Playbill: Greatest Broadway Musical Contest!
Playbill is running a contest: Vote for the greatest Broadway musical of all time, and win a chance to go to the Tony Awards and tickets to the four shows nominated for Best Musical (The Light in the Piazza, Spamalot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). Sounds pretty straightforward, right?
Yes, but they give you four "...of the most influential shows to ever grace the stage..." to choose from: Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, or A Chorus Line. So tell me, how am I supposed to pick just one from that list?
I know, I know, I should be picking Oklahoma! because that is considered the gold standard of modern musical theater. I like it and everything, but it isn't my absolute favorite. Maybe if I had seen Hugh Jackman in it in London I'd be singing a different tune...
A Chorus Line? Well, as a child of the '70s, I grew up singing "Tits and Ass" and "What I Did For Love" at the piano, and wishing I hadn't given up my tap lessons...
West Side Story? Sondheim and Bernstein and Shakespeare all wrapped into one gorgeous piece that includes singin' and dancin' gang members. What's not to love?
Guys and Dolls? "Adelaide's Lament" (a song even Sondheim wishes he had written) was my staple song for auditions. "Luck Be A Lady"? "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat"? "If I Were A Bell"? Saints, sinners, gamblers...
Ahh! How can I choose just one?
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For me, of the four, you've got to pick between Guys & Dolls and West Side Story. I love Chorus line, but I just don't think that a musical about musicals is the right choice - too incestuous. Don't get me wrong, I love Tits and Ass as much as any one - and I have done things for love that really can't be sung about... but c'mon Damon Runyon!! Sharks and Jets!!
Mind you, what about:
Kiss Me Kate (Shakespeare and Cole!)
Chicago (Fosse and Social Commentary)
Fiddler on the Roof (well, just 'cause!)
Annie Get Your Gun (need something with cowboy hats, having already dissed Oklahoma)
There are just so many from which to choose.
One day, soon - I hope to be voting for Plane Crazy.