Top Five Musicals "Poll"

[justom]

Inspired by seeing the musical version of High Fidelity last night (world premiere at the Colonial, through October 22nd, before going to Broadway), which is full of Top Five lists, the inevitable discussion ensued

Comments

[desireearmfeldt]

My Favorites (not having thought it through too carefully, 'cause then I'll have 60,000 favorites):

A Little Night Music
Sweeney Todd
Guys & Dolls
West Side Story
Les Miserables

Not on the list but I have a soft spot for them:

1776
Merrily We Roll Along (classic version!)
The Fantastiks

[wellstar]

My Top Five favorites are Into the Woods, Singin' in the Rain, Guys & Dolls, Evita, and Crazy for You.

However, I don't think these necessarily represent the "best" musicals out there. That would require much more thought, taking into consideration such things as tightness of script, lyrical integrity, historical impact, influence on the genre, musical quality, integration of song/dance into plot, character richness, and a whole lot more. For example, I don't personally like West Side Story but I think it's a Very Important and Very Powerful piece. And like desireearmfeldt, I've got a soft spot for 1776 and a huge appreciation for Merrily We Roll Along. Of course, I can usually find something to like or rather, appreciate about most any musical out there. For example, Little Shop was pretty important in its time, Rent is iconic, Hair has a fantastic soundtrack, The Music Man is truly a classic, etc. etc.

[desireearmfeldt]

Yeah, if I were picking "The Best" rather than "My Favorites" I'd be inclined to be more diverse and historical. (Though I did to some extent pick mine for Overall Strength; e.g. Into the Woods and 1776 have some structural weaknesses that push them down, even though they have great songs and lines and are lots of fun.)

[wellstar]

I mostly picked mine because I enjoy watching them or I really want to be in them. (Oh for the ability to carry a tune...) In response to one of your comments below, I also removed from consideration the ones I haven't seen, and based some of my judgments on my experience being in or involved with them. G&D will always have special significance for me because it was the first "real" musical I was ever been in, while 1776 was my first full-length choreography experience back in college. Actually, in reflecting on 1776, which we did with an all-female cast, I realized that some of my favorites are the ones with strong female roles. That's part of why Wicked almost made it on my list. (I rejected it, however, because as much fun as I had watching it and as much as I like certain songs in it, as well as the way it integrates its three sources of influce, I don't think it's as strong as it could be.) Gypsy and Chicago would also be examples of that

[fanw]

Singin' in the Rain just can't be beat for pure silliness.
Then there's Sweeney Todd -- creepy, daring, fabulous.
The Music Man is delightful and oh-so-catchy.
For modern musicals I found Rent did a fantastic job of re-envisioning La Boheme, but for old stuff I have to say Carmen tops it for music.

Then there's the ones you watch for the dancing, like West Side Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

[greenlily]

I have way too many. If I had to pick just 5, today, in no particular order:

Man Of La Mancha
She Loves Me
1776
The Music Man
Pacific Overtures

[csbermack]

Right now in this instant? Assassins, Into the Woods, City of Angels, Sweeney, and Jesus Christ Superstar