21 replies to this topic

[Adem]

I know theatre isn't the most talked about thing on here by any means, but I know there's a few people that at least have some knowledge of it, even if they're not an active participant.

Anywho, I've been watching/re-watching a lot of plays and musicals, and I was wondering what your favorites are. :3 As for me, LULZ EDITED MADE A LIST.

I have a feeling this topic might not get a whole lot of replies, if any, but I'm rather interested in everybody's favorites. Discuss!


Favorites:

Musical
bare: A Pop Opera

Play
Brighton Beach Memoirs


Other Shows I've Seen or Listened to:
Avenue Q
Little Shop of Horrors
Light in the Piazza
Les Miserables
Guys and Dolls
Fiddler on the Roof
Jekyll and Hyde
Les Miserables
South Pacific
Wicked
A New Brain
Assassins
Sweeny Todd
Biloxi Blues
Broadway Bound
Lost in Yonkers
Songs For a New World
Into the Woods
Footloose
Grease
High School Musical (Actually, I was in that one. Don't judge me. )
Rocky Horror
Passion
25th Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jesus Christ Superstar
Chess
Next to Normal


And a crap load I can't think of at the moment. Subject to change!

Edited by Rem, 04 May 2011 - 07:12 PM.

[Twilight Knight]

Well the only theatre/musical play I really know is Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I really like. I had to do a musical for school and viewed some theatre plays for school, but I forgot most of it.

I don't know if RHPS is a Broadway Show... In fact, don't even know what a Broadway Show is.

[Ben]

The Music Man is one of the best things ever.

[Bayta]

Gotta be a tie between Phantom of the Opera and Spamalot.

I haven't seen very many shows on Broadway though, this is more my step-father's area of expertise than my own.

Edited by Beta Link, 07 October 2010 - 02:51 PM.

[Lemon]

Spamalots not as good as it should be... I mean a lot of the songs are just awful. Terrible. Just seems like they were quickly done instead of well thought out and actually made to go with the scene.

RHPS is fantastic all around, but the fans are kinda creepy; and the audience participation get's old really quick.

I used to work at a dinner theater, so I saw a lot of ex-broadway shows professionally done.

Favorite shows (in order):

• All Shook Up: Heartbreak Hotel
• Little Shop of Horrors: Feed Me (Git It), (This is probably my favorite musical number ever), & Dentist (Steve Martin!)
• Assassins: Ballad of Booth (with Neil Patrick Harris!), & Ballad of Charles Guiteau
• Putnam Spelling Bee: Pandemonium (this show involves three members from the audience, if you're wondering why some people are getting laughed at/seem lost), & I love you Song
• Brookyln: this one is apparently to obscure to find any decent recordings of online. If you get a chance, go see it.
• Sweeney Todd: duh
• Guys n' Dolls: Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat, & Luck Be A Lady
• Jekyll & Hyde Facade
• It's a wonderful life
• 30/90.

Maybe I'll link songs from these later. All great shows, see em if ya can.

Edited by Lemon, 08 October 2010 - 12:01 PM.

[Adem]

Ah, Guys & Dolls and Jekyll & Hyde are also among my favorites.

Assassins is actually playing at a local playhouse in my area later in the month. Maybe I'll check that one out.

[Radien]

I will always have a special attachment to Crazy For You, my junior year high school musical.

The Pirates of Penzance is also a special favorite. It's originally British, but I'd be greatly surprised if it had never played on Broadway. Not sure if it counts because of that.

I enjoyed Spamalot. Not the greatest Broadway music ever, but the new songs were better than the original Monty Python music (largely from other movies and the TV show; Holy Grail didn't originally have much music). Oh, and for the record, several of the songs WERE taken from other skits and movies, most notably "Finland, Finland, Finland."

Now, my most recent favorite is Avenue Q.

~That's... Schadenfreude!... Makin' the world a better place to be.~

[Adem]

Replies in bold.

I will always have a special attachment to Crazy For You, my junior year high school musical.

The Pirates of Penzance is also a special favorite. It's originally British, but I'd be greatly surprised if it had never played on Broadway. Not sure if it counts because of that.
I guess I should have just said play. XD It doesn't really make a difference to me, as long as people don't start talking about moviez and films. derp derp lulz

I enjoyed Spamalot. Not the greatest Broadway music ever, but the new songs were better than the original Monty Python music (largely from other movies and the TV show; Holy Grail didn't originally have much music). Oh, and for the record, several of the songs WERE taken from other skits and movies, most notably "Finland, Finland, Finland."

Now, my most recent favorite is Avenue Q.
%D I wish you could meet my girlfriend...

~That's... Schadenfreude!... Makin' the world a better place to be.~

I also think South Pacific deserves a mention. Not my all time favorite, but definitely a decent show.

Edited by Rem, 07 October 2010 - 07:13 PM.

[Professor Bedwetter]

I'd like to point out that The Rocky Horror Picture Show is not a broadway play
When its a play its called The Rocky Horror Show


also The Magic Man is pretty awesome

[Mitchfork]

Les Miserables for me. I love almost all of the songs in the play (which is good, because it's an opera (everything is said through song)).

[Lemon]

Assassins is actually playing at a local playhouse in my area later in the month. Maybe I'll check that one out.

It's a very unique musical. Very well written, and the two ballads are incredible (Booth and Charles Guietau respectivly).

Avenue Q has worn off on me after the years, but it's still pretty good.

I really don't like Spamalot. Yeah, it's Monty Python, yeah it has some good laughs, but it's so god damn lazy. From the title to the songs, it just seems to me they watched the episodes of Monty Python and threw in references wherever they could, instead of, ya know, actually trying to come up with some stuff.

The name is Spamalot. What does that even mean.

One of the songs is "The Song that goes like this". They aren't really catchy, (besides Not Quite Dead) and even then just don't seem appropriate. All the songs just sound like generic show tunes, which completely destroy any air of a decent show the musical could have for me . I guess it's worth a few laughs though.

Updated my previous list of musicals to link the best songs from each.

[Neppy]

I can truly say that I have no favorites. I don't enjoy broadway shows and stuff.

[Radien]

I guess I should have just said play. XD It doesn't really make a difference to me, as long as people don't start talking about moviez and films. derp derp lulz

Or "favorite musical," since most Broadway shows are musicals. Although, I think there are always a few non-musicals going on.

%D I wish you could meet my girlfriend...

Too bad that she lives in Canada...

I also think South Pacific deserves a mention. Not my all time favorite, but definitely a decent show.

Music was catchy. But wayyyyy too cheerful for the depressing story, which was rife with racism. It is a significant show to watch if you want to understand how people's minds worked back then, but it really wasn't good material for a cheerful musical.

Les Miserables for me. I love almost all of the songs in the play (which is good, because it's an opera (everything is said through song)).

Why didn't I think of Les Mis?!?!...

Okay, indecision gone. Les Mis is my favorite musical evar.

I really don't like Spamalot. Yeah, it's Monty Python, yeah it has some good laughs, but it's so god damn lazy. From the title to the songs, it just seems to me they watched the episodes of Monty Python and threw in references wherever they could, instead of, ya know, actually trying to come up with some stuff.

Y'know, the thing is, people who go to Spamalot for the promise of "the Monty Python Broadway musical" were generally expecting them to incorporate more Monty Python material than JUST the one film. After all, Monty Python actually has a truckload of songs scattered througout its history of TV episodes and movies, and Spamalot was their first (and probably only) Broadway musical. I, for one, was quite happy that they shoehorned "Finland, Finland, Finland" into the play, along with other old Monty Python songs.

The name is Spamalot. What does that even mean.

There was a very popular Monty Python skit where a woman is in a diner, trying to find something to order...but she hates spam, and everything they serve has lots of Spam in it. Then a bunch of 6-inch tall vikings show up and start singing "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam..." (etc.)

It was extremely weird and random humor for the 70s, and became one of their most well-known "songs." Spam and dead parrots are two of Monty Python's trademark gags. That's why they named the entire musical "Spamalot" without even explaining the name. People who know Monty Python don't need an explanation (besides, it's meant to be random absurdity), and there are a LOT of people out there who love to watch vintage Monty Python, regardless of age (in fact, Monty Python tends to be popular with high schoolers to this day).

One of the songs is "The Song that goes like this". They aren't really catchy, (besides Not Quite Dead) and even then just don't seem appropriate. All the songs just sound like generic show tunes, which completely destroy any air of a decent show the musical could have for me . I guess it's worth a few laughs though.

Updated my previous list of musicals to link the best songs from each.

"The Song That Goes Like This" was funny because of the lyrics, and also how it made fun of cliche` songs in musicals. You can't judge it by its title.

Yes, Spamalot's music itself wasn't quite as catchy as you'd hope for from a Broadway musical. I have the MP3s but won't be putting them on my iPod anytime soon. But it was a parody, dammit -- a parody of Broadway musicals in general, and its first priority was to be funny. If you want something with really catchy songs and nothing else memorable about it, go watch Mamma Mia instead.

I wish I could have seen Spamalot with Tim Curry as King Arthur, though.... too bad he was Broadway-only (though that fact doesn't surprise me).

[Adem]

I also think South Pacific deserves a mention. Not my all time favorite, but definitely a decent show.

Music was catchy. But wayyyyy too cheerful for the depressing story, which was rife with racism. It is a significant show to watch if you want to understand how people's minds worked back then, but it really wasn't good material for a cheerful musical.

Mmm, a valid point, sir.

Les Miserables for me. I love almost all of the songs in the play (which is good, because it's an opera (everything is said through song)).

Why didn't I think of Les Mis?!?!...

Okay, indecision gone. Les Mis is my favorite musical evar.

I'm ashamed of myself... Can't believe that I didn't mention that.

Edited by Rem, 09 October 2010 - 12:08 PM.

[Lemon]

Y'know, the thing is, people who go to Spamalot for the promise of "the Monty Python Broadway musical" were generally expecting them to incorporate more Monty Python material than JUST the one film. After all, Monty Python actually has a truckload of songs scattered througout its history of TV episodes and movies, and Spamalot was their first (and probably only) Broadway musical. I, for one, was quite happy that they shoehorned "Finland, Finland, Finland" into the play, along with other old Monty Python songs.

But that's just it. They just shoved them in wherever. There just wasn't any real... thought behind it. And yes, yes, they were lol random funny funny in the tv show, but all of the episodes usually still had some logical string going through them that brought everything together, or a unifying aspect of silliness. When I saw it, Spamalot just seemed like someone took favorite quotations from Monty Python and stuck them together with scotch tape.

There was a very popular Monty Python skit where a woman is in a diner, trying to find something to order...but she hates spam, and everything they serve has lots of Spam in it. Then a bunch of 6-inch tall vikings show up and start singing "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam..." (etc.)

It was extremely weird and random humor for the 70s, and became one of their most well-known "songs." Spam and dead parrots are two of Monty Python's trademark gags. That's why they named the entire musical "Spamalot" without even explaining the name. People who know Monty Python don't need an explanation (besides, it's meant to be random absurdity), and there are a LOT of people out there who love to watch vintage Monty Python, regardless of age (in fact, Monty Python tends to be popular with high schoolers to this day).

I know brah .

I'm criticizing it because it's just doesn't really have any zing to it for me.

"The Song That Goes Like This" was funny because of the lyrics, and also how it made fun of cliche` songs in musicals. You can't judge it by its title.

It's a god awful song. The joke is made in the beginning, and then you get to hear the punchline for three minutes. It's not even a very good joke. I'm not judging it by the title alone mind you, I really do think it's a terrible song.

Yes, Spamalot's music itself wasn't quite as catchy as you'd hope for from a Broadway musical. I have the MP3s but won't be putting them on my iPod anytime soon. But it was a parody, dammit -- a parody of Broadway musicals in general, and its first priority was to be funny. If you want something with really catchy songs and nothing else memorable about it, go watch Mamma Mia instead.

Doesn't mean they should be lazy about it . Spamalot has always seemed to me to be something rushed through with very little thought added to the process besides "how can we stretch our audiences nostalgia sympathy for an hour and a half?" Parody & comedy are no excuse for that.

I wish I could have seen Spamalot with Tim Curry as King Arthur, though.... too bad he was Broadway-only (though that fact doesn't surprise me).

Amen brother!

And for what it's worth, I do really really like Monty Python. I just really detest Spamalot.

Edited by Lemon, 09 October 2010 - 05:27 PM.