How did you get hooked on musicals?

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 1:27pm

I just wanted to know if anyone has a really good story about how they discovered musicals. Funny, awe inspiring, stupid, whatever. It just interests me. I wanna try to come up with posts that aren't just listing things so here is my first attempt.

Updated On: 12/26/03 at 01:27 PM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 1:34pm

I was 5.. it was a trip to see the national tour of peter Pan staring Cathy Rigby back in the 80s.. I was sitting in the front, center orchestra. I remember walking into the theatre, seeing the big curtain, getting a playbill, listening to the orchestra tune, teh house lights blinking and then fading out and everyone hushing and the overture starting.. i was in TOTAL awe.. it was my first time seeing a show... and then teh moment came and Peter soared trhough that wondow and I was on teh edge of my seat. The second Peter took to the air during "I'm Flying", I knew right then that I was an actor. And during the curtain call, she peter flew right over my head.. fairy dust flying and all.. and that is when I knew I had to play that role someday.. and I still remember looking in the mirror when I got home and seeing "fairy dust" in my hair.


there is also a related story that took place several years ago... perhaps I will share THAT later.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 1:43pm

My parents have always been into musicals, so, when I was 4, they brought me to Guys and Dolls, which I loved. Also, that year, I started a children's theater group. I fell in love with it immediately. My director (Mara Hobel, who was the little girl in "Mommy Dearest") would bring the group to a Broadway show ever year, so I've been seeing all the musicals from that.

Two years ago, my friend burned me the RENT OBCR. I got hooked, so this same friend burned me a whole bunch of other cast recordings, and I instantly found my love. Now, I'm obsessed.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 1:50pm

Awesome BG2, I am digging back deep here. I would have to say it was when I first saw Hello Dolly. I went to a small Catholic school, and the local public high school had a matinee production of it for all the middle and elementary schools in the city. I remember the show it was amazing. I remember they had a thrust stage but entire thrust lowered into the bit so it was almost proscenium, they had it lowered and a walkway built around the edge of it. The waiters all came out and danced with drinks on their head. It was at that moment I fell in love with theatre. I couldn't figure out how they could do it. Sadly since then that schools theatre program has all but died. I went and saw a show last year and my ears were bleeding. One cool thing was I got to work with the girl who played Dolly last summer at the library, and she was flattered that is where I first discovered my love of musicals. Of course it was dormant for several years really because I was worried about fitting in but it came back to me during high school except about 50 times stronger.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 1:55pm

I vividly remember going to see plays and musicals at the high school when I was in elementary school -- Hansel and Gretel, Pinnochio, Aladdin, the Lion The Witch and The wardrobe, etc.. I loved when I finally got to high school myself and was able to perform in thos shows...

You were worried about fitting in? I was the said "screw you I like musicals now go to hell.". LOL

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:03pm

hahah yes well it only lasted through the end of my frosh year, after that I said screw it I love it, and I don't care what anyone thinks. And I even I got on homecoming court my senior year I came in a close second I was informed.:) Just goes to show you that being yourself is the most attractive thing to other people. Now back to the stories!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:04pm

ugh damn you cute, popular, secure people..

okay.. more stories!

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:08pm

WOOOHOO! I"M an understudy! I'm movin up fast, and bg2, LOL, you know you're loved here come on you're gonna have your own song in the broadway world message board musical Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a...no no no BAD JOE! stay on topic! ok I'm beter now really.....back to the stories for real this time!

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:17pm

I think I blame it all on my mother. She was really into theatre -- she saw the OC of MY FAIR LADY, fer crisssakes -- so we had all these cast albums around the house. Before I was old enough to go to school, she'd babysit me sometimes by putting on SOUTH PACIFIC, CAROUSEL, GYPSY, CAMELOT, etc. I was the only 4 year old in a 100 mile radius that knew the entire R&H ouevre by the time I hit the kindergarten door.

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:47pm

For me, it was "The Sound of Music" Sunday matinee, downtown, and when you still had buy a reserved seat for a movie. I went from a kid to a sophisticated young adult in a brief 3 hours.

[LiTtLeDaNcEr729]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:48pm

My parents were both really musical. My Dad is a cantor for the Jewish high holidays- he travels around the country to synogagues that don't have a cantor. And my mom loves to sing and play the piano. I always watched Annie atleast once a day when I was little- haha- and other movies like The Wizard of OZ, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins....etc...but when I was 6 my parents brought my sister and I to see the national tour of Phantom of the Opera. I was hooked, when I got home I ran around singing Angel of Music for about 3 months. That was it for me.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 2:53pm

Disney musicals like "Beauty and the Beast," "Mary Poppins," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," etc.

[BroadwayNYC]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 3:00pm

I must say, I must be the late bloomer...I got hooked on musicals and theatre my last year of college which was in '01.
I took my last course for the year, which was an Intro to Theatre course, and I just really loved it!! I was introduced to so many stories and artists I had never had the opportunity to learn! From 8th grade to high school, I was in Greece so I missed out on all American playwrites and stories you guys learn here. And my first 2 years of college were at an American College in Athens. We actually studied Homer, Plato, and some other Greek theatre-founding fathers in high school, but we did it in Ancient Greek, which is MUCH different than modern Greek. I forgot everything already!! So my last college course introduced me to my favorite...STEPHAN SONDHEIM!! and Bernadette Peters...I missed all her performances besides GYPSY! I just love her! So now I'm spending much of my money on tickets, books, and broadway soundtracks! I also love to write and I'm very creative, so Broadway inspires me tremendously!!

Updated On: 12/26/03 at 03:00 PM

Posted: 12/26/03 at 5:43pm

Son, you are to be heartily congratulated for your intelligent postings and queries. So many folks babble on racking up postings but saying absolutely nothing.

Your posts however are always thoughtful and fun.

My thanks for your efforts.

Bulldog

p.s. with more time I'll post a response to your question.

Updated On: 12/26/03 at 05:43 PM

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 5:47pm

Yours for a better Broadway!

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 5:48pm

My family has always been big on exposing my brother and I to theater, and from 1996 on, we would see 1 or 2 shows each year. However, my friend who is also big on Broadway told em to go see Hairspray, and I was like whatever. I went the first time with my mom, and won the lottery in January. I LOVED it. Since January 5th when I saw it, I have seen about 25 other shows this year. However, I ahd to make sacrfices; because, I ussually buy movies every week, but now I would have to save for theater tix. ALso, I would take my family members to SRO and lottery for their birthdays, but it was really my treat (hehehe). I was actually surprised how I saw so many this year considering I am only 14.

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 9:47pm

My sister had an extra ticket to see Phantom so she invited me and after seeing POTO 2 years ago, I wanted to see more musical Broadway shows after that. =-D

[BillFinn]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 9:52pm

Oh SonofaGunn25, I go to a Catholic School so I share the trauma.

I was 8 and we got tickets to see the "The Wizard of Oz" tour with Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt. I remember getting captivated in the tornado sequence. I loved seeing Dorothy fly up as her house was spinning and Eartha's costume change in the 3 second blackout. When she came back out in her witch apparal, I hid under my seat. She was a scary svelte thing.


That's the day I knew I wanted to fly and sing AND SKIP! (The entire audience clapped when she did the famous skip with Scarecrow/Tin Man/Lion/Toto down the ramp) like Dorothy into a magical land like Oz.

Updated On: 12/26/03 at 09:52 PM

[shermanslave]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 10:13pm

My mom always had musicals around the house when i was kid. I remember dancing around to West Side Story when I was about 6 or seven and just loving the Officer Krumpke song. I could look at that album cover forver and I loved the picture of the Sharks dumping water onto the Jets. Or vice-versa. That was 30 years ago. I was always in the school plays in elementary school and when I got middle school I took speech class because of the need to have an additional elective course. Then I really got into it and auditioned for the community theater production of Fiddler. It was my first show and I was so thrilled that I got a show shirt that said SON on the back. I have been listening to and doing musicals ever since. It is all I want to do with my life which is why I was at work at 8 AM this morning asking some dumb tourist b*tch how she likes her eggs cooked and would she like bacon or sausage with that. Ahh, the life of an (unemployed) actor!

Updated On: 12/26/03 at 10:13 PM

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 11:30pm

I became interested in stories that were told with music when I was about 4 years old. I saw movies like: Annie, Hello Dolly!, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' In the Rain. They made me happy when I watched them. Then I saw a taped version of Mary Martin's "Peter Pan" and was even more impressed at the acting that went along with the singing. I began seeing live musicals like a local production of My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz at Radio City Music Hall, The Nutcracker Ballet....then Broadway shows, and taped versions of Broadway Shows that I had not seen, movie musicals beyond belief! I actually spent an entire year where I watched at least one movie musical a day. It became more than a nice pasttime; musical theatre became a passion. :) By the time I was 17, I knew (and my family knew) there would be no turning back when it came to my love and knowledge of Broadway and movie musicals.

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 12/26/03 at 11:33pm

I saw RENT exactly a year ago tomorrow, and then my interest in musicals expanded as time went on.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/27/03 at 3:19pm

I was born gay. Those who attended my nativity will attest to the fact that when the doctor spanked me, I didn't cry--I merely broke into the score for SOUTH PACIFIC.

[Georgie2]

Posted: 12/27/03 at 3:45pm

I think that my love for musicals was a maternal thing. My mother played Phantom of the Opera music all the time when I was a baby and I grew up with my father playing broadway soundtracks. I started mainly listening to Broadway soundtracks since we lived in Chicago, but then we moved to NJ and we could drive into NY every now and then to see a play.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/27/03 at 3:46pm

blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!

You said SOUNDTRACK!!!!!!!!!


49 lashes for you!!

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/27/03 at 3:59pm

be nice he's new and not used to you yet bg2...