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Double Bass whats everyones favourite musical
- Thread starter ellie42
- Start date
Five favorites since I couldn't choose just one: West Side Story, Candide, Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks, and Little Shop of Horrors. I've played all more than once except Candide.
Guys and Dolls or Fiddler on the Roof. Been in the pit for both, and both were a blast.
My favorite, from long before I had the opportunity to play it, is How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
For my 18th birthday, my parents got me a bus ticket to see The Who's Tommy on Broadway. Being in NYC and seeing the show was amazing! I still remember the pinball machine being raised from the floor by a giant piston and watching Tommy ride that thing like a bucking bronco. The lights, the music, the performers, outstanding!
In The Heights for me. I’m a bit biased because I just played it. But I like all the hip hop & salsa.
I've got two obscure ones: played in a pit once for Merrily We Roll Along (sondhiem). There were some super cool bass parts in that.
And even though it isn't the greatest musical in the world, I also really like playing "Working". I've played 3 different productions, the first when I was in high school, and have always had a good time with it. It's also nostalgic because it was the first show I ever played.
And even though it isn't the greatest musical in the world, I also really like playing "Working". I've played 3 different productions, the first when I was in high school, and have always had a good time with it. It's also nostalgic because it was the first show I ever played.
Kind of partial to the movie version of Godspell. So many great voices.
Funniest: Spamalot
Fun to play/good music: Fosse, Ragtime, Parade
Favorite because the bass player gets 2 doubles: Wicked
Jesus Christ Superstar
5,000 fingers of Dr Terwilliger
5,000 fingers of Dr Terwilliger
"Finian's Rainbow" although it would be considered so politically incorrect now that it will probably never be performed again- great music, though.
"Chicago" in the original configuration is a great show for bass and tuba, although one must be a real tuba player as well as bass player. The tuba part is a test, but very cool and elegant(Mama's Mambo in Gb minor!). It's about 2/3 tuba as I recall, but fun to play if you're up to the challenge.
First musical I played was "Pajama Game" (talk about politically incorrect now!)
Favorite musical of the many I've staged is a tie: 3Penny Opera and Company
Favorite "classical" musical, also a tie: Music Man and 1776 (don't get me started on the current revivals)
New favorite musical: Come From Away (which is really good, I think)
Favorite musical of the many I've staged is a tie: 3Penny Opera and Company
Favorite "classical" musical, also a tie: Music Man and 1776 (don't get me started on the current revivals)
New favorite musical: Come From Away (which is really good, I think)
Played both those shows and many others.
I've done "Fiddler on the Roof" three times and would do it again in a minute. Others like "Camelot" I would never want to play again, ever, ever, ever... Some like "Sweet Charity" are so completely unmemorable that I can hardly recall anything from them: music or book (OK, "Hey, Big Spender"). Some were enormous fun to play ("Seussical") but I couldn't whistle a tune from them afterwards.
My all time favourite? "Chess".
It came out on vinyl the same year as Les Miz and Phantom but was musically stronger than both in my books. Tim Rice with Benny and Bjorn from Abba. Huge fun to play—especially a concert version I played in. A bunch of keyboards (including synth strings), two guitars, bass, drums, real strings and brass, choir and soloists. It has recitativo, arias, duets, and even a quartet like European opera, and has feels that run from Verdi to rock & funk. I got to play both that concert version and a show run back in the early 90's before the endless revisions of the show mauled it beyond recognition: genius run to ruin. If you don't know the show, listen to the original record version with the cover below from 1984 on RCA.
**2nd prize for fun to play goes to Evita (played it twice as well).
Oklahoma! (way before i moved to OK)
West Side Story
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum- the only show i’ve played more than 3x, i’ve played trombone, conducted 2x, and played keyboards once.
i played Oklahoma! and West Side both twice in less than a year. im only including shows i’ve played, and i can’t think of any i like much better. i’ve gotten to see some big names- Yul B as the King, Zero M as Tevye, Angela L as Mame…
West Side Story
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum- the only show i’ve played more than 3x, i’ve played trombone, conducted 2x, and played keyboards once.
i played Oklahoma! and West Side both twice in less than a year. im only including shows i’ve played, and i can’t think of any i like much better. i’ve gotten to see some big names- Yul B as the King, Zero M as Tevye, Angela L as Mame…
