# If you want to turn somone on to a musical (theater stage) what is the best choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** theater-stage-dance\ **Created:** [May 24, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748 "2025-05-24T13:29:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/61 "2025-05-25T14:26:38Z")
Is it the music you do not like? Or the story? Both? Just hate theater in general (I know some do)? Something else? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/62 "2025-05-25T14:56:00Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > The King and I. When I was a kid around 1980 or so, we were on vacation in Florida and my parents got us tickets to see The King and I with Yul Brynner starring. I did NOT want to go, and attended over the protests of my 10 year old self. It was **AMAZING**. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/63 "2025-05-25T14:59:11Z")
I like non-musical theater more than musical theater, in general. I really like live theater, especially small shows where i can sit close to the actors. i find that very engaging. I don’t like the hokey stories of a lot of “traditional” musicals. And I just don’t love the music, so it’s an interruption. I think i like musical numbers better when they are accompanied by dancing. Maybe I’m just more visual? I liked Pippin, which my grandmother took me to see when i was a little too young. (The sex scene was shocking, and also, i enjoyed it.) I really like “Jesus Christ, Superstar”. I loved “Les Miserables”, and enjoyed “Hamilton”. I didn’t enjoy “the Phantom of the Opera”, but i saw a mediocre version. I disliked “Cats”. I hated some things about trains that my parents took me to because it was the only show they could get tickets to. Ot, that was actually painful to sit through. I was in the chorus for an elementary school production of “the music man”, which may have spoiled it for me. I don’t hate it, but i wouldn’t go out of my way to see it. Anyway, i think you need to think about what kinds of fiction you’re friend likes, and what kinds of music, and pick something accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/64 "2025-05-25T14:59:55Z")
I was one of the kids in a community theater rendition of _The King and I_. I completely fell in love with the woman playing Anna. (And by “in love” keep in mind I was eight years old at the time…so whatever that is…some kind of infatuation I guess.) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/65 "2025-05-25T15:55:01Z")
Maybe read the Matilda lyrics while listening to the soundtrack before you see the show. Because the lyrics, especially the School Song, are VERY clever - the alphabet is hidden in the lyrics. “And so you think you’re A-ble To survive this mess by B-eing a prince or a princess You will soon SEE There’s no escaping trageDEE” ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/66 "2025-05-25T16:45:07Z")
Well, I’ve always loved musicals. And I grew up watching musicals that were older than I am. We didn’t have a lot of money so going out to the movies was a maybe a couple of times a year treat. But old movies were everywhere on TV then. I adored the 30s musicals. So much glamour! And a lot of humor. Although the _Lullaby of Broadway_ number in _The Gold Diggers of 1935_ was really dark. I loved it. I loved all of them. Well, some were a little hokey, but I was a kid. The first professional live play I saw was when I was a junior or sophomore in high school. At the Music Center in L.A. _Man of La Mancha._ Does anyone revive this one anymore? Lots of drama and great songs. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/67 "2025-05-25T20:36:30Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I think of this whenever some person drives by with their car speaker volume turned to 11. A day will come when they regret that. Whereas I always regret it that very day. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/68 "2025-05-25T21:20:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I was hoping maybe there was a show that would engage their interest. That’s what I was thinking about when I recommended **Chicago**. The story is fun and compelling, the choreography is superb, and the songs, every last one of them, are winners. The show would be worth it for any one of those three elements. It just works on every level. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/69 "2025-05-25T21:52:14Z")
I only like two musicals. Yankee Doodle Dandy, because James Cagney. And Damn Yankees, having grown up a Washington Senators fan. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/70 "2025-05-25T22:44:52Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > my parents got us tickets to see The King and I with Yul Brynner starring. I did NOT want to go, and attended over the protests of my 10 year old self. It was **AMAZING**. One of the small satisfactions in my life is that I saw _The King and I_ with Yul Brenner and _Cabaret_ with Joel Grey, years apart of course. When I was about ten I saw TKaI in the round. At the beginning of the second act when the wives were getting inspected in their hoop skirts prior to the state dinner, they were running down the aisle, stopping at a mid-point where the Kralahome gave them a once-over, and they’d continue onto the stage. There were two old ladies who’d been slow getting back to their seats in the aisle. They were nearly bowled over by the performers. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/71 "2025-05-25T23:14:52Z")
> [@glee](#): > > And ‘42nd Street’ has this opening mass tap dance: > > [Opening Tap Number of 42ND STREET](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkUCYlr7r44) I like that one of the chorus boys is fat. But, alas, he appears not to be wearing a dance belt. Of the two mentioned in this post, I would vote Guys and Dolls over 42nd Street. The latter has been copied and morphed so many times that it is now unfortunately one big cliché. Guys and Dolls is _sui generis_ still, 75 years after its premiere. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/72 "2025-05-26T11:46:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > - Pirates of Penzance > - Wicked > - Mamma Mia > - Little Shop of Horrors Not to threadshit, but I **hate** _Pirates of Penzance_ and _Little Shop of Horrors_. I have no idea why I hate _Pirates_ so much-- _Little Shop_ I hate because I love the original film so much, and the musical has the wrong feel to me. The film may be low budget, but it is still very creepy. The musical pokes fun at it. If you were trying to turn me on to music theater, and took me to one of those two, it would backfire. I like the suggestion of _The Music Man_. That show is so damn infectious that even half-way good local productions are fun. I even saw a school production with students ranging in age from 10-16, and it was great. Personally, if you’d taken me to _Cabaret_ as my first musical, that would have done it, but that show is not for everyone. Which brings me to my main point: I don’t think there is a definitive answer. It’s going to depend on your friend. I would recommend _against_ something based on a movie he likes, and also make sure he doesn’t hate disco before going to _Mamma Mia_ (a show I like). If he hates period pieces, _The Music Man_ might not be so good, but otherwise, it’s still on my list-- although if it happens he loved ABBA, go to _Mamma Mia_. There are so many shows out there, though. _Li’l Abner_ isn’t the greatest show, but it does manage to capture the spirit of the strip, so if he liked that strip (and is that old-- I’m pulling an example out of the air), that would be a good show, but otherwise, not so much. Does he like sentiment, or hate it? like comedy? heavy drama? what’s his favorite straight show? like I said, no definitive answer. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/73 "2025-05-26T12:01:08Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _The Music Man_. Impossible to dislike: Allow me to prove you wrong. I still have nightmares of that little kid repeating “Amaryllith, Amaryllith…” I’ll suggest _In the Heights_ for the thread: lots of bops, great dancing, clever wordplay, and characters you are rooting for. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/74 "2025-05-26T15:25:53Z")
I’m a big fan of _Guys and Dolls_, because I worked on it in high school. I think the songs are great, and very memorable, but the show is pretty old, and may seem dated. All the other ones listed so far (except for the spectacular _Hamilton)_, are also pretty old. We saw two musicals last year that were fairly recent- _[The Adams Family](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Addams_Family_(musical))_, and _[Seussical](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seussical)_. They are both very lighthearted and fun, and feel a bit more modern. BTW- I’m a big G&S fan, and I think that Pirates is great, but some of the lesser-performed ones (like Iolanthe) are better. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/75 "2025-05-26T16:29:10Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > I only like two musicals. Yankee Doodle Dandy, because James Cagney. And Damn Yankees, having grown up a Washington Senators fan. _Damn Yankees!_ This is probably only available as the movie version, but it’s great. It’s definitely more of an anti-musical musical, because even though it has the romance and the songs, it’s really about baseball. And the songs are so catchy and funny. And it’s hard not to get caught up in the infectious energy of _Shoeless Joe._ Rae Allen performed it perfectly, and the baseball choreography was very well done. Side fact: she was the unemployment counselor that George went to in _Seinfeld_ (whose daughter he dated in an attempt to butter her mother up). Also, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, and Tab Hunter were top notch. Fosse did the choregraphy – another plus – and performed _Wno’s Got the Pain?_ with Verdon. One of my favorite numbers. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/76 "2025-05-26T19:09:39Z")
The family used to watch this every time it was on, but it’s been a long time. Is it Ron Howard (Opie), and what the heck is he trying to say? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/77 "2025-05-26T19:15:42Z")
> [@saucywench](#): > > Is it Ron Howard (Opie), and what the heck is he trying to say? It _is_ Ron Howard playing Winthrop, and he’s trying to pronounce the name of a girl, Amaryllis, who takes music lessons from his sister Marian. Because Winthrop has a lisp, he mispronounces the name as “Amaryllith.” ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/78 "2025-05-26T19:37:07Z")
Thank you. I remembered the character had a speech impediment. Funny acting by Ron a little kid trying to fake that. Sometimes it was like he was blowing raspberries. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/79 "2025-05-26T21:47:06Z")
Maybe there should be a list of musicals that a neophyte should **NOT** watch. I’ll start: _Guys and Dolls_ has the impressive Fugue and Sit Down songs, and Luck Be a Lady Tonight, but it’s tough going after that. The accents. Singing mobsters, really? What’s a soup kitchen band? Why go to Cuba? It’s quite unrelatable, and really long. I personally like it; I’ve seen it enough times that I can recite it, since I’ve played in the pit crew. But not for a beginner. _Sound of Music_ sure has the great songs, but the movie has certainly made it unlikely that it’s a new experience for most people. I’ve seen it on stage, and it felt claustrophic, compared to the film. _Music Man_ has great songs, but it really helps to know Meredith Willson’s background. Depending on the age of your audience, the sing-song opening song, while impressive, will seem weird, unless you compare it to _Hamilton_, as an early example of rapping. Again, if you’ve seen the movie, the stage version will feel small. Unlike Guys and Dolls, it doesn’t seem as dated. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > _Little Shop_ I hate because I love the original film so much, and the musical has the wrong feel to me. The film may be low budget, but it is still very creepy. The musical pokes fun at it. You’ve got that backwards: the off-Broadway run was in 1982, and the film 1986. _Little Shop_ is about perfect as a stage play, even with the downer ending. The film went for the happy ending, which is OK too. But it’s a fun ride. (And try the original Roger Corman version, with Jack Nicholson as the dentist.) I’d recommend _Oklahoma_: great songs, some fun moments, and cowboys doing ballet! You really need to know your audience, so if they like singing/dancing cowboys, go for it. > [@Eric1](#): > > I’d like to put forth Into the Woods. The folktales context has always seemed easy to reach for my middle school nephews. It is a little slow after intermission but at least reachable. This is an interesting possibility: watch the student version! The kid’s version of _Into the Woods_ ends after the first act, which is where all the best songs are; it feels complete in itself. (We saw the full version on stage, and the ushers had to stop people from leaving during intermission, since there’s more to the story.) The good thing about kid’s versions is that they’re short! Can you find a good high school or summer drama camp? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748/80 "2025-05-26T21:56:54Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > You’ve got that backwards: the off-Broadway run was in 1982, and the film 1986. @RivkahChaya may be referring to the [original, non-musical 1960 film](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054033/), directed by Roger Corman, on which the stage musical (and, thus, the 1986 film) was based. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-want-to-turn-somone-on-to-a-musical-theater-stage-what-is-the-best-choice/1018748.md?page=5)