Well, for me it was FUNNY FACE (192 with the Astaires. I was not crazy about the Gershwin music, but Adele Astaire was probably the loveliest (and funniest) female dancer I had ever saw in my young life (I was 7) And her sense of humor was not only hilariously funny, but it had poignancy also. It's too bad that none of you ever saw her!!
Miriam
Every movement has a meaning--but what the hell does it mean!
Hooked on The Full Monty.....terrific ensemble, Will Chase is hot, Kim Grigsby is the most entertaining conductor ever in history (and yes, I have gone specifically to see her...it's my inner pit orchestra geek poking back out from high school). It's just a terrific story and I loved how it was done. And Will Chase is hot.
Recently hooked on Cabaret, all due to the fabulous Liz McConahay. She's tied for best performance ever on a Broadway stage (will divulge rest of split in a moment...). SHe's just fantastic in this, by far the best Fritzie/Frl. Kost I've seen.
Michele Pawk, also part of the tie, got me hooked on Hollywood Arms, the little play that..well, evidently couldn't. That Tony was hers the minute she got cast.
Rounding out the leading ladies that whooped theatre's ass...Mary Stuart Masterson in Nine. She just...makes the show. Both her songs are absolutely heartbreaking. She's fabulous. So I'm hooked on Nine as well. Nine, Monty, Cabaret, and Hollywood Arms. And I very much miss Monty, and have every intention of being a mildly successful producer/casting director and reviving it in about 10-15 years. Even if it's just in my living room, Monty's coming back...heh
I got hooked on COMPANY because it was the first professional production I'd seen and because of "What'll We Do Without You."
I got hooked on A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC because the intricateness of the score had me mesmirized from the day I brought home the OBC LP. My first romantic affair was failing apart at the time so the score resonated somewhat, and little did I know it would be first show I would see on Broadway.
I got hooked on lots of shows over the years for lots of reasons.
I have not gotten hooked on RENT, MILLIE, GYPSY w/Bernadette, HAIRSPRAY, LSOH (current revival), or any musicals whose only idea of fun and sophistication is to trade on gay sensibilities; AVENUE Q.
I have no interest in spending $$ or time on: OZ, NINE, WICKED, ASSASSINS (everything Sondheim writes is manna from the heavens), and that's just for starters, lol.
I got hooked on Side Show after hearing Emily and Alice sing on the Tonys in 98. I had heard them at the Macy's Day Parade and both times on Rosie, but it wasn't until the Tony performance that I was completely drawn in. That was a phenomenal performance... they brought tears to my eyes. Yeah, I've been a sucker for the show ever since, and now that I'm older, I know very well it's a flawed show, but I still love it and it's sentimental and all that crap. :)
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
I got hooked on "1776" after seeing the Reprise! production in LA in 2001 and after hearing Kevin Earley sing "Molasses to Rum".
I got hooked on "Side Show" after seeing the fabulous cast in the Colony Theatre's production. Julie Dixon Jackson and Misty Cotton were phenomenal as Daisy and Violet!