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!

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In my part of the world we’re smack dab in the middle of summer, a popular time of the year for vacations. Even if one doesn’t travel physically, musicals, like all fiction, have the power to transport us to different times and places in our imaginations. But what if we could travel physically too? If you could visit the setting of any musical – all expenses paid, languages learned, etc. – which would you pick? 

I’m going to have to go with 1880’s Paris. I could visit the shops and go to the follies and sample the delicious, delicious pastries. Sure, it’s hot up there, but there’s a river and trees and parasols to offer some respite. And of course, I couldn’t miss the booming art scene – maybe even pull a Doctor Who and encourage a certain young pointillist whose neglected work will one day become legendary.

Alternatively, what’s a good musical to listen to while traveling? On my family’s last road trip the selections were Les Misérables and Hamilton – nice long albums with almost nothing missing. And thanks to my sisters and me, the rest of the family got to endure – er, enjoy perhaps the only version of the latter show with four Elizas, four Angelicas, four Peggys…