:i'm definitely a musical person...my faves are Wicked, Avenue Q, Les Miz, West Side Story, Rent, and Legally Blonde.
i know, i know, about that last one. But seriously, it's done EXTREMELY well, and if you have really studied theater and musicals, you pick up on all the little inside jokes and technical stuff that make it really translate well into a show. For example, the addition of the "Greek Chorus" is just BRILLIANT!
i gotta say though...Cats is AWFUL! The music is okay as a standalone, and the dancing is fantastic, but i enjoy plot lines, hahah.
I saw the touring production of Legally Blonde in Philadelphia in early December, and thought it was wonderful. Fun tunes, very witty. I've been listening to the cast album a lot recently. I would definitely see it again, given the chance.
I'm partial to Sondheim, but my favorite musical has to be Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, if only because I saw it with the original cast, including John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, and Joanne Gleason.
Love Wicked. I've seen it twice in Philly and once in New York. Really enjoyed Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, Godspell, Bye Bye Birdie (with Tommy Tune), Mamma Mia (and thought I was going to hate it). I love the music to Big River, but have never seen it. I think my favorite Rogers & Hammerstein musical is South Pacific. Not really into the high sopranos - or the belters for that matter.
I'm not big on Andrew Lloyd Webber either. I have to agree with you about Cats. Saw it once from way in the back. Saw it again about ten years later from the orchestra. The change in viewpoint was interesting, but seeing it again was a mistake.
Don't remember many of the straight plays I've seen. I saw Steel Magnolias on Broadway. Amazing cast, but it didn't do anything for me. Too close to the movie, I guess.
I did have the pleasure of seeing the Odd Couple in Philly with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall.
This is a dangerous thread.
Kathy