To not understand what kind of person hates musicals

[CrotchBurn]

Love them. Love all musicals. I just don't understand how you can have people who like stories, and who like music, and they have this hatred of musicals.

There's also so many different types of musicals from Cabaret to Blood Brothers to Cats to Sound of Music, how could you dislike them ALL?

Is it about the singing preventing you from engaging with the story? Because it feels artificial? But surely all films and plays feel artificial? I just think there's no better way of getting huge amounts of info across quickly than in musicals. This scene from Les Mis for example, in one song you understand the conflict, both characters' motives and back stories.

Also isnt there a bit of snobbery here - theres no difference between opera and musicals except musicals are more fun.

I hate the high pitch nasal sounding singing. It's wierd to see grown up singing like 8 years old. When the singing us not even amazing, it just really hurts the ears.

I tolerate them for the acting but could do with no singing. I really really enjoyed 'we will rock you' though.

I am a huge ABBA fan but have never watched Mama Mia because of my hatred of musicals. They make me cringe and the storylines are usual awful too.

@PolkadotsAndNoonbeams I couldn't agree more. I have incredibly fond memories of every amateur opera I've ever been to, right back to a student production of Handel's Choice of Hercules, with 19 year old boys in full period costume and tall wigs. :) I think some professional opera productions in the provinces are still watchable (though I haven't been for ages) but the likes of Covent Garden are still going after shock value in the most crass and predictable way possible.

@wowfudge

Also to say that opera is harder to sing than musicals is actually incorrect. Yes, sometimes there are celebs cast in musicals who aren't up to the job in terms of their singing ability, but if you know anything about singing, songs in musicals sounds deceptively easy, i.e. they are not and there's a lot more to it than you think.

You clearly know very little about opera if you think they are remotely comparable.

@CrotchBurn

I love Colm Wilkinson as Valjean. He is amazing.

@Charlottejbt

Also to say that opera is harder to sing than musicals is actually incorrect. Yes, sometimes there are celebs cast in musicals who aren't up to the job in terms of their singing ability, but if you know anything about singing, songs in musicals sounds deceptively easy, i.e. they are not and there's a lot more to it than you think.

Many musical stars are/were classically trained anyway, I believe. Or could have sung in opera had life taken them in that direction. I guess musicals (particularly movie musicals where amplification is a given) are more accommodating in that roles can be written for both very technically accomplished singers and for actors with limited singing talent. Sometimes you have both within the same show: it takes a talented vocalist to pull off Eliza Doolittle's "I could have danced all night" but Higgins' music was actually composed for Rex Harrison, who was perfectly cast but couldn't sing a note. (Too bad Julie Andrews wasn't in the movie version.)

You get the occasional crossover singer who is classically trained, like Alfie Boe, who trained at the RCM and National Opera Studio and went on to the ROH on a young artists programme, but it’s not common. No one who didn’t train in opera could sing complex music un-amplified over a full orchestra.

Because everyone has individual likes and tastes lol 😂 my friend hates Harry Potter and I love it. How is that confusing.

I actually like musicals but I only like old-fashioned ones (West Side Story, My fair lady, Oliver, Annie, Oklahoma and that ilk). I didn't enjoy Evita as a musical although I enjoyed the film.

I wouldn't go to see Priscilla, Queen of the desert or &Juliet, Hair, Mama Mia, Grease, Everyone's talking about Jamie or Matilda. So, even with musicals, I am discerning and wouldn't just go to see it because it's a musical.

People randomly bursting into song makes me uncomfortable. I feel embarrassed for them

I've never seen the Hugh Jackson version of Les Mis, but the idea of Russell Crowe bursting into song makes me cringe. I really enjoyed The Greatest Showman though. Ah well, I'm a mass of contradiction i suppose!

No one who didn’t train in opera could sing complex music un-amplified over a full orchestra.

They certainly used to, before the microphone. Nobody classically trained (say) Bessie Smith or Sophie Tucker, but those ladies could certainly project, as could all pre-microphone performers. Complex music is another matter, and would normally require some training, though not necessarily operatic - many great singers were trained as synagogue cantors, for example. (Listen to Sirota if you want flexibility...) Coincidentally that was - as everybody knows - the subject of the "first" movie musical, The Jazz Singer. Wow, I am really geeking out on this thread :) Thank you OP.

People randomly bursting into song makes me uncomfortable. I feel embarrassed for them grin

I get it, because I feel that way about dance. I was in a French museum (provincial and kitschy, not remotely trendy) when a skinny young man suddenly struck an exaggerated theatrical pose and began flinging himself around the marble staircase like one of those slinky toys, but with extra flailing arms. I thought "Oh no, the local weirdo's escaped", until people started clapping and I realised it was a planned performance. :)

As a performing arts teacher and musical theatre obsessive with 3 musical theatre obsessed children (brainwashed, perhaps!), I felt obliged to vote YANBU. But actually, I do understand why people don't like musicals.

I was teaching a unit of work on Dear Evan Hansen last term and, whenever we watched a section of the show, one child physically cringed and started moaning when a song started. I thought he was just being rude (and soulless! ) at first and, sure, there was an element of poor behaviour, but I also came to understand his point as the lessons went on.
He saw it as a pointless and boring interruption to a perfectly good story. I saw it as a beautiful/entertaining/emotional/gripping etc addition to an already good story. To me, the songs make the show. For him they ruined it. Neither of us is wrong. Just different.

Music for me almost always adds positively to something. For some people, more often than not, it detracts and distracts. Again, neither of those things are wrong.

One of my colleagues in the Music department loves musicals but has an issue with everyone automatically knowing the songs and dances. He can't suspend disbelief to that extent and it spoils it for him. Whereas it doesn't bother me at all. No wrong opinion there, either.

People who don't like any theatre at all on the other hand ... ...

What don't you understand about people liking different things? Personally I can't stand musicals, they're corny and over the top. No need or point for me to make a post about why other's enjoy them...

@lotusbell

Me, I hate musicals. I find the singing corny, OTT and hammy. Each song seems like extreme overacting and just a bit naff. But I'm perfectly OK with people who do enjoy them as we all like different things and it's not a personal slight if you do or don't. Hth.

Well said!

Oh so I work a lot at the west end shows as a make up artist and stylist mainly ones like lion king etc I will admit I’m bored of them now 🤣

I worked on les mis and although watching it the first time was great I even got bored of that 🤣
Theatre and musicals etc just are not my thing

OhCaptain Thu 31-Dec-20 10:55:22
Jesus this thread 🤣🤣🤣
.......
I haven't seen that one! ;-)

Neither have I seen The Book of Mormon which I cannot imagine as a musical.

It's musical theatre though- all wide smiles and jazz hands, everything overplayed, exaggerated, caricatured.

Unlike a lot of acting which at its best can rely on subtlety, strives for authenticity.

Musicals don't strive for that- quite the opposite.

All far too hammy for me.
I saw the Lion King last year- props, costumes were great, otherwise very underwhelming.

I don't mind so much the ones with acting with talking and separate songs , it's the ones where they sing every sentence in sone weird non tune: ' oh oh, let's go over - hur here - yur'

My partner and my DD hate musicals. I LOVE them and sing along which makes them hate it all the more. I miss watching with my mum brother and sister. We all knew the words and it was so much fun.

I quite enjoy a good musical, but it's not always easy to follow the words and story when it's being sung and not spoken.

But like others have said, we all like different things. My husband likes old b&w war films, I don't. He doesn't like musicals, I do sometimes. My dad used to like westerns,. I don't. We're all different!

YABU.

I like musicals. Can totally understand why other people have different likes and dislikes to me though. It’s odd that you can’t.

@CrotchBurn I adore musicals, but YABU to think people are 'wrong' to dislike them.

As has been said, people like different things, and it's quite rude to judge people who dislike things you like. (Or vice versa.) It's quite judgemental and condescending to be honest.

Both myself AND my DH have had people (in the past) mocking us and looking down their nose at us for liking stuff they don't, or not liking stuff we DO like.

Whatever people like (or don't like) doesn't affect your life does it?