My Favorite Musical Movies/ Events Of 2021

 The year is drawing to a close and with that, looking back. But instead of making a ranked list, I thought I would talk about some of my favorite musical things that happened this year. Many if not all I have full blog posts about, so think of this as a recap of some of the musical highlights of this year for me, and there is a lot to cover, we got a ton of content this year, it was amazing.

The Movies

" Encanto", "In The Heights" and "Tick Tick Boom" had us all singing along this year, and all of them were amazing experiences.  I love each of them, "Tick Tick Boom" being my favorite film I have seen this year, period including musicals and non-musicals alike. The songs from each of these features has filled up my playlists with stealer performances, great melodies and wonderful stories.

I reviewed all of these in posts before, if you want more information on a specific film from this list. But each of these have amazing music, great stories, and look fantastic. I will find myself watching these over and over again alongside other great musical films, whether animated, original or adaptation.

I did not see every musical movie this year but these were fantastic watches from start to finish. Each one full of character, great songs, and music that you will find yourself humming over and over. Mostly for me right now the soundtrack of "Encanto" has been on repeat for a few days now, with no signs of stopping. Each of these is a must watch.

Apple T.V

"Schimgadoon" proved to be my favorite show of the year. It was an easy binge and one of the reasons I got Apple T.V to begin with. Musical series or shows are not that common, and even then some are not good but in this case it was nothing short of amazing. But the first reason I invested in another streaming service was for the " Come From Away" proshot, and it did not disappoint. As someone who does not have access to live theater at the moment and tours are not really reinstated yet this was something that made my day, if not my month when it dropped. This production was not only well produced but well performed and gave me the feeling of sitting in the theater again, both of these pieces of media made me laugh, cry, and sing along making this streaming service worth every penny.

The Tony Awards And Broadway Is Back Concert

Stellar performances and legacy pieces that captured why we love this art form as a whole, and that was just the performances at the Thanksgiving Day parade! All jokes aside the Tony Awards this year was full of new performances, and call backs that filled my heart to the brim with joy to see this art form return after being gone for so long. It made for an unforgettable night full of inspiring speeches to change the future while we have this chance too and should, amazing performances and fun moments. It was a great night.

I did not see every film, or live show, or event or listen to every new album but from what I did these stand out. If I had to pick an absolute favorite then it's "Tick Tick Boom" for the way it inspired me, and still surprised me every time I watch it, it is a near perfect film and is nothing short of fantastic. But everything on this list is worth looking into and checking out, from the opening number at the Tony Awards to "Encanto" on Disney Plus. The fantastic songs and performances that had me smiling ear to ear in "In The Heights" to "Come From Away" giving me something I missed so much with a live performance so good it felt like I was in the same room. Each of these are great and if you want in depth looks at these, I have posts about them on this blog, have a happy new year and see you for more musical content in 2022.

Coming Soon!

Thank you so much for reading my posts this year. I have some fun content coming up, and here is a sneak peek of what's to come, thank you for your support and wishing you a happy and safe new year. Here is what is coming up.

Favorite Musical Movies/ Events Of 2021

Diana The Musical Review

Retrospective Of A Classic Franchise

A Potential Series Review

Some Cast Albums Old And New

Song Talks And Discussions

A List Or Two 

And Much Much More....

Encanto (No Spoilers)

 As a bonus holiday gift, Disney added a movie that you can still see in theaters to Disney Plus for no additional charge. Music by Lin Manuel Miranda fills this animated feature set in Columbia, and as someone who loves Disney musicals, animated musicals, and has been wanted to branch out for this blog. I decided to cover this new release as I am not ready to sit in movie theaters as of recent events, thus why I covered " In The Heights" day one as it was a same day on HBO MAX release but have not covered the new "West Side Story" yet. Since not everyone has not seen this movie in theaters, and it is so new. This will be a non-spoiler review. So, let's see how Disney's newest animated feature fares. 

The story is nothing short of amazing, the trailers portraying a magical family who all have their own special gifts... except for one, our lead Mirable. There is an adventure, twists, turns, and ton of very very catchy music. The story is well written, full of comedy, heart, and great emotions. The conflict of this story is more down to earth and relatable then one would expect but it leads to a very beauitful movie with a wonderful message. My one complaint is though the movie have many laughs throughout there were some jokes that did not land at all and few that ran a few times too many but this complaint is minute and many of the jokes did. This is a very feel-good down to earth story that I found relatable, including the awesome songs.  

The animation is spectacular and looks amazing, plenty of Disney's latest pictures look amazing and this one is no different. The locations may be in one area but they all look breath taking, the animation used for specific scenes is gorgeous. This movie looks incredible from start to finish and has a great style and atmosphere. 

The music is amazing, every song is a winner much like how much I loved Lin's work with "Moana" the music team in this movie knocked it out of the park. The songs range from fun to relatable or both while all being beyond catchy. Like many other Disney songs I will be listening to these songs quiet a bit, and I even talked about one already. It was super nice to finally see the visuals tied to the song. Both work hand in hand with the great narrative to make this movie a great watch. 

Since it is no additional cost, I cannot recommend this movie enough, this and "Tick Tick Boom" are two of my favorite musicals we got this year, and I love them both. If you want a fun and new movie to watch this holiday season, this one is a great pick that will have you singing the songs long after the credits roll. I highly recommend this very fun adventure that feels very much at home as well. 

Broadway Holiday Ideas!

 The Holiday season is upon us, movies, cookies, gifts and more. So, this week I decided to talk about some fun ways to add some musical flare to your holiday season. This will be a list in no particular order on some fun theater-based activities you can do with friends, family, or yourself to make the season bright. No matter what holiday you celebrate here are some musical things I love doing to welcome to winter season.

Watch/ Listen To A Holiday Themed Musical

From "White Christmas" or even something more recent like "Annie Live" or "Christmas Story Live" there are plenty of musicals set around the holidays. There are also plenty of great cast albums to listen to, or shows that have songs relating to the holidays. Whether a song, or a whole album there are plenty of great songs such as " We Need A Little Christmas" from "Mame" to fill a playlist. As well as plenty of classic musicals to watch among all your holiday favorites, or even just a fell good movie musical as well. 

Make A Few Holiday Themed Crafts

Perhaps a playbill themed ornament, or a gingerbread house with musical themes. Some musical decorations for the house and the tree to add a little razzle dazzle to the holiday season. Decorating the tree and house with decorations we expect, with a little flare of the stage.

Give Broadway Themed Gifts

From online stores specifically made for musical merch, or on a craft website for shows that don't get a ton of merch. Shirts, posters, cast albums are only scratching the surface of the gifts you can give someone. Musical books for shows like "Hamilton" or "Come From Away" and even DVDs of live proshots, there are so many wonderful musical themed gifts. 

Give To A Theater Themed Chairty

Giving is another essential for some this time of year. There are plenty of associations or charities themed for artists to give to. Whether a local theater program or something on a national scale. There are plenty of great organizations to give to, helping artists grow. Many give during this time, and there are many aspects of the arts that need help.

So, there are a few, mostly at home ways to brighten up the holiday season. The future of theater is unknown at the moment, or at least unsure for a little while. There are plenty of live shows and movies to watch, and hopefully things will turn around soon. Until then I will continue to cover what I can and helping brighten your day by enjoying musicals. Even if we have to watch them from home, and listen to albums a while longer, the arts will survive current events. And in the meantime, consider donating to help theaters, whether local or the ones on Broadway. Have a happy and safe holiday season.

Elf The Musical

 We are drawing close to the Holiday season, and with all the snow, shopping, and general merriment and there are a few musicals set during this festive time. Some are original and few based on some movies that will be playing on repeat everywhere until January, mid-January in some places. Elf was given a musical adaptation. The tale of Buddy the Elf or so he was told, a child who snuck into Santa's bag who then goes on a quest to find his father. Is this musical adaptation of the holiday comedy a pleasant surprise or something I hope came with a receipt, let's get into the holiday mood all while in song and find out. 

As there are not many productions going on around where I reside, let alone productions of this show I will be relying on the Broadway cast album. There is a animated film version with songs from this show but it is much shorter and since I have seen the film plenty of times so I can tell where most of the songs fit in the story. 

The plot follows the film just with songs being added so if someone saw this at a civic theater as it has long since closed or made a comeback with a tour that is what you get. If you enjoy the film and would not mind some singing and dancing added. The songs are your usual fare of songs about family, and Christmas cheer which should be sung loud for all the hear. The songs are good, and enjoyable, there are a couple stand outs, but most do feel like you have heard them in other shows.

The subjects, melodies and themes all feel familiar and can be found in other shows. Movie musicals sometimes all sound the same and have that feel good, relatable collections of songs that may have a hidden gem or two but may be hard to stand out. There will be songs about being parents, songs about being a kid, songs about being a family, what you want in life and so on. This show has so many melodies and themes similar to a show I saw live a few years ago. The tracks included reminded me of that show, a movie that was adapted that I watch every year, with some stand out songs which was " A Christmas Story The Musical".

Both shows had a couple songs that I found myself listening to after an initial run through of the show. This show if I saw it live seems it would be like that, fun, enjoyable, and have a couple of fun songs in them. Some of the songs in this show are heartwarming and make great songs to listen to as part of the season "I'll Believe In You", "Sparklejollytwinklejingly" and "The Story Of Buddy The Elf" are some of the stand outs to me. The show has the warm and welcoming feel that captures the season much like the film with songs following suit, most of the time. Some of the songs in this show were either forgettable or just not a good listen for me. I would say half of the album was good, twenty five percent was okay but nothing special, and the final piece were songs I will not be going back to.  

Overall, much like "A Christmas Story The Musical" this could make for a fun afternoon if I saw it live, especially during the holidays. It is the film you know with some fun songs included, some that you may find yourself listening to later. Fun and warm melodies that capture the feeling of the season both are a standout and detriment, but overall could make for a fun way to ring in the season. This show is like getting a movie for Christmas that isn't your all-time favorite but one you still watch more than once, a pleasant surprise with enough good in it to warrant at least a listen of the cast album. 

Waiting On A Miracle (Encanto)

 I was supposed to be talking about Annie Live this week but life had other plans. here is another song discussion in the meantime. Even though I am not comfortable going to a movie theater yet there are a good number of musical films this year from "In The Heights" to the upcoming "West Side Story", but also in the world of animation. Oh yes animated movie musicals count for this blog; they are musicals none the less and some movies such as "La La Land" or "Greatest Showman" have been discussed on this blog without having stage adaptations. And even though I will not be seeing "Encanto" in theaters or "West Side Story", the album for "Encanto" was released so I decided to talk this week about a song that spoke to me.

Many Disney songs are accompanied with a set of songs that fit a mold for every movie they make, a comedic relief song, most times a lovers duet and of course an "I Want" song. Disney animated features have mastered the art of "I Want" songs. From " Part Of Your World" to " How Far I'll Go" classic and modern Disney songs know how to describe the human longing for something greater. This song is a different kind of song in that style in the best way possible. Also slight potential spoilers ahead as I discuss the details of the song so if you wish to see how the song plays out in the movie feel free to come back later!

In this song our performer is heard questioning her place in her family. Summing up what she can't do but says how she has been waiting her opportunity to stand out, longing for a chance to shine like her family does as the lyrics say. She then proceeds to say what she would do if she could, asking where she belongs and if she is too late. This song has not only very relatable lyrics but great instrumentation that starts simple, builds to a grand conclusion and ends on quiet yet powerful note.

The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has wanted to know how they stand out. Perhaps in a family or friend group, wondering what makes you special or how you stand out. Being surrounded by those who seem so much better than us in every way. Asking for a miracle to stand out and belong because that is what it seems that we need. The emotion behind this song is relatable and fantastic. The instrumentation working amazing with the lyric to add even more memorability to this already relatable song. 

The lyrics and melodies walk hand in hand, and I cannot wait for more artists to do covers of this song, I enjoy this song so much I cannot wait to see others perform it. That being said Stephanie Beatriz performs this song fantastically and has proven with her role in this and "In The Heights" that she has musical range. I hope she does more musicals in the future; she has a great singing voice and did fantastic in this song. Whether you have seen the film or waiting for its release on Disney Plus, this song is fantastic, and I cannot wait to see how it fits within the plot of the movie and how it is animated. A very relatable song with great lyrics and instrumentation that will leave the listener not waiting to hit repeat.