M is for Musicals

Who doesn't love musicals? Folks dancing around, singing about everything.  It's greatness.  Unless you're Madonna and the musical is Evita.  I'd rather tear my eyes and eardrums out with forks than watch that crap again.  The first musical I ever saw live was "The Wedding Singer", based on the film of the same name starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.  It's one of my favorite Sandler movies, mostly because of the soundtrack.

Although The Wedding Singer isn't actually categorized a musical (most usually contain some singing and dancing by the actors), it is one of the best music-oriented films ever, right up there with Empire Records, Dazed & Confused and Almost Famous.

In honor of this most fantastical genre, here are my top-ten favorite musicals!


10. Wizard of Oz

Everyone with a television has seen Dorothy and company fight the wicked witch at least once.  (Remember being a kid and looking for the man hanging himself in the forest?)

Young Dorothy is caught in a tornado that carries her to the land of Oz, where she hooks up with scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion to search for the great and powerful Oz.  The wizard is the only one who can send Dorothy home, but along the way she has to fight the wicked witch, who's pissed because Dorothy dropped a house on her sister.  Much singing and dancing is ensues along the way.  Throw in some munchkins and flying monkeys and you have yourself musical.

It wasn't until my late teen years that I realized the parallels between Oz and Dorothy's real life.  This story is really much more psychological than originally thought, which is one of the things I love about it.

If I only had a brain.....


9. Chicago

Chicago is one of the best musicals in regards to plot and music.  The film stars Richard Gere (one of the sexiest men alive), Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly are scene stealers throughout much of the film.

Aspiring singer Roxie Hart's affair with a smooth-talking furniture salesman ends in murder, and Roxie finds herself on murderess row alongside a plethora of women with anger management issues, including jazz singer Velma Kelly.  Enter Billy Flynn, smooth-talking lawyer.  Kelly and Hart fight for Flynn's attention, which in turn gets the attention of the press.

The film has great song and dance numbers galore, and a plus is Gere singing and dancing in his skivvies.  Rawr.


8. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

 Poor Charlie Bucket lives with his mom and grandparents in a tiny little hovel, working a paper route to help feed his family.  News of a worldwide contest  breaks out, with five lucky children winning access to the local factory of candy-maker Willy Wonka (portrayed brilliantly by Gene Wilder).  Charlie finds a golden ticket along with spoiled brat Veruca Salt, German boy Augustus Gloop, gum chewing Violet Beauregard and television-obsessed Mike TeeVee.  As they tour the factory with eccentric Wonka, they learn life lessons and are disqualified one by one for various offenses. (Am I the only one who missed the symbolism for the deadly sins until my mid-twenties?)

If this movie contained only one scene, and it was of Veruca Salt in the goose room, I'd still love this movie.  The film is visually impressive, as well as witty and fun.  A few songs are a little trippy (especially on the boat ride), but still good. 

Even as an adult, whenever I watch this movie, I feel an overwhelming desire to move into a candy factory.

7. The Sound of Music

Julie Andrews, I adore you.   Young nun Maria just can't seem to get into the swing of things at the convent, what with her daily frolicking through fields of wildflowers and singing about the hills being alive.  Fed up, the nuns suggest Maria go work as a governess (aka nanny) at the home of Captain Georg Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his seven children.  Through patience and charm, Maria wins the affection of the children, and eventually, Captain Von Trapp.

This film is full of beautifully written, fantastic musical numbers, and the children are all adorable.  Plummer is also pretty charming as the grumpy, softy-at-heart Von Trapp.  And who doesn't love Julie Andrews?


6. Grease

(Note: I know I just wrote about this film a few days ago, but I can't NOT include Grease in the musicals post!)
It's 1958 and music rules for this mega-hit starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Rydell High School is all about being cool, and the leaders are gang the T-Birds and their girls, the Pink Ladies.  Danny Zuko, one of the head guys, runs into his summer love Sandy after her family moves from Australia.  Danny hurts Sandy's feelings by trying to be cool in front of his pals, then realizes his mistake and pursues her.  Heartbreak, singing and dancing ensues as Danny tries to re-win Sandy's affections.

Great music and a young John Travolta in tight clothes.  Win.  This movie also provides one of my most favorite movie quotes:  "A hickie from Kenickie is like a Hallmark card."  Love it.


5. Mary Poppins

Every kid loves this movie.  Even if Dick Van Dyke weren't so completely swoon-worthy back then, this film would still be great thanks to Julie Andrews.

Spoiled rich kids Jane and Michael have gone through every nanny in town, frustrating grumpy banker father Mr. Banks and women's rights activist mother Mrs. Banks.  The kids make a list of the qualities they wish for in a nanny, which Mr. Banks promptly rips up and throws in the fireplace.  Magically, the list flies into the air, repairs itself and lands in the hands of Mary Poppins.

Miss Poppins takes over as nanny - after much confusing of Mr. Banks - and takes the children on wonderful adventures with chimney sweep and street performer Bert (played by Van Dyke).   There's a little bit of animation mixed in with this live-action musical, but you get so wrapped up in the story that you almost forget to notice it.


4. White Christmas

 I didn't see this 1954 jewel until I met Hubs.  This film is his favorite musical, and his second-favorite Christmas movie, after Christmas Vacation (of course).

Singing post-war buddies Bob and Phil meet charming singing/dancing sisters Betty and Judy at a nightclub.  After Bob becomes smitten with Betty, boys follow girls to an inn in Vermont.  The inn is deserted, but after realizing the owner is Bob and Phil's old army general, the four stay to help the inn get business.

An entire show production, romance, communication mix-ups, a pretend engagement and a Christmas show all unfold amid great music and wintry backdrops.


3. Cry-Baby

One of the best John Waters films (my other favorite is actually number one on this list), Cry-Baby stars a young - and devilishly handsome - Johnny Depp.  Along with Depp are Ricki Lake,  Iggy Pop, Tracy Lord and Amy Locane.

Drape Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker has the hots for square Allison Vernon-Williams, much to the dismay of her wealthy grandmother and boyfriend Milton.   Cry-Baby's friends take Allison in and show her how to be a bad girl.  After a night of singing together, the drapes are attacked by the squares, sending Cry-Baby to a juvenile detention center and Allison back into the arms of Milton.  The drape crew plan hijinks to get Cry-Baby out of jail so he can win Allison's affections once again.

As with any John Waters film, this movie is hilarious and dirty.  The music is comical and wonderfully entertaining.


2. Little Shop of Horrors

Pitiful Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) lives a sad and pathetic life, staying in the basement of the flower shop where he works.  One day Seymour is plant shopping and happens upon a strange-looking plant, which turns out to be an alien.  He brings the plant back to the shop and names it Audrey II, after the abused blonde he works with and has a crush on.

Seymour learns that Audrey II prefers blood to water and sunlight, so he feeds it accordingly and it grows into a massive plant.  Business booms, and Seymour is suddenly famous.  Audrey II keeps getting more demanding, making it hard for Seymour to make a move on the now-interested Audrey.  A confrontation with Audrey's dentist boyfriend (played by Steve Martin) ends in murder, and Seymour finds himself on the brink of destruction.

The songs are ridiculous, but fun.  Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, while not the best singers, are delightful and amusing to watch.  Bonus: Bill Murray as a pain-obsessed dental patient of Martin.  Win.


1. Hairspray (1988 version)

 This film by John Waters is not just the best (in my opinion) musical ever made, it's one of the best movies ever made, as well.    Cast includes a young Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller and Divine.

Tracy Turnblad loves to dance, and she knows she's good at it despite her large size.  After attending a hop hosted by Corny Collins, Tracy is invited to be on The Corny Collins Show, which features teens dancing to the newest music.  Although her homebody mother (a hideous Divine) is against it, she gains support from her jokester father (Stiller) and joins the show.  She falls for hottie Link Larkin and becomes the enemy of the show's self-proclaimed star Amber von Tussle.

While race issues are the backdrop to this film, great music and old-school dancing take center stage.


Honorable mentions:  Annie,  Auntie Mame and The Rocky Horror Picture Show

April's A-to-the-Zizzle Challenge: G

So, word on the street is that during the April A-Z Challenge people are not posting on Sundays, because by cutting out Sundays you end up with exactly 26 days.  Bunch of geniuses.  Me, though?  I'm a rebel.  I like to live dangerously.  I once went an entire flu season without getting vaccinated, and sometimes I even use the 5 second rule when I drop food.  I'm wild.  Thus, the show must go on!

G is for Grease

No, not the yucky stuff in fried food that sticks to your arteries and makes your stomach expand.  The other Grease.  Ya know, the one with a bunch of 30-somethings pretending to be high school students, dancing and singing their way through a semester at Rydell High.

I'm going to go with the assumption that everyone on earth has seen this film at least once in their life (or, like me, somewhere around 697 times).  However, if you've been living under a rock and have somehow failed to make time to see it, here's the short version:

Guy (Danny) and girl (Sandy) meet on vacation at the beach and fall madly in love.  In front of crashing waves, they pledge their love and bid each other adieu before leaving for their respective homes.  Cue cool animated movie intro with music.  Fade out to Rydell High, where Danny is the leader of the T-Birds, the coolest cats in town.  They even have the black leather jackets to prove it.  Their counterparts are the Pink Ladies.  In an odd coincidence, Sandy has just moved to town and finds that Danny is in fact not the sweet, gentlemanly hunk she fell in love with, but a fake and a phony and she wished she'd never laid eyes on him.
 Cue dating and jealousy and sleepovers with singing and smoking and more dating and a slut named Cha-Cha and a really ugly, pockmark-faced dude who has it in for Danny and the T-Birds - especially Danny's best bud Kenickie (Jeff Conway - my favorite character in this film).  There's a dance-off and some mooning, more singing and dancing, a pregnancy scare, pink hair (which leads to a vision of singing beehive-haired girls with Frankie Avalon), a car race and, finally, a resolution which leads to the fantastic ending to the movie, filled with more singing and dancing, lots of black leather, a carnival and a flying car.

Whew.

The thing I love the most about Grease is that it is a film that has been passed on for generations.  My mom
loved this film when it came out, which she passed on to me, which I have passed on to my daughters who now love it, too.   I know that someday they'll pass it on to their kids, and the magic will continue.

It's so obnoxiously awesome in every way.  I love to hate Rizzo, and then find myself feeling sorry for her, then realize by the end that she's not so bad (and yes, I repeat this cycle every single time I watch it).  I love that at first I don't think Sandy really deserves Danny, because he's awesome and she needs to get over herself, and by the end of the movie I'm pleased that she finally got a clue and bought some leather.  I love that these people are obviously too old to be playing high school students, but we buy it anyway.  I love Kenickie and his one-liners.  "A hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmark card."

I love the songs. Every single one.  Even the drive-in song, which is admittedly really bad. I don't care, I still sing it at the top of my lungs. "Sandy.....can't you see....I'm in misery.....Why-e-y-e-y-e-yyyyy.  Oh, Sandy."

I HATE Cha-Cha.  I always get angry at Danny for dancing with her. Every time.  He's too cool for her.

She's such a slut.

I love Frenchie and Jan, and how awkward and weird they are.  I LOVE the school secretary, Blanche, and how she constantly annoys the principal.  I love the football coach and his description of how the team is going to beat their opposition at the pep rally (Blanche is also funny in that scene).

As a kid, what I loved about Grease was how these people were all friends, and it didn't matter that they fought and went out and broke up and had all of these problems, at the end of the day, they went to the carnival and sang about going together like wham-balam-abama, dinky-dingy-dong.   Friends forever.

On a downside, I was super disappointed when I reached high school and there weren't any T-Birds or Pink Ladies, and nobody sang about their feelings or had dance-offs.  Bummer.

So, people, the next time you're hanging with your pals, break into song and see if they'll join you.  If not, there's always flying cars....

The Wedding Singer....and all that jazz

Last night myself and three girlfriends went to see the musical "The Wedding Singer" (based on the Adam Sandler movie) at Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans.  It was my first time seeing a musical that wasn't a high school or university production. 

Le Petit Theatre

The evening started out with the four of us beyond excited - not only to be seeing the musical, but to be having a girls' night out.  Three of us have children, and the fourth runs a daycare, so it was like a vacation to be away from the kids (and the men) for the night. 

We drove to Metairie - which, if you're like me, is the same as New Orleans (I consider everything south of Lake Pontchartrain New Orleans) - and had dinner at Mexican restaurant Chevy's. Yum.   After that we made our way to the French Quarter, where Le Petit Theatre is located.   We spent about thirty minutes trying to find parking, and ended up almost missing the beginning of the show.  Luckily we made it just in time.

Le Petit Theatre is a charming little place that sits near the famed St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. 

St. Louis Cathedral

The Cathedral is one of my most favorite buildings to look at, so I had to include a picture of it for you.  I could stand out in the square and just admire it all day.  It's especially beautiful right as the sun is setting, and the sky above is varied colors of red, orange and purple.  Amazing.

But anyhoo, back to the theatre.

The full name of the theatre is Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, and it was founded in 1917.  It is currently in its 94th season of productions, making it the oldest continuously operating community theatre in the nation.  Pretty impressive, huh?

When you first walk into the building, a massive - and beautiful - chandelier grabs your attention.  The lobby is decorated in a way that is somehow both current and reflective of its history. Then you head up the creaking staircase, and onto the balcony to be seated....

The theatre was much smaller than I anticipated, but it's not bothersome because you just feel a sense of intimacy about the room.  Someone commented that no matter where you sit - floor or balcony - you have a great view of the stage, and I believe it.  Our seats were excellent.  Second row, center. 

A glance around the theater showed signs of how very old it is.  The vents in the ceiling are stained with black, and pieces of the ceiling are crumbling or missing.  Everything about the place screams old, but it's so absolutely charming that the age just makes it that much better. 

The actors were fabulous, especially characters Robbie (lead), George (cross-dressing friend) and an unnamed black man who at one point wore a strapless silver dress and stilettos - and DANCED in them!  I was impressed. 

It was wonderful. Every song, dance, costume change, set change. All of it was utterly fabulous. I know I must have grinned throughout the entire two and a half hour show, because my face still hurts this morning.


I wasn't expecting to laugh nearly as much, and I certainly didn't expect so much of my amusement to be a result of nearby audience members.  There was a yuppy group, of which "mom" didn't realize that George was a man until about halfway through the show, then wanted to know "why is that man wearing girl clothes, and why is he dancing with the black man?"  To which her son replied, "Mom, they're gay."  "Oh," was her reply.  (Note:  George was obviously a man, and very obviously gay.)

All in all, the entire night was wonderful, and us girls decided to make a tradition out of it.  Every other month or so we will go to dinner and a theatre production.  We've already planned the next outing:  "Hairspray" will be playing at Le Petit in September.  I can't wait!