Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit...

[GirlsAloudFan]

Use this thread to discuss the merits of musical theater. As in, musicals. Like Broadway style musical theater such as Rent, Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, etc.

Is musical theater cool?

What are your favorite musicals? Favorite performers? Favorite creative minds in the field?

I don't have a favorite yet because I'm such a novice in the area. I've never even been to New York City, let alone seen a Broadway show live. So this is why I need to know everything that you know. But my favorite performer is definitely Lea Michele.

 

[Zoots]

What's Journey got to do with theatre?

The only musical I've watched is RENT. It was... interesting. Musicals are generally not my thing but I enjoyed this one for a change to rock shows.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

What's Journey got to do with theatre?

The only musical I've watched is RENT. It was... interesting. Musicals are generally not my thing but I enjoyed this one for a change to rock shows.

Oh, it's just Lea Michele(my fave Broadway star, even though I've never seen a musical she's appeared in)'s opening line in her performance of "Don't Stop Believin." Perhaps it's a confusing thread title??

Alright, so I've got one positive recommendation of RENT. It's on the list, for sure. I wonder if it will still be on Broadway when I make my trip to NYC.

 

[corianderstem]

Jesus Christ Superstar FTW. It's 70s, it's hippies in the desert, but the music is great.

I like Rent a lot, but stop shy of being a Rent-head. I just like it a lot.

I went through a huge Phantom of the Opera phase back in junior high, but now most of it makes me cringe. The movie was a blast, though, although probably not in the way the makers intended it to be.

 

[impy13]

My high school girlfriend was a Rent-head.

She was also a whore.

 

[Lancemc]

I saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway (along with a number of other shows, but this one was my favorite) with John Lithgow. It was awesome.

 

[corianderstem]

She just wanted to be all free and junk, like the people in Rent!

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Alright, so I have recommendations for Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. And maybe a recommendation for Phantom of the Opera?

And I've found out that Impy's high school girlfriend was, in fact, a whore.

 

[lazarus]

I have a DVD with a recorded performance of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George, starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. Would like to check out more of Sondheim's stuff, and there's a DVD available of a Sweeney Todd show I'm hoping to get soon.

Not really into the Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff. Some of it is entertaining, but too cheesy for my tastes.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Rent. Wicked. Chicago.

All

 

[corianderstem]

I didn't mean Phantom to be a real rec - I was a goofy teenaged girl all swoony for Michael Crawford's voice. I'd say the best of Weber's is JC Superstar. I love Evita as well, but I think it hasn't aged as well as JCS, both from the 70s.

Although I do have a ridiculous love for the movie with Madonna. I prefer that version because the keys are lower for Madge's range, and I can sing along with her. I can't sing along with Patti LuPone.

I loathe Cats. So there's my anti-rec.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Ahhh man I love Journey.

Precious Time FTW.

 

[Pearl]

I loved and still love the Phantom of the Opera. I don't know why, it has nothing to do with Michael Crawford's voice. Maybe its the music. Yeah, its the music.

Also, I like Les Miserables. I didn't like it when I saw it on Broadway since the cast didn't sing too great. I prefer the 10th anniversary special where all the best singers from that show performed. I bawled during the first 15 times I watched that special.

Beauty and the Beast was very good. The way the Beast transformed into a person on stage was incredible.

That's about it. Being a New Yorker doesn't mean you see every single Broadway production. The ones I would like to see are Wicked, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins.

 

[corianderstem]

Also, I like Les Miserables. I didn't like it when I saw it on Broadway since the cast didn't sing too great. I prefer the 10th anniversary special where all the best singers from that show performed. I bawled during the first 15 times I watched that special.

ZOMG YES. I have the DVD and CD of that - LOVE IT.

That was my first exposure to the musical, and I was appalled by the woman singing Eponine in the original cast - could she be more whiny and irritating? I hated her voice to no end.

Lea Salong FTW.

 

[redkat]

Cabaret, Rent and Wicked are the best I've seen live. I've got Patti Lupone and Bernadette Peters (Sondheim) cd's, both amazing.

 

[lazarus]

ZOMG YES. I have the DVD and CD of that - LOVE IT.

That was my first exposure to the musical, and I was appalled by the woman singing Eponine in the original cast - could she be more whiny and irritating? I hated her voice to no end.

This is the only musical I've actually seen live; I came down from Boston with a friend and we saw it on Broadway, probably back in 1997/1998?

I was pretty impressed at the time.

I also saw an adaptation of David Cronenberg's The Fly at the L.A. Opera last year, but I'd rather not talk about it.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Lea Salong FTW.

Lea Salong is awesome, but I hated "Miss Saigon".

I also saw an adaptation of David Cronenberg's The Fly at the L.A. Opera last year, but I'd rather not talk about it.

Ooooooh, I heard that was supposed to be bad . . . really, really baaaaaaaaaad.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Fyi, Rent closed last year. I was lucky enough to see it at the Nederlander before it did.

Chicago and Wicked were awesome; Hairspray was pretty good, too, if I recall.

Cats is coming to Detroit and I'm debating... I hear more bad than good.

 

[corianderstem]

I would like to repair my earlier appalling typo, and apologize to the awesome Ms. Salonga.

It's Lea Salonga, not Lea Salong. Oh, the shame!

 

[lazarus]

Salong, sucker.

 

[Arc-en-ciel]

Blood Brothers is my favourite
Also love Mamma Mia and Jesus Christ Superstar, and erm, my guilty pleasure is definately Joseph... it's a bit cheesy but, sometimes cheese is good!

 

[corianderstem]

There are parts of Joseph I like, and parts that are just too cheesy for words. I love that ALW and Tim Rice wrote that as their thesis or whatever it was.

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

We've been very lucky in Melbourne recently - we have had Miss Saigon, Spamalot, Priscilla Queen Of The desert, Chicago, Wicked, Avenue Q, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, Phantom and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels play in the past 2 years.

Next year we have Hairspray, Fame, Rock Of Ages, Mamma Mia (yet again), The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening and Mary Poppins all playing at one time or another. We have the biggest theatre scene outside of North America and London apparently.

I loved Rent, Miss Saigon, Priscilla, Billy Elliot and Avenue Q. I liked Spamalot and Chicago - not so big on Jersey Boys.

I saw Hairspray a couple of years back on Broadway and also saw Rent again - great stuff.

Other shows that have come through Melbourne that I've seen and enjoyed include We Will Rock You, The Lion King and Les Mis.

I love a good cheesy musical.

I'm hoping we get Next To Normal soon and maybe Shrek.

 

[IWasBored]

musicals always scared me because i've always worried about the potentially extreme cheese factor. a lot of my friends were into musicals in high school/jr high, and they seemed really lame. so i know nothing, have seen nothing, but i've heard wicked is awesome, though.

i admit i only read this thread because i thought it was going to be people admitting they like journey, and i wanted to know whose music tastes were to be discredited in the future.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Everytime I see the title of this thread it bugs me, because there is no such thing as "south Detroit". It's called Toledo.

 

[IWasBored]

the finer points of michigan geography are lost on me, being from the east coast and all, but every time i see the title of this thread of this thread that goddamn song gets stuck in my head and makes me want to blow my brains out.



i forgot...i do know that there's an awesome song in les miserables, but i don't know what it is.

 

[Arc-en-ciel]

i forgot...i do know that there's an awesome song in les miserables, but i don't know what it is.

I Dreamed A Dream??

There are parts of Joseph I like, and parts that are just too cheesy for words. I love that ALW and Tim Rice wrote that as their thesis or whatever it was.

There are some sincere parts, like Close Every Door, but then you get onto the whole thing with the Pharoah being an Elvis impersonator and it all gets verrryyy cheesy... but still entertaining nevertheless.