Fridays Five Favorite Things - Musicals

I realized just now that in exactly two weeks I will be sitting in Orchestra seats at Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have always loved old movies, but most especially musicals. There are several that I could probably recite word for word if I tried. I have been singing songs from Birdie in the shower, in the kitchen, in the car... so I thought I'd fill you in on a few of my favorites musicals!!

1. Rent - My FAVORITE musical of all time. Not traditional in any sense of the word, but it is brilliant, poignant, irreverant, and intellectual. The music is amazing and the message brings a tear to my little bleeding heart.


2. Jesus Christ Superstar - What a beautiful show. It takes an incredibly talented performer to be able to hit some of the high notes that actor who plays Jesus must hit. But when it's done right, you will get chills. I happened to perform in just such a rendition at St. Luke's in NOLA and I can tell you there was not one dry eye in the house when the show ended.


3. Anything Goes - This is such a fun musical with absolutely fantastic chorus sequences and great comedic dialogue. The major musical numbers are showstoppers and will bring down the house when done well!


4. Chicago - I first saw this show at Jesuit High School when I was a freshman at MCA. I was hooked. I love the costuming, the music, the choreography, and the fact that there are so many great roles for female performers. I'd give anything to play Big Momma Morton just once!!


5. Bye Bye Birdie - This musical has such a special place in my heart. My mom and I used to stay up late watching old movies on AMC. One night we watched Ann Margaret star in one of the best movies I had ever seen - Bye Bye Birdie. I wanted to be Kim McAfee more than anything else in the world. I could recite every line and sing every one of her songs. And it came in handy because the summer after my senior year in high school, a friend of mine was casting for the musical and asked me to play Kim! I had been in many a musical but had never had a part as significant as Kim's. Not to mention that I had imagined playing this role since I was about ten! It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and to this day, I can recite all of her dialogue. I cannot wait to get to NYC and sit in a beautiful theatre and watch some amazing performers bring, Kim, Albert, Hugo Peabody, Rosie, and of course Conrad Birdie to life. Poor Mark, I have a feeling he will be hearing my rendition of "How Lovely to be a Woman" quite often over the next few weeks!!!