# What are your favorite Broadway musicals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286 "2001-06-27T05:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/1 "2001-06-27T05:31:11Z")
**The Music Man** with Robert Preston is my all time fave. Con-man story, innovative music, and a barbershop quartet. Gotta love it. Also contained the only show tune the Beatles ever recorded: “Til There Was You”. **Anything Goes** , one of Cole Porter’s shows. It was the first show I ever performed in, so it holds special appeal for me. I’ve always loved the catchy tunes in this one. Haven’t yet seen **The Producers** , but from what I’ve heard I’m guessing it would make my list instantly. Which ones do you like? You don’t have to have seen them in person - the movie version counts. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/2 "2001-06-27T05:38:52Z")
Hmmmm. I’m really not wild about _The Music Man,_ although I had fun when I was in it (despite the always-perilous march around the piano). I know I’m in a minority there. Anyway, shows I like… _Les Misérables Camelot My Fair Lady The Sound of Music_ (if I’m in the right mood – and again, performing in it was lots of fun) _Jesus Christ Superstar Rent Into the Woods_ (which my high school almost staged my senior year, then decided it wouldn’t be accessible enough. Bastards. [We did Music Man instead.]) ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/3 "2001-06-27T05:40:57Z")
_Jesus Christ Superstar_ _Into The Woods_ _Assassins_ _Tomfoolery_ _Les Miserables_ Then again, I’m queer. 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/4 "2001-06-27T05:49:27Z")
I need to check out _Assassins_ one of these days – all of my friends who are into musical theater rave about it. (There was a production at U of Mich last fall – I know one of the cast members – but I had something or other going on that weekend and didn’t get to see it…) ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/5 "2001-06-27T05:57:14Z")
Les Miserables Cats Camelot The Phantom of the Opera Fiddler on the Roof Grease I only saw the top three on Broadway though. I’ve seen a few others as they made their way through Dallas or Houston, but those are my favorites. I can’t wait to go back someday. I’d like to see Suessical, The Producer’s and Evita. Humming showtunes now, Abby ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/6 "2001-06-27T06:43:33Z")
My favorites are Le Mis and Cats. Off broadway, it was West Side Story. ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/7 "2001-06-27T07:49:46Z")
_She Loves Me_ is a small-scale charming musical by Bock and Harnick, the people who went on to write _Fiddler On The Roof_. It’s set in Europe in a small perfume store, and the basic plot is the same as _You’ve Got Mail_. But the attention paid to all the characters, who work in the shop, each of whom gets a shining moment and memorable solo, makes it a delightful well-rounded gem of a show. Most famous songs: She Loves Me, Vanilla Ice Cream, Dear Friend. Barbara Cook had a personal triumph in the role, and I saw it performed here in Melbourne Oz last year, during a very limited season. That’s my favourite. Thanks for asking **Grok**! Redboss ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/8 "2001-06-27T10:43:09Z")
Never seen anything on Broadway (but there’s hope!), only local and tour. _Candide West Side Story Sweeney Todd A Little Night Music The Wiz Cabaret Chicago Mame_ ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/9 "2001-06-27T13:47:06Z")
Phantom of the Opera Les Miserables Jeckyl & Hyde The King & I Chicago How to Succeed in Business… The Sound of Music Into the Woods Guys & Dolls Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Mame ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/10 "2001-06-27T15:46:14Z")
I would kill to see Anna Held in “The Parisian Model” (1906), with numbers like “A Gown for Each Hour of the Day,” “I Just Can’t Make My Eyes Behave,” the early rag “La Mattchiche,” and the naughty “Bells” number where the chorus girls had bells attached to their legs and kicked out the tune. I also love the “Princess” shows of the 'teens, by Wodehouse, Botlon, Kern, Gershwin: “Oh, Kay!,” “Lady, be Good,” “Very Good Eddie,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![Gamelan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d07c76/32.png) [@Gamelan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamelan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/11 "2001-06-27T16:13:21Z")
Inventive music, tongue-in-cheek, politically aware… Hair By far my favorite ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/12 "2001-06-27T16:18:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by screech-owl \* > \*\* > \* > Cabaret > > * * * I dig this one, too. I saw a touring production about a year or so ago with, of all people, Lea Thompson as Sally Bowles. And she was _great_. She did a better British accent than Natasha Richardson did. And she’s SO much cuter than Liza Minelli. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/13 "2001-06-27T17:33:00Z")
Chicago (saw this here in DC with Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys from \*Star Trek:Deep Space Nine[i/]) and Vicki Lewis (_Newsradio, Three Sisters_, Robert Urich playing Billy Flynn–FABulous! Guys and Dolls Rent Hedwig and the Angry Inch (coming to a theater near you July 10) Kiss of the Spider Woman (GREAT Kander and Ebb score) Pippin Jekyll and Hyde ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/14 "2001-06-27T19:28:37Z")
Sweeney Todd Chorus Line A Little Night Music … and many others too numerous to list, inluding some pretty obscure ones. (Obnoxious nitpick to follow: Assassins was not a _Broadway_ musical. It only ran OB. Hey, I need some excuse to mention that I was one of the privedged few to see the original off-Broadway NY production before it closed.) ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/15 "2001-06-27T21:28:15Z")
B’way: Rent, Les Miserables, Gypsy Off B’way: The Last Session ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/16 "2001-06-27T21:32:59Z")
My votes: Les Miserables (#1) Fiddler on the Roof (#2) Into the Woods (#3) Now, if only I could get tickets to see The Producers before the end of the decade… :sigh: Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/17 "2001-06-27T22:12:34Z")
I haven’t seen either one but I love the music and I’m bound and determined to see them eventually Les Misérables and Rent Kitty ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/18 "2001-06-27T23:47:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grok \* > **Anything Goes, one of Cole Porter’s shows. It was the first show I ever performed in, so it holds special appeal for me. I’ve always loved the catchy tunes in this one.** My first as well… played Sir Evelyn Oakleigh. Had to be onstage in just my boxers, a t-Shirt, socks and garters. AND with shaving cream on my face. Fun show. **Rent**? BLEAH! Wouldn’t have lasted a year on B-way if the author hadn’t died right before opening. Other Faves? **Guys & Dolls** (another one I’ve been in, played Nicely-Nicely Johnson), **1776** , **Oklahoma** (if only for ‘Poor Jud is Dead’), **A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum** , **Into The Woods** , and **Jesus Christ Superstar** ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/19 "2001-06-28T00:50:50Z")
**On the Twentieth Century** : I’ve never seen it, but judging from the cast album, it must have been one of the funniest musicals ever made. Madeline Kahn doing “Veronique” alone can get a laugh from me. And with John Cullum (sp) playing opposite her…I’d kill for a bootleg video of a performance. **Guys and Dolls** : Perhaps the _perfect_ Broadway musical. The songs, story and dancing come together in a perfect, cohesive whole. Loesser’s masterpiece. **Pippin** : Ben Verene(sp) is stunning in this musical and steals every scene. Except the one that “Granny” from the Beverly Hillbillies (Irene Ryan) steals) **Blondel** : Again, I’m judging from the cast album. From the opening moment when four monks, in perfect barbershop harmony sing “Bu-bu-buh, Bu-Benidictus” (a la the Beach Boy’s “Barbara Ann”) to the song that contains an acrostic in the lyrics, to the “No Rhyme for Richard” song, it’s brilliant. I don’t know why it failed. Funny, good songs, witty…sigh. (Ok, this one’s a West End musical, but I refuse to be America-centric) **West Side Story, Gypsy and The Music Man** : A few more perfect musicals where everything just meshes seamlessly. **How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying** : If pressed to choose my single favorite musical ever, this would it. Morse’s performance was stunning, Reilly was a perfect foil and there’s something so…charming about it. and **Eating Raoul** : Never been staged AFIK, but it was recorded as a concept album and if I were rich, I’d become an impressaio just so I could fund a stage-version on Broadway. How can anyone _not_ love a musical with lyrics like: _Mary Bland (trying to decide who’s skull to stave in (“bop”) with a cast iron skillet):_ It could not last, It was me who I was foolin’ The time has come I’ve got to chose my man Am I gonna bop Paul Or do I do Raoul in? My destiny lies in this frying pan! \ One Bop, one last bop I can throw away the handcuffs and the riding crop One bop, one bop It’s over. I may never have sex again If I bop my sexy Mexican… \< ahem \> Now, if you’ll 'scuse me, I’m gonna go listen to some albums. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286/20 "2001-06-28T01:49:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lawoot \* > My first as well… played Sir Evelyn Oakleigh. Had to be onstage in just my boxers, a t-Shirt, socks and garters. AND with shaving cream on my face. Fun show. > \*\* I played Sir Evelyn too! We should start a support group. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-broadway-musicals/70286.md?page=2)