So I love musicals. Everyone knows this.
But I was thinking what makes me like a musical. I thought of a few concise things that should be included in case someone were to make the musical of all musicals. Take note.
1. Nuns-Nuns are hilarious. They just are. In Sound of Music, "(How Do You Solve A Problem Like) Maria" is crazy funny, and witty with the incorporation of their prayers as subtle choreography. When the nuns steal the car parts from the Nazis, good triumphs evil succinctly and humorously. And "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is oddly jocular, just because Mother Superior's mouth is so large.
2. Prostitutes/Underwear Scenes-Not in a kinky way. But these scenes, like The Ballet or "Many a New Day" in Oklahoma or "Lovely Ladies" in Les Miserables allow for really, really amazing costuming and choreography. And some cool minor key changes. Even wholesome Singin' In the Rain has Cyd Charisse in "Broadway Melody," who pretty much is the creepy gangster oddly flexible prostitute. Another good underwear scene is in An American in Paris when Gene Kelly first gets up and dances in his tiny apartment.
3. All Male Scenes-While I realize this is extremely difficult, I do tend to enjoy large dancing scenes with all men. Examples-"Barn Raising,"Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, 1776, "Kansas City," Oklahoma, and all the Jet and Shark scenes in West Side Story
4. Gangsters-Notably West Side Story, but "The Farmers and the Cowmen," Oklahoma, and Guys and Dolls. Gangs allow for more athletic dancing and fake fighting atypical of floofy musicals, or adorable scenes like "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from Kiss Me Kate.
5. Anything Bob Fosse or Stephan Sondheim related, or that doesn't smell of Andrew Lloyd Webber-As a self-respecting musical lover I cannot say I enjoy ALW. Phantom-sucked, Evita-sucked, and Cats was only good because T.S. Eliot wrote the lyrics.
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