Guest Guide to Musicals...

Helena Williams runs One in a Long Line of Good Girls, a website dedicated to all things musical theatre. She directed and performed in cabarets at university and was on the committee of Music Theatre Bristol for four years. While her site covers both established shows and new productions, for our guide she has focused on the 21st century, collaborating with Starling Arts co-director Anna Shields for a brief appendix on movie adaptations. 

Words: Helena Williams

My particular passion is for the innovative and lesser-known. While many people think musicals constitute little more than long-runners aimed at tourists, the genre has moved on a lot in recent years. New musicals appear all the time and are often funny, rude and dark. One of my main aims is to encourage people to break out of their comfort zones and see some new musical theatre.

As an aside, there are many, much older musicals that should not be missed. I would particularly recommend seeing Guys & Dolls, West Side Story and Sweet Charity on stage whenever you get the opportunity.

Five Must See 21st-Century Musicals

The story of the other side of Oz, Wicked follows Elphaba, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda, her White Witch counterpart. This musical is outstanding on almost every level – the score is wonderful, the story engaging and clever, and its visuals spectacular. An exceptional treat.

2. Betty Blue Eyes
George Stiles & Anthony Drewe        
Best of British...

Cameron Mackintosh's latest offering (after Les Mis, Cats and countless other hits) has been spectacularly timed. Set in the original austerity Britain of the 1940s, a small Yorkshire village is buoyed by the prospect of celebrating a royal wedding, and rearing an illegal pig for the feast. Based on Alan Bennett's hilarious film A Private Function, its score perfectly compliments some very British humour. It is strange to think that a song about a chiropodist's magic fingers could work, but the elements merge together perfectly.

3. Thrill Me
Stephen Dolginoff
An uncompromising view of the darkness of youth...  

'Dark' musicals have rarely become famous, but Thrill Me, which is based on the true story of Leopold & Loeb (the infamous 1920s 'thrill-killers') is a great way to experience musicals without a hint of 'jazz hands'. The intensity of this two-man show and its 90-minute, non-stop running time make it an unforgettable examination of a dangerous relationship, enhanced by songs that will stay with you long after the curtain.

4. The Last Five Years
Jason Robert Brown
For amazing composition...

Jason Robert Brown is possibly the most important musical theatre composer of his generation. Each show has hugely complicated piano parts, but every trill works towards a simply fantastic finish. The Last Five Years is a song-cycle, rather than a traditional musical. Another two-hander, 90-minute show with no interval, it follows Jamie and Kathy through the five years of their relationship, perfectly capturing the real experience of young love and loss.

5. Avenue Q
Robert Lopez & Robert Marx
For tongue-in-cheek, contemporary humour... 

A modern classic. A first night at Avenue Q is likely to leave you feeling that most problems in modern life have been, if not solved, at least perfectly rendered in song. From one of the very first lines, 'What Do You Do With A BA In English?', the dilemmas of generation Y are unflinchingly exposed and poked fun at. From 'The Internet Is For Porn' to 'There's A Fine, Fine Line (Between A Lover And A Friend)', Avenue Q can't fail to surprise and delight.


Five Must-See Movie Musicals...

Cabaret (1972, dir. Bob Fosse)
Liza Minelli's career-defining role, set in bohemian Weimar Germany with Bob Fosse's inimitable style & choreography. Perfection.

West Side Story (1961, dir. Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise)
Leonard Bernstein's fantastic score with Stephen Sondheim lyrics transfers Romeo & Juliet to 1950s West Side New York. Breathtaking choreography, blissful tunes and energy aplenty make it a delight from start to finish.

Dreamgirls (2006, dir. Bill Condon)
Possibly a more controversial choice [very controversial in the CultureCritic office! - ed.], but Dreamgirls is the story of girl supergroup The Supremes performed by Beyoncé at the top of her game ('Listen' was written by her and has become a classic). The film also provided a debut to die for by Jennifer Hudson.

The Producers (1968, dir. Mel Brooks)
A golden oldie, reflecting on the musicals industry itself, this bizarre tale is engaging and hilarious. If you aren't in stitches as the camera pans to an aerial view of the cast dancing in swastika-formation to 'Springtime for Hitler' you may be in need of a doctor.

The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming)
Made even more poignant by future revelations that Judy Garland was put on 'uppers' by the studios to get her through the tough filming schedule, this early technicolour tale of a little girl lost is unmissable.

A few questions with Helena...

The 'Golden Age of Musicals' is largely thought to have been between 1940 and 1960. What do you think of the state of new musicals today? 

It really depends if you're talking about stage or screen. Screen musicals are few and far between these days. They are out of fashion, but there is loads of new material out all the time on the stage. The success of Legally Blonde, Avenue Q and Wicked are just the most famous examples, but they're the tip of the iceberg for a very vibrant and exciting modern musicals scene.

Non-musical goers might assume that, in musicals, the songs are paramount and the story secondary... is that a fair opinion?

For a lot of musicals this is the case, but by no means for all. What must not be underestimated is the capacity for storytelling within the songs themselves. The golden rule of musicals is that the songs should be used sparingly – only to advance the plot or as a form of expression for the characters when words will no longer do. The plot that strings these mini-stories together can sometimes be tenuous, even in a very enjoyable musical.

Cynics might also see musicals as kitsch, overly optimistic escapism. Can musicals flourish in more sinister terrain too?

Definitely. Dark musicals have been around for ages – Stephen Sondheim was probably the original master of these types of musical. Most people will have heard of the recent adaptation of his Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp. However, darkness has been in musicals for a long time – look at the seedy underworld in Sweet Charity, the gangs in West Side Story, Nazism in Cabaret...

Is it fair to say that there are less musical auteurs, in the way there are in 'straight' cinema?

Again, I'm going to say no! Composers and writing teams definitely have their styles. Sondheim likes his darkness, George Stiles & Anthony Drewe irreverent silliness, Jason Robert Brown has a very distinctive composition style. Productions vary of course, but they all sing from different hymn sheets, so to speak.

We've noticed a conspicuous absence of Fred Astaire on your list. Who are your favourite stars? And is it fair to say that we lack contemporary equivalents now to that sort of Hollywood musical star?

Music theatre performers seem to be less famous than in the Golden Age – although this is changing slightly after the national TV searches for stars for Joseph, Grease and Oliver!, as well as the popularity of Glee. When musical films have been made in recent years they have also tended to use famous actors who have then been made to sing (not always successfully – think Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia).

One star I would love to see in musicals more is Hugh Jackman. He took a lead role in the National Theatre's  Oklahoma! and was fantastic. He also did a couple of great musical numbers when presenting the Oscars – definitely worth a Youtube search. I have my fingers crossed that he'll get back into musicals and re-ignite the popularity of the genre.

Do you have any favourite theatres or venues in the West End or elsewhere?

I like the little places. There are loads of small and pub theatres staging innovative, fun work – examples are the Jermyn Street Theatre, Landor and Hen & Chickens Pub theatres in London. I also went to a great little production last year in Dublin right on the main street in Bewley's Café Theatre on the top floor of a bustling teahouse. Hardly anyone knew it was there, but it was great!

Finally a passion for stage musicals must be an expensive hobby... any hints or tips for those on a budget?

There are many ways of getting cheap tickets. The TKTS booth in Leicester Square sells cut price tickets on the day, Lastminute.com often give out great seats at reduced prices and if you have some time in the morning, cut price 'day tickets' can often be bought from the theatre for performances that night. The smaller and pub venues as described above also rarely charge more than £15 a seat. I also try and give tips on getting cheap tickets on my blog either at the end of reviews or via the Twitterfeed .... So, where there's a will there's a way!

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