the list of 9 for january 30, 2007:
NINE STAGE MUSICALS I HAVE SEEN LIVE
With all the recent hoopla over Dreamgirls, the latest Broadway musical to be turned into amovie, I thought it would be a fun list - fun for me, anyway - to cite the few stage musicals Ihave actually seen in person. This is an essentially useless list, and in fact is nearly a privatejoke between me and my wife, as she insists that because of my knack for memorizing a catchy tuneeven decades after I only heard it once or twice, I must have seen every Broadway show ever made.But in fact, I had to struggle to even recall nine such shows.
- No, No, Nanette. You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody whoremembers this creaky old musical from 1925 - though it did give us the song "Tea for Two." Ithink I was five or six years old when I saw it. It was the touring production and my mom andstepdad took me to see it in San Jose. Ken Berry from "Mama's Family" starred in it.
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Aroundthe time I saw No, No, Nanette I was taken to see this musical too. And if I only barelyremember seeing the first show, I am not certain that I even saw this one. But I think I did.
- Damn Yankees. Another mostly forgotten childhoodexperience. Keep reading, folks, the list gets more interesting.
- Annie. The only musical I saw live between 1977 and mycollege years, I caught Annie at the peak of its nationwide popularity. My father took meto see it in San Francisco. Mostly I remember the cute little orphan girl - not Annie - whose hairwent down to her feet. She was ten times more popular with the audience than whoever that horriblelittle loudmouth was who played Annie, and I don't think she even sang.
- Company. I have to fast-forward fifteen years into thefuture for my next official musical. In the interim I went to CalArts, and the CalArts' theatreschool's idea of a "musical" is generally avant-garde, i.e. things nobody has ever heard of(Vinegar Tom, anyone?). Still, a lot of the students had strong singing voices, and aftergraduation, many wound up in local productions of well-known shows, including this Sondheimclassic, and that's why I went - to see an old friend perform.
- Into the Woods. Sondheim again - and this time it was therecent revival of his 80's hit, which my mom and her (subsequent) husband took me to during theirvisit to Los Angeles. We frequently see plays during their visits, but I think this was the onlymusical.
- Mamma Mia! I'm embarrassed to be admitting this, but agirl I was dating in 2002 wanted to see it, so I saw it with her. Me at the ABBA musical. Hoo boy.
- The Phantom of the Opera. I'm even more embarrassedto admit that I've seen this one, but hear me out: It was in London, a friend of mine was goodbuddies with the guy who was playing The Phantom at the time (somewhere around 2000), and saidfriend got me a free ticket. Or paid for my ticket. I'll never know. Anyway, I saw Phantomand even went backstage afterwards to meet The Phantom in his underpants, an image forever burned into my brain. Then the three of us went to a pub together. It was a strange evening.
- The Fantasticks. Off-Broadway's longest running show,which gave the world "Try to Remember" along with many other old chestnuts, was playing in WestLos Angeles - in a church, no less - and I attended, because none other than the guy who playedthe killer in Claustrophobia, Will Heermance (now Collyer), was one of the lead characters.Who knew Will could sing? I've seen him in two musicals since - gotta support my cast - but theywere nothing worth mentioning here.
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