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Post by Kypriotha on Nov 27, 2021 15:30:32 GMT 10
In honour of Stephen Sondheim and my current obsession with tick, tick, BOOM! (which I rambled about a bit here). I love musical theatre - it's probably the thing I've missed most during the pandemic (after my interstate family and friends). Had a few performances cancelled over the last 18 months, but I've just been able to rebook Six the Musical and will hopefully soon rebook Hamilton. I'm so excited (and a bit nervous) to go back to the theatre. I've loved Les Mis ever since I first saw it aged 12 or 13, but nowadays I'd probably cite Legally Blonde as my favourite musical, because it's just so fun. The best staging I've ever seen was for Once (the musical based on the film of the same name) - the performers played the role of both characters and band. When they weren't acting, they would sit on chairs around the edges of the stage and play their instruments (or not be on stage at all if not required). The set was based on a bar and they actually let the audience up on stage before the show and at halftime. It's the pandemic cancellation I'm still not over, because it hasn't been rescheduled. Anyone else a musical theatre fan?
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Post by Rosie on Nov 27, 2021 20:12:07 GMT 10
I wouldn’t consider myself a musical theatre fan (I won’t usually seek them out but have friends who arrange trips), but I’ve been to some great shows. I loved Hamilton and Wicked, and I saw a musical adaptation of Twelfth Night which was crazy-good.
I saw Everybody’s Talking About Jamie just before the pandemic, and I would really recommend it. They released a film adaptation of it recently, too.
Went to & Juliet a couple of weeks ago, which is a what if story about Juliet not killing herself in R&J. It was really fun and different, but all the songs were Max Martin’s, and it really could have done with a change of pace during the second act.
I’m dying to see Six, and I’ve got Come from Away booked for January.
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Post by Kypriotha on Nov 28, 2021 13:13:24 GMT 10
I'm dying to see Six, and I’ve got Come from Away booked for January. I just booked Come From Away for February! I'll cry if Six gets cancelled again. The fact I was booking all these shows just as the media here started focusing on the new Covid variant hasn't made me very optimistic. Everybody's Talking About Jamie sounds amazing. I hope it comes here! I had booked to see a local production of Kinky Boots a number of years ago and then got a really bad cold the week of the show and couldn't go. I'm still disappointed by that. Going to give a shout out to Matilda and Strictly Ballroom - really fun musical adaptations of the original stories. Both musicals really capture the vibe of the source material, while also making the show their own.
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Post by wordy on Nov 28, 2021 18:45:47 GMT 10
I enjoy musical theatre but I'm not, like, super involved in it. I was definitely a 'music kid' growing up though, and I watched lots of musicals on tv, played in the school band for musicals, etc.
A couple of the shows I've seen over the years include Wicked, We Will Rock You, The Lion King, The Mikado (with Colin Lane), Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors (one of my favourites, for sure!), Miss Saigon, and Mary Poppins. I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting. I do get a bit envious hearing about all the cool shows that are on Broadway. I think The Addams Family or Beetlejuice would be good to see.
I have to admit I don't really understand a lot of the hype for Hamilton from non-Americans? I haven't listened to the music yet, and haven't seen it, but I have no interest in or knowledge of American history so I sort of feel that it wouldn't appeal to me based on the music alone, if that makes sense?
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Post by MythicMistress on Nov 28, 2021 21:43:36 GMT 10
Hmm... I haven't had much of an opportunity to get into musical theater. I have seen some of my high school's productions (I particularly remember seeing Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, and The Wiz), but nothing professionally done. I'd like to give it more of a chance though.
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Post by Kypriotha on Nov 29, 2021 18:31:01 GMT 10
I have to admit I don't really understand a lot of the hype for Hamilton from non-Americans? I haven't listened to the music yet, and haven't seen it, but I have no interest in or knowledge of American history so I sort of feel that it wouldn't appeal to me based on the music alone, if that makes sense? That makes total sense to me. Two of my closest friends were obsessed with the music when it first came out and would sing it all the time and I just couldn't see the appeal. When I finally saw it on Disney+, it turned out the songs they would sing the most were some of the ones I liked the least, but there were others that I hadn't heard them sing which I quite liked. I think watching it on Disney+ is worth it (if you end up getting it) - the set and staging and costumes and supporting actors are all very good and really add to the show. The main actors are good too (though Lin-Manuel Miranda is definitely the weakest singer of all of them). And there is a range of different music styles, not just rap and hip hop. But as a fellow non-American, just listening to it without seeing it had no appeal to me, and whilst I am happy to see it live, I wasn't as disappointed as my friends when our tickets were cancelled last year.
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Post by Lisa on Nov 29, 2021 23:39:21 GMT 10
I'm a musical theater junkie. I've never participated in the creative side of fandom, but I try to catch as many shows as I can, and I've participated in some at various stages of my life (the most noteworthy was playing in the orchestra pit for Stephen Sondheim's Passion). My ultimate favorites shows are In the Heights, Hadestown, and Ragtime - but there are so many others that I love. I can't promote Six enough, for example. It's just sheer genius in its concept and execution, and I was so lucky to catch it before the shutdowns (in Chicago - it was absolutely tragic that the shutdown began literally on its opening night on Broadway.) Does anyone have a particular favorite composer/lyricist? I Was a huge Boublil-Schoenberg fan growing up, but as an adult I can see that their style didn't get more sophisticated (even while I still enjoy The Pirate Queen and Martin Guerre as much as Les Mis!) I adore Stephen Schwartz's music, but I'm not particularly keen on his lyrics.
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Post by Seek on Nov 30, 2021 2:44:07 GMT 10
Not much of a musical theatre person. I've seen some standard ones, but that's more a function of having had to (or being dragged along) Phantom of the Opera, Notre Dame de Paris, West Side Story, Mama Mia! That being said, I loved the music for most of them so I guess that's something. My ex and I watched Jesus Christ Superstar together, and a buddy and I watched Love Never Dies (HOHOHOHO) and Cats last year when musicals were being released free every week, but those were recordings rather than live.
Still, I hope to catch The Lion King and Les Mis one day.
Hadestown is my absolute favourite in terms of music, though I've never gotten to see the staging, just bits of it.
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mageprincess
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Post by mageprincess on Dec 4, 2021 18:00:49 GMT 10
I freaking love Hamilton, it's definitely become my favourite musical.
Musicals have just always been a part of my life and I love them. Cats has always been my favourite even though Hamilton has probably slightly edged it out now.
My other favourites were an Australian production of a Gilbert & Sullivan trilogy from the 90s. They managed to make modern references and they did amazingly well.
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Post by Lisa on Dec 7, 2021 5:58:27 GMT 10
My other favourites were an Australian production of a Gilbert & Sullivan trilogy from the 90s. They managed to make modern references and they did amazingly well. Oooh, which three G&S shows? I'm a sucker for them (my momma raised me properly!) and the Australian production of Pirates of Penzance from about 10-15 years ago is one of my favorites.
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mageprincess
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Post by mageprincess on Dec 10, 2021 23:24:27 GMT 10
Lisa they did Pirates, The Mikado and Pinafore. Jon English was in them along with a host of well known theatre peeps of the era. They are hysterical and don't take themselves very seriously. They've been redone a couple of times since then but they're never quite as good You can probably get them on DVD still. Simon Gallaher's website released them when Jon English passed away a few years back. It's worth the money.
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Post by Kypriotha on Dec 11, 2021 16:45:50 GMT 10
My other favourites were an Australian production of a Gilbert & Sullivan trilogy from the 90s. They managed to make modern references and they did amazingly well. Oooh, which three G&S shows? I'm a sucker for them (my momma raised me properly!) and the Australian production of Pirates of Penzance from about 10-15 years ago is one of my favorites. Was that the Australian production with Anthony Warlow? He's one of my favourite Australian musical actors and I know he did a tour of Pirates of Penzance at some point in the 2000s! Going back to your earlier question, I don't really have a favourite composer/lyricist - I don't think I've seen enough of any one person's productions to really get to know them (apart from ALW and he's definitely not my favourite!). On a slightly related note though (since they have done some musicals, I just don't think I've seen any of them), I've always adored Alan Menken and Howard Ashman as a writing partnership.
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Post by Lisa on Dec 13, 2021 14:24:30 GMT 10
Yep! The Anthony Warlow production is the one I speak of! His Pirate King is a little Jack Sparrow influenced, because he was consciously trying to tap into a fresher/younger take on the Pirate King at that time. The Menken/Ashman duo is phenomenal. They were the kind of composer-lyricist team where I’m not sure which part is more important to me as a listener. Kander & Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago) are similar in that regard.
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