“What is your favorite film?” is a question I always answer the same. “Mamma Mia!” and “La La Land.” Point blank. What can I say? I’m a complete sucker for movie musicals.
Movie musicals are definitely an acquired taste — it goes without saying that a lot of movie musical fans also enjoy musical theater.
I understand this is not a genre for everyone, but in my view, if you don’t like movie musicals, you have poor taste.
Consider my father — when we watch a movie together, I know better than to recommend “Tick, Tick… Boom!,” opting for “The Godfather” or any John Hughes movie from the ’80s. He simply doesn’t understand the delight of a good movie musical. The irony of it all is that he’s been a trained musician for half of his life.
Although some movie musicals have flopped — cough, cough “Cats” — there have been several successful ones over the last few decades such as “Annie” (1982), “West Side Story” (2021) and “Tick, Tick… Boom!” (2021).
Despite the discourse, there are a few key reasons why I think this genre has grown in popularity and become more common in recent years.
1.The boundaries of live theater are stretched.
To me, live theater is one of the greatest joys in the world. But there is a limit to what can be physically put on a live stage.
In terms of special effects and technological advancements, live theater has come a long way — consider the smash hit musical “Beetlejuice.” When the enormous snake apparatus appeared on the stage while I was watching it at The Winter Garden Theater in New York City, my jaw dropped to the floor.
In this instance, the movie came before the musical instead of the other way around. This is becoming more common — consider the “Back to the Future” (1985) movie franchise, which is on the move to Broadway, opening this upcoming summer.
However, there are still restrictions on how a story can be told and what can be displayed on a live stage, despite some of the more recent incredible technological advancements.
In the movie musical “The Greatest Showman,” computer-generated imagery and state-of-the-art special effects are the most significant contributors to the film’s sense of magic and wonder.
Editing and CGI were used to create incredible scenes, settings from the 19th century and circus animals in this movie. This sort of technical animation cannot be replicated on a Broadway stage, removing the mystical appeal.
Consider the timing and transitions between scenes as well. In live theater, moving set pieces and switching scenes takes time and effort, meanwhile, scenes in a movie can overlap and transition from one to the next in milliseconds.
As a result, the limitations of live theater are pushed to a new level on-screen in movie musicals.
2. Song lyrics reveal a character’s thoughts and feelings more effectively.
In typical movies, dialogue and spoken word are the only ways for characters to interact with each other and with the audience — song is an added component and another communication tool in movie musicals.
Indeed, humans do not sing out their everyday thoughts while walking on the street — and wouldn’t life be more joyful if we could.
Still, there’s no denying that music helps tell a story. Songs can convey what a character cannot say in words and propel the plot of a film forward. Music also assists an audience in determining a character’s personality and inner thoughts.
The song “Mamma Mia,” from the film “Mamma Mia!,” which is used to convey the character Donna’s shock when she unexpectedly finds her exes in her attic, is an example. This song shows Donna’s conflicted state without the use of spoken dialogue, which I believe is more effective — and captivating.
Songs in movies can also provide a deeper reflection of audience emotions. Personally, if a character is singing instead of talking, I am more likely to feel moved and connected to them — although, maybe that’s just the theater kid in me.
3. Overall, movie musicals are just enjoyable.
When watching typical movies, I have a hard time maintaining interest. The reason I enjoy movie musicals so much is that they are more lively and keep me hooked the entire time. I am usually singing and dancing along with the characters and left humming the tunes long after the end.
This genre continues to appeal to my interests because they push the envelope of live theater through emotion-evoking music and plots that are eternally engaging and captivating.
Yes! I love movie musicals as well. Mamma Mia is my whole childhood.