Thanks to my great gig, I get to see so many wonderful and not so wonderful things. I still tell publicists that I if I do not enjoy your film, show, or whatever, I would not mention it negatively, perhaps a few salty comments, but no vitriol. There is so much negativity in the world that I just will not contribute to it.
I have decided to throw my TOP 10 list of musicals. Please note that these are the shows that I enjoyed in the calendar year of 2011. If you disagree, great. Life would be boring if we all agreed about everything.
For top 10 Musicals :
10. LYSISTRATA JONES- This Off-Broadway transfer is a refreshingly ambitious piece of work. It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm from a cast. I will admit that there were a few moments that I would have changed or removed, but I cannot deny the fun. So sad it closed.
9. GODSPELL- This is one of 3 revivals on my list. It is a fun and energetic revision of the original. The youthful cast has the potential to have the same type of following as the casts of RENT and WICKED . There are some good reasons to find Jesus, if you know what I mean? I know that Stephen Schwartz must be a happy man right now: he has 2 shows that are playing in the same complex on Broadway, another on London’s West End, not to mention the tours.
8. PLAY IT COOL – This was an Off Broadway piece with a jazzy score, a somewhat edgy book, and Sally Mayes. I was sad to see that it did not get a lot of notice. It seems a lesbian-owned jazz club with a sultry chanteuse, and a real “undercover” detective were not enough to generate a small following within our community. Oh well, I had a good time.
7. THE BEST IS YET TO COME was a tribute to the master, Cy Coleman, and Off Broadway. It was filled with broadway veterans, like Sally Mayes, Howard McGillin, Rachel York, and my personal fave, Lillias White, to name a few. It was simply staged to let these folks just do their business. A great score with a great cast that SHOULD have had a chance at a Broadway transfer.
6. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN- This also is on my personal list of “shows that I wish people liked more than they did”. I loved the score. I loved the cast. I loved that Norbert Leo Butz won a Tony. Some people that I know said that they wanted it to be darker, because the movie was so much more intense. I had to remind them that not every story with crime as a major character, too, needs to be dark. Some folks argued with me about the jazzy nature of the score, and again, it captured the essence of the 60’s in a different way than HAIRSPRAY. Maybe that was what people expected? Luckily for the rest of the country, there is a national tour with Aaron Tveit, also delightful.
5. BONNIE AND CLYDE- Ok. I know you are thinking Bonnie and Clyde? Didn’t it close? Weren’t the reviews awful? Yes, yes, and yes respectively. This show also makes this list and my “shows that I wish people liked more than they did” list. The reviews were savage and vicious. It seemed like the critics were on a Wildhorn gang bang. It had all the makings of a great show. It never got a chance. Laura Osnes, Jeremy Jordan, and that amazing cast worked with a good book and great music. It felt like a win win to me, but again, I am only one person. I am happy to hear there will be an Original Broadway Cast album coming.
4. ANYTHING GOES- Well, you can never go wrong with a Cole Porter revival when you have folks like Sutton Foster and Joel Grey being directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. It was worthy of a Best Revival Tony. The final number of the first act shows the true Triple Threat that is Sutton Foster.
3. SISTER ACT- I am almost sure that this little gem will be overlooked on many a top ten list, but again I had a great time. This show does not recreate the wheel of Broadway Musical Comedy, BUT it has a special charm. Patina Miller’s “Fabulous, Baby” was really the moment that I perked up and allowed myself to just enjoy a fun story, songs, and characters. It is nice to see how they tweaked the adaptation of the movie. I hope that it plays for a longtime. Too bad there is no Broadway Cast Recording.
2. FOLLIES -This Sondheim revival is simply divine. It is like sweet Broadway ambrosia. It is already my pick for 2012’s Best Revival. It is sad that it will be closed by the Tony ceremonies. This cast is filled with so many legends including Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Terri White, Elaine Page, Danny Burstein, Ron Raines, and Don Correia to name a few. I must admit that hearing Sondheim classics like, “Losing My Mind”, “I’m Still Here”, and “Broadway Baby” in a story context, fills me with new meaning.
1. BOOK OF MORMON- I know that it is no surprise that this one tops many “best of 2011” lists, including this one. It is probably the most fun musical ride that I have had. The cast was absolutely amazing. The music was clever, irreverent at times, and funny. The story was hilarious. South Park fans probably were not as shocked with many of the lyrics and images, as perhaps the average theater attendee. I wonder how many blue hairs went into full Bride of Frankenstein hair during the “Hasa Diga Eebowai “ or “Joseph Smith American Moses” numbers? Every now and then they come up on my ipod shuffle, and I still feel so guilty laughing.
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