thatgirlallison:

What would musical theatre be like if we’d not had HAIR, or Jonathan Larson’s Rent?  Without those shows, it’s highly unlikely that Spring Awakening would have seen the light of day, same goes for Next to Normal.  

I’m not really sure this has any conclusion.  When you exclaim, “I hate all contemporary musicals!” your opinions loose all credibility because of your extreme biased.  Also, you should maybe pick up a book and learn how to think. 

So I was thinking on and off today about how I would actually begin to blog and then I read this post by my good friend Allison about Contemporary Musical Theatre. 

So I will begin this by just noting how right Allison is when she is talking about Contemporary Musical Theatre.  Having just seen Next to Normal and having been totally moved, I can not express how excited I am to see that there is finally a direction for Contemp. Musical Theatre.  For far too long there has been a total lack of direction and an acceptance of mediocrity.  Musical’s based on classic literature, timeless opera masterpieces, and even the occasionally poem (meow). So many original theatrical pieces just aren’t original.  They are for the most part lighthearted and cheerful, uplifting and motivational, entertaining and entirely too expensive.

This week I was lucky enough to see a piece of history on stage and I truly hope people will wake up and note this moment as a movement in American Musical Theater.  While the Tony Awards were entertaining this year, I was dismayed to see Next to Normal beat by  Billy Elliot time and time again.  I am sure that the show is entertaining and probably amazing.  However, I really think that the Tony’s did a horrible disservice to American Musical Theatre by voting yet another Brittish show as Best Musical.  In the spirit of A Chorus Line, Next to Normal gives the audience a real snapshot of the world.  Bringing light to mental disablity and its effect on family.  The score is superb and the acting touching.  I have yet to see Billy Eilliot, but based on the performace by Elton John it seems like he has yet again borrowed his own melody from ”Candle in the Wind“ and Aida to pen his score. I hope that this show succeeds and gives birth to a new genre of theatre that brings the real life to the stage and gives us something to be excited about.

So this is my blog.  It will most likely be a commentary on Theatre and Politics, my two passions.  I hope you will all read and enjoy.

-John