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.

I prefer opera, but musicals are also ACE. Except the ones that aren't.

My favourites are West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Matilda, Into the Woods, Oliver!, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and tons more. Can't wait until 2025, when I might have a chance of laying my hands on Hamilton tickets .

But I don't love every musical, by a long chalk. Couldn't take to Wicked, and I hate all those 'juke box musicals' with a plot shoehorned into a string of old hits. Lazy and annoying.

morning It's 7 Brides! Yes that is a bit odd with it's fake studio outdoor scenes and bewigged brothers! The story is a bit too!

Agree with everyone saying Les Mis is not an opera, too.

Opera is excellent. Les Mis is just OK.

I don't get on with musicals

I am a terrible snob, in that I think they are second-rate operas at best.

For example: I love Madame Butterfly, but hate Miss Saigon (the rip-off version)

There is this new "This is me!" Song that is played everywhere, which is a prime example of the crappy dramatic cheesey fakey music played in musicals

I love musicals as does DD.

Good thing we're all different

I go to the theatre a lot and generally prefer straight plays but there are some great musicals. Last year I saw Caberet, 42nd St and Bat out of Hell - all fabulous, so much so I have tickets to see Bat again this year. I have also booked for Girl from the North Country as it has had so many outstanding reviews. OTH I also saw Alladin which was awful.

My husband and DC all love Lloyd Webber type musicals and big West End spectacles like Wicked and Matilda but they bore me rigid. I'm not sure why because I don't mind opera, perhaps because they feel a bit soulless?

Some musicals are goods some are pants, same as with plays. I like book of Mormon it was funny but not as shocking as they hype would have you believe. Wicked is good and some of the singing was amazing, I did get a smidge bored in places.

I love musicals precisely because they are so unreal. Who needs real life at the theatre or the cinema? I can get all that at home. I watch musicals for the fantasy. It's pure escapism. Love, love love them! I especially love the classics.

Musicals cannot be wry, or knowing, or ironic, or topical IMO.
One word: Sondheim.

OP, have you seen Cabaret? Rather than people just bursting into song for no reason, the songs make sense within the film as they're generally Liza M singing in her job as a cabaret singer. Might make more sense to you. Also it's a fucking brilliant, very serious and very important film.

There are some wonderful films that just happen to be musicals. West Side Story, Mary Poppins and Singin' in the Rain, off the top of my head, are masterpieces.

Some are more lightweight, granted, but with good songs. Often you do need to leave your sense of irony/subtlety/British embarrassment at people singing and dancing at the door –I had to when I started watching them –but there are some real gems.

Just remembered being dragged to see "Annie" - I faked feeling unwell and left at half time. Most miserable evening ever!

Yes that's true, Miranda But there are good and bad musicals, operas , classical music and pop music just as there are probably good and bad horror films! I don't want to watch to find out though!

Just remembered I also saw Follies last year and hated every second. I just don't get Sondheim. Sadly I was with friends so couldn't leave at the interval.

Annie is shit, TBF, OP

Currently listening to Bui Doi.

Can’t stand anything Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber. What a load of old horseshit.

However, I love all the “old” musicals West Side Story, King and I, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof etc. Pure escapism for me. Les Mis, is fucking genius IMO.

Not for nothing did the modern musical LaLa Land win so many prizes last year. Didn’t like that either.

Intrigued by Hamilton, didn't realise it was real - larry david falls asleep in the front row watching it on curb your enthusiasm

I don’t like them Les Mis was
painful i was certainly miserably bored watching it

I enjoyed The Producers and Chicago but Wicked was painful to watch all that over singing/acting and jazz hands I felt embarrassed for the performers and wish they would stop

I like the film Grease

I can't bear musicals either, never could. Each to their own though....

For all the musical fans (and those that aren't)

Chicago is wry, knowing and extremely topical which is quite remarkable for a 40 year old play. It is also funny and has some great songs. I also found Caberet (50 year old musical, based on a 60 year old play, based on an 80 year old novel) to be chillingly topical.

Iam inclined to agree about Sondhiem Looonooo. I can't get into many of his modern stuff at all.

I heard him interviewed about his writing the brilliant lyrics for WSS which he said were "too simplistic". He's bit pretentious for me, give me simplistic every time!!

YANBU. I loathe musicals.

Went to loads as freebies when I lived in London and had friends in the biz. Completely wasted on me, although I kept trying to like them and thinking the next one would be better!

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.

Haha, I agree with this entirely and I always tell people that it's my favourite musical. Also the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I agree with you about musicals otherwise.

Musicals cannot be wry, or knowing, or ironic, or topical IMO.

Well that's hands down the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

Refuted by any of Sondheim, a good proportion of what's on the west end/broadway today, anything by Kandar & Ebb and that's just for starters.

Take yourself off to see Book of Mormon and then come back and beg humble forgiveness for that comment.

YABU. Musicals are great and CATs does have a storyline. I maybe a bit biased as DD2( 28) has been in several musicals.
The last one being CATs which was brilliant