This one must begin with a shout out to my dear friend and fellow blogger, Olivia, who pointed me in its direction! You can read her answers here:

https://thoughtsofablueeyedgirl.wordpress.com/2018/06/23/musical-theatre-challenge/?preview=true (and give her a follow while you’re there, she’s brilliant 😉 )

Being the massive musical theatre fan I am, it would be silly to not join in, so here we go.. 😉

A Song from the first musical I ever saw

If I Can’t Love Her – Beauty and the Beast

For my first live experience of a musical way back in my early teens, I think, the choice was a Disney affair – it was either going to be Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King. I was outvoted because my dad and brother sided with my mum – so the former it was. I remember loving the costumes and how well everything translated from the animated film, and adored how they work the transformation.

My favourite song is If I Can’t Love Her, as sung on the Original Broadway Cast Recording by the great Terrence Mann. It closes Act One, and comes in the wake of Belle fleeing the castle after Beast frightens her away. It’s a really moving, poignant song with beautiful lyrics as he reflects on his mistake, and resigns himself to never breaking the curse.

The recent remake of the film cut this song, and it was replaced by a new one called Evermore, which funnily enough is my favourite from that version! I still play the original musical often though, and always go to If I Can’t Love Her first.

A Song From My Latest Musical Obsession

Stay, I Pray You – Anastasia

Like many of my favourite musicals, this one’s Broadway grown. Based on the 1997 film of the same name, it adapts the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, following a young orphan named Anya who is suffering from amnesia and wanting to find where she belongs, and the con men Dimitry and Vlad who want to exploit her likeness for a reward.

Marrying together songs from the film with new music from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and changing the plot from the film for the better in my opinion, I am forever in hope that it finds a home on this side of the pond: I love the message it has, and can only imagine how sumptuous the costumes will be!

Stay, I Pray You is one of the two songs I could happily listen to on repeat, (the other being My Petersburg) although I do love the whole musical. It’s sung by a character called Count Ipolitov, played here by Constantine Germanacos. It is a prayer for one’s homeland, and his sadness at leaving it behind.

The lyrics are so simple and yet it feels really profound, and the music alone coupled with the harmonies when the rest of the cast join in later give me the most wonderful goosebumps. It makes me think about home and what it means to belong, and that’s a powerful thing!

A Song That Shows How Underrated a Musical is

Labyrinth – The Grinning Man

I adored everything about this musical since I first saw it during its original run on my home turf here in Bristol in 2016, and three times during its West End run until it closed back in May this year. It was funny, touching and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The puppetry was stunning and the show as a whole introduced so many talented people into my theatregoing life, and I’m so grateful to it for that. Based on Victor Hugo’s novel The Man Who Laughed, the story follows Grinpayne as he tries to discover the mystery of his past, namely, who cut his face into the permanent grin he now has.

The song I’ve chosen for this one is Labyrinth, Grinpanye’s solo number that opens Act Two. In it, on his way to a fateful meeting, he reflects on events thus far, and his struggles to reconcile with his past. It’s my favourite song from the show and was sung and acted to absolute perfection by Louis Maskell – I never got tired of the joy I got from being allowed to sit front row in the Trafalgar Studios and the chills I got when Louis caught my eye singing this, even just for a few seconds. It was utterly electric!

Those of us who came to love the show as we did are absolutely delighted to know a cast recording is soon to be released, and I can’t wait for more people to hear a show I came to cherish so much!

A Song That Makes me Happy

The Best of Times – La Cage Aux Folles

This musical first came into my life last year after I saw the UK tour starring John Partridge & Adrian Zhmed. The show as a whole makes me happy, but this number is the one that I just have to hear the opening notes and a few lines and I’m grinning from ear to ear. Lyrics from the song go thus:

So Hold This Moment Fast,

And Live and Love as hard as you know how,

And Make This Moment Last…

Because The Best of Times is Now

To me, this is just great advice for life, and I try to live by it! Loving the 2017 production as I did, I went hunting for a recording to relive the memories: I was overjoyed to find the 2010 version, starring Kelsey Grammar & the incredible Douglas Hodge. I listen to it whenever I need a boost and they always put a smile back on my face if I’m down.

Speaking of Kelsey and Douglas, here they are with the cast performing the number at the Tonys in 2010.

I love Douglas’ sense of humour to pieces and hope one day to see him onstage again after his wonderful turn as Willy Wonka in the musical version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

A Song That Makes Me Sad

Ashes and Tears – Doctor Zhivago

Sometimes, for whatever reason, musicals don’t resonate with the public and don’t get the life their creators wish for them. This was definitely the case for the musical adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, which came into my life thanks to the Broadway production. The Broadway version opened in April 2015, and closed in May due to low ticket sales and a lack of Tony nominations. Brutal, in my mind, but sometimes that’s just how the industry works. I think the music, especially, is absolutely stunning!

Being on the “wrong” side of the Atlantic and unable to travel because of my disability, I never actually got to see it, but I fell in love with the Broadway cast album and am eternally grateful for the talent it introduced to my life, especially in the form of Paul Alexander Nolan, who plays Pasha. It started a love and appreciation for him that I’m having to live vicariously through friends, as I’ll never get to see him live, much to my sadness & regret. It also marked the Broadway debut of Tam Mutu, one of my favourite West End men in the title role.

I was thrilled for and am still immensely proud of Tam, even though this musical was short lived! Ashes and Tears is one of his solo numbers, and it always makes me a little teary eyed…

A Song Sung By My Favourite Female Performer in a Musical

Always Better – The Bridges of Madison County

Though the West End is full to bursting with talented ladies whom I admire hugely, my favourite female performer is a Broadway goddess: Kelli O’ Hara. The musical adaptation of Bridges of Madison County by Jason Robert Brown was another Broadway favourite of mine, and the cast recording is one I listen to every single day. I remember after my first full listen lying in bed with tears streaming down my face – it both made my heart feel full and broke it utterly at the same time!

Based on the 1992 novel of the same name, we follow Francesca, an Italian war bride living in Winterset, Iowa, living a quiet and somewhat unfulfilling life. While her husband and teenage children are away at the National Fair exhibiting the farm’s prize steer, Francesca finds her plans for the weekend disrupted by the arrival of photographer Robert Kincaid, who is looking for the Roseman Bridge to complete his set of photos of Madison County’s seven famous covered bridges.

Francesca agrees to accompany him on a scouting trip, and finds herself developing feelings for him, and over subsequent days, the pair fall deeply in love.

Always Better is the finale of the show, and even though it’s another I didn’t get to see, I feel every single word – Kelli in particular is utterly radiant. The song sees her reflecting on events that led her to where she is, and the choices she made. She does not regret these choices – because they were all made out of love. That, to me, is a very profound and beautiful note to end a musical on.

A Song Sung by My Favourite Male Performer in a Musical

What is it About Her? – The Wild Party (Lippa Musical)

Oh, this one’s EVIL; I have so many favourite male performers! I’m going to come out a little bit left field and choose one my avid readers don’t expect me to ( the one they do will feature soon though! 😉 )

This is probably a bit of a cheat, given he was my favourite lady’s co star in the previous musical, but I just had to give Steven Pasquale a mention here, I adore him! He’s my other favourite Broadway gent & much like my being a fan of Paul Alexander Nolan, my being a fan of Steven’s is restricted to living vicariously through my American friends, or those who can easily travel to see him; and the more I hear of him, the more my heart breaks in light of that 😦

There were so many musicals I could have chosen to show how incredible I think he is: Bridges of Madison County, The Robber Bridegroom, Carousel, A Man of No Importance, Far From Heaven… but I settled on this number from Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party. In 2015, Encore’s! Off Center featured the musical in a staged concert version, starring Steven as Burrs.

I love this rendition so much, the last note alone is incredible! And I know you shouldn’t record in the theatre audience EVER, so in light of my not being able to travel and see him, this one’s enjoyed with a pang of guilt!

A Song From A Musical I Know All The Words To

Gethsemane – JCS

I consider myself a bit of a “sponge” when it comes to musicals, I tend to learn lyrics easily, so there are many musicals I could have chosen here. In the end, I went for one of my favourites from Lord Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice – Jesus Christ Superstar. Seeing the recent Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production was my introduction to the songs in context and the show in its entirety, and was one of my favourite theatrical experiences, period. Gethsemane is my favourite – it just feels epic and heartbreaking in equal measure! I love singing along with it whenever I listen, even though I can’t hit all the notes.

To my astonishment & disappointment – they never did make a cast recording of the Regent’s Park version, so the 2002 version featuring Glenn Carter is my “go to”.

A Song From My Least Favourite Musical

When I Grow Up – Matilda

This choice won’t sit well with a lot of folks I know, but I wasn’t a fan of the musical version of Matilda – I just didn’t connect with it, and found the storytelling clunky – for me the whole Acrobat/Escapologist thread to frame the plot felt unnecessary. Shame really, some of the songs are great fun, as is the character of Trunchbull.

I made the mistake of seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that I absolutely adored from start to end on the same day, and after that just found Matilda didn’t live up to the hype I’d been getting from all my friends. I’d be interested to return and give it another go, though, and When I Grow Up is actually really sweet…

A Song From the musical that made the most impact

The Finale – Les Miserables

I’d be incredibly remiss not to include the musical that has been a huge part of my life for the past seven years, after seeing it live for the first time in 2011. Les Mis has impacted my life so positively in a couple of ways – introduced me to my favourite West End gent Hadley Fraser and many other amazing performers, helped me forge some friendships I now can’t imagine life without, and even with visits now in double figures, it still manages to resonate with me. The story is essentially for me about the power of human spirit, and two moments from the finale encapsulate all that I love about the musical:

To Love Another Person is To See the Face of God

Even The Darkest Night will End and the Sun Will Rise

A Song From a Musical that I Could Listen to ALL DAY

Whoa Mama – Bright Star

Ah, back to Broadway we go. Another short lived gem, I call Bright Star my “sunshine” – it’s just so full of warmth, joy and hope and like Bridges and Doctor Zhivago, I wish with all my heart that I could have seen it.

Featuring my other favourite Broadway leading man Paul Alexander Nolan and introducing me to the wonder that is Carmen Cusack, this Steve Martin and Edie Brickell penned musical (in turn inspired by their Grammy winning album Love has Come For You) is set in 1923 and 1945-6, and follows the story of Alice Murphy. Whoa Mama is one of the musical’s duets between Alice & Jimmy Ray, her love interest, played by Paul. It’s just cheeky and fun and full of sexual tension, and never fails to put a smile on my face!

A Song From a Musical that I Loved From Hearing the first note

Stick It To The Man – School of Rock

I was always going to adore the musical version of School of Rock given that the film is an absolute favourite of mine. The musical takes everything I love about the film, and adds things that make it 100 times better, including new songs and fleshing out elements of the story that the film only touches briefly.

The level of talent from all the kids I have seen in the show so far is through the roof, I love its message about the power of music and it gave me such joy to hear Lord Lloyd Webber return to his rock roots in the score.

I just have to hear the guitar riff that signals the start of Stick It To The Man and I feel like I can take on the world!

A Song From a Musical I haven’t seen/Listened to in a while

Waiting – Marguerite

This is probably the most obscure musical on my list, but it’s one I love all the same; and it actually ticks both of these boxes! Like with most of my favourite musicals, I didn’t discover it until much later, after falling in love with the leading man seeing him in another musical he did in 2012. Knowing this, a good friend gave me the London Cast Recording as a present.

Based on the novel La Dame aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, Marguerite originally premiered in 2008, starring Ruthie Henshall, Julian Ovenden and Alexander Hanson. The story is updated to 1940s Paris, occupied by the Germans, and we follow Marguerite, an ex singer and her affair with a young musician named Armand. Armand is mixed up in the French Resistance, whilst Marguerite is mistress to Otto, a Nazi officer.

Knowing and loving Julian’s voice and acting as I do these days, I wish I’d gotten the chance to see him play Armand, because I feel the warmth and emotional depth he brings to the role just by listening, and would have loved to experience that first hand! The songs are really romantic and full of lush, sweeping melodies by Michael Legrand; in my opinion the style of music fits Julian’s voice like a glove.

Waiting is one of my favourites – a duet between Armand and Marguerite. He is entranced by her and they’ve arranged to meet again in secret, Marguerite arrives wrestling with the intensity of her feelings for Armand, but tries to convince herself their relationship can’t continue.

A Song From My Favourite Composer

Finishing the Hat – Sunday in the Park with George

My favourite musical theatre composer is Stephen Sondheim: musically I love how his songs are so detailed yet intricate, and his lyrics are always witty and thought provoking, sometimes all at once. I’ve chosen this song from Sunday because I find it really moving, and it features my favourite lyric from all of Sondheim:

However you live, there’s a part of you always standing by,

Mapping out the sky

Finishing the Hat is the moment where George realises his art has alienated him from the people he loves, and he regrets that. Yet he also realises that his pursuit of being fulfilled by his work will always be more important to him than his happiness, and that is such an interesting dynamic to play with. The song just speaks to me and I love it dearly!

Incidentally, here’s Julian Ovenden again, giving my favourite rendition in the 2013 version performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. I had the absolute joy of seeing Julian singing the song in person at a concert he did a few years back.. it was my highlight of the set!

A Song From My Least Favourite Musical by my Favourite Composer

A Weekend in the Country – A Little Night Music

It feels wrong of me to name a musical I have only seen in concert form as my least favourite Sondheim, but I just don’t connect with it as intensely as I do some of his other works. It does feature some stunning music and songs though, like Send in the Clowns and the one I’ve chosen: A Weekend in the Country. Musically I find it really exciting, there’s harmonies going on all over the place, and in context it’s such a witty, fun song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niL_Q0zts10

The Musical With The Best All Round Music

West Side Story

For me, West Side Story is as near to perfection in musical form as I think it’s possible to get. I adore everything about it, and Leonard Bernstein’s music in particular. It’s so iconic and emotive! It makes the Shakespeare fan in me very happy, and it is another musical I’m desperate to see onstage!

A Musical with the Best Lyrics

Carousel

This is a tricky one as “best” means different things to different people. I’ve chosen a musical that I adore whose lyrics move me with a quiet, tender intensity all of its own.

My favourite musical from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Carousel tells the story of the relationship between Billy Bigelow, a rough yet charismatic barker for a Carousel, and the beautiful, naïve Julie Jordan.

The thing I love about the musical is how human and honest the lyrics are, it’s essentially a musical about relationships, perception and what it means to love. In my favourite song Soliloquy, Billy has learned that Julie is expecting a baby, and excitedly dreams about having a son, and what he’ll teach him. The tone of the song shifts when Billy realises he could have a daughter, and wonders what he can do for her, and how you can “have fun with a son, but you’ve gotta be a father to a girl”, and seems disappointed by the weight of the responsibility. Thinking on it further, he realises that a girl mightn’t be so bad, and proceeds to sing my favourite section of the song… it always gives me goosebumps!

Here’s the song as it’s featured in the 1956 film version sung by Gordon MacRae, my favourite of the classic film musicals!

A Song From A Musical that Disappointed Me

What is This Feeling? – Wicked

It feels harsh to say Wicked disappointed me, I just have other musicals I like more, and while I think the show has some brilliant moments, elements of the story felt a little lacking.

A Song From My Guilty Pleasure Musical

SOS – Mamma Mia

I don’t consider myself a “fan” of ABBA per se, and have no desire whatsoever to see the film version now (the thought of Piers Brosnan singing and having to listen to Amanda Seyfried sing again puts me right off) but I saw the musical version of Mamma Mia for the first time very recently and loved it way more than I expected to. It’s just a happy, feel good show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and sometimes I think that’s what I need from a show!

Set on a Greek island, Sophie is due to be married to her fiancé Sky. One day, having discovered a diary of her mother Donna, she invites her father to the wedding. Only trouble is: Sophie’s father could be one of three guys – Sam, Harry or Bill…

SOS is my favourite from the show, sung by Sam and Donna as they reflect on their past and feelings for each other – I love the harmonies and will always have a special place in my heart for “my” Sam, the wonderful Richard Trinder, who does an incredible job with the song!

A Song From a Musical that Inspires Me

Someday – The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favourite Disney film, and the English language version of the musical is one of my all time favourites. It combines the songs and music from the film with elements closer to Victor Hugo’s novel Notre Dame de Paris on which it’s based. In light of that, it is a lot darker than its Disney namesake, but with Alan Menken & Steven Schwartz once more at the helm of music and lyrics, the whole thing is in my opinion, a stunning work. It premiered at La Jolla playhouse in 2014, before moving to the Paper Mill Playhouse the following year. It sadly didn’t transfer to Broadway, but a cast recording was made, and it’s one I play to absolute death.

Someday is one of my favourites from the show, sung by Esmerelda & Phoebus (Ciara Renee & Andrew Samonsky). The context of the song in the piece is gut wrenching, but the lyrics are so beautiful. I play it when I need to restore my faith in life and people in general.

A song from a musical I wish was made into a movie

So Far Away – Beautiful

Beautiful was a favourite of mine to grace the West End in recent years, and I was absolutely gutted when it closed last year. Though I did see the touring version earlier this year and it brought back a ton of wonderful memories!

Inspired by the life and career and featuring the music of Carole King, the show charts Carole’s rise to stardom, her friendships and relationship with her songwriting partner and later husband Gerry Goffin. I think it would work fantastically as a movie musical!

Here’s my favourite from the show, sung here by the Original Broadway Carole, the incredible Jessie Mueller

A song from a musical everyone should see performed live

Make Them Hear You – Ragtime

First off, I think everyone needs to see Ragtime, period. It’s a stunning and I think really important musical given the themes it explores, and feels as relevant to today as it may have ever been. I chose the penultimate song Make them Hear You because it moves me deeply, it’s about how words can change the world.

A song that makes me laugh

You’re Nothing Without Me – City of Angels

I have such fond memories of seeing this musical for the first time at the Donmar Warehouse back in 2014, especially this song… brought to life by two of my favourite West End leading men, Hadley Fraser and Tam Mutu.

Hadley played Stine, a struggling novelist, whilst Tam played Stone, a fictional detective representing Stine’s perception of the man he wants to be, and it was one of the most magnificent examples of chemistry I’ve ever seen between two male leads in a musical.

Stone, tired of yet another rewrite and his creator’s lack of backbone confronts Stine, and the creation and creator sling around some of the most clever and witty insults ever put to music, courtesy of David Zippel. It makes me laugh and smile so much, and Cy Coleman’s sumptuous jazz score just lifts the song to another level.

A song which is my current favourite

Bad Idea – Waitress

Along with Anastasia, one of my other recent musical obsessions is the Sara Bareilles penned musical Waitress, based on the 2007 film of the same name. Bad Idea is just a sweet, cheeky number that never fails to make me smile. I’m longing for the show to make it to the West End, and already have my dream cast in mind!

A song sung by a character in a musical you can most relate to

Nothin’ Up – The Robber Bridegroom

Originally a musical from 1975, this show entered my life through the cast recording of the 2016 Off Broadway production, starring Steven Pasquale, Ahna O’Reilly and Leslie Kritzer.

Nothin’ Up is sung by Ahna’s character, Rosamund and strikes more than a few chords with me- I affectionally call it the “ballsier, sassier cousin to On my Own.”

A song from a musical I would love to see starring all my favourite performers

For Forever – Dear Evan Hansen

I just had to feature Dear Evan Hansen in here somewhere. Like Ragtime, it just feels incredibly important and is another I’m longing to see on the West End. The story is essentially about what it means to be human and the need we have to connect, and the songs are just plain glorious from start to end.

I might start a new feature on my blog soon where I write all my “dream castings” for musicals should they transfer – DEH will definitely be included so watch this space 😉

A song sung by the musical character that I love to hate

Be Prepared – The Lion King

I’ve always loved villians more, especially in musicals – I just find them more interesting and exciting! This one was hands down a no brainer, Scar is my ultimate: yes he’s murderous and manipulative, but I also find him to be incredibly suave and charismatic. Whenever I watch the show, I’m consistently bowled over by George Asprey who plays Scar – he has a gift for such intensity and subtle humour, and an almighty stage presence!

A song from your favourite musical

Beggin’ – Jersey Boys

I find it really hard to choose one favourite musical, all of mine have featured in this post at some point or another. As such, I couldn’t leave without mentioning Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I have such special memories and people associated with this show, and it’ll always have a special place in my heart!

Those are mine, what do you think? Get in touch on Twitter @wheeliestagey or Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/WheelieStageyBlog/

Look forward to hearing from you, folks!