The Enid Blyton Society

Hello

Does anyone here like musicals? If so, what's your favourite musical?

Abi

I LOVE musicals, Abi, and I've been lucky enough to see quite a few over the years. I think my absolute favourite is Billy Elliot. It has cracking songs, a moving and stirring storyline threaded with humour, a memorable array of characters and calls for an incredibly skilled cast, with the part of Billy being astonishingly demanding. Superb from beginning to end.

Other favourites include Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Stephen Ward, Oliver!, Les Miserables, Blood Brothers, Cabaret, Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Wizard of Oz, Matilda and Miss Saigon. Of those, the only ones I haven't seen on stage are My Fair Lady and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - but I'd love to if I ever get the chance.

Shows I found somewhat disappointing were Wicked, Dreamboats and Petticoats, A Chorus Line and Urinetown (okay, so the title of the latter says it all, but I'd read a couple of promising reviews!)

What are your favourite musicals, Abi?

I haven't really seen many Musicals, but I do really love 'The Phantom of the Opera' which is such an eerie and elegant performance: the story is so captivating and there are some beautiful songs which make it really mysterious and ghostly.

I have seen very few musicals but I was fortunate enough to see "My Fair Lady" in its opening week in the West End in 1958. I was one of the tutorial group in my teacher training college who were treated to tickets by our tutor. This was to mark the end of our two year training course before we all qualified.
During my stay in London in those years I also saw some of the Whitehall farces. Anyone remember Brian Rix?

I've seen Phantom of the Opera in London and it was fabulous.

I love watching the film, The Sound of Music too.

I remember Brian Rix and the Whitehall farces, Daisy. Didn't his wife also appear in them? I think her name was Elspeth Grey.

You're right John. Now you come to mention it - I do remember her too.

I certainly remember Brian Rix and the Whitehall Farces, though I never saw them live. In the 1950s, the BBC regularly used to televise excerpts from them. I especially remember 'Reluctant Heroes' and 'Dry Rot'. The Whitehall Company, formed by Rix, consisted of his wife, Elspet Gray, Leo Franklin, little Larry Noble, Peter Mercier and his wife, Sheila Mercier. Sheila was Brian Rix's sister. I am sure Julie will know that she played Annie Sugden in 'Emmerdale Farm / Emmerdale' for very many years. My parents went to see 'Simple Spymen' at the 'Whitehall Theatre in 1964.

Dave

Thanks for the additional information about the Whitehall farces, Dave. I can't remember much about them now except that they were hilarious.

I used to love those farces when shown on TV. I also didn't realize that Sheila Mercer of Emmerdale is Brian Rix sister! Or that Elspet Grey was his wife. I'm sure I've seen her in a stage version of something a few years back, unless I'm thinking of someone else!

Brigadoon has always been a favourite of mine. Superb cast & great songs..."Go home to bonnie Jean"!

I'm sure you've got the right actress, Julie. Here's a link to Elspet Gray's Wikipedia entry, from which you will see she has been very active in her own right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elspet_Gray" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dave

I've only seen animated musicals like Disney's classics. I'm fond of Peter Pan due to the crocodile scenes. "Smeeeeeee!"

What I don't like about online games with musicals, however, is the developers' tendency to shoehorn every celeb they can think of until the game looks like a salmagundi of genres. Not the appetizing kind either.

Julie2owlsdene wrote:I also didn't realize that Sheila Mercer of Emmerdale is Brian Rix sister!

That was back in the days when Emmerdale Farm was a country drama, not the sex-fuelled soap that it has become today. Then, it was populated by Yorkshire-folk and farm animals, not townies from Essex.

We watched the film, My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, the other day. Sheer magic. Quality acting and singing (even if Audrey's cockney accent was a bit questionable), and not a swear word to be heard.