What are Significant Musicals and Why??- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 11:52am

professor---That's okay, I'll just sue for plagiarism.



(Big Brother is watching.)

Updated On: 10/23/05 at 11:52 AM

[Tir Na Nog]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:35pm

" Start with the original Merman version on CD (not one of the many revivals), and read the libretto... and you'll see why. "

Yuck! I would say start with Lansbury. She was the best Rose. Mermans "Rose" lacks any kind of soul.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 1:08pm

Merman sings it, with no compromises. No other Rose can say that.

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:47pm

Elphaba and Professor-This really isn't that different than finding some book with a subjective list of the most important musicals. We've given this person way more than eight to choose from. It's their responsibility now to do more research and narrow it down to eight.

CABARET is a very important one that I forgot. And also, in terms of commercial success-PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is about to become the longest running show on Broadway-even longer than that damn kitty musical!

[Jwaa]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 10:23am

I didnt expect so many replies!
Thanks guys you've really helped me out,

...may i just add, i didnt mean for it to seem like i was asking you to do it for me, i just wanted some ideas so i could get examples of what to mention etc, im not about to copy and paste other people feelings about musicals onto my work, i enjoy my Musical Theatre course too much to waste such an interesting assignment. But thanks for the care, and i understand how it may have made you felt as if i was plain cheating, hope that i can set aside your worry, :)

Thanks very much guys, im going to really enjoy reading all of these.
Josh
x

[twogaab2]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 12:08pm

Getting back to the original question, please define what you mean by significant. Do you mean as to the musical as we know it, significant to the world as a whole, or significant as to how we view each other or the world?

Just curious as I could see answering this question in a lot of ways.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 1:17pm

"1. Man of La Mancha- Well it was about a guy that fights windmills. It showed that a show could be very different and still be popular."

Statements like that annoy me. For one, it is based on Don Quixote by Cervantes - I am sure you knew that though.

But something that seems to arise with MoLM is "oh, the show about the crazy dude who fights a windmill." Yes, the show has become known for that, so to speak, but it is about so much more. It's like saying Miss Saigon is about a helicopter.

[Urban]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 2:16pm

best12bars - I sometimes just get lost when reading your stuff, it is always a facinating read.

And I agree entire with Mermans Gypsy needing to come first. You know I have had a post (well more like a cross-Gypsy review) at the back of my mind about that for ages now... maybe on day I'll stop procrasting and write it.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 3:17pm

" Getting back to the original question, please define what you mean by significant. Do you mean as to the musical as we know it, significant to the world as a whole, or significant as to how we view each other or the world? "

That is exactly why i found it so hard...but statements like,

'It was the first major musical to...'
'It was unique because...'

are an idea of what i need to include.

At least thats what i gathered from my lecture.

Thank you again for all your help.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 3:37pm

GYPSY, because not one moment is wasted. Every word, note, step, has meaning.

[exedore]

Posted: 10/25/05 at 4:06pm

This is too much fun not to join in on. That said, I'm going to try and keep these to modern Broadway wherever possible.

DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES - The costliest flop in Broadway history and an example in how not to import a show.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS *OR* THE WHO'S TOMMY - Examples of how much special effects have evolved onstage and how to use them properly.

ELISABETH - A huge foreign hit with little to no visibility in the US despite being a hit in Europe and Japan. Also worth noting for the fact that it slammed the popular view of a beloved figure into the ground and reminded audiences that musicals don't have to be light and fluffy.

RENT - As was said before, RENT may not be the best or the most groundbreaking show out there, but it singlehandedly brought back the appeal of musical theatre and Broadway to the under-30 crowd.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST *AND/OR* THE LION KING - While the "Disneyfication" of Broadway seems ever more ominous with next year's openings on the way, Disney Theatricals has proven that there is as market for well crafted family musicals in spite of rising ticket prices.

MAMMA MIA! - While not the first Jukebox musical (I couldn't honestly tell you what was), it was the first one to become truly marketable and a driving force, spawning the current craze.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH - One of the biggest "Small" musicals out there, Hedwig proved that punk and the stage were not mutually exclusive, and drew attention back to the fertile breeding ground of ideas known as off-Broadway.

JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA - Proof that theatre can still ignite controversy on a mass scale, that opera *CAN* be appealing to its traditional naysayers, and that if placed in the right hands, any topic can become a successful musical