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Musical Theater

4/7/2011

2 Comments

 
Good evening rockin' readers.  Tonight let's talk about musical theater.  

I know that doesn't seem like a very cool subject, but let's face it: most of us--at one time or another--have watched a musical  and we LOVED  it.

I admit that musicals are cheesy.  Take West Side Story for example.  It starts out with some good action and then all of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky, the dudes are dancing in the street singing about how COOL it is to be a Jet.  

To be clear, they're not just "dancing" . . . they're. . . well . . . BALLET-ing for crying out loud!  And, interestingly enough, it really IS  cool.  All of a sudden you're tapping your toes, singing along and thinking to yourself, "Yeah, man, I want to join a gang  just so I can pas de bourre'e like those cats!"

That's the genius of musicals.  Take any crazy scenario, set it to jaunty ditties and voila'!  You have a winning combination!  Think about Little Shop of Horrors for example, with its rockin' big carnivorous plant.  No way is that show any good without the plant singing, "I'm a mean green mother from outer space--and I'm BAD!"  

Implausible?  Maybe.   But its AWESOME!

What about The Sound of Music?  I once wrote a Haiku that pretty much sums up this musical:

                                                                            Nazis and Nuns sing
                                                                   showtunes in Austrian Alps
                                                                         a bunch of Von Crapp 


Now I know there are like a g-zillion Sound of Music fans out there; and on the off-chance that someone besides my mom and my neighbor read this blog, I simply want to point out that I am a HUGE fan as well.  

I have seen that movie about a hundred times and I STILL get teary when the Von Trapps (spoiler alert) cross the alps and escape from the Germans.  

It makes ME want to climb every mountain.

So how does this relate to Rock and Roll?  It doesn't.  But I was thinking:  If I could choose my favorite rock stars to play the leading role in a musical--who would I pick?  

The following is my list:
  • Ian Anderson - Tevye in Fiddler on the roof (he's got a great beard)
  • Meatloaf - Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls
  • Steven Tyler -  Harold Hill in The Music Man (could anyone ELSE be the Music Man?)
  • Axl Rose - The Phantom in Phantom of the Opera 
  • Bono - Arthur in Camelot 
  • Ringo Starr - Curly in Oklahoma, (but only if Barbara Bach played Ado Annie)
  • Ozzy Osbourne - Javert in Les Miserables 
  • Elvis - Hugo Peabody in Bye Bye Birdie (almost seems like typecasting)
  • Sinead O'connor - any nun in The Sound of Music
These are just a few that I could think of off the top of my head.  

Leave a post if you have any good casting ideas your own.  
2 Comments
Chris V
4/7/2011 03:18:28 pm

Alice Cooper- Captain Von Trapp, Sound of Music.

Reply
Julie
4/8/2011 03:08:07 am

Jeff Keith (Tesla) as Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden

Freddie Mercury (Queen) as Emcee in Cabaret

Jon Bon Jovi as Jean Val Jean in Les Miserable

Mama Cass as The Drowsy Chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone.

Reply



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    Tim likes to listen to music, watch movies, write lame poems, and wear a snuggie to keep warm.  

    At his age he has stopped stressing about things that used to be important to him.  Like his image
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