Is it just me - Musicals?

[Kazzyhoward]

Am I the only one who just doesn't "get" musicals? I like to go to the theatre for plays, I like to go to pop/music concerts. But I'd rather eat my own vomit than go to watch a musical. I have a few friends/family that love them and always pestering me to go, but I absolutely hate them.

I just don't "get" it when actors who suddenly burst into song or leap into dance every few minutes. The last I went to, that probably finished me off, was Cats - yes, I don't deny the fantastic scenery, costumes, etc., but it was really repetitive, no obvious story, just loads of people dressed up pretending to be cats. Once I'd seen the costumes/scenery, I was bored rigid.

There isn't a plot to Cats.

But generally YABU. You have to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show.

Yanbu.They are not my kind of thing at all. In fact I couldn't think of anything worse than sat bored watching something like that.

My favourite musical is the South Park film. I don't care how many people try and tell me it's not a musical because it is.

As for you, you don't have to like them. It's not a crime not to!

Yanbu
I happen to love musicals but ea h to their own.

Omg of course CATS has a storyline

Well yeah, Cats is bollocks. It’s a musical with no plot where humans dance around dressed as cats FFS.

Look up Sondheim if you fancy something with a bit more depth and bite to it.

See I much prefer musicals to straight theatre (which to me is just basically what we did before we had telly). If I have to suspend belief, I'd rather suspend it all the way, with a bit of spectacle involved.

YANBU I was an exceptionally “lucky”child as was taken to many musicals. I’ve been to many:

Cats
Jesus Christ Superstar
Little Shop of Horrors
Phantom
Joseph
Wicked
Matilda
Mamma Mia
Lion King
Aladdin

etc

Ugh ugh ugh

Starts off as a good play and then they burst into song. Fake. Annoying. Cheez

Ugh ugh ugh

I think there are very, very few musicals that actually work and are enjoyable to watch without being hideously cringy or - as you point out with Cats - boring as shit.

YANBU, I am the same.

The only musical I like is Stop the Planet of the Apes! I Want To Get Off! from The Simpsons.

That said, I did go to the theatre to see Reservoir Mogs (a bizarre and profane mash-up of Reservoir Dogs and Cats) and that did have a couple of songs in it, but I would hesitate to call it a musical.

I was once forced to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I wanted to kill everyone in the whole world after only 10 minutes.

city What plot?? It is made up of a set of separate poems. There isn't even a pretence of a plot iirc, even e.g. We Will Rock You pretended to have a plot!

Ah jaysus, no, I can't STAND musicals. I think it's the fact that the music has been written to fit the plot, rather than because it's what the artist really wants to express. Having said that, I do seem to like musicals that are sweary or wrong - South Park film as pp said, Jerry Springer the Opera, Avenue Q, Rocky Horror, Everyone Says I Love you &c.

But the saccharine written-to-order lets-do-the-show-right-here shiny shiny fake sh1t - no no, not for me. Although if someone else likes them, they're hardly a dangerous or antisocial vice, let 'em watch away so long as I don't have to sit through it!

People who dont like musicals are sick.

Its epic stories with catchy rousing songs, incredible costumes and often dancing. Many of them recount the major literary classics of humanity (les mis, phantom, romeo and juliet with WSS, oliver, etc).

How the hell could you not like those things?

However, with the exception of chicago, I'm not a fan of contemporary musicals.

Musicals cannot be wry, or knowing, or ironic, or topical IMO. Their charm lies in their innocence.

Sweeney Todd is an INCREDIBLE musical. Ditto Hamilton. I also love West Side Story and Into The Woods. Got a bit of a soft spot for Fiddler on the Roof too.

My MiL dragged me to Grease and it was the worst two hours of my life. Maybe. It was certainly up there.

CATS has no storyline and really only one good song. It is dreadful.
We Will Rock You had a very thin plot, but was good fun.
Don't measure musical theatre by CATS.

But the songs are plastic. Soulless. A few are good and catchy, I grant you, but as a viewing spectacle it's so....cold.

When a musical is good, it's reaalllllly good, but when it's bad, it's horrid.

I think people who do the songbook for musicals are so clever.

I HATE THEM but got dragged to Kinky Boots....and I really enjoyed it.

Absolutely hate them. Worst thing I've ever seen was 42nd Street. All shit.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was fun for kids though.

@scampimom

You think the songs from Les Mis are plastic and cold?!

It's basically opera.

YANBU I felt exactly the same until I hit 40 I then suddenly couldn't get enough of them! So yes YABU!

That is all the classic musicals.

Come on @scampimom you need to "open up your mind....let your fantasies unwind..."

You’ve not seen the Book of Mormon then?

Funniest thing ever. Full of songs but you almost forget it’s a musical. Very sharp, very funny.