The best musical each year...

[ProfessorDavey]

I haven't seen Steve but can't imagine him charging around a stage, leaping in the air, waving his arms and singing gayly.

Quite!

NS, I flinch at the thought of 'The Wicker Man' as a musical. I was traumatised watching the old film on television years ago.

A couple of years ago I saw the stage version of 'Young Frankenstein' as part of the cheap August tickets initiative.

What a mistake.

I really like the film, which apart from the obvious 'Putting on the Ritz' is, I think, blessedly song free. The film is a clever and well crafted comedy satire to the classic 30s horror films. Even the grainy black and white filming seems authentic and I think it was a kind of love letter from Mel Brookes to all those film makers.

So the stage version - for reasons beyond me they'd turned it into a musical - it was painful. All the things that made the film great had been lost and the added songs were woeful. Why, oh why, do theatre producers think that the way to make a play better is to add some rubbish songs.

[Walter]

 Why, oh why, do theatre producers think that the way to make a play better is to add some rubbish songs.


Because 'friends of Dorothy' tend to be a bit 'theatrical'

[SteveH]

"Musicals are opera for stupid people" is a quotation from somewhere-or-other. I admit I was exaggersting to be provocative: some musicals would be very enjoysble, no doubt, if I could be bothered to go and see them. Judging by the brief clips I've seen, Ooooooooooo-klahoma is probably good, and those glitzy Hollywood musicals from the 30s with the sumptuous sert-pieces and Fred Astaire dancing down a roccoco staircase (no-one could tread a stair like Fred Astaire) are quite something. What I can't stand are hundreds of chirpy cockney sparrers swinging off Victorian lamp-posts in cobbled streets to some horrible, jaunty faux-cockney song such as "Fank you very mach" or "wiva little bit of lack", or the insufferably patronising faux-yiddishness of "Fiddler on the roof", possibly the worst musical ever inflicted on humanity.

[Nearly Sane]

"Musicals are opera for stupid people" is a quotation from somewhere-or-other. I admit I was exaggersting to be provocative: some musicals would be very enjoysble, no doubt, if I could be bothered to go and see them. Judging by the brief clips I've seen, Ooooooooooo-klahoma is probably good, and those glitzy Hollywood musicals from the 30s with the sumptuous sert-pieces and Fred Astaire dancing down a roccoco staircase (no-one could tread a stair like Fred Astaire) are quite something. What I can't stand are hundreds of chirpy cockney sparrers swinging off Victorian lamp-posts in cobbled streets to some horrible, jaunty faux-cockney song such as "Fank you very mach" or "wiva little bit of lack", or the insufferably patronising faux-yiddishness of "Fiddler on the roof", possibly the worst musical ever inflicted on humanity.

So when you were exaggerating what did you mean to say?

[SteveH]

So when you were exaggerating what did you mean to say?

Eh? If you mean "what are my true views of musicals", see above post.

[Nearly Sane]

Eh? If you mean "what are my true views of musicals", see above post.

You said when you were exaggerating about people being stupid if they liked musicals, so if it was an exaggeration what were you exaggerating?

[Walter]

Eh? If you mean "what are my true views of musicals", see above post.

Steve H

did you know?

every true cockney swaggers down the road with his thumbs in his lapels and every third step he jumps in the air and clicks his heels .

its true , I've been there once  and seen it

oiy oiy!

[Nearly Sane]

Steve H

did you know?

every true cockney swaggers down the road with his thumbs in his lapels and every third step he jumps in the air and clicks his heels .

its true , I've been there once  and seen it

oiy oiy!

Oh so who wrote the known Cockney musicals? That would be Lionel Bart. Where was he from? Stepney. But let's hear the objections from you.

[Walter]

Oh so who wrote the known Cockney musicals? That would be Lionel Bart. Where was he from? Stepney. But let's hear the objections from you.

objections about what?

[ProfessorDavey]

... the known Cockney musicals?

the known Cockney musicals

Are you implying that there are unknown Cockney musicals waiting to be discovered in an attic in Poplar? They aren't like the Dead Sea scrolls.

[ProfessorDavey]

That would be Lionel Bart. Where was he from? Stepney.

That would be Oliver! - I guess the other well known Cockney musical is Mary Poppins, written by Russian Jewish brothers from New York and starring an actor from Missouri as Cock-er-ney in chief.

[SteveH]

Steve H

did you know?

every true cockney swaggers down the road with his thumbs in his lapels and every third step he jumps in the air and clicks his heels .

its true , I've been there once  and seen it

oiy oiy!

NS - you're being tiresome again. Stop it.

[SteveH]

The fact that Lionel Bart was a cockney himself doesn't alter the fact that his cockney musicals are patronising mockeries of East End life

[Harrowby Hall]

Somewhat weird selection - largely because they are films, rather than musicals which I'd have considered to be theatre productions.

Late in the day - I admit - I'm sorry this is so late in the thread.

But what do you expect from a list compiled by the British Film Institute? I agree with your point about cinema versus theatre production. Musical is an abbreviation of musical play.

[Nearly Sane]

Why, oh why, do theatre producers think that the way to make a play better is to add some rubbish songs.


Because 'friends of Dorothy' tend to be a bit 'theatrical'

If Sherlock Holmes used to talk about a 'three pipe problem'?, i suppose your post was a 'six pint wummery'.

[Walter]

If Sherlock Holmes used to talk about a 'three pipe problem'?, i suppose your post was a 'six pint wummery'.

sir I'm  sure I don't know what you mean and no mistake ?

oiy oiy , click

[Nearly Sane]

sir I'm  sure I don't know what you mean and no mistake ?

oiy oiy , click

There's a little ditty
They're singing in the city
Ecspecilly when they've been
On the gin
Or the beer
If you've got the patience
Your own imaginations
Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear...

Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows

[jeremyp]

Somewhat weird selection - largely because they are films, rather than musicals which I'd have considered to be theatre productions.

So it includes many of the Disney films, which certainly include musical numbers but musicals?!?

Also The Wicker Man - a musical - who knew

Well it's the web site of the BFI. It was always going to be film musicals. I've seen 11 including the Wicker Man which is really not a musical IMO.

I'm a little bit disappointed that The Rocky Horror Picture Show didn't get the nod for 1975. It's way better than Tommy.

[jeremyp]

Late in the day - I admit - I'm sorry this is so late in the thread.

But what do you expect from a list compiled by the British Film Institute? I agree with your point about cinema versus theatre production. Musical is an abbreviation of musical play.

But "musical" is also used to denote a genre of film, a category that definitely doesn't include "The Wicker Man".

[ProfessorDavey]

I'm a little bit disappointed that The Rocky Horror Picture Show didn't get the nod for 1975. It's way better than Tommy.

As a film perhaps - as music, no way. Currently listening to the version of Tommy on the extended Live at Leeds album (on vinyl of course). Just an amazing piece of music.

[Nearly Sane]

As a film perhaps - as music, no way. Currently listening to the version of Tommy on the extended Live at Leeds album (on vinyl of course). Just an amazing piece of music.

I think Tommy is by far the better film but Rocky Horror is a better film with music. But no argument Tommy as a live band performance is amazing.

[Walter]

There's a little ditty
They're singing in the city
Ecspecilly when they've been
On the gin
Or the beer
If you've got the patience
Your own imaginations
Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear...

Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows

jeez that takes me back
3 kids of varying ages , that video must have played every day for 6 years 😤

[Walter]

They all grew up clicking their heals and talking mockney
One of em became Chas and Dave in later life ! 😂👏👽

[ProfessorDavey]

I think Tommy is by far the better film but Rocky Horror is a better film with music. But no argument Tommy as a live band performance is amazing.

The original album studio version is pretty special.

Still have the Live at Leeds version on - what is amazing is their ability to faithfully reproduce the music with just the four of them live on stage - no over-sums, no additional musicians, no backing singers, no synths adding waves of sound - no need for that they could produce the most amazing waves of sound just of the four of them - remarkable.

[ProfessorDavey]

I think Tommy is by far the better film but Rocky Horror is a better film with music. But no argument Tommy as a live band performance is amazing.

Saw Rocky Horror for the first time as part of a double bill with Young Frankenstein (see above!) - preferred the latter.