20 Broadway Shows that Everybody Should Know Well- Page 4

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 6/16/15 at 3:06am

"West Side Story is winning out over Music Man here by a lot. I respect the hell out of Music Man, but would probably have gone for West Side Story."

Interesting. And I agree. Part of the balancing of "art," history, personal preferences, and popularity in completing the list.

And it's not just in picking between that year's entrants. I adore "The Music Man" (to be frank mostly because of its excellent movie version) - and consider it to be a perfect musical in many ways. I simply overlooked it when I was composing my list, but I'd be hard pressed to drop another, less-loved, musical in its place.

Updated On: 6/16/15 at 03:06 AM

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 6/16/15 at 5:37am

Fortunately, in terms of which musicals are worth seeing and studying, the number twenty is arbitrary; there is no need to cut a beloved musical to make room for another one.

Some of the things that cause a show to make history are hard to represent on a list of the greatest. For example, how can we, today, analyze a show that moved the bar for visual beauty, such as Camelot? I happen to think that the music for Camelot was terrific, at least based on the OBC recording, but I'm aware that neither the book nor the recording matched the stage version. Yet, regardless of whether the book and music were special, I've heard that the costumes were breathtaking. Unlike the Lion King, however, it's hard for the average person to discuss the show's visual beauty, because so many photos were b&w and I don't think there were any pieces filmed.

I'm not a huge fan of the book or music in Oklahoma, but using ballet to move the story was clearly an innovation that places Oklahoma on a list of the greatest. Yet, no one is likely to place Spiderman on that list, even though it, too, moved the bar -- in Spiderman's case, for stunts in a musical. Was Miss Saigon great because of the music and story, or did the helicopter have something to do with it? Almost everyone lists Les Miserables as great, but what is it that makes it great -- emotional resonance of the story with the audience, being one of the first (if not the first) "sung through" musicals, the number of terrific songs?

In the end, whether a show is deemed "great" or not is largely subjective, just like so much else in theatre.

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/16/15 at 6:23am

I didn't list it as great. It's an overblown mess with a few nice songs and it started the British invasion of the 80's and 90's that really ruined the American musical for a while. 

Great for me is both historical importance and being a good show all around. Pretty simple.

[Margo319]

Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:14pm

 "Great for me is both historical importance and being a good show all around. Pretty simple."

 

[skies]

Posted: 6/17/15 at 1:20pm

"Gypsy" is to me the quintessential BW musical.