starters! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[lucky045]

I love musicals. I don't think I've ever seen one that I haven't liked. I can't even name a favourite, there are just too many, and I go through extreme phases. My most recent phase was Wicked, before that Rent, then before that Les Mis, My Fair Lady, Me and My Girl, etc etc.

In the past few weeks, I've been rather obsessed with Jekyll and Hyde - I think I first heard a song from it due to a recommendation on these boards, listened only to that song, learnt it, and moved away from it, but it stuck in my head when it came to downloading something to listen to while I read the novel for my course. I listened to them all and now I adore it. Also, Songs For A New World is another one I've loved recently, particularly Christmas Lullaby.

[briantrumpet]

Woah. I clearly need to watch Oklahoma again! It's years since I saw it on stage, is the plot that different from the film version? (Where Jud has a history of obsessing/burning things down when he doesn't get his way, attempts murder and dies at his own hand?)

It's also years since I did the show ... but having just re-read the plot, I'm guessing that the film doesn't focus on the dark reading. My own reaction (if I'm remembering correctly) was that Jud is a social outcast who gets no help with his problems - quite the opposite. When he does finally snap in reaction to the taunting, yes, he does fall on his own knife while trying to injure/kill Curly, but his actions were at least partially caused by the people that then exonerate Curly in a sham trial with no asking what drove Jud to do what he did. No-one raises a voice in opposition: they are all complicit.

Dunno why I'm writing all this - it's only a musical with some nice toons, for goodness sake!

[Crotchetymum]

the sound of music for me...climb every mountain and edelweiss are my favourites (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Edelweiss makes me cry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif)

[kenm]

I heard a radio interview with Fred Zinneman, who directed the film of "Oklahoma", in which he said that it was a mistake to cast Rod Steiger as Jud Fry, because, great actor that he was, he made the character too sympathetic and unbalanced the plot. It's rather like modern productions of "The Merchant of Venice", in which the lead actor plays Shylock as a dignified figure much persecuted, and we end up feeling very sorry for him, which Shakespeare's audiences would not have been.

[Crotchetymum]

I heard a radio interview with Fred Zinneman, who directed the film of "Oklahoma", in which he said that it was a mistake to cast Rod Steiger as Jud Fry, because, great actor that he was, he made the character too sympathetic and unbalanced the plot. It's rather like modern productions of "The Merchant of Venice", in which the lead actor plays Shylock as a dignified figure much persecuted, and we end up feeling very sorry for him, which Shakespeare's audiences would not have been.

That's interesting - thank you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Alder]

I heard a radio interview with Fred Zinneman, who directed the film of "Oklahoma", in which he said that it was a mistake to cast Rod Steiger as Jud Fry, because, great actor that he was, he made the character too sympathetic and unbalanced the plot.

Now, that's an interesting thought, since I find Rod Steiger automatically unsympathetic because of seeing him him 'In The Heat of the Night' and disliking him a lot!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[ben_walker446]

There are a few that I love which haven't been mentione yet...

You'll always catch me singing - Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll and Hyde, Sunset Boulevard, Spamalot...and more recently Sweeney Todd after I saw a production of it on saturday! Also...Wicked...Witches of Eastwick...Blood Brothers...and how can I forget! My absolute favourite! Legally Blonde! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) ... Not strictly a musical but Songs for a New World is amazing! Meh, I prefer more than I like!

I loate most of West Side Story..Cats..Starlight Express...and a few others

[miss sooky]

My absolute favourite! Legally Blonde!

Coming to London soon apparently . . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)