Vote for Your Favorite Musical

[The Lone Liberal]

There are many that were great just not enough room: as an example Tommy.

[sistersofmercy]

1. Carmen Jones and South Pacific. My sisg line is from South Pacific

the song, Cock-Eyed Optimist

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. How to Suceed in Business Without Really Trying

[Myra]

57. Yes! The great *great* Frank Loesser

One of the few Composer/Lyricists.
He did it all, and brilliantly.

How to Succeed is one of my top top favorites too.
Man, and he did Guys and Dolls.
To name just a couple.

Did you know that the "Finch" role was literally
written for (the also great) Robert Morse?
But to my happy surprise (shock), Matthew Broderick
was excellent in a revival a few years back.

There was/is no one better than Frank Loesser.

Tho' it may be a tie between it and another for
favorite...

Post below (yeah, like the suspense is so horrible...)

[nostamj]

3. can't vote... you miss ALL the most important

and list some (IMHO) utter dreck.

where is:

OKLAHOMA
WEST SIDE STORY
CANDIDE
CABARET
CHICAGO
COMPANY
FOLLIES
GYPSY
MAME
FUNNY GIRL
SOUTH PACIFIC
THE KING AND I
SWEET CHARITY
HELLO DOLLY
URINETOWN
CAROUSEL
MOST HAPPY FELLA
THE MUSIC MAN
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
FIORELLO
SHOW BOAT
ANYTHING GOES
OF THEE I SING
DREAMGIRLS
SIDESHOW


I could go on...

(smokey joes was a REVUE, btw, not a real musical)

[Maddy McCall]

6. I agree....

could pick about 10 from your list as my co-favorites...the truly great ones.

[The Lone Liberal]

11. Well I did say there were many that could not be listed. LOL

I will concede these, they were great or very good.

CANDIDE
CABARET
CHICAGO
COMPANY
FOLLIES
GYPSY
MAME
FUNNY GIRL
SWEET CHARITY
MOST HAPPY FELLA
THE MUSIC MAN
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
FIORELLO
ANYTHING GOES
DREAMGIRLS
SIDESHOW


I have to admit to hating Rogers and Hart and I loath Oklahoma.

[nostamj]

21. i didn't even list a Rodgers & Hart show!!

PAL JOEY ???
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE ??


and, btw, no OKLAHOMA, NO AMERICAN MUSICAL theatre..... period.

[wryter2000]

14. How to Succeed in Business

A great one. "You have the cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth."

[Rooktoven]

49. Your list is better.

Persoanlly I'd go for Chicago or Cabaret.

[tishaLA]

4. I vote for Company

and I want to know how the hell Cats and Phantom of the Opera are there. Andrew Lloyd Webber is to musical theater what Norman Rockwell was to art.

OK. Time to breathe deeply again.

[The Lone Liberal]

7. I take it you don't like Andrew Lloyd Webber?

even a little. LOL

[tishaLA]

10. I despise him with a white hot Passion

...oh and Passion is also the name of a musical by a real musical theater artist by the name of Sondheim. Even that--one of his lesser plays--would be better than Phantom!

[The Lone Liberal]

13. Well Sondheim was a decent tune writer.

LOL

[tishaLA]

15. LOL

THAT from someone who admits to "hating" Rogers and Hart? C'mon now! At least hate Richard Rogers for Oscar Hammerstein, not Lorenz Hart! Please! LOL.

Hey I heard that a guy named Porter used to write some decent tunes too.

[The Lone Liberal]

16. Okay, okay, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein I named them incorrectly

They could have been named Frick and Frack and I would hate that syrupy crap they wrote. LOL

[nostamj]

25. only EVITA and SUPERSTAR

(and part of JOSEPH)

had ANY merit. EVERYTHING else, sucked. SUCKED.

and his only good tunes were the ones he stole from Puccini anyway

[nuxvomica]

39. Wait a second...I like Norman Rockwell

And it's a false analogy because Rockwell didn't paint the same painting over and over. :mad:

[Cheswick2.0]

44. All I can say is Evita and JC Superstar

Webber was never as good after he and Rice stopped writing together. But you can't deny bothe superstar and Evita were great.

[tishaLA]

48. Ok Ok OK

I won't call them great musicals--like Company, West Side Story, Kiss me Kate, or Pal Joey--but they are far better than dreck like Cats and Phantom.

[oxymoron]

72. Agreed on ALW...

I haven't seen an Andrew Lloyd Webber show I've liked yet.

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Les Miserables.

I've seen it three times, twice in London. always makes me cry.

[Nikia]

27. Yes, that's a great one

It's also the only one that I've seen performed professionally as well as opposed to high school or college or community theater organizations. I really got my $90 worth by the performance I saw.

[SiobhanClancy]

8. The Music Man

That's my favorite...but I know I'm a bit old-fashioned:)

[5thGenDemocrat]

29. Siobhan

I guess you aren't the only old-fashioned one here -- that's my favorite, too.
John
Who is, admittedly, old-fashioned. I'm 47 -- not quite over the hill, but I can see the crest from here.

[SiobhanClancy]

32. lol...

I'm a couple of years ahead of you, John...don't worry,it's all downhill from this point!:)

[fortyfeetunder]

59. Yah, Music Man

Or any of the Rodgers-Hammerstein numbers....many school orchestra arrangements later. Tunes that leave you whistling later

[Dookus]

9. The King and I

[grasswire]

12. Victor Victoria

Brilliant.

[shanti]

17. tommy can you hear me?

i just love that one the most.

[Paragon]

18. Chicago & The Sound of Music

My two faves.

[MrScorpio]

34. Sound of music

That's my fave.

I like Oklahoma too.

[eileen from OH]

19. SWEENEY TODD

of course! Also love a little-known one (well, except for us theatreholics) SHE LOVES ME.

And of the most recent ones, cannot overlook FULL MONTY and URINETOWN.

eileen from OH

[Catshrink]

20. Always: Singin' in the Rain

My all time favorite.

[nostamj]

22. as a MOVIE musical only

that's an entirely different poll. the (brief) stage version of SITR was a FLOP

[Catshrink]

24. Oops... didn't realize we were only talking about those on the stage

in that case, it's Les Miz.

[bicentennial_baby]

23. Gigi

Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan, plus Maurice Chevalier...Winner of 9 Oscars (including Best Motion Picture 1958)

[July]

26. Can-Can!

"I Love Paris"
"Never Give Anything Away"
"I Am In Love" (think that's the title)
"If You Loved Me"

I "saw" it on Broadway as a fetus! Listened to it 680 billion times on my parents' LP. Performed the can-can with my sister to "Maidens Typical of France." Hilarious Cole Porter lyrics, great music.

Lots of other favorites, but that was my first.

[msu2ba]

28. Guys and Dolls

I've never been disappointed by a performance of it.

[Aristus]

30. "1776"

Hands-down favorite.

[nostamj]

31. GUY AND DOLLS/1776

both should have been on my earlier list!

also missing:

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
THE FANTASTIKS
SWEENEY TODD

[nuxvomica]

36. "If I'm the one to do it, they'll run their quill pens through it"

"I'm obnoxious and disliked, you know that sir."
Somehow that line has always stuck with me. A great play indeed.

[NightTrain]

33. West Side Story

n/t

[Raenelle]

70. Me too, West Side Story

[regnaD kciN]

35. It's "Man Of La Mancha," by the way...

...and I would think it was the ultimate musical for idealistic liberals...

[chiburb]

45. Man of La Mancha...

Is without doubt, the penultimate musical for idealists, dreamers, liberals, and otherwise "different" people of all ages. I saw it 6 times as a teen, and can recite it from memory. Talk about making an impression...
And the music is superb.

[regnaD kciN]

76. Unfortunately...

...I think most people today only remember the godawful film version.

[greatauntoftriplets]

37. So what is YOUR favorite musical????

You haven't said. :shrug:

[The Lone Liberal]

51. Brigadoon

or anything by Lerner and Loewe

Really like the movie adaptation

[greatauntoftriplets]

52. Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse and I forget who was the other guy.

Donald O'Connor? Yes, it was a great movie. I have never seen it on stage.

[The Lone Liberal]

53. I forgot Silk Stockings

Cyd Charisse is a close second to Sophia.

[greatauntoftriplets]

54. And Cyd was a better dancer than Sophia.

But at least Sophia is still able to dance.

[LiviaOlivia]

38. A Comedy Tonight

'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'

Zero Mostel Forever!

[DemExpat]

40. I just love the music from Porgy and Bess....

West Side Story comes in a close second....

DemEx

[TrogL]

41. South Pacific

Just did an abridged version of it.

[FloridaJudy]

56. South Pacific, Oh yeah!

For some bizarre reason I've had a bunch of songs from *South Pacific* running through my brain for the past few weeks. "Bali High", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Dites Moi", "You've Got to Be Taught", "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man " were okay.

But I swear if I find myself humming "Happy Talk" or "There is Nothing like a Dame" one more time, I'm going to be forced to ask my best friend to kill me...

Has no one else every noticed that this musical is down-right subversive?

[tjdee]

42. Chicago, for sure.

There's something about ladies kicking ass that really works for me.
With the original Fosse choreography, thank you very much!

Like a lot of the others, esp. Tommy, Hair...also Jesus Christ Superstar. The last two are flawed in places, but when they're properly cast, they are absolutely fantastic (I too can't STAND Webber, but in JCS I can overlook it).

I'm more of a music person with musicals. The right songs can really jazz up a crappy story for me.

[rbnyc]

43. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I also love Marat/Sade.

[Cheswick2.0]

46. Most of my Favorites I have been in

which tends to make you fall in love with a show. However Carosel, King and I and Les Miz (my choice for greatest ever) I was never a part of.

Sweeny Todd (I have done almost all of Sondheim), Music Man, Man of La Mancha, SuperStar are all very special to me.

[DivinBreuvage]

47. Life is a... CABARET

Though I much prefer the old version. The "edgy new" changes they've made to the role of the emcee are just stupid.

Françoise

[Sting]

50. I voted other....

and I say none. I don't enjoy musicals. Guess they're not my thing.
Sting

[psychopomp]

55. Kick for Miss Saigon

I saw it in Tokyo in '95 and did not even understand much of the dialogue but knowing the story and the sheer emotive appeal drew me to tears.

[Myra]

58. "She Loves Me"

By Bock and Harnick.

My favorite, possibly tied for first with
"How to Suceed..."

It's like a big box of your favorite candy.

[fortyfeetunder]

60. West Side Story

I think my all time favorite was West Side Story. The other, that I'd play again would be Porgy and Bess.

I loved almost everything George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein composed.

The key is for me, are there tunes I can whistle afterward? I didn't like Andrew Lloyd Webber's stuff....

[JCMach1]

61. What, no OKLAHOMA on the list

:(

[guitar man]

64. That's what I thought

How could "Oklahoma" not be on the list?

[The Lone Liberal]

66. Oklahoma is not on the list because

I hate that Song.

Brand new state!
Brand new state, gonna treat you great!
Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters, (Now what to hell kind of word is “Pertaters”? Have you ever heard any Oklahoman use the word “Pertaters”?)

Pasture fer the cattle,
Spinach and termayters! (Here we go again, it is “Tomatoes,” damnit!)

Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,
Plen'y of room to swing a rope! (Oh, yes, the whole damn state has nothing better to do other than stand around swinging a rope.}

Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain (When it really sweeps we call it the Dust Bowl.”

And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.

Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I (When was the last time you called someone or heard anyone call someone, Honey Lamb?)

Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.


We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! (I was born and reared in Oklahoma. In all my years I have not heard anyone, not one, not anyone utter “Yeeow Ayipioeeay” or anything that sounded close to that sound.”


We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.


You couple the words of this song with the way the production is usually choreographed--which is outlandish and you have a stereotype reminiscent of Capps’ Dogpatch. I hate that musical.

[greatauntoftriplets]

67. LMAO.

[regnaD kciN]

77. I think the musical...

...would be disqualified by its connection with the state!

Seriously, I will not consider any musical named after a state that would elect Jim "Pissquick" Inhoff to anything!

[CandyCrim21]

62. Other

Camelot?:puke:
I'm going with Fiddler on the Roof. That was the best ever!

[The Lone Liberal]

68. Something about

a theme of Russian pogroms were fun, never really made me a fan.

[tedoll78]

63. I loved

RENT. That was my first favorite. The holidays are so melancholy for me, and the CDs go in my truck once the weather begins to get cold.

'Into the Woods' is also excellent.

And when I'm in a goofy mood, 'Little Shop of Horrors' does the trick.

Those are my top 3. Otherwise, I'm not much of a theatre buff. Can't stand 'Evita,' and 'Once On This Island' was just so-so.

[Raine]

65. Rocky Horror Picture Show

LOVE :loveya: it.

[youngred]

69. I have many favourites

The Producers and Rent top the list, but I also love man of la mancha, camelot, Phantom, into the woods, cats, chicago and sooooooo many more.

I know more than 20 musicals by heart (as in can sing from start to finish)

[stlsaxman]

71. "On The Town" had some moments I loved... as did "Promises Promises"

The song for the suicide scene in Promises made me cry every time i saw it
(i did the audio for the entire run of 45 times) and every time that scene
came up i fell apart...

"Some Other Time" from OTT was brilliant, too... same scenario as above.

ON EDIT: isn't Tommy an opera? or did the "musical" version have spoken
words/dialogue? By the time it got to Broadway i was way over Pete Townsend
f*ckin' with perfection (the original) yet again for his monetary gain... Sorry, Pete,
but STOP IT!!!! LOL

[Padraig18]

73. Oklahoma!

:thumbsup:

[MaineDem]

74. JC Superstar

I love musicals. Evita, Les Mis, My Fair Lady, and Hair are my next favorites.

I saw Kiki Dee in "Blood Brothers" in London. An interesting show. I don't remember if it ever came to NY.

[Dr Fate]

75. I like Wizard of Oz & Grease the best...

...