3, 6, 16, 23 👀
3. favourite musical to listen to:
I'm suddenly regretting reblogging this ask, this is like choosing between children. However! I have the unfortunate theatre nerd honor of loving lots of versions of musicals that are not the OBC so choosing purely from albums....
I think I would have to say The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's one of my favorites in general but that soundtrack goes so stinking hard. Esepcially everything Douglas Sills does as Percy. When Percy thinks he can't trust his wife and resolves to continue anyway during "Prayer"??? 😭 and Marguerite's mirrored despair at losing the man she thought she knew in "When I Look At You" (AND THEIR DUET) The hilarity of "The Creation of Man" and and "The Scarlet Pimpernel and "They Seek Him Here"???? ("I said brief, not infinitesimal" and his book-perfect inane laugh my beloved) The sweeping epic opening of "Madame Guillotine?" !!!!! The amazing sibling love in "You Are My Home" and the exhilarating swashbuckling of "Into the Fire" and the PEAK villain ballad, "Falcon in the Dive" ksudfnlsdkjfsnldfkjsd. Frank Wildhorn musicals my forever beloved, and Nan Knighton's one and only absolutely perfect book and lyrics. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
6. favourite musical you've seen live
I have been blessed to see several touring productions of beloved shows as well as some really wonderful local productions. I'm going to cheat and say two bc the one doesn't exist anymore lol. I got to see the out-of-town tryout production of The Last Days of Summer starring Corey Cott and can I tell you that experience will stay with me for all my life. I think I wrote a massive post about it on here somewhere way back then. But the true answer should be Wicked. Wicked is the first professional (tour) production I ever saw, and a bonding point with many friends, and I got to see it on Broadway last year as my first bway show. 😊 This show is not overrated, it is literally perfection of stage craft from the top down and deserves every accolade and I hope the movie is good but it will never replace the show in my heart.
16. favourite musical that's underrated
(I love so many unknown/underrated musicals hhhhh)
Nobody now talks about The Secret Garden but it was certainly not underrated when it was on bway, people have just forgotten about it. 😭 Same with The Scarlet Pimpernel. So I have to say Bandstand, right? Absolutely, of course I do, and I'm gonna.
Corey Cott (him again) earned that (nonexistent) Tony nomination. I would be sad if he was nominated and lost, but I will eternally be Salty As Ever Living Heck that he wasn't even nominated. But the show in general is just so amazing, musically and storyline and visually and acting and lksjdnfsdkgjneiosfdk. This show is so so important to me, you don't even know. War widows and brotherhood and grief and survivor's guilt and finding love again and throwing off the glamor to expose the truth. Laura Osnes's #withtheband vlogs from backstage while they were in the show have taken up residence in a corner of my soul.
Wicked is only the first show I saw on bway because Bandstand closed after Dear Evan Hanson swept the awards, and I didn't have enough time to make the trip to see it.
BUT! I did get to see the tour! The fall before covid hit AND CLOSED IT TOO I got to see the national tour cast and I was very unconvinced that they would be able to do it justice when the OBC cast are some of my favorite humans in the whole wide world, but man oh man. When Zack Zaromatidis broke down as Donny telling Julia his awful dark secret, Zack bent at the waist like he had sucker-punched himself and from my seat a few rows from the stage I watched a single tear fall from his face and hit the stage floor and I'm telling you, I lost it. He did Donny and Corey right and proud. And my friend and I got to meet him and a bunch of the cast after!
I may or may not have access to the Bandstand proshot they made right before closing and I may or may not be willing to totally share so you can be obsessed too...
23. favourite lyric from a musical
I literally can't do this, you can't make me, I'm just gonna pull some of my absolute beloved lyrics from the aforementioned shows off the top of my head, ok go:
The Scarlet Pimpernel: Oh Lord, how could you let me love like this? / No one dies upon a kiss / and only fools believe in bliss... With time, I'll find a way to right this wrong / if it takes my whole life long / Lord, I'll fight my battles all alone / but make me / strong.
(Idk any of the lyrics from Last Days of Summer and it's a criiiimme)
Wicked: Let me say before we part / So much of me / is made of what I learned from you / and you'll be with me / like a handprint on my heart / Now whatever way our stories end / I know you have rewritten mine / by being my friend.
Bandstand: They'll say right this way / we've reserved this just for you / you've been waiting for this day / it's the least that we can do / you've arrived at last my friend / after fighting for far too long (it's a privilege sir may I say?) / "Right this way."
-deep breath- Ok, well, good to know my inner theatre nerd is still alive and well. XD
