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Favorite Musicals?


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We've discovered that the whole family enjoys watching musicals, and we're busy ordering them from Netflix. I think my husband and I have a pretty good handle on what's out there, but just in case we miss some great ones, I thought I'd ask for recommendations.

 

What are your favorite musicals?

 

So far, we've watched: Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, Annie Get Your Gun, Man of La Mancha, and The Happiest Millionaire.

 

The kids and I have previously seen Annie and Newsies.

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There's a wonderful recorded version of Into the Woods starring Joanna Gleason. My kids and I love it...

 

I love The Fantasticks and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but I haven't seen the recordings of either one and they seem to get pretty mixed reviews.

 

I don't see My Fair Lady on your list, and that seems to go with your other choices... And The Music Man and The King and I are both older ones appropriate for kids.

 

West Side Story is a bit more intense, but the music is so wonderful...

 

Camelot?

 

Swing Kids isn't exactly a musical, but it incorporates a great deal of swing music, and if the kids are fans of Christian Bale from Newsies, it might be an interesting one... The acting and accents are very uneven, but the music and the dancing are great. Nazi content.

 

Pirates of Penzance...

 

I'm sure I'll think of more to add to your list later...

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Oklahoma! and Sound of Music, here. Be aware OK has some dark moments with Judd Fry. LOVE the music, tho.

My personal fav is the anniversary performance of Les Mis--not something to watch with the kids, but the music--oh, the music!

 

Forgot to mention we have the Sound of Music too. (Hey, we live in Vermont.:D)

 

We haven't watched Les Mis (DH and I have seen it live), but I listened to the soundtrack a lot this summer while reading the book, and the kids asked me lots of questions.

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There's a wonderful recorded version of Into the Woods starring Joanna Gleason. My kids and I love it...

 

I love The Fantasticks and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but I haven't seen the recordings of either one and they seem to get pretty mixed reviews.

 

I don't see My Fair Lady on your list, and that seems to go with your other choices... And The Music Man and The King and I are both older ones appropriate for kids.

 

West Side Story is a bit more intense, but the music is so wonderful...

 

Camelot?

 

Swing Kids isn't exactly a musical, but it incorporates a great deal of swing music, and if the kids are fans of Christian Bale from Newsies, it might be an interesting one... The acting and accents are very uneven, but the music and the dancing are great. Nazi content.

 

Pirates of Penzance...

 

I'm sure I'll think of more to add to your list later...

 

Good suggestions. Some of these I've seen and some I haven't.

 

Camelot is next on the queue, but I keep forgetting about Into the Woods. (I've never seen it, but it sounds good.) I'll go add that now.

 

I think we will do West Side Story. (Our kids are 13, 9, 9, and 3, but the 3 year old wanders in and out a lot while we are watching.)

 

I love the music to My Fair Lady, but I am still irritated that they cast Audrey Hepburn (and then dubbed over her singing) instead of casting Julie Andrews, who is so magnificent in the Broadway recording. Still, my kids probably won't care.

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The Music Man...and lots of singing in Meet Me in St. Louis. Also Annie get Your Gun, Calamity Jane, Yankee Doodle Dandy (B/W). Plus all the filsm already mentioned!

 

Oh - HELP! and Hard Days Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

South Pacific (although not for the youngest kids!- you will need to explain why racial inter-marriage used to be a cultural no-no as that is the theme of the film!)

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This will be tricky to find, but it's fun: The Slipper and the Rose, with Richard Chamberlain.

 

You might enjoy The Unsinkable Molly Brown, with Debbie Reynolds.

 

Brigadoon...the fake Scottish accents are kind of much, but the music is wonderful.

 

And there's Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Love that movie.

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This will be tricky to find, but it's fun: The Slipper and the Rose, with Richard Chamberlain.

 

You might enjoy The Unsinkable Molly Brown, with Debbie Reynolds.

 

Brigadoon...the fake Scottish accents are kind of much, but the music is wonderful.

 

And there's Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Love that movie.

 

I remember The Slipper and the Rose from college. I think the campus cinema played it every year. Unfortunately, it looks like it's not available on DVD. :(

 

I've added the others to our queue. Thanks!

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Try Sunday in the Park with George. You can get the stage production on DVD. Disney's Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella staring Brandy. There is a new remake of South Pacific staring Glenn Close www.amazon.com/Rodgers-Hammersteins-South-Pacific-Glenn/dp/B00005KAQS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232901325&sr=1-3

Also Disney made a remake of Once Upon a Matress about two years ago www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Mattress-Carol-Burnett/dp/B000ATQYVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232901226&sr=1-1. Are your kids old enough to see Johnny Depp in Sweeny Todd? You can get both the movie version and the stage production staring Angela Lansbury. But we preferred the Johnny Depp version.

Blessings

 

Zoraida

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Typically I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but I have seen a few that I did like:

 

Grease

The Music Man

Rent

 

I love the music in Grease, but I have a very difficult time with the message and I don't know that I want to show it to my kids. (Of course, on that note, Annie Get Your Gun has an absolutely horrible ending, but I didn't know that going in.)

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Try Sunday in the Park with George. You can get the stage production on DVD. Disney's Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella staring Brandy. There is a new remake of South Pacific staring Glenn Close www.amazon.com/Rodgers-Hammersteins-South-Pacific-Glenn/dp/B00005KAQS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232901325&sr=1-3

Also Disney made a remake of Once Upon a Matress about two years ago www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Mattress-Carol-Burnett/dp/B000ATQYVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232901226&sr=1-1. Are your kids old enough to see Johnny Depp in Sweeny Todd? You can get both the movie version and the stage production staring Angela Lansbury. But we preferred the Johnny Depp version.

Blessings

 

Zoraida

 

I've thought about Sweeny Todd, but I'm not sure *I'm* old enough to see it. :lol: I get queasy just thinking about it.

 

I have the original Cinderella in the queue. (I really like Julie Andrews.) Thanks for suggesting Once Upon a Mattress. I've never seen it, and it looks good.

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Oh, you must get the Leslie Ann Warren version of Cinderella--it's the only musical I remember from my childhood, and I used to sing In My Own Little Corner and 10 Minutes Ago over and over--just little phrases from them, but it made such a lovely impression!

The Broderick remake of Music Man is really, really good. Sweet, too.

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Oh, you must get the Leslie Ann Warren version of Cinderella--it's the only musical I remember from my childhood, and I used to sing In My Own Little Corner and 10 Minutes Ago over and over--just little phrases from them, but it made such a lovely impression!

The Broderick remake of Music Man is really, really good. Sweet, too.

 

My 3yo really enjoyed Man of La Mancha, and he's still walking around the house singing, "I am I, Don Quixote, the lord of La Mancha. My destiny calls and I go! The wild winds of fortune will carry me onward, wither so ever they blow." (No guarantee he has the words right.)

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My 3yo really enjoyed Man of La Mancha, and he's still walking around the house singing, "I am I, Don Quixote, the lord of La Mancha. My destiny calls and I go! The wild winds of fortune will carry me onward, wither so ever they blow." (No guarantee he has the words right.)

 

Would this be the Peter O'Toole movie?

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One of my all time favorites is Sound of Music, and I would let the kids watch that, but all of my other's would be a no for my little dc:

 

West Side Story

Grease

A Chorus Line

Mama Mia

 

And actually, Sound of Music, Grease & West Side Story are great on DVD's, but A Chorus Line and Mama Mia need to be seen live. Except A Chorus Line has been closed for many years. I saw it in high school-that will give you an idea of how old I am-if you know when it ended.

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I love the music in Grease, but I have a very difficult time with the message and I don't know that I want to show it to my kids. (Of course, on that note, Annie Get Your Gun has an absolutely horrible ending, but I didn't know that going in.)

 

I'm sorry, I should have mentioned Grease is not for kids! Rent is probably not kid-appropriate either. They are just my personal (but adult) faves that I have seen on stage. I think the Music Man is good for family viewing though.

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My family's favorite musicals might all fall under the 'not-kid-appropriate' label. :001_smile: I know what's okay or not okay varies a lot by family.

 

Favorites (not kid appropriate) are: Rent, Sweeney Todd, Chorus Line.

 

Favorites (might be kid-appropriate, depending on individual family standards) are: Wicked (#1 favorite), Jesus Christ Superstar (love it), Hairspray, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

 

Spelling Bee seems to be a relatively new play. We have seen it performed live but I have not seen a recorded version. There is a hysterically funny homeschooled kid in the competition. He is my girls' favorite character and they have memorized most of his lines/songs. Warning: there is some 'locker room' humor (reference to er*******) with a couple of characters, some mild swearing, and a possibly? offensive religious 'vision'. I am Christian and wasn't offended but some might be.

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Sweeny Todd (this is about revenge and murder; if watching with children for the first time, preview it; also, I'd recommend the filmed stage version over the new Johnny Depp version - less gore and more music; also the intro and outro to the stage version provide great discussion questions)

Singin' In The Rain

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Carousel

Hans Christian Andersen

Edited by Tutor
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Some of our family favorites have been My Fair Lady, the King and I, and Sound of Music.

 

But our all-time favorite has to be The Music Man (the old one with Robert Preston) -- we laugh through the entire thing, and often quote lines from it. ("Play to me, Linus!")

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I remember The Slipper and the Rose from college. I think the campus cinema played it every year. Unfortunately, it looks like it's not available on DVD. :(

 

I've added the others to our queue. Thanks!

Yes, it's available, but it's hard to find. We have it. I'll ask Mr. Ellie where he found it.

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