My taste in musicals.....must be lacking

[Gooch]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 8:10am

I have a confession to make. I didn't like A Light in The Piazza, most specifically the music, as opposed to the book. I feel this is almost blaspehemy, and am trying to figure out why. Recently, I have heard the score to Nine, and disliked it as well. I then listened to Floyd Collins and, sob, was unimpressed.
Here are some of my favourite shows, just as a counterbalance.

The Fantasticks (# 1 by a lot)
Les Miz
Guys and Dolls
Everything by William Finn
Almost everything by Sondheim
Rent, TTB,
Yes, Wicked
but Pippin more,
Ragtime
Whistle Down the Wind
Martin Guerre
Jane Eyre

plus all the standards, Oklahoma, The Music Man, WSS, Gypsy, etc.

I thought that I had some taste but clesrly I am missing something that everyone else is seeing. My favourite of this season was Dessa Rose, followed by Spelling Bee where I laughed until I cried and then cried until I couldn't stop. Maybe it is my advanced age- I saw Mame in 1964!

Thanks for any suggestions.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 8:15am

Not really. You just seem to like the more classic, simple stuff. That's not a bad thing. You just need to force yourself to listen to new things - LaChiusia, Guettel, etc. - and find the pro's in them instead of the con's and enhance your pallette.

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 8:36am

If your number one is The Fantasticks, you're alright in my books! I definitely suggest more La Chiusia, though. So fabulous.

I'm not a big fan of some really popular, much-adored shows either, but it's all about personal taste. It's all good in the end.

[wildcat]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 8:47am

I'm afraid there is no hope for you. Like all unique individuals you simply must be brought into line with everyone else or..preferably...crushed.

[Forester]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 8:51am

Resistence is futile. You will tow the line.

[DemonBarberofBroadway]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 9:33am

I like older stuff better too in most cases. I think a big part of it is the need to draw audiences to bway these days and appeal to the younger crowd. The shows that don't try to appeal to a specific audience and just are what they are are the best ones. If that makes sense.

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:05am

I wouldn't worry too much about it...you just have a varied aesthetic. It's possible to like Citizen Kane and Animal House and not be an idiot.

[sanda]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:25am

Can I ask you whether you listen to the Piazza recording or watch it live.

I watched it live. Before I watched, I read some opinion about the score and I supposed I wouldn't like it. But I enjoy it in the end. After I watching the show, I enjoy the recording very much. But if I did not watch the show first, I suppose I won't enjoy it.

And the music in your list that I don't like are wicked and wistle down the wind. I have never seen these two shows, only listen to the recording once. And I don't enjoy it.

[DemonBarberofBroadway]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:33am

to get off topic:

i hated wicked with a passion when i listened to the recording, stephen shwartz isn't one of my favorites, but i actually enjoyed the show much more than i expected.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:40am

Gooch...I don't think you are missing anything! We are all different and like different things. I think your taste in musicals is quite good!

[Millie42]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:40am

I see nothing wrong. Everyone has a different set of preferences!

I think it's good that you like musical theatre, period.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:41am

I've learned that everyone has different requirements for what a musical should be. I'm trying to go with the "There's room for everything" but some crap I just can't support.

[wildcat]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:11am

Of course there is room for everything, and everything in its place. Many terrorists have willingly confessed after repeated playings of GOBLIN MARKET.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:14am

You can't be faulted for your own musical taste. Some people like traditional musical comedy, others like more non-traditional musicals.

Personally, I prefer the more complex non-traditional musicals - Sondheim, Piazza - shows that don't put on a happy face with a typical happy ending, although there are those shows of that nature that I love.

The one type of musical I will never support is the jukebox musical. I've seen Boy From Oz and Mamma Mia and will NEVER go to another.

Other than that, I am open to all types of musicals, but prefer the non-traditional.

[pab]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:23am

Just curious baddadnpa, but would you label "Side By Side by Sondheim" a jukebox musical? Or how about "Ain't Misbehavin'"?

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:23am

No I wouldn't. I consider those to be revues, which I am also not particularly fond of.

[pab]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:29am

I accept the "revues" label but I must also say that "Ain't Misbehavin'" stands out as ONE of my most enjoyable evenings at musical theatre and as a show that I thought was most deserving of its Best Musical Tony Award.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:32am

Noooo Polly Pen musicals Wildcat!

Bed and Sofa makes me want to throw large objects at people.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:33am

I didn't see it, so perhaps I would've enjoyed it, although I might not have purchased tickets knowing it to be a revue.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:38am

We all have different tastes. I didn't like LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA either, though I do typically like the La Chiusa/Sondheim/Guettel brand of musical theatre (in addition to the classical shows you list).

There is no show that 100 percent of all people like. And as snobby as we can be on message boards, there is perhaps a reason why ALW and Frank Wildhorn are the most successful composers of recent times.

[Gooch]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:42am

OK, I am feeling a bit better. Thank you all for your welcome reponses. In fact, I saw Piazza live, liked the book and was soso about the music. I bought the Cd and took it home to find it too operatic (for lack of a better word, and it is silly anyway because I love opera) and proceeded to really dislike it more. Maybe I just don't like Guettel's music, but I feel as if I am missing out on a lot by feeling thus. To those who expressed the opinion that Mamma Mia and its ilk are not "Broadway Theatre", I agree, although I guess if my dislikes are going to be respected I have to respect others' likes.

Another favouite ( yes , I can spell but I am Canadian!) is
Titanic.

Anything anyone thinks I will enjoy? I disliked Spamalot and DRS. Maybe there is no hope for me.

[ilovespamalot]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:11pm

Well if the Fantasticks is your #1 that puts you high in my book as well, but i think you like more of the simple style. But, thats ok, everyone likes there own style.
(PS i did not like Piazza music either)

[superstarjpp]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:15pm

I don't think I would like Piazza either, it seems rather boring, the music that is

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:22pm

Discourse is very important. Don't let anyone intimidate you out of your opinions. I was told at drama school that "you should always say you like mozart and checkov even if you don't. it's a sign of caste." when i actually listened enough to have an opinion i discovered that i'm not too fond of mozart--too mathematical for me. i always find dissenting opinions illuminating. don't be a lemming! hate sondheim! despise shakespeare! think cherry jones is a HACK! but, be prepared to say why.

[roquat]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 9:44pm

It's very seldom that I like or hate EVERYTHING in a specific composer/lyricist's repertoire. (there is even some good Andrew Lloyd Webber--somewhere). Your choices seem sensible to me. Some of the shows you mention not liking definitely have to be experienced live. I saw "Floyd Collins" in Playwright's Horizons, where you couldn't help but be sucked into the plight of the title character trapped in a cave. There is also an excellent musical called "Wings" about a stroke victim, but if you just listened to the recording you'd be bored out of your mind.