You Actually Love Musicals— You Just Don't Know It Yet

I have this long-running theory. It’s a bit of a crazy one, but hear me out: everyone likes musicals.

As someone who eats, sleeps and breathes musical theatre, I have met many a person who has told me they hate musicals. It’s always a struggle for me to not immediately launch into my seven-step program for converting anyone into a musical theatre geek. But I resist the urge to pull up Hamilton on Apple Music, and save my energy by just smiling and nodding. To each their own!

But not really. You DO love musicals. You just don’t know it yet! I mean, what human being watches The Lion King as a child and doesn’t adore it? What human being watches it as an ADULT and doesn’t adore it? Who can hear “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” playing and not hum – dare I say, sing – along?

So today I’m breaking down the main reasons people tend to give for not liking musicals, and why they are blatantly incorrect and misinformed. Are you ready?

People Don’t Burst Into Song in Real Life

First of all, they should. Second of all, it’s fiction, you donkey. No one’s pretending this is an exact representation of real life. In a musical, a song usually expresses the emotion a character is feeling, or attempts to put the general feeling of the story into song. You know how sometimes, you listen to a song and it just GETS you? Like when you were 12 and your parents said you were too young to date, so you angry cried to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift? Musicals are like that, but with choreography.

I don’t like show tunes, it’s not my kind of music...

Show tunes are a category of music, sure, but it’s hard to blatantly state you dislike them all. Show tunes cover such a vast range of genres, you can find something to suit anyone’s taste. Like pop? Dear Evan Hansen. Rap? Holler If Ya Hear Me, the Tupac musical! Just kidding, listen to Hamilton. Classic rock? I don’t know, pick any jukebox musical. There’s something for everyone!

Musicals are too happy and cheesy...

Oh, God, where to start.

People say this all the time, even though I’m pretty sure we all saw the Les Mis movie. Just like all music, musicals can be super upbeat, or depressing AF. There’s a variety for you! If you’re in the mood for good clean fun, you can throw on Hello, Dolly!, but when you need to cry it out, Next to Normal is always ready for you.

Okay, fine! Maybe I would like musicals. Where do I start?

Start easy, with something very accessible or mainstream. Like Hamilton (have I mentioned Hamilton enough yet?) or DearEvanHansen. If you’re into that, then try some contemporary, but classic, musicals like Wicked or LesMis. You’ll be watching Stephen Sondheim’s Passion in no time!

I tried it. I still hate musicals.

Well, fine. To each his own, I guess. But know that you’ll never experience true joy.

Friends, I don’t mean to offend. It’s just that some of you are wrong! So very, very wrong! And while I understand that not everything is suited to everyone’s tastes, I will say this: don’t disregard an entire body of work just because some of it doesn’t appeal to you. In the past century of musical theatre, some fantastic pieces have been written – musicals that even the average person can fall in love with. Be open to this misunderstood genre. Let it into your heart. You may even find a new love.