Musicals on wars

[jspaeth87]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 12:45am

so i'm having a brain fart right now. i'm trying to think of musicals that are war related. whether it be in protest (hair) or about it.

[mauriposa]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 12:53am

Off the top of my head: 1776, Pacific Overtures, Pirate Queen are all war-related. Or at least, I would consider them to be. And, of course, you can't overlook "Springtime for Hitler."

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 12:55am

Shenandoah (Civil War)

Hair (Vietnam)

Oh What A Lovely War (WWI)

Billy Bishop Goes to War

Yours, Anne (WW2, Based on The Diary of Anne Frank)

The Civil War (Wildhorn)

Updated On: 2/27/07 at 12:55 AM

[mauriposa]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:02am

Oh, those are totally better than mine. Go with those.

[scott68]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:04am

Can't forget South Pacific!

[jspaeth87]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:11am

thanks....also thought of miss saigon while reading these...if ya got anymore that'd be great

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:17am

Does The Scarlet Pimpernel count?

[gumbo2]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:18am

Does Cabaret count?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:50am

This is the Army

[B3TA07]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:02am

YOU MISSED SAIGON!

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:11am

Martin Guerre.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:14am

Pippin
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Les Mis (kinda)
Gone with the Wind

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:17am

"Les Mis (kinda)"

KINDA? The show is practically entirely about the French Revolution. The majority of the show takes place on a war barricade. Definitely a war musical.

Updated On: 2/27/07 at 02:17 AM

[mattonstage]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:18am

Over There? I believe it starred the Andrews Sisters and featured John Travolta.

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:20am

The Sound of Music is another musical which a war is a strong character in.

Updated On: 2/27/07 at 02:20 AM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:28am

does the War of the Worlds musical count? it has war in the title. or how abaout Aida? are the countries at war? I don't remember... I think so.
Updated On: 2/27/07 at 02:28 AM

[Julian2]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:59am

Its actually called Over Here!

Over Here! (WWII)
Aida (African Power Struggle)
Camelot (At the end, the battle)
The Frogs (Pelloponesean War/Commentary on Iraq)
King David (With the Philistines)
Little Women (Civil)
On the Town! (WWII)
West Side Story (Gang Wars)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (Terrorism)
South Pacific (WWII)
The Grand Tour (WWII)
The Pirates Of Penzance (Pirates)
1776 (Revolutionary)
The Pirate Queen (Pirates)
Shenandoah (Civil War)
Hair (Vietnam)
Oh What A Lovely War (WWI)
Billy Bishop Goes to War (Vietnam?-Not Sure)
Yours, Anne (WW2, Based on The Diary of Anne Frank)
The Civil War (Civil)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (French Revolutionary)
Cabaret (WWII)
Martin Guerre (Catholic vs. Protestants)
Pippin (Conquests of Charlemagne)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (WWII)
Les Mis (Student Revolution)
Gone with the Wind (Civil)
The Sound of Music (WWII)
War of the Worlds (Intergalactic Conflict)
This Is the Army (WWII)*
Cyrano** (France vs. Spain)
Pacific Overture*** (Opening of Japan)
Grey Gardens++ (WWII)

*And World War II wins most musical international conflict by a landslide!

**All versions

***I don't know if I would call it an actual war, more like, Unilateral Negotiations.

++Grey Gardens has "The House We Live In" (WWII), and I'm sure there are several other musicals with only a song or two about war without actually being about it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 6:17am

More Than You Deserve - Vietnam - Joe Papp

[Quasi]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 6:34am

Les Mis is not about the french revolution, its about the student revolution about 30 years later, I think.

[Urban]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 6:38am

sidjones09 - KINDA? The show is practically entirely about the French Revolution. The majority of the show takes place on a war barricade. Definitely a war musical.

Sorry to be the nitpicker, but 'Les Mis' had nothing to do with the French Revolution but was set around a minor student uprising about 40 odd years after the French Revolution.

[Nosferatu]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 6:50am

sidjones09 > "Les Mis (kinda)"

KINDA? The show is practically entirely about the French Revolution. The majority of the show takes place on a war barricade. Definitely a war musical."

Sorry it is not the 1789 French Revolution as it is in "La Révolution Française" (first musical of Boublil and Schonberg) it is the june 1832 "revolution" (nothing to do with the one than happenened 43 years before). therefore, it is not the French Revolution. But A revolution !

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 8:58am

The Lieutenant - A like 7 or so performance flop about Vietnam in the 70s.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 9:15am

Julian2's list is amazing, but he left out Kurt Weill's JOHNNY JOHNSON (World War I). Also, Lionel Bart's BLITZ (WWII).

Peter Nichols' PRIVATES ON PARADE deals with a touring military entertainment group (like the USO) entertaining troops stationed in Asia in the post-WWII era. It's not set during a war, but small uprising occurs, resulting in several of the group being injured.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 9:23am

La Cava deals with the Moors taking their land back from the Spanish occupiers

Napoleon covers most of the title character's life, including some of the famous battles.

[musicalkid]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 9:24am

Lionel Bart (of "Oliver!" fame) wrote a musical called "BLITZ!"
about, well, the Blitz, in WW2, in London.

(he was fond of excamation marks i guess)