Les Musicals
I have been obsessed with musicals since about 2006, when a friend introduced me to the musical Phantom of the Opera. Since then I have expounded my horizons to include several musicals and stories that shall be listed below.
The Phantom of the Opera
Technically this was not the first musical I have ever seen, but this is the first one I became majorly obsessed with. A good friend introduced it to me, and started a snowball that has finally plateaued somewhat. After watching the 2004 movie I expanded my horizons to include the original novel and a few spin-offs, including a fantastic movie starring Charles Dance. In November 2007 I had a dream come true when my family and I went to Chicago to see the play onstage...let's just say that I was bouncing off of the walls almost the whole day. I am still obsessed with PotO, but not as much as I was, say, a couple of years ago.
By the way: if you want to read a fantastic Phantom of the Opera comic that is based off of the book, go check this guy out: http://iron-gibbet.deviantart.com/ His comic updates every Monday, and he's working on animating the comic as well. HE IS AMAZING.
Les Miserables
The name may sound rather depressing, but Les Miserables is actually a fantastic musical based off an even more incredible book. The actor Philip Quast, who I have some of my drawings based off of, played in this musical in the role of Javert. I actually didn't care for it when I first heard the musical, but after hearing the Tenth Anniversary Concert (other known as the 'Dream Cast') I completely changed my views and read the book once I could get my paws on it. 1,462 pages later I decided that I had found my new obsession. As a result, much of my artwork and fan-writings are based off of the musical and book. My next goal with this musical is to see it onstage...Chicago, here we come!!
Jekyll and Hyde
Believe it or not, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is, in fact, a musical. It is actually a little darker than the book, in parts, but overall is a great play with incredibly music. Anthony Warlow plays the part of Jekyll (and Hyde, if you think about it) in the concept album and does a bang-up job in the role. The only version I've seen in whole onstage is the movie that stars David Hasselhoff...no offense to the Hoff but I prefer Warlow in the long run.
The Scarlet Pimpernel
I read the book Scarlet Pimpernel and its sequels long before I discovered the musical; rather than disappoint, the musical is actually quite faithful to the book and the Original Broadway Cast recording with Terrence Mann, Douglas Sills, and Christine Andreas is a gorgeous piece of work. I've not seen this onstage *tear tear*, but I have hopes that I will someday see it.
My Fair Lady
This was actually one of the first musicals I ever saw as a kid, and still remains one of my favorites. I never cared for the ending very much, but I have yet to meet a person that really did. However, the movie is still full of fun and is a lovely showcase for Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.