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This article has a very special place in my heart for 1 reason: it’s me getting to nerd out about theater. I am speaking to people who may be thinking about and wondering about musical theater. They may be thinking, “Ok. This seems cool, I’m thinking about joining, but I don’t have the slightest clue as to where to start cause I don’t know anything about Musical Theater.” Well, that is what I am here for. As a theater actor, I have had my fair share of performances and critiques, and if you are looking for where to start, I am here to use what I have done this year to help you know where and where not to look.
(Original Broadway Poster for Into the Woods in 1986)
The first show I did this year was the show Into The Woods. Now, let’s take a look at this from a standpoint outside of having already done this show. Into the Woods seems like a simple plot, a group of fairy tales coming together in a cool adventure, however, the themes that underline every scene are complex and very real. It is one of those shows that once you do it, something will happen in your adult life, and it will bring you back to that show. While as wonderful, fantastical, and gorgeous as the show is, it is not the best show to research as a beginner, especially with how complex the music and themes are. If you want to start learning harder stuff right off the bat, then I would recommend taking a listen into the music and finding some articles or videos on the plot.
(Poster showing “Bruiser” the Chihuahua getting ready to go to Harvard)
One show that most people, even outside of the main “Theater group” is Legally Blonde, based on the hit film from 2001. This show is much easier to grasp from a story aspect. It is a pretty simple story of overcoming one’s flaws to become successful and finding yourself along the way. When doing the show, the harmonies are fairly difficult, but otherwise, it is music that is easy for a beginner to learn. People oftentimes will use songs from Legally Blonde for their first or second auditions because it is fun, they like it, and it’s relatively easy to learn. It also helps to show off, since there are some notes that if you can do them, are rather impressive. I would recommend watching and analyzing this show for most beginners.
(Playbill Graphic For All Shook Up)
The next show I did during 2024 was a show called All Shook Up. All Shook Up is what is called a Jukebox musical, which means it consists of music that was written as stand-alone songs and not songs made for the show. This show contains all Elvis music. If you are an Elvis fan, this show might be a fun show to try out. The one thing that may be daunting is that there is a lot of dancing in the show. If you either have dance experience or want to start getting dance experience, then I would recommend the show to you. It’s a fairly simple plot of falling in love, and the show mainly focuses on the songs and dancing.
(Main Poster for the 2023 Revival of Sweeney Todd starring Josh Groban)
This show I would highly recommend listening to if you like big orchestral pieces and dark humor. Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim is a masterpiece of lyrics, story, and deep thematic prowess. I do recommend listening to this show and having fun with it, but it is a very hard show to get a complete grasp on because, to put it plainly, it’s hard. It is very complex when it comes to story, acting, set, and lighting as well. When I did the show, we did a somewhat simple take on the show, but doing Sweeney Todd simply doesn’t do justice to the show. As much as I love and adore this show, I would not recommend trying to use this show if you are new to theater.
(Poster for the 1957 movie based off of the show starring the film’s director Henry Fonda as the main protagonist)
Lastly, the latest show I performed in 2024 was not a musical, but a stage play called Twelve Angry Men. This show shows how bigotry affects people’s judgments, by providing the setting of a jury room with people debating on the guilt or innocence of a boy who grew up in a slum. If you want to see performances that are very human and very down-to-earth, then study this show. If a person can come into an acting setting and be able to act subtly, as is needed in this show, then that person will go far with an acting career. You can learn a lot about how people act because of different beliefs through this show, and I would absolutely recommend studying this show.
