Life's A Happy Song

The Dude and I are musical enthusiasts, so I am very much looking forward to seeing The Book of Mormon with him this evening.  Since moving to a city as college students, we have been fortunate to see several musicals together, including Avenue Q, Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Rent, Spamalot, and Wicked.  The Dude and our uncles S and J are my go-to musical buddies.  S and J took me to see Rent and Seussical while I was in college and I also saw many of the musicals listed above with them.  (Rent is listed twice as I've seen it multiple times.  Every young person who loves musicals must go through a serious Rent phase.)

Three of my favorite people on the planet.  On our way to see "Donkey Show" in 2010.

Growing up, I adored the movie musicals that my mother had been raised on-- The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and of course Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.  (My Julie Andrew obsession is documented on the blog.)  I discovered that I loved Annie and other more recent (to a child of the '80s) movie musicals like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Labyrinth, Newsies, and every amazing Disney movie from the era (especially The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King.  Side note-- The Lion King musical, which I saw the my mum, aunt, and cousin a decade ago in the same theater in which I'll see The Book of Mormon tonight, was phenomenal.)  The Dude and I were also big fans of the movie Grease, though looking back, that flick had some very questionable content for kids.  Great job, Parents.

During my teen years, I "borrowed" (permanently) my dad's A Chorus Line cassette tape and though I've never seen it performed, I know every word of that musical.  The above-referenced musical expert J bought me a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat CD the year that I met him and I know that from start to finish as well.

So in conclusion, I'm a sucker for musicals.  One of my favorite movies from the past few years is The Muppets because of the nostalgia factor of the muppets themselves but also because of the outstanding songs Bret Mackenzie created for that film.  I can't listen to "Life's A Happy Song" without smiling and I can't help but feel gleeful when I have the privilege of watching talented performers sing and dance their hearts out.  Tonight should be a good night.