Welcome to the Musicals Thread, the Avocado’s space for anything and everything related to musical theatre! Every month I’ll post a discussion prompt, but please feel free to comment on other topics, from new discoveries to old favorites. If you have ideas for future prompts or would like to write a feature for the thread, let me know!
Our topic today is love at *second* sight! Or, rather, second hearing. Or third, or fifth. Or maybe not even love…Let me start over.
The first time I listened to Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, I was mostly just confused, despite the comprehensive exposition of the opening number. I didn’t get the repetition, the contrasting musical styles, the lyrics built from Tolstoy’s text rather than in standard rhyme schemes. One song, however, stuck in my mind long after returning the cast recording to the library – Natasha’s love song, “No One Else”. That gentle piano vamp would creep into my brain during moments of relaxation – and only enhance them! – and lead in turn to the memory of Denée Benton’s clear, sweet, soaring voice. Before buying it on iTunes I decided to double-check that there was nothing else on the album I’d want and, well…maybe it was in part a matter of now knowing what to expect, but it turned out the comfort communicated in ”Pierre and Natasha” was really beautiful, and Amber Gray was a powerhouse in “Charming”, and from there more and more until I was won over by the unique appeal of every scene.
Have your feelings about a musical (or song, character, etc.) ever changed after you revisited it? Did you find yourself liking it more? Less? Did some secondary circumstance contribute to the change? Is there a show you feel you should give a second chance?