UDers who love singing, theater and or musicals

[totallyminnie86]

So I've noticed through various references on other threads on this board that there seem to be several of us who are fans of singing, musicals, theater etc. So lets gather us together and discuss our thoughts on those subjects here. Maybe there are even more of you out there than I know of

[slave2moonlight]

I LOVE musicals. I'm a big fan of movie musicals mostly. I've only seen three on stage (not including WDW park shows). I saw the touring versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Music Man in San Antonio, and both were incredible. Except, for the first half of the Music Man we had terrible seats, but there was a really great row with empty seats that we got the nerve to move to about a quarter or half way through. I also saw the Queen musical, We Will Rock You, in London.

However, like I said, it's movie musicals that I really love. I never got into theater in school, and I wish I had. I've auditioned for a couple of things locally (acting not singing, because I can't carry a tune, but maybe I could if I had training), but they don't have a lot going on where I live (it's growing though, but it is mostly Latino oriented stuff, I'm on the Texas/Mexico border). My little sister has been performing all her life, mainly as a singer, but she's gotten way more into acting now that she's in college. She goes to the University that... uh...what's her name goes to... The one who got famous as Glinda in Wicked. However, they worship that actress at that school, so she's tired of hearing about her, ha. I do envy my little sis for getting to go to a University that is geared towards her career goals (sort of, anyway, though she's more interested in film and TV acting now than stage, and it's more of a Broadway geared school). I mean, she says there are TONS of Disney fans there, plus, I know by helping her move in and out in the summer that it's loaded with gorgeous girls.... Oh well. I went to a local branch of UT to get an Art degree (which is a pretty useless degree), and it was a lame experience. No one to date (of my type, anyway) and not a great art program.

Anyways, I also sometimes like to go to local school plays, because there's one High School nearby that puts on great ones. Haven't gone in a while. One year though, they did "Young Frankenstein," and that was just such a treat I saw it twice! I wish I had gotten into that stuff as a student, seriously. Of course, how much fun it is depends so much on where you go to school. The schools in our town don't do fun shows like that. That show was in a neighboring town, and they do a lot of Disney-based shows there too (changed greatly though, most of the time, rather than getting rights from Disney). I haven't gone in a while, I should see what they're doing this year.

[Wonderlicious]

I've got to say that I do like musicals, both stage and film (though I'm more partial to movie musicals as I've been more exposed to them). Many people (at least when it comes to guys) dismiss them as camply over-produced snooze-fests, and whilst I can understand this criticism looking at some musicals (I'm sorry West Side Story lovers, but I just don't like it, and don't even think about shoving your opinion of it down my throat ), I feel that the majority aren't like this.

As I mentioned before, I'm more into movie musicals due to exposure (for the record, favourites include Chicago, Moulin Rouge, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and various Disney stuff, naturally), but I have seen some stage musicals before, in London's West End as well as in smaller venues, most of these residing in Manchester (for all you Americans who don't know where this is, this is a British city nearby my home town, which is probably the number 2 spot in terms of "it's happening!" in England). Here's a list of ones I've seen in chronological order, with place and approximate date):

*Oliver! (Jan 1999, Manchester)
*Beauty and the Beast (Nov 2001, Liverpool)
*The Lion King (Jun 2002, London)
*Beauty and the Beast (Jan 2003, Manchester)
*Les Miserables (Jan 2004, London)
*Grease (Jan 2004, Manchester)
*Anything Goes (Feb 2004, London)
*The Producers (Oct 2004, London, preview! )
*The Wizard of Oz (Jan 2005, Salford)
*Mary Poppins (Apr 2005, London)

And I have equally been in some. I used to dig amateur dramatics and after a number of societies where the people just bothered me, I joined a youth society specialising in musical theatre from 2002 to 2004. They'd normally have a lesser show (such as a variety show or a pantomime, the latter of which is a kind of musical native to the UK, and would expand the list of shows I've seen, especially those seen in Manchester) in the Winter, and a big musical production in the Summer. I was in Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Miserables, and whilst I liked doing them and I had many friends there, I just fell out of performing due to a number of reasons and haven't really gone back to it since. I do sing sometimes, but very rarely in public and I no longer act.

[slave2moonlight]

Okay, here are some movie musicals I have seen, own, or are just faves, not in any order:

Wizard of Oz (one of my favorite flicks, have the old DVD gift set, need the new 3 discer)

The Wiz (not a top fave but some great music here and there, have the DVD)

Moulin Rouge (amazing flick that I need to get on DVD still!)

Chicago (it wasn't Moulin Rouge, but I still liked it when I saw it and need to get it)

Popeye (despite popular opinion, I think this movie is FANTASTIC! I love it! need to replace my VHS with the DVD)

Annie (this film is just wonderful! Gotta replace my VHS with a DVD! Terrific songs, Tim Curry, Carol Burnette, Albert Finney... anyone else think Carol should play Medusa in a live-action Rescuers?)

The Music Man, original film (Great film! Have it on DVD)

The Music Man, TV remake (I remember this was okay, but nothing compared to the original

The Blues Brothers/Blues Brothers 2000 (musicals for guys, ha, they're fantastic! I love them both! It might be blasphemy, but I might actually prefer the sequel just because it's modern and so is the music)

Little Shop of Horrors (Love it! Need to get the DVD. Might still have it on VHS, but I might not...)

Love's Labors Lost (or is it Labours? This Kenneth Brannagh [sp] musical I haven't seen in forever, and probably only once, but I remember enjoying it. Not everyone was a good singer though, ha)

Newsies (fantastic and underrated movie! Need to replace my VHS with a DVD)

Sound of Music (A wonderful classic, I need to get it!)

Grease/Grease 2 (I get tired of hearing about these since females love it so much and I have two sisters, but I have to admit that the first one is mostly pretty good and the second one has its moments. Still need them)

Oliver (fantastic film. Still need it)

Oklahoma (I think this is one of the greatest musicals ever made! All the songs are fantastic! Need to replace my VHS with the DVD!)

State Fair (I haven't seen this in YEARS, but I do have it on DVD. I remember liking it, but the story wasn't THAT great to me. I think I liked the girl a lot though, ha)

Guys and Dolls (awesome movie! Gotta get it on DVD!)

Rocky Horror Picture Show (this gets a little too flamboyant for a straight male like me as it moves along, but there's some great music and Tim Curry is always hilarious, blind bought the single disc DVD)

The Phantom of the Opera (I LOVED this movie, though it's a shame they couldn't have done it when Michael Crawford was younger, still need the DVD, want the 2-disc)

West Side Story (don't own it yet and it's a bit overrated, but I like it)

Hello Dolly (only seen this once I think, but I really liked it)

Harvey Girls (same as Hello Dolly)

An American In Paris (haven't seen this in a long time and still only have
it on VHS, but it's one of my favorite films, even though I've never liked
Leslie Caron, did I spell that right?)

Singing in the Rain (Fantastic film, but, again, still only have it on VHS)

Happiest Millionaire (this Disney musical is one of my favorite movies, period. Only have the 2 Anchor Bay DVDs still though)

Bugsy Malone: (Weird, but I like weird, ha)

Mary Poppins (another fave and one of Disney's best. Got the Disney 2 disc release)

South Pacific/The King and I (saw each of these once, need to get them. I remember they were good)

South Pacific, TV remake (I saw parts of this and it looked really good too, plus, Harry Connick Jr. is my fave soloist)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers/Paint Your Wagon (I'm sure I've seen these, but maybe not all the way through. I remember liking what I saw though)

The Cannon Movie Tales (these are wonderfully made live action Fairytales, I have some on DVD, still need some, and not all have been released. However, much of the singing and songs are amateurish)

And, of course, I LOVE all the Disney live-action and animated musicals and some non-Disney animated ones!

I know I forgot a lot there. Those were just ones that came into my head. I have seen many more, include classics, Judy Garland stuff, etc... I'm in a rush right now though.

[Dottie]

I LOVE musicals!!

Some of my favorites are:
Phantom of the Opera
Elisabeth (a musical about the Austrian Empress Elisabeth my absolute favorite!!)
BatB
Hairspray
Wicked
The fearless vampire killers

For some weird reason I don't like Cats.

Movies:
All Disneys
Wizard of Oz
Sound of music
Hello Dolly
Mary Poppins

I didn't like the Phantom movie that much. The actors jsut weren't good enough singers compared to Crawford, Brightman, Barton.
The scenery and cotumes were gorgeous, though.

And I' also taking singing classes. I sing musicals and classical music.

[xxhplinkxx]

I think much of my love for musicals has to do with me watching and singing along to Disney movies when I was little.

My fav's.

Moulin Rouge- I LOVE LOVE LOVE the story and the music. I love Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Baz Luhrman is a FANTASTIC director. This is my favorite movie ever! (atleast non-animated. that goes to The Little Mermaid, heh.)

Chicago- At first I didnt like it cause people started comparing it to Moulin Rouge in terms of New musicals and stuff like that, but then I actually saw it and I admit I like. No where near as good as Moulin Rouge (IMO) but still good. I love Queen Latifah's number in this.

Little Shop of Horros- MENKEN AND ASHMAN!!! lol. My sister and I used to watch this all the time when we were little cause we used to get a kick out of Audrey's (Ellen Greene's) voice, but I totally love this movie.

Rent- I never really knew too much about this before the movie came out, then I went to see it with a friend from work and totally loved it. In fact I cried during the movie, which was totally unexpected. Rosario Dawson really impressed me here. Im a really big fan of her work. I think she's a fantastic young actress.

The Producers- As with Rent, didnt really know too much about this before the movie, but a friend brought over the DVD (which we had a movie night and we were up so late that the sun came out halfway through this movie!! lol) and I thought Uma Thurman had some funny lines.

Annie- I actually havent seen this in a really long time, but I love Carol Burnett and Burnadette Peters because of this movie. I never saw the Disney remake of this though.

Grease/Grease 2- Grease is the word. Some of my first musicals. YES, I thought the sequel was good, a topic which apparantly has been debated since the movie came out.

Phantom of the Opera- I liked the movie. Ive only seen it once, but I enjoyed it.

Cinderella- Yes, the one with Brandy. I loved it. Furthered my appreciation for Burnadette Peters. Plus, Whoopi's in it!!

Sister Act 1 & 2- Again, WHOOPI!! lol, I love the comedy in these and Kathy Najimy is always great.

And an overlooked animated musical:
Cants Dont Dance- Dont know how many of you have actually seen this but I love the numbers and characters in this.

And stage musical's, Im DYING to see Wicked!! I hope they make a movie version of this!!

[xxhplinkxx]

OH, I also love when non-musical movies have singing in them, like The First Wives Club, Hocus Pocus, and My Best Friends Wedding.

[lord-of-sith]

As far as singing, theater, and musicals go, I really enjoy being in stage productions! I have been in...

Guys and Dolls - Nathan Detriot
Alice in Wonderland - The Cheshire Cat
The Trial of the Big, Bad Wolf - Hogney Dangerfield, the 3 Pigs Lawyer

And I'm hoping to be in Little Women soon, although its not confirmed.

As for watching movie musicals, I've seen quite a lot, but I couldn't rattle them off the top of my head.

But yeah, I do enjoy being in stage musical and drama productions. I'm not even sure if that was the purpose of this thread, but whatever.

[Harbinger]

Speak of the devil. I just auditioned today for our school production of "Annie". I had never auditioned for a musical before, we had to sing a one minute from a song. I sang "Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins, I hope it was good. Tomorrow is our second part of auditons, the learn a dance part.... and I'm fearing that alot.

We're in the middle of our production of the play "The Thirteenth Chair" which closes this Saturday. I was so excited to have gotten cast. I love theatre!

[DaveWadding]

The best movie musical of all time is South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

[slave2moonlight]

The best movie musical of all time is South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

I saw this in theaters and finally bought it a couple months back. Still, I think it could have been a lot funnier... Sometimes, that show is smart and hilarious, but sometimes it seems they are just trying too hard to be edgy, and often they are trying to make some sort of point that is actually a little screwy, ha. I think Mat and Trey think they are much smarter than they are. Yeah, I know they have millions and I don't, but a lot of not too bright people have millions.

I forgot about that Disney TV version of Annie! I believe they even made a sequel to that. Well, anyway, the Disney TV version was pretty weak compared to the original film. I mean, they just couldn't top Burnette, Peters, and Curry. It would be impossible not to compare the two, and when doing so, you wonder why they even bothered remaking it.

That reminds me, I LOVE the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!!! Easily a favorite movie of mine!

Never saw Rent, but I remember my cousin was in love with the original show. Wonder what he thought of the film. Haven't talked to that particular cousin in probably years...

I forgot about Cinderella, too. I don't remember if I even saw the Brandy version, but I rather enjoyed the corny ol' 60's version with... I forget her name...

Remember the Cinderella musical called, "The Slipper and the Rose?" They used to show it on Disney, but it was a terrible transfer, because the picture was all elongated! Anyways, I never really saw it because that bothered me, but I always wanted to watch it because I thought the Cinderella was cute. I remember the DVD was in stores a few years back, but I kept putting it off, and now I regret it because it's out of print!

Oh, that reminds me, I can't believe I forgot to list probably my favorite (non-Disney) musical of all time, after Wizard of Oz anyway, "1776!" I absolutely LOVE 1776!!!!

As for Hocus Pocus, that is one of my favorite films and I was always disappointed that they didn't release a soundtrack!

Cats Don't Dance is great! I'll be very surprised if they don't do a movie of Wicked! That'd be awesome to see! I have always wanted to see the show and read the book! I haven't seen the Producers musical yet, but the original comedy (non-musical) movie was fantastic!

Yeah, I have always heard that the singing in Phantom wasn't up to par. Well, I knew Michael Crawford was amazing, and much better. Still, it's just such a great story and all, and Jeniffer Ellison was gorgeous as the ballerina friend of Christine (sp?). And the songs are great and everything... It's always kinda hard when you have something to compare to (kinda like those folks who always say "the book was better"), but I like to try to enjoy things anyway... One thing that was a little bad though, was the Phantom wasn't even THAT horrible looking without the mask. True, most girls would still reject him I'm sure, but he wasn't horribly, circus-quality disfigured... He was no elephant man! And that guy was real and he dealt with it without dropping chandeliers on people. But, anyway, my point is, Lon Chaney looked a thousand times scarier, ha.

[Kram Nebuer]

Newsies (fantastic and underrated movie! Need to replace my VHS with a DVD)

Happiest Millionaire (this Disney musical is one of my favorite movies, period. Only have the 2 Anchor Bay DVDs still though)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers/Paint Your Wagon (I'm sure I've seen these, but maybe not all the way through. I remember liking what I saw though)

I loved Newsies and Happiest Millionaire! It's hard to find time though to watch the latter one again since it is so long. I wish there was a soundtrack for it b/c then I'd listen to it all the time! "Are We Dancing" is probably my favorite and the opening number "Fortuosity"! The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is also another good Disney live-action musical too, but it's lacking somewhere I can't put my finger on. It's a nice historical picture too.

Haha, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...Escapay made me and my sister watch that and it was surprisingly entertaining, but I don't know if I can sit through it again. That's one of those movies where sometimes the songs are actually holding up the movie rather than developing the plot IMO.

As far as musicals and theater in general...

Live theater is AWESOME! I love watching shows and I made sure to watch my high school's spring musicals every year. They called themselves the Way-Off Broadway Players. I think the first live theater musical I ever saw was West Side Story when I was in middle school. My freshman year, they did Footloose and it was amazing and it brought a lot of students into doing musicals. Then they did Pajama Game, which was very different type of musical from Footloose which I think turned people away from musicals.

The next year and the year after, I wanted to get involved, and I did! I first signed up to do sets, but then I didn't feel like doing that anymore so I signed up to do the pit orchestra! I played the 2nd violin part for Cinderella and then the next year I got to do 1st violin for Mame! It was so much fun since a lot of my friends were theater people (or academic students who did theater for fun) and the experience of being part of a musical production was unforgettable. It's a shame you missed those in high school, slave2moonlight. Perhaps your community theater will get better?

Other live theater I've seen were this year in the summer at our community theater's youth program. They put on Aida and it was surprisingly good for teenagers. The music was great and the story was fantastic! Luckily, we were able to get the official soundtrack on sale or $2.99 at the cast member outlet store in WDW. Very recently I saw my first real Broadway Show, Wicked!!!! I posted my response in the the Wicked thread, so I won't bother retyping it here. In short, I was AMAZED! I can't wait to see more shows, especially the Disney ones like BatB, Tarzan, the Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins!

Of course, I also love the Disney musicals, animated and live action. I think my most favorite one is Hunchback of Notre Dame. Cat's Don't Dance is great too!! I have the DVD!!! It was only $10 (or maybe $5) and it also came with Quest for Camelot, which I haven't seen yet. I love the ending with all the parodies!

Musicals I'm not a fan of are Rent and Moulin Rouge. I've seen them both and thought they were good productions, but I personally didn't like it. I don't know why.

An odd musical to throw into the bunch mentioned is Reefer Madness: The Musical!!! It's rather risque and raunchy at points, but it's HILARIOUS!! Even though it's a parody of an old 1930s film against the use of marijuana, the movie musical still does the same job of keeping you away from the reefer. The music is catchy too!! "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy" is my favorite and the guy who plays Jesus is the father of Zack and Cody on "The Suite Life..." on Disney Channel!

MUSICALS!!!

[Escapay]

An odd musical to throw into the bunch mentioned is Reefer Madness: The Musical!!! It's rather risque and raunchy at points, but it's HILARIOUS!! Even though it's a parody of an old 1930s film against the use of marijuana, the movie musical still does the same job of keeping you away from the reefer. The music is catchy too!! "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy" is my favorite and the guy who plays Jesus is the father of Zack and Cody on "The Suite Life..." on Disney Channel!

I think the Marijuana Orgy scene and the "Little Mary Sunshine" S&M scene are the only really risque parts of the film.

I remember a former UD'er who said there was a difference between theatre fans. First, there was the "legitimate" fans who enjoyed theatre before "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wicked" emerged, then the "Beauty and the Beast" and/or "Wicked" fans who *consider* themselves all-around theatre fans just because one musical opened their eyes to the rest of the theatre world.

Anyways, I haven't seen many stage musicals, though I absolutely love movie musicals, especially the classics...

From MGM:
-Broadway Melody - a bit clunky by today's standards, but it's a really enjoyable musical and won Best Picture in 1929

-The Wizard of Oz - people will agree that it either holds up today or is totally dated and I tend to go with the former. Don't watch it as much as I used to, though I've got the 3-disc collector's edition. Still, sometimes I prefer watching the *old* 1989 50th Anniversary VHS that got many a viewing in my childhood.

-Singin' in the Rain - 'nuff said

-The Band Wagon - I tend to agree with a lot of classic musical fans, that while Singin' in the Rain is arguably the best from the Freed Unit at MGM, The Band Wagon is the *favorite*.

-Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - the music doesn't hold up the story!!!! Plus, it's got kickass songs like "Bless Yore Beautiful Hide", "Lonesome Polecat", and "Sobbin' Women", along with the wonderful barn-raising dance sequence.

(dialogue is probably only 75% accurate but gets the point across)
Dorothy: Oh Ma! We did not get a VCR so you can rent dirty movies!
Sophia: Last time we rented a movie you got me Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. You know how disappointed I was when I found out it was a musical?

-My Fair Lady - Audrey just *shines* as Eliza and this was one of the first DVDs I ever got as a gift.

From RKO:
-The Astaire/Rogers Films - gotta love Fred & Ginger! Swing TIme is their magnum opus, obviously, but I still have soft spots for The Barkleys of Broadway (MGM and their final picture together) and The Gay Divorcee.

From 20th Century Fox:
-Oklahoma - I remember Kram and I first watched this in high school on a day off. Don't remember why we were watching it, but it was on in the morning, and I actually decided to skip "Days of our Lives" that day and finish up the musical! Since then we've been fans, though probably me more so than Kram.

-The Sound of Music - another one from childhood. One of those films where you go through a "I can't believe I enjoyed it!" phase, then rediscover it later on.

-Moulin Rouge - one of the best I've seen in the past 10 years. More musicals should be as spectacular and excessive as this! It was like the 1950s musicals on crack!

There's a lot more I haven't covered, but those are the ones that came to mind at the moment...

Escapay

[Ting Ting]

I just auditioned for The Man Who Came to Dinner today. I wrote about it in another thread. I have big dreams of becoming a famous actor when I grow up but as of now, theater is pretty much my only option, but my dreams for the future are to be in movies and/or TV. Honestly, I think I'd most enjoy having a sitcom of some sort. But I plan on doing it all...and it will happen.

[Escapay]

I just auditioned for The Man Who Came to Dinner today. I wrote about it in another thread. I have big dreams of becoming a famous actor when I grow up but as of now, theater is pretty much my only option, but my dreams for the future are to be in movies and/or TV. Honestly, I think I'd most enjoy having a sitcom of some sort. But I plan on doing it all...and it will happen.

A lot of well-known actors start in theatre, and even more return to it, so I'm sure you can have a balance future between the stage and the screen

Having a sitcom would be fun! It can be called "Life with Prince Ali!" and have a catchy theme song, a quirky neighbour, and the sidekick that everybody loves!

Escapay

[totallyminnie86]

I remember a former UD'er who said there was a difference between theatre fans. First, there was the "legitimate" fans who enjoyed theatre before "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wicked" emerged, then the "Beauty and the Beast" and/or "Wicked" fans who *consider* themselves all-around theatre fans just because one musical opened their eyes to the rest of the theatre world.

Oh, I've heard that debate a million times too I can see the point, I mean I'm a die-hard theater fan so I've seen my share of the redundant "I luv wicked so much it totally rox!" posts on broadway websites, and it does give a certain sort of dumbing down mentality to the theater fan culture. So I can see where some people would be ignorant, and assume that people that enjoy the most current and contemporary of musicals are casual fans who don't know anything. But for the most part its not true. Half the time if you mention you actually enjoy "wicked" you get slapped in the face, shunned and not accepted as a "real" theater person. Which is crazy. I would consider myself a "legitimate" fan, and yes I know who the heck Stephen Sondheim is, and yes I still enjoy wicked. It has a decent book, and a wonderful score, there I said it. I'm sure most of you on here will agree with me . Ok, enough of that lovely rant.

Then there is the whole "Disneyification" of Broadway. Many people think Disney is exploiting and destroying broadway. Which again, I think is false. I think people get overwhelemed at the number of shows Disney has going at once, and then they start to get judgemental about it. Lion King and Beauty and the Beast are wonderful adaptations, tarzan I've not seen or heard much about, so I can't really say. Mary Poppins is just starting and I haven't heard much about it either. I think many people miss the point, that a lot of these shows began as musicals, so they are already a natural fit. By the way, SO excited for Mermaid!!! Obviously all of us on here realize this, of course we do, were disney addicts But I think a lot of people forget that there were direct quotes about something to the effect of BatB's theatrical release saying that it was the best musical that year, and it wasn't even on broadway, and now its had its time and I think it was a good step.

Having a sitcom would be fun! It can be called "Life with Prince Ali!" and have a catchy theme song, a quirky neighbour, and the sidekick that everybody loves!

Yes that could be quite fun! and of course all us UDers would make cameos or have supporting roles as even more quirky people I can see that it would be good too, I can see Prince Ali's sitcom taste from his avatars and signatures. I'm a huge "that 70s show" fan.

So much more to say...I'll have to post more later.

[Ting Ting]

Having a sitcom would be fun! It can be called "Life with Prince Ali!" and have a catchy theme song, a quirky neighbour, and the sidekick that everybody loves!

A theme song shouldn't be too hard. Just change a lyric or two from the Aladdin song! However, choosing the sidekick and quirky neighbor would be a much tougher battle! A problem like this can only be solved with...

<center><font size=4><b>THE OFFICIAL UD.COM CASTING CALL!</b></font size=4></center>

[Escapay]

Dibs on the part of "Mr. Jenkins", the crotchety old boss with a heart of gold!

Escapay

[slave2moonlight]

I loved Newsies and Happiest Millionaire! It's hard to find time though to watch the latter one again since it is so long. I wish there was a soundtrack for it b/c then I'd listen to it all the time! "Are We Dancing" is probably my favorite and the opening number "Fortuosity"! The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is also another good Disney live-action musical too, but it's lacking somewhere I can't put my finger on. It's a nice historical picture too.

It's a shame you missed those in high school, slave2moonlight. Perhaps your community theater will get better?

Musicals I'm not a fan of are Rent and Moulin Rouge. I've seen them both and thought they were good productions, but I personally didn't like it. I don't know why.

I actually have two versions of Happiest Millionaire from Anchor Bay (still need the Disney release), and one of them is the theatrical cut, which is shorter. It's the version I originally saw on the Disney Channel and first fell in love with. Still might be pretty long though. I don't remember. It might be tied with 1776 for my favorite musical of all.... but then, that's tough to say. There are other high faves also, like Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins...

Well, I don't think there's much of a community theater around here, if any. What they are trying to build up, and what I've auditioned for, is the independent film and television community around here. I've auditioned for one movie and one TV show. I was going to get a minor speaking part in the movie, an independent horror film, but the film got canceled because of problems between the director and some of the producers!!! As for the TV show, I got a case of nerves and botched that audition, BIG TIME. When I get nervous, I forget my lines, which is why I don't think I'd want to do live theater... unless it was something like, "A Christmas Carol." I've always wanted to do that and it wouldn't be tough for me to memorize and NOT forget, ha. Also, always wanted to play Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins. I know that's weird, but I always liked that character. Anyways, as I said, around here they are catering to the mostly Latino community, so subject matter is always in that direction and lots of stuff is done in Spanish, which stinks for me. I don't speak a word of Spanish really (makes it hard to do anything around here, including get any kind of job), even though I'm half Spanish myself. I don't look very hispanic either and my last name is James, so that doesn't help me either, ha.

Oh, I can't believe I forgot "My Fair Lady!" I'm not a huge Audrey fan, but this movie was excellent! Of course, I believe I've heard that Audrey didn't actually do the singing in that.

And here's another I forgot: "Xanadu!" Anyone seen that trippy flick? It's very dated and weird, ha, but I like their take on being an artist. It really hit home for me. Plus, at times I really find Olivia Newton John attractive, and most of this movie is a very good example. Also, this movie has Gene Kelly! Woohoo!

My sisters were always huge fans of "Meet Me In St. Louis." I never got too into it myself, but from what I saw, it was a nice film. Wouldn't mind adding it to the collection someday. My little sis is a huge Judy fan, so I've seen a lot of her stuff, but I'm not THAT into it. However, I have always had a crush on Judy as Dorothy, but pretty much only as Dorothy and in some of her black and white stuff. I do really like her black and white stuff. Hard living took its toll on her though.

[Wonderlicious]

I remember a former UD'er who said there was a difference between theatre fans. First, there was the "legitimate" fans who enjoyed theatre before "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wicked" emerged, then the "Beauty and the Beast" and/or "Wicked" fans who *consider* themselves all-around theatre fans just because one musical opened their eyes to the rest of the theatre world.

Was that somebody who shared his forum name with that of an animated prince with a redhead girlfriend, by any chance?

From MGM:
<snip>
-My Fair Lady - Audrey just *shines* as Eliza and this was one of the first DVDs I ever got as a gift.

Erm, dude, but that happens to be a Warner Brothers picture, not an MGM one.