Musical Theatre

Of all of the performing arts there are, I think musical theater has always been my favorite. After all, I love acting, and I love music even more. What could better combine the two than musical theatre? I have seen all of the musicals that I can get my hands on. I have seen all the old classics like South Pacific, the modern hits, the big Broadway productions, and the off-Broadway obscure ones that only the true connoisseurs know about. I just can't get enough of it.

When I was in college, I even tried my hand at musical theater. There was an open casting call going around for a musical that one of the theater school graduates was doing as his thesis. I had been singing on my own for years and years, but I never really received any formal training. Nonetheless, my friends all told me that I was good and I figured I would give it a try. I had played in a band and even did a little bit of Opera at least on my own. I figured it couldn't be that hard.

I was pretty disappointed when I did not make that musical theatre tryout, though somewhat consoled by the fact that it wasn't my singing voice so much as my acting ability that lost it for me. I knew that I wasn't much of an actor, and when the director told me that I had to work on this skill, I thanked him for the advice. Since then, I have only attempted to gain access to musical theatre as a spectator. I know that I will never be an actor in a big production.

Nonetheless, every time I go to a big Broadway show and witness the musical theatre, It feels almost like I'm a part of it. I forgot that I'm in the audience. It seems like I'm right up on stage with them, participating along with the actors in all the drama. Whether it is a silly, lighthearted story or a serious drama, I always find a way to relate to it. For most people, musical theatre doesn't really suspend disbelief, but for me it does. It is almost as if what I'm watching is actually real. Maybe one day I'll try out again, but until then I'll enjoy watching it from the sidelines. Somehow, I don't think the magic can be quite as great once you're involved in it.