Musicals. Recommend me some!

[Delle]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the best film musical of all time ever. West Side Story. The songs are amazing (though you should never watch this with me, because I feel obliged to sing and top C is definitely no longer my friend), the story is beautiful (I cry every time, in fact, I've been known to put just the last few minutes of the film on when I've wanted to cry but haven't been able to) and the choreography is incredibly tight (try pausing when they jump in Cool. You can draw a line under their feet). Oh, and you mentioned Sondheim. He wrote the lyrics (though not the music, which was Bernstein - I wish I'd known this when I was 13, our music teacher told us Sondheim wrote the only good musicals, when we were talking about Lloyd Webber and Les Mis).

I also really like Fiddler on the Roof, but I know Crystal can't stand that one.

If you're going to watch the original Hairspray, you should also pair it with the other John Waters musical classic, Cry Baby. We were discussing that one at the weekend (which concluded with my sister and I planning to buy my mum a ticket to Hairspray for Christmas). That I only remember one line of one song probably doesn't speak well for its music content, but it is great fun and highly cheesy. Plus, very young Johnny Depp! Complete with full chest sized tattoo!

Oh, and Mamma Mia comes out on 24 November. Not that the date is seared into my mind or anything.

[Gandalf]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the best film musical of all time ever. West Side Story.

D'oh! I did mean to put that down, but must have forgotten.

Oh, and Mamma Mia comes out on 24 November. Not that the date is seared into my mind or anything.

I'm glad you know about that. I meant to tell you, but I forgot. (I have an awful memory, in case you haven't noticed!)

[CassyLee]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the best film musical of all time ever. West Side Story.

Doh! I meant to include that one too. I do love that one.[/quote]

I also really like Fiddler on the Roof, but I know Crystal can't stand that one.

I have minor problems with the film (mostly I think it drags a little at times), but I love the music and I think the overall story is wonderful. There are some musicals where I feel the film version isn't as wonderful as the songs & story deserve (among them Camelot, Fiddler, and most egregiously, Finian's Rainbow) - I should really seek out stage versions to see if I will ever be as happy with a production of the show as I am with my Broadway cast recordings .

If you're going to watch the original Hairspray, you should also pair it with the other John Waters musical classic, Cry Baby.

I assume you're aware that they're making a stage version of Cry Baby now . I can't wait - although I hope they keep some of the songs (at least the two I remember ).

[costello_girl]

Oh my dear, this post could take all night!

Seriously. But let me try to give you a bit of a start!

Original Cast Recordings: Here is my list of my favourite musicals of all time:

Sunday in the Park with George (Best Musical EVER)
Evita
Gypsy
Guys and Dolls
Les Miserables
Sweeney Todd
The Music Man
The Fantasticks
Falsettos
West Side Story
The King and I
A Chorus Line
I prefer the Original Broadway Cast recordings with the exception of The King and I, although the new Gypsy is quite good.

The only ones worth seeing on film are West Side, The King and I, Music Man and Evita. The original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park is available on DVD as well and is worth seeing.

The best Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is probably South Pacific. There is a new cast recording out that sounds perfectly wonderful. I also have a secret passion for Carousel, the music is gorgeous, but the plot line is a bit problematic: wife beater really just doesn't know how to show his love...meh.

The Disney stuff is hit or miss on stage. Beauty and the Beast actually improves on the original, the additional music adds to the whole story. The Lion King is an amazing production, but the music is really just so so. The Little Mermaid is a huge disappointment!

My most current obsessions are In the Heights, which won the Tony this year for Best Musical, and Legally Blonde: the Musical, which simply makes me very, very happy. I also just bought the new recording of Gypsy-- it's excellent!

As for Sondheim, obviously, I am a fan. A good start might be either Into the Woods or A Little Night Music, which are both wonderful and would probably be in my top ten, except I really needed it to not be ALL Sondheim ALL the time! Once you're hooked, you will always find something to love in a Sondheim musical, but there are special pleasures in store with my top two, as well as Assassins. The most recent recording of Assassins also has the added bonus of Neil Patrick Harris in the role of the Balladeer.

Lloyd Webber is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I consider him to be fluff compared to the important stuff. Still, I still get teary-eyed over The Phantom, despite myself. And I never get tired of singing along with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat.
Must see film musicals are as follows:

Old Hollywood style:
Singing in the Rain
An American in Paris
On The Town
Easter Parade
The Bandwagon

Classic Musical style:
Funny Girl
The King and I
The Music Man
Hairspray

Modern-style:
Chicago
Moulin Rouge

In short, you have many joys ahead of you!

[costello_girl]

A few more musicals I thought of last night:

Once on This Island: a wonderful re-telling of the Little Mermaid, set in the Caribbean

The Secret Garden: this is based on my favourite children's book, so you know that I have high expectations! It delivers. I love this musical.

My Fair Lady: an absolute classic. The original Broadway cast (Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews) cannot be beat!

City of Angels: face-paced, funny and very, very clever! Be sure to get the synopsis, so you understand what is going on.

[Inge]

Besides the other great musicals people have mentioned, I like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The songs are very catchy.

[CassyLee]

... the plot line is a bit problematic: wife beater really just doesn't know how to show his love...meh.

Yeah, that is my biggest problem with that musical. I probably should look for a good cast recording & try it. I've always avoided it before because when I come across it at a store I automatically think 'wifebeater - yuck' instead of remembering that I like some of the songs & might actually enjoy them as a set without the storyline interfering.

[costello_girl]

I understand that the 1994 Broadway Cast recording of Carousel is phenomenal! I think I may have to add it to my Amazon Wish list, myself.

[tinkcat]

Besides the other great musicals people have mentioned, I like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The songs are very catchy.

Oh, I have to agree! I grew up in Texas and this was the first R-rated movie I ever saw. It's silly and fun and I just love it.

[Gandalf]

You should also check out The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I don't think anyone's mentioned that yet). It's so much fun, and Tim Curry is strangely alluring in it!