One time
Lil’ Abner
it was fun, but not in the league of most of what was posted. on this thread,
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Favorite Musical...
- Thread starter Dave Leighton
- Start date
One time
Lil’ Abner
it was fun, but not in the league of most of what was posted. on this thread,
I think West Side Story is superior and Sondheim eats Webber for breakfast. But I love listening to the original cast recording of JC Superstar for the bass work.
My favorite movie musical is The Nightmare Before Christmas
My favorite stage musical is Into the Woods
My favorite song from a musical is "Come Out of the Dumpster" from The Wedding Singer musical (a stage musical based on a movie). This is by far my favorite performance of the song. The actress has brilliant comic timing.
My favorite stage musical is Into the Woods
My favorite song from a musical is "Come Out of the Dumpster" from The Wedding Singer musical (a stage musical based on a movie). This is by far my favorite performance of the song. The actress has brilliant comic timing.
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Hamilton and Les Miserables would top my list. Have been fortunate to see a lot of theater in the past 20 years. Favorite thing to do is to walk down to the pit before or after the show, get the bass player's attention and salute.
Also really like Waitress. "She used to be mine" is a powerful song. Bonus: the band is on the stage for the production.
Honorable mention:
Also really like Waitress. "She used to be mine" is a powerful song. Bonus: the band is on the stage for the production.
Honorable mention:
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Seen Phantom a few times on Broadway, but my favorite might be Little Shop of Horrors. Always makes me laugh.
I have always been touched by this song. Dated yes, but beautifully done.
Came here to say this. Best bass lines by far of any musical.
WSS is in another league. (west side story). Years later a producer said hey, Lenny is still alive he's never conducted WWS with his choice of musicians. so they did it. Lead trumpet is Wilbur Wise. (Lenny did abuse the Italian Operatic lead vocal for not sounding Manhattan/Spanish which caused him to botch a rhythm over and over so they had to cancel till the next morning when he nailed it). PJ stoping a song for an out of tune bass was nothin)
But in 2018 I saw the last ever performance of Alan Cumming as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret on Broadway, which was the best overall performance of anything I've ever seen period. Cummings Cabaret gave it degrees of reality never imagined in the 70s. Joes Grey was embarrassed to be so "vile" Cumming made it into the Full Puck Celebrating the End of the World. And it was, he dies on the electric fence trying to escape. This is how it started in 93 in London Mz Jane Harrocks as Sally Boles
My Fair Lady is the best of the ones I grew up with with "Show Me Now" being best song. She moves on from poor Freddy and makes things happen in her life. Also the original cast performer who played her father was a famous Orator and story teller in an English tradition.
For magical music, I have to go with Peter Pan, usually the Mary Martin version. others have been OK, but Mary Martin laughed like an evil elf which made her seem dangerous. Peter Pan IS dangerous. I'm gonna post this Cathy Rigby version of the Ugg A Wugg song (with Tiger Lilly) because it was rewritten and prttymuch destroyed in the Network production of a few years back, some one thought ugg a wugg was wong. I dig the chorus that sounds like a big band turnaround. Cathy Rigby probably did the best flying version, and she did it for years.
the original, introduction to the concept of personal flight, the Lyric is
Wendy, Michael, John,
Tinkerbell, Come on!
Hurry Up and follow me
For soon I will be gone:
But in 2018 I saw the last ever performance of Alan Cumming as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret on Broadway, which was the best overall performance of anything I've ever seen period. Cummings Cabaret gave it degrees of reality never imagined in the 70s. Joes Grey was embarrassed to be so "vile" Cumming made it into the Full Puck Celebrating the End of the World. And it was, he dies on the electric fence trying to escape. This is how it started in 93 in London Mz Jane Harrocks as Sally Boles
My Fair Lady is the best of the ones I grew up with with "Show Me Now" being best song. She moves on from poor Freddy and makes things happen in her life. Also the original cast performer who played her father was a famous Orator and story teller in an English tradition.
For magical music, I have to go with Peter Pan, usually the Mary Martin version. others have been OK, but Mary Martin laughed like an evil elf which made her seem dangerous. Peter Pan IS dangerous. I'm gonna post this Cathy Rigby version of the Ugg A Wugg song (with Tiger Lilly) because it was rewritten and prttymuch destroyed in the Network production of a few years back, some one thought ugg a wugg was wong. I dig the chorus that sounds like a big band turnaround. Cathy Rigby probably did the best flying version, and she did it for years.
the original, introduction to the concept of personal flight, the Lyric is
Wendy, Michael, John,
Tinkerbell, Come on!
Hurry Up and follow me
For soon I will be gone:
big Broadway musical fan since a wee kid.
the one I've seen the most is no doubt Les Miz, and still believe that music is among the best
the one I've played the most (in HS) was Brigadoon, as I was piano player in a restaurant called The Heather and I played several songs from that show every night for six months or so
there are so many good ones mentioned already.
Classics:
Music Man
Annie Get Your Gun
South Pacific
Fiddler on the Roof
Cats
Oklahoma
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Newer:
Hamilton
Rent
Chicago
Lion King
And I love the comedy in Simply Rotten (a send-up on Broadway musicals in general)
the one I've seen the most is no doubt Les Miz, and still believe that music is among the best
the one I've played the most (in HS) was Brigadoon, as I was piano player in a restaurant called The Heather and I played several songs from that show every night for six months or so
there are so many good ones mentioned already.
Classics:
Music Man
Annie Get Your Gun
South Pacific
Fiddler on the Roof
Cats
Oklahoma
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Newer:
Hamilton
Rent
Chicago
Lion King
And I love the comedy in Simply Rotten (a send-up on Broadway musicals in general)
Ohby
Oh yeah. I have Both the original with Alan Spenner on bass, and the 1996 London recording with Steve Pearce. Phenomenal bass work.
Ah yes, musicals. Seen a few but have played in the pit for more:
Favorites based on musical content:
Hair
Jesus Christ Superstar
From My Hometown
Favorites based on the overall quality of the production:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Catch Me if You Can
42nd Street
Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat
Ones that got away:
Mama Mia- Was really looking forward to getting my Rutger Gunnarson on, but the scheduling didn't work out.
Wicked- Saw this one but did not got the call to play it. Would grab it in a minute if I did because the music is well...wicked!
Grease- Was just starting rehearsals for this when the pandemic hit. I had played bits and pieces before in a revue type setting, but never the whole show. This version did include the hits... You're the One That I Want, Grease is the Word, etc. The production is in limbo ATM, tentatively rescheduled to 2022.
Speaking of Singin in the Rain... I have often thought that A Clockwork Orange could make a very good musical in the right hands. I cannot stress "in the right hands" enough.
Favorites based on musical content:
Hair
Jesus Christ Superstar
From My Hometown
Favorites based on the overall quality of the production:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Catch Me if You Can
42nd Street
Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat
Ones that got away:
Mama Mia- Was really looking forward to getting my Rutger Gunnarson on, but the scheduling didn't work out.
Wicked- Saw this one but did not got the call to play it. Would grab it in a minute if I did because the music is well...wicked!
Grease- Was just starting rehearsals for this when the pandemic hit. I had played bits and pieces before in a revue type setting, but never the whole show. This version did include the hits... You're the One That I Want, Grease is the Word, etc. The production is in limbo ATM, tentatively rescheduled to 2022.
Speaking of Singin in the Rain... I have often thought that A Clockwork Orange could make a very good musical in the right hands. I cannot stress "in the right hands" enough.
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"The Music Man" Parents took me to see it at Starlight Musicals at Butler University. Forrest Tucker starred as Harold Hill. It was tremendous!
When I was 10 or 11, I took a long summer road trip with my cousins and we had a recording of the Hair soundtrack that we listened to on a constant loop in the car. We learned every word of every song and sang along loudly. A bit shocking now as I look back, since so many of the lyrics involved graphic sexual activity, racial issues (and racial slurs), and drug use. Those were the days! 
