[Tea] Musicals!

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
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Cincinnati, February 3, 2024

Hi Friend,

In 9th grade, I earned the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in our high school musical. That role spurred me to become a nut about musical theater. I watched musicals, acted in them, listened to their soundtracks endlessly. I remember standing on top of our stereo console, where I could see our huge gilded full length mirror above the fireplace, belting out show tunes with my hair brush as microphone.

Even more than singing, though, I loved the stories told through musical numbers. There’s the poetry of the lyrics, the narrative, the playful way that songs create new dynamics between characters and so on. I had the good fortune of growing up outside of Los Angeles, so my mother (who was a theater major in college) took me to plays and musicals from the time I was two years old until I was old enough to take myself. Starting at 16, I went to the theater district in LA and saw A Chorus Line, The Wiz (twice!), and Pippin while in high school.

A Joyful Treat

Musical theater has always signified for me a joyful treat. I wondered if my kids, growing up as homeschoolers, were likely to discover musical theater for themselves. We had less money, less opportunity to get to the big theaters where touring companies would come. I figured they would possibly see a musical at the local high school at some point and that would be it until adulthood. I purchased Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George as videos to expose the kids to what I considered great shows. Then something happened on the way to high school… The kids caught the bug through a little show called Wicked.

I don’t know who told them about Wicked. What happened, though, is that a voracious appetite for musical theater was unleashed in our home and I was pelted with show tunes coming through iPod speakers or the nearest computer’s iTunes. Caitrin couldn't do math without singing “No One Mourns the Wicked” or “Seasons of Love” from Rent.

Jacob had two huge posters on his walls to commemorate his passion for all music Disney, Tim Rice, and Alan Menken. The kids have seen live shows of Beauty and the Beast (twice), Lion King, Wicked, Little Women, Wind in the Willows, and 42nd Street. I took Johannah to see Les Miserables for her 16th birthday.

Reasons to jump on the musical theater bandwagon:

The lyrics tell a story.
The productions are live (though watching a recording is fun too!)
The story lines are usually exceptionally compelling.
The music is catchy and singable.
Actors are multi-talented.
Set design and transformation is magical.
The orchestra!
You enjoy the experience as a group.
Cultural literacy is enhanced.

If you haven’t taken the plunge to spend the money and energy to enjoy musical theater, I urge you to do so! If you live in a remote location, you can watch musicals on DVD or online. See how your kids like them. Then figure out a way to get to a live performance. You’ll be glad you did.

Also, check out our Movie Wednesday: Wizard of Oz post on the Brave Writer blog!

Warmly,

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