Two Types of Musical Theatre Fans: Old-Fashioned or Modern

Ok, so I was talking with my friends about THE PRODUCERS and how great it is the other day. A girl overheard and says, "Ugh. I hate that show. Broadway isn't supposed to be like that." I asked her what she meant. She says, "It's not supposed to be light and irrevent like that. Broadway is supposed to be deep and emotional, like PHANTOM or LES MIS." I was quite enraged.

So I explained to her that if you go back to the 50's and 60's, Broadway was nothing but light-hearted and showy musicals-- 42nd Street, The Music Man, Guys & Dolls, etc. These are the kind that I enjoy. Broadway isn't one or the other. Though most are musicals, they don't all have to be the same musical genre.

So, the two types of musical fans:
1. Ballad-lovers (the girl): They like WICKED, PHANTOM, LES MIS, MAN OF LA MANCHA, JESUS CHRIST SS, AIDA, and despise old-timey shows like GUYS & DOLLS and THE PRODUCERS.

2. Classic-lovers (me): They like showgirl, kick-line, brassy, old-fashioned musicals. THE MUSIC MAN, GUYS & DOLLS, THE PRODUCERS, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, ANYTHING GOES, 42ND STREET, and hate anything Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Of course, there are those who bridge the line and like both.

I'll bet no one cares about this LONG post, but I needed to get this out of my system.

Sincerely,
An Anti-Lloyd Webber

I am both types. Although sometimes I enjoy the show that are more entertaining and fun. ie. Hairspray, The Producers etc.

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Maybe Sondheim gets his own group? He definitely deserves one!

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Updated On: 6/5/07 at 05:32 PM

"Sincerely,
An Anti-Lloyd Webber"

So, I'm guessing you're a number 2?

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"So I explained to her that if you go back to the 50's and 60's, Broadway was nothing but light-hearted and showy musicals-- 42nd Street, The Music Man, Guys & Dolls"

42nd Street opened on Broadway in 1980, and is based on a 1933 film.

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I'm sorry, but if you're a fan of musical theater in general, you won't subscribe to one or the other, you'll apppreacite the art form growing and moving and breathing and living, and changing.

The pigeonhole certain shows into a camp is a useless dichotomy in my opinion.

However, I think the distinction lies in one's preference of storytelling. The pastichy cutesy shows, the good ones, usually have a worthy undercurrent or source material, which a production can either do justice to, or completely ignore; and the heavy shows more often than not rely on melodrama, which is effective, but empty. Of course, the goodheavy shows often deal with issues that are timely and need to be discussed at the time they are orignally presented or revived.

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You really can't divide theatre fans into two groups like that. As many people will point out, there are many people who fall squarely into both camps. Plus if you're going to split into groups, you need more than just those two!

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I'm sorry, I typed this very quickly and made a lot of mistakes and maybe wasn't clear enough on what I was trying to convey.

I know 42ND STREET came out in the 80's, I put it there because it's the kind of musicals that came out in the 50's and 60's. Saying it actually opened at that time was just a typing mistake.

LostLeander, I realize THE PRODUCERS has emotion. I guess by "emotional" I meant drama as opposed to comedy. And yes, that girl is a wannabe.

Fenchurch, I am a fan of musical theatre in general. I just have preferences. Like, if I had a choice to see some of the new shows of this season, I would see CURTAINS instead of THE PIRATE QUEEN. Just cause I like the comic, light-hearted genre doesn't mean I'm not a fan of musical theatre in general. Just because someone would rather watch NAKED GUN instead of SPARTACUS doesn't mean they don't like movies in general.

Rentboy, I do think THE PRODUCERS is quite old-fashioned, at least the style of the songs.

And to everyone, there are DEFINITELY more than two categories. I apologize for not wanting to make my post 4 pages long! Again, I hastily typed this and was just generally speaking. After all, theatre has been categorized as comedy or tragedy since ancient Rome. And I only used Lloyd-Webber as an example because he arguably the most recognized dramatic composer.

Also, I do like Sondheim. FORUM is one of my favorites.

And I hope I did not come across as obnoxious; I have great respect for every show I mentioned, I just don't like some of them. I also respect the opinions of those who like the shows that I don't like.

And you know, I DID mention that a lot of people like both, and there's nothing wrong with that. A number of shows themselves even bridge the line, FIDDLER (another one of my favorites) is light and hilarious AND heart-breaking enough to make you cry.

I also want to thank those who were kind enough to treat this as an adult conversation, and not be cynical in their replies.

Updated On: 6/5/07 at 06:45 PM

I can understand what you're saying. I just think you should've been a little more specific. You didn't specify the people who like shows other than those two types.

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I'd call them stupid.
Haha!

Anyway, I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle, but I tend to lean more to the "old-fashioned" shows. I'd much rather see a show that was on Broadway 50 years ago than say Spring Awakening, but that's just my personal taste.

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I'm on the fence. I have a deep love for the work of Cole Porter and Kander & Ebb, particularly the former. Kiss Me, Kate and Anything Goes are two of my favorite shows of all time, and while I do like many of the musicals that have come out in recent years - lighthearted, irreverant comedies such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spelling Bee, Drowsy Chaperone, and the like - are they too far removed from the lighthearted comedies of the 50's & 60's? The music style has been updated, but the idea of theatre that just makes you smile has been around for decades... but I digress.

The one style that I really dislike are the megamusicals - Les Mis, Phantom, Miss Saigon, Wicked; the shows that take themselves too seriously.

And where do composers like Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, William Finn, etc. fall in these categories?

I like both types. I love POTO, but I do not care for most of Webber's other works. I also like Les Mis and Miss Saigon. Then I also enjoy lighthearted shows like Dirty Rotten, Full Monty, Millie, 42nd Street, Guys & DOlls. I could go on, but I don't think most fans are one or the other. I think people like a blend of both types and not everyone likes the same ones. However, some people can be closed minded and you won't change their mind or they just haven't been exposed to as many types as say you or I and they can only base their preference on what they've seen.

I like musicals that are well written.

If they're well-written (and well performed), I'll most likely love it.

I have a deep love for the classics, and for the new composers.

I guess I'd lean towards the newer, because I just hapeen to be living during this time.

Long live Musical Theatre.

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