100 Greatest Musicals. You gotta take a look at this....

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 1:56am

I was just glancing at our sister site, WestEndTheatreWworld.com where someone had started a post about the "Hundred Greatest Musicals" on "Channel 4." I found the Channel 4 web site, and the list is a bizzare combination of film and stage musicals. Take a look and let the discussion (and outrage) begin:

Beware: Turn you speakers WAY DOWN before you follow the link. There is a LOUD, obnoxious advertisement on the site.


100 Greatest Musicals

Updated On: 12/28/03 at 01:56 AM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 1:59am

that list is really weird--mixing movie musicals with stage musicals--basing criteria off of the movie musical version over its stage version--seems really pop (maybe that's fair though). But c'mon--Grease!? It probably is the most popular musical across the board, but does that alone merit being #1??

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 2:01am

Apparently it was a readers' poll.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 2:05am

Ah--didn't catch that (duh). Makes sense--valuable to know how audiences view musicals then. Of course, Grease would be #1.

[jo]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 4:54am

It is obvious that people are not theatre-goers in general. as movie musicals were more popular than stage productions. The stage musicals which scored high are those with filmed versions of stage productions ( Cats, Joseph) and some extolled the movie versions rather than the stage musical versions ( Oklahoma!, Carousel, Chitty, Gypsy, Sound of Music, West Side Story, etc) but there were some absurdities ( an episode of Buffy, a movie with Eminem, Bugsy Malone) in the choices.

Interesting to look at - and see how many you have seen of them. I think I did pretty well.

Jo

[JakeB]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 10:41am

I watched it on TV and it was a joke. Miss Saigon was at 98, does anymore need to be said? Practically the greatest musical of all time and it was beaten by.. the Muppets.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 10:57am

Whoever voted for 8 Mile deserves to be shot!
What a joke.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 11:28am

I'm very happy with the Top 10.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 11:37am

I agree with Phantom- the top 10 made sence. I was so happy Moulin Rouge got in the top 10 (that's my favorite movie), and Grease as number 1 makes sence. Ok, I'm satisfied.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 11:38am

I would have put The Wizard of Oz at number 1 myself..


but YAY Phantom2!!!!

[bestofbroadway]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 11:55am

Grease at 1....hahaha

[BroadwayBaby3]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 12:21pm

how did chitty chitty bang bang beat les miz?!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 12:22pm

it is a readers poll type thing...........

[Songsstresss]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 3:04pm

Now, Buffy is my favorite TV show, but even if that episode wasn't as lame as it was, it still had NO business being on that list. And at #13 no less! While Phantom, Les Mis, and Miss Saigon are behind it. I think not.

[bwaygirl]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 3:34pm

The Phantom of the Opera wasn't in the top ten. Must I say more?

[bob8rich]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 5:39pm

"The Hundred Greatest Musicals" has to be one of the greatest misnomer titles of all time when the list of the so-called 100 Greatest is examined. I know a poll is at the mercy of the voters (whoever they were - cos I never came across the poll before seeing the TV program) - but surely some scrutiny could have been made to define what constitutes a musical. (With all due respect to Buffy fans - an episode of the Vampire Slayer hardly constitutes a musical.)

Also, I know any poll will reflect a diversity of opinions and tastes and no two people are likely to come up with the same top ten, let alone top hundred - but to not have the Sondheim masterpiece "Follies" anywhere in a top hundred that includes Eminem, the Muppets and Willy Wonka defies belief.

[dededarlin]

Posted: 12/28/03 at 11:24pm

aaarrghh. ignorance.....this thing irritates the crap out of me

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 6:32pm

woohoo Phantoms #20!!

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 7:24pm

I'm confused as to how 8 Mile constitutes as a musical, let alone being confused as to how Buffy got on the list at all.

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 8:35pm

I don't think those people know what a musical is... jeez louise, its polled by people who think that watching the musical ebay commercial contsitutes as a "broadway" experience....


that was meant to be funny, not mean.... don't anyone get offended!!!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 9:12pm

one more reason to be thankful that i was born in the "colonies" after my ancestors threw off the shackles of the king...oh wait, my ancestors were pirates...eh, just one more list proving little or nothing but the fact that it's not just american tastes that have run to the lowest common denominator, eh?

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 9:23pm

There too much absurdity in the list to know where to begin, but here's one of my favorite lowlights: Despite the fact that the "user rating" is 1 out of 10--rock bottom, can't go any lower--and that the web site gives it a wretched review, the 1977 film version of A Little Night Music with Elizabeth Taylor makes the top 100 at 89.

Quotable quote: "High points include Diana Rigg's rendition of Every Day A Little Death but nothing can rescue Liz's version of Send In The Clowns."

Updated On: 12/30/03 at 09:23 PM

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 9:29pm

Too uninterested to check back: Is 1776 on the list? Because if we're going to go as far as the musical episode of Buffy, then 1176 should be on there. LoL

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 12/31/03 at 7:05pm

I think I need to come up with my own list. lol I really don't agree with some of that...especially the order in which they were placed.

[lovinlife]

Posted: 12/31/03 at 7:26pm

I have to say that I was only slightly impressed. Miss Saigon at the bottom of the list???? Thats almost funny to hear. The list, now that I think about it, did not make sense at all.