It has been a while since I've done some non-book related blogs. So with some inspiration between seeing the Beetlejuice musical recently, among falling in a love with a bunch of musical soundtracks this year, I figured why not write a blog about some of my favorites.
A disclaimer, I have not seen all of these lives, a lot of them I just listen to the soundtracks and adore the music. Overall, most of this list I have seen at some point in my life. Also, I'm leaving out Disney-related ones, I adore Beauty and the Beast but this post is for the other, non-Disney musicals.
Like most of my music related posts, I'll be adding a song from the show to this post. I don't own the rights or anything to the songs, just listen to them obsessively.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
This is by far one of my favorite musicals this year, enough that I fully convinced my mom to go see in February because Aaron Tveit was playing the role of Christian again. Based on the movie that came out in 2001, it follows the poet/writer Christian as he ventures to Paris during the Bohemian revolution. While there, he is pulled into a scheme to write a musical for the Moulin Rouge! a club full of dancers for the rich and poor. There he seen Satine, the head dancer at the club who is supposed to be using her skills to woo a Duke into helping fund the club. During all of this, the two fall in love, with a secret of Satine's hiding under the surface. This movie is one of my favorites but the musical is absolutely fantastic. The music for the show was made a little more modern, with most being pop hits except for one song written for the movie/musical. Some of the familiar songs from the movie also make an appearance and overall the vibe of the show is both fun and heart wrenching. Honestly, will be shocked if songs from this show aren't in my top 10 on Spotify this year.
SIX
Another show I have seen live within the last few years. This musical is presented more like a pop concert, with the six wives of Henry VIII preforming a show to see who suffered the most under his rule. You have each wife, in historical order, singing about their experience and what happened to lead to either their death or divorce from the king. The musical is driven by songs that range from ballads to pop sounding hits as well as a variety of voices. I think my favorite part is the various people who have played the queens, and how each person brings a different emotion and strength to the role. The other fun part of this show is it is relatively short, and due to being more like a concert is probably a really fun option for people who might love 'normal' musicals. The costumes in this show are also beautiful, with fun takes on the dresses and outfits of the times but also looking like a really cool girl group. This soundtrack is fun to sing loudly in a car, not that I do that frequently.
Hadestown
Hadestown is a relatively new love of mine. I have not seen it live, which is a damn shame and honestly on my list to see as soon as I possibly can. The show is two stories, based in Greek Mythology. One is the story of Hades and Persephone, and the other is of Orpheus and Eurydice. For a run down if you don't know, the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice follows the two young, poor lovers as they try to make a life for themselves. That is until Eurydice is killed in the absence of Orpheus. He then decides to travel to the Underworld to get her back, something mortals normally cannot do. After convincing Hades to let her go, there is one more detail to the deal. Orpheus must lead Eurydice out of the Underworld, but cannot look back to see if she is following. A true test of trust. The background is a really cool industrial based world, with the Underworld being very mine like. The whole vibe mixed the industrial vibe with a sort of New Orleans Jazz vibe that is really fun and makes the music super fun to listen to. I've found myself listening to these songs a lot recently, and my social media loves giving me videos of performances. It is definitely teasing me.
Beetlejuice the Musical
As suggested by the name, this musical is based on the movie (1988) of the same name. At the time of writing this blog, I am two days away from seeing it and I'm stoked. The plot is similar, with a recently deceased couple trying to keep a new family of their home, with the help of the bio-exorcist Beetlejuice. The new family has a teenage daughter, Lydia, who is struggling with the loss of her mom and her father's neglectfulness. In a series of silly events, Lydia finds herself calling to Beetlejuice, Barbara and Adam to help scare her father and stepmom from the property. The original Beetlejuice actor, Alex Brightman is so good at the role, and I'm excited to see what the actor who I am seeing will do. The songs are catchy, with a lot of built in jokes and moments for improvisation. I am looking forward to see this show and the changes made to make it fit Minneapolis.
Though a short list, these have been some of my most listened to musicals this year.
Some honorable mentions are Anastasia and Waitress, which are also frequent listens to me, and two shows I traveled to New York for in 2018.
What are some of your favorite musicals?
Leave a comment of some I should check out!
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