Inspired by grinningghost: What's the BEST musical ever?

[Kim&Chris]

I was lucky enough to see the Jersey Boys twice, and it was unbelievable. I'd love to go see it again!

 

[preshi]

Wicked or Cabaret

 

[Cass]

Phantom or the Opera, Lion King, Grease, The Sound of Music, Buddy Holly Story

 

[JennyMominRI]

I love Jesus Christ Superstar..
Yes,My irony meter is tingling

 

[Rella Bella]

Wow! It is so hard to pick a favorite!!
Usually most recently seen wins out... right now that's The Scarlet Pimpernel. Which traveled through here and was amazing!

But I have so many I
The Lion King
Hairspray
Phantom
Oh it's hopeless I could go on and on!

The Tony's were great tonight!
I love seeing the selections from all the nominees!
Kim&Chris you're so lucky to have seen Jersey Boys! Can't wait for the chance to go!

 

[Froggyswife]

Kats,

Angelico kats.

 

[parrothead365]

I can't pick just one but Phantom,Annie,Cats, and Chicago are up there for me.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I love Musical theatre!
Sound of Music
Oklahoma
Les Miz
Into the woods
1776
Titanic
South Pacific
Oliver
Annie
Camelot
Forever Plaid
The King and I
obviously I am just a sap for the classics

 

[Planogirl]

King and I with Yul Brynner was the best I ever saw.

Just generally, I love Fiddler on the Roof, Jekyl & Hyde and the Lion King.

 

[SandraVB79]

I love musical as much as Disney, and I have travelled all over Europe to catch a musical!

My absolute favourite one is "Elisabeth" (seen twice in Vienna, once in Stuttgart, countless times on DVD)

"I'm here when you need me
I'll live and i'll die with you
I'll share all your troubles
I'll laugh and I'll cry with you
you can blame me and bless me
but you cannot possess me
cause I belong to me..."

The Lion King (August 2004 in Scheveningen, Holland) was the most "special" one I saw, I loved all the puppets to bring the savannah on stage!! I also was lucky enough to have on of the better spots in the theatre: I got "kissed" by a giraffe", I saw half of the animals from the first song from very very close (like 2 inches away), a hyena scared the he11 out of me, ...

The Phantom of the Opera (seen in Germany, last weekend of April) had the most amazing costumes.

Titanic (December 2005, Luik/ Liège) had the most amazing decor (unbelievable how they had the Titanic "sink"!!)

Three Musketiers (August 2005 in Berlin) had the most amazing "action" (all the fights between the Musketiers + the boat-scene: WAW!!!)

Notre Dame de Paris (London, January 2001) was my first musical and will always keep a special place in my heart.



I also saw:
- Roméo and Juliette (in Paris in French, in Antwerp in Dutch)
- Gone With the Wind (French musical seen in Brussels)
- Snow White (Antwerp)
- Dracula (Antwerp)
- Sound of Music (Antwerp)

I guess I forgot some others

I hope to be able to go to Mamma Mia in Antwerp (but it only runs until July 2 ), Beauty and the Beast in Holland, and I heard that Tarzan will come to Holland next year!

 

[Virgo10]

The King and I was always my favorite before I saw it on stage with Yul Brenner. Once that happened, I don't think there will ever be any other show that will touch it. He was soooooooooo good!!!

Others way up on the list:

Cabaret
Chicago
Gigi
Hair - Saw it live.
The Sound of Music - Saw it live.
Jesus Christ - Superstar - Saw it live with the original cast.

 

[powellrj]

I love Guys and Dolls! Maybe it was because it was the first show DH and I saw together, but I really like the show. Last year DS was in Guys and Dolls jr, and I still loved the show! I have tried to watch the movie, but I don't get into it.

 

[amy4bruce]

Are we talking here production or music/lyrics/book?

To me, it doesn't matter. I saw Sweeny Tood on Broadway with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. As a certified Sondheim freak, nothing will ever get better than that.

DW loves Les Miserables above all.

I've also seen many memorable performers, including Nathan Lane (in Forum) and Jerry Lewis (in Damn Yankees - suprisingly good, especially in the second act).

I've also missed some performers that I wished I had seen. I saw Over Here with the Andrews Sisters. They were there, but one actor, playing a part named Misfit, was out. (The first thing I do in the theatre, especially when on Broadway, is to hold my Playbill open so that the understudy notes will fall out.) I made no note of the actor's name, and it was months before I learned that it was an unknown named John Travolta. I saw it in February, and I calculated that it was probably when he was in California, filming the pilot for Welcome Back, Kotter.

 

[luvwinnie]

SO hard to choose, but my favs have been Evita, Grease and Wicked. Jesus Christ Superstar also (I was little when the orig. was out, but LOVE the music).

 

[akhenaten]

Les Miz.....wonderful music, rich story and great NYC staging

Crazy for You.........the best Gerswin music, and fun staging

Buddy.........the buddy holly musical...felt like I was really watching Buddy Holly and the crickets live......fantastic "concert"

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Chess

CATS

Sweeney Todd is also a favorite. Fell in love with after the community college I went to did a production while DH and I were dating. The cast was really, really dedicated. DH and I were working lights and during a tech rehersal the week before opening night, "Sweeney" fell through the trap door acidentally and broke 4 ribs. He went to the hospital and stayed home for like 2 days but when opening night came, he was there and put on a very good show the entire week. I can't imagine the kind of pain he was in, but he did a great job. At the beginning, when he would come out and stalk down the front of the stage, you could see people in the first row lean back in terror.

I think my favorite performance of it though, was the ' In Concert' version I saw on Bravo with Angela Lansbury and Neil Patrick Harris.
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd..his face was pale and his eye was odd....

TOV

 

[phisigprincess]

As I said in the other thread - I've never met a musical I didn't like. Some of my favorite though are:

Sound of Music (which is really my all time favorite, but only the movie, not the stage show - which I really don't like - so I don't know if it counts)
Les Mis
Phantom
Wicked
Company (yeah, no one else likes it, but I do!! )

I could really go on and on and on. I adore musicals.

 

[barkley]

best i ever saw-"aint misbehavin" with the original broadway cast. nell carter (god rest her soul) was the most awsome stage presence!

"a chorus line" with the original cast was great-but the touring companies have been less than good over the past couple of decades (the show is also dated in it's lines, so depending on your age you don't nesc. get all of the jokes/references).

also loved seeing stephanie mills and geofrey holder (?) in "the wiz"-wonderful production for it's day (i think if revived now they would likely focus on special effects to the detriment of the performances).

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

Saw Yul Brenner in King & I when I was about 11 - AMAZING!
~Gigi
~Showboat
~Cats
~The Music Man
~The Sound of Music

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Well, of the local productions I've seen, Hello Dolly!, Oklahoma and Wizard of Oz were faves. I've also seen a traveling production of Porgy and Bess that I loved.
Unfortunately, I don't get to the theater much.
But I get my musicals fix through my videos and dvds.