I have to admit I hated Nicole Kidman until I saw this movie. She just annoyed me and now I adore her. She looks so glamorous and her voice is like an angel. Jim Broadbent is awesome as usual, and the whole movie is an orgy of bright color, beautiful music, and compelling storytelling. I love, love, love this movie.
Favorite Song: "Roxanne"
Favorite Character: Teluse
Media Type: Film
9. The Producers
Who doesn't love a good play about a play about Hitler? Right? Anybody? No?
The Producers was created by Mel Brooks, a Jewish man, and takes the liberty of making light of Hitler and the Third Reich. The leads need to find a terrible play to produce so they can get rich quick and leave town. The soundtrack I have has the original cast of Broderick, Lane, and Huffman as the leads, and I can't imagine it any other way. They changed the role of Ula to Uma Thurman for the Hollywood film for some reason, but it is still just as I imagined it.
Favorite Song: "Springtime For Hitler"
Favorite Character: Leo
Media Type: Stage Show
8. RENT
The first Broadway musical I ever saw live, my mom took me to see this at the Embassy Theater when I was a freshman in high school. My life was changed forever. I cried at the end for almost ten minutes, and I knew that I was in love. This play was loud and raunchy, and in your face. It was funny and colorblind. It was sad and romantic. It was everything.
Sure it was controversial because it was about gays, lesbians, transvestites, people with AIDS, poor people, friends who sellout, and strippers. But none of that mattered when you watched it. All that mattered were these awesome people who grabbed your attention from the very beginning and never let go.
Favorite Song: "Halloween" was filmed for the movie version, but cut at the last minute,
Favorite Character: Mark, of course.
Media Type: Stage Show. Although the film was good, it just didn't work the same way. And why randomly have someone else play Mimi?
7. Beauty and the Beast
Belle was my favorite Disney princess while growing up. She was smart, didn't take anyone's crap, and turned a beast into a hot-looking man. How could you not be inspired by her? All jokes aside, this is a great fairy tale that is even better when brought to life onstage. The costumes of the enchanted objects are enough to give anyone chills. The music is powerful enough to melt anyone's heart, and the dance numbers are out of this world.
The Broadway show added a bunch of new songs on top of the Disney film, and all of them are fantastic. Songs like "No Matter What" and "How Long Can This Go On?" bring more depth to characters you didn't know much about. And "Gaston"? Forget about it! The best chorus number I've ever seen!
Favorite Song: "Home"
Favorite Character: Lumiere
Media Type: Stage show, hands down!
6. Little Shop of Horrors
Another one of my dad's favorites; I think he has "Suddenly Seymour" downloaded on his phone. We watched the 1986 film together, and I went out and bought the revival Broadway cast soundtrack. Just like Beauty and the Beast, it has all of the songs featured in the film, with a few more added in between scenes. Also like Beauty and the Beast, the music was written by composer Alan Menken. Coincidence? I think not. Genius? I think so.
Favorite Song: "The Meek Shall Inherit"
Favorite Character: Audrey
Media Type: Stage show.
5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Andrew Lloyd Webber returns to my countdown with Joseph. The classic Bible story is about a boy who interprets dreams and is sold as a slave by his eleven brothers. He gets thrown in jail and eventually climbs the corporate ladder of Egypt. Throughout all of this, Egypt and Israel's history are cleverly sung by the Narrator and a choir full of school children. When the Civic Theater does Joseph in our town, they bring in the city Children's choir to sing with the cast, and it is the icing on the cake.
Every song is different. Every song is amazing. The end reprise is the most tear-jerking reunion ever. Everyone comes back onstage, and the exchange between Joseph and the Narrator is nothing short of spine-tingling.
Favorite Song: "Potihpar"
Favorite Character: Narrator
Media Type: Donnie Osmond DVD
4. Jesus Christ Superstar
Even though I could improve my church-going habits and relationship with God, this play always brings me a little closer. When it came out there was an outrage about the title "Superstar" after Jesus' name. Christians everywhere stood outside of theaters with signs protesting Andrew Lloyd Webber's controversial new play. How dare he call Jesus a superstar... how dare he.... Settle down, Christians.
There is nothing crazy in this play; nothing controversial. They don't imply that Jesus was gay, or that he was sleeping with Mary Magdalene or anything ridiculous like that. All this play is guilty of is showing how human Jesus was, and how he struggled with the giant task he was destined to perform. I personally see nothing wrong with that. So suck it, crazy Christians, and enjoy the musical masterpiece that is Rock Opera "Jesus Christ Superstar".
Favorite Song: "Superstar"
Favorite Character: Judas
Media Type: Film
3. Wicked
Favorite Song: "Thank Goodness"
Favorite Character: Fiyero
Media Type: Stage show, obviously
2. Chicago
I saw this movie a total of five times in the theater when it came out. I drug everyone I knew to see it with me, just so people wouldn't get tired of watching it. I remember buying the Broadway soundtrack after obsessing over the movie and loving every extra song. I know you can't fit everything into a movie that is in a stage show, so I wasn't too disappointed when Catherine Zeta Jones didn't sing "Class" or "I Know A Girl" on the silver screen. What I didn't expect, was that A. Renee Zellwegger had talent, and that B. "Class" was on the DVD as a deleted scene!
Don't just watch this movie for the beautiful Zeta Jones, but go to see the amazing dance numbers, the cunning witty dialog, Richard Gere getting down to his skivvies, the costumes, the hair, the make-up, and John C.Reilly!
Favorite Song: "I Can't Do It Alone" and "They Both Reached for the Gun"
Favorite Character: Velma Kelly
Media Type: Tie between film and stage show.
1. The Phantom of the Opera
I saw the off-Broadway production of this show my sophomore year in Ohio. A bunch of my theater friends drove off to see it and ended up getting lost on the way back, but that is neither here nor there. What I saw that night was unlike any other stage show I had seen to date. It was better than RENT, Chicago, and every other musical I had seen up until that point. The stage was alive, the music still rang in my ears, the story was heart-breaking, and people of all walks of life enjoyed it in the theater with me.
The movie came out in 2004, the winter after I graduated high school. Although most of the casting was ideal (Patrick Wilson as Raoul, hello!), I think they could have done with someone different as the Phantom. Gerard Butler isn't known as a singer by any means, and he is about twenty years too young to play the middle-aged psychopath. Other than that, the film is very enjoyable and always makes me feel better when I am sick.
Favorite Song: "Twisted Every Way" and "Wandering Child"
Favorite Character: Madame Giry
Media Type: Stage Show
Namaste my sister Brittany. And the winner is. I must admit I am not so big on musicals. However, I certainly can appreciate your enthusiasm for the arts.
ReplyDeleteIn Lak' ech, my sister Brittany, the love of art...the art of love...