Most Underrated Musicals of All Time
Print This Post
Comment
Hey everyone,
I was procrastinating doing my homework and I wanted to find some solo songs from obscure musicals which I could use for auditions. This led me to google “Musical Theatre Audition Songs from Obscure Shows”. One of the things to come up was a blog written by Chris Caggiano, who is a professor at the Boston Conservatory. He asked his students to write papers defending choices as to what is the most Underrated Musical of all time. Their answers were widely varied, which is interesting, and with the exception of a couple shows that truly don’t make sense (Wicked, The Last Five Years, Spelling Bee) all of which have great acclaim, and have either been successful in professional production, or in being listened to and appreciated by most theatre people. Their other answers were: Bat Boy, Scarlet Pimpernel, and Children of Eden, among others. His blog can be read here.
City of Angels Playbill
It got me thinking about this question, as it is something which we talk about frequently here at IC. Shows and songs are thrown around talking about what should be appreciated more. Many people bring up Mack and Mabel, Title of Show, and others. I have my opinions on the matter, and since this is my blog, I am going to address them:
- My first thought is for City of Angels, Book and Lyrics by Cy Coleman, and Music by David Zippel. This show follows a detective story writer Stein who is writing a screenplay about his character for a film adaptation. The show simultaneously follows the plot of the movie, following Stone, the character. The stories carefully intertwine both in closely mirroring each other and allowing the music to overlap. It is a beautiful show, seamlessly switching between the real world color, and the movie world black and white. I can not sing its praises more, and highly recommend you pick up its Cast Recording. I would also recommend that you all ask your local theaters to perform it, as it is rarely done outside of a university or college atmosphere. If you have an opportunity to see this show, it would be a good investment. Songs you may have heard from the show include: “You Can Always Count on Me”, “You’re Nothing Without Me”, and “With Every Breath I Take.” This show missed the Boston Conservatory List, and that is sad in my opinion. Especially when they mention Wicked, Seussical, and Full Monty which are not all that underground.
- My second thought is for A Man of No Importance, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Music by Steven Flaherty
A Man of No Importance CD Cover
(the same writers of Ragtime and Seussical), and Book by Terrance McNally. This is a show based on the film of the same name. It is a show set in Ireland, following Alfie Byrne, a Dublin bus driver, who also runs a community theatre. He is obsessed with Oscar Wilde and wants to put on a production of Salome. The church has many problems with this selection and work to have him shut down. These issues brought up cause Alfie to confront his own deep seeded issues and denied homosexuality. The show features many beautiful numbers, most notably “Streets of Dublin” sung by the character Frankie. It is one of the best male solos I’ve ever heard. It also has “Princess” one of the best female solos I’ve ever heard. The original cast featured Jessica Molaskey, Faith Prince, and many other people whose names frequently appear in the playbills on broadway. I’ve never seen this show done ever, which to me makes it one of the most underrated shows of all time, but there are shows which deserve that title. My Favorite Year by the same couple is a terrible show (although the song “Larger Than Life” comes from it and it is another of my favorite male solos). It is never done because it has little redeeming value.
I am interested in knowing your opinions, however, please leave them in the comments section below. In your opinion, what is the most underrated show of all time?
~Ned Donovan
