Favorite Musicals

jasmine tarkheena

jasmine tarkheena

Active member
I'm sure a lot of us has seen at least one musical, whether on Broadway or in movies or even on Youtube. There's so many to choose from.

Do you have an all time favorite musical? If not, how do you rank each of them?
 
I'm prejudiced in favor of "Godspell." I once got to be in a community production of it. The same is true of "Kismet."

I'm also fond of a much older show, "The Fantasticks." That word, with a K, is a noun rather than an adjective; it refers to persons who are obsessed with fantasy. The musical is a coming-of-age story, but its real hero is an in-the-action narrator. The narrator goes to great lengths to MAKE THINGS TURN OUT RIGHT for the young lovers, gaining nothing for himself except the satisfaction of having done the right thing.

"Les Miserables" is great, but it makes me cry too much. If I could direct a production of it, I would make sure that the finale emphasized Valjean being lovingly reunited with Fantine in Heaven.
 
Gene Kelly is the only dancer I ever wept for. He had made an appearance in a special on TV, and because he could no longer walk he was behind a podium...which in fact was holding him upright. And the curtains parted...there he was. Later...significantly later...I saw an excerpt from the movie "Invitation to the Dance," which Gene made, they explained, to try and show people some of the joy and freedom of being able to dance. I thought back on him strapped to that podium, and tears streamed down my cheeks. He was one of those sad people who outlived the very thing that made their life worth living.
 
If could pick an all-time favorite, it would be Jekyll and Hyde. It broadens out the character of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who becomes obsessed with his experiment to extract the evil within every person. His dear friend John Utterson is worried, and even his fiancee Emma Carew has questions about whether he still loves her. I won't give any spoilers, but let's just say it does not end well.
 
There's actually more than one musical adaptation of "Doctor Jekkyl and Mister Hyde." About fifty years ago, a version shot for network television starred Kirk Douglas and Judy Carne.

Much later, at a dinner theater, I saw a very different version. There were families present. Accordingly, during intermission, the star visited every table which had children seated, telling them: "You know that this is all pretend, right? I'm not really Doctor Jekkyl OR Mister Hyde, I'm an actor. Now, in Act Two, it will LOOK as if I kill some people, but no one will really get hurt at all. This is only make-believe."
 
I would also recommend checking out a Christian School in West Palm Beach, Florida, King's Academy Youtube page, and see the musicals the students put on, like Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable, Jekyll and Hyde, Newsies, ect.

On that note, for those of you in the London area, the Lord of the Rings musical is making a comeback. It will run through the summer.
 
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How about the revival of Mary Poppins? I enjoyed watching the music come alive in Saving Mr. Banks, an otherwise tragic story. Mary Poppins Returns definitely exceeded my expectations, and the choreography was incredible.

I'm familiar with Godspell as a youth from the audience. Almost immediately after seeing it I set to learning Prepare Ye The Way, Day by Day and Turn Back O Man on the piano.
 
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Great picks, all!
My favorites in the past were whichever ones were featuring my children in the casts ;) , but other than those runs, my favorite is Quilters (creative staging, great storytelling, and a score that is at turns haunting, toe-tapping, lyrical).

My favorite opera is Puccini's Turandot - love the fairy tale quality of the plot.
 
For opera, I'm more likely to sing along with Carmen than Tosca. Carmen fits my voice type as a mezzo-soprano. A lot of the female leading roles in opera are soprano, like really high.
 
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