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I need more musical suggestions for my children (not Disney, please!) We have "Peter Pan" (broadway), "The Music Man", "The Sound of Music", "Cats", the new "Annie", and "Mary Poppins" (yeah, okay that's Disney, but it's a classic...). Right now "Cats" is the favorite - especially for my 4 year old which kind of surprises me, but my kids probably aren't normal anyways :tongue_smilie:

 

So what else is out there that you think they might like?

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Guest Virginia Dawn

Easter Parade, Meet Me in St. Louis, the old Dr. Doolittle, White Christmas, Muppets Christmas Carol.

 

 

Older kids might like:

The King and I, An American in Paris, Hello Dolly, and My Fair Lady.

 

I like some silly ones: Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Bells are Ringing, but I don't know if children would.

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My kids love the music from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. They haven't seen a video of it, nor have I, so I can't recommend one. I'd want to preview it, particularly for the scene with Potiphar's wife. Just in case, KWIM?

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We also love 'Meet me in St. Louis', 'The King and I', and 'My Fair Lady'

 

Others not listed that we enjoy - "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "The Court Jester", "Singin' in the Rain"

 

Some others (might be too old for them right now) - "Fiddler on the Roof", "Showboat"

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Easter Parade, Meet Me in St. Louis, the old Dr. Doolittle, White Christmas, Muppets Christmas Carol.

 

 

Older kids might like:

The King and I, An American in Paris, Hello Dolly, and My Fair Lady.

 

I like some silly ones: Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Bells are Ringing, but I don't know if children would.

 

My whole family grew up watching 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. To this day we can all sing the songs and quote a lot of the dialogue. :)

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- Pirates of Penzance (operetta, really, but close enough) and other Gilbert and Sullivan shows.

 

- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There is a version on DVD with Donny Osmand that's quite good.

 

My son just watched (again) and enjoyed **** Yankess, but that might be problematic or objectionable for some folks.

 

Oliver! is great for younger ones.

 

Gosh, I can't believe I'm not coming up with more . . .

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I have "Fiddler on the Roof" too. It is one of my favorites, but the kids don't care for it. I rented an "Oliver" recently, but it was a 2005 PG13 remake which added more drama and dropped all the songs. Not what I expected for my kids, but dh and I enjoyed it. I will have to poke around for the old version I watched as a kid...

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- Pirates of Penzance (operetta, really, but close enough) and other Gilbert and Sullivan shows.

 

 

Was the "Pirates of Penzance" ever produced in movie format? I watched a musical as a child which I thought was "Pirates..." but the one I rented recently was a poorly recorded stage production.

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Guest Virginia Dawn
- Pirates of Penzance (operetta, really, but close enough) and other Gilbert and Sullivan shows.

 

- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There is a version on DVD with Donny Osmand that's quite good.

 

My son just watched (again) and enjoyed **** Yankess, but that might be problematic or objectionable for some folks.

 

Oliver! is great for younger ones.

 

Gosh, I can't believe I'm not coming up with more . . .

 

 

Is that the one with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra? I can't believe some of the ones I've forgotten about, like 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. I've watched just about every MGM musical ever made and some. There are loads that are really not made for young kids though liike Guys and Dolls and West Side Story.

 

I just remembered another funny one: Calamity Jane.

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Was the "Pirates of Penzance" ever produced in movie format? I watched a musical as a child which I thought was "Pirates..." but the one I rented recently was a poorly recorded stage production.

 

I'm pretty sure there is a movie version - starring Kevin Kline, I believe.

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Was the "Pirates of Penzance" ever produced in movie format? I watched a musical as a child which I thought was "Pirates..." but the one I rented recently was a poorly recorded stage production.

 

As far as I know, there has never been a good theatrical release. The one we like is the 1980 version with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt. It's available on DVD.

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do not forget South Pacific!!!! For younger kids, Hans Christian Anderson is a semi-musical (well, it has a lot of songs in it) and you can't go wrong with Danny Kaye!

 

Also - my all-time fav film - Yankee Doodle Dandy!!!!

 

And - I can hardly believe no one has mentioned the old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland films like Girls Crazy (make sure it is MR/JG - there is also an Elvis film of the same name!), Babes on Broadway, etc.

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I have "Fiddler on the Roof" too. It is one of my favorites, but the kids don't care for it. I rented an "Oliver" recently, but it was a 2005 PG13 remake which added more drama and dropped all the songs. Not what I expected for my kids, but dh and I enjoyed it. I will have to poke around for the old version I watched as a kid...

 

Fiddler is a bit heavy for most young kids, especially the second act. I still can't get through the Tevye/Chava scene without weeping. (And understand my daughter was in two different community theatre productions of this show in a single year, so I've seen it a LOT of times.)

 

For Oliver, the one you want is the 1968 musical version with the exclamation point (!). Jack Wild was the Dodger. I loved this movie beyond words when I was a kid. Now, I will say that, as an adult, having seen a couple of good stage productions, I'm no longer crazy about the way they did the music in the film (way too overblown and broken up around the dance numbers, not to mention the fact that Mark Lester really had no voice), but I still think it's a great version for kids.

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the edit button is taking too long for me to add to my other post:

 

the Mickey/Judy films are Girl Crazy, Babes on Broadway, Babes in Arms, and Strike up the Band.

 

Also good - Calamity Jane (Howard Keel and Doris Day) and Betty Hutton and Keel in Annie Get Your Gun!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Howard Keel in ANYTHING!!!!

 

And - let us not forget Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly!

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For Oliver, the one you want is the 1968 musical version with the exclamation point (!). Jack Wild was the Dodger. I loved this movie beyond words when I was a kid. Now, I will say that, as an adult, having seen a couple of good stage productions, I'm no longer crazy about the way they did the music in the film (way too overblown and broken up around the dance numbers, not to mention the fact that Mark Lester really had no voice), but I still think it's a great version for kids.

 

I just grabbed the 1968 "Oliver!"

 

I really like these movies because we can all watch them together as a family. I also think there is cultural and artistic value in them that does not exist in most modern productions.

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If I'm repeating any, its because its early and I'm groggy! My kids are active in theater, I've played in pit orchestras for musicals for years, and I love watching them too. So here's what my pre-coffee brain is coming up with:

 

Cinderella, the Rogers and Hammerstein version with Leslie Ann Down might be a bit dated, but it was my favorite as a little girl. I loved the remake on ABC a few years back with Brandi and Whitney Houston.

 

Once Upon a Mattress -- again a recent ABC remake with Carol Burnett

 

No one made a movie out of Secret Garden, but the music is beautiful.

 

Also, no one has made a movie out of Seussical the Musical, but it again the music is terrific and fun. You can boogie down to Green Eggs and Ham! If there is a local production, you should go see it.

 

Back to movies. I'm a HUGE fan of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. The 1930 screwball comedy is odd to modern tastes, but they are classic movies, clean and fun.

 

Singin' in the Rain. A can't miss!

 

Oh, there is a Donny Osmond version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that we taped off of PBS years ago, and now have the DVD version. It is really good, though the Potipher section with Joan Collins might be a little too suggestive for some.

 

Off to get coffee...

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Once Upon a Mattress -- again a recent ABC remake with Carol Burnett

 

No one made a movie out of Secret Garden, but the music is beautiful.

 

 

They don't have to be movies. We have several Broadway productions and we enjoy them very much. It's just that the "Pirates.." production had poor audio and video quality and it was very difficult to know what was going on.

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http://www.amazon.com/Camelot-Broadway-Version-Richard-Harris/dp/B000NTM9ZM

 

You can get the movie from 1968/69 which is good or you can get the one I linked about that was filmed in 1982. This is the blurb from amazong:

A live-on-stage performance filmed for HBO in 1982, Camelot returns Richard Harris to the role he immortalized on film in 1967. Harris replaced the original King Arthur, Richard Burton, in this revival production as it was on its way to New York's Winter Garden Theatre, which turned out to be Harris' only role on the Broadway stage. Fifteen years later, he's an older and wiser Arthur, a little more world-weary but still with a twinkle in his eye. He's paired with Meg Bussert, whose Guinevere is not as beautiful as Vanessa Redgrave in the film, but a better singer and appropriately younger. Bussert, who was Tony-nominated for her role in Brigadoon the year before, sounds eerily like original Broadway star Julie Andrews at times. Richard Muenz (The Most Happy Fella revival) plays Lancelot, Barrie Ingham plays Pellinore, and Richard Backus is Mordred. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's score is still a great classic, and here two songs cut from the movie are restored, "Before I Gaze at You Again" and "The Seven Deadly Virtues," but inexplicably cut is "Then You May Take Me to the Fair." Not surprisingly the production has a more stagebound feel compared to the sumptuous feature film, but it's good to have a more faithful version of the show available on DVD. --David Horiuchi

 

++++ I own both and while I love the film version, I actually got goosebumps on my arms a couple times watching the stage production. I was disappointed that they cut the song, "Then you may take me to the fair."

 

Val

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How about Wizard of Oz? There's an old Gene Kelly/Judy Garland flick (B&W) put out in 1942 that's set during WWI called "Me and My Gal" that I really enjoyed for the cultural commentary it held. I haven't tried it on the kids, though. It has a lot of WWI period music in it, at least snatches, anyway. There's also Brigadoon (though you might want to edit the bit in the shepherdess' hut.)

 

I can't think of any more right now!

 

Mama Anna

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I purchased the Rodgers and Hammerstein collection from Amazon when it was on sale. We just watched Carousel the other day and it was AWFUL! Really awful! Thankfully the set also included Sound of Music, Oklahoma, South Pacific and The King and I. Now, I'm afraid to watch State Fair, the only other one I hadn't yet seen.

 

It was interesting to see in the "making of" portion of Enchanted that the older dancers in the movie were dancers from the grand days of musicals. It's neither a classic or academic, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. I really wish they would bring musicals back.

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If you just want soundtracks, then Wicked is wonderful. (There isn't anything wicked about it, even though dh has a hard time with the fact that the kids and I are listening to something called Wicked. :-))

 

We also love Joseph. We didn't find the Potipher scene too bad, but some of the Egyptian costumes are a bit slinky.

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I'm pretty sure there is a movie version - starring Kevin Kline, I believe.

Okay, are you looking for a fight or what?

 

Kevin Kline is in it (and he does an excellent job as the Pirate King)

but-but-but everybody knows that it is starring Rex Smith as Frederick!!!!

:D:D:D:D:D:D

 

(Where's Kelli when I need her? I think she was the only other girl in America who loved Rex Smith more than life itself!)

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I love this thread. I truly believe that everything I wanted to recommend has already been listed. Oh, you know what else is fun? That's Entertainment! We rented a couple of those back when we had Netflix and the kids loved them. It's just the best of the best clips from tons of MGM musicals. I know, I know, you don't get the plot and all, but it's really just fun. And as an adult you'll get a huge kick out of seeing a young Liza Minelli looking all hip and cool, plus the others who offer narrations between movie clips.

 

Someone mentioned Once Upon a Mattress. We have the cd of the original version, and the dvd of the more recent one. The old one is better even though we can't watch it. The new one was fun, but they cut out some songs that I love and added other things and it's just not as good. So get both. Compare and contrast!

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Is this the same as the Disney movie, or something different? Just curious.

 

No, it's the Disney stage production, which is really amazing.

 

To the best of my knowledge, there's no DVD of the production.

 

 

We love Seven Brides, Joseph (but we don't watch Potiphar's wife!), Music Man, Mary Poppins (I think that qualifies), Newsies - also My Fair Lady.

 

And another vote for "That's Entertainment" -- clips of all the best! So fun!

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I love this thread. I truly believe that everything I wanted to recommend has already been listed. Oh, you know what else is fun? That's Entertainment! We rented a couple of those back when we had Netflix and the kids loved them. It's just the best of the best clips from tons of MGM musicals. I know, I know, you don't get the plot and all, but it's really just fun. And as an adult you'll get a huge kick out of seeing a young Liza Minelli looking all hip and cool, plus the others who offer narrations between movie clips.

 

:iagree: Yes, I love this one too!

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I just did a search on Netflix and found several really good titles for you. There were a lot of other listings that I wasn't familiar with, but these seem to be family friendly. They aren't in any particular order.

 

:lurk5:

 

The List

 

The Jungle Book (another classic even thought its a Disney movie)

 

Singing in the Rain

 

The Wizard of Oz

 

Easter Parade (an old Judy Garland musical)

 

South Pacific

 

The Sound of Music

 

West Side Story

 

High School Music

 

Music Man

 

Sarafina (really great music score)

 

Oliver

 

1776

 

Muppet Treasure Island

 

Riverdance

 

Phantom of the Opera

 

Thoroughly Modern Millie

 

Finnian's Rainbow

 

Hairspray

==================

 

Enjoy!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

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We watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when my older two were probably 5 & 3, and the man who steals children scared them to death! They seriously had nightmares for a week or so. So make sure they're old enough to realize it's just a movie and not real.

 

LOL!

My kids recently discovered Oliver. They had watched it a couple of times and then one day we went out to do some shopping. Dd8 had walked in with a dollar in her pocket and when we walked out it was missing. She said (oh so seriously) "There must've been a pickpocket in there, because my dollar is missing!" :001_smile:

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We watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when my older two were probably 5 & 3, and the man who steals children scared them to death! They seriously had nightmares for a week or so. So make sure they're old enough to realize it's just a movie and not real.

 

Oh, I didn't think about that. My children were old enough when they saw the movie that that part wasn't scary to them. Thank you for giving that warning.

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1776

 

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

This is my dh's favourite musical. I would like to mention, though, that when my kids watched it, they liked it, but one song was too sad for them. That's to solo by the messenger about the dying soldiers. My kids are on the sensitive side.

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