Been listening to music from Broadway musicals lately and decided that my assessment of my situation if I lived in NY is on the mark. If I lived in New York City I know for a fact that: 1. I would have one very nice dressy outfit, 2. I would have one very nice dressy coat or jacket, 3. I would have tickets to every, or almost every, 1st run show on Broadway, and lastly, 4. I would live in a cardboard box someplace! I figure box-living would be the only way I could afford the tickets to all the shows I would want to see. *L* Re-thinking about this "If I" life plan made me think back to the shows I wish I could have seen with their original casts:
1. "Phantom of the Opera" - oh to have seen Michael Crawford in that show and to have heard "Music of the Night" in that voice. *sigh* "...the power of the music of the night."
2. "Wicked" - Kristen Chenowith is from OK and has an amazing voice and, having seen Idina Menzel act, I can't imagine a travelling cast could completely do it justice. "Popular...you're gonna be pop-u-lar..."
3. "Rent" - saw the movie, and loved it (and listen to some of the songs almost every day and love them too). It's not exactly a pretty subject but since they got most of the original cast from the show to reprise their parts in the movie, it's as close as I can get to the original. Idina Menzel played Maureen in both - I'm sure she was as good in the play as she was in the film! "525,600 minutes - how can you measure the life of a woman or a man?"
4. "The Lion King" - From all that I've read this was a wonderful adaptation of the movie. "In the circle....the circle of life...."
5. "Jersey Boys" - I loved "Eddie and the Cruisers" borrowing from Bruce Springsteen's start on the Jersey Shore - how could I not love seeing the story of Frankie and the Seasons?? *L* I've heard bits of the soundtrack and the guys do a VERY nice job on VERY recognizable songs! "Sherry, Sherry baby..."
6. "Mamma Mia!" - I missed the movie when it came through Enid (didn't stay very long) but I intend to see it when it comes out on DVD. I've always been a fan of ABBA's music and the story looks cute and funny enough. "Mamma Mia...here I go again..."
7. "Beauty and the Beast" - I can't imagine anyone making Lumierre as wonderful as Disney and Jerry Orbach did but I would have enjoyed seeing them try. *L* "Be our guest, be our guest, be our gueeeeest..."
8." Little Shop of Horrors" - Not sure if the play can do justice to the movie (which I LOVE) but again, I would have liked to see it very much!
"Down on Skid Rooooooow..."
9. "A Chorus Line" - One of the originals that interested me - and still kicking after all these years! True, some of the content may be a bit dated - but I bet it was one heck of a show when it opened! "ONE...singular sensation..."
10. And of course - the grandaddy of them all - there have been so many cast changes in this show, and some of them have been said to have been improvements, but I would have adored seeing the originals. "Let the memory...live again..."
Now mind you, I HAVE been to one Andrew Lloyd Webber musical - obviously not on Broadway, but in good ol' downtown Bawlmer. *L* "Starlight Express"! "Starlight Express...answer me yes..."
So good and so enjoyable that I went to see it twice while it was in town!
And I will always be honored that I got to see Yul Brynner in "The King and I" - one of the highlights of my life! How funny though - notice on the poster that Gertrude Lawrence is the "star" and just below the middle of the poster you can see "with Yul Brynner". I bet the revival posters were VERY different! *LOL* "There are times I almost think I am not sure of what I absolutely knooow...oh!"
And that has been my walk down my "Broadway Wish List". *L* Hope I didn't bore anyone. And if you get a chance - listen to some of the music from "Rent" and "Wicked", the songs are amazing!!!!!! I'll leave you now with a few lines from a "Wicked" song - "Defying Gravity"...
" So if you care to find me
Look to the Western sky
As someone told me lately
Everyone deserves the chance to
FLY!!!"
