Musicals!

[Seil]

Because of Archibo's latest post in the Wisdom Teeth thread, I was reminded of Little Shop of Horrors, one of my favorite musicals since I was a kid. My mum is a music teacher, and ever since I was a kid, she's been pushing me to be more musically inclined (Piano lessons, Violin Lessons, Voice lessons) and even though I'm very proud that I'm the only true bass that I know about, I was never that into music.

However, that doesn't transfer over to musicals - some of my favorites being Little Shop Of Horrors, The Producers, Urine Town, Wicked, Phantom Of The Opera, Moulin Rouge.... But I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about Urine Town, a show that not many people 'round where I live know about:

The shows plot is simple - there's a drought in process, and certain privileges, like private washrooms, are unheard of. So people are forced to pay to use public washrooms, and because of this, they live below the poverty line. However, one man falls in love with the innocent, young daughter of the head of the toilet company and stand up for the people, so that people are free to pee when they want, how they want, and with whoever they want. However, those that make trouble get sent off to Urine Town, and trouble looms for the young hero.

I'm serious. That's a Broadway musical. It won a few Tony's. This is my favorite song in the show.

Man Strong
Bobby! Bobby, reason with the woman. I'm a little short this morning.

Bobby
He's my Pa, Ms. Pennywise. Can't he come in for free? Just this once?

Penny
Get your head out of the clouds, Bobby Strong. No one gets in for free.
Every morning you all come here. And every morning some of you got
reasons why ya ain't gonna pay. And I'm here to tell ya ya is gonna pay!

Old Man Strong
In the name of God, Penny, what difference could it make?

Penny
What difference?!

"Times are hard"
"Our cash is tight"
"You've got no right"
I've heard it all before
"Just this once"
Is once too much
Cause once they've onced
They'll want to once once more

I run the only toilet
In this part of town, you see
So, if you've got to go
You've got to go through me

It's a privilege to pee
Water's worth its weight
In gold these days

No more bathrooms
Like in olden days
You come here and pay a fee
For the privilege to pee

Twenty years we've had the drought
And our reservoirs have all dried up
I take my baths now in a coffee cup
I boil what's left of it for tea
And it's a privilege to pee

The politicians in their wisdom saw
That there should be a law
The politicians taxed the toilets
And made illegal
Public urination and defecation

So, come and give your coins to me
Write your name here in the record book
The authorities will want to look
If you've been regular with me
If you've paid the proper fee
For the privilege to pee

Bobby
But Ms. Pennywise -

Penny
I said no buts, Bobby. You're a sweet lookin' boy and I likes to keep
you around, but this main ain't comin' in without payin'. Not this time.

Old Man Strong
I can't wait much longer, Bobby. There's no tellin' what I might do!

Penny
You think you've got
Some kind of right?

The Poor
Kind of right, kind of right!

Penny
You think you'll come in here and go for free?

The Poor
Snag a freebie!

Penny
The only thing you'll get it "no" for free!

The Poor
Negatory!

Penny
I'm a business gal, you see

The Poor
Business gal you see!

Penny
I sell the
Privilege to pee! The Poor

It's a privilege to pee

Penny
The good Lord made us
So we'd piss each day
Until we piss away
The good Lord made sure
That what goes in men
Must soon come out again
So you're no different then
From lowly me

The Poor
Me
Lowly me
Lowly me
Lowly me
Lowly me!

Bobby
But, Ms. Pennywise -

Old Man Strong
That's enough, Bobby.

Penny
And I think I'll charge you twice

Old Man Strong
No need to jeopardize your position.

Penny
Or better yet, have you arrested

Old Man Strong
I'm through with all this, you see.

Penny
Since you prefer the law gets tested

Old Man Strong
Scrapin' cash three times a day

Penny
And in Urinetown you'll see

Old Man Strong
Crazy with the nitrates half the time

Penny
Why it's dumb to fight with me

Old Man Strong
It's no way to live, I tells ya. No way to live.

Penny
For the privilege to pee!

[Raiden]

I liked Sweeney Todd way before the movie came out. And Wicked is pretty fun. Phantom of the Opera is my favorite.

Avenue Q is pretty fun if you weren't emotionally scarred by puppets hanging in the dark corner of your room when you were three years old...

[Long-Haired Narcissist]

I haven't seen too many musicals but of those that I've seen, I've liked The Producers, Rent, and Spamalot the most.

[42PETUNIAS]

Spamalot was fantastic, but for some reason my favorite is Into the Woods, which I only saw a movie of in Junior High music class, but it was still totally awesome and hilarious.

[Masked Jedi]

I ma shocked, shocked I say, that no one has mentioned the greatest musical of them all:

[katiuska]

We missed the chance to see Evil Dead II: The Musical while it was playing last year. I'm not sure whether it would have been horrible or really awesome.

When we lived in St. Louis, my mom used to take us to the MUNY, an outdoor amphitheater which runs musicals in the summer. In hindsight, an outdoor amphitheater might not be the best place to start getting interested. It got pretty unbearable starting in July; there were some massive fans, but they only ran at intermission on account of they were loud.

There have been a lot of well-made musicals. That thing though, where you try to string a narrative out of a bunch of pop songs? Yeah. Stop that. Not that it isn't more or less how musicals came about in the first place, but that doesn't make a story any less weak.

[Wyndon]

Considering I'm your generic gay-boy Broadway enthusiast:

Wicked (IDINA ANYONE?!)
Mama Mia (UGH <333)
Sweeney Todd (Movie was good I suppose, original was untouchable though!)
Rent (OBVIOUSLY)
Blast! (Saw that like eight times)
Stomp (Not quite as good as blast, but incredible)
Urinetown (hahaha...it's incredibele!)
Spamalot (<3)
Phantom of the Opera (Creamed my pants seven times and upwards during this one).
Lion King (DO NOT DENY)
Cats (because I was drunk as shit when I saw this, and it was hilarious!!)
A Chorus Line (<333)
Hairspray (I loved the play, but the movie had ZACK EFRON!!! <333 )

Top Three:
Phantom
Wicked
Rent

Wicked/Rent had Idina when I saw them, and she's my fav broadway actress..soooo...Yes. I wish she still did Wicked

Followed closely by sweeney and spamalot...loved a chorus line too...

[katiuska]

My 11th grade English teacher convinced his class that the words "shoot yourself" were hidden in Cats as a subliminal message.

My first video editing experiment involved splicing together some of those songs with footage of my cats doing what they normally do. It was a passing joke that kind of took on a life of its own. I'm not proud of it, but I've gotta say, it still makes the musical 10 times better.

One that hasn't been mentioned yet -- Bat Boy: The Musical. You kind of have to admire anyone who can make a musical out of a tabloid story, let alone one that's surprising and occasionally poignant.

[Raiden]

I remember seeing Batboy: the Musical in highschool. It was done by students from a different highschool, and I must say, it was VERY well done.

Even though during the performance, a bloodspot accidentally got onto where the kid would land on his back, so he spent the rest of the play with blood always on his back.

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by katiuska

My 11th grade English teacher convinced his class that the words "shoot yourself" were hidden in Cats as a subliminal message.

It's not so much a subliminal message as it is the moral of the story.

I performed in a couple musicals back in high school, actually. Played Arvide Abernathy in "Guys and Dolls" and Pappy Yokum in "Li'l Abner" (apparently I was a very convincing old geezer), as well as working in the orchestra in a production of "The Will Rogers Follies". Not my absolute favorite theatre experiences, but I did get to watch the girls changing a few times.

Also, you should all see "Cannibal: The Musical" if you haven't already.