AT Stage Musicals (??) Some recommendations.

I mentioned in the "Turn In Your Geek Card" thread that I like stage musicals (as an example of *not* being geeky), and I thought I'd share a few examples of shows that I really like that I think have some elements that could be considered geeky or thematically cool. If musicals aren't your thing, I totally get it, but if you haven't sat down to watch these, maybe give them a spin sometime if they show up on Netflix.

SWEENEY TODD
Stephen Sondheim is not known at all for writing memorable music (his only real hit song is "Send in the Clowns"), and his lyrics can sometimes be overly flashy in a "look how clever I am with words!" kind of way. He can be particularly brilliant with lyrics, though, and I would say that two of the best shows he was involved with were Gypsy and West Side Story, where he only did the lyrics and someone else composed catchier music. But though Sondheim's music is rarely memorable, it is often interesting and serves the feeling of the moment very well, and in at least a few cases, the shows he has spearheaded have turned out great. Sweeney Todd is definitely one of those, and what makes it great for me is that it explores the depths of the murderous main character (and his companion Mrs. Lovett) in a truly dark way, but also has some levity. Les Miz is a great musical, but it's very heavy and dramatic throughout, and I think that brings it down a bit for me. Sweeney Todd has some powerful heavy numbers and some genuine horror, but also has great comedy numbers like "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" and "A Little Priest." The recent film version with Johnny Depp is okay, but I recommend trying to catch the filmed stage version with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
As ubiquitous as this is for a musical, and probably looked down upon by the snooty Sondheim theater esthetes, I still have to admit that I really love this show. The music is so lush and melodic and memorable, and though it can feel melodramatic, it does have many powerful moments, both musically and dramatically. I highly recommend the 25th anniversary stage film of this, which has an amazing cast and really gives you the experience of seeing it on stage.

CHICAGO
Prohibition era gangsters and sexy dames, and a lot of great catchy tunes. The movie version from a few years back was excellent. Guys & Dolls is another classic gangster era musical, but I would give Chicago the edge.

INTO THE WOODS
Another Sondheim show that cleverly combines several different fairy tale stories in an amusing and poignant way, the hook being that the first act ends with "happily ever after," and then the second act sees that all unravel and gets more complicated and darker. I haven't seen the new film version yet, but it looks good.

GYPSY
Considered by many to be the best musical ever, this tracks the life of famous Vaudeville era stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, but focuses more on her demanding mother, Mama Rose.

MAN OF LA MANCHA
Don Quixote: The Musical. I like this show better for the story than the songs, though there is the classic "Impossible Dream."

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Funny and cute 50's sci-fi style show. Not my favorite, but entertaining enough and definitely fits the theme.


Other shows that I love but wouldn't really consider to be as thematic in an AT kind of way: The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Once Upon a Mattress, My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Damn Yankees.

Musicals that I haven't seen that might very well fit on this list: Spamalot, Spiderman, Wicked, Urinetown.

How about "Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off"?

Yes, with the classic showstopper, "Dr. Zaius."

I love musicals, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods are two of my favorites ever. The filmed stage version of Into the Woods is where it's at, with some fantastic performances and Bernadette Peters. I love Sunday in the Park with George by Sondheim as well, but it's more uneven. I still haven't seen Gypsy, I should remedy that.

Urinetown is great, although it gets heavy handed by the second half. Still great though, and some laugh out loud moments.

Avenue Q is fantastic, hilarious, and apropos of the Cards Against Humanity thread ("Everyone's a Little Bit Racist").

Check out a stage performance of Cabaret, by the folks who did Chicago, if you can find one. It is extremely unsettling.

The original movie of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is awesome. Gene Wilder for life.

Grudunza wrote: Musicals that I haven't seen that might very well fit on this list: Spamalot

I saw Spamalot awhile back. It's 85% of the same jokes as the film version of Holy Grail. I remember wishing that I had spent that time seeing Avenue Q instead. That seemed more entertaining to my 22-year-old self.

I grew up watching a lot of plays and musicals because my mother was very involved locally and her mother had performed on broadway. I prefer normal plays to musicals, generally. I think it'd be funny if someone wrote a musical as if everyone around the singers responded as real people would to someone breaking out into song when they see a girl for the first time or realize that it's sunny - thinking that the protagonists are insane.

Yeah, musicals do suffer sometimes from the "breaking out into song" thing. The best of them find natural ways to do that, where it feels like the song is elevating what's happening in some way.

Sunday in the Park with George is great, but it's been years since I saw it so I don't remember much about it. And Avenue Q is one I haven't seen but should. I like Cabaret, but prefer Chicago from that team.

If you're mentioning movie musicals like Willy Wonka, then that opens a whole pile of others (Wizard of Oz, etc.). But I don't think of many of those so much as musicals... more like a movie with a few songs.

Oliver! is another great one. I love Fagan's character and songs, in particular.

Wicked would very much fit into this list. If you get the chance you should see it. I saw the touring production last year, and was pretty impressed. Gregory Maguire's inverted fairy tales are good source material (although I've never read the sequels, I also really enjoyed his Cinderella set in Dutch tulip hysteria).

The big songs are really well written, enough for "Defying Gravity" to be a pop hit disconnected completely from the show.

I'm not a gigantic musical fan, but my wife and her friends did them all through high school, so I'm reasonably aware.

The only downside is the Galinda part is written so directly for Kristin Chenoweth that whoever plays her is effectively doing an impression on stage.

I'm the atheist who loves Jesus Christ Superstar. Just great songs from end to end. I also like Evita, but fell away from Webber after that.

If you can hear the original version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat I love it, but not the BROADWAY!!!! version.

I also straight up love The Music Man. One of my all-time faves. It's one of the few DVDs I own.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Sound of Music

Tommy

Legomancer wrote: I'm the atheist who loves Jesus Christ Superstar. Just great songs from end to end.

Well, it's written from an agnostic point of view, so I think more people can relate. I think some of the parts, like Gethsemene, the Simon zealots and the Pilate/Jesus confrontation are the best dramatic musical depictions of those things I've ever heard.

I also straight up love The Music Man. One of my all-time faves. It's one of the few DVDs I own.

Music Man is actually my all-time favorite (maybe tied with Phantom). It's corny small-town humor, but quite witty in that framework (e.g., "Iowa Stubborn"). And there is so much clever music throughout, like the patter of the train sequence and "Trouble," the barbershop songs, and the way he used the same exact melody for "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight My Someone," but you don't really catch that until the end. And the ending is such a ridiculous joke, but rings true to how most parents would react. It's the only show I've seen on Broadway (for the 2000 revival). But that film version with Robert Preston is terrific.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Sound of Music

Tommy

Rocky Horror is really great, but as I said before, I wasn't thinking of movie musicals here. That one is definitely more of an outright *musical,* though, than something like Wizard of Oz, which has more sporadic songs. Sound of Music is a classic (Mary Poppins, too, while we're at it with Julie Andrews), but though I like some of the songs from Tommy, that and Quadrophenia never held up for me that well in terms of the overall story.

Way, way, way, back in the before times….

When I went to Rocky Horror Picture Show, it was a movie, BUT, they had a live stage performance with props, costumes, and skits for just about every scene from the movie. All of this happened on a stage built for that purpose in front of the movie screen. I almost can't imagine this type of audience participation happening in today's world.

Evita and Pirates of Penzance are my favorites.

I am shocked no one has mentioned "The Book of Mormon". I haven't seen the show yet but listened to the cd and really liked a lot of the songs.

One of our local companies (Cardinal Stage) did the original stage version of "Wizard of Oz" a few years ago and it was pretty good. They also did "Next to Normal" which I heard a lot of good things about

www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000383

I was in their production of "Inherit the Wind" a few years ago and they added a lot of gospel songs for the townspeople to sing which gave it a different flavor from the movie.

And I'm wearing my "Little Shop" t shirt from a production I did back in 2003.

The Rocky Horror Show (pre-Picture) was a stage production for two years before they filmed it. Most of the castle residents (including Tim Curry) were original cast. I think it qualifies as a proper musical every bit as much as something like Grease does. The cult of audience participation and casts that has grown up around the film belongs more in the "Geek Card" thread.

But definitely belongs in the AT Musical Hall of Fame/Shame/WAT. Little Shop of Horrors as well.

Legomancer, you're not the only atheist who like Jesus Christ Superstar. That is one funky Judas.

Not Sure wrote: The Rocky Horror Show (pre-Picture) was a stage production for two years before they filmed it. Most of the castle residents (including Tim Curry) were original cast. I think it qualifies as a proper musical every bit as much as something like Grease does. The cult of audience participation and casts that has grown up around the film belongs more in the "Geek Card" thread.

But definitely belongs in the AT Musical Hall of Fame/Shame/WAT. Little Shop of Horrors as well.

Legomancer, you're not the only atheist who like Jesus Christ Superstar. That is one funky Judas.

I mainly attended Rocky Horror Picture Show at Midnight for the numerous "Columbia" lookalikes who'd usually dress down at the events. I occasionally chased a "Magenta" or two too when the opportunity arose.