Now the main reason for me writing this post is that I went to see You Won’t Succeed on Broadway if You Don’t Have Any Jews at St James Theatre (my review can be read on Pocket Size Theatre here ) which celebrated a selection of these musicals and the time in which they were created. It was a brilliant night so here is my version of the same thing…
1. Chicago – Fred Ebb and John Cander: what makes this musical so brilliant is the way in which it is sharp and sassy with its lyrics and the music itself is so memorable. All of the songs capture the plot and what the characters are going through at the time perfectly as well as taking into consideration the era that it is set but giving it a modern twist!
2. Guys and Dolls – Frank Loesser: this is my all time favourite musical (as I’m sure I have mentioned before) – why? It is plenty of fun, the characters are brilliantly funny and the music is instantly recognisable and always enjoyable to listen to. It is a stylish and confident musical that is given encouragement by the brilliant music composed by Loesser.
3. My Fair Lady – Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe: ‘Wouldn’t it Be Loverly?’ , ‘With a Little Bit of Luck’ and ‘Show Me’ are just a few examples of the wonderful variety of music in this musical – a mixture of spirit, character and easy to sing along to lyrics that never fail to charm when listening to them.
4. Les Miserables – Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schonberg: when you think of Les Miserables you think of songs such as ‘On my My Own’ and ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ – even if you have never seen it. This is because they are two of the most powerful and beautiful songs ever written in musical history (well at least in my opinion!) everything else about the show is just a bonus on top!
5. Singin’ in the Rain – Arthur Freed (music by Nacio Herb Brown): although it didn’t win an Oscar, this musical and its music always puts a smile on my face with songs such as ‘Make Them Laugh’ and ‘Good Morning’ that will win you over no matter what mood you are in. Great fun!
So get yourself to St James Theatre to hear some great songs that will certainly put you in a great mood and appreciate musical history!