The second I saw you give Next to Normal the pick over Les Mis just confirmed why you're one of my favourite Theatre TH-camrs. Both amazing, but 100% agree with you on that pick.
As a fan of starlight express im pleased to see it made this video because even though they had made a lot of different changes to the show which ppl did not like i still respect them for adapting and resurrecting the show and feel that the show deserves more respect as the actors there put in huge amounts of work shown through just how much singing they do alone.
40 minuter video and I was not bored a tiny bit, In fact, I was on the edge of my suspense... to see the top 2 ...TADAHHH! HADESTOWN I sincerely hope it comes to us! Australia Australia!
Thank you for this because i’ve just discovered i’m in a unique position of having currently seen exactly 64 musicals in my lifetime so of course im taking this opportunity and doing a vs bracket before the number changes and i can’t repeat until 128 🤣
Being in the States, I don't have as much knowledge of the West End but I do know a lot about most of the shows (mainly due to you and Mickey!) I always do further research too. And I have seen some of the shows either in person or a movie version. So as you were going through the shows, I surprisingly thought exactly like you! For me your insights were spot on! Great video!🥰
Well I'm feeling good about my upcoming trip! G&D into Matilda into Single into Hadestown into Next to Normal. My excuse for no Cabaret was the ticket price! Think the only disagreements I had with your choices was Hello Dolly but maybe that's because the charm didn't hit for me on any recordings?
Honestly, my only battle is whether I think Les Mis or Next To Normal is the better show. It made me very sad seeing them in the same category 😢 like right now, I'd too say Next to Normal because I've had the soundtrack on loop for two months. But in general, I think Les Mis has probably been on for 40 years for a very good reason and Schonberg is my all time favourite musical composer, with Miss Saigon being my all time favourite show. Les Mis definitely caters to a wider audience which is important
My bracket, at least in today's mood :) Definitely a recency bias coming into play in my final, but those are actually the two shows I've seen the most so it tracks, I just haven't seen Hamilton live in a long time R1: Two Strangers MJ Kathy & Stella Operation Mincemeat Wicked Next to Normal Hadestown Book of Mormon Mamma Mia Guys & Dolls Hamilton Cabaret Frozen Tina SIX Starlight Express R2: Two Strangers Operation Mincemeat Next to Normal Hadestown Guys & Dolls Hamilton Frozen SIX R3: Operation Mincemeat Next to Normal Hamilton SIX R4: Operation Mincemeat (between those two it would come down to mood though) Hamilton Winner: Operation Mincemeat
Brilliant! Definitely disagree with some choices here .. Les Mis shocking, Hamilton surprised me .. SIX was a no from me .. but when we came to the final two, I was perfectly happy with the winner.. Cannot get enough of the bracket challenges, keep them coming please 😊. Would love to see your Top Shows list ..
I would say this was a really good idea doing it on current west end shows instead of “what is the best musical of all time” because that would have been a very large argument trying to rank the best musical when they are all so different and ranking anything in general often allows for biases but that’s what makes theatre so good that there is no best show and it’s nice seeing people show all their opinions on platforms like this in a fun way like a competition
This is also a format that will lend itself a lot better to a sequel too because of how shows are always coming and going. Already a bunch of the shows in this video are going soon like Frozen and Kathy and Stella so imagine the same concept in half a year. Asking for y'all to suggest ideas was the best idea I ever had 😂
Good List. But… I understand that there has to be limits and still what about shows at the Soho Theatre, the Royal Court, the National, the Old Vic, the… Wait - I see it now. Goes on forever. Anyway, I have to pick one show I will be able to see: What is your opinion on „The Real Thing“?
All of those are technically Off-West End which could have its own bracket in the future! I did break that rule for Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me Kate and Starlight but I let them pass because they're West End sized musicals (and I needed the extra ones.) I haven't seen The Real Thing yet, hopefully I will be able to - my friends went to see it and ranked it fairly positively though!
Personally I probably would pick Book of mormon. I saw it earlier this year and honestly loved it, the songs are so good and I really feel that Parker and Stone's humour is at its best when they're not trying to cover current events. Plus it has easily one of my favourite queer leads, and I like that it's a musical with a gay guy as the main protagonist but his sexuality isn't the source of all the trauma he experiences.
There's nothing in Book of Mormon that confirms that Elder Price is gay, I'm not sure where you got that from? The most his sexuality is discussed is literally him denying he's gay in Turn It Off. Unless the musical has made an extremely drastic change recently which would be very surprising, Book of Mormon's only queer character is Elder McKinley who is basically a walking joke all about his sexuality but I'm assuming you're not talking about him as he's not the main protagonist.
@@EllieTalksTheatre I'll admit, it's technically confirmed outside of the musical, that's on me for forgetting that it's not really known outside of the musical's fanbase. It was confirmed in an interview where Trey Parker stated that when it was being written, they thought of him through the lens of being gay, and Turn it off was originally written for him. It's definitely suggested in yhe musical itself, like how in the hell dream scene, Mckinley appears as basically a personification of gay thoughts.
You'll have to link me to that interview, I'd be interested to read it. I think though, because of the lack of definitive answers on Price's sexuality, it can be easy to label him however you want, almost headcanoning it. Because it's not so definite in the musical, I wouldn't personally consider him as a queer lead. I'd love to see a production or even an actor lean into that idea for Price though, I think it could be an interesting lens to see him through but knowing his commitment to his faith and in turn, that church's general attitude to homosexuality, I doubt he'd be very open to his sexuality 😂
I do love Hadestown (controversially... I think I like the cast recording mor ethan the actual show 😅) but it being the winner over things like Les mis?! That's... Just wrong 😂
While I love Les Mis (as you saw, difficult decision) I stand by it 100% I'd love to hear some of the shows you think would have made it to the finale if you did the bracket - it's all so subjective so it makes sense we all have different winners!
@@EllieTalksTheatre I have not seen all of these so couldn't properly play along 😁 have not seen Operation Mincemeat yet (I know I know.... It's going to happen 😅) so 2 strangers would have been my pick obviously. Same with Next Normal although I'm hoping to see it next week. Either way. Les Mis being the first west end show i ever saw... It would probably always win in my eyes 😁
Matilda vs Hadestown and then Operation Mincemeat vs Hadestown. My stomach dropped in these moment and I was in the edge of my seat. But overall, I think the artistry of Hadestown is unbeatable. It is truly a masterpiece!
I did phrase that badly - I think we saw a lot of shows mimic the physical style of choreo that Hamilton did so it's a style I'm a little tired of. It's not a deal breaker for the show for me but a little nitpick for me when I'm having to pick between two shows I love.
The second I saw you give Next to Normal the pick over Les Mis just confirmed why you're one of my favourite Theatre TH-camrs. Both amazing, but 100% agree with you on that pick.
As a fan of starlight express im pleased to see it made this video because even though they had made a lot of different changes to the show which ppl did not like i still respect them for adapting and resurrecting the show and feel that the show deserves more respect as the actors there put in huge amounts of work shown through just how much singing they do alone.
40 minuter video and I was not bored a tiny bit, In fact, I was on the edge of my suspense... to see the top 2 ...TADAHHH! HADESTOWN I sincerely hope it comes to us! Australia Australia!
It is announced it will be coming to Australia in may!
Thank you for this because i’ve just discovered i’m in a unique position of having currently seen exactly 64 musicals in my lifetime so of course im taking this opportunity and doing a vs bracket before the number changes and i can’t repeat until 128 🤣
I recommended this and I’m SO GLAD you’re doing it :D
Being in the States, I don't have as much knowledge of the West End but I do know a lot about most of the shows (mainly due to you and Mickey!) I always do further research too. And I have seen some of the shows either in person or a movie version. So as you were going through the shows, I surprisingly thought exactly like you! For me your insights were spot on! Great video!🥰
such a great video for someone who always struggles to pick what to see when travelling to london 😅 saving this for my next trip!
❤ I love to see that you are becoming more and more natural and at ease with your vloggings! KEEP IT GOING GIRLFRIEND!👌
Strangers Things was an awesome surprise for me!!!!!! Top ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️!!
Well I'm feeling good about my upcoming trip! G&D into Matilda into Single into Hadestown into Next to Normal. My excuse for no Cabaret was the ticket price! Think the only disagreements I had with your choices was Hello Dolly but maybe that's because the charm didn't hit for me on any recordings?
Great channel. Subscribed.
Honestly, my only battle is whether I think Les Mis or Next To Normal is the better show. It made me very sad seeing them in the same category 😢 like right now, I'd too say Next to Normal because I've had the soundtrack on loop for two months. But in general, I think Les Mis has probably been on for 40 years for a very good reason and Schonberg is my all time favourite musical composer, with Miss Saigon being my all time favourite show. Les Mis definitely caters to a wider audience which is important
My bracket, at least in today's mood :) Definitely a recency bias coming into play in my final, but those are actually the two shows I've seen the most so it tracks, I just haven't seen Hamilton live in a long time
R1:
Two Strangers
MJ
Kathy & Stella
Operation Mincemeat
Wicked
Next to Normal
Hadestown
Book of Mormon
Mamma Mia
Guys & Dolls
Hamilton
Cabaret
Frozen
Tina
SIX
Starlight Express
R2:
Two Strangers
Operation Mincemeat
Next to Normal
Hadestown
Guys & Dolls
Hamilton
Frozen
SIX
R3:
Operation Mincemeat
Next to Normal
Hamilton
SIX
R4:
Operation Mincemeat (between those two it would come down to mood though)
Hamilton
Winner:
Operation Mincemeat
My top 2 are Wicked & Six
I’ve watched them a lot 😅
Tina would also score highly I think and sister act was very good
Hadestown for the win! 100% agree
Brilliant! Definitely disagree with some choices here .. Les Mis shocking, Hamilton surprised me .. SIX was a no from me .. but when we came to the final two, I was perfectly happy with the winner.. Cannot get enough of the bracket challenges, keep them coming please 😊. Would love to see your Top Shows list ..
I would say this was a really good idea doing it on current west end shows instead of “what is the best musical of all time” because that would have been a very large argument trying to rank the best musical when they are all so different and ranking anything in general often allows for biases but that’s what makes theatre so good that there is no best show and it’s nice seeing people show all their opinions on platforms like this in a fun way like a competition
This is also a format that will lend itself a lot better to a sequel too because of how shows are always coming and going.
Already a bunch of the shows in this video are going soon like Frozen and Kathy and Stella so imagine the same concept in half a year.
Asking for y'all to suggest ideas was the best idea I ever had 😂
Hadestown over Caberet but my favourite are Wicked, SIX and Mincemeat also Hadestown and Come From Away
Good List. But… I understand that there has to be limits and still what about shows at the Soho Theatre, the Royal Court, the National, the Old Vic, the… Wait - I see it now. Goes on forever.
Anyway, I have to pick one show I will be able to see: What is your opinion on „The Real Thing“?
All of those are technically Off-West End which could have its own bracket in the future!
I did break that rule for Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me Kate and Starlight but I let them pass because they're West End sized musicals (and I needed the extra ones.)
I haven't seen The Real Thing yet, hopefully I will be able to - my friends went to see it and ranked it fairly positively though!
Me : who's two favorite musicals are Starlight Express and Six
The Second Round: exists
Me: *puppet monkey gif*
Personally I probably would pick Book of mormon. I saw it earlier this year and honestly loved it, the songs are so good and I really feel that Parker and Stone's humour is at its best when they're not trying to cover current events.
Plus it has easily one of my favourite queer leads, and I like that it's a musical with a gay guy as the main protagonist but his sexuality isn't the source of all the trauma he experiences.
There's nothing in Book of Mormon that confirms that Elder Price is gay, I'm not sure where you got that from? The most his sexuality is discussed is literally him denying he's gay in Turn It Off.
Unless the musical has made an extremely drastic change recently which would be very surprising, Book of Mormon's only queer character is Elder McKinley who is basically a walking joke all about his sexuality but I'm assuming you're not talking about him as he's not the main protagonist.
@@EllieTalksTheatre I'll admit, it's technically confirmed outside of the musical, that's on me for forgetting that it's not really known outside of the musical's fanbase. It was confirmed in an interview where Trey Parker stated that when it was being written, they thought of him through the lens of being gay, and Turn it off was originally written for him. It's definitely suggested in yhe musical itself, like how in the hell dream scene, Mckinley appears as basically a personification of gay thoughts.
You'll have to link me to that interview, I'd be interested to read it.
I think though, because of the lack of definitive answers on Price's sexuality, it can be easy to label him however you want, almost headcanoning it. Because it's not so definite in the musical, I wouldn't personally consider him as a queer lead.
I'd love to see a production or even an actor lean into that idea for Price though, I think it could be an interesting lens to see him through but knowing his commitment to his faith and in turn, that church's general attitude to homosexuality, I doubt he'd be very open to his sexuality 😂
LES MIS WAS ROBBED lol
I do love Hadestown (controversially... I think I like the cast recording mor ethan the actual show 😅) but it being the winner over things like Les mis?! That's... Just wrong 😂
While I love Les Mis (as you saw, difficult decision) I stand by it 100%
I'd love to hear some of the shows you think would have made it to the finale if you did the bracket - it's all so subjective so it makes sense we all have different winners!
@@EllieTalksTheatre I have not seen all of these so couldn't properly play along 😁 have not seen Operation Mincemeat yet (I know I know.... It's going to happen 😅) so 2 strangers would have been my pick obviously. Same with Next Normal although I'm hoping to see it next week. Either way. Les Mis being the first west end show i ever saw... It would probably always win in my eyes 😁
Matilda vs Hadestown and then Operation Mincemeat vs Hadestown.
My stomach dropped in these moment and I was in the edge of my seat. But overall, I think the artistry of Hadestown is unbeatable. It is truly a masterpiece!
Whats the best thing on the west end? Depending on my mood
Why am I so single in my opinion 😍
What about the staging of Hamilton aged badly, do you think?
I did phrase that badly - I think we saw a lot of shows mimic the physical style of choreo that Hamilton did so it's a style I'm a little tired of. It's not a deal breaker for the show for me but a little nitpick for me when I'm having to pick between two shows I love.