Sunday, November 1, 2009

Musings on Musicals

Ok, so... sometimes I may blog on the weekend when it's not possible to fit it in between Monday and Friday which was my initial plan. Ain't life like that, you make a plan and then life happens. Hey, there's a John Lennon song lyric about that very thing.

I don't like musicals. I've stated this before but I'll say it again. Although, I was reminded of a few more exceptions to that rule yesterday. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was on TV last night. Very appropriate seeing as it was Halloween. I was assistant stage manager for a live production of the very same musical. It kicks ass. The music, the sexual deviance, the high camp factor. It's f*cking brilliant as far as musicals go.  The movie looks like it was made for 50 bucks which only adds to its allure, and Tim Curry is utterly sublime as the cross-dressing title character Frankenfurter. Any musical with lyrics like" Touch-a-touch-a-touch-a-touch me, I want to be dirty" is a winner in my book. 

I was also reminded of another musical which doesn't really qualify as a musical but more of a rock opera - The Who's Tommy. I was stage manager for a production of this show. Sensing a theme? Not to worry, I was also stage manager for a production of Grease, and I still don't like it. But I digress. Tommy kicks some serious ass. We also noticed during the production I worked on that there is no spoken dialogue in Tommy - it's just one awesome, rockin' song after another, telling a great story with zero cheese factor. Love it. 

I would also be remiss if I didn't add to my "List of musicals that don't suck" the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode in Season 6. DAMN. Joss Whedon, holy f*ck. You are brilliant. This episode pushed the storyline of Season 6 into the stratosphere, and brought  unspoken emotions and personal torment into the light of day, or should I say into the light of song. Again, conveying meaningful emotion without the cheese factor. Camp, yes. Cheese, no. I approve.  

If it turns out I'm actually harboring a love of musicals in some deep recess of my mind, and this post is just a big ol' Freudian slip, I may have to kill myself. 


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