C'mon. 'Fess up.

[intheflow]

You have a favorite musical. I can't be the only freak in DU who likes musicals.

I was brought up on MGM and Broadway musicals. At various times my favorites have been White Christmas (B&W version), The Music Man (original with Shirley Jones & Robert Preston, not that recent Matthew Broderick POS), Yellow Submarine, Fame (movie, not tv show), and Guys and Dolls.

However, I saw a musical when I was 12 in 1976: 1776. I absolutely loved it at the time, but soon forgot it as I grew up and moved on to Little Shop of Horrors and A Chorus Line. Yet now, 29 years later--and fifteen years after I rejected all musicals as shallow and meaningless--I have rediscovered 1776. It's an interesting interpretation of the events that lead to the drafting and passing of the Declaration of Independence in the Continental Congress. The songs are catchy, the drama well acted (although the camera angles and editing get funky at times in this '70's movie).

So c'mon. Don't leave me hanging here, a lone voice in a sea of people who hate Streisand and Garland. 'Fess up: what's your favorite musical?

[progmom]

1. West Side Story

My Fair Lady
Music Man

[AwakeAtLast]

2. Those would be mine, too!

I also have a place in my heart for Mary Poppins, too. I loved that as a child.

[intheflow]

10. How could I have forgotten West Side Story?!

A Boy Like That Would Kill Your Brother, Officer Krupke! I Feel Pretty, America!

Great pick. I like the dance scene where they sing America best, though the Jets and the Sharks dance scenes are beautifully choreographed.

[Abelman]

18. I love My Fair Lady

but I also love Audrey Hepburn. Rowr.

[kwassa]

53. Officer Krupke, I'm down on my knees

http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/lyrics/krupke.html

ACTION
Dear kindly Sergeant Krupke,
You gotta understand,
It's just our bringin' up-ke
That gets us out of hand.
Our mothers all are junkies,
Our fathers all are drunks.
Golly Moses, natcherly we're punks!

ACTION AND JETS
Gee, Officer Krupke, we're very upset;
We never had the love that ev'ry child oughta get.
We ain't no delinquents,
We're misunderstood.
Deep down inside us there is good!

ACTION
There is good!

ALL
There is good, there is good,
There is untapped good!
Like inside, the worst of us is good!

SNOWBOY: (Spoken) That's a touchin' good story.

ACTION: (Spoken) Lemme tell it to the world!

SNOWBOY: Just tell it to the judge.

ACTION
Dear kindly Judge, your Honor,
My parents treat me rough.
With all their marijuana,
They won't give me a puff.
They didn't wanna have me,
But somehow I was had.
Leapin' lizards! That's why I'm so bad!

DIESEL: (As Judge) Right!

Officer Krupke, you're really a square;
This boy don't need a judge, he needs an analyst's care!
It's just his neurosis that oughta be curbed.
He's psychologic'ly disturbed!

ACTION
I'm disturbed!

JETS
We're disturbed, we're disturbed,
We're the most disturbed,
Like we're psychologic'ly disturbed.

DIESEL: (Spoken, as Judge) In the opinion on this court, this child is depraved on account he ain't had a normal home.

ACTION: (Spoken) Hey, I'm depraved on account I'm deprived.

DIESEL: So take him to a headshrinker.

ACTION (Sings)
My father is a bastard,
My ma's an S.O.B.
My grandpa's always plastered,
My grandma pushes tea.
My sister wears a mustache,
My brother wears a dress.
Goodness gracious, that's why I'm a mess!

A-RAB: (As Psychiatrist) Yes!
Officer Krupke, you're really a slob.
This boy don't need a doctor, just a good honest job.
Society's played him a terrible trick,
And sociologic'ly he's sick!

ACTION
I am sick!

ALL
We are sick, we are sick,
We are sick, sick, sick,
Like we're sociologically sick!

A-RAB: In my opinion, this child don't need to have his head shrunk at all. Juvenile delinquency is purely a social disease!

ACTION: Hey, I got a social disease!

A-RAB: So take him to a social worker!

ACTION
Dear kindly social worker,
They say go earn a buck.
Like be a soda jerker,
Which means like be a schumck.
It's not I'm anti-social,
I'm only anti-work.
Gloryosky! That's why I'm a jerk!

BABY JOHN: (As Female Social Worker)
Eek!
Officer Krupke, you've done it again.
This boy don't need a job, he needs a year in the pen.
It ain't just a question of misunderstood;
Deep down inside him, he's no good!

ACTION
I'm no good!

ALL
We're no good, we're no good!
We're no earthly good,
Like the best of us is no damn good!

DIESEL (As Judge)
The trouble is he's crazy.

A-RAB (As Psychiatrist)
The trouble is he drinks.

BABY JOHN (As Female Social Worker)
The trouble is he's lazy.

DIESEL
The trouble is he stinks.

A-RAB
The trouble is he's growing.

BABY JOHN
The trouble is he's grown.

ALL
Krupke, we got troubles of our own!

Gee, Officer Krupke,
We're down on our knees,
'Cause no one wants a fellow with a social disease.
Gee, Officer Krupke,
What are we to do?
Gee, Officer Krupke,
Krup you!

[murielm99]

3. Evita

nt

[LynneSin]

25. I love Evita so much, I named my cat after her...

This is Evita - my lil grey sweetie!!

[HEyHEY]

4. Anchor's away

[intheflow]

8. Is that the one where Gene Kelly danced with

Tom and Jerry? I loved that scene, whatever movie it was. It was the fore-runner of Paula Abdul's "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back" video. :thumbsup:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

5. Dream Girls n/t

[crispini]

6. Hm, well I have to admit to being a huge Rodgers and Hammerstein fan...

but it's hard to pick ONE. Probably of all of theirs, "Carousel" is a fave just because it's a bit darker, a bit deeper than their others.

I'm also fond of "Big River," the Huckleberry Finn musical by Roger Miller. The songs are great, the story is very well done, it's excellent.

[intheflow]

12. I've never heard of Big River.

When was it first out? Was it theater, or film?

[crispini]

24. 1985, and as far as I know

there's never been a film. It's not very well known but it popped up at a local community theatre and the Deaf West theatre did a touring production a couple of years ago, which was pretty brilliant just in and of itself. Never seen a deaf theatre company do a show before and the way they had deaf signing actors and speaking actors playing the same parts was brilliantly done.

Free samples at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002O4T/103-8638655-7964600?v=glance

Here's the review:

his unjustly forgotten masterpiece was in many ways the last great creative gasp for the late, great country songwriter-singer Roger Miller, who died in 1992. After he wrote countless country gems like "Invitation to the Blues," "King of the Road," and "Dang Me" during the 1950s and '60s, Miller's creative muse ran dry in the early 1970s. The drought continued until he made a remarkable comeback by penning the 20-song score and contributing vocals to the soundtrack of this 1985 Broadway adaptation of Mark Twain's literary classic. Big River still stands as a dazzling, heartwarming slice of musical Americana and the final crowning achievement in one of country music's most celebrated careers. --Bob Allen

[Jamastiene]

7. Okay, I hate most of them but

I do like Labrynth with David Bowie, Little Shop Of Horrors, I love anything I hear by Streisand, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle (kind of a musical), Hairspray was great and ah hell, I like musicals. Okay. I admitted it. I hate admitting that for some reason. I think it is because so many of them miss the mark for me especially the newer ones. I like older stuff.

[intheflow]

14. I hear you.

I do't know why, but it was kinda hard for me to even post this thread. Somehow admitting one likes musicals feels like admitting to having some weird, unknown rash on your privates. It's like we're all Fonzi's, too afraid of being uncool. A weird national psychosis! :P

I've never seen Labyrinth, though. I'll have to check it out now. And what is TheGreat Rock and Roll Swindle? A movie I havent' seen?

[Jamastiene]

19. The Great Rock and Roll Swindle is

basically a musical sort of movie where Malcom McLauren tells about the strategies he used to get The Sex Pistols famous back in the 70's intertwined with Sex Pistols music videos and musical inerpretations of Sex Pistols music by other artists, plus some of Sid Vicious' solo music and Steve Jones solo. Also, The Filth & The Fury is about them too with both the music and commentary. I call them both musicals because they are set up like movies with the music being the main thing you see that ties the story lines together. Both of those are great films for any progressive to watch even if they don't like the music. I like the music. I get the two confused, because they are pretty similar in format, but if I am not mistaken there is a scene in The Great Rock and Roll Swindle where this anonymous man is standing in the streets in England calling black people nasty racial slurs with commentary by Johnny Rotten about how misinformed the man is. It pretty much shows what England was like under a right wing government. It's absolutely great. Also, in the Filth and The Fury there is a scene where a right wing ass hole is beating Sid Vicious up pretty much. The guy swears up and down that Sid was asking for it, but I don't want to give the plot away for ya. Both are really awesome movies to watch.

[GirlinContempt]

9. Not much into musicals

But I love Operetta

[non sociopath skin]

22. Offenbach Rocks!!!

The Skin

[SerpentX]

11. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Drag queens, motorcycles, rock and roll - what more do you need?

[intheflow]

17. What more do you need?

A young Susan Sarandon, sexy mostly nekkid studly guy, and aliens! Thankfully, Rocky Horror provides for all these needs. I must have seen this 50 times between 1978 and 1981. Excellent pick. :thumbsup:

[NoSheep]

30. Let's Do the Time Warp Agaaaaaaaaain!

It's just a jump to the left.....

[nytemare]

58. Tim Curry has been one of my favorite actors since I saw that!

He is a trip. I love the accent, too.

[ffm172]

13. Hair

one of my favorites. Also like Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar.

[last_texas_dem]

15. I love "1776", too

Definitely one of my favorites (probably #2). It's partly the American history geek in me, but it also has great music and is pretty funny as well. The portrayal of John Adams always sticks out to me.

My all-time favorite may be Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I know its message may be a little backwards in terms of relations between the sexes, but the songs are great, the story is very amusing, and the sets are beautiful. And, oh yeah, even though I'm normally someone who couldn't care less about dancing it has some great dance numbers in it, too- especially the part where they're building the barn/tearing it down!

[intheflow]

35. William Daniels as John Adams is brilliant.

Somehow he makes the obnoxious Adams rathr compelling in his obnoxiousness.

I also like Ken Howard as Jefferson. Who knew the White Shadow could sing?

Here's a piece of useless trivia connecting 1776 and The White Shadow. Jefferson's wife in the movie, Blythe Danner, was married to White Shadow producer Bruce Paltrow. Just months after the movie finished production, Blythe gave birth to their oh-so-famous daoughter, Gwyneth. FWIW. :)

[Liberalynn]

51. Mine too!

I taped it off TV years ago and have watched it many a 4th of July. I think it was at least partially responsible for getting me interested in history, we were assigned to go out and see it when it first came out in theatres. I was in eigth grade. I ended up loving it.

I also thought Daniels was brilliant. He played Adams in a few other projects too. I think he played Sam Adams once too, if I am not mistaken.

Ken Howard was good too. I miss him as a regular on Crossing Jordan.

[billyskank]

16. OK, I know it's really cheesy

but I love Grease. Every single song is so catchy!

Someone else mentioned West Side Story. I think that is an excellent musical. Bernstein's hard syncopated rhythms were so unusual at the time.

[intheflow]

31. Grease is great!

I've been trying to convince my boyfriend to go to karioke with me and sing "Summer Loving," but he doesn't want to for some weird, unknown reason.

Geesh! It's not like I'm asking him to sing opera! :eyes:

LOL! Good pick, for sure.

[mykpart]

20. Godspell.

Oliver!
South Pacific
Carousel

[intheflow]

33. I was in a production of Godspell once where every cast & crew member

was Jewish except for me, the completely unchurched pagan. It was an interesting interpretation, to be sure. We had a hellova time trying to figure out all the seven deadly sins for a vignette the director wanted to do--back in the days before the Internet.

Overall, it's a great musical with great numbers. But honestly, if I never hear "Day By Day" again it will be too soon.

[Huckebein the Raven]

21. My Fair Lady

[non sociopath skin]

23. Love 'em!

No one favourite, but the opening number of Ragtime has got to be one of the cleverest bits of theatre ever staged.

And I will always have a soft spot for The Music Man because it's the first show I ever saw on Broadway after half a century of waiting!

The Skin

[deutsey]

26. Sondheim: Into the Woods

http://www.sondheim.com/shows/into_the_woods/

Into the Woods blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who catalyze the action of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.

In the first act, the characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes - Cinderella goes to the Ball and captures the heart of Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel manages to escape her tower with the aid of a handsome prince who climbs her long hair. The Baker and his Wife move through their stories while pursuing their own goal - the witch who keeps Rapunzel (revealed to be the Baker's sister) has put the curse on his house, and agrees to lift it if the Baker and his Wife can find the ingredients to help her reverse a spell which her mother has laid on her, keeping her old and ugly. Those ingredients are: A Slipper As Pure As Gold, which the Baker's wife gets from Cinderella, A Cow As White As Milk, which the Baker buys from Jack in exchange for the fateful magic beans, A Cape As Red As Blood, which the Baker gets from Little Red Riding Hood in exchange for freeing her and Granny from the Wolf, and Hair As Yellow As Corn, which they get from Rapunzel. The ingredients are gathered, and the spell works, stripping the Witch of her power, but restoring her beauty. At the end of Act I, all characters seem poised to live "Happily Ever After".

Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf the solution? Is the Giant always wrong? In Act Two, all the characters must deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After". As they face a genuine threat to their community, they realize that all actions have consequences, and their lives are inescapably interdependent, but also that that interdependence is their greatest strength.

- June Abernathy

[intheflow]

34. Sondheim is great!

I really liked his "Sunday in the Park with George" musical. But of course, both "Sunday" and "Woods" had Bernadette Peters, so they wer both excellent.

BTW, my minister (UU) preached a whole service on "Into The Woods" recently. He loved that idea of "what happens AFTER 'Happily Ever After'."

[deutsey]

41. I love "Sunday" too

But I think "Into the Woods" holds up as a story better.

I could see where "Woods" would make for good sermonizing. (Hi, fellow UU! :hi: ).

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

27. The Blues Brothers

I mean...technically it was a musical.
And it's one of my all-time favorite movies.

But as for classic musicals, I'd have to go with The Music Man. The one with Robert Preston.

[Magrittes Pipe]

28. Guys and Dolls (film version)

Marlon Brando trying to sing makes me feel alive.

And the rickety sets that would've been laughed off a high school stage are also priceless.

[XNASA]

37. But the thing that really makes that movie special is....

Jean Simmons. :evilgrin:

[intheflow]

54. I've been in 2 productions of Guys and Dolls.

The first time I was a Salvation Army woman named Agatha (a character who would have worn a red shirt and been killed in the first 10 minutes if she was on Star Trek).

The next time I played Adelaide. Adelaide was much more fun--hamming it up and singing solos and stripping! Yee-ha! :evilgrin:

[redqueen]

29. I like them a lot.

Sound of Music
Little Shop of Horrors
Jesus Christ Superstar
Brigadoon
Labyrinth
Rocky Horror
An American in Paris

I need to see many more. :)

[MissMillie]

32. I have a fondness for

Man of La Mancha and Fiddler on the Roof.

[Enraged_Ape]

36. Singing in the Rain (the movie)

The gold standard of musicals. Has a little bit of everything, and spectacular performances by all participants.

I'm sorry, but anything else is just shite. I would rather have bamboo shoots rammed up my fingernails than sit through a musical.

[intheflow]

47. OMG, I can't believe I forgot Singing In The Rain!

Absolutely pivotal in my musical development! When I was about 10 or 11 I could perfectly immitate Debbie Reynolds singing "Good Morning" -- much to the amusment and delight of my mother and her friends. I listened to that album for hours. You are so right, it is the gold standard of the MGM musicals.

Although I have to say, as an adult, I still prefer 1776. :D

[RandomKoolzip]

38. Zappa: "Thing-Fish."

[TK421]

39. I'm still kind of green in this field....

I work for a professional theatre company in P.A and Evita was the first theatre production I had ever seen. It blew me away, and I thought I wouldn't like it. Since then, we've had seven musicals here ( the season usually consists of four plays and one musical ) and I have enjoyed only three. My least favorite had to be A Little Night Music by Steven Sondheim. My favorite so far was "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" about Billie Holiday

[intheflow]

44. Never heard of "Lady Day"

but any musical about Billie Holliday has got to be good. And I never really cared for A Little Night Music, either. I'm sure it had to do with that damn clown song! *gack!*

[VelmaD]

40. Jesus Christ Superstar...

it's the only Andrew Lloyd Weber I can stand. The music is so complex rhythmically. I also find it hilarious when me (totally non-religious) and my best friend (a pagan) get together to watch it an sing along.

I also love The King and I - brings back great memories of watching it with my mom. Plus "Shall We Dance" is such a wonderful moment in that musical. :)

[redqueen]

43. Oooh I forgot about The King and I.

Love that one, too. :)

[Steel City Slim]

42. West Side Story

The Sound Of Music
The Commitments

I think I saw 1776. Is that the one where they were singing and high kick dancing about writing the Declaration of Independence?

[intheflow]

60. The Commitments!

What a great movie! I have the soundtrack and an album with all the original versions of the covers.

And 1776... the singing and the high kicking...? Well, yes... but only in one scene.

[Longgrain]

45. Man of LaMancha, I saw it when I was in High School

and I just knew I was Don Quixote de LaMancha!

[MidwestMomma]

46. Gypsy, Annie, Auntie Mame, Funny Girl...

Gosh, who am I kidding....I love them all! :)

[intheflow]

50. I saw Annie on Broadway way back when.

Sarah Jessica Parker was one of the orphans in the background chorus. She was only 8! I still have the program somewhere...

[medeak]

48. Jekyll and Hyde

was the most amazing performance I've ever seen (no...not with the Bay Watch dude)

My sis is in Momma Mia on Broadway...haven't seen it yet...but she says she has a lot of costume changes.

[Bok_Tukalo]

49. "Paint Your Wagon"

Oh man I cannot believe that I actually like that movie but there is a great subtext and subtle moral about the paradox of women and how paradise just isn't paradise without them and when you finally break down and introduce them to your man made nirvana, they proceed to fuck it up.

[Blue-Jay]

52. Cop Rock!

What idiot decided to cancel that?

[kwassa]

55. Trouble right here in River City!

http://www.endresnet.com/YaGotTrouble.txt

the first big step on the road to the depths of degredation
I say, first- medicinal wine from a teaspoon, then beer from a bottle
And the next thing you know your son is playin'
for money in a pinchback suit
And listenin' to some big out-o'-town jasper
hear him tell about horserace gamblin'
Not a wholesome trottin' race, no,
but a race where they set down right on the horse
Like to see some stuck up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?
Make your blood boil, well I should say

Now, folks, let me show you what I mean
You've got one, two, three, four, five, six pockets in a table
Pockets that mark the difference between a gentleman and a bum
With a capital 'B' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for 'pool'

[intheflow]

56. My dad sang in a professional barbershop quartet

during the time this movie was made. The Buffalo Bills, who played the town poiticians, were friends of his. That was before my time, but this album was in our house when I was growing up and I listened to it all the time. This song is briliant. But then, almost all the score is. I mean, even the Beatles covered a tune from The Music Man.

[ChoralScholar]

57. The last one I saw

was Les Miserables, and I quite enjoyed it. I directed 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' back in the fall, and it is very nice also. (but of a completely different genre)

[nytemare]

59. Victor Victoria!

Rocky Horror!
Sound of Music!

A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman.

An alien pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman.

A nun, pretending to be a mother of 80.

:)

[AuntiBush]

61. Oh. The Music Man, followed by Oliver

Thanks for the memories.