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!
“Love of wife…love of children…love of chocolate!”
– Gomez Addams (The Addams Family, lyrics by Andrew Lippa)
Whether driven by love or hate or both or neither, we’ve surveyed various character dynamics commonly brought to life through musical theatre these past few months. But what about those relationships that aren’t so often seen or easily categorized? What are your favorite/the most memorable relationships from musicals that don’t fit the other recent prompts, and why? Alternatively, what are some favorites that fit the previous prompts but weren’t mentioned?
I’m fond of the little work family formed by the staff at Maraczek’s Parfumerie in She Loves Me. They hail from various stages of life but find time to tease and befriend and complain about each other between sales. Before the boss arrives they daydream together about playing hooky and going on a picnic. Maraczek himself isn’t above having a little fun, either, reminiscing about his bachelor days and conspiring with his other employees to teach a reluctant Georg to dance. Amalia’s arrival seems to disturb the shop’s equilibrium for a while, but the true troublemaker among them is identified and expelled, and all those remaining end the show on friendly (and more, in one case) terms.