From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:

On Jul 26, 2026 at 3:37:33 PM PDT, "Arthur Lipscomb" ><arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

On 7/26/2026 1:52 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:

I can't get into musical theater!!-a :D

Maybe you haven't found the right one.

I was about 12 years old, in band class one morning, before the start of
school, when the band teacher put on an album. Suddenly I heard this
music unlike anything I had every head in my life blaring out. It's
hard to explain by I was suddenly stopped by strange sounds and I asked
what is that. He said, "Phantom of the Opera." A few years later I got
to see in live in person. Then many years later when I was in my
probably early 30s, I moved from the big city out to the middle of
nowhere, and to keep myself occupied I started to go to the local
theater. Then when I moved back to civilization I just kept going. Not
every show is good, but some are great.

For me it was WEST SIDE STORY. For a musical to have someone of the stature of >Leonard Bernstein composing the score was cool enough, but his wonky arhythmic >fusion of jazz and classical sold me. Not even the silliness of dancing street >gangs could put me off. Years later, when I found myself seated in the pit >orchestra playing lead trumpet in a Chicago production of WSS, I was on cloud >nine.

I like the dancing! It's Arthur Laurentz's made-up kids' slang that's
so off putting. I saw it in concert at Ravinia. The orchestra was on
stage at the Pavillion. The dancers were up front doing leaps off the
edge of the stage as they did entrances and exits, all dance major
college kids who got paid little to have a full orchestra. Age
appropriate, almost.

"They had the temerity to rewrite Shakespeare!"



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2