We finished our mini-season of musicals with Mamma Mia. This was a fun one and the music was nostalgic. I will say, the first act was slower than I remembered. It picked up in the second and overall was a good time. What really made the evening was the encore. The entire cast played a bunch of ABBA hits and the entire crowd was on their feet going crazy. I felt sorry for those who left before the encore. What a shame. Those last fifteen minutes made the show. We left on an ABBA high
Am I in love with the theatre? No, but I do enjoy it from time to time. My favorite, hands down, is Les Miserable. The music, the stage and the storyline are amazing. I’ve seen it a number of times and sometimes listen to the soundtrack when I need my Les Mis fix.
I remember the first live performance I saw was the Sound of Music. We grew up watching Julie Andrews on TV so my parents thought we’d enjoy the musical at a local theater. Four pre-teen kids at a two hour performance. What a brave choice for my parents to make. Because we’d seen the movie a million times, we enjoyed the evening singing along.
While backpacking through Europe, my buddy and I found ourselves in Salzburg. Of course we had to go on the Sound of Music tour. My friend had never seen it but agreed to tag along. It should be noted that he loved alternative rock, was an uber-masculine dude and his preferred live performance involved a ball, a clock and scoreboard. So thinking back, what a damn good sport he was. The next time I see him I’ll be sure to thank him and buy him a few beers for taking one for the team back then.
A year ago I stumbled upon this stripped down cover of My Favorite Things. I discovered this version while listening to acoustic cover performances on the Stories’ YouTube channel. They’ve got some pretty cool stuff. Check it out.
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For the Spotify playlist, please click here.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens,
Brown paper packages tied up with strings,
These are a few of my favourite things.
Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels,
Doorbells and sleigh-bells and schnitzel with noodles,
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,
These are a few of my favourite things.
Girls in white dress with blue satin sashes,
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eye-lashes,
Silver white Winters that melt into Springs,
These are a few of my favourite things.
When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel, so bad.
Downloaded “The Sound of Music” for my movie collection the other day. We used to watch it once a year on broadcast TV with my Mom when we were kids. I haven’t dipped back in yet, but those are good memories.
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Thanks for confirming that I am not the only dude that grew up watching this. After I hit publish, I was a little self conscious!
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An ABBA dance party – fun! I love your willingness to go to musicals…certain husbands in Massachusetts should take notes. (Boy, that version of Favorite Things is very stripped down. It really showcases her voice though.)
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The first big production I saw was Les Mis. I think that made me open to musicals. If the first one had been Cats, I’d probably feel the same way as certain Massachusetts husbands that you know.
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Haha, true. Les Mis is goosebumps-inducing! Powerful show
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I haven’t seen a musical in ages. There was a time (college) that I listened to musicals nonstop. I saw Les Mis live on stage at the Sydney Opera House while visiting Australia on a choir tour. I cried throughout the entire show- was so embarrassed at how red my eyes were! I love ABBA, too 🙂
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I was looking at the line up for the next season. There are some pretty good performances coming up. There are so many venues in Southern California. You should check them out.
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I will!
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Cool! I’m going to see Les Misérables this summer. I just can’t wait!
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That sounds awesome!
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A long time since I saw ‘Les Misérables’ and not quite as long for ‘Mamma Mia.’ We saw the latter in London’s West End in the 2010s. It was a fabulous production.
I liked the stripped down version of the song… had a nice vibe to it that didn’t seem to take away from the original.
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I agree. That YouTube channel has quite a few acoustic covers that I’ve enjoyed. The Rodger and Hammerstein covers took me by surprise.
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Is that Neuschwanstein Castle? I’ve been there.
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Yes, I think it is!
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My kids loved that, musta played it…no kidding… 50-60 times over the years. Maria with the three-octave voice is pretty cool. Rogers & Hammerstein, great pair, good songs without being campy.
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