#i like american idiot. specifically i *really* like the broadway soundtrack

[majorshatterandhare]

It is very obvious to me that I like music that tells stories. (ALL music tells stories. Every song tells a story.) I like concept albums, I like musicals.

Therefore I find it very funny both that my favorite Mech’s album is one of the two that don’t have an overarching story *and* that my favorite My Chem album is the one that doesn’t have an overarching story.

[ablatheringblatherskite]

top 5 musicals?

oh OH I LOVE THIS ASK THANK YOU, CHAOS!!

Okay so, from lowest to highest, so far, my favorite musicals are:

5. Tick, Tick, Boom!

Especially as an artist, I absolutely LOVED this film. It's like a love letter to all artists. Of course non-artists can love and relate to this musical, but there's just something special it has for artists specifically. Plus the CINEMATOGRAPHY?? the PERFORMANCES?? ANDREW GARFIELD???? THE SONGS???? UGH. PHENOMENAL

4. Hamilton: An American Musical

This is the only musical I've ever been blessed enough to actually see LIVE! And it was literally one of the greatest experiences of my life and made my desire to see musicals live EVEN MORE PAINFUL. BECAUSE THIS WAS WHAT I WAS MISSING OUT ON!! But yeah even if it's not at the top of this list I clearly still love this musical so much. This was one of my most powerful and longest-lasting hyper-fixations ever, and also the musical that actually really got me into writing fanfiction! So on top of the amazing music (my go to hip-hop and rap songs fr LOLLL most of my rapping ability comes from singing and rapping Hamilton with my siblings and cousins), performances, themes of LEGACY and FORGIVENESS??? AUGGHHH, i am also really grateful to it for awakening the writer in me.

3. Les Miserables

I remember when I first started listening to this I was like. How is there not a single MEH song in this musical??? It was literally banger after banger after banger LIKE BRUH. I also remember when I finally finished listening to the musical, it was when my family and I lined up all night for some basketball tickets. And I finished listening to the musical when I woke up really early in the morning for my turn in waiting in line, and I was screaming at myself not to cry because I was literally surrounded by people. But anyway yeah I love this musical so much and while it's not as deeply personal as Hamilton (at least not yet), I think it definitely belongs in this spot. Listen specifically the THEMES AND MOTIFS ARE WHAT MAKE ME SO FERAL OVER THIS. BUT ESPECIALLY THE THEME OF FAITH??? BYE I CANT HANDLE IT ASJDFHJLDAD

2. Newsies

While I think Les Mis is probably a better musical in general, THIS one is very personal. This is the first broadway musical i ever listened to, the one that got me into theatre musicals for the first time. IT ALL BEGAN HERE. This was also the first pro-shot I ever watched!!! And absolutely LOVE the songs DEARLY to this very day and still jam out to them every time I hear them, plus I LOVE the story and find it to be very relevant to people my age in particular. It's just so FUN and with AN INCREDIBLE story and soundtrack and the PERFORMANCES and DANCING AUGHHH and i love it so much i cant put it into words so here have Jack flipping someone instead

1. The Phantom of the Opera

I doubt ANYONE is surprised by this being at the top LOL. But for real, this musical just HIT THE SPOT. I don't know how or why BUT I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS MUSICAL SO FAST AND HARD and I can't explain it. But just--the MUSIC the STAGING the STORY the CHARACTERS?? HELLO?? ERIK IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE MOST WELL-WRITTEN CHARACTERS I'VE EVER SEEN IN A LONG WHILE. AND CHRISTINE MY BELOVED. and OBVIOUSLY . RAOUL . HAS MY ENTIRE ENTIRE HEART THIS IDIOT BOYYYY. and and RAOULSTINE??? UGHHH. And i love all the supporting characters too like they're so FUN lol. and anyway of course the SONGS ARE JUST INCREDIBLE, WHAT ON EARTH. And of course, most importantly THE THEMES AND MOTIFS. LOVE AND LUST AND OBSESSION AND UNCONDITIONAL VS CONDITIONAL LOVE AND RECKLESS BRAVERY AND AND AND GRACE????? AND KINDNESS??? HOO MY HEART BE STILL

Send me Top Five Anythings and I'll answer!!

[reblogthiscrapkay]

I’m slowly educating my theater nerd students. The other day one asked me what my favorite musical was and I casually replied, “I have like 17.” Then I decided to figure out the real answer so I went through my 70 something soundtracks and settled on this.

Favorite Musicals

(basically don’t change them; I may have seen a bad production of them once or twice but there is nothing about them I would change)

Cabaret

Fortress Of Solitude

Hadestown

Hamilton

Les Miserables

Murder Ballad

Once

Phantom of The Opera

Top Tier

(they may have some problems that I would love to fix but I have a lot of specific love for them in spite of their flaws)

Bare: A Pop Opera

Hair

Heathers

Hunchback Of Notre Dame

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Sweeney Todd

Are These Musicals

(if yes, they are Favorite Musicals but I don’t know if they count)

35MM (technically, it’s more of a song cycle)

Dancer In The Dark (I mean, it IS a movie musical, but no one would ever stage it)

Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical (it is a musical but it’s really just a sung version of one of my favorite plays)

Threepenny Opera (I’m literally seeing this performed by an opera trope in a few months, but it’s also been on Broadway; is opera or musical more correct)

I like sad stuff it seems (I think I can’t hear shows like “Avenue Q” and “Book Of Mormon” with fresh ears anymore because of oversaturation). And interestingly I wasn’t tempted to put any jukebox musicals on this list although I do like “American Idiot” and “Jersey Boys” a lot.