Introducing DC to musicals

[vvviola]

I love musicals. I'm currently sobbing my way through Les Miserable for the millionth time although Cosette is still really annoying

And it makes me think I really need to brainwash encourage my DDs to love musicals just as much as I do so I can have company.

But where to start them on "proper" (i.e. not Disney cartoon) musicals. I mean there's parts of Les Mis that aren't exactly suitable for a 10 year old and a 6 year old.

So, how do I start the brainwashing process. (DD1 is doing Annie with her school drama group, so that's one for my list).

I must dig out all my soundtrack CDs for the car to inflict on them...

DD15 loves musicals & inherited my grandmothers extensive collection she has recommended:

Annie get your gun
Oklahoma
Calamity Jane
Seven Brides for seven brothers
Meet me in St Louis
Singing in the rain
Bugsy
My Fair Lady

She has also now decided that we are overdue a movie musical night so we shall be watching Silk Stockings & Brigadoon this evening!

Mine doesn't like Grease (thank goodness as I hate it). We've got Hairspray on DVD but haven't watched it yet.

DC is urging me to recommend Mary Poppins to you.

I forgot Shrek. The staged version available on DVD is very good.

Billy Elliot is a 15 certificate due to the amount of f words (You could skip the song Solidarity which is the worst offender)

Oh sorry, genuinely forgot how sweary Billy Eliot is!

Yesterday was a failure in that I forgot it was a rugby day (the perils of having a Kiwi/Irish household - we had a solid 4 hours of sport yesterday). So no movies.

This evening we tried Oliver. Massive success, even though we only got one hour watched before bedtime. DD1 declared that "Food Glorious Food" should be her theme tune

Watching the rest tomorrow.

Ah yes. Oliver is marvellous (and fortunately, when I was a child, what befell Nancy largely went over my head). On the strength of this thread, and hearing some of the music on Strictly, I have ordered Victor, Victoria.

Ds is playing Oliver in a local production next week (he played the part 2 years ago too) so I'm a bit fed up of it!

Err, I don't think the DVD is out yet, but has anyone suggested the Hamilton soundtrack? ::wink::

If you know where to look the whole thing is on the internet (not that I'd ever watch a bootleg of course)

Not strictly musicals but there are some quite fun (and often totally bonkers) film adaptations of various G&S works. There's also tons of recorded stage productions which can be really entertaining.

There's a great list of various DVD versions available here.

There's a new 'Newsies' - a film of the stage musical. It's fab.

Calamity Jane! Ds used to love singing whip crackaway. Chitty Chitty bang bang was also v popularl

Oh yes - Joseph - kids were word perfect at one point. Theres a dvd with donny osmond, and Joan Collins

DS grew up on a diet of Phantom of the Opera, Les Mis, Evita, Bugsy Malone and Mary Poppins. He's 17 now and still loves them.

And High Society is also lovely.

THe King and I

Yy to this. All above plus kids and I are addicted to Hamilton. There are a couple of lyrics that are not suitable but if I just gloss over them it’s ok and they aren’t scarred so far (they are 10 and 8)

Nicola even my 7 year old loves Hamilton. I don't usually like to listen to a musical soundtrack until I have seen it but that is just astonishing. The first time I heard it, I couldn't play anything else for about 6 weeks because nothing else was as good.

Oliver officially a complete hit. DD2 is currently wandering around the house singing "boy for sale" (I'm amazed that's the one that seems to have got in her ear!). We started Annie today....

I think Santa might have to bring some soundtracks...

My Fair Lady?

I think Grease, Hairspray, and Little shop of horrors, Bugsy Malone, West Side Story, Moulin Rouge etc are for older kids.

Mine enjoyed

Oliver, Annie, Calamity Jane, Annie Get Your Gun, Wizard Of Oz

If you really want an introduction to musicals then you can do no better than Les Parapluies de Cherbourg - not one spoken word and all sung in French - but looks amazing- wonderful colours, very young Catherine Deneuve and fantastic music by Michel Legrand. Sublime !

The Slipper and the Rose (same composers as Chitty Chitty and Mary P), Bugsy Malone, Calamity Jane, Cats, My Fair Lady, Summer Holiday... all favourites here!

Thoroughly Modern Millie might work as well!

I love Singin' in the Rain, and Anchors Aweigh has a section where Gene Kelly dances with an animated Jerry the Mouse. I watched all the MGM musicals growing up, Sound of Music, Oliver, Grease.