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!
A song’s catchiness is an interesting thing. It’s perhaps not the ultimate indicator of its quality (see the infamous criticism that Sondheim’s music wasn’t “hummable”), but it can still be a major factor in its appeal and in drawing attention to the show it came from. Last month I related how “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 got stuck in my head and led to me embracing the rest of the musical. Repetition (of the entire song or of one part within the song) is often a key element – Seth Rudetsky once summarized the modus operandi of “old musicals” as “We just repeat the same song three times till you like it!” This can just as easily have the opposite result, though. A song doesn’t have to be good to sneak into one’s brain and make itself at home, and even a pleasant or inoffensive tune can wear out its welcome after repeated exposure. The very fact that a song does such a good job of sticking with the listener can be enough to generate hatred and rejection altogether. Back when I was first getting into Ragtime I instituted a rule for myself to guard against this effect: only one listen of the beautiful, beseeching “New Music” per day.
(Sarah, come DOWN TO MEEEEE!!! <3 )
What are the catchiest musical theatre songs? Which ones get stuck in your head? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?