Why Does Everyone Hate Musical Theater?

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:02pm

I mean the musical theater niche audience is smaller than that for most art films. I've always wondered why they didn't have more of a broad appeal, I mean everyone likes music, right? Do you know anyone who hates musicals and, if so, why?

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:05pm

i wouldn't know..i love musical theater (well obviously haha).

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:06pm

I bet it has something to do with Sondheim.

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:07pm

~ that's a good question
at one time i was very embarrased to admit to myself and others that i like musicals
~ for me i guess it's the culture and environment i grew up in.
now i don't care
~ but i hid my copy of west side story for a long time...*lol*

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:07pm

why are you asking that question on this board? we may be the last people in the WORLD to know the answer to that question!

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:09pm

I don't get it either. Tons of people/kids watch music videos constantly, which are mini movie musicals. They've been raised on music videos--and yet that don't "get" movie musicals.

They watch theatrical pop/rock/rap concerts and they don't get stage musicals.

Fine if they don't like the music---but it's their not understanding characters breaking out in song that baffles me.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:09pm

On Thanksgiving I was talking to my uncle who hates musicals. He didn't have a good reason why and was making stupid generalizations like "only large musicals with a more choral sound are good". He admitted to liking Fiddler on the Roof, but that's as far as I got. It was a very frustrating conversation.(OY!)

[jimmirae]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:10pm

What's next, a "Why does everyone hate Idina?" post? You know why, Films are easier to see/rent, You need a live cast & a theater (as well as an orchestra) for a musical, Come on now... Call and wake me when you can go rent any musical you feel like with a Pizza that evening, LOL!
(I'll take that with extra mushrooms & cheese and can I get Chita in "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" and Liza in "The Act" with that too)

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:10pm

haha my friend told me she LOVED chicago but wouldnt go see it on stage because movies are different.

[SuddenlyTrey]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:12pm

HAHA I LOVE IT!
So I go to a little College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina... I know all about people hating musical theatre. The audiences here want edgy and classics. But if we do a classic is has to be Cabaret...somethign dirty with underwear to fill the seats. Or we do a classic R&H to get the older audience.

My non-theater friends hate musicals beacuse no one breaks out into song and dance in real life...except for me :)

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:14pm

but Trey--do they watch music videos??

[SuddenlyTrey]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:16pm

Yeah. That is why I hate them!

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:16pm

Does it perhaps have something to do with the fact that most musicals are set in surreal dream-worlds and not in reality? (Yes I'm including RENT in that)

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:17pm

And music videos aren't??? lol

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:19pm

And, if it's about reality--why do they go see cheesy horror films like The Ring? Or Star Wars? Or LOTR?

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:20pm

I LOVE MUSICAL THEATER.....btw this is BROADWAY world.com so i think there would be some people who like musical theater.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:21pm

Yeah but the Ring and Star Wars and LOTR all hae thrills and spills and action scenes.

[RaininSmilies]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:21pm

I'm not sure that everyone hates musical theater. A lot of them probably just don't get much exposure to it, or not enough for them to be able to take more of an interest in it.

[GClef2]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:31pm

People (ie my friends) think that all of musical theater is "I could have danced all night" from WSS. But when I played them Rent, Songs for a New World, Tick, Tick...Boom and Aida, they loved every song.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:33pm

Well, you are onto a big part of it, GClef. If we had more pop/rock musicals and rap/hip hop musicals, you'd see more people getting into it.

It will be very interesting to see how the OutKast movie musical goes over...

[pab]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:34pm

GClef2 , "I could have danced all night" is from My Fair Lady not WSS.

Updated On: 11/26/05 at 02:34 PM

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:35pm

he meant i could have danced all night at the gym

[Aigoo]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:43pm

Because you touch yourself at night.

[hearthatstrue]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:49pm

I think a lot of it has to do with stereotypes and generalizations. Most people I know think musical theatre is just tap dancing and people bursting into happy songs. But I also know people that assume all theatre is Sondheim. They won't listen to Sondheim because his words are "too big" and his songs are impossible to understand.

There's also the "unrealistic" view, which I've heard all too much. That is, bursting into song randomly is completely unrealistic and surreal, and the show would be just fine with only dialogue; the song does nothing to push the plot further. They laugh when a song starts, and say things like "This is so stupid. No one does this in real life."

A music teacher in my school talked about a good reason for the "hatred" recently. He said it had to do with the "dumbing down" of teenagers, and society as a whole. A lot of people don't care to listen to or watch something that makes them really think. They don't want to search for a meaning, or any type of undertone. They'd much rather listen to rap stars singing about their humps, or punk bands singing about how horrible their life is because they were given a bad haircut.

I don't know- these are just the reasons I've heard in the past.

But I'll echo RaininSmilies sentiment about exposure; there's not enough of it.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 2:52pm

because all those homos are gay, and no one likes gays.























(Note, the above is a joke, and intended to be tongue in cheek, or whatever else you may want in cheek)