Your Favorite Musical
 

What's your favorite musical? :)

Mine's "Fiddler on the Roof"! I like "South Pacific" too (the kids and my husband and I played Polynesians in the local show once!) but mostly just the music; the storyline is too depressing.

*sigh* i could go on forever about this topic...musical theater is MY THING....
but if i had to choose ONLY A FEW, my list would include:

"Jane Eyre" (kind of obscure- well, it was up for a Tony a few years ago- but i love the story line and most of the orchestrations are incredible!)

"Into the Woods" (playing Lucinda was the most fun i've ever had on stage, hands down! who doesn't love fairy tales? really!)

"Chicago" (the Kander & Ebb STAGE show-- NOT the movie 'cuz that's different-- is AMAZING. "Go-To-Hell-Kitty" is my fav!)

"Once on this Island" (because it was my first musical and the music/story is woooonderful!)

...and of course, my last one and practically ALL-TIME-FAVORITE is "Cabaret"... (i saw it in NY w/ Alan Cummings as the emcee and it was the most amazing thing i have ever seen!! not to mention playing fraulien kost is REALLY REALLY fun!)

Menace II Society

The list is long, but in the end, I think Les Miz edges everything out.

That could be because it's the first show my wife, who has a degree in Theatre, saw in New York. I had been there many times, but it was her first.

She cried from the first note to the last.

fiddler on the roof
sound of music
a chorus line
grease
cabaret
how to succeed...

list goes on...

I like a lot of old ones: South Pacific (the score is absolutely beautiful), The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Cabaret . . . but I have to admit that I love Rent! I'm going to see with a bunch of girls from my sorority next month. :D

This is tough...
 

I'd have to say that it's probably a tie between West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar, based on the strength of the songs alone.

Of course, I'm a bit of a heretic in that in some cases I prefer the filmed version of the show over the stage versions.

KDatUTC: I absolutely adored Flower Drum Song! It hought I was the only person who liked that one. :)

Oh heck yeah! That's been my favorite musical since I was eight years old. I even read the book when I was eight. It's become my favorite book and I've read it every summer since then.

As far as other musicals go, I also love Godspell, Miss Saigon, Jekyll and Hyde (just not when david Hassellhoff is in it), Children of Eden, the list goes on. I'm not a huge Rent fan, though. It got waaaaaaaay too trendy for me.

Some of those Rent-heads got downright creepy, too

Rent and Chicago are my two biggest favs of all time
I also like
West Side Story
Sound Of Music
Phantom Of The Opera

My list goes on and on but I am completely obsessed with Chicago and Rent, hands down my two biggest favs!!!

"Les Mis." is amazing on Broadway....as well as Grease!

Traveling musicals rarely find their way to Honolulu, but I've been fortunate to see Phantom of the Opera, Les Miz, Rent, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spiderwoman...

But Miss Saigon is by far my favorite. I know every word to every lyric to every song!

Probably not as popular as some of the others, but I like Brigadoon.

(I love Annie, but I like the movie better than the play).

Sistermadly-I'd have to say that it's probably a tie between West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar, based on the strength of the songs alone.
I'm right there with you. It would be much easier to ask which musical I didn't like! LOL!

Though nothing can duplicate the energy of a live performance,
I glad so many are available on video. We get one musical a year by our theater (they are very expensive) the others we must travel to see.

They are saying with the success of Moulon Rouge, we may see the genre return. I sure hope so.

I have to say that I HATE Kiss of the Spiderwoman and I can listen to Les Mis but I'm not a huge fan. I'd have to say that my favorites are:

A New Brain
Blood Brothers (depressing but really good)
Children of Eden
Forever Plaid
Martin Guerre (the London Cast, not 1999 cast)
and of course . . . Tommy :cool:

I have two absolute favorites. "Cats" tied with "Mama Mia!".
I know all the lyrics to "Cats", I've seen it five times and have both video and audio tapes!
"Mama Mia!"- I saw twice in in London. The first time I saw it I was apprehensive about it and did not want to go. It is the musical written by the 1970's music group "ABBA". I loved it so much that the next time I went to London I saw it again! Now "Mama Mia!" is in the US.
Other musicals I enjoy are: "Sound of Music", "Music Man", "Oklahoma!" and Rogers and Hamerstiens "Cindrella". In general, I enjoy most musicals because of the singing and dancing.

In HS I was in the pit orchestra for Swenney Todd, She Loves Me and Paint YOur Wagon.

The ones I like I guess are West Side Story (Natalie Wood was hot), Phantom of the Opera, Swenney Todd (If you've seen it you know), and Damn Yankees.

Bye Bye Birdie!

It's the cutest thing ever... it's similar to Grease but actually came out before Grease did, and I like it b/c people don't overdo it. Grease has become rather cliche, in my opinion, along with Annie and others.

i forgot Sweet Charity! :D

Phantom, hands down.

I got to see part of it when i was in elementary school in Denver and became obsessed with it, bought the soundtrack, read the book, etc. So, for my birthday next year, we all went to visit my Yia Yia on Long Island and went to see Phantom on Broadway.

As far as movie musicals go, i can't believe noone's mentioned Rocky Horror Picture Show. For someone who's relatively conservative, Rocky Horror's definately an interesting ride. :D I'd LOVE to see it in person, still one of those things on my list of things to do before i die.

Kitso
KS 361 times i've dreamt of Janet(or Susan Sarandon rather) running around MY house in her bra and panties

I completely forgot about Forever Plaid!!

I loved Les Mis! :)

Y'all remember Juanita Hall, who played the Polynesian vendor, Bloody Mary, in "South Pacific" and the Chinese aunt in "Flower Drum Song"? I found out a couple of years ago that she was black!:eek: Once you know it and really look at her in those movies, you can tell but most people don't pick up on it! I read a biography about her--she was a famous gospel singer in her own right. What a great voice!

You're kidding me!! Well, now that I think about it....but she really did look Asian!

And did you notice that a lot of the extras in "Flower Drum Song" (the movie) weren't even Asian?

Ivory

Oh I absolutly LOVE Pippin!!! Maybe its b/c i was in it in high school tee hee. My other faves are Moulin Rouge, Rent, and Phantom of the Opera :D

Theater
Annie Get Your Gun
Chess


Movie
Auntie Mame
Everyone Says I Love You ( by Woody Allen I think)
Hair

I have been in a number of musicals in local community theatre, and I'd have to say my favorites were:

Nunsense
Mame
Kiss me, Kate
The Music Man
Oklahoma

I saw the movie South Pacific when I was in 2nd grade, and I knew then that I wanted to act. Just took me a reeeeaaallly long time to do it. I love musicals and acting!

that i've seen:
my hs production of the king and i
once on this island (my friends hs)
jcs (a local high school, and clarion)
cabaret (clarion)
rocky (clarion, and screen)
celebration (clarion)
into the woods (clarion)
rent (on broadway)
thou shalt not (on broadway)
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum (PHHS Alumni)
the mystery of edwin drood (phhs alumni)
songs for a new world (clarion)
(we have a very good theater department)

Recordings
the last 5 years
ragtime
reefer madness


i think that's it! i love musicals. i think the only one i've seen/been in that i didnt really like was 1776, to dull for me. if you have aol 7.0 there's a radio station on radio aol that plays nothing but showtunes!

Just thought I'd mention in passing, The Taffeta's. It's kind of the female version of Forever Plaid. No plot or deep storyline -- just some really neat four part harmony of late 50's and 60's "girl group" music. I wouldn't call it a favorite, but if it's done right, it can really be a lot of fun.

Our daughter was in it last summer, and the theatre is going to try to bring it back next year because it was so popular. She does a ton of community and professional theatre. She just closed in Children of Eden and is moving on to Godspel.

Our son just did A Little Night Music in college and auditions for Cabaret this week.

I adore Into the Woods. Sondheim is amazing. The music is great, the lyrics are deep...its just a great show.

I loathe Phantom of the Opera. Its theatre for the masses...utter tripe. Its the same melody over and over, and a surface treatment of the story.

I really miss doing musicals. I was in Mame and Will Rogers Follies and about 10 other kiddie musicals. Maybe when I'm out of school...

Les Miserables
Cabaret
Fantasticks
Ragtime
Kiss of the Spider Woman (I saw it with Vanessa Williams)

I completely forgot about Kiss Me, Kate! Definitely a favorite. And I love Bye Bye Birdie too -- it's not a deep piece of theater by any means, but it's so much fun!

I could go on forever about this topic too...

My favorite is a somewhat obscure show called Runaways, not many people have heard of it. I had the pleasure of student directing my High School's version of it (it one the State Thespian competition :D) along with Your a Good Man Charlie Brown. I can't sing so I directed the musicals and acted in the "straight" plays

After that I would have to say
Tommy
A Chorus Line
Miss Saigon

I am not very into Andrew Lloyd Webber even though I have seen many of his shows.

Guys and Dolls
Kiss Me Kate
My Fair Lady
Oklahoma
Carousel
Music Man
The Producers

This is my kind of thread!!!
 

My favorite musicals are:

A Chorus Line
Tommy
Godspell
Jesus Christ Superstar
Cats

But my all time favorite is HAIR! hence my AOL Screen name. I love both the screen and stage versions because they do vary somewhat. Just to hear the actress sing "Easy to be Hard" in the screen version is enough to watch it. It's done so much better than whats on the stage version.

I'm not a terribly huge fan of musicals, but my favorites are--

A Chorus Line
Grease
Rent
Anything Goes

Two comments:

First, Sondheim is amazing -- but both of my actor kids think he's also Satan. His stuff is incredibly difficult to sing. They were both in Into the Woods (Baker's Wife and Jack). Daughter has also been in a couple of other Sondheim things, and son was just in A Little Night Music. They both love him -- probably because he is so challenging.

Second, agreed that there is nothing "deep" about Phantom, but I'm not sure there's anything wrong with "theatre for the masses." Isn't that what it's supposed to be? How would the arts be supported without us "masses?" Or is theatre supposed to only be enjoyed by an elite group of musical theatre snobs?

If Sir Andrew and Sir Elton and the boys from Abba can add some excitement to the arts for someone who might not otherwise go to the theatre, I'm certainly not going to take them to task.

All of this talk about ABBA and no one mentioned Chess! It has a horrendous plot (actually no plot at all) but the music is totally kickass.

I will always hold a special place in my heart for Bye Bye, Birdie because I met my boy when we did that show freshman year. He was Hugo Peabody and I was Deborah Sue, aka a 2-line chorus member. :)

My other favorites are Phantom of the Opera, Pippin, Tommy, Into the Woods, and Rent.

Random interjection, speaking of Tommy: Is anyone really surprised by this Pete Townsend child pornography thing? Hello, this is the man who created Uncle Ernie! :p

Cabaret. No contest. I love Fosse and and also a Liza freak...Although I saw it in NY with the girl who used to star in Caroline in the City and thought she would be horrendous, but she was great!!!

Hated Les Miz. Fell asleep!!! And I am in the business so to fall asleep at the theatre is unheard of for me!!!

I also love A Chorus Line - I identify with many of those characters.

There's nothing wrong with theatre for the masses. But it really bugs me when people gush on and on and on about how Phantom is the best Broadway show ever. I just feel that the acclaim its gotten (and money its made) is grossly disproportionate to the quality of the show. Its all production and little substance. Its Broadway's version of an action movie.

I forgot to put Ragtime on my list. Saw it in NYC a few years back and it was exceptional. It had a good balance of production values and substance.

Bye Bye Birdie
Annie Get Your Gun
Lil' Abner