Saw the London production in 2014. Underwhelmed. As a piece of contemporary musical theatre it clearly ticks the right boxes for audiences unschooled/unfamiliar with the great Broadway shows of the past. But despite its quite phenomenal success on Broadway and the West End, it wouldn't even make my TOP 100 BEST EVER BROADWAY MUSICALS . . . It's clever but it's soulless and it doesn't contain a single hit song . . .
I'd totally forgotten I'd posted this thread and just found it again.
I'm definitely one of those 'unschooled' types you mention. Much of the time, I'm not sure if I 'get' musicals; if I'm going to go somewhere purely to be entertained by some music I'd really rather see a music concert or be at a festival. An injection of shock-humor and a non-conventional subject matter made it all the more enjoyable for me, even though I realize there are musicals with catchier and/or more sophisticated musical compositions.
Having had a couple of weeks to reflect, I also think that the writing, on the whole, was missing the pointed irony and satirical subtext of South Park at its finest, although it kept me chuckling at the time.
It occurs to me there are probably opera aficionados who look down upon Broadway/West End shows as too low-brow, and I can't freakin' STAND opera. It is just dire.
What would you recommend from your 'top 100' for someone who is occasionally intrigued by musical theatre but would probably not see the value of something too conventional?
