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!

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. So, it just makes sense to talk about my favorite musical romances this week. There are all kinds of romantic relationships in musicals: tragically doomed pairs, comedic couples, steamy affairs, and tender soulmates. A good musical romance builds a compelling relationship and often times features a duet that pulls at your heartstrings. I love romances, and I’m a sucker for a good love song, so naturally I’m a big fan of a number of musical pairs (seriously too many to name here). I’m going to feature two couples that stand out to me (because I couldn’t pick just one): Clara and Fabrizio from The Light in the Piazza and Jo and the Professor from Little Women.

I’ve talked about my affection for The Light in the Piazza before, and so I’ll try to keep this relatively short. Clara and Fabrizio are an adorable couple. They are pure and sweet and fight to stay together despite their family’s wishes. From the moment Fabrizio appears on stage you know that these two are meant to be together. Their relationship grows with every meeting as they learn to communicate (there’s a language barrier) and so you get to see their love bloom as they get to know one another better (just about as realistically as you can get for a musical). Overall, The Light in the Piazza is easily my favorite romantic musical. The love songs make my heart flutter as I root for Clara and Fabrizio to end up happily ever after. Here are two songs that highlight their love:

This song features Clara and Fabrizio struggling to communicate without words. I wish I could share a good video of the PBS filmed performance, but YouTube isn’t cooperating, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXm4jN17mZE

Here Fabrizio is trying comfort Clara and express his love for her. He wants to reassure her that he is here to stay. This is simply one of the most romantic songs ever.

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

Such a sweet couple! But another sweet couple that holds a special place in my heart is Jo and the Professor from Little Women. This relationship isn’t central to the musical, and so you don’t really get the same slow relationship building that you get in The Light in the Piazza. But they are just such a cute couple that when they do come together at the end I always feel my heart flutter. The thing that really makes me like this couple is the way that the Professor (I always just refer to him as this, but his name is technically Professor Bhaer) suddenly realizes how totally in love with Jo he is. He fights this feeling and struggles to express his affection for Jo, but this makes him so endearing to me. Here are two songs that feature their love:

This song shows the moment when the Professor realizes that he’s in love. He’s clearly very surprised that he has fallen in love. It is very sweet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmSYS9GrWXU

Now that the Professor knows he loves Jo he has to tell her, but that isn’t an easy task. This song is his confession and proposal. If you’re going to propose, I highly recommend singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFoiZzlvs48

Alright, I am now fully ready for Valentine’s Day! I feel all warm and fuzzy inside thanks to these adorable musical couples. Who are your favorite musical couples? What are your favorite love songs and/or duets? Let’s share some love this week!