Please recommend a musical for people with limited English.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 8:15am

My friend from Argentina is coming to visit New York.
What show would be best as his English is limited.

I've been deciding between:
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Spiderman
and
Rock of Ages.

Although I think Priscilla Is a good choice, I have already seen it but would go if the other two aren't appropriate. I have been avoiding the other two because I don't really like 80's music and Spiderman is a curiosity.

Thoughts? Other shows?
Voca People?
Traces?

[artscallion]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 8:52am

Well, depending on when your friend is coming, Evita might be a good choice.

[singtopher]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 9:17am

Mamma Mia, POTO, and Chicago are very popular among non English speakers.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 10:37am

I believe it is a distinct advantage not to understand the lyrics in Frank Wildhorn shows. :)

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 11:55am

I actually agree with singtopher's choices. If you take away lyrics and plot, you're left with visuals and a style of music.

If your friend likes more classical, lush, romantic music and has a basic understanding of the Phantom of Opera story, take him to that.

If he likes jazzy music with sexy dancers in black, take him to Chicago.

If he likes ABBA songs, which are fairly global, and a Greek island setting, take him to Mamma Mia!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 12:18pm

Goldenboy, I had friends from B.A., Buenos Aires, "Big Apple," visiting recently and got them tickets for Priscilla at their request (which seems to be the number one request for various South American friends visiting lately). One's English is perfect while the other speaks English very little. They both loved it. If your friends have seen the film and know the songs it's a very good choice, as would, under the same conditions, Chicago.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 1:27pm

Chicago is wonderful, but I would never recommend it for someone's first/possibly only broadway show- it should be a spectacle of sorts. I'd say go with Priscilla, Phantom, Mamma Mia, or maybe even Mary Poppins or Lion King if he's seen and likes one of those movies. I also wouldn't recommend Evita for Argentinean since from what I've heard, it's not exactly historically accurate.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 3:53pm

^^^^^

Well, depending on when your friend is coming, Evita might be a good choice.

Last I heard, the musical remained quite controversial in Argentina. But they did allow the film to shoot there (though supposedly it took a special appeal from Madonna to get permission), this month's VANITY FAIR has a publicity shot for the show taken in the Casa Rosada and an Argentinian actress is playing Evita. So maybe the Perons don't raise the same passions they did in the 1970s.

I think I'd ask the friend before you buy tickets. It might be EXACTLY what he wants to see.

Updated On: 2/12/12 at 03:53 PM

[random person 112]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 4:06pm

^ Just to go over some things, yes evita is a controversial in argentina, to say it has become less so is true but to the say the perons don't hold sway to this day would be utterly untrue. As for the vanity fair shot, Martin is good friends with the current argentine president, who is also a big fan of Eva Peron and Madonna. So that's how they got in the door. As for the musical, it really depends it's very iffy. So iffy they created there own eva musical.

[random person 112]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 4:06pm

^ Just to go over some things, yes evita is a controversial in argentina, to say it has become less so is true but to the say the perons don't hold sway to this day would be utterly untrue. As for the vanity fair shot, Martin is good friends with the current argentine president, who is also a big fan of Eva Peron and Madonna. So that's how they got in the door. As for the musical, it really depends it's very iffy. So iffy they created there own eva musical.

EDIT: Of course but you also have to remember Peron had just died five years ago when the musical premiered in the US. They still create quite the stir though to the point all politicians are linked to his former party, the peronists.

Updated On: 2/12/12 at 04:06 PM

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 4:13pm

9I don't think Gaveston was saying they don't matter anymore just that people are less passionate now then 40 or even 10 years ago.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 4:47pm

Thanks, Cheno. I didn't mean to say one way or the other because I readily admit I don't know. I didn't know, for example, that the current president was even a casual Peronista.

Thanks for the update and details, Random Person. I remember vividly the news from Argentina at the time of show and the presidency of Isabel Peron and the desaparisados and their protesting mothers. But I don't pretend to be up-to-date on Argentinian politics.

I think the OP should ask his friend about EVITA. Given what Random Person has told us, I still think the friend's answer could go either way.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 7:20pm

Evita is not a choice as it won't open before he leaves
The time window is 2/14-2/23

[felix5]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 7:46pm

Why not See Priscilla? Your friend should know all the songs. I mean it IS the biggest karaoke show on Broadway. I'm sure they have heard "It's Raining Men". Why not one more time?

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 7:59pm

I vote for The Lion King-- great visuals, great music, who cares about the lyrics?

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 8:32pm

Evita is not a choice as it won't open before he leaves
The time window is 2/14-2/23

Sorry to clutter up your thread. But I'm glad we didn't know the exact dates, because i learned things about Argentina that I hadn't known.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/12/12 at 8:58pm

Good rule of thumb - of a show has been playing for more than 7 or so years, non English speakers will love it.