Fluff: Musicals vs a play with dialogue only

I wish my whole life was a musical.

I love a musical, but I make sure to listen to the songs ahead of time so that I know what they are saying.

Having just re-started voice training after many decades, I will emphatically say musicals are more fun for me. However, a good play is great, as well.

This! My parents, well mostly my mom, loved musicals and we would always watch on tv when they were aired. So I grew up watching them and singing along. I’ve been to many live musical performances and loved it!

I like both, as long as they are well done, and as long as I've picked a play that will appeal to me (I love an Agatha Christie!).

My local theatre company did "Nevermore" this last season--it's a steampunk-y musical biography of Edgar Allan Poe. I hated it. Probably in part because the theatre does only mysteries and thrillers, and this was neither. And in large part because it was very stream of consciousness/fantastical in presentation and you really had to know quite a bit about Poe's life going in for it to make any kind of sense. Usually I love all their shows, so this was extra disappointing. If I weren't a season ticket holder, I likely wouldn't have gone, so that made me cranky, too--I felt like Nevermore was kind of 'filler' that didn't live up to the rest of the season.

On the other hand, my favourite play of all time, musical or non-musical is Spamalot. I've seen various versions of it, but my first was on Broadway with Sarah Ramirez, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce and Tim Curry--perfection! Even going in cold without knowing any of the songs, you could understand almost everything they said/sang ... but I immediately went out into the lobby and bought the cast recording so I could take it home and sing along with better accuracy than trying to remember the songs on my own

I like some, hate others. It's not something I'd really go see unless there is some compelling reason I need to go. Like a school play my kids were in, or niece or nephew. On Broadway? Not something I ever felt like I needed to watch.

I love both!!! There is room for all theater in my world...

I volunteer to usher at the local community theater... just so i can watch the shows for free...

And then i watch the traveling Broadway across America in San Antonio tx (3 hrs away) Austin (3.5 hrs) and Midland tx (1.5 hrs)... i just make those like mini get away weekends...

It depends on the show to determine how far i travel... and also my with schedule...

I don’t think I’ve seen a live musical. In movies that are musicals I like the ones with actual songs not words with background music if that makes sense. watched Pocahontas yesterday with DD and that is the kind I don’t like. The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast are more my style.

I dislike musicals because they spend 3 minutes singing dialogue that could happen in about 15 seconds. The story just drags on.

Same.

In fact, I'll usually do a little research on just about any live performance I'm going to see -- ballet, orchestra, play, performance, whatever. I find I enjoy a show and get so much more out of it when I know better what is going on.

I’m trying to remember the last time I saw theater that WASN’T a musical…. It’s been a really long time. I love musicals!!!!

Can you explain more? I don't see any difference in these three movies. Alan Menken did all 3.

Musicals! 

I like plays. I love musicals.