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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand what kind of person hates musicals

474 replies

CrotchBurn · 31/12/2020 07:10

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.

OP posts:
CardoMondo · 31/12/2020 08:11

@Brumplescruff

Please don’t laugh at me.

I’m really triggered by this it’s what my ex did and I’ve just been sick.

I don’t understand why people laugh at boundaries and don’t respect them.

This is horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I’m sorry, didn’t think you were being serious so I apologise
Kazzyhoward · 31/12/2020 08:11

@Goslowlysideways

I like some of the old musicals like Guys and Dolls but I really hate all the others. As a teenager I saw cats and thought it was the worst thing I'd ever seen. It's just bad songs with a stupid story.
Is there a story? I thought it was just a random load of people prancing around pretending to be cats with some others singing pretty tiresome songs.
vampirethriller · 31/12/2020 08:13

Brumplescruff because some people are twats who think they're funny.
Though thinking that Oliver! is an accurate representation of Victorian Britain is pretty amusing.

Brumplescruff · 31/12/2020 08:13

It’s not people wo like musicals per se.

It’s the fact that once you say you don’t like them you get all the hahahahaha or just try this one or that one.

It renders me voiceless. Makes a mockery of my choices and I don’t understand why people do this.

Anyway. I’m hiding the thread but I would ask, please, that you just think the next time. And don’t make fun when people answer the question and explain.

I explained early post that it would make me nauseous and I would really be struggling and I really don’t know why that’s funny or why you would think I’d want to put myself through that?

CardoMondo · 31/12/2020 08:16

@vampirethriller

Brumplescruff because some people are twats who think they're funny. Though thinking that Oliver! is an accurate representation of Victorian Britain is pretty amusing.
😂😂 I never said it was an accurate representation did I? Have a day off!

Does the sound of music give an accurate representation of single parent military families? 🙄 are people still allowed to like it?

vampirethriller · 31/12/2020 08:19

Of course they are. I like some terrible films. I was trying to make Bumblescruff feel better is all.

Maudythebudgie · 31/12/2020 08:20

I like ones i watched as a kid such as sound of music or Mary poppins. Don't mind a kids one, but really struggle with serious adult type ones. Never been to opera for I am uncultured Grin

tulippa · 31/12/2020 08:22

I find them really irritating and annoying. But if other people like them that's fine. I'm sure I like things that other people find equally irritating and annoying!

CardoMondo · 31/12/2020 08:26

@vampirethriller

Of course they are. I like some terrible films. I was trying to make Bumblescruff feel better is all.
Fair enough ☺️
Bookriddle · 31/12/2020 08:27

My wife forced me to go watch a musical on our 3rd date, to this day i still havent forgiven her GrinGrin

Etinox · 31/12/2020 08:29

Love musicals and love this radio station
Magic at the Musicals

Cats, particularly the film is a shocker.

LadyPenelope68 · 31/12/2020 08:29

@CrotchBurn
Brumplescruff I think you are taking this thread massively to heart for some reason. Relax. Maybe with a good musical?
What a nasty response Angry

MsTSwift · 31/12/2020 08:31

I agree. I sometimes get obsessed with them. My friend and I were embarrassingly obsessed with the greatest showman when it first came out. My mum who is lovely normally said she actually went off friends who criticised La la land and “saw them in a different light”😁

Our teens like them too lovely family activity. Well it was

WellThankyouAJPTaylor · 31/12/2020 08:32

I like musicals. I find it easy to consider that when people burst into song or suddenly all do a dance routine, that isn't literally happening, it's a representation of feelings or a condensation of plot.

And I suppose I like the dramatic sort of unsubtlty of it. I love opera too, maybe for the same reasons. I discovered opera as a teenager. I was a grunge / indie kid in DMs and eyeliner, so it was a bit unexpected, but I had a set of CDs that came with the libretto and a translation alongside, and so I read along as I listened and quickly fell in love once I understood what they were singing.

I also love Gothic and Romantic literature, which, again, trades in extremity and drama, so maybe that's linked.

It's not for everyone, though, obviously, and I don't think that's hard to understand, is it? My OH finds all of the above totally unappealing but loves the kind of gritty realism I find depressing 🤷

CeeceeBloomingdale · 31/12/2020 08:35

DH says he does but has only seen two live, one which he loved and the other not so much (it was the one musical that hasn't done anything for me, I have seen hundreds and it was genuinely the only bad one). Still he persists saying he hates them.

Flamingolingo · 31/12/2020 08:37

It’s just such a broad genre - I like many musicals and have seen quite a few, I love the staging, the costumes, the choreography and the songs.

But there are plenty of musicals that I don’t like - I’m not so keen on many of the more modern ones, but every few year there is something absolutely brilliant (Hamilton, Wicked). There are other musicals that I enjoyed but probably haven’t aged well (Avenue Q, Spamalot). Some of Andrew Lloyd Webber is great, some drivel, I actually think on the whole I like particular songs of his rather than whole works (with the exception of JCSS). I’m not keen on the rock/pop musical genre on the whole but I’d like to see Jersey Boys. The big dramatics of Les Mis, Miss Saigon, Blood Brothers are great pieces of their time, and there are some good old skool classics, I’m partial to R&H (especially Oklahoma), and Sondheim (and I love West Side Story - the jarring score is iconic).

So really I think there is something for everyone, but I’d be surprised to find someone who likes all musicals, especially the commercialised ones of the 90s/00s/10s.

Sertchgi123 · 31/12/2020 08:37

Just not my bag @CrotchBurn

Music is very personal, get over it.

wowfudge · 31/12/2020 08:37

Opera was the musical of its day. Some people who like opera think it/they are superior because it's usually classes as a classical music and often sung in a foreign language.

I love a good musical - Cats has no real story tbh which could be why a lot of people find it strange, etc. DP doesn't get musicals, opera, plays as he can't suspend belief or accept some of the devices and just go with it. That's okay. I can't stand most of the sci fi stuff he watches for various reasons.

CrotchBurn · 31/12/2020 08:38

@LadyPenelope68
It's not nasty at all. What's nasty is taking a casual thread about musicals and layering your own emotional baggage over it to guilt trip people into shutting down discussion, which is precisely what I'm going to do by asking for this thread to be removed for being triggering.

OP posts:
RoganJosh · 31/12/2020 08:39

I find the style of singing generally used makes me cringe. And the general cheesiness.

I’ve seen Mamma Mia at the theatre and enjoyed it, but had to turn the film off after 15 minutes.

I was ok with The greatest showman.

Flamingolingo · 31/12/2020 08:40

Cats isn’t a story as such, it’s setting TS Elliott’s poetry (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats) to music. They weren’t written with a narrative storyline, so that’s probably why it doesn’t flow.

redfernsydney · 31/12/2020 08:40

Why come on a thread about musicals if they are so triggering

Brumplescruff · 31/12/2020 08:41

I answered the ops question.

It’s not musicals per se that are triggering it’s the shutting down of an alternative view. The op asked a question. I answered and was mocked and told just try it, listen to this one, chill with a nice musical.

And now I real,y am hiding the thread.

HeronLanyon · 31/12/2020 08:43

Love musicals and have since early childhood. Love opera and ballet also.
Actually don’t think I have ever seen a live staged musical and I’m not at all sure I’d be interested despite seeing and moving a lot of live opera and ballet. Oh yes - did see les mis a long time ago.
West side story - pure exuberant joy watching that headphones on lights down.

LadyPenelope68 · 31/12/2020 08:46

@CrotchBurn
She didn’t shut it down, she offered an alternative view which you didn’t like, so you made a snide and sneery comment. You clearly have no understand of the concept of a difference of opinion.