Favorite Stage Musical

[katyseagull]

I really liked the music in Godspell.

[C-Dog]

All plays I have seen in San Francisco.

My favorite as well is Les Miz. With a close 2nd going to Wicked. I just love the soundtrack to Wicked.

For completeness sake, these I have seen:

Lion King
Phantom Of The Opera (x3)
Wicked
Les Miserables
Rent (I love this soundtrack too)
Evita
Brigadoon (At a local theater though)

C-Dog

[ThomasPHoolery]

For me this is really, really easy. The 1994 Broadway production of "Carousel" was hands down, the best musical I've ever seen live. It's my favorite musical of all time-- I just think the level of craftsmanship on display from Rogers and Hammerstein has never been equaled, and Audra MacDonald's performance just blew my mind.

Such a great show.

[4_2_it]

Les Miserables is my favorite for reasons db and others have mentioned.

A personal favorite was seeing Matthew Broderick in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It was funny, Walter Cronkite was the narrator and the actor who did the voice of 'Jafar' was in it. You coudl tell that the cast truly enjoyed performing the show which made the experience all the more memorable.

[Starzinger]

Wow, not a single mention of Chess? =( I guess im alone to like that one then...actually, i havn't heard any other musical that even comes close to it.

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow, not a single mention of Chess? =( I guess im alone to like that one then...actually, i havn't heard any other musical that even comes close to it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually there was a single mention on Chess prior to yours. Limit refugee posts about it a few above yours. He/she wondered if anyone else had seen it and wonders more about it. Perhaps, you can help him out.

[ericd]

I really thought someone would have mentioned 42nd Street by now. Also for me, Chicago on stage runs circles around the movie. As a kid, I really liked Oliver and Peter Pan.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

Although I've only seen the movie, the soundtrack to Rent is my favorite by far.

[andyfox]

Let's face it: all musicals are dumb. People burst into song? Yecch. And I love music.

The music I like the most from stage musicals:

My Fair Lady
Fiddler on the Roof
West Side Story
Porgy and Bess
Phantom of the Opera
Jesus Christ Superstar

[Analyst]

[ QUOTE ]
City of Angels.

To those who say Phantom....do you mean Phantom or do you mean Phantom of the Opera?

Josh

[/ QUOTE ]

*Ding*

I've played in the pit orchestras for a lot of musicals - easily more than 60 different titles - and Maury Yeston's shows are the best that I've played and/or seen. Yeston's Phantom may not have the instantly-memorable tunes that a lot of other shows do (ex: Phantom of the Opera), but the music is wonderful and very, very well orchestrated. The story is a lot better than the "other" Phantom as well.

Still, one of Yeston's other shows, Nine, is the best musical I've ever played. In most shows, I'm bored with the music by the time the show opens. When I've played Nine, I hated closing.

After Phantom and Nine, my favorites (to play) are:

- Man of La Mancha
- Fiddler on the Roof
- My Fair Lady
- Guys and Dolls

Bernstein's shows are also great. On The Town has outstanding music as does, obviously, West Side Story but the latter is just a bear for reed players.