SONG AND DANCE

WATCH: Must-See Musicals Picked by the Pros

IMG_9970All right, everyone, let’s talk musical theater.

Some gays, of course, are walking encyclopedias of the medium. But a lot of us have just cursory knowledge of the basics — Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Moulin Rouge.

We got to wondering: is there some kind of “Movie Musicals 101” class that we could take to find more great song-and-dance films? If you’re relatively unfamiliar with the medium, if can be hard to know which ones are must-watch (Sister Act) and which ones are best left to the sands of time (At Long Last Love).

So we consulted the experts: the musical flashmobbers at Musical Mondays, a weekly celebration of all things musical at Eleven Nightclub in West Hollywood. Every Monday night, the Fans of MuMo sing and dance along to a random-ish selection of musical clips that play on the bar’s monitors. Grabbing whatever props and costumes they might’ve brought along to the bar that night, the Fans have seen just about every musical film, Tony clip, and VHS bootleg of Judy performances ever made.

Which musical movies do they consider essential viewing for the musical neophyte? Read on for their recommendations.

Here’s a clip of Andrew and Brian performing “We’ll Take a Glass Together” from Grand Hotel. Among their favorites: Singin’ in the Rain and Thoroughly Modern Millie — but the stage play, not the film.

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If you’re coming to musical movies for the first time, Andrew recommends Singin’ in the Rain. “It’s essential,” he says. Then there’s GreaseThe Sound of Music and Little Shop of Horrors. “Straight people like it,” he points out.

http://youtu.be/EOdqriSeY7k

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Brian’s unexpected recommendation: Star with Julie Andrews. Or for something for a more general audience, Mary Poppins.

 

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Jen likes A Chorus Line. “It isn’t just a musical. It gets at the heart of what a musical is. Grease is a good one to ease people into. And Moulin Rouge is good — you already know all the songs.”

http://youtu.be/uxsfB-bQozg

 

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Bobby doesn’t hesitate: Hairspray, Victor Victoria, Cabaret, and West Side Story. Andrew chimes in, “Cabaret is the softest introduction to Bob Fosse.”

http://youtu.be/hBlB8RAJEEc

 

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Martin’s favorite is Sister Act, followed by Mamma Mia, and “practically any Disney film.”

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Andrew agrees that any Disney movie is a good introduction to musical theater. (Though we suspect Aristocats may challenge this hypothesis.)

He adds ChicagoRent “more or less,” and “Les Mis if they can stomach it.”

 

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