DISCLAIMER: Just because you partake in this post does NOT make you necessarily gay.

Let's talk about some of the best musicals you've heard/seen, or some of the ones you think are underappreciated, or the ones you thought just plain sucked. Or hell, if you think all musical theatre blows chunks, tell us why you think that too.

Some of the ones I think are fucking great:
-Avenue Q (deserved every award it won)
-Sweeney Todd (the best musical I've ever heard)
-Sunday in the Park With George (a close second)
-Into the Woods (I'm in it right now)
-Urinetown (just now starting to get into this)
-Bat Boy: The Musical (okay, I'm biased)
-1776 (shit is classic)
-The Last Five Years (a small show I'm just now starting to dig)

Some ones I don't like:
-Cats (shit's boring)
-Wicked (some great songs, and I hear it's great on stage, but overall Schwartz has done much better)
-Recent revival of Assassins (wow, completely unimpressed...the first one is ridiculously great, but I just heard the new soundtrack and the vocals are doo doo butter)
-Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat/Jesus Christ Superstar (call me a hater, but these reek of Andrew Lloyd Webber circle jerk more than any of his other shows)

Discuss.

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Bringing a little GD into Popcorn.

Mech

Can a musical film be shot in anything but 2.35:1? Since most musicals can have large groups of people on stage during a number, isn't it necessary to use a film format that fits as many people on screen as possible?

Mech

I can't wait to see the film version of Rent coming out, since it's not a huge cast.

In the days of old, it makes sense cuz it's all about showmanship, but nowadays? If they did a movie of Avenue Q or one of the other smaller musicals that could work on the screen, it wouldn't need to be.

I really like the much larger screen ratio for musicals though.

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Mech

thats a really good show

I did little shop of horrors...that was good one too

are immaculate movie musicals.

as for stage shows:
*chicago
*crazy for you (silliest show ever--but imaginative and perfectly paced)
*west side story (practically an opera)
*jesus christ superstar (and the movie)
*godspell
*pippin (bad book, great music and concept)
*ragtime
*lion king (huge and beautiful)

film again:

*singing in the rain

hell...this is one of my areas of expertise.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

Mech

And the character himself is whiny and annoying as fuck.

But great music.

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.

Fantastic music in that. Absolutely genius.

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The final chord of Joseph is the greatest sound I have ever heard.

- Dub

I give rappers the biz for being m-izza-a-archaic.

Edelweiss, bitches.

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Mech

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blew me the fuck away

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

The one or two songs I've heard are tremendous.

You wouldn't happen to have the soundtrack, would you?

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but I don't have a cd burner and neither do I apparently have an ipod that works goddammitmutherfuckingwasteofmoney

If you can, see the play without reading the libretto or listening to it all the way through.

Then listen to it with the libretto in front of you.

Then see the play again.

I know it's not a choice for everyone, but this play is worth it.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

incredible.
it shows what you can do with the form
if you really understand it.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

I developed a hatred for musical theatre that is still with me today. I can enjoy a good, silly production of Kiss Me, Kate (Cole Porter, need I say more?), or a thoughtprovoking and stirring play like Caroline (or Change), but in general, I'm biased against musical theatre. It's a snobbery of mine, I suppose, but it seems to me that *most* musical theatre is pageantry and spectacle for the groundlings, without any higher purpose.

On the one hand, that's a perfectly appropriate medium -- hearkening back to the Commedia del'Arte where, in fact, most of today's stock characters arose. On the other hand, look who the Commedia was aimed at -- the audience for whom they performed is strikingly similar to the audience for children's movies today -- a large number of uneducated, unworldly people who need to be appeased in order to be kept quiet, and a smaller number of educated people who need a few clever, adult jokes to keep them entertained.

It's not my medium, I'm afraid.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

somewhere along the line
most likely in the early 80s
after the great rock musical stuff was happening
folks decided that musicals were going to be for
"musical theatre people"

it turned into a segregated kinda thing
the "musical" became a style of music
which is ridiculous.

musicals have always used popular music forms
but now those forms are deemed inappropriate for
storytelling
so you get these bad scores that no one
outside of people who write musicals
want to listen to
and you get stupid stories that lack
humor and basic dramatic structure
and no one wants to see it

the new musicals that are successes today
are made up of songs by famous pop music artists
but have nothing else behind them

the next great musical
SHOULD BUT WON'T BE
a neo-spul/hip-hop musical

if i can find someone to write the score
cough*okayplayerartists*cough
i will write it

the form is genius and full
of limitless potential
but folks don't maximize it
as a commodity even
let alone as art

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

no? anybody? anybody?

- Dub

I give rappers the biz for being m-izza-a-archaic.

there are things about prince among thieves that would be cool on stage, but i don't think it's up to par all the way through. not to be the "first great hip-hop stage musical."

but it would work as an indie musical film, in my opinion.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

>there are things about prince among thieves that would be
>cool on stage, but i don't think it's up to par all the way
>through. not to be the "first great hip-hop stage musical."
>
>but it would work as an indie musical film, in my opinion.

I'd pay 2 see it if they kept most of the same cast. Breezly, Kool Keith & Xzibit 4 sure.

i was hoping to get a chance to talk to him about prince of thieves
or a handsome boy modeling school musical
it's so unlikely
but it could be done

.

fuck you.

I'll pick up soundtracks, and there are a small handful where I'll be impressed to want to know or hear more.

But for me, if I had to pick one, it would be "Jesus Christ Superstar". I'm not religious at all, but the music is very moving.



p.e.a.c.e.
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so much potential for the genre.
but no one makes rock musicals like that now.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

Funky as shit at some points.

call me crazy, but i love this show. i've seen a few different versions of it, and it somehow keeps my attention every time. a lot of the music is really stellar (thankfully so, as you have to overshadow certain aspects of the story).

-thebigfunk
homepage.mac.com/thebigfunk/

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

i haven't seen it, but i've heard it.
it's fun.
not a lot of new musicals are very fun.
big river is very, very playful.
which is good.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

When I say monotone I am usually alluding to very white corn-fed gals..
but musicals that express complex themes interest me, like..
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The Me Nobody Knows
and
Dancer in the Dark

What I want to see is a musical with Nine Inch Nails music... because Trent Reznor's music is very dramatic perfect for theatrical story telling and I think people would be pleasantly surprised to see a successful well thought out "dark" multi-faceted musical.

*****************************

There, I said it. I'm an asshole, but an honest one.

--Maurice

p.s. I guess Tommy was... aight.

_____

Bonding over sutures is what's hot in Oh-Nine.
--JS

************************
Hello, I'm good for nothing, will you love me just the same?

*****************************

The format never appealed to me. I hardly think "Bklyn: The Musical" is going to change my jaded mind.

Although, I hear it just sucks anyway. To be fair, what are your favorites?

--Maurice

_____

Bonding over sutures is what's hot in Oh-Nine.
--JS

Just out of curiosity. I know many people who hate musical theatre who've seen some, I'm just wondering which you've seen.

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As I said, Tommy, did a few of the old Rogers and Hammerstein ones in school and saw the movie versions, Rent, Phantom of the Opera (yeech)...

To be completely even-handed, I haven't seen a whole hell of a lot of the contemporary musicals. I do want to see Urinetown and Bat Boy, though.

--Maurice

_____

Bonding over sutures is what's hot in Oh-Nine.
--JS

I also hate gospel theater.

<--- Blame this lady for Nutty.

is by far my favorite to see at the theatre...

nothing fucks with the moving barracade set!

Also, when I was in highschool, my drama club went and saw Ragtime in Chicago... I thought that was really good.

Go Wings.

It's when the show can still wow a crowd without a big set, that's when you know how solid it is.

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although i can honestly say i would be just as wowed and amazed at les mis, huge ass rotating set or not...

i absolutely love the story + songs.

Go Wings.

During the great Les Mis craze of oh, sometime in the late 90's, I went and caught a production in Dallas with my family. Everyone before and since that I've talked to claims that seeing this show is some kind of life affirming religious experience.
My entire family (including my mom, a bonafide theater nut) thought it was excruciating. Just awful. We couldn't take it any more, so when intermission came, we bounced.
To this day I can't figure out what happened. Since then I've listened to the soundtrack, and there are some damn good songs on there. None of which I recognize from the Les Mis production I saw. Kind of bizarre.

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@kennykeil

maybe you saw some crazy ass religious interpretation?

or some hybrid show? le miserable christ superstar?

I dunno, I absolutely love the songs in les mis.

Go Wings.

>During the great Les Mis craze of oh, sometime in the late
>90's,


Haha, this paired with the "Les Mis" is a gateway drug comment had me rolling. But I personally think for most folks it went "rent" then "les mis" then either "hey wait, I dont like this stuff" or "hey wait, I really like this stuff". me... I never liked neither of them shits.

- Dub

I give rappers the biz for being m-izza-a-archaic.

it turned a lot of young people onto theater.
when you're in high school, and you've never really seen a big play,
and you go to broadway,
and that giant set moves,
and you've got teenage girls singing about lost love,
and gunfights and revolution,
and a rock-influenced score like that,
you started to see that all musical theatre wasn't what you thought.

too bad it closed.
but that's what rent and ave q are for now.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

(NO HOMO)
On stage-
The King and I - Saw this when I was about 5 years old... on Broadway...front row. Fuckin amazing. Yul Brynner did his thing. Then died some months afterwards.
The Lion King - Caught this one while slumming in London. I don't know if US theaters do this, but I got tickets dirt cheap, the catch being I was up in the balcony and didn't get a seat. So I stood the whole time but man, it was fantastic.
Miss Saigon - Fucking depressing.
Rent - Also kind of a bummer. Man, that Team America parody was on point. Everybody has aids! Still, some great songs and one of the few "modern" musicals I've seen and enjoyed.
STOMP - Does STOMP count?
Les Mis- Awful experience, but I've since come to like some of the music.
Chorus Line, 42nd Street, Godspell, Crazy for You, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas... probably a few others I'm forgetting.

As for film versions, I've seen all the usual suspects.King and I, Sound of Music (THE GOAT) West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, etc.
That recent Phantom of the Opera movie had its good points, but I didn't care for that one too much overall. But really though, fuck Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Hey, did that Batman: The Musical ever actually happen? Anyone see it?

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@kennykeil

>But really
>though, fuck Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Pretty much.

--Maurice

_____

Bonding over sutures is what's hot in Oh-Nine.
--JS

evita is amazing.
jesus christ superstar is one of the best ever.
the size and scope of those plays alone are worth celebrating.
and joseph and the dreamcoat is, while a complete joke, at least kind of an intentional joke and fun writing exercise kinda thing.

but cats?
i mean, seriously.
cats?

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

Gotta say, that shit was kinda off the hook. Much better (and easier to digest) the second time around.

Evita
Westside Story
The Music Man
Oliver
Hello Dolly

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and Professor Hill is the man

for my high school spring musical.
we did high society last year.
i couldn't tell you who i'm playing because the rehearsals haven't even begun and i've only seen the cast list once.

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without huge sets and amazing dancing, i don't know how great it can all be.
then again, it's pretty damn funny.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

As long as the dancing's right, a set is inconsequential.

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the dancing is key.
what i think i was really thinking was this:
the broadway production utilized the sets AMAZINGLY.
the dancing was going on on top of buildings.
things were being taken off of the set and danced on and with.
they had staircases and giant ropes and all this stuff
that was merged into the choreography
and it was genius.

but that's not really about the sets,
it's about the choreography.

DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

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but he's busy in Oakland.

DROP.
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BITCH.

Then when he went into the role, everyone hated on him. Still, many think he's the future of Rent.

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DROP.
YOUR.
SWORD.

BITCH.

Details to come later.

But it's THAT good.

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i think a director could really turn it into something way more show-offy and out of control than it needs to be.

but i've only seen it once, so i could be way off.

it's got a very specific sensibility though.

...I'm lookin forward to it in a big way.

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I end up dreaming I'm one of the dancers in the Cellblock Tango number.

That may or may not have anything to do with this post.

~I aspire to be my alter ego~

Why is the first act of Into The Woods all light and funny...
ONLY TO HAVE THE SECOND ACT SUCK!!!!
Anybody know what's up with this?
I'll be sure to include my thoughts on musical theatre later.

"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

It has some of the best stuff in it.

a) The second Agony is better than the first.
b) The Prince's seduction of the Baker's Wife is hilarious.
c) The Baker's Wife's song is brilliant.
d) If the Witch is a REALLY good actress, she can make Last Midnight the showstopper.
e) Your Fault is a really great song as well.

It's not nearly as funny as the first act, and it all gets less funny after the death of the Narrator (excepting the Baker's Wife's seduction). It's the same as Sunday in the Park With George (my personal favorite Sondheim show): each act is a little bit different in tone while covering the same subject matter and telling the same messages.

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i'm entering another season in high school theatre this october, and we're already reading scripts to pick out a possible fall show, (usually a 2-3 act comedy or drama).

in the winter, we compete in festival, a collection of one-acts from all across the state, (of maine), to showcase at a statewide competition, producing an overall winner.

but since this post is all about the musicals, i thought i'd jump ahead to the spring.

longo, i've been reading about batboy on the internet, and i really want to send this to my high school director. is it too risque for high school theatre? can it be toned down? i wanna pitch this idea to her tomorrow night at readings.

she mentioned she sort of wants to do into the woods. but i remember watching that in middle school, and i never really liked it much. no one is really excited about her idea to do into the woods, since it has been stereotyped as the "typical high school production."

what are other suggestions for a well rounded musical, with a couple male leads and a good support cast? previous year musical at falmouth high school include:
last year: "crazy for you"
"high society"
"godspell"
"anything goes"

last year"s fall show was "arsenic and old lace"
for festival we put on "george dandin: the confounded husband", a moliere one act.

thanks for any help

guys and dolls
a funny thing happened on the way to the forum
you already did anything goes--that's a perfect show for high school.

i think a lot of waht you can do depends on the resources of the school.
how many quality guys you have.
it's always hard to fill male roles in high school.

Mostly because there's a lot of blood, a few deaths on stage, and a rape. Not to mention a song where there's a dance break which should be host to a big animal orgy.

But we downplayed the rape and the orgy and cranked up the blood and no one seemed to mind.

Also, two more shows to consider:

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Somewhat dated and sexist, but very funny and works great with a good charismatic lead. Great jazzy music, but boring girl parts.

If girls complain...

Urinetown. The show I hope to direct in North Carolina in the spring. UPROARIOUSLY funny, with great guy and girl parts in an ensemble (no true "lead"). I highly recommend this, and I'll be posting a detailed diary of my directorial exploits were I to get to do this in the spring.

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Pippin is my all time favorite musical. People referrenced it earlier in light of it's concept and music, which are great, but I have to honor Bob Fosse's choreography too. The man was brilliant. Everything he worked on is on my list:

Chicago
Cabaret
Chorus Line
Rent
Fosse! (there needs to be a revival damnit)
Pippin
The who's Tommy
Sweet Charity ("rich man's frugue" cracks my face, it's so good)
Avenue Q
A Few others...

was the only one i've ever seen that I truly enjoyed

1776 was fuckin horrible...