Megan Verhey

It all begins with tapping your toe to that catchy tune. This turns into a constant interruption of your daily activities because you are too busy humming along. Finally, you find yourself feverishly searching the internet for that song that you just can’t seem to shake. Whether you like it or not, you are on the road to joining the extremely addictive aspect of the arts known as musical theatre. Now that you have come to terms with hopping the bandwagon, I will suggest some great places to start your journey. 

Graphic by Megan Verhey

When experiencing your first taste of show tunes, knowing where to start can be very overwhelming. There are literally thousands of talented composers, writers and big Broadway stars to experience. Since nothing beats the live experience, I would suggest heading over to Broadway in New York City and sit in on as many musicals as you possibly can. Unfortunately, shelling out the big bucks on a student’s salary is not always possible. For that simple reason, we will be examining the very accessible, yet equally as entertaining, musicals to view on DVD. 

My first musical suggestion is Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story released on film in 1961. With the addition of racial profiling and gang violence, this musical is widely known for mirroring Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet plotline. Accompanying the famous love story, this musical includes many intricate dance sequences, diaphragm-popping ballads and touching moments between characters. I chose this musical because of the pivotal impact it has had on the musical theatre world. The controversial nature of the script and constant energy in the show has made this a memorable piece of art that I highly recommend.  

Next we have another classic, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and composed by Tim Rice. The film version was released in 1999 starring Donny Osmond, but began as a stage show in 1974. This story is based on the “coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis. Falling in the category of “a musical for all ages”, it can be described as lighthearted, entertaining and fun. There are multiple fantastic musical performances from the Narrator, Joseph and Joseph’s Eleven Brothers. After seeing this show, I could not get the music out of my head. Although it isn’t without its cheesy moments, Joseph remains a universal classic. 

Lastly, we have the popular jazz stylings of Bob Fosse with his hit musical, Chicago. The Academy-Award winning film version was released in 2002 starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger. Being the most recent on our list, this musical lands in a whole different category. Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, this story is riddled with crime, steamy dance sequences and all the glitz and glamour of the underground 1920’s jazz scene. With hit numbers like “Cell Block Tango”, “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “When You’re Good to Mama” this musical will not disappoint. 

Other must-watch musical films you can also watch on DVD are: Jesus Christ Superstar, RENT, Oklahoma, Into the Woods and Little Shop of Horrors. If you start watching today, I can guarantee a guilty addiction will not be far away.