Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/7/17
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#1
Posted: 12/12/18 at 11:10pm
Whenever My Fair Lady is referred to as "the most beloved musical of all time," I wonder where that designation came from. In my opinion, that title will always belong to The Sound of Music. Is there a poll that says otherwise?
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#2
Posted: 12/13/18 at 12:44am
You'll note the lack of quotes and a lack of any credit being given for the statement. It's just marketing hyperbole.
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#3
Posted: 12/13/18 at 9:43am
I agree with the theory suggested by CATSNYrevival (i.e., no quotes likely means no real source). As Julia Sugarbaker once remarked, "It's just something somebody made up; how can you take it so seriously?"
It may be someone's opinion, but it's definitely not mine. It's not even in my top 20! 
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#4
Posted: 12/13/18 at 9:54am
It would be funny if there's one season of classic musical revivals and they all used that same tag line (without quotes of course) for marketing purposes. lol
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Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#5
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:05am
This is simply marketing playing off of nostalgia.
The element of truth is that My Fair Lady is the stage to screen adaptation that won the most major awards in the US. It did win eight Oscars including Best Picture after winning six Tony awards including Best Musical. It's also been revived four times now on Broadway.
I agree with CT2NYC that The Sound of Music is probably a more accurate pick for Most Beloved. The Wizard of Oz makes more sense, too. But, then again, you don't need to market either of those as "Beloved" to get people to buy tickets.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/15/14
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#6
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:06am
Dolly was similarly billed as BROADWAY'S GREATEST MUSICAL (no quotes)
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#7
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:16am
If this is too much hyperbole for you, I'd suggest avoiding a supermarket.
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#8
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:18amDoes the pizza place a block from me *really* have the best slice in New York?
Is MY FAIR LADY Really "The Most Beloved Musical of All Time?"#9
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:38amI don't think there's any way to quantify the statement, but hey, it's a great classic. It's not as if Lincoln Center tried to call ANYONE CAN WHISTLE or such the "most beloved."
Is MY FAIR LADY Really #10
Posted: 12/13/18 at 10:41am
It's just marketing. That said, it is interesting to discuss. I think when it comes to be beloved by generations after they came out, Sound of Music probably does take that title. I don't know any other Broadway musical that really hits the chord for people the way the film version has. I think it has all the right ingredients to make it beloved decades after it debuted. I'm not saying other classical musicals aren't big either because they are, but SOM seems to be on a different level. I think when it comes to MFL, it's hard to think of another musical that was as popular, well-received, and incredibly rewarded as that show was when it debuted on Broadway and when it became a film. It really did shake up the mainstream, and although it really does hold up extremely well, I do think Sound of Music really has that broader base cross-generational appeal that made it bigger afterwards. It's like Wizard of Oz level.
Updated On: 12/13/18 at 10:41 AMIs MY FAIR LADY Really #11
Posted: 12/13/18 at 11:34am
I know where you can find the WORLD'S BEST CUP OF COFFEE, and it's right here in NYC!
They did it!
I learned about it in a holiday documentary.
Is MY FAIR LADY Really #12
Posted: 12/13/18 at 11:37am
Walking from Penn Station to Hell's Kitchen, I saw a ramen shop with an elaborate chalk mural outside of Naruto eating ramen. The sign read, "Naruto's favorite NYC Ramen Shop!" I did not, however, "believe it."
Is MY FAIR LADY Really #13
Posted: 12/13/18 at 11:48amI tell my dog that he’s the best dog in the world. How could that be true though when I haven’t met every dog in the world?
Is MY FAIR LADY Really #14
Posted: 12/13/18 at 11:48amWhat else are they supposed to say? "The third best musical of the Golden Era returns in a production different but not unfamiliar than any you have ever seen."
Is MY FAIR LADY Really #16
Posted: 12/13/18 at 8:33pm
While on vacation in London in 1981, advertising the current MFL revival was a huge billboard above the Adelphi Theatre screaming the words THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSICAL.
I've agreed with this exacting summation ever since.
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