Posted in Movies, Musings on Musicals šŸŽµ, Theatre

Upcoming Movie Musicals | Musings on Musicals šŸŽµ #5

Well, 2021 hasn’t been a great one for theatre in… well, theatres so far but from the line up of film adaptations of stage musicals expected to come out this year, 2021 certainly is shaping up to brighter for theatre fans after all. So, let’s dive into the musical movies that we should be seeing on our screens very soon.

In The Heights – Expected UK release date: 25th June 2021Ā 

After being pushed back, the In The Heights movie is finally expected to hit the big screens this summer and I can’t wait. I adore the music from In The Heights and I can’t wait for all the new Lin Manuel Miranda fans who only know his work on Hamilton and Moana to see the big screen version of his other huge Broadway hit. The trailer is absolutely stunning for this movie and it looks like it’s going to be the perfect pop of colour and musical movie magic we need this summer.

Dear Evan Hansen – Expected UK release date: 24th September 2021Ā 

No trailers for this one yet but we should be seeing Dear Evan Hansen in cinemas this autumn. I have to say I’m not quite as excited for this one as In The Heights but I’m still curious to see how the show will be translated to the film medium. I’ve read that there are a few new characters and some switching around of the relationships of characters (Larry is now Connor and Zoe’s stepdad for some reason) so I’m definitely intrigued as to how this will play out.Ā 

West Side Story – Expected UK release date: 10th December 2021

Another one with a release moved back to 2021 to give it a splash in cinemas is Steven Spielberg’s take on this Broadway classic. With this one, I’m excited to see Rachel Zegler’s take on Maria and Ariana DeBose as Anita as well as seeing how Speilberg is going to make it his own. It’s an iconic show and there haven’t been many recent movie adaptations of classic musicals in recent years so it’s an interesting choice.Ā 

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Expected UK release date: TBC

The only original British musical on this list and I’m so excited to see Max Harwood strutting about in those red heels as Jamie New. This one has also had it’s release date pushed back but as of right now, there hasn’t been a new date announced just yet. We all could do with a new proper feel-good movie musical so let’s hope it comes out soon!

Tick, Tick… Boom! – Expected UK release date: TBC

This is from Netflix’s now foray into musical theatre and features the directorial debut of Lin Manual Miranda. I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually listened to Tick, Tick… Boom! all the way through yet for two reasons. One, because it’s hard to get hold of the music (why is the cast recording not on Spotify?!) and two, because, after Rent, this is only other complete show from Jonathan Larson and as a huge Rent fan, it makes me sad to think once I’ve heard Tick, Tick… Boom! songs, that’s it. Saying that, I genuinely can’t wait to see the movie and I have high expectations for it. Also, I’m looking forward to seeing Andrew Garfield in a musical, who knew he could sing?!Ā 

Which movie musical are you most excited to see this year? For me, In The Heights has the edge but I’m looking forward to all of them. Thanks for reading and bye for now! 

Posted in Musings on Musicals šŸŽµ, Theatre

My Favourite Musicals | Musings on Musicals šŸŽµ #1

Hello! Welcome to the first in my Musings on Musicals, this is a new post series where I will be sharing my thoughts on everything musical theatre-related. It’s basically the content I was doing before I had my year hiatus but under a flashy new name that gives it it’s own special category. To kick this new series off, I wanted to share my absolute favourite shows. And, I mean these are my all-time favourites, not just current favourites.

Now, it would be impossible for me to actually put them into a list so I’ve instead picked my top nine and put them into tiers – everyone loves a good tier ranking system don’t they? So, tier one includes my top three absolute favourite musicals but I can’t put them in a 123 order so just know that I love all three of those equally. Tier Two is the my next three favourites which although I completely adore, just don’t quite make it to tier one and again, within their tier, they aren’t in any particular order and so on. I hope this makes sense, it did in my head!

Tier One

Hamilton – Some say it’s overrated, I say we don’t talk about it enough for my liking. I really do think Hamilton is the best musical ever written. It’s achingly smart and the impact it has made, not only on theatre, but in modern pop culture is an incredible feat.

Rent – This is the musical that catapulted me from musical fan to super-fan. I think I’ll write a whole post about it when I’m feeling sentimental but the first time I encountered Rent was when I watched the film and I cried at four different moments. Rent is a total marmite show, you either love it or hate it and I completely adore it.

Les Miserables – This is another show that really got me into musicals and, well, it’s just a classic, isn’t it? This is a show that all my family love and we used to play the songs on long car journeys. For me, this show is greater than just my love of theatre, it’s also a part of my childhood and reminds me of family memories.

Tier Two

Bare: A Pop Opera – It’s the style of the music – to me more rock than “pop” – and the heartbreaking story that I really love with this one. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever related to a song from a show so much as Nadia’s A Quiet Night At Home. I wish more people knew this show because it deserves so much more love.

Come From Away – I always think of Come From Away as a musical hug. I’ve seen it twice in the West End and can’t wait to see it again once theatres reopen. I can’t help but smile listening to this amazing true story and Me and the Sky is one of my favourite songs.

Jesus Christ Superstar – I’m slightly ashamed that this is the oldest musical on this list as it’s only from 1970 but I’m usually more of a contemporary musical gal. There’s something about this show that I love though. It’s thought-provoking with amazing songs and I couldn’t tell you the amount of times we’ve watched the Glenn Carter version in my house.

Tier Three

Once On This Island – This is a really recent favourite as I only listened to it this year but it has grown so much on me from multiple listens – I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t move up a tier in time. This show is just gorgeous.

In The Heights – Weirdly, when figuring out this list, I was a bit surprised I found myself putting In The Heights this high but I can’t not put it here because it really is one of my favourites. I can’t wait for film next year so that I can rewatch the story whenever I want and more people can discover In The Heights.

The Last 5 Years – Again, I didn’t really expect to put this here and I was actually between this and Bat Boy which I’ve bumped down a tier. It’s the lyrics that I love most of all with The Last 5 Years, especially in songs like Nobody Needs To Know.

Honourable Mentions

Whistle Down the Wind – Although Whistle Down the Wind isn’t an especially high-ranking favourite for me anymore, it was my first ever favourite musical so I think it needs an honourable mention. After seeing a production as a kid I fell in love with the show and it was the first musical I bought to play on my portable CD player.

Bat Boy – As I said earlier, this show nearly made it to tier three but I’ve moved it to honourable mentions instead. I love Bat Boy and it’s my favourite funny musical.

Dear Evan Hansen – It’s here because I felt weird not putting it somewhere, I love Dear Evan Hansen and You Will Be Found is a song that easily brings a tear to my eye.

What are your favourite musicals? Let me know in the comments!