# Lovers of musicals check in here! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443 "2004-06-21T14:31:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/61 "2004-06-23T19:17:07Z")
Thought of a couple Musical Revue suggestions for **Dung Beetle** : [Stage Door Canteen](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036384/combined) and [Hollywood Canteen](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036922/combined). I see the former is on DVD while the latter is VHS only. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/62 "2004-06-23T19:21:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > …Sound of Music (and “Something Good,” in the gazebo scene, is awesome). > > - One of the albums currently in very heavy rotation chez twicks is Caetano Veloso’s _A Foreign Sound_, the Brazilian superstar’s first all-English CD. (It opens, BTW, with “The Carioca,” from **Flying Down to Rio** , but I digress.) There is a lot of seriously wonderful stuff on the album, but one of the absolute highlights for me is his version of “Something Good.” _“But here you are, standing there loving me, whether or not you should…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/63 "2004-06-23T19:29:07Z")
Thanks **Jeff** (and everyone)…I’m making a list. I also wanted to nominate How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I saw it as a stage production and it blew me away. The movie version didn’t work because the actor who played the main character was just revolting! Some good songs, though. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/64 "2004-06-23T23:36:37Z")
Psst – we’re starting an SDMB film club for musicals lovers over [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=263036). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/65 "2004-06-23T23:57:00Z")
I love musicals; I’ve just got back from an excellent performance of _Guys & Dolls_ by the Southampton Operatic Society - truly fantastic - the only very slight flaw was that not everybody pulled off very convincing accents in the spoken parts, but I’m more than willing to forgive that in the light of the tight choreography, the excellent comic timing and generally brilliant dinging. I also recently saw _Cats_ at the Southampton Mayflower and was so impressed, I may try to catch the tour again when it comes back down to Wimbledon. Three quarters of my DVD collection comprises musicals - from _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_ to _Fiddler On The Roof_. I’ve also performed in a couple and I’d really like to do more (I have one scheduled for the Autumn); if I had more spare time, I think I’d be trying to join some regular group or something. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/66 "2004-06-24T02:32:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > …I’m more than willing to forgive that in the light of the tight choreography, the excellent comic timing and generally brilliant dinging. You know, nothing spoils my enjoyment of a musical more than sub-par dinging. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/67 "2004-06-24T07:47:23Z")
Ooops. _Singing_, obviously (although the dinging wasn’t entirely bad either). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/68 "2004-06-24T12:00:00Z")
Since we’re defining musicals somewhat loosely here, I’d like to add one of my favorites: _The Blues Brothers_. The songs may not be original, and the style of the movie - action-comedy - isn’t really traditional “musical”, but how many musicals can boast performances from Aretha, Ray Charles and James Brown? ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/69 "2004-06-24T13:44:07Z")
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the film version of THE KING & I (Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr). I loved that film. . . and never failed to burst into tears during “Shall We Dance.” Yul Brynner had to be the sexiest screen god ever, in the day. I just saw EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU the other night on HBO and I’ve got to cast the disagreeing vote here. It sucked. Big time. The singers couldn’t sing. They seemed self-conscious through the whole mess. Awful. Awful. Awful. (Except for the last Goldie Hawn, Woody Allen scenes with wire work along the Seine.) I am still blown away by ALL THAT JAZZ, CHICAGO and tons of others. And for those who have trouble with WEST SIDE STORY, consider the era in which it was made. They were simpler times. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/70 "2004-06-24T14:24:04Z")
A Musical lover checking in here. I prefer to see a musical live rather than on film because when everything clicks into place on stage, when the actors actually develop a synergy, the adrenaline washes out to the audience in a way that can never be duplicated by film. Some films do come close though, like **Chicago** recently. I found the AFI Top 100 Songs interesting and a great conversation starter. Everyone has an opinion, which is the reason these lists are put out … to stimulate interest in films. Favorite Musical: **West Side Story** ---
**Author:** ![Bamboo\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@Bamboo\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bamboo_Boy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/71 "2004-06-24T22:04:04Z")
Though not really family fare, I HAVE to mention that South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was also a musical! And a brilliant one at that! The “La Resistance” medley starts out parodying the cheesy “Miss Saigon” style and ends up being an homage to West Side Story, both musically and visually! And Satan’s song is a dead ringer for a cheesy Disney ballad. Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/72 "2004-06-25T02:48:36Z")
To summarize (and to add on…): **On Broadway:** Wicked Avenue Q Urine Town Boy from Oz The Producers Hedwig and the Angry Inch Aida Lion King **From the Stage:** Oklahoma! Jesus Christ, Superstar Godspell 1776 Thoroughly Modern Millie Pajama Game How To Succeed in Business The Music Man The Wiz Threepenny Opera Caberet Showboat The King and I My Fair Lady Camelot Hello, Dolly! Brigadoon The Sound of Music Cats Evita Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Chicago Miss Saigon Guys and Dolls Flower Drum Song Pippin Oliver! Little Shop of Horrors Bye, Bye, Birdie Kiss Me, Kate Candide Company Into the Woods Assassins Sunday in the Park with George A Little Night Music Sweeny Todd A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Gypsy Carousel Phantom of the Opera A Chorus Line Annie The Fantasticks Grease **From the Movies:** An American in Paris West Side Story Singing in the Rain Wizard of Oz Paint Your Wagon Neptune’s Daughter Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Summer Stock Meet Me in St. Louis The Harvey Girls Easter Parade On the Town Anchors Aweigh Paint Your Wagon Nashville South Park: BLU Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Parapluies de Cherbourg, Les) Robert and Elizabeth Victor/Victoria Everyone Says I Love You Tommy The Wall **Stage and Movies (young and old) that, ahem, _appropriate_ songs to create a Musical:** Moulin Rouge Movin’ Out Momma Mia Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band All That Jazz Gold Diggers of 19XX 42nd Street Top Hat Footlight Parade ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/73 "2004-06-25T03:25:04Z")
Chicago is my favorite musical, far and away. I love the era, the music, the costuming, and especially the subversiveness of the story–there are no “heroes,” no love story, and the theme of infamy being interchangeable with celebrity is just as appropriate today as ever. Plus, the movie is probably the sexiest non-porno movie I’ve ever seen, and everyone in the cast did an amazing job. (Funny story: a bunch of kids I went to law school with saw it, and hated it because it “portrayed lawyers in a negative light.” I loved it for that reason!) I liked Moulin Rouge but didn’t love it–my complaint is that by choosing recognizable snippets of popular songs, Luhrmann missed the point of a musical by not allowing the songs themselves to be more meaningful to the story. The actors were very good in it, but to me, it felt like one of those commercials for “Greatest Hits” compilation albums that plays you five-second hooks from songs (usually just the title being sung) and nothing more. I have great love for Little Shop Of Horrors, and was overjoyed to find a used DVD copy for $4.99 at a Gamestop store. Probably some teenager bought it, expecting a horror movie, and traded it in at the store, aghast that he bought a MUSICAL and worried that he might turn gay. :dubious: It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I still get a kick out of it every time. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut has yet to be recognized as one of the greatest comedies of the last 20 years, an intelligent and scathing satire on morality and censorship, and a terrific musical with wonderful and witty songs. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are musicians and songwriters, and they “get” what musical numbers should be about. The Simpsons, which South Park is always (unfairly) compared to, has never done a musical sequence that even comes close to South Park, IMO. Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You was in many ways a failed experiment, but I give Woody credit for trying out a genre he obviously enjoys. Plus, I was impressed by the singing of two of my favorite actors, Edward Norton and Tim Roth. Other than that, I like Fiddler On the Roof and Singin’ In the Rain. Donald O’Connor was awesome, and Gene Kelly was the greatest… a man’s man, so much cooler than Fred Astaire. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/74 "2004-06-25T04:26:51Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Gene Kelly was the greatest… a man’s man,… Oh, in so many ways. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/75 "2004-06-25T11:53:55Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Oh, in so many ways. :eek: Really? I feel so naive… Is everyone else looking forward to the opening of **[De-Lovely](http://imdb.com/title/tt0352277/)** next weekend as much as I am? Kevin Kline, Jonathan Pryce, and a songlist to die for. There was a quote in a magzine (sorry, don’t recall which one) from one of the young singers (sorry, don’t recall which one, but it might have been Alanis Morisette) saying, “You know, I think people are going to be surprised at how many of the songs they know.” No, you wet-behind-the-ears little twit, the target audience worships Cole Porter and knows _exactly_ what songs he wrote. (BTW, who is this John Barryman who’s singing _Night and Day_?) Gotta figure out now which of my suitors I’ll allow to escort me to this next weekend… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/76 "2004-06-25T14:13:04Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Oh, in so many ways. Does that mean what I think it means? Is that a joke? I’ve never heard any allegations like that before. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/77 "2004-06-25T14:47:14Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Is everyone else looking forward to the opening of **[De-Lovely](http://imdb.com/title/tt0352277/)** next weekend as much as I am? Kevin Kline, Jonathan Pryce, and a songlist to die for. Gotta figure out now which of my suitors I’ll allow to escort me to this next weekend… 😉 I am! I am!! And if you have a leftover suitor, send the boy my way!! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/78 "2004-06-30T15:40:48Z")
Just remembered another oddball musical for **Dung Beetle** : [Bugsy Malone](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074256/combined). ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/79 "2004-06-30T15:48:46Z")
Thanks! And thank you, **moriah** , for the list! ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443/80 "2004-06-30T19:03:01Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > :eek: Really? I feel so naive… > > Is everyone else looking forward to the opening of **[De-Lovely](http://imdb.com/title/tt0352277/)** next weekend as much as I am? Kevin Kline, Jonathan Pryce, and a songlist to die for. There was a quote in a magzine (sorry, don’t recall which one) from one of the young singers (sorry, don’t recall which one, but it might have been Alanis Morisette) saying, “You know, I think people are going to be surprised at how many of the songs they know.” No, you wet-behind-the-ears little twit, the target audience worships Cole Porter and knows _exactly_ what songs he wrote. (BTW, who is this John Barryman who’s singing _Night and Day_?) > > Gotta figure out now which of my suitors I’ll allow to escort me to this next weekend… 😉 LOL. Am so looking forward to it. May make it a double feature and see the Stepford Wives too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovers-of-musicals-check-in-here/251443.md?page=5)