Patch

^^Without a doubt The Lion King blows Tarzan out of the water. There simply isn't any comparison. The Lion King is a Julie Taymor directed masterpeice while Tarzan comes off as a big budget them park show with lack luster music. Oh and Sister Act isn't very good at all.

Well I sing professionally? Does that count? I read music and know theory. Has it ever occurred to you that as Brad Pitt ages he's looking more and more like Benicio Del Toro?

Nope-The best ToT still resides in Orlando...I'll stick with it! Don't you agree Lady GaGa should just stop...please stop!

Nope Are you devoid of all body hair?

Webber is is slippery slope. While he does have a couple of quality shows, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, the rest of his body of work tends to lean towards the catagory of 'style over substance'. Which is all well and good but so many of those eye candy shows have scores that just get so repetitive that peronally I just can't deal with them. He's also got some real stinkers...Starlight Express, Whistle Down the Wind, By Jeeves, and Cats are all just awful in my mind.

Yes! Can you lick your elbow?

^^Trust me, there's so much better theatre at there other than Wicked. Nothing wrong with enjoying the show, but I like to think of it as a "gate way" musical.

That's what she said Ba ZING!

This one's easy: I wish I was taller. I'm 5'6" and I really wish I was closer to the 6' mark. Being a short guy in my line of work (stage actor) can be limiting as often the girls I'm possibly cast against tend to be taller dancer types. So another six inches would come in handy.

So I just found out a company I work for is producing Chess next year! This may be the greatest theatre news to come my way in ages!

I know I should be more concerned with what I eat...but I simply have a difficult time with it. My friends say I have the diet and eating habits of a nine-year-old. Which isn't healthy...and I know I'm out of shape. I'm not obese or even fat, but I do have a belly and I know I'm at least twenty pouds over weight for someone my height. I keep saying that "this is the year" I start eating better...but it's yet to happen.

I am a working actor/singer/director. I also do commercial and voice over work for Veggie Tales.

Me and Wayne Brady

Just realized I'd been posting for almost a week and hadn't come in and said "hi". Well...my name's Patrick and I've been visiting this site for ages and finally decided to join the forums. As far as parks go, I along with my wife and girls are Walt Disney World junkies and go at least once a year if not more. Just can't get enough of the house of mouse! Other than that, I'm a professional actor/singer/director and I reside in Nashville, Tn.

^^I did in fact see Next to Normal with its original cast in New York and while I'll say it isn't a bad show...I wasn't a huge fan either. I thought the way the book deals with mental illness was a little too laid back and cliched and lyrically there is pretty hackneyed material in there. Now from a performance standpoint...I thought the show was phenomenal and Alice Ripley is brilliant. However I think the book really knocked it down a few pegs for me. But that's just me.

^^Not confusing at all! I can completely understand appreciating the complexity of the work while at the same time not personally enjoying it. Plus...tastes change...I know over the year from the time I was in my teens to now I know my taste in shows certainly evolved. As you learn more about the craft you learn to appreicate, listen and view shows differently. A lot of folks would call me a "theatre snob" as I absolutely detest the works of Webber (save for Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar) and tend to loathe mega-musicals. Give me a smaller more character driven show any day!

Gypsy is a classic! What's more, it's one of the few shows with an abundance of strong female roles: Rose, Baby June and Louise, Teen June and Louise, Gypsy as well as the Tessie, Electra, and M'Zeppa. You combine that with a strong score and you have a show that stands the test of time. I find most of the R&H library falls into that catagory as well. Shows that are timeless and don't lose their punch due to cultural references that tend to age certain shows too quickly. What I love about the Sondheim cannon is that his shows work on so many levels both as a theatre goer and as a performer. You will be hard pressed to find a writer that challenges a cast both from a vocal and acting standpoint more than Sondheim.

This is true. Don't look to Sondheim if you're wanting a 'dance '. lol If I may suggest some shows to you though, I would say get your hands on a recording of these shows: The Fantasticks Urinetown The Drowsey Chaperone I think you'd find all three to your liking and all three are very different shows.

Hey...you like what you like and nobody can take that away from you. I'll admit I really missed the political allegory that Wicked the novel presents and felt the stage show really over simplified the themes of the book. But that's just me being a purist. I'm a fan of the traditional musical as well. Rogers and Hammerstien/Hart along with Porter and Gerswin have written some of my all time favorite shows. However at the same time I am big on darker "meatier" shows as well. Sondheim is near the top of my list and Sweeney Todd for me may be the most perfect show ever constructed and I'm proud to have been a part of a fantastic production of it as well. Next to Normal did nothing for me but I did love American Idiot. As for Hairspray...I'm excited because I may be directing the professional regional debut of that show next summer!

I've never been able to force myself to enjoy Wicked. Like most of Schwartz's shows it has two...maybe three above average songs and the rest is filler. Sure the show has a lot of eye candy and is visually stunning. However I've always been much more a 'substance over spectacle' guy. Not to mention the show really butchers the plot and themes of the novel.

"Roses Turn" is a great number that has been made even greater by some of the phenomenal performers who have sung it. Ethel Merman Tyne Daly Patti Lupone Bernadet Peters I mean that above is a iconic list of performers!

Creative differences How many walruses can dance on the head of a pimple?

Audition-Just a disturbing film made even more disturbing when you dont' speak Japanese!

Hi all! First time poster...LONG time lurker. I someone just now stumbled upon this thread on musicals and I couldn't help but post. I've been making my living on the stage since I was 18 years old. I'm not 35 and quite honestly I can't think of a better profession or hobby. Just to get caught up here are some of my all-time favorite shows: Showboat-My first professional gig in the chrous Kiss Me Kate-First professional name character The Foreigner-Played Charlie Urinetown! The musical-First professional directing gig The Fantasticks!-Played Matt Forever Plaid-Played Sparky Lucky Stuff-Played Henry Witherspoon Big River-Played the Duke Noises Off-Directed You're a Good Man Charlie Brown-Played Charlie Brown as a kid and later directed Chess-Will be playing Anatoly first part of next year Evita-Played Magaldi The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee-Played Vice Principal Panch How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying-Played J Pierpont Finch Moon Over Buffalo-Directed It's so great to see folks here on TPR that enjoy the stage as much as I do! I'd love to further this conversation so I hope this thread just keeps going!