Life is a Musical ...

A dear friend of mine asked me via text (and rather randomly) "when you think of the most loved musicals of all time, which names come to mind?" Jolly good question, wot. I mean, are there certain shows that, by their cheery goodness and musical prowess, immediately rise above the dross in all their melody-driven glory?

Well, taking a rather broad definition of the term musical (including shows originally created for film as well as those written for the stage), here are the first five that jumped to mind when I thought about the phrase "Most Loved Musicals of All Time":


(1) The Sound of Music: After all, the hills are alive with it - the very foundations of Nazi Germany quake at the mention of it. Anything Julie Andrews touched was pure gold (and a reason her shows make two of the top five - see below). Funny, family-friendly and filled with some of the most catchy, nay, infectious tunes of all time, this Rogers and Hammerstein standby remains classic for good reason.


(2) Fiddler on the Roof: I took a class from Michael Ballam as an undergrad all about the power of music (and its history). We spent a lot of time talking about musicals. One day he told us the story of Fiddler. Apparently, when the show was set to open the writers, director and producer were all on pins and needles because they didn't think anyone could like a show about Russian Jews. They suffered through opening night steeling themselves for boos while hoping for cheers. What they got, however, was silence. No one moved. No one clapped. No one did anything for a long while. Then, slowly, the audience began to disperse. The next day, feeling certain that the show was a complete disaster, they came to the theater and saw a line of people longer than they could imagine. The show went on for a (then) record-setting total of 3,242 performances. All I can add is my own "Bravo."


(3) Les Miserables: Who'ld a thought that unadulterated tragedy could turn into one of the most amazing musical productions ever seen? Of course, I gotta give props to Victor Hugo and his source material (perhaps the most amazing novel every written), but an equally well-deserved cheer goes out to Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil whose genius transcends blog description. Good on ya, Frenchies.


(4) Mary Poppins: Can you possibly not love this show? I mean, really ... try. It's not possible. We've got singing bankers, dancing penguins, semi-neurotic nannies, and Dick Van Dyke ... who could ask for anything more? And with SNL's lovely send up to supercalifragilisticexpealidocious ("a disease of the liver ... "), this one must be at the top of any musical-junkies list.


(5) White Christmas: It may be the season ... it may be the snow, but whatever the reason, this one does float to the top. After all, how can you beat that Danny Kaye/Bing Crosby dynamite.


(6) My Fair Lady: Most beloved of all time or not, I had to throw this one in because it's my personal favorite. Why, you ask? For the complexity of the plot, the lovely tunes, the undiluted chauvinism of Prof. Henry Higgins and ... for the following lyrics:

"Women are irrational, that's all there is to that. Their heads are full of cotton, hay, and rags. They're nothing but exasperating, irritating, agitating, calculating, vacillating, maddening and infuriating hags."

Well, that about does it for me. For those two or three of you who may read this, feel free to add to the list. I'd be interested in what pops into your head.