I have a lot of students who love musical theatre. Personally I love some songs but as a genre I often find it quite contrived. For example, people feeling sad so they burst into a showstomping number expressing how sad they feel. So, yes… that’s not so realistic.
HOWEVER! certain musicals really grab me. Blues Brothers being a great example, as it’s about a band. And comedic musicals really grab me.
The latest one to grab me is ‘Book of Mormon’. This was written by the same guys responsible for Southpark, so its suitably tongue in cheek as a musical. A student of mine happened to study alongside with someone on the current tour of Book of Mormon and they made me watch it – I was in stitches.
This particular song – ‘I Believe’ – is a statement of facts from the Mormon faith. This song is absolutely killer as both comedy and a piece of music. I love it. I hope you do too.