Welcome! The purpose of this thread is to talk about all things related to the wonderful world of musical theatre. Each week I will post a thread with a topic/question for everyone to respond to. This is also a great place to mention any new musicals you’ve discovered and/or general recommendations for other musical fans. Heard/seen any good shows lately? Have any theatre news to share? Tell us about it!

Since starting this project I’ve been thinking a lot about how few musicals I’ve seen. When I was younger, I couldn’t afford to see shows. Now that I’m an adult, I live in the middle of nowhere so I don’t have many opportunities to see touring productions (and I obviously can’t just fly off to New York whenever I want to see a show). In other words, I wish I could see a lot of shows that I can’t. But I like to think about which shows I would most like to see if I got the chance. So, this week, I thought it would be fun to talk about the musical(s) you’d most like to see. Feel free to talk about shows you wish you could have seen with the original cast, but it doesn’t have to be bound by that.

For me, the answer is The Light in the Piazza. While musicals can have big dance numbers, huge casts, puppets, witches, and robust scores (that’s my attempt to describe music) they can also be subdued and delicate. Sometimes a musical only has two characters. Sometimes a musical is just a sweet, simple story with a handful of characters. And sometimes the music in a musical is so perfect and delicate that you can’t help but feeling at peace while listening to it. The Light in the Piazza is like that for me, so I would love to see it performed. I love the original cast, of course, but really, I’d be happy with any touring company. The score is light and, I don’t know, breezy? The story is beautiful and touching. The characters are complex but realistic. And, most importantly, the show has a lot of heart. I’ve listened to the soundtrack more times than I can count, and I have seen a taped performance that aired on PBS (which I recorded and watched several times before my mom accidentally deleted it), but it’s not enough. I need to see it live. I want to sit in the theatre and feel all the emotions wash over me. If you’re unfamiliar with The Light in the Piazza, here are two songs to give you a taste:

Alright, enough about me, what musical(s) do you wish you could see?