Everybody Loves that Man (Top Five Musicals)

Member Name: skittle

Product:	Top Five Musicals
Date:	31/10/07 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everybody loves a musical, don't they?

Disadvantages: I guess some of you may not.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I can’t act. You may not think that’s much of a secret, but the problem was that I wasn’t party to this particular secret myself for a very long time, and considered myself a bit of a stage diva. It was only when I was faced with a video of my dramatic skills that I realised that as an actor, I’m more Mariah Carey than Jim… Still, a girl can dream, can’t she?

I’ve always loved a musical, ever since I was an embarrassing little sister coming along to watch my elder sister in her school play. They’re just so camp, cheesy and over the top that I can’t help but become totally enthralled in a good musical, or even a bad one for that matter. But enough of my enthusing, on with my top five musicals, from the top:

The Sound of Music. Ah, the classic musical made famous on the big screen by the lovely Julia Andrews, and quite possibly the most popular and well known musical around. I’m sure we all know the story, but just incase you need a reminder, Julie Andrews plays Maria, a kamikaze, alcoholic, nazi sympathising nun… Nah, not really, could’ve been interesting, though.

Maria is a failure as a nun, so is sent to play nanny and housekeeper to the family Von Trapp whilst their daddy goes away and does important man stuff that Maria really shouldn’t worry her pretty little head about. Whilst he’s away Maria bonds with the children by teaching them all to sing and dance together. The brats fall in love with Maria, she falls in love with their Daddy, he announces he’s marrying a woman that Maria would probably describe as a tramp, if she wasn’t far too innocently naive and nunly to comment.

Yes, I know, I’m being a little silly but then so, to be honest, is the Sound of Music. It’s a bit daft and unashamedly so. The storyline is sweeter than a free tasting in a chocolate factory and the music and dancing? Well, the word camp doesn’t even come into it. But that’s why I love it, and so should you.

South Pacific. Another one that I first fell in love with in my childhood and it’s never let go of its hold over me. Set in the 1940’s, South Pacific tells the tale of a French planter, Emile de Becque, who is approached by nurse Nellie Forbush to work for the US Navy as a scout during action in the South Pacific. What follows is an improbable romance between the planter and the nurse, watched over by the highly entertaining Bloody Mary.

For me, the best thing about South Pacific is the location, with the songs a very, very close second. I love every one of the songs in this musical, but especially Bali Ha’i, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa my Hair, Younger than Springtime and, of course, Some Enchanted Evening. Quite aside from the unlikely romance, the idyllic setting and the wonderful music, what really makes this film something special for me is the utter ballsyness of the women characters, considering it’s set in the 1940’s.

South Pacific is a classic and would’ve scored even higher on my list if it wasn’t just a tiny bit dated nowadays.

Grease. Talking of dated, yes, of course Grease isn’t looking as shiny and new as it used to, but this musical was groundbreaking in its time. Set in an American high school crammed with strangely mature teenagers who openly talked about sex and even, if you can believe this, used rude words!

What can I say about Grease that hasn’t already been said a thousand times? It’s a musical you either love or hate, I don’t think it’s really possible to be indifferent to Grease. What amazes me is that everything about this musical is spot on, tailor made to hook in teenage girls from start to finish, the script is perfect, the music and dancing amazing – and for a musical to be nominated for an Oscar does show just how good it really was.

For those who’ve been living under a stone for the past few decades, Grease is the story of Danny Zuko (John Travolta) leader of the T-Birds, and his girlfriend Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton John) who are parted at the end of their summer together, only to find themselves at the same school come the autumn. There’s a bit of a ‘will they won’t’ they scenario going on for most of the movie, climaxing in the memorable graduation. I’m sure that every little boy of a certain age must have had the odd private moment pondering exactly how Ms Newton John managed to pour herself into those black, spandex leggings.

But I digress, Grease is a smasher of a musical, if you haven’t watched it already, well… you should.

Bugsy Malone. I can’t think that this one will be a popular choice, but again I’ve loved Bugsy Malone since I was a nipper and like to think that I could’ve played Tallulah much better than Jodie Foster, if I hadn’t been three years old at the time this film was released.

What makes Bugsy Malone so very, very special is not the plot, the writing or the music, even though they’re all exceptional, but the fact that the entire cast were children. It has to be said that Jodie Foster totally stole the show, though, displaying every bit of the star quality she bloomed into as she matured, even as a teenager. But there wasn’t one actor in Bugsy that let the show down. It’s a unique musical with so many selling points I find it hard to pinpoint only one, but if I had to narrow it down, my favourite part of this musical would have to be the bun fight at the end. Sheer genius.

If you had to sum up the perfect musical, what would it be? I’ve been pondering that exact question for a day or two, and finally got it narrowed down to this – the perfect musical would need to have a decent storyline, amazing music, hammy acting (if only very slightly) and a strong leaning towards the camp side. Well, they don’t come any camper…

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s more of an institution than a mere musical nowadays. Of course, when it goes out on the road it gathers a hugely loyal following of scantily clad, leather wearing, whip wielding, weird… erm, I mean, fanatics, who not only like to dress up as their favourite character but dance and sing along with the whole show too. I guess it takes all sorts ;)

So, what’s the best thing about the Rocky Horror? Is it the fantastic soundtrack, including everybody’s favourite Time Warp. Or maybe it’s Richard O’Brien’s grotesque genius at scriptwriting that really floats your boat. It could be the star studded cast, the frankly bizarre dancing, or hell, even just the thought of ‘doing Meatloaf in’ that makes this the best Musical out there. Maybe it’s a combination of the whole lot that makes it so very special. I don’t know, I just know that it is.

Summing up the story of Rocky Horror in a paragraph or two just isn’t going to cut it, I’m afraid, so I won’t even attempt it. It’s a classic piece of television that you should have watched, and you certainly shouldn’t need me to tell you why. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Now. Go on. Get yerself to a DVD player.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my favourite musicals as much as I enjoyed watching them all.

Summary: There is Nothin' Like a Dame