Philotic Web

Love love love musicals. It's been awhile since I've been to any though.

The only one I've seen in NYC was Phantom (with Nomi!). My favorite musical of all time was Wicked.

All the musicals I've seen:

Phantom of the Opera
Wicked
Ragtime
Wizard of Oz (with Eartha Kitt... rawr)
Les Miserables
Annie
Into the Woods
Legally Blonde

I'm trying to remember if there are any others.

I have not seen Rent but I am obsessed with the music and have seen the movie a million times.

I forgot other musicals I have seen at smaller theaters. I have seen Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Damn Yankees, Kiss Me Kate, Brigadoon and Anything Goes.

Here's my list:

Broadway Touring Companies
Jekyll & Hyde – 2
Phantom of the Opera
Les Miserable – 2
RENT – 8? I think?
Aida – 5
The Last Session – 2 (technically off-broadway, but a touring company nonetheless.)
Annie Get Your Gun
Beauty and the Beast
Lion King
Footloose - 3
Wicked

Other Productions (Most of these I've seen more than once, and I'm SURE I'm missing some. I wish my brain would work. Or the website for the music guild that did a summer show every year. That would be helpful, too.)
The Music Man
Sound of Music
South Pacific
Hello! Dolly
Secret Garden
7 Brides for 7 Brothers
Peter Pan
Swing!
The King and I
Big River
Titanic
Forever Plaid
Camelot
The Wizard of Oz
A Christmas Carol
Fiddler on the Roof
Oliver!
Brigadoon
Anything Goes
Singing in the Rain
Guys and Dolls
My Fair Lady
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
La Boheme (if we're counting straight up opera)

Shows I've been in
Fiddler on the Roof
Hello! Dolly
42nd Street
The Music Man

Northern Colorado and the Denver Area is awesome for theatre. Some professional theatre people have told me it's one of the best non-Broadway places to work in the country.

I couldn't list 'em all if I tried. But, Steph, I was in 42nd Street, too! I played Dorothy Brock, of all people.

I couldn't list 'em all if I tried. But, Steph, I was in 42nd Street, too! I played Dorothy Brock, of all people.

I can see you in that show!

It was a good exercise to try and remember and write out all the shows I've seen. I know there are many more that I can't think of, but now that I have my document saved, I can add to it as I remember and as I see new shows! This is a great thing for me, so thank you musical thread for causing me to do it!

This reminds me; not a musical, but I saw Peter Pan 360in Chicago this summer because one of my dearest friends, Josh, is the lead puppeteer (playing Nana, the crocodile, and others). If it's coming to an area near you, you MUST go. It was truly and amazing experience. The projection screens on the ceiling are so, so cool! The flying scenes were amazing as a result.

I too love musicals.

My favorite is Les Mis by a long shot. I just LOVE the hell out of that show. I've only seen it once live, but I own the complete broadway recordings which includes all the incidental music and interludes. It's 3 CDs and amazing.

I was (many moons ago) in a boys choir and we auditioned to be in the traveling production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as the children's choir. Our group made it to the final auditions, where I was able to meet Donny Osmond, but they said our voices were too trained for the show, so in effect, I was too good for off broadway .

In high school I was in several productions, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, and Man of La Mancha to name a few.

I bought a dvd of Les Mis (as you guys call it) to watch, since I've never seen it.

I bought a dvd of Les Mis (as you guys call it) to watch, since I've never seen it.

Which one? IT BETTER BE THE LIAM NEESOM ONE. Mostly just because everyone loves Liam Neesom. I have no idea if there are better versions.

Well he's on the cover, so I think it is.

That's either a good sign or a clever marketing plot.

I'm going to include operas here because I've seen/done more of them, and because I'm a classical musician.


I've seen Les Mis (Schönberg) twice now, once in Jackson, MS and once in New Orleans, LA. Loved it both times, though the Original London Cast recording is still my favorite version. Of musicals, this will always be my favorite. (Saw the Broadway traveling group do it both times.)

I saw Into the Woods (Sondheim) done at the University of Southern Mississippi as a joint production between them and my Alma Mater, William Carey College (same town). Fun show.

I saw Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss opera) done by the Augusta Opera in 2004 (I had initially come to Augusta to visit my grandmother and sister and see the opera with them, I ended up staying because I had no desire to return to my parents house in a town of 3000 in Alabama... Small town Alabama sucks...). I'm not a huge fan of this opera, but it was the first show I saw Augusta do, a company I would later sing with.

I saw Madama Butterfly (Puccini), also by the Augusta Opera in 2005? I think. It might have been the fall of 2004. Wonderful, wonderful opera. If you ever have a chance to see Butterfly do yourself a favor and DO IT. This was a great production, too.

I watched The First Emperor (Tan Dun, a modern Chinese composer of Western music), by the Metropolitan opera through their HD broadcasts to movie theatres back in 2006. I was pretty excited about getting to see the Met do an opera "live" and I think this is an excellent thing they have started. I haven't gotten to another as I don't have much free cash these days. This opera was lovely, I like Tan Dun's music, and Placido did a great job as the lead. I was pretty much in awe the whole time.

I saw Die ägyptische Helena (The Egyptian Helen, by Richard Strauss) at the Metropolitan opera. I really loved this production for the set, staging, and costume design. Musically, I didn't like the opera. The story was kind of dull, too. And the performances were less than great. The lead male was sick, and ended up dropping out after the first act, to be replaced by his understudy, a debut performance for a new singer with the company. Less than stellar, was very disappointed. Kind of wished I'd opted to see the New York City opera's production of Butterfly that night instead. But it was the Met, and I'd seen Butterfly already, so I chose this instead. Still, as much as I wasn't pleased with the music, it was an opera at the Met and a truly wonderful experience.

I saw Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Augusta in 2008. Another great opera by a great company.

Saw La bohème (Puccini), Augusta in 2008. Love it, the original Rent. :D

Saw Sweeney Todd (Sondheim), Augusta, in 2008 or 2009? I can't remember... This was the last production that company did, sadly. They had to cancel the rest of their season and the company folded. There have been two attempts that I am aware of to reform the company but so far not much success has been had...

I saw Doctor Atomic (John Adams) done by the Met on PBS in 2008. This is about Oppenheimer and the first successful atom bomb test, I love Adams and I love this Opera. I had been wanting to see it since it first premiered in 2005 in S.F. I was flipping channels and caught the last 30 minutes of it and was disappointed that I hadn't known it was coming on. I had a trip the next morning, but when I found out it was coming on again at 1am I decided to watch it (4 hours, I believe) and just be tired the next day (I wasn't driving, I just had to ride a bus). I didn't regret it at all. Love this opera, Love Adams.

Also have seen the Met's recent (2005) production of The Magic Flute (Mozart) and loved it.


Other film and video recordings I've seen (that I remember, I'm positive I've left important things off this list):

Grease (Casey/Jacobs) Hate it, sorry if you love it.
Moulin Rogue - Hate it, sorry
Phantom of the Opera (Webber) Don't love it.
Wozzeck (Alban Berg), I love this opera, don't know who the production company was though, it was a video my roomie had to watch for a class. He hated it. (20t century music isn't his favorite and I think he doesn't like bloody plots, either.)
Fiddler on the Roof (Bock/Harnick) I love.
My Fair Lady (Lerner and Loewe) I love.


I have sung in:

The Mikado (Gilbert and Sullivan) in 1999 at William Carey College. Chorus.
Trial by Jury (Gilbert and Sullivan) in 2000? at William Carey College. I was the Bailiff.
Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach) in 2005, Augusta Opera chorus. (A French opera about a German author sung in English!)
La Traviata (Verdi) in 2006, Augusta Opera chorus.
Man of La Mancha (Leigh) in 2006, Augusta Opera chorus.
And most recently did scenes from The Mikado with the choral group I sing with, Colla Voce. I played Koko, the Lord High Executioner. (Less than a week ago.)

I couldn't even begin to list the recordings I have heard of musicals or operas.


Edit: Also included on last weeks performance was HMS Pinafore (Gilbert and Sullivan), chorus.

And I'm pretty sure I saw Beauty and the Beast in 2006 or 2007 by The Augusta Players.

Secret Kelly Trivia: I entered college as a theatre major.

I got all but 3 credits of a theatre minor in undergrad. I ended up dropping my Acting II class so that I could make sure to pass my Biology 101 class and actually get my major degree without having to stick around for ANOTHER semester (I fit 4 years of college into 5!).

That's an impressive list.

Saw La bohème (Puccini), Augusta in 2008. Love it, the original Rent.

I saw La Boheme once. It was performed in english, but it might as well have been in Italian, since you could understand a word they were saying. It's a good thing I knew the story line. I would have been completely lost otherwise.

Seeing The Lion King 2 weeks ago. This show has power like no other show. Watching my kids see it for the first time probably didn't help to calm my emotions. But even Brian was teary-eyed in some parts, so it's not just me who thinks it's powerful.

Brayden likes the stage production better, but Tyler still prefers the movie. He did write a really cute report about it to share with his class at school, since he was lucky enough to miss school to go to the theatre. Both of them are anxious to see another show. We may do Stomp when in comes next year.

The three piece of artistic media from my youth that have had a truly lasting impact on my life are: Les Mis, Ender's Game, and RENT. The RENT movie was fairly lackluster, but the other 2 will have amazing movies coming out very soon! (Lucky me!)

Les Mis is important to me. I was the little girl singing "Castle on a Cloud" for talent show auditions. I sang it in English, and in French. It was my first experience of identifying with a character. After knowing the cast recording by heart for years, I finally was able to see the show my junior year of high school. My love for Les Mis never waned, and when the tour was coming through last year, I knew it was something I wanted to share with Brian. Comments he had made about the show were along the lines of "It's French and a musical. How can that be good?" (All in a joking tone, of course. He likes musicals and we'd been to France and had a lovely time!) I knew I needed to prove to him the power of this story, of this show. I had both of us read the book before attending. I read the physical novel, Brian had it on CD. My understanding of the story, my insights into character were deepened and strengthened. My love was taken to a whole new level. (Needless to say, Brian was blown away by the show. Even if he denies it now!)

So, with all of that being said, the Les Mis movie will be amazing. Need proof? Check this out:

I don't have time to watch that video at the moment, but the initial still of Hugh Jackman is all I need. Definitely will be amazing.

This thread just magically reappeared at the perfect time.

MATILDA, YOU GUYS. Matilda this musical! I am OBSESSED with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yyiy7aqiE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This thread just magically reappeared at the perfect time.

MATILDA, YOU GUYS. Matilda this musical! I am OBSESSED with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yyiy7aqiE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wot.

Awesome.

So, with all of that being said, the Les Mis movie will be amazing. Need proof? Check this out:

It's AMAZING that they did all the singing on set. I don't think that has ever been done before in a movie-musical. It makes me ten times more excited - the emotion of the singing will be like nothing we've seen before. Paul is so very excited about this movie and he's totally drawn me in by talking about it so much.

Les Mis is hands down my favourite musical. I am very much looking forward to this!

Also, I so wish I could afford to go down to the West End to see Matilda! I have heard fantastic things about it.

Hey the songs from that Matilda musical were written by Tim Minchin!

I'm curious how differently they built the sets considering they were singing on set, and how they recorded the sound, was probably a crazily complex construction. I came by today to post that extended first look. They gave us samples of the singing of all the expected oscar nominees (Jackman, Hathaway (who will win supporting this year, it's a mortal lock akin to Helen Mirren for the Queen), Barks) except for Crowe. We even got some singing samples from the actress with the creepy-terrifying-and-deranged-eyes, but not Crowe, so I wonder if they're hiding him because he's not very good?

In any event, expect nominations for:
Picture
Director
Actor (Jackman)
Supporting Actor (Crowe)
Supporting Actress (Hathaway, who will win)
Supporting Actress (Barks)
Art Direction (now renamed, finally, correctly, Production Design)
Cinematography
Costume Design
Editing
Sound
Song (the new one)

Competition is probably too stiff for Makeup (now retitled Makeup and Hairstyling) because Lincoln is winning and will be nominated alongside Cloud Atlas and the Hobbit, and before Les Mis gets a shot at that nom it will be still be behind Men in Black3, Hitchcock and Looper. Adapted screenplay is dicey, depending on how much adaptation and compression they did of the show, but who knows.

first tv spot, 90 seconds, so it is similar to the trailer, but check out that killer dissolve at the end to the famous artwork. Damn.

Chills and tears every time.

I'm trying to decide whether I want to see this opening day so I can see it as soon as possible or wait until it's not so overly crowded so I can feel the story more intimately. A Christmas Day release of a movie like this is going to be INSANE. I'm having a baby 3 weeks after it's release, so I can't wait too long. Gah!!! I don't know what to do!

You know, I don't think I'd have seen many/any of the musicals I have if it weren't for you all. I'm excited to see this on "Broadway" first, then get to see it in movie theaters about a month later.

I love the look at each character you get with this trailer. And we actually get a preview of Russel Crow's singing!

Kim! Kim! Kim, Kim, Kim!!! I'm waiting for your thoughts on J&H!!

I was surprised that grease showed up so late in this thread...I hope I don't offend musical "purists" by saying these next two things.
1: I have never seen a musical on stage
2: my three faves on DVD are
Grease (of course)
Crybaby
Across the universe. I'm a huge Beatles fan.

The only time I've seen Across the Universe, it was at like 2am during a blizzard and we ended up watching the first half again mostly inadvertently.

Mmmhm...I've seen the first half of LOTS of movies "inadvertently".......
I.e. too "busy" to turn it off...

This was more like "too tired" than "too busy". Nobody had the energy to turn it off because we'd all been jumping up and down at a local punk show a couple hours before.

Mmmhm...I've seen the first half of LOTS of movies "inadvertently".......
I.e. too "busy" to turn it off...

Haha, one month ago i wouldn't have understood that

Mmmhm...I've seen the first half of LOTS of movies "inadvertently".......
I.e. too "busy" to turn it off...

Haha, one month ago i wouldn't have understood that

One month has brought you better English or more experience with inadvertent movie watchings?

One month has brought you better English or more experience with inadvertent movie watchings?

Yes.