Do you refer to musicals as "plays" ?

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 3:22pm

**DISCLAIMER: I am an anal person. If anal people annoy you, stop reading. I'm just curious if others feel the way I do.**

In my mind, there are two types of Broadway shows: musicals and plays. If you say you're going to a Broadway play, it distinctly implies you're going to a straight play with no music. "Show" is the generic term referring to all B'way performances, with "play" and "musical" as mutually exclusive subsets.

I have a few family members that constantly use the word "play" to refer to musicals. It tends to rankle me a bit, since I always begin thinking about straight plays, and when I say "Oh, what play are you thinking about?" they reply "South Pacific."

So, is anyone else like me, or am I alone in my anal lunacy?


Updated On: 7/7/08 at 03:22 PM

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 3:26pm

I like it when people refer to musicals as plays, I feel it sounds more legit, and flattering to the dramatic form of the musical.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 3:42pm

I really don't care what people say I just ask what the title is.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 3:49pm

I think a musical is a play. If you denote something as a straight play, it stands to reason there are other kinds of plays - ie, musical plays.

Are musical movies not movies nonetheless?

[Weez]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 4:12pm

No, I don't. I refer to them as musicals. If I want a musically-neutral word, I say show. But if I say "play", then what springs to mind is dialogue and a tad more realism than when I say "musical", and think of people singing and dancing for no realistically plausible reason but for plot advancement and character development purposes.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 4:17pm

It is very irritating to me when people refer to musicals as plays.

I usually just say shows.

[Patash]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 4:35pm

On a travel board I practically live on, people will often say, "I want to see a really good play on Broadway". It never occurs to me that they mean musicals, so more than once after I have given a lengthy list and descriptions of good plays on Broadway, someone will return to say, "Oh, I was thinking of Mama Mia or Hairspray".
I agree that play generally does not indicate a musical -- at least to me. Even publishers or journalism lists will say "plays AND musicals" indicating that the two are not the same. But I do use the word "show" for both. I just saw 23 shows last month in NYC, some were musicals and some were plays. All were "shows".

[Okayfine]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 4:49pm

I see your point, but I think that's a technicality, a bit of theatre jargon masquerading as common language. It's all shades of the same color.

And, yes, you're a bit anal, but so what?? It's part of your charm, my dear!

[jennyish]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 4:58pm

I guess musicals are technically plays, but I never refer to them as such. It's just easier. If a musical is also a "play", what would you call a play to distinguish it (besides "a straight play", which I dislike)?

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 5:05pm

It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other, but I understand where the OP is coming from. We each have our own pet peeves about such things.

For example, having grown up in a rural area where the 3 meals of the day, were "breakfast, dinner, and supper," I had to get used to "breakfast, lunch, and dinner" once I got married and started living in a more city-suburban area.

I wouldn't correct anyone if they called a musical a "play" -- or I'd do so subtly, as in "oh, yes, I've heard that musical is quite good" :) (That is, assuming I even know from the title which it is. I'm admittedly not as up on all things Broadway as most of you who post on here are.)

- Barb

[jpbran]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 5:33pm

Play/Musical is nowhere near as irritating to me as the whole "Soundtrack/Cast Recording" insanity.

(Though I do get a little annoyed when my partner refers to a movie as a "show.")

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 5:50pm

I have the same opinion as Not Barker, Todd. A musical is a play with music. There's a script, but also music and lyrics. I like it when they are referred to as plays.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 5:55pm

A musical play is a type of musical so I refer to straight plays (August: Osage County) as plays and shows like Hairspray as musicals/

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 6:06pm

Sometimes it really annoys me when I hear it and I don't refer to musicals as "plays". Actually, I usually say "show", regardless of what it is.

[olitwist2]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 6:14pm

I hate it when people call musicals plays! A musical is a musical!

[legally_popular]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 6:48pm

I also always say “show” when going to see something regardless of what it is, but I admit I kind of cringe when all my family/friends (non-theater goers mostly) call musicals “plays.” If I go see a musical, they always ask me, “How was the play?” Or a few times a conversation such as this happened:
Me (back last fall): “I’m going to see Claire Danes in the play Pygmalion.”
Family members: “Oh… she sings?”
Me: “No… it’s not a musical…”

I think that when they think of Broadway, they automatically think musical and sadly forget that they are some great straight plays out there. I still know what they’re saying though. And since they don’t really know much about Broadway, I don’t really correct them. Same thing when they say “soundtrack” instead of cast recording… oy, that’s another one.

[winter_sky]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 7:01pm

I say "show".
Updated On: 7/7/08 at 07:01 PM

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 7:12pm

I'm glad someone posted this!

It gets to me too. I see the points of people above, but it just doesn't sound right when a musical is referred to as a 'play'. It just connotes more straight forward acting and not singing and dancing.

Although, I hear them being referred to as 'plays' way more by American's than people here in the UK.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 8:02pm

Wow. This is the kind of thing that gets all of you guys in a snit? You're in for some rough times ahead.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 8:18pm

Glad I'm not the only one!

Seems pretty common that many experienced theater-goers prefer the play/musical distinction, yet non-theater-goers seem to refer to everything as plays. I'm surprised at the relative unanimity.

And, yes, you're a bit anal, but so what?? It's part of your charm, my dear!

Haha, I know, I just wanted to avoid the "lighten up! Don't be so anal!" posts, so I preemptively degraded myself .


Updated On: 7/7/08 at 08:18 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/7/08 at 10:28pm

I agree with the majority: Shows encompass all; Plays are 'straight plays' and Musicals are just that.

But it doesn't bother me if people use the term "play" generically. At least they are talking about live theater.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 2:19am

TonyVincent...I like the last comment on your post I also try to make "disclaimers" so those posters with remarks about the obvious, don't waste their time!

Anyway, agree with you, also.

BUT, I happen to think of musicals as plays with music and dance incorporated. Therefore, I consider the play as being "a part" of a musical, or a show that can stand all on its own.
Overall, the show thing is best to be "politically correct" when referring to ANYTHING in theater (maybe they could put this explanation for tourists, on Broadway pamphlets

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 2:37am

No. A play is a play and a musical is a musical in my book.

[CockeyedOptimist]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 3:35am

Agreed, it gets confusing when talking to people who refer to musicals as plays...at least in my mind, that automatically means no singing present. The recommendation thing has happened to me, too, where someone asks for a play recommendation and then they'll start listing musicals.

I think the cast recording/soundtrack thing is way more irksome, though...

[Broadway212]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 3:39am

Sometimes I do but then I just correct myself.