Musicals - best and worst!

[Osc]

I've always loved musicals, although I think that in recent years, there have not been so many really good ones. What would be your most favourites and the ones you didn't like?

My favourites would be:

Les Mis - have seen it twice and now the wonderful film as well.

Miss Saigon - have seen it three times

Phantom - another three times

Mamma Mia - three times again

Plus others I've loved, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Cats, saw them all three times, and others.

Really disliked:

Fame the Musical - it was rubbish, with not one song from the original film (in small print it said "based on the film" )

We will Rock You - great music, but a really stupid plot badly acted. Should have just had a concert.

Wasn't mad about Evita on stage, in fairness I might have enjoyed it more if I had seen David Essex in it, but the one I saw was much more recent, a touring production here in Dublin. Loved the film though.

I've seen lots of others, but they would be my most and least favourite.

[Aggers]

I love musicals, and have DVDs of most of them.

My favourites are, I think, The Sound Of Music and Chicago.

I'm not too keen on Man of la Mancha or Fiddler on the Roof.

[Kaz]

Loved:
Cabaret
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Oklahoma
Carousel
South Pacific
West Side Story

Wasn't keen on Fiddler on the Roof, it got a bit tedious.......not terribly keen on the Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff apart from Jesus Christ Superstar! I saw the original with Paul Nicholas in at the Palace Theatre in 1973 and it was fab

[JoM]

I've only ever seen two on stage - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang three times, twice in the West End and once on it's tour, Joe had an obsession with the movie when he was younger, and American Idiot four times, twice on Broadway and twice in Birmingham.

[Lozzles]

Like Kaz I love the old MGM musicals as I was brought up on them really
So all those Kaz has mentioned along with High Society, Kismet, Top Hat, Royal Wedding...the list goes on

[Osc]

I wasn't really thinking of films, to be honest, mostly stage shows, but of course that broadens it out.

Still on stage shows though, there was a great show called John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert, and of course Blood Brothers, and a super little musical called A Slice of Saturday Night. I grew up with the old Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, both my brothers were members of a musical society and there were family outings to their shows. When we lived in London in the early '70s we were always up to date on the latest shows - Kaz, we saw Paul Nicholas in Superstar very soon after it opened in 1972. Fiddler on the Roof was only ok, but I love Chicago, and also saw Me and My Girl although sadly not with Robert Lindsay in it.

[Kaz]

Like Kaz I love the old MGM musicals as I was brought up on them really
So all those Kaz has mentioned along with High Society, Kismet, Top Hat, Royal Wedding...the list goes on

Oh yes the old Fred and Ginger stuff - fantastic!!

Sorry Osc I assumed you meant films as well, but I have seen most of my list on stage, although not all West End - Cabaret for instance I saw at York Theatre Royal when I lived up there, and that was amazing

Paul Nicholas was wonderful as Jesus, and I remember Dana Gillespie as Mary Magdalene had a great voice too We went on a school trip - living on the edge of Greater Lodnon we were lucky enough to have many school trips up to Town for museums, theatres and such. Saw most of the Shakespeares on stage at one time or another.....

[Aggers]

We have booked to see a local company doing Annie in March.

Last year they did Me and My Girl and it was remarkably good -
better, in fact, than some of the professional productions we have seen.

I love musicals.