The best structured musicals — Page 2

It feels like the idea of the iron clad musical is being challenged and the new territory is reviving musicals (and plays) that were seen as flawed or even flops. The old feather-in-the-cap of the rising director were radical interpretations of classics, now it feels like the platform to show one's brilliance as a director or as a performer is to bring new life to properties that have been overlooked or even rejected.

I personally think this trend is fabulous and exciting.

Updated On: 10/12/23 at 09:02 PM

sinister teashop said: "It feels like the idea of a the iron clad musical is being challenged and the new territory is reviving musicals (and plays) that were seen as flawed or even flops. The old feather-in-the-cap of the rising director were radical interpretations of classics, now it feels like the platform to show one's brilliance as a director or as a performer is to bring new life to properties that have been overlooked or even rejected.

I personally think this trend is fabulous and exciting."

Yes and I think we are going to see more revisals in the coming years, especially as older shows inch towards becoming public domain, or shows want to try to stay culturally relevant. Similar to film remakes. I'm fine with book-polishing. Lord knows lots of so-called "great" shows could use it, from Sound of Music to Bye Bye Birdie and plenty of lesser-known titles.

Problems arise when you get an UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN situation, where they tried to jury-rig new lyrics into old songs to fit a book that ultimately nobody gave a damn about.

I would have to say Miss Saigon. It is the best structured show I have seen. Every bar of music and every single word is there for a reason. There is not one superfluous moment in the show. Each note matches each syllable in terms of meaning and emotion. It's a masterpiece. From the first second of the show to the very last, it is a rocket flight of perfectly executed moments, unbelievably well connected to eachother. The scene transitions in both staging and music are terrific. It's just highlight after highlight after highlight, not in the big number kind of way, but especially in all the little delicate moments, brilliantly woven into eachother. Just when you need to breathe, the show leaves a moment in that exact moment for that, before it sweeps you to the next moment, from laughter to crying to excitement to terror, perfectly led by the structure. What a ride. The structure is also complimented by the fact that it is composed/sung through. Never does the audience have to adjust or switch between spoken or sung languages.