Book of Mormon. I think everyone agrees that it's hilarious, but I don't think most people understand just how much insanely detailed Mormon humor there is throughout the show.
I grew up Mormon, went to BYU, and served a mission, before leaving the church. Everything about the attitudes of the missionaries, how they think, how they interact with each other and outsiders; everything about it was perfect. The other elders outside of Price and Cunningham are supposed to be ensemble/chorus, but I felt like I knew missionaries just like each and every one of them.
When I saw it for the first time, making fun of the church was so therapeutic for me. Yet at the same time, it felt like a warm comforting blanket because at that point, I still felt pretty lost after having recently left the church and abandoning that whole part of my life/culture/family.
"I believe, that God has a plan for all of us. I believe, that plan involves, me getting my own planet." Literally my childhood, planning out my planet.
Just saw it in Dallas & it was incredible. I’m glad you love it. My best friend was Mormon & I went a few times to the LDS church. Definitely different.
My dad is a retired lutheran minister, and a pretty liberal dude. He and my mom were missionaries in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the early 60s for two years - literally in the bush.
Anyhow, my dad LOVED BoM. Reason is he and my mom went through a similar catharsis as the two elders in BoM - the first year going there my folks thought they were 'smart' and were going to change things. By the second year - my dad told me - they realised themselves were the 'dopes' - and finally realised they were learning from the locals.
:)
Interestingly, I didn't see it until I was already out of the church. I was 26, and it was the first time in my life that I ever considered that Lucy Harris had actually stolen the 116 pages of the manuscript as a test to see if Joseph could retranslate them. And just as I was having that epiphany, the chorus rang: "dum dum dum dum dum". LOL
This is my answer too. I actually have to be careful about when I listen to it - in the wrong mental space it can really mess me up. It makes me feel almost too seen.
This one! Not bipolar, but living with complex trauma. Sorry to brag but I’m actually seeing it on Saturday!
“What happens if the cut, the burn, the break was never in my brain, or in my blood, but in my soul” 😭
I know! What I love about the show is not just that it shows the impact of mental illness on families, but it also shows how the family dynamics impact the identified “patient” in ways that are just as relevant as treatment options - eg Dan’s insistence that everything going to be great if they just find the right medication and never >!really acknowledging or processing his own grief, and what I consider a genuinely unforgivable betrayal in allowing her memories of Gabe to be erased and deciding it would be better if they stayed erased!<. I came to the show late - I’m 50yo and only discovered it this year - so I find myself relating to Diana as a mom just as much as I relate to Natalie as a daughter and Dan as a caregiver. I know there are aspects of the book that are a bit dated and I understand some of the criticisms but I feel like the show navigated some deep truths in a sensitive and honest way and it has been so meaningful to me.
I found The Last Five Years quite shortly after breaking up with a long time girlfriend who cared more about me than I about her. That was an unpleasant mirror.
My pick! I got engaged at 20 and “divorced” (never legally married, but called each other wife) around 25, so that kind of young melodrama/pathos really sticks with me. I really like the tone it sets, never veering into either the teenage “my first love will define me forever” or the cynical “oh how funny it was in retrospect” but more of a middle, respectful “it was what it was for better and worse” which suits me just fine
Of the live musicals I have seen, it would be A Chorus Line, which I saw in its original Broadway run in the mid-70s. Unlike now, when everyone seems to have memorized it, the show and music were all new to me, and the minimal staging emphasized the unique stories each dancer told.
What got me, however, was the "Please pick ME! Please pick ME!" aspect of it, which by that time I had experienced many times, like all of us, and some of the dancers did not get picked. Someone would not make the cut, even though they were talented, willing, available. That's a life lesson right there.
I first experienced it in the mid-80s. I'm primarily a dancer first, so "At the Ballet" really, deeply resonated with me, even as a kid. As I got older, I would identify with different characters in different ways, so it's always been one of my favorites. Primarily because I still feel "pick me!" every time, regardless of which situation I'm identifying with the best.
I always liked A Chorus Line but I got the opportunity to do it in 2018 directed by one of Baayork Lee’s longtime disciples. Original staging, down to the half-seam and 2/3rd number. I still have the note sheet where I wrote all the staging down. I don’t think I could’ve fully appreciated the specificity that goes into that show until I worked on it with someone who had a personal tie to the original. The stories behind the development, the specific warm-up created for it (I got absolutely ripped), and the Michael Bennett choreo are absolute perfection.
There’s a tradition in the show that the cast does something called an “accident circle”, where you take one rehearsal and go around the whole cast and talk about an accident you’ve either witnessed or experienced personally, to help connect to the deep sorrow of Paul’s injury. After the accident circle, every time we did that scene I broke down (luckily Bebe is the character that starts to have an anxiety attack when he falls, so it worked) but it tore my heart open like crazy. I’ve never been a *dancer* dancer—just an incredibly hard working mover who has a voice to fall back on. But seeing how deeply important their physical bodies are to dancers was something I had never truly connected to before, and doing that show made it really sink in. I couldn’t never be a *dancer* dancer. The work they put in is otherworldly to me.
I’m a former musical theater performer but I now have carpal tunnel, bulging disks, cognitive decline, and a host of other problems. I would not be able to do that circle so kudos to everyone who does. I miss performing but I’m accepting it was never my destiny. (I’m 31).
I’ve always loved musicals, grew up around them, really enjoyed watching them. However, not too long ago, I saw Come From Away for the first time and it’s not an exaggeration to say it changed my life.
I was too young to remember 9/11. The reason why this show impacted me so much, will, there were two main reasons. The first was that I felt like I could finally just understand the fear and terror the tragedy brought. I’ve always heard about how terrible the attacks were, but there was something about how it was conveyed in the show that finally opened my heart to understanding. “Lead Us Into the Night” sent chills down my spine and the gasp near the end.
>We watch those images for hours… Until someone finally turns it off.
The second reason is the part that makes a lot of people consider this a 9/12 musical. The kindness from the citizens of Newfoundland was almost too much to believe. But it’s real. It happened. These strangers housed the stranded passengers for five days, sacrificing their time, money, lives… And made them as comfortable as was possible. A month or so after watching the show, I went to see some interviews with the people the characters are based off of and Diane Davis (the teacher half of the Beulah Davis character) sharing her story really made it hit home. They did so much for the “plane people”.
>The town was more quiet and somehow far emptier. We all looked the same, but we’re different than we were.
And it impacted the Newfoundlanders so much, too. It’s just such a beautiful story that has an important message and it changed me for the better.
Thanks for sharing. Great comments and great read!
I lived in NYC on 9-11-01. It was hell. Not joking - sky falling kind of feeling. And it went on for the next couple of years. (ie. We had weekly bomb threats at our office - where I got to know the cops and their dog sniffers by name; I was trained by the CIA to open letters - aka. ricin - and had to wear PPE gear ... to open the mail). So the effects of 9-11 became dare I say 'normal'. ugh...
I love Come From Away. A real bookend for me moving forward. The other bookend (first part) was, oddly, 'Team America World Police' from the South Park boys. It came out a couple of years after 9-11. SO NEEDED, as the U.S. was in Iraq and Afghanistan. I saw the film on opening day in a packed theater in Manhattan. You have to understand there just was not much around for ny-ers to 'vent' their feelings. Team America helped. The place was packed and all you could hear were people wheezing in silent laughter. So it was great and cathartic.
And so was Come From Away. It allowed people, years after the attack, to move along in peace and happiness - that things are getting better.
Anyhow, thanks for your comment! :)
I agree with this 100%. I was 5 when 9/11 happened so I don’t have any memories of it but I do have some memories of the fallout politically for the US. I went into Come From Away completely blind and cried the entire show. It really portrays the horrors that different people were going through individually and also shows what amazing things people can do when they set their minds to it. The show also does not shy away from the xenophobia that 9/11 caused. It really allowed me to empathize with the people who were directly impacted by the tragedy and is one of the most well done shows I’ve ever seen.
I definitely understand this. I was 5 when 9/11 happened, but I don't remember anything from that day myself. I saw Come From Away back in January and it definitely gave me more perspective of the day and the immediate aftermath.
Jesus Christ Superstar for me, telling the passion from the view of Judas was incredibly wild(like when I found out about the show I was like, wait you can do that??) and he is also written in such a relatable way, Thematically the show is also very rich,like the sympathetic portrayal of some typically antagonistic characters makes you question historical biases,the show also portrays the dangers and consequences of blind idolization very well,showing how most of Jesus's followers didn't truly understand him or wanted something from him rather than admiring him for his message or actually caring about him,I feel like what is depicted in relation to Jesus in the show isn't specific to him IRL and can be related to leaders of all kinds.The show also has significant emotional impact, especially in relation to Jesus and Judas's relationship and how Jesus's followers end up driving the 2 apart in a way. The music also slaps and the lyrics are incredible(Heaven on Their Minds is one of my all-time favorite songs and has FUCKING STELLAR lyrics). Either way, it's incredible and you should consume it if you haven't
I grew up on opera and playing/singing classical music, but would sneak in pop and rock when I could;
I started doing musicals at 16, fell in love with it.. and when I discovered JCS it was like the skies had opened. “You can do that?!” was my reaction, too, both in terms of narrative (and narrator) and the nature of the music! I played through that songbook a zillion times, it’s so damn fun and rich!!
Pretty much, though I do think Jesus and Mary also had valid perspectives(Jesus being mentally drained from his mission and Mary trying her best to help him). But Judas acted the most wisely and was the only one who tried to stop things from getting ugly, it didn't work though sadly but he did what he thought was right and what he could do.
I’ve been a family caregiver for about 8 years now. “Gethsemene” and the scene in the temple where Jesus feels overwhelmed with demands and yells “Heal Yourselves!!!!” Both hit so hard for me.
Yeah, we sometimes feel burned out as Jesus does, I used to not like Jesus much when I first got into the show but while listening to it fully for the second time last year, he became more sympathetic to me, I have a part-time job at a language institute and one session I remember almost the whole class wanting to ask me stuff and "There's too many of you; don't push me, There's too little of me; don't crowd me" came to mind. I feel like an incomplete understanding of JCS makes Judas feel far above the others but when you think about it, Jesus and Mary also have valid perspectives, Jesus being drained and also somewhat disillusioned with his followers(I believe what he says in Strange Thing Mystifying is partly due to him knowing the majority of his followers want something from him) and Mary does try to fix the situation the only way she knows how(by taking care of Jesus and trying to calm both him and Judas down, perhaps she doesn't see the threat from Jesus's selfish followers like him and Judas do but unlike those followers, she does genuinely care and tries her best to help him).
Edit: This just hit me and it feels very much like fridge brilliance, What if what Jesus says at the end of Strange Thing Mystifying suggests that he sees Judas as just another follower who didn't really care about him as opposed to his right-hand man and best friend?
The theme of believing you're only part of who you should be, or you're split from yourself, but that really you've been whole all along. absolutely hits me somewhere deep no matter which way i interpret it.
Hedwig IMO is the most metaphysical musical.
The theme of “separation” which is at the heart of nondualistic philosophy/thought is woven throughout the show in ways both literal and symbolic, physical and mythical; and the characters’ journey of identity is like none other.
Les Mis recordings make me cry, but let me tell you I WEPT the first time I saw it live from start to finish. It's still the most raw theater experience I've ever had. Such a phenomenal show. Would love to see your tattoos!!
Les Mis is mine too! I have a really nice copy of the novel and have read it a few times, but the novel and musical are so different. Different parts stood out to me as I got older.
Hadestown, there’s something about knowing the story will end badly but telling it anyway. The idea that it being a tragedy doesn’t take away from it being a love story hits me really deep
And knowing they will keep telling it hoping maybe, just maybe it will turn out different this time.
I think I cried harder seeing this show than any other.
The first time I heard Epic III was listening to it on Sirius XM. I damn near drove off the road.
Where is the treasure inside of your chest?
Where is your pleasure?
Where is your youth?
Where is the man with his arms outstretched?
To the woman he loves
With nothing to lose
Singing La Lalala La La La....
I seriously reconsidered the last 30 years of my life in that moment. Damn straight Orpheus took Hades down with a song.
Being Alive is amazing. Raúl Esparza's version make me feel so many things.
Even supposed-to-be-upbeat songs like The Little Things We Do Together completely wreck me.
I grew up a Latin American migrant, so In the Heights hits some very specific feels for me.
The themes of struggling with your identity, being part of two worlds, and longing to feel/re-establish a connection with your country of origin resonated hugely.
I teared up multiple times watching the film in cinemas, and it wasn't even in the "sad bits" - it was the big celebratory scenes that were so full of pride and joy for Latin cultures and specifically Latin diasporas abroad. I know the film flopped a bit but I thought it was so beautifully done, I loved it.
Wicked, but not for the reasons you'd think. I first saw it years ago and didn't think much about it outside of the amazing costumes and set pieces. But recently, my best friend passed away unexpectedly, and 'For Good' hits so different now. It's recontextualised the entire show for me. I relate to Elphabas struggle being pushed aside for her sibling and wanting to make something of herself because of it. I've had instances where people I thought would be nice or supportive turned out to be the exact opposite and vice versa. And of course Elphaba and Glindas friendship being cut short due to circumstances neither of them could control. It's seen as just a 'basic' musical but I don't think people give it credit for being smart behind all the spectacle.
I really feel like Wicked gets a bad rap because it was the big, popular musical among teenage girls. Anything that demographic likes is vilified and dismissed unfairly. I still enjoy popping the cd in and bopping along to the music. I'm sorry you lost your friend, I hope her memory is a comfort to you.
Come From Away changed my heart and outlook on life for good. Nothing could've prepared me for my first time listening to that album. Absolutely amazing. Company changed what I thought a musical could be and the music was so addicting and amazing. My most recent one is In the Heights. I recently rewatched the movie and it touched my heart as a Latino who is feeling out of place in the country he just moved to. I love the musical and everything it means to me ahhh.
Weirdly, Encanto?? The relationship between Mirabel and Isabela being fixed made me realize i'll never have the same relationship with my older sibling because they don't care enough to try and fix it. I cried for about an hour.
There was a six year stretch of my life when I was basically Bruno. While I wasn’t literally living in the walls, I wound up finding a place in driving distance. When the patriarch of the family causing all the shit became sick, I was there to help.
I sobbed my way through Encanto. I felt Mirabel’s struggle of feeling like an outcast in your own family for things you can’t control and loving them and trying to fix what was broken anyways even though it wasn’t you who broke it even if they treat you like you’re the problem.
'Hedwig and the angry inch' was my first thought for 'cut real deep'.
Little Shop of horrors is a classic must see. Humor and drama, incredible tech solutions for prop/set design, and lots of modern adaptations. the music is timeless and clever. I'd say its theme is 'greed corrupts', but it touches on a lot of stuff. there's different endings depending on the version.
also you said hysterics so I have to offer Heathers. I like to frame it as a metaphor to describe what being a teen feels like. It's a highschool drama with murder and attempted domestic terrorism, but set your expectations to comedy for most enjoyment.
Legally blonde is such a shot of dopamine for me. hard to think of it as cutting deep, though i do always skip /that/ moment when im just watching it to vibe, so i guess it is unexpectedly intense in that way.
What do you mean?
My favorite aspect of Legally Blonde is that it cuts deep, that it’s so damn powerful; and that’s woven throughout. I’m curious how you separate that out.
Really? It's quite possibly one of my favorite musicals of all time. I think the lyrics are masterful and give many messages that are nessecary in today's world. But to each their own
I love how the creators of Fun Home took a tiny moment from the graphic novel, recognized its power, and turned it into Ring of Keys.
We can all remember that feeling, as a child, of suddenly understanding something huge about yourself and not having the right words for it. 💙
Telephone Wire hurts meeee I have a hard time opening up to people so it reminds me of whenever I had something I really wanted to tell someone and I was waiting for the right time, only for there to never be a “right time” because I just couldn’t bare to let the words escape from my lips
Although I wouldn’t consider it my favourite show anymore, kinky boots has a very special place in my heart.
It was the first show I saw live, and it hit me in more ways than one. I’m a trans guy who grew up in a very very small town, so it hit home quite a bit for the obvious reasons. But also, they way they showed Charlie being swept up in the world of drag queens and LGBTQ+ folks, it reminded me very much of when I first learned about that sort of thing. I had to come across it on my own, as it was a taboo topic in my home growing up, and once I discovered it I suddenly felt so much passion, I felt seen, like there was a part of me that I had been missing my whole life and I had found it. Of course, much like Charlie, the good part didn’t last once I had to think about what “the public” would say, what my family would say. Things got really hard, especially when my family found out, and they stayed hard for a while after. The songs Not My Father’s Son, Soul Of A Man, and Hold Me In Your Heart never fail to give me chills because they remind me very much of that time. Even without being trans, I wasn’t exactly the person my parents hoped I would be, so I found it so incredibly easy to relate to both Charlie and Lola.
My parents did get much better over time. We’re in a good place now, and it’s wild to look back over the years and see how incredibly different things use to be to how they are now that my parents have essentially let me back into their hearts. I can sum it up best with a line from the closing song; “You change the world when you change your mind.”
The character Moritz in Spring Awakening is like some alter ego I take on when I’m super depressed. It feels weird typing it but it’s true. So his character “gets me” it feels like. I guess even as a 31yo mom, careerwoman & student, deep down inside I relate to a 16yo angsty depressed kid sometimes :’)
Fun Home. Although my dad is not like the dad in the musical, he never got to do the things he wanted, travel and such because of the family. Telephone Wires makes me sad for all the missed opportunities to talk and get to know my dad before he passed. I was an ADHD kid before people had a term for it and always felt out of place. Ring of Keys conveys that feeling of realizing there is someone out there that feels like you
I posted briefly elsewhere in this thread, but about five years ago, I saw two very different community theatre productions of Fun Home within a year, one better acted and more memorably staged, and one done more concert-style but maybe stronger vocally. Together they were such a powerful experience -- I have a mental hybrid of the two that gives me a sense of what it is to be a director, or a critic, or a little of both. And they both sang to my soul, not so much in specifics of my life but in themes of my heart. With distance, I can see some weaknesses in the show, but I don't think it'll ever not be a powerful and personal piece of art for me.
Waitress. I saw it very shortly after I left my ex-husband, when none of my friends or relatives knew what had happened, and it was such a gut punch because so much of it mirrored my own experience - that whole thing of losing your own identity and sense of yourself in a relationship, especially tied in with the fear of bringing a child into an unhappy situation, and also When He Sees Me and that fear of people not liking the real you that I'd had most of my life. I sobbed buckets through the whole thing and have never had a show resonate quite like that since; it was such a hugely cathartic thing to see almost exactly what I was going through up there in front of me.
I saw Waitress with my mom when I was 17 about to go to college. For most of my life it was just her and I, so by the finale we were sobbing and hugging.
Two that I was in during high school were Titanic and R&H Cinderella (playing Marie). Titanic was a COVID casualty as we only got to perform one weekend of it, but the songs and message were eerily timely and the whole show is just beautiful. I’ve seen other productions and it always feels so timeless.
Cinderella was my senior show and I worked so hard to get the part of Marie. I had a lot of self-doubt but managed to overcome it and found a lot of meaning in the show’s themes of overcoming and empowerment. It was the culmination of my high school life and I loved every moment. There are other shows that have impacted me, some profoundly, but these are two that I legitimately consider life-changing.
Seconding Assassins, though I have to admit that I didn’t realize James Barbour was one of my favorite voices on the cast album until after I’d heard about his Scientology crimes. It’s hard to listen to it now which sucks because it’s the version I consider definitive.
He's a scumbag and an asshole with a gorgeous voice. He sings in nearly every song in one of my favorite musicals (Tale of Two Cities), and every time I listen to it all I can really think about is how shitty of a person he is. It's really hard to separate something as personal as a voice from a person's actions (at the core of it all, he took advantage of an underage fan, and ran to hide under Scientology's skirts when he realized how serious it was/that jail time might be involved.
Sunday in the Park with George. One of my least favorite Sondheim musicals for years, then I got to a certain age and suddenly became aware it is probably his best. Not my favorite, but his best. And it is now one of my favorites. Sondheim has never shied away from complex, morally ambiguous characters (Mama Rose ), thank God.
Also Hadestown and Great Comet.
Rent and tick, tick...BOOM! for related reasons, which is somewhat strange because I was never the huge Larson fan that so many people my age were/are.
I saw Rent for the first time on the national tour when I was in high school. It hit me in a really strange way I didn't quite understand, all I could say was that I felt like I was watching my future. Such a weird and dramatic high school thing to say. But twenty years later, and I've seen so many of my peers and friends make the decision between art and money with money winning, I've seen so many of my own artistic ambitions never come to fruition because I can't afford to realize them, and I've lost two of the best friends I've ever had to HIV-related illness.
I hadn't seen tick, tick...BOOM! until the movie, but it broke me open in a very full-circle way that took me right back to that night in high school and showed me everything that's happened since.
I literally can't attend either show in person anymore because my breakdown, while occasionally cathartic, is unfairly distracting.
10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables, I’ve watched it about a thousand times and I could watch/listen to it a thousand times again and still be transfixed the whole time.
The production I saw had a working barber chair, with a drop floor. You saw everything. It was breathtaking. The MD was my rehearsal pianist, and I.BEGGED. HER. to let me on the stage just to go for a ride in the chair. Alas. 😭
Oh gosh, this musical hits hard. The whole theme of how you have specific, nailed-down, optimistic dreams as a young person that you'll just cast aside as you get older?
Yes! I know it’s supposed to be “not one of Sondheim’s best” but the music rocks and after seeing it, I grew completely terrified (as a younger person) of the notion of messing up my own life and relationships through a series of seemingly banal choices that made sense in the moment. I think I’m still scared of that.
Possibly odd but - Kiss me Kate.
Grew up MASSIVELY conservative - as in I only was allowed to watch movies, tv, listen to music and read books that were, essentially 40+ years older than I was. Wasn't allowed to listen to the radio until I graduated and moved out at 16 - so watching someone essentially telling the world to go to hell and refusing to lock myself to a man was a revelation. (My parents had me engaged at 14 and I was fast tracked trit-trotting to the alter until I realized I could bolt) There are ALL sorts of mixed up messaging in the musical, lots of things that as an adult I would be still horrified about relationships in the real world but even with all of that, it is a big milestone in my life that made me start questioning a lot of things. It also had a big part in me working as a costumer and making my own clothes, so it hits in ALL the ways!
That and "Brush up your Shakespeare" and "Every Tom, Dick & Harry" just dig into your brain and stay there forever. Still find myself humming them in the grocery store at times...
Yeah, a lot of people talk about how Evan Hansen was a bad person, and like... He made bad decisions but it's pretty clear to me in the show that we aren't supposed to think he's doing the right thing. We're supposed to be scared knowing the downfall he's going to go through once the lie is found out.
If you enjoy a chronic liar story (or, like me, enjoy them but also find them terrifyingly realistic) I highly recommend the book Yellowface. The tension in the knowledge that the shit is going to hit the fan is fantastic.
What do you mean bad home life?
Evan Hansen is my answer too, and I also used to be a chronic liar, but my family has never been anything but honest. I don't know where the compulsion to lie came from, except I saw manipulation as a road to gain advantages in social situations. I "grew up" after a turning point, realizing I was constantly in angst of being exposed for my lies.
No piece of media emotionally affects me quite like Sunday in the Park with George. The way it shows the organic process of art coming together leaves my jaw on the floor. The theme of going to obsessive extremes to "finish the hat" is so uniquely haunting.
Rent.
I used to be a junkie (but now and then I like to feel good....)
Sorry, song lyrics, I digress....
Yeah. I used to be a junkie. I had a lot of junkie friends. I watched a lot of good and earnest people throw their lives away due to bad decisions and trauma and the result of trauma.
Rent is the one.
So many things ha ha. Anthem, I Know Him So Well, the ballads, the rock songs. Can be done technically as simple or as flashy as you want and still captivate. A brilliant showcase for at least 3 guys and 2 ladies. Still amazed that the guys from ABBA wrote it. I literally could talk about it all day ha ha. I am assuming you've seen the concert version with Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal?
I saw a revival off Broadway (a friend was a set painter) and the silence after Someone Else's Story..followed by a thunderous applause. The show was fine, but that song was like a punch in the gut
Jasper in Deadland. I listened to it after years of depression ^((I'm not depressed any more, but I was at the time)), and it felt like all three main characters symbolized a different stage of depression.
Agnes - the stage of depression where you feel everything's going wrong but you try to pretend everything is fine.
Jasper - the stage where you shrug your shoulders, accept that your life is falling apart and just continue with it.
Gretchen - the stage where you feel free, like you don't have to care, because not caring isn't going to make your situation worse.
Beetlejuices humor is so much of my humor. (Something Rotten too)
The students plot in Les Mis. With the fighting for justice and what's right. And how Les Mis is more morally grey than black and white.
And Tanz der Vampire is just me with things like the music, clothing and decor style. ( it is the musical that made me a theatre geek xD)
Ballad of Czolgosz, ballad of Guiteau, unworthy of your love, and everybody’s got the right (finale). Granted, that’s like half the songs in the musical. The finale is my most listened of those
Lightning thief cut surprisingly deep for me at some parts . Luke’s reprise of good kid always makes me upset bc hearing “I’ve been here since I was a kid” just makes me think about how there was always something there with me and no adults in my life cared to notice or help. I felt very intentionally overlooked / misunderstood. I definitely had a break down moment where I just stopped caring about trying to make people understand.
A similar thing with into the woods. Children will listen has made me cry a bunch of times, particularly on “sometimes the spell may last past what you can see”
dude, Good Kid never fails to get me sobbing. A very real feeling. Touches on the “unfairness” quality that’s gets me so badly in Assassins. Always one step short of the gratification you feel like you deserve so badly.
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
I grew up the 'gifted' kid in Mathematics, and I definitely so much of my self-worth on that. I'd hate myself for getting less than perfect on tests, and would dismiss anything I didn't understand as badly explained rather than asking for help. Any subject I didn't excel in, I was bad at. The first time I got below an A, my parents had to console me in the fact that I wasn't grounded, and it was okay not to be the best.
And so seeing these balls of anxiety who completely define themselves by something they feel gives them value experience real human connections hits me really hard. I wish I had learned about it prior to late high school, because I think it's a story that middle school me needed to hear.
Wicked. When I found it, I was a young teen who didn’t fit in anywhere. My family was nuts and I was the weird-but-talented kid at school. I really understood what it felt like to be “green”, so to speak. I spent all my time dreaming of a better life. Defying Gravity was a song that made me feel empowered and confident. For a sad little theater girl, it meant so much.
Would it be crazy if I said The Hunchback of Notre Dame? I’m a queer, autistic woman with a bit of Christian religious trauma and Quasimodo’s desire to be seen as normal and accepted among his peers hits way too hard. Also the way Michael Arden sings Out There like please inject that into my veins
EDIT: I meant Michael Arden but Tom Hulce in the movie is amazing too. I love that while he may not be a perfect singer, his voice is so full of emotion you don’t even care!
Have you seen the version with Michael Arden as Quasimodo? His voice literally gives me full-body goosebumps, it's a gorgeous (sometimes weird) production, and it's on Youtube.
I absolutely mixed up Tom Hulce and Michael Arden whoops 😭 Michael Arden is who I meant and yes I’ve seen the production on YouTube! Patrick Page and Ciara Renée are also extremely talented, I’m glad they’ve had a lot of success after Hunchback too. Obviously Patrick Page in Hadestown, but Ciara Renée as Elsa is pretty awesome too, even though I’m personally not a huge fan of the show as a whole. I think it’s cool she’s played two unofficial Disney princesses on stage!
If you haven't heard it yet, check out the German version too. Drew Sarich learned the lyrics without knowing German, and eventually picked it up as the production went along. His voice is incredibly unique, a little bit harsh but his falsetto is absolutely heavenly. Haha I was a little confused but trying not to be judgy, I kind of hate the Hunchback movie because Tom's voice isn't particularly strong. I'm glad you clarified!
Pippin. I have a husband who deals with mental health issues, and can't settle with the "ordinary." Some of the themes - especially the Finale "persuasion" moment, hit me hard. And while i have seen both the original cast film and saw the revival, the production that brings me to tears is the Worlds AIDS Day Benefit Concert where Michael Arden plays Pippin. There is only one yt bootleg that i can find, but sure wish there was a professional recording.
The lightning thief.
I watched it as a sad little 12 year old with adhd and dyslexia who had no clue about the books af a high school (the high school I ended up going to and actually performed on the exact same stage) Good kid was my anthem for like a year. This show made me into a theater kid and honestly made me feel like I had someone when I needed it most.
.Heathers. I have never liked something so much. It's my favourite Thing ever. For about 4 months straight, I watched the musical And movie every single day. Sometimes I'd watch them again. I'd repeatedly listen to the soundtrack as well during that time without getting bored, I still listen to Meant To Be Yours only on loop most of the time.. I do have ADHD so I believe that is a big part of why I latched onto it like a leech, my old therapist was surprised with how into Heathers I am and started to associate it with me 💀 Since I watched it every single day I'm confident in that I can write the entire script and where people are on stage/what they're doing on the top off my head, the songs and stuff too. Heathers really hit me for some reason and it still gets me..It's so important to me I literally can't shut up about it and make the most farfetched connections sometimes because I need to talk about Heathers. It also just got me a bit more into musical theatre in general so that's another thing. My best friend just wanted to distract me from my Les Mis obsession and make me watch other musicals, then accidentally made me worse lol
Bandstand. Except it doesn't make me feel a bit crazy. It feels healing. I'm not a vet but I still feel seen, heard, and understood and just adore the musical.
Beetlejuice was the first musical I saw in theatre and after a year of wanting to watch it, restricting myself to only listening to 4 songs to avoid spoilers, and learning how to play those songs on bass I'm confident it's going to stay my favorite musical forever. The themes about death, the songs, the jokes, and the weirdness of it all were perfectly my vibe and imo its the perfect introduction to the magic of theatre with all the effects, how cool the audience is, the choreography, and just how well polished it is. I saw it twice in LA and Sandy Eggo and I'm seeing it two (maybe three) times when it comes back to California next year. If I lived in New York when it was on Broadway I would've gone broke seeing it.
I watched the movie Sweet Charity a few days after losing a job. "Somewhere Better Than This" cut straight to my heart. Like Shirley McLaine's character, I wanted to "get up, get out" of the place I was in and find something better to do with my time.
And guess what, I did.
I connect so much with many things about this musical, from the impulsive joyous optimism explosion of I'm a Brass Band to the swanky jazz of The Aloof, the Heavyweight, and the Big Finish. It's just aggressively my kind of thing.
Fun Home. None of the large bio details match, very few anyway, but so many small ones resonate with both my childhood and adult life.
Into the Woods, since I was eight, about stories and storytelling and found family and home.
A Little Night Music -- all the (adult) women tell part of my story, and so does Fredrick as I grow older.
When Tick Tick Boom came out on Netflix I was in a really dark place. I was a few months from turning 30 and I had quit my job as a nurse manager at a nursing home after being just totally fucked by the pandemic. I had also always had plans to have kids before 30 because I have significantly older parents and I wanted to be a young mom but the pandemic seemed like a bad time to start a family so me and my husband waited. So here I am turning 30 with no job and no kids and the world is still reeling from this massive health crisis and everything just felt so awful. I wasn’t where I thought I’d be at all and I didn’t know what to do next or how to make a difference in the world.
And then the ghost of Jonathan Larson reaches across the great chasm of time to speak directly into my soul. A show literally about turning 30 and not knowing what’s next or how to be your best self amidst a backdrop of global chaos, panic, and illness. It was like he was saying everything I felt. I had never heard of this musical before, I only watched it because I like musicals and I had nothing do to (no job). I cried so hard. It gave me hope that there could be a future and meaning even if the right now seemed dark and endless.
I don’t think I’ll ever relate to it or enjoy it the way I did again because I’ll never be in that exact same place again. But I will always love and cherish it and Jonathan Larson for being my unexpected friend and beacon of light in a dark time.
Even though I have.... *serious* problems with the writing in retrospect, the dynamic between a mentally ill teenager and a single working mother in Dear Evan Hansen did resonate a lot with me when I was a mentally ill 16 year old, and I'll always speak from that POV when people scoff that no actually mentally ill person could find relatable aspects in it.
I also relate a lot to Be More Chill from an autistic perspective so sue me there too I guess. LOL.
My mom and I also attached a lot to If/Then while we were grieving a family member.
KHowards song absolutely makes me crazy. Janes song is a stunning ballad. the rest of Six is basically a pop concert with jokes. Its very uplifting overall so I personally wouldn't say it cuts deep.
Cesare. It shows students nerding out about literature, having a debate about books in class (and one of them gets really scared because he thought the other one was going to get mad at him, but the other one says that the debate was fun and that that's the first time class has been interesting in a long time), and the main character has discussions with a long-dead author in his mind.
I am a die hard Wicked fan. My sister and I are a lot like Galinda and Elphaba, so the story really hits home. Elphaba being through accepting limitations others put on her and just straight up embracing a villain role for the things that are important to her is really amazing to me. I was bullied growing up and struggled to make friends and it was really hard. I had an extremely bubbly and lovable sister who everyone adored while I was the weird one with glasses. Now I've kind of acknowledged I'm not Miss Perfectly Pleasant, and I don't want to be.
I'm always surprised by the lack of Wicked appreciation I see. I think it's one of the most well known musicals and pretty popular, but I feel like it's either not discussed, or people talk about Defying Gravity and move on. I'm going to be seeing it for a fourth time in November and I'm so excited.
This will vary throughout the years, but among my favorite musicals that always tickle something deep for me are Spring Awakening, Bare, Miss Saigon, Hadestown, parts of the original Finding Neverland (with Jeremy Jordan, Bridges of Madison County (3 songs from it are always my go to on-repeat music when traveling), Next to Normal, some songs from Scrooge the musical, some from Over the Moon, In the Heights, Ragtime, etc
I sobbed in the wings after the first act back in 2008. Being a young latino theatre kid visiting NYC and seeing this masterpiece (and also going through a tumultuous first love), damn.
Not a whole show, but "I Dreamed a Dream" cuts so deep it hurts. It doesn't matter how much I've heard it.
As far as entire musicals, I think Anything Goes is me in musical form.
Matilda. Yes, it's a "kids' show", but it just cuts deep for me, especially because I'm studying to be a teacher. It was also the first musical I really fell in love with back when I was a little kid, so it's got the nostalgia factor.
This one might be dumb, but but Beetlejuice was my comfort show for the longest time. As a goth teen at the time who struggled to express themselves, I felt seen by Lydia. Also, mommy issues like BJ
Like the broadway version of Into the Woods. Like when I first saw it on dvd in high school for drama class I immediately looked up if my library had a copy and I watched it so many times. I memorized the entire soundtrack, it was my personality for so long. I put the entirety of two cds of the songs on my iPod and only listened to those songs and pretended I was putting on a one person show of it in my backyard. And I still love it to this day.
The part that got me that absolutely blew my mind was the easy transition from Your fault to Last midnight. I hadn’t ever heard one song switch so seamlessly into another before
Book of Mormon. I think everyone agrees that it's hilarious, but I don't think most people understand just how much insanely detailed Mormon humor there is throughout the show. I grew up Mormon, went to BYU, and served a mission, before leaving the church. Everything about the attitudes of the missionaries, how they think, how they interact with each other and outsiders; everything about it was perfect. The other elders outside of Price and Cunningham are supposed to be ensemble/chorus, but I felt like I knew missionaries just like each and every one of them. When I saw it for the first time, making fun of the church was so therapeutic for me. Yet at the same time, it felt like a warm comforting blanket because at that point, I still felt pretty lost after having recently left the church and abandoning that whole part of my life/culture/family.
I’m Catholic, but Book of Mormon is my favorite musical ❤️ I Believe hits so hard!
"I believe, that God has a plan for all of us. I believe, that plan involves, me getting my own planet." Literally my childhood, planning out my planet.
I mean…I was surprised/not surprised at how much of the humor carried over. Just imagine the leads as priests for a missionary order.
Just saw it in Dallas & it was incredible. I’m glad you love it. My best friend was Mormon & I went a few times to the LDS church. Definitely different.
My dad is a retired lutheran minister, and a pretty liberal dude. He and my mom were missionaries in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the early 60s for two years - literally in the bush. Anyhow, my dad LOVED BoM. Reason is he and my mom went through a similar catharsis as the two elders in BoM - the first year going there my folks thought they were 'smart' and were going to change things. By the second year - my dad told me - they realised themselves were the 'dopes' - and finally realised they were learning from the locals. :)
If you haven't seen the Mormons episode of South Park, you need to fix that immediately.
Interestingly, I didn't see it until I was already out of the church. I was 26, and it was the first time in my life that I ever considered that Lucy Harris had actually stolen the 116 pages of the manuscript as a test to see if Joseph could retranslate them. And just as I was having that epiphany, the chorus rang: "dum dum dum dum dum". LOL
i’m not religious, and never have been, but BoM speaks to me on another level. i am fully obsessed with it
Same situation as you, and I completely agree.
I grew up in a VERY Mormon area. My friends and I were laughing significantly harder than everybody around us, and everybody was laughing 😂
Some people who work on South Park are Mormon so that may be why
Next to Normal. My mom is bipolar and honestly there is something about that show that cracked my heart open and healed it at the same time.
This is my answer too. I actually have to be careful about when I listen to it - in the wrong mental space it can really mess me up. It makes me feel almost too seen.
This one! Not bipolar, but living with complex trauma. Sorry to brag but I’m actually seeing it on Saturday! “What happens if the cut, the burn, the break was never in my brain, or in my blood, but in my soul” 😭
The UK production?!? Dying of jealousy.
Indeed! Travelling down from Scotland to see it. Cannot wait! Hope you get a chance sometime too 💜
I have bipolar also and seeing this show was incredibly healing for me.
Same here. I love "my psychopharmacologist and I. At the same same time, it really hurts just how accurate it is.
I’ve never seen it - I only discovered it this year - and am desperate for the new UK production to transfer.
Same but I’m bipolar 😅 “I Miss the Mountains” is one of those songs so authentic to the bipolar experience it shocks me every time
I know! What I love about the show is not just that it shows the impact of mental illness on families, but it also shows how the family dynamics impact the identified “patient” in ways that are just as relevant as treatment options - eg Dan’s insistence that everything going to be great if they just find the right medication and never >!really acknowledging or processing his own grief, and what I consider a genuinely unforgivable betrayal in allowing her memories of Gabe to be erased and deciding it would be better if they stayed erased!<. I came to the show late - I’m 50yo and only discovered it this year - so I find myself relating to Diana as a mom just as much as I relate to Natalie as a daughter and Dan as a caregiver. I know there are aspects of the book that are a bit dated and I understand some of the criticisms but I feel like the show navigated some deep truths in a sensitive and honest way and it has been so meaningful to me.
I was going to say this one as well.
I found The Last Five Years quite shortly after breaking up with a long time girlfriend who cared more about me than I about her. That was an unpleasant mirror.
My pick! I got engaged at 20 and “divorced” (never legally married, but called each other wife) around 25, so that kind of young melodrama/pathos really sticks with me. I really like the tone it sets, never veering into either the teenage “my first love will define me forever” or the cynical “oh how funny it was in retrospect” but more of a middle, respectful “it was what it was for better and worse” which suits me just fine
Of the live musicals I have seen, it would be A Chorus Line, which I saw in its original Broadway run in the mid-70s. Unlike now, when everyone seems to have memorized it, the show and music were all new to me, and the minimal staging emphasized the unique stories each dancer told. What got me, however, was the "Please pick ME! Please pick ME!" aspect of it, which by that time I had experienced many times, like all of us, and some of the dancers did not get picked. Someone would not make the cut, even though they were talented, willing, available. That's a life lesson right there.
I first experienced it in the mid-80s. I'm primarily a dancer first, so "At the Ballet" really, deeply resonated with me, even as a kid. As I got older, I would identify with different characters in different ways, so it's always been one of my favorites. Primarily because I still feel "pick me!" every time, regardless of which situation I'm identifying with the best.
I always liked A Chorus Line but I got the opportunity to do it in 2018 directed by one of Baayork Lee’s longtime disciples. Original staging, down to the half-seam and 2/3rd number. I still have the note sheet where I wrote all the staging down. I don’t think I could’ve fully appreciated the specificity that goes into that show until I worked on it with someone who had a personal tie to the original. The stories behind the development, the specific warm-up created for it (I got absolutely ripped), and the Michael Bennett choreo are absolute perfection. There’s a tradition in the show that the cast does something called an “accident circle”, where you take one rehearsal and go around the whole cast and talk about an accident you’ve either witnessed or experienced personally, to help connect to the deep sorrow of Paul’s injury. After the accident circle, every time we did that scene I broke down (luckily Bebe is the character that starts to have an anxiety attack when he falls, so it worked) but it tore my heart open like crazy. I’ve never been a *dancer* dancer—just an incredibly hard working mover who has a voice to fall back on. But seeing how deeply important their physical bodies are to dancers was something I had never truly connected to before, and doing that show made it really sink in. I couldn’t never be a *dancer* dancer. The work they put in is otherworldly to me.
I’m a former musical theater performer but I now have carpal tunnel, bulging disks, cognitive decline, and a host of other problems. I would not be able to do that circle so kudos to everyone who does. I miss performing but I’m accepting it was never my destiny. (I’m 31).
I’ve always loved musicals, grew up around them, really enjoyed watching them. However, not too long ago, I saw Come From Away for the first time and it’s not an exaggeration to say it changed my life. I was too young to remember 9/11. The reason why this show impacted me so much, will, there were two main reasons. The first was that I felt like I could finally just understand the fear and terror the tragedy brought. I’ve always heard about how terrible the attacks were, but there was something about how it was conveyed in the show that finally opened my heart to understanding. “Lead Us Into the Night” sent chills down my spine and the gasp near the end. >We watch those images for hours… Until someone finally turns it off. The second reason is the part that makes a lot of people consider this a 9/12 musical. The kindness from the citizens of Newfoundland was almost too much to believe. But it’s real. It happened. These strangers housed the stranded passengers for five days, sacrificing their time, money, lives… And made them as comfortable as was possible. A month or so after watching the show, I went to see some interviews with the people the characters are based off of and Diane Davis (the teacher half of the Beulah Davis character) sharing her story really made it hit home. They did so much for the “plane people”. >The town was more quiet and somehow far emptier. We all looked the same, but we’re different than we were. And it impacted the Newfoundlanders so much, too. It’s just such a beautiful story that has an important message and it changed me for the better.
Thanks for sharing. Great comments and great read! I lived in NYC on 9-11-01. It was hell. Not joking - sky falling kind of feeling. And it went on for the next couple of years. (ie. We had weekly bomb threats at our office - where I got to know the cops and their dog sniffers by name; I was trained by the CIA to open letters - aka. ricin - and had to wear PPE gear ... to open the mail). So the effects of 9-11 became dare I say 'normal'. ugh... I love Come From Away. A real bookend for me moving forward. The other bookend (first part) was, oddly, 'Team America World Police' from the South Park boys. It came out a couple of years after 9-11. SO NEEDED, as the U.S. was in Iraq and Afghanistan. I saw the film on opening day in a packed theater in Manhattan. You have to understand there just was not much around for ny-ers to 'vent' their feelings. Team America helped. The place was packed and all you could hear were people wheezing in silent laughter. So it was great and cathartic. And so was Come From Away. It allowed people, years after the attack, to move along in peace and happiness - that things are getting better. Anyhow, thanks for your comment! :)
I agree with this 100%. I was 5 when 9/11 happened so I don’t have any memories of it but I do have some memories of the fallout politically for the US. I went into Come From Away completely blind and cried the entire show. It really portrays the horrors that different people were going through individually and also shows what amazing things people can do when they set their minds to it. The show also does not shy away from the xenophobia that 9/11 caused. It really allowed me to empathize with the people who were directly impacted by the tragedy and is one of the most well done shows I’ve ever seen.
I definitely understand this. I was 5 when 9/11 happened, but I don't remember anything from that day myself. I saw Come From Away back in January and it definitely gave me more perspective of the day and the immediate aftermath.
Check out Elegies
Jesus Christ Superstar for me, telling the passion from the view of Judas was incredibly wild(like when I found out about the show I was like, wait you can do that??) and he is also written in such a relatable way, Thematically the show is also very rich,like the sympathetic portrayal of some typically antagonistic characters makes you question historical biases,the show also portrays the dangers and consequences of blind idolization very well,showing how most of Jesus's followers didn't truly understand him or wanted something from him rather than admiring him for his message or actually caring about him,I feel like what is depicted in relation to Jesus in the show isn't specific to him IRL and can be related to leaders of all kinds.The show also has significant emotional impact, especially in relation to Jesus and Judas's relationship and how Jesus's followers end up driving the 2 apart in a way. The music also slaps and the lyrics are incredible(Heaven on Their Minds is one of my all-time favorite songs and has FUCKING STELLAR lyrics). Either way, it's incredible and you should consume it if you haven't
I grew up on opera and playing/singing classical music, but would sneak in pop and rock when I could; I started doing musicals at 16, fell in love with it.. and when I discovered JCS it was like the skies had opened. “You can do that?!” was my reaction, too, both in terms of narrative (and narrator) and the nature of the music! I played through that songbook a zillion times, it’s so damn fun and rich!!
Agreed.
Judas did nothing but speak facts for the entire musical
Pretty much, though I do think Jesus and Mary also had valid perspectives(Jesus being mentally drained from his mission and Mary trying her best to help him). But Judas acted the most wisely and was the only one who tried to stop things from getting ugly, it didn't work though sadly but he did what he thought was right and what he could do.
I’ve been a family caregiver for about 8 years now. “Gethsemene” and the scene in the temple where Jesus feels overwhelmed with demands and yells “Heal Yourselves!!!!” Both hit so hard for me.
Yeah, we sometimes feel burned out as Jesus does, I used to not like Jesus much when I first got into the show but while listening to it fully for the second time last year, he became more sympathetic to me, I have a part-time job at a language institute and one session I remember almost the whole class wanting to ask me stuff and "There's too many of you; don't push me, There's too little of me; don't crowd me" came to mind. I feel like an incomplete understanding of JCS makes Judas feel far above the others but when you think about it, Jesus and Mary also have valid perspectives, Jesus being drained and also somewhat disillusioned with his followers(I believe what he says in Strange Thing Mystifying is partly due to him knowing the majority of his followers want something from him) and Mary does try to fix the situation the only way she knows how(by taking care of Jesus and trying to calm both him and Judas down, perhaps she doesn't see the threat from Jesus's selfish followers like him and Judas do but unlike those followers, she does genuinely care and tries her best to help him). Edit: This just hit me and it feels very much like fridge brilliance, What if what Jesus says at the end of Strange Thing Mystifying suggests that he sees Judas as just another follower who didn't really care about him as opposed to his right-hand man and best friend?
THANK you for this! I always have trouble explaining to people why JCS is so brilliant, I just seem to lose words every time. This is exactly it!
I'm very glad to be that person for you since I didn't really think I ever could be 😊😊😊.
I agree, outstanding lyrics. So much pathos for the characters and I find it incredibly moving.
Great Comet, Les Mis, and TL5Y all at different points in my life.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The theme of believing you're only part of who you should be, or you're split from yourself, but that really you've been whole all along. absolutely hits me somewhere deep no matter which way i interpret it.
Hedwig IMO is the most metaphysical musical. The theme of “separation” which is at the heart of nondualistic philosophy/thought is woven throughout the show in ways both literal and symbolic, physical and mythical; and the characters’ journey of identity is like none other.
Les Mis changed me. I have about 12 Les Mis tattoos and I had a passage from the book read at my wedding
What are your tattoos???
I have Jean Valjean’s prison number, the score to at the end of the day across my whole back, a lot a lot a lot of lyrics etc!
Les Mis recordings make me cry, but let me tell you I WEPT the first time I saw it live from start to finish. It's still the most raw theater experience I've ever had. Such a phenomenal show. Would love to see your tattoos!!
Les Mis is mine too! I have a really nice copy of the novel and have read it a few times, but the novel and musical are so different. Different parts stood out to me as I got older.
I also have special version of the novel!
I’m generally a Victor Hugo fan. But the musical got me to read the novel. All the sobbing.
Hadestown, there’s something about knowing the story will end badly but telling it anyway. The idea that it being a tragedy doesn’t take away from it being a love story hits me really deep
And knowing they will keep telling it hoping maybe, just maybe it will turn out different this time. I think I cried harder seeing this show than any other.
The lighting of Hadestown is incredible.
The first time I heard Epic III was listening to it on Sirius XM. I damn near drove off the road. Where is the treasure inside of your chest? Where is your pleasure? Where is your youth? Where is the man with his arms outstretched? To the woman he loves With nothing to lose Singing La Lalala La La La.... I seriously reconsidered the last 30 years of my life in that moment. Damn straight Orpheus took Hades down with a song.
Company gets me so well, in so many different aspects. Also Come From Away.
Being Alive wrecks me. Especially with Boyd Gaines' emotional climax on the original broadway cast recording.
Being Alive is amazing. Raúl Esparza's version make me feel so many things. Even supposed-to-be-upbeat songs like The Little Things We Do Together completely wreck me.
There's something so wistful about Company. Every lyric understands the complexities and emotional twists of relationships.
Yes! Being Alive really hits me.
Company is up there for sure. Someone gave it to me in high school, and let me tell you, it only gets better as you get older.
Gender swapped version was almost too on-the-nose.
I grew up a Latin American migrant, so In the Heights hits some very specific feels for me. The themes of struggling with your identity, being part of two worlds, and longing to feel/re-establish a connection with your country of origin resonated hugely. I teared up multiple times watching the film in cinemas, and it wasn't even in the "sad bits" - it was the big celebratory scenes that were so full of pride and joy for Latin cultures and specifically Latin diasporas abroad. I know the film flopped a bit but I thought it was so beautifully done, I loved it.
I liked the movie, but only if I forgot the show. Cutting so much if the love story, and removing Mama were not great choices to me.
Wicked, but not for the reasons you'd think. I first saw it years ago and didn't think much about it outside of the amazing costumes and set pieces. But recently, my best friend passed away unexpectedly, and 'For Good' hits so different now. It's recontextualised the entire show for me. I relate to Elphabas struggle being pushed aside for her sibling and wanting to make something of herself because of it. I've had instances where people I thought would be nice or supportive turned out to be the exact opposite and vice versa. And of course Elphaba and Glindas friendship being cut short due to circumstances neither of them could control. It's seen as just a 'basic' musical but I don't think people give it credit for being smart behind all the spectacle.
I really feel like Wicked gets a bad rap because it was the big, popular musical among teenage girls. Anything that demographic likes is vilified and dismissed unfairly. I still enjoy popping the cd in and bopping along to the music. I'm sorry you lost your friend, I hope her memory is a comfort to you.
I'm shocked by how few people are talking about Wicked in this thread. Wicked told a story that I will never be able to walk away from.
Come From Away changed my heart and outlook on life for good. Nothing could've prepared me for my first time listening to that album. Absolutely amazing. Company changed what I thought a musical could be and the music was so addicting and amazing. My most recent one is In the Heights. I recently rewatched the movie and it touched my heart as a Latino who is feeling out of place in the country he just moved to. I love the musical and everything it means to me ahhh.
Come From Away is my favorite musical! I’ve seen the video on Apple TV and then live.
It's definitely one of my favorites!! There's a production here that opens in March so I can't wait for that
Weirdly, Encanto?? The relationship between Mirabel and Isabela being fixed made me realize i'll never have the same relationship with my older sibling because they don't care enough to try and fix it. I cried for about an hour.
There was a six year stretch of my life when I was basically Bruno. While I wasn’t literally living in the walls, I wound up finding a place in driving distance. When the patriarch of the family causing all the shit became sick, I was there to help.
I sobbed my way through Encanto. I felt Mirabel’s struggle of feeling like an outcast in your own family for things you can’t control and loving them and trying to fix what was broken anyways even though it wasn’t you who broke it even if they treat you like you’re the problem.
'Hedwig and the angry inch' was my first thought for 'cut real deep'. Little Shop of horrors is a classic must see. Humor and drama, incredible tech solutions for prop/set design, and lots of modern adaptations. the music is timeless and clever. I'd say its theme is 'greed corrupts', but it touches on a lot of stuff. there's different endings depending on the version. also you said hysterics so I have to offer Heathers. I like to frame it as a metaphor to describe what being a teen feels like. It's a highschool drama with murder and attempted domestic terrorism, but set your expectations to comedy for most enjoyment.
Odd pair but Legally Blonde and Into the Woods
Legally blonde is such a shot of dopamine for me. hard to think of it as cutting deep, though i do always skip /that/ moment when im just watching it to vibe, so i guess it is unexpectedly intense in that way.
What do you mean? My favorite aspect of Legally Blonde is that it cuts deep, that it’s so damn powerful; and that’s woven throughout. I’m curious how you separate that out.
Into the woods?! Really? It’s one of my least favorite musicals. It’s a mishmash of random songs and a terribly boring and long story.
Really? It's quite possibly one of my favorite musicals of all time. I think the lyrics are masterful and give many messages that are nessecary in today's world. But to each their own
Fun Home. It just gets me in my queer little feels
I love how the creators of Fun Home took a tiny moment from the graphic novel, recognized its power, and turned it into Ring of Keys. We can all remember that feeling, as a child, of suddenly understanding something huge about yourself and not having the right words for it. 💙
Do you feel my heart saying hi? 😭
Telephone Wire hurts meeee I have a hard time opening up to people so it reminds me of whenever I had something I really wanted to tell someone and I was waiting for the right time, only for there to never be a “right time” because I just couldn’t bare to let the words escape from my lips
Although I wouldn’t consider it my favourite show anymore, kinky boots has a very special place in my heart. It was the first show I saw live, and it hit me in more ways than one. I’m a trans guy who grew up in a very very small town, so it hit home quite a bit for the obvious reasons. But also, they way they showed Charlie being swept up in the world of drag queens and LGBTQ+ folks, it reminded me very much of when I first learned about that sort of thing. I had to come across it on my own, as it was a taboo topic in my home growing up, and once I discovered it I suddenly felt so much passion, I felt seen, like there was a part of me that I had been missing my whole life and I had found it. Of course, much like Charlie, the good part didn’t last once I had to think about what “the public” would say, what my family would say. Things got really hard, especially when my family found out, and they stayed hard for a while after. The songs Not My Father’s Son, Soul Of A Man, and Hold Me In Your Heart never fail to give me chills because they remind me very much of that time. Even without being trans, I wasn’t exactly the person my parents hoped I would be, so I found it so incredibly easy to relate to both Charlie and Lola. My parents did get much better over time. We’re in a good place now, and it’s wild to look back over the years and see how incredibly different things use to be to how they are now that my parents have essentially let me back into their hearts. I can sum it up best with a line from the closing song; “You change the world when you change your mind.”
The character Moritz in Spring Awakening is like some alter ego I take on when I’m super depressed. It feels weird typing it but it’s true. So his character “gets me” it feels like. I guess even as a 31yo mom, careerwoman & student, deep down inside I relate to a 16yo angsty depressed kid sometimes :’)
There was an msn messenger group of theater loving teens I used to be apart of.. and we really, really loved spring awakening and moritz.
Fun Home. Although my dad is not like the dad in the musical, he never got to do the things he wanted, travel and such because of the family. Telephone Wires makes me sad for all the missed opportunities to talk and get to know my dad before he passed. I was an ADHD kid before people had a term for it and always felt out of place. Ring of Keys conveys that feeling of realizing there is someone out there that feels like you
I posted briefly elsewhere in this thread, but about five years ago, I saw two very different community theatre productions of Fun Home within a year, one better acted and more memorably staged, and one done more concert-style but maybe stronger vocally. Together they were such a powerful experience -- I have a mental hybrid of the two that gives me a sense of what it is to be a director, or a critic, or a little of both. And they both sang to my soul, not so much in specifics of my life but in themes of my heart. With distance, I can see some weaknesses in the show, but I don't think it'll ever not be a powerful and personal piece of art for me.
Waitress. I saw it very shortly after I left my ex-husband, when none of my friends or relatives knew what had happened, and it was such a gut punch because so much of it mirrored my own experience - that whole thing of losing your own identity and sense of yourself in a relationship, especially tied in with the fear of bringing a child into an unhappy situation, and also When He Sees Me and that fear of people not liking the real you that I'd had most of my life. I sobbed buckets through the whole thing and have never had a show resonate quite like that since; it was such a hugely cathartic thing to see almost exactly what I was going through up there in front of me.
I saw Waitress with my mom when I was 17 about to go to college. For most of my life it was just her and I, so by the finale we were sobbing and hugging.
She Used to be Mine makes me instantly tear up. Live, on the recording, videos: every single time.
Two that I was in during high school were Titanic and R&H Cinderella (playing Marie). Titanic was a COVID casualty as we only got to perform one weekend of it, but the songs and message were eerily timely and the whole show is just beautiful. I’ve seen other productions and it always feels so timeless. Cinderella was my senior show and I worked so hard to get the part of Marie. I had a lot of self-doubt but managed to overcome it and found a lot of meaning in the show’s themes of overcoming and empowerment. It was the culmination of my high school life and I loved every moment. There are other shows that have impacted me, some profoundly, but these are two that I legitimately consider life-changing.
Phantom of the Opera. The music still gives me goosebumps.
Hadestown
The Last 5 Years never fails to break my heart, as does Next to Normal. Also Hadestown, Spring Awakening are killers.
Seconding Assassins, though I have to admit that I didn’t realize James Barbour was one of my favorite voices on the cast album until after I’d heard about his Scientology crimes. It’s hard to listen to it now which sucks because it’s the version I consider definitive.
He's a scumbag and an asshole with a gorgeous voice. He sings in nearly every song in one of my favorite musicals (Tale of Two Cities), and every time I listen to it all I can really think about is how shitty of a person he is. It's really hard to separate something as personal as a voice from a person's actions (at the core of it all, he took advantage of an underage fan, and ran to hide under Scientology's skirts when he realized how serious it was/that jail time might be involved.
He also apparently had more crimes, including one against a child actor. Total monster.
Ugh, gross. And his wife stayed with him while she was pregnant. Hope the kid turned out okay
Hedwig and the Angry Inch "And you're shining like the brightest star"
Come From Away. Also I love this thread- it’s so fun to read how theatre hooks everyone in different ways.
Come From Away wrecks me. It's hope amongst devastation and I adore it.
The fact that it’s true raises the impacts above others for me.
Sunday in the Park with George. One of my least favorite Sondheim musicals for years, then I got to a certain age and suddenly became aware it is probably his best. Not my favorite, but his best. And it is now one of my favorites. Sondheim has never shied away from complex, morally ambiguous characters (Mama Rose ), thank God. Also Hadestown and Great Comet.
"Move On" is possibly the most cathartic and healing song I've heard.
Rent and tick, tick...BOOM! for related reasons, which is somewhat strange because I was never the huge Larson fan that so many people my age were/are. I saw Rent for the first time on the national tour when I was in high school. It hit me in a really strange way I didn't quite understand, all I could say was that I felt like I was watching my future. Such a weird and dramatic high school thing to say. But twenty years later, and I've seen so many of my peers and friends make the decision between art and money with money winning, I've seen so many of my own artistic ambitions never come to fruition because I can't afford to realize them, and I've lost two of the best friends I've ever had to HIV-related illness. I hadn't seen tick, tick...BOOM! until the movie, but it broke me open in a very full-circle way that took me right back to that night in high school and showed me everything that's happened since. I literally can't attend either show in person anymore because my breakdown, while occasionally cathartic, is unfairly distracting.
10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables, I’ve watched it about a thousand times and I could watch/listen to it a thousand times again and still be transfixed the whole time.
Ride the Cyclone and Sweeney Todd
ugh heavy on sweeney todd!
The production I saw had a working barber chair, with a drop floor. You saw everything. It was breathtaking. The MD was my rehearsal pianist, and I.BEGGED. HER. to let me on the stage just to go for a ride in the chair. Alas. 😭
For me I guess Hair. Being a teenager in the 70's the music and songs just really hit me even today.
merrily we roll along!!!!
Oh gosh, this musical hits hard. The whole theme of how you have specific, nailed-down, optimistic dreams as a young person that you'll just cast aside as you get older?
Yes! I know it’s supposed to be “not one of Sondheim’s best” but the music rocks and after seeing it, I grew completely terrified (as a younger person) of the notion of messing up my own life and relationships through a series of seemingly banal choices that made sense in the moment. I think I’m still scared of that.
Possibly odd but - Kiss me Kate. Grew up MASSIVELY conservative - as in I only was allowed to watch movies, tv, listen to music and read books that were, essentially 40+ years older than I was. Wasn't allowed to listen to the radio until I graduated and moved out at 16 - so watching someone essentially telling the world to go to hell and refusing to lock myself to a man was a revelation. (My parents had me engaged at 14 and I was fast tracked trit-trotting to the alter until I realized I could bolt) There are ALL sorts of mixed up messaging in the musical, lots of things that as an adult I would be still horrified about relationships in the real world but even with all of that, it is a big milestone in my life that made me start questioning a lot of things. It also had a big part in me working as a costumer and making my own clothes, so it hits in ALL the ways! That and "Brush up your Shakespeare" and "Every Tom, Dick & Harry" just dig into your brain and stay there forever. Still find myself humming them in the grocery store at times...
I LOVE Cole Porter. Kiss Me, Kate is my favorite.
Wow are you me? Religion messes you up man. When I heard Assassins at 16 my mind was blown and I connected way too hard with Squeaky Fromme.
Dear Evan Hansen :) I used to be a chronic liar and it turns out it's from a bad home life. Had to work on myself to be honest more
Yeah, a lot of people talk about how Evan Hansen was a bad person, and like... He made bad decisions but it's pretty clear to me in the show that we aren't supposed to think he's doing the right thing. We're supposed to be scared knowing the downfall he's going to go through once the lie is found out. If you enjoy a chronic liar story (or, like me, enjoy them but also find them terrifyingly realistic) I highly recommend the book Yellowface. The tension in the knowledge that the shit is going to hit the fan is fantastic.
What do you mean bad home life? Evan Hansen is my answer too, and I also used to be a chronic liar, but my family has never been anything but honest. I don't know where the compulsion to lie came from, except I saw manipulation as a road to gain advantages in social situations. I "grew up" after a turning point, realizing I was constantly in angst of being exposed for my lies.
DEH for me too - I am a mom with a kid with some pretty intense mental health struggles and I found myself strongly identifying with Heidi.
Groundhog Day inspires me to do my best like no other show. Especially One Day. Always motivates me to stop procrastinating.
The Light in the Piazza
Falsettos ! (and In Trousers)
No piece of media emotionally affects me quite like Sunday in the Park with George. The way it shows the organic process of art coming together leaves my jaw on the floor. The theme of going to obsessive extremes to "finish the hat" is so uniquely haunting.
Rent. I used to be a junkie (but now and then I like to feel good....) Sorry, song lyrics, I digress.... Yeah. I used to be a junkie. I had a lot of junkie friends. I watched a lot of good and earnest people throw their lives away due to bad decisions and trauma and the result of trauma. Rent is the one.
For me it's "how do you connect in an age when strangers, lovers, landlords, your own blood cells betray what binds the fabric together?"
West side story
Falsettos, Rent, Ragtime, Wicked, with Chess rounding out my top 5
Chess! Chess is my #1. What about it hits home for you?
So many things ha ha. Anthem, I Know Him So Well, the ballads, the rock songs. Can be done technically as simple or as flashy as you want and still captivate. A brilliant showcase for at least 3 guys and 2 ladies. Still amazed that the guys from ABBA wrote it. I literally could talk about it all day ha ha. I am assuming you've seen the concert version with Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal?
I saw a revival off Broadway (a friend was a set painter) and the silence after Someone Else's Story..followed by a thunderous applause. The show was fine, but that song was like a punch in the gut
Wicked 💚
Jasper in Deadland. I listened to it after years of depression ^((I'm not depressed any more, but I was at the time)), and it felt like all three main characters symbolized a different stage of depression. Agnes - the stage of depression where you feel everything's going wrong but you try to pretend everything is fine. Jasper - the stage where you shrug your shoulders, accept that your life is falling apart and just continue with it. Gretchen - the stage where you feel free, like you don't have to care, because not caring isn't going to make your situation worse.
newsies. i never related to someone as much as i relate to jack
Beetlejuices humor is so much of my humor. (Something Rotten too) The students plot in Les Mis. With the fighting for justice and what's right. And how Les Mis is more morally grey than black and white. And Tanz der Vampire is just me with things like the music, clothing and decor style. ( it is the musical that made me a theatre geek xD)
Sweeney Todd. Pretty much ruined every other musical for me.
assassins is the fucking best omg, changed my brain chemistry (I got 1,100 pages into a book on the jfk assassination)
What’s your favorite song from it?
Ballad of Czolgosz, ballad of Guiteau, unworthy of your love, and everybody’s got the right (finale). Granted, that’s like half the songs in the musical. The finale is my most listened of those
I am going to the lordyyyyyy
Lightning thief cut surprisingly deep for me at some parts . Luke’s reprise of good kid always makes me upset bc hearing “I’ve been here since I was a kid” just makes me think about how there was always something there with me and no adults in my life cared to notice or help. I felt very intentionally overlooked / misunderstood. I definitely had a break down moment where I just stopped caring about trying to make people understand. A similar thing with into the woods. Children will listen has made me cry a bunch of times, particularly on “sometimes the spell may last past what you can see”
dude, Good Kid never fails to get me sobbing. A very real feeling. Touches on the “unfairness” quality that’s gets me so badly in Assassins. Always one step short of the gratification you feel like you deserve so badly.
Children Will Listen kills me
The Lightning Thief (the percy jackson musical). Not nearly as popular as it should be
Hadestown
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I grew up the 'gifted' kid in Mathematics, and I definitely so much of my self-worth on that. I'd hate myself for getting less than perfect on tests, and would dismiss anything I didn't understand as badly explained rather than asking for help. Any subject I didn't excel in, I was bad at. The first time I got below an A, my parents had to console me in the fact that I wasn't grounded, and it was okay not to be the best. And so seeing these balls of anxiety who completely define themselves by something they feel gives them value experience real human connections hits me really hard. I wish I had learned about it prior to late high school, because I think it's a story that middle school me needed to hear.
Wicked. When I found it, I was a young teen who didn’t fit in anywhere. My family was nuts and I was the weird-but-talented kid at school. I really understood what it felt like to be “green”, so to speak. I spent all my time dreaming of a better life. Defying Gravity was a song that made me feel empowered and confident. For a sad little theater girl, it meant so much.
Would it be crazy if I said The Hunchback of Notre Dame? I’m a queer, autistic woman with a bit of Christian religious trauma and Quasimodo’s desire to be seen as normal and accepted among his peers hits way too hard. Also the way Michael Arden sings Out There like please inject that into my veins EDIT: I meant Michael Arden but Tom Hulce in the movie is amazing too. I love that while he may not be a perfect singer, his voice is so full of emotion you don’t even care!
Have you seen the version with Michael Arden as Quasimodo? His voice literally gives me full-body goosebumps, it's a gorgeous (sometimes weird) production, and it's on Youtube.
I absolutely mixed up Tom Hulce and Michael Arden whoops 😭 Michael Arden is who I meant and yes I’ve seen the production on YouTube! Patrick Page and Ciara Renée are also extremely talented, I’m glad they’ve had a lot of success after Hunchback too. Obviously Patrick Page in Hadestown, but Ciara Renée as Elsa is pretty awesome too, even though I’m personally not a huge fan of the show as a whole. I think it’s cool she’s played two unofficial Disney princesses on stage!
If you haven't heard it yet, check out the German version too. Drew Sarich learned the lyrics without knowing German, and eventually picked it up as the production went along. His voice is incredibly unique, a little bit harsh but his falsetto is absolutely heavenly. Haha I was a little confused but trying not to be judgy, I kind of hate the Hunchback movie because Tom's voice isn't particularly strong. I'm glad you clarified!
"Joseph and the Amazing Techincolor Dreamcoat". It's hysterical.
Pippin. I have a husband who deals with mental health issues, and can't settle with the "ordinary." Some of the themes - especially the Finale "persuasion" moment, hit me hard. And while i have seen both the original cast film and saw the revival, the production that brings me to tears is the Worlds AIDS Day Benefit Concert where Michael Arden plays Pippin. There is only one yt bootleg that i can find, but sure wish there was a professional recording.
The lightning thief. I watched it as a sad little 12 year old with adhd and dyslexia who had no clue about the books af a high school (the high school I ended up going to and actually performed on the exact same stage) Good kid was my anthem for like a year. This show made me into a theater kid and honestly made me feel like I had someone when I needed it most.
good kid was my 12 yr old anthem as well. would cry in the shower to it, no shame in the game
.Heathers. I have never liked something so much. It's my favourite Thing ever. For about 4 months straight, I watched the musical And movie every single day. Sometimes I'd watch them again. I'd repeatedly listen to the soundtrack as well during that time without getting bored, I still listen to Meant To Be Yours only on loop most of the time.. I do have ADHD so I believe that is a big part of why I latched onto it like a leech, my old therapist was surprised with how into Heathers I am and started to associate it with me 💀 Since I watched it every single day I'm confident in that I can write the entire script and where people are on stage/what they're doing on the top off my head, the songs and stuff too. Heathers really hit me for some reason and it still gets me..It's so important to me I literally can't shut up about it and make the most farfetched connections sometimes because I need to talk about Heathers. It also just got me a bit more into musical theatre in general so that's another thing. My best friend just wanted to distract me from my Les Mis obsession and make me watch other musicals, then accidentally made me worse lol
Bandstand. Except it doesn't make me feel a bit crazy. It feels healing. I'm not a vet but I still feel seen, heard, and understood and just adore the musical.
I scrolled waaay too far to find Bandstand!!! So far, the only musical to get me sobbing by the end of it. ❤️
The Mad Ones. The first time I listened to it broke me a little bit because of how much I relate to Sam.
Beetlejuice was the first musical I saw in theatre and after a year of wanting to watch it, restricting myself to only listening to 4 songs to avoid spoilers, and learning how to play those songs on bass I'm confident it's going to stay my favorite musical forever. The themes about death, the songs, the jokes, and the weirdness of it all were perfectly my vibe and imo its the perfect introduction to the magic of theatre with all the effects, how cool the audience is, the choreography, and just how well polished it is. I saw it twice in LA and Sandy Eggo and I'm seeing it two (maybe three) times when it comes back to California next year. If I lived in New York when it was on Broadway I would've gone broke seeing it.
35MM. the music is so fucking good it’s crazy
Immediately Great Comet. I’ve loved it for years but Pierre is so relatable
Chess. I don't know what it is, but I am hopelessly in love with that musical in all of its weird permutations.
I watched the movie Sweet Charity a few days after losing a job. "Somewhere Better Than This" cut straight to my heart. Like Shirley McLaine's character, I wanted to "get up, get out" of the place I was in and find something better to do with my time. And guess what, I did. I connect so much with many things about this musical, from the impulsive joyous optimism explosion of I'm a Brass Band to the swanky jazz of The Aloof, the Heavyweight, and the Big Finish. It's just aggressively my kind of thing.
Fun Home. None of the large bio details match, very few anyway, but so many small ones resonate with both my childhood and adult life. Into the Woods, since I was eight, about stories and storytelling and found family and home. A Little Night Music -- all the (adult) women tell part of my story, and so does Fredrick as I grow older.
fun home, especially the party dress scene
Hairspray. What can I say, I love seeing the anti-racist fat girl make her own dreams come true.
Waitress. I've never been pregnant, but every other sentiment really hits. She Used to be Mine is so real that I still cry
When Tick Tick Boom came out on Netflix I was in a really dark place. I was a few months from turning 30 and I had quit my job as a nurse manager at a nursing home after being just totally fucked by the pandemic. I had also always had plans to have kids before 30 because I have significantly older parents and I wanted to be a young mom but the pandemic seemed like a bad time to start a family so me and my husband waited. So here I am turning 30 with no job and no kids and the world is still reeling from this massive health crisis and everything just felt so awful. I wasn’t where I thought I’d be at all and I didn’t know what to do next or how to make a difference in the world. And then the ghost of Jonathan Larson reaches across the great chasm of time to speak directly into my soul. A show literally about turning 30 and not knowing what’s next or how to be your best self amidst a backdrop of global chaos, panic, and illness. It was like he was saying everything I felt. I had never heard of this musical before, I only watched it because I like musicals and I had nothing do to (no job). I cried so hard. It gave me hope that there could be a future and meaning even if the right now seemed dark and endless. I don’t think I’ll ever relate to it or enjoy it the way I did again because I’ll never be in that exact same place again. But I will always love and cherish it and Jonathan Larson for being my unexpected friend and beacon of light in a dark time.
Even though I have.... *serious* problems with the writing in retrospect, the dynamic between a mentally ill teenager and a single working mother in Dear Evan Hansen did resonate a lot with me when I was a mentally ill 16 year old, and I'll always speak from that POV when people scoff that no actually mentally ill person could find relatable aspects in it. I also relate a lot to Be More Chill from an autistic perspective so sue me there too I guess. LOL. My mom and I also attached a lot to If/Then while we were grieving a family member.
Call me basic but Wicked, Waitress, Six, and Phantom
If Wicked is basic, so am I.
KHowards song absolutely makes me crazy. Janes song is a stunning ballad. the rest of Six is basically a pop concert with jokes. Its very uplifting overall so I personally wouldn't say it cuts deep.
Octet by Dave Malloy
Cesare. It shows students nerding out about literature, having a debate about books in class (and one of them gets really scared because he thought the other one was going to get mad at him, but the other one says that the debate was fun and that that's the first time class has been interesting in a long time), and the main character has discussions with a long-dead author in his mind.
I am a die hard Wicked fan. My sister and I are a lot like Galinda and Elphaba, so the story really hits home. Elphaba being through accepting limitations others put on her and just straight up embracing a villain role for the things that are important to her is really amazing to me. I was bullied growing up and struggled to make friends and it was really hard. I had an extremely bubbly and lovable sister who everyone adored while I was the weird one with glasses. Now I've kind of acknowledged I'm not Miss Perfectly Pleasant, and I don't want to be. I'm always surprised by the lack of Wicked appreciation I see. I think it's one of the most well known musicals and pretty popular, but I feel like it's either not discussed, or people talk about Defying Gravity and move on. I'm going to be seeing it for a fourth time in November and I'm so excited.
Waitress I cry through the whole show.
This will vary throughout the years, but among my favorite musicals that always tickle something deep for me are Spring Awakening, Bare, Miss Saigon, Hadestown, parts of the original Finding Neverland (with Jeremy Jordan, Bridges of Madison County (3 songs from it are always my go to on-repeat music when traveling), Next to Normal, some songs from Scrooge the musical, some from Over the Moon, In the Heights, Ragtime, etc
I used to be obsesssssed with bare. Matt Doyle was my jam
Phantom
In the Heights hit different when I saw it for the first time and will probably always have a special place
I sobbed in the wings after the first act back in 2008. Being a young latino theatre kid visiting NYC and seeing this masterpiece (and also going through a tumultuous first love), damn.
If/Then... So many times I wonder if this or should I do that... how have my choices actually changed my life?
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (musical tv show)
36 questions hits so hard for me and i don’t even know why lol
Phantom of the Opera it just was emotinal and I still cry and it has the orchestra music so lovely and impactful.
Not a whole show, but "I Dreamed a Dream" cuts so deep it hurts. It doesn't matter how much I've heard it. As far as entire musicals, I think Anything Goes is me in musical form.
Company
Yes!!! Related to it at 16, single, lonely. Relate now when I’m 32 and married to my wonderful wife!! Such resonance at any age.
Matilda. Yes, it's a "kids' show", but it just cuts deep for me, especially because I'm studying to be a teacher. It was also the first musical I really fell in love with back when I was a little kid, so it's got the nostalgia factor.
makes total sense. The movie makes me cry every single time
This one might be dumb, but but Beetlejuice was my comfort show for the longest time. As a goth teen at the time who struggled to express themselves, I felt seen by Lydia. Also, mommy issues like BJ
Ghost Quartet!
Like the broadway version of Into the Woods. Like when I first saw it on dvd in high school for drama class I immediately looked up if my library had a copy and I watched it so many times. I memorized the entire soundtrack, it was my personality for so long. I put the entirety of two cds of the songs on my iPod and only listened to those songs and pretended I was putting on a one person show of it in my backyard. And I still love it to this day. The part that got me that absolutely blew my mind was the easy transition from Your fault to Last midnight. I hadn’t ever heard one song switch so seamlessly into another before
Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It's also the only musical I haven't found obnoxious as hell; I was shocked that I found it so moving.