Monday, July 19, 2010

Music Monday #4 ~ Musicals

Nothing...and I mean nothing...gets me like a good musical.
I'm a sing-a-long type of person AND I love movies.
(need I also say that I am a huge Gleek?)
So yeah, musicals are right up my alley.

I probably have musicals on the brain this week because my mom (the one who raised me on musicals) was generous enough to take Cecilia and I to see Wicked this past weekend.
I didn't know much about the storyline and hadn't heard any of the songs, aside from "Defying Gravity", beforehand.
Gotta say, it was impressive as a whole...though I don't think I'll be obsessing over the soundtrack of this one.

But I do have my particular musical obsessions.
There are those certain movies/musicals that I will sing along with until the day I die.

Today I will highlight a few.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Man how I love this one. This is probably the top of the heap for me.
Just this morning I was in the car on the way home from the grocery store belting this one out.
Glad my kids are used to listening to my loud singing.
Wonder how long it will be before the pre-teenager starts getting embarassed of me (or for me)...haha.

My favorite one to sing along to from this show:





Dancer in the Dark
I confess, I am a huge Bjork fan, ugly swan dress or not.
But what, pray tell, can get better than Bjork...singing...in a movie?
If you haven't seen this one, check it out.
I bawled my eyes out for the last half hour.
I felt like I had lost my best friend by the time it was over.
Quite embarassing doing this at the theater...but I honestly had no power over my emotions.
This clip is my absolute favorite part of the entire movie and was also the point at which I lost all control.
(a little backstory so that you'll understand the clip just a bit...in the movie, she is nearly blind and depends on sound to get through life (though no one else knows how blind she is). she is also obsessed with musicals and tends to hear music in everything.....SEE THIS MOVIE!)





Moulin Rouge
Beautifully done movie.
Great use of "modern day" songs/music in an old setting.
Awesome love story.
Best song of the whole show:




Jesus Christ Superstar
This was probably one of my first experiences with a real musical.
My mom and I listened to the album when I was small and we even were able to see it on stage at one point.
I understand that some find this musical sacreligious.
It is scripturally incorrect in many areas.
But what it doesn't miss and even sheds some much needed light upon is the fact that the followers of Jesus were just mortal men...same as you and I.
Most of the disciples went on to spread the Gospel of Jesus until their deaths and I can appreciate the value of that...but they were not perfect by any means and I am certain that they all had their weaknesses and doubts about their ministries at one point or another.

Judas...the traitorous one.
He was the epitome of the "manhood" of the disciples.
Human nature is sinful and selfish and Judas had a hard time letting that go as a disciple of Jesus was called to do.
This song opens the musical with a taste of that humanity.
I do not agree with the things he states, but I do understand that as a sinful man he had these concerns and doubts about where Jesus was leading them.
Judas' life (and end) should be an example of what sin can do to us.
We must have faith, dear friends, that God's path is the most secure one.

(oh, and Carl Anderson, as Judas, has a magnificent voice!)




Thanks again for lending an ear to my musical opinions.
If there is a musical subject or genre you would like me to cover at some point, please let me know.
Have a wonderful week!

4 comments:

Astrid said...

Oh dear...no West Side Story? That has to be my all time fave. And what about Cats? Another really good show! Can't forget Oklahoma or Music Man either. Just a few of my faves :)

Andrea said...

Dunno...guess my tastes just run an alternative course. I really dig the "modern" musical. But of the classics, I'd have to say My Fair Lady is one of my faves.

Leslie said...

Love Rocky Horror and Moulin Rouge!!!

Unknown said...

West Side Story, Cats, Oklahoma, yes...Music Man not so much. You girls need to watch the really good ones like Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady, Meet Me In St. Louis, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Singing In The Rain, I could go on but will stop with those. At least I know I did a good job with musicals. Jesus Christ Superstar is my favorite of the below with Rocky Horror coming in second. Actually probably going to go a see a midnight showing with friends of Rocky Horror, again