Which musical is your favorite? and why?

Question

I'm trying to familiarize myself with as many musicals as possible...reading about it...buying the soundtrack....

...which one should I learn next?
[newer ones preferably]

I guess I should have mentioned RENT and Chicago are out cause I know them like the back of my hand.

Answer 1

Guys and Dolls is a really fun musical, probably my second favorite. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guys_and_Dolls

Aida is personally my favorite musical. It's really touching, and just great all around. You can read up on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida_%28musical%29
The soundtrack is AMAZING!

A close 3rd favorite is Little Shop of Horrors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(musical_play)

Answer 2

I'll answer this two ways. Firstly, with my favorites, and second with the most important and great shows.

My personal top six:

1) The Drowsy Chaperone. Simultaneously sweet and ironic, providing a gloss on musical theatre history and the people who love musicals.

2) Crazy For You. Brilliant reimagining of a classic musical, with musical staging that I've never seen bettered.

3) A Chorus Line. The revival shows some of the flaws in the show, but I saw the original production some 40 times and the memory of it lingers some thirty years later. Unparalleled production and a groundbreaking show.

4) Sweeney Todd. A staggeringly great examination of capitalism done with wit and Grand Guignol staging.

5) Follies. Sondheim's best score. A lacerating look at what happened to post-war America.

6) Mack and Mabel. Easily Jerry Herman's best score, it's the one flawed musical in the bunch. I saw the original three times and Robert Preston's performance is one of the greatest in musical theatre history; commanding, funny, and tender.

Now, the most important shows. There are three "great" shows in the history of the theatre; those shows whose scores and raisons d'etre let them tower over everything else ever written.

1) Show Boat. The most important show ever written. It attempts so much that even 80 years later, it still can't be tamed. Really the first time that score, staging, book, and choreography melded to tell a serious story.

2) Porgy and Bess. The greatest score ever written for the musical stage. A huge, sprawling work of genius -- especially the last act. Unsurpassed.

3) Sweeney Todd. Huge in every aspect, it attemps to do great things and succeeds in every aspect.

Finally, don't just stick to the newer shows. Most of them are sadly lacking ("Wicked" and "Mamma Mia" being the worst offenders.) Listen to the great shows of the past -- Oklahoma!, Gypsy, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Annie Ger Your Gun; the work of the Gershwins, Rodgers, Hammerstein, Hart, Berlin, Kern, Porter, Bernstein, Comden and Green, Styne, Coleman -- and you'll appreciate the newer stuff that much more.

Answer 3

I'm not sure that it's possible to have one favorite. I do have a few that I'll mention, however.

"The Lion King" is a great show that's very well produced. A few of my favorite songs are "Chow Down", "Be Prepared", and "They Live in You" (both versions are great, I personally like the reprise better). For more info, check out it's official web site: http://disney.go.com/theatre/thelionking/index.html

"Seussical" is a great show for kids, and it's a lot of fun to sing the songs and run scenes as the different characters. My favorite songs would probably be "Amayzing Mayzie", "Alone in the Universe", and "The People Versus Horton the Elephant". To watch some videos, check out: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=pearljam31

"Into the Woods" is probably the most challenging show I've been in, but I loved every bit of it. It's a story that combines several fairy tales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Rapunzel) in the story of a baker and his wife who long to have a child. It's said to be one of Sondhiem's hardest shows to sing through. My favorite songs are "No One is Alone", "Very Nice Prince", and "Hello, Little Girl". A website with a lot of information is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Woods

Seussical is the newest of those three, but The Lion King is the only one still on Broadway. (both New York and tour) A few others I'll suggest are "Fiddler on the Roof", "Little Women", "Children's Letters to God", "Tarzan", and "The Music Man".

Answer 4

Wow, that is hard. I have seen so many musicals and usually they are great.

But for myself, I think "Follies" is the best because is was dramatic musical with different beautiful characters and the lyrics and the music and the story, especially since it was about theater. After 30 years of seeing that show, I can still remember the lyrics and actions, etc.

Second one "Company" from the same lyric and composer. What that made is different is again it was a drama musical and there were just 12 actors on it who did never sang, and they were the chorus and dancers.

The next one "The Producers" because it was very funny, although I will never remember the lyrics since they were not worth it.

Answer 5

Grey Gardens the Musical. Its almost like a cult religion (Grey Gardens) It is the true story of the Aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy, Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie Beale. They were two of the most breathtakingly beautiful women in their youth, talented wealthy,but then they lost all their money, and Edie gave up her career as a blossoming model to come back to the mansion her mother lived in alone "Grey Gardens" out in east hampton. But over the years things just crumbled all around them the house became a dilapidated heap, brambles grew up all around the house which at one time had one of the most beautiful gardens in America. Anyway the play is in two acts, Before the fall so to speak, when Grey Gardens was at its luxurious peak, and act two AFTER the fall when it was just the two Edies living in utter squalor, and yet in the midst of it they were truly beautiful women in this weird bizarre bohemian way!

The Maysle Brothers made a documentary about these two women back in the early seventies, where they just filmed them day after day, and the Edies would say and do some of the most shocking things! Now it is thirty years later and their story has come to Broadway as the hottest play of the year, Christine Ebersole stars in it, there is a New version of the original cast album coming out next week, There are scads of clips dealing with Grey Gardens on YOU TUBE, just enter Grey gardens and choose! The funniest song from the Musical is "The Revolutionary Costume For Today" based on a truly weird and magnificent moment in the Maysles Documentary where Edie models her "revolutionary Costume"

There are several Grey Gardens Groups on Yahoo, I BELONG to three of them, and you will find the most fascinating group of people there, mainly artists and film makers, some writers, but some house wives and just off the wall characters! Oh and of course, Jerry is a member and posts almost daily! (get the Grey Gardens Video and you will know who Jerry is) he is kind fo the third member of this outrageous menage a trois. Its amazing how this story can grab you, and wont let go!

Answer 6

I love HAIR.

If you are able to find a revival of the original New York version you would see why it had such a profound impact on people (seems everyone either loved it or hated it with no in-betweens). I think the music rocks and really tells the story. If you purchase the soundtrack, try to get the stage production version, as the film did not stay true to the play.

Answer 7

My favourite musical is "Blood Brothers" which was only written around 20 years ago and therefore is quite modern compared to most others. I saw it after having done my GCSEs and could really relate to the characters and story of growing up, relationships etc. A few months later I had the chance to meet the writer Willy Russell and that was also an amazing experience.

Musicals are one of my favourite genres of theatre and I like the way that everything stops for the next number.

Answer 8

Romeo et Juliette :de la Haine a l'amour (Romeo and Juliet : from hate to love)
It's a foreign musical, the original production is French, but it has been loosely translated into English, Dutch, German, Hungarian, and Russian.

The reason I love it is because first off, foreign musicals have a better..tuning and beat than American musicals. The music in R&J is just so beautiful! I love it!
If you want to find out more, go to http://www.romeojulietmusicals.com and to listen to music, type it in on YouTube or go to http://jukebox.mndp.ru/music/retj.htm
Also, this is a 30 second clip of Veerle Casteleyn and Davy Gilles (Dutch cast) singing a fragment of "Liefde" (Love). This was my very first introduction to R&J! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eKGqPP5jhc

Answer 9

Guys and Dolls is the best musical ever. Every song is great, it's funny, it's romantic, and the four leading characters are all well-written.

Second is probably Gypsy. Another great score, and a terrific book but really a showcase for the lead actress.

Answer 10

I love Fiddler on the Roof. It's an awesome musical with some neat music, especially if you have any appreciation for russian/jewish culture. There are a couple of wicked dance scenes and it's just great! we own the video version, but in may we're gonna see it live! i'm so excited!