hi vintagesnarker
been a while since we have chatted. I knew epic would draw a response so we can have a dialogue vs another dreary list posting
Epic is certainly a subjective opinion, and it will take the advantage of time to see where the class of 2010-2019 stacks up against golden age decades in the 1950s and 1960s or the BIG musical 1980s or 1990s.
my nomination for 2010s as EPIC is based on
1) Hamilton as a true gamechanger in making music in musicals contemporary as well as being in many critics opinion one of the greatest musicals of all time
2) Book of Mormon setting a new standard for musical comedy in terms of number of laughs, pushing boundaries, and having amazingly hooky songs
3) Dear Evan Hanson and Come From Away as two extraordinary musicals dealing with very difficult subjects in amazing deft ways and launching Pasek & Paul as true creators at the top of their craft
4) Kinky Boots, Matilda, The Bands Visit, Waitress, Once and others for bringing the niche movie to musical adaptation to very high standards of execution and entertainment value
5) Beautiful, Aint Too Proud and Rock of Ages for demonstrating "jukebox" can deliver an entertaining story and fun and involved musical experience
five of the musicals from this class are in my top ten all time, so that is pretty EPIC for me personally (Ham, BOM, DEH, CFA, Kinky) and there is something about the contemporary feel that i like more than even watching a great revival of MFL, Fiddler, King & I, Dolly, How To Succeed, or other much loved classics.
So im good with "epic" as a descriptor for this decade. certainly a lot of not very good musicals to get through (spongebob and head over heels come to mind immediately). all in all 20 excellent to brilliant shows in 10 years is a very good output for broadway
