Hello! If you’re reading this you’ve decided that you love musicals so much that you want to go back and read the old Musicals Threads. That’s great! Feel free to comment and join us each Tuesday to discuss all things musical!

Welcome to the Musicals Thread! I’m Grumproro, and I love musicals. With that in mind, I figured I would try starting a weekly/bi-weekly thread (depending on interest/what I can think of to talk about) exploring various topics related to musicals. My plan is to provide a topic/question each week for everyone to discuss, but I also highly encourage recommendations for musicals to that everyone should listen to. If you have a suggestions for this thread (future topics, etc.) please share them. I’m very open to feedback. Alright, with the introductions out of the way, let’s talk about musicals!

I thought that the best way to begin a thread like this would be to discuss why you like musicals. What is it about musicals that appeals to you? Is there a particular show that embodies your love for musicals?

My personal answer to this question can be summed by looking at one of my favorite musicals, The Drowsy Chaperone. If you’re not familiar with this show, it’s set during a wedding in the 1920s. Well, kind of. It’s actually set in a man’s living room. He’s sitting in his apartment one day and decides to listen to The Drowsy Chaperone. On stage we see the musical come to life in the mind of the Man in Chair (that’s the character’s name) while he provides commentary in between (and sometimes in the middle of) songs. In the opening scene the Man in Chair explains why he’s listening to this musical on this particular day. The reason he gives is that he’s “feeling a little blue. You know, a little anxious for no particular reason. A little sad that I should feel anxious at this age. You know, a little self-conscious anxiety resulting in non-specific sadness. A state that I call blue. Anyway, whenever I’m feeling this way – blue – I like to listen to my music. So I was going through my box of records this morning (yes records) and what did I find, but one of my favorite shows, Gable & Stein’s The Drowsy Chaperone.” According to the Man in Chair, the great thing about The Drowsy Chaperone is that it “does what a musical is supposed to do. It takes you to another world and it..it gives you a little tune to carry in your head for…for…when you’re feeling blue, you know?” That is why I love musicals.

And now, for a little taste of The Drowsy Chaperone! I hope you’ll enjoy this clip from the Tony Awards in 2006 (Warning: Sutton Foster does amazing things in this performance, be prepared to fall in love):

So, what do you all like about musicals?