I used to think Broadway musicals were for stuffy old people. I thought the only ones that existed were the classics that everyone has at least heard of — "Wicked," "The Sound of Music," "Les Misérables."
Don’t get me wrong. These musicals are classics for a reason, but I just assumed all shows were the same with their serious tone and classical orchestrations.
Then I got invited to see "The Book of Mormon."
I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was the middle of a week in February, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never seen a show like it before — it was raunchy and so hilarious that I fell out of my seat laughing multiple times, much to the dismay of the friends I was with. (Just Google the plot if you don’t know what it’s about).
I feel silly looking back on this night, but it never occurred to me just how fun going to see musicals could be.
Ever since then, it’s almost become an obsession. I get email alerts from Durham Performing Arts Center, The Broadway Columbia and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte about shows. I have YouTube playlists and other streaming websites bookmarked. I even took two red-eye buses to and from New York City with a friend during our first year at UNC to go see my first show on Broadway.
Shows have made me laugh and cry, and they’ve brought me closer to friends as we break down every theme after the fact. They’ve given me a deeper understanding of history or mental health as I’ve related to characters on stage, and sometimes they just help me forget about my stress for two and a half hours.
I don’t consider myself a hip person by any stretch of the word, especially when it comes to music. But I think we should all give musicals a try because it’s just pure fun. Find the streams online or go see the shows when performed by Carolina performance troupes, or even at DPAC if you’re able.
Or you can listen to the highlights of my broadway bops playlist on Spotify. If you see me driving alone in Chapel Hill, I’m probably singing along.
