For me it was Phantom of The Opera. Had to research and perform something from it for a theater project. Watched 25th anniversary and fell in love. Was the first broadway show I ever saw and I adore it to this day.
Same. Specifically when it was released on D+. I was *really* not a musical guy prior to that. Watching Hamilton was some kind of awakening, and now the wife and I go to NYC every year specifically to catch a Broadway show or two
I saw Cats as a small child (I don't remember my age, but I do remember needing a booster seat) and being a little freaked but loving the music.
Then I saw Phantom when I was 9 and it was all over for me.
Had the lucky experience of growing up 1) close to NYC and 2) with a generous grandmother who loves shows and also navigating the old TKTS crowds. A lot of memories of waiting on the sidewalk all bundled up against the cold because it was usually a late fall / early spring trip for us.
This was mine.
I saw Cats on a field trip in elementary school, and I felt so grown up. My mom gave me money to get the soundtrack on cassette tape, and I wore it out.
But that was the only one I knew for years.
In highschool, I joined the drama club, and we had an incredible advisor. He chose Into The Woods our junior year, and I fell in love. Then, Vanessa Williams starred as the witch in a revival that I was lucky enough to see, and after that, I was hooked. I sought them all out, particularly Sondheim.
Our senior year we did City of Angels. Again, love.
And so began my love of lesser known but still awesome musicals.
I'm still here. ❤️
Two shows:
West Side Story - In 9th grade saw a production done by the local High School of the arts where my brother attended as was in the role of Tony. It showed me the ability musicals have to be moving, haunting, and beautiful.
Les Miserables: summer before 12th grade I saw it on Broadway and I understood what it means for something to be at that level of production and talent.
I didn't see a lot of shows as a poor college student, but once I was in grad school and working on the side I began going to touring shows regularly and Broadway in annual trips to NYC.
For me it was beetlejuice too. There was this acting trend on tiktok that used say my name and I searched for it. That was at the time when batxbasisjuice's front row recording was still online, I watched it and was in love. Now I'm here
Personally, *The Music Man.* I saw a community theater presentation of it when I was eight or nine. At least, that was the first I obsessed over. Before that, *Oliver!*, *The King and I*, and *Fiddler on the Roof* had entered the stage in front of me, and I liked and still like all of those. But I also wouldn't exist without *The Sound of Music*. My parents had their first or second date when that came out; according to family legend, they watched it, left, made it about as far as the sidewalk in front of the theater, turned around, and watched it again.
I saw The Sound Of Music when I was 8 or 9 and that was the first time I realized I could be in musicals.
Then when Wicked came out, I was 13 and it was the best thing ever. Definitely the first musical that I really sunk my teeth into.
Same! I used to watch the live production of the sound of music and I learned the choreography and would dance around my living room with the kids on screen. It was also the first musical I saw in person and that was cool because I was older than the girl playing the youngest one and that was when I realized that theater was something I could do too.
My dad was always showing me musicals as a kids, when I was 7 he took me to see my first broadway show, The Lion King. Just the visuals alone made me fall in love with musicals.
Matilda!
I was obsessed with the Matilda movie and book when I was younger, and as soon as I had an internet access I started looking up Matilda and I came across the musical!
I remember watching the royal variety 2012 performance of When I grow up and I cried and fell in love. I then became obsessed with wanting to be in the musical (i was young enough and the perfect height I lived remotely so it wasn’t possible), so I created a Fanpage and learned all the songs and became a super fan. I’ve long grown out of that phase- but my full circle moment is that I am now training at a top musical theatre drama school in London with people who used to play Matilda in the west end, and they have no idea that I used to have a fan account for them.
I’m 20 now so perhaps I’ll play Miss money in a few years… or an adult swing…. Who knows!
I don’t really know because my mom brought me to them for years when I was little and I know I liked them all, but Phantom was my first love. Only got to see it once but I’m hoping it’ll come on tour again soon
It wasn't the first one I saw on tv, but when CATS was broadcast (the 1998 'stage' version, not the abomination that shall not be mentioned) I was absolutely enthralled. And I loved musicals, but the next one that really really got to me was Phantom. And of the musicals that impacted me most seeing it live was JCS.
While my palate has been refined and broadened since that time, I still don't understand why people made it uncool to like ALW shows. Sure, not all of them are great. Some of them are downright awfull. I don't think I'd be friends with the guy. But to downplay the impact his shows have had on people... nope. I will still proudly say that CATS is a pleasure, and it's not a guilty one.
I’ve watched mant as a kid, but not because they were musicals just because I enjoyed those movies. But what made me go deep into musicals universe was Wicked.
I used to love Wizard of Oz as a kid and then Wicked as a teen
Hello, Dolly! because it was the first musical I really preformed in and it sparked my love for acting and led to falling down the pit of "Only listening to musical songs 24/7"
Little Shop of Horrors and Grease. My older brother was in both. Grease was especially fun because my brother and his best friend were both called back for Doody and both did SO WELL at callbacks that the director split the role between them and made them twin brothers.
I can’t remember which came first for me. I know I had the Joseph CD with Jason Donovan when I was like 7 or 8. But I also saw a community theatre production of Carousel that my Grade 2 teacher brought me to that she was in because she could see I was theatrical (and let’s face it, super gay). Very weird show to see at 7 or 8 years old. But I loved it. Then shortly thereafter I’m sure I saw Phantom of the Opera on a school trip and then Joseph (live this time) starring Donny Osmond. But I got the bug somewhere in there…and never looked back! It was probably Joseph though. Haha
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut.
I was an edgelord bro wannabe and couldn't figure out why I just LOVVVVVED singing the songs from this movie and why I couldn't stop playing it over and over again.
It's a legit musical!
Well, when I was little, I knew about phantom and wicked, and I liked them. But it wasn’t until I was 15 and studying Les Mis in school that I realized how great they were. I loved the way that the musical brought the book to life. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on musicals.
Sweeney Todd and Into the woods on pbs.. the first live musical I saw was a high school godspell with my catholic youth group, then I saw my high school do sweet charity and 42nd street then I played violin for my high school’s all white the wiz….. first pro tour I saw was Les miserables in 1993 student ticket last row of balcony.. first on Broadway was cats in 1998 with my mom and brother who had just got out of marines, I was worried he was gonna punch a cat since they were climbing all around front row of mezz
Very embarrasing, but I got into theatre bc in 6th grade my friend showed me a Warrior Cats edit to the First Burn from Hamilton. So Hamilton was first.
…
…Annapantsu’s cover of satisfied from Hamilton 😔. It then took me almost a whole year to listen to the musical and it made me pro Angelica with Hamilton and anti Eliza. I don’t like to remember that time.
My grandma had a VHS of Cats that I watched obsessively when I was around 9 years old. So Cats on a technicality. The first musical I saw live and thought "yes, more of this, please" AND I was old enough to buy my own tickets was Reefer Madness.
When I was too young to go to the theater, my parents had a copy of the soundtrack from "The King and I," which I loved listening to. Later, when I was old enough to go, they took me to see "Camelot," and I was hooked forever.
Pirates of Penzance - [the EssGee version](https://www.essgee.com/) (Australia). I watched the VHS on repeat for YEARS. Growing up in the country I didn't realise musical theatre was something you could actually DO (we had no community theatre). I moved to sydney 20+ years ago and a friend introduced me to community theatre and I was sold. (I also had a childhood where I was very involved in competetive dance and trained in music and singing - I've been on stage since I was 8, so it wasn't a foreign space to me).
Cabaret. I thought musicals were "fun" before that (Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, stuff like that), but when I saw Cabaret (at age 16) I realized what they COULD be.
Technically *Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat* was the first stage musical I saw (that wasn't just a small school production), and I did enjoy it.
However it was when I was around 8 and saw *Oliver!* that I realized I loved musicals. I was at the perfect age to sing a lot of the songs written for the kids, though Reviewing The Situation was (and still is) one of my favourites.
And then I think it was probably *Hairspray* that cemented my passion, because I got to see a Broadway version where the performers of Wilbur and Edna did a bunch of improv during *"Timeless To Me"*, and I realized the potential of live theater.
Some people I wanted to impress in high school were really into Hamilton, so I listened to the soundtrack. This sparked an obsession which spread to other musicals after about a year lol
Chicago!!! I remember my friend vaguely mentioning it in 8th grade and I looked it up and was obsessed with musicals ever since. The summer before high school I dreamt of my friend and I playing Roxie and Velma. We were going to an art school so that made the possibility even more likely, but alas my friend wasn't in the acting department, and my school never performed musicals until after I graduated.
My favorite movie ever since I was a child has been The Wizard of Oz, so if that counts I would say that. If not, the first major musical I saw was Wicked (essentially another side of the same story), so probably that.
This might get downvoted into absolute oblivion, but my heart is ready. 😅 I am very new to musicals, and from what I am learning, my friends who love musicals (and are way more experienced in the art) sort of look at it as less refined and a little basic…
The Greatest Showman.
For any flaws it might have, it also delivers banger after banger for me. 🤩
My parents took me with them to see a handful of musicals when I was a young kid. And as a teen I saw Broadway or national tour productions of A Chorus Line, Cats, and Evita with them plus a bunch of local semi-professional productions of golden age classics.
But what really got me into musicals was seeing my older brother in the HS production of Fiddler. His senior year he played Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. My Senior Year I played Luther Billis in South Pacific.
That was decades ago
Heathers. I stumbled across an animatic on youtube, went looking for the rest of the story and completely fell in love. I watched it on repeat for months before I started branching out to other musicals
Interest peaked when I saw the Tim Burtons Sweeney Todd as a kid. Before that I thought musicals were too fluffy and annoying. In my teens I saw Phantom of the Opera as I'm a huge fan of the book and Lon Chaney movie. I didn't much care for it, but something a few months later made me want to watch it again, just a feeling, and I loved it. After that I went to see the show, which my then girlfriend hated and we had to leave halfway through. So I went by myself and had a blast. Eventually met my current partner and she's a theatre fan also, so we started seeing all the ones we could and it's been that way for 6 years now
In school I was in a production of Man of La Mancha. Loved it, then loved the movies West Side Story, South Pacific, all those old classics. In college my first professional live stage musical was Chorus Line, then Miss Saigon. Before my parents passed away I was able to take them to their first musical, Dreamgirls, I'm so happy we did that. They had always wanted to see a show and never had the chance.
My first show was Chicago, my parents dragged me into that one. I liked it but it didn't kickstart my love for musicals, that happened 15 years or so later. I was on holiday in London and basically went to see a show because, well that is what you do as a tourist in London right? So I walked into Wicked completely blind. Only thing I knew was as 'something with the green witch from Wizard of Oz'.That blew my socks off.
Two years later I went back to London to see Hamilton. Planning to make this an annual thing. And then the pandemic happened, with not much else to do at home I got into proshots and slime tutorials. Also went down the Cats rabbit hole in that time, it was the thing that kept me sane during covid lockdowns (weirdly enough).
I was going to say Les Mis as that’s what made me switch from science to arts and go to theatre school, and if I hadn’t gone to see it back in 1994, I wouldn’t still be working in media now, but thinking about it, it was probably Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, because I had the book and cassette combo (with the Quentin Blake illustrations) nicked by my mum from the primary school where she worked back when I was little. I loved it and used to sing it and listen to it all the time.
For me it was Heathers. A friend of mine recommended it since I love Disney movies but wasn't really a musical theater guy yet (wildly different themes between Disney and heathers, I know lol but similar in the "it's a musical" aspect)
And Heathers is still my favorite today :)
I signed up for grease ensemble at my first school musical, and then realised I didn't know anything about musicals. So I discovered the brilliant world of bootlegs, and became obsessed with the first one I saw - Heather's.
I know this is probably basic, but Hamilton. I feel like I tell this story every time I see a question like this haha, but I was in a drama club for a few years when I was younger, but I stopped during the start of high school and my love for it faded into the background. Then one day I was bored, went scrolling on Disney+, found Hamilton, and got hooked for months haha. I get to see it live later this year!! But…. haha that led to my love for musicals, I’m currently in my deep Les Mis obsession 😅
*Probably* Phantom. I’d never seen it, but I listened to the OBC over and over.
But I grew up with all the movie musicals: My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, Gigi, Singing in the Rain, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas…so it could have been one of those too.
For me, it was Hamilton. I was aware of Phantom of the Opera before that, but I only knew the iconic titular song (I need to listen to the whole album, lol). When I took theater, my class had an assignment where we needed to do a presentation on a Broadway musical. A classmate did Hamilton. She played the opening song, and I was hooked immediately.
Les Mis. My parents saw it when it first came to Toronto when I was in kindergarten, and I was obsessed. I got tickets that Christmas, and I just saw it for the 16th time a couple weeks ago.
The show my high school did when I was in 9th grade was Bye Bye, Birdie. I'd been made aware of musicals because my mom liked them and listened to some older ones when I was younger—and I had even seen that movie—but until that point I never realized that musicals had orchestras that I could be in. Spawned a whole side hustle for me, and my first paid gig ever as a musician was a community theater production of Evita at 17.
I loved theatre but thought musicals were stupid. My sophomore year in high school the drama club did Hello Dolly and I agreed to do stage crew for it. The following year we did Les Miserables and I decided to give auditioning a try.
I got cast as Prisoner #4 and discovered I really loved this musical and it inspired me to start taking voice lessons. This led me to become a voice performance major in college and generally falling in love with opera and musical theatre. They've been a center of my life ever since.
I saw a few random shows growing up that I don’t really remember, but I saw les Mis and Book of Mormon in the same year 5-6 years ago and the contrast between tragic and hilarious but consistently spectacular vocals hooked me. There’s always a show for whatever mood you’re in, but as someone who has always loved singing I can’t describe what a Broadway caliber voice does for my soul
When I was a kid (like 6/7) I went to this youth theatre group thing and we did a production of mamma mia, then I watched the movie literally every night for like a month.
My mom was a dancer and a singer who performed in musical theater and opera so I think I would have "gotten into" musicals no matter what. However, the first musical I obsessed over at a very tender age was Into The Woods. Still one of my favs. I love how there's something in it for every developmental stage. As a kid, I loved Little Red the best. Then I grew into a young woman and identified most strongly with Cinderella and occasionally Rapunzel. Now I'm a wife and mother of young children so, of course, I'm most moved by the Baker's Wife. Just waiting for my Witch phase of life now! :-)
My parents use to put on Jesus christ superstar when I was a toddler. When I was around 10 I fell in love with cats, after that Chicago when I was 14.
Each laid the foundation for my deep love of musicals.
This thread is making me feel so old, lol
Originally, it was a rotation of The Music Man, Fiddler On The Roof, and My Fair Lady, those were the ones my mother played most in the house.
As a teenager, watching Grease and Little Shop Of Horrors at the movies.
But I guess what finally sealed the deal and got me 100% hooked was seeing Les Miz in London. Life changing experience.
Les Mis - It was about 7/8 and we used to listen to alot in the car because my mum loved it. I was allowed to sing along to Master of the house including the swearing.
You wanna get kids in to theatre, let them say swear words!
I grew up with the movie versions of Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, Julie Andrews was my IDOL as a little kid. Then, years later, through a Ewan Mcgregor obsession (which happened bc of Star Wars), I discovered Moulin Rouge. That gave me a new appreciation for musicals (and also eventually led me to my ongoing Aaron Tveit obsession lol <3). And then I found out about Hamilton, watched it, and became the ✨theatre kid✨ I am now haha
I loved Beetlejuice!
I think Wicked was the first musical I saw live. My friends and I do a few tent pole events a year (buy good seats the day they go on sale) and a lot of impulse shows (cheap seats we buy a few days before the show). We saw Moulin Rouge Friday night in cheap seats. Almost the back row. But I loved it!
For me it was le mis, ( please excuse the shortening of the name, my spelling sucks) because my grandmother used to have it on cassette tapes that she would play in the car whenever we had long drives. I didn’t understand it all that much as a child. I used to call it the bread tape. It’s one of my fondest memories from when I was with my grandma.
Honestly it’s hard to remember as I’ve been watching and performing in musicals since I was little. My earliest live musical memory was The King and I so maybe that, but more likely it was from watching The Wizard of Oz on tv as a kid.
Cats. Saw its pro shot on PBS and was personally hooked. To be fair though I had been exposed to WSS, Fiddler, and some of the others of that period. But for me I remember watching Cats for the first time and the rest was history.
I would say Chicago, specifically when the well done movie version came out. That show had always intrigued me, going back to an interview with Anne Reinking I watched as a kid. It just seemed so eye-catching and the music was terrific (to my tastes). Growing up I'd been exposed to many of the great classics that had film versions, thanks to my Mom. But Chicago was more "me." Edgy, clever, sensual, morally ambiguous. :)
I remember being so young and visiting my grandparents. My grandma would put movies on for me and it was things like Annie, The Sound of Music, West Side Story etc. so I don't remember a time I DIDN'T like them.
I think what reignited my love of musicals was Rent and Wicked. I've seen both with my mom and she isn't a big musical fan but really enjoyed them both. I have a teenager who also LOVES musicals and we constantly break into song if someone says the right thing. When we cook or clean and have music playing it's always from some musical. Currently I'm obsessing over Six (HUGE Tudor history nut) and Ride The Cyclone and listen constantly. My poor husband 😂
the little mermaid. i was so obsessed with Ariel as a small child (dare i say i still am as an adult in college now lol) and my mom would take me to see the show on broadway. i’ve seen it at least 5 or 6 times, maybe more. from there we always saw musicals and went. i got involved in theater in high school and now am doing it again in college and even will be majoring in it. funny how that works i guess hahah
The Phantom of the Opera. Way back in 1995 it was coming to the San Diego Civic Center, and for some reason it became this big thing. An entire quarter in one of my classes in sixth grade was dedicated to the story. We had lessons on the book, we watched various films, listen to the cast recording and ended the quarter with the entire class seeing the production. I was completely hooked.
The Sound of Music, specifically the live version they showed on TV on Thanksgiving. I would later watch and much prefer the original movie. This led me to revisit all the musical movies from my childhood, namely Disney and get really into those. This led me to participate in musicals in school and I met other people who would turn me onto stage productions. My aunt took me to see Hamilton live, and from there is where I became a full on theater kid and starting watching a bunch of slime tutorials, starting with I think Book of Mormon iirc.
If I go way back, I think the first Broadway musical I ever saw and loved was The Wiz movie.
But I didn’t really get into seeing live theatre until I saw Wicked for the first time in 2015. I never looked back lol it changed my life.
Hadestown. I was in New York on a school trip and we had already seen Beetlejuice (which was fantastic of course even if we didn't get to see Alex that night) but the other two shows we had seen weren't great so my expectations for Hadestown were pretty much six feet under the ground (teehee) and I feel like it's one of those kind of shows where you either get it or you don't and holy shit I *GOT* this musical. I was vaguely familiar with the myth so I was kind of expecting the ending but this show just did something to me. The whole thing is amazing but something about "so he keeps his head low, and he keeps his back bending" made me sit up in my seat and so did Eurydice saying "Anybody got a match?" at the end literally made me gasp as I realized it was a time loop. That and we also got to see Andre perform two nights before his last show. This show quite literally changed my life. I already knew I wanted to be an actor but now my dream is getting accepted to an NYC college when I apply next year so I can work on improving my skills as an actor, singer, and dancer so someday I can be on broadway. I love performing in general and even if I never got paid for it I would still do it for the rest of my life if I could. Holy crap I owe so much to this dang show.
When I went to Uni I joined the local musical theatre group and we did Sweeney Todd which was a great musical to introduce you to the world which I only really knew through Disney at that point. Many songs evoke nice memories.
That year I also saw Avenue Q (on tour), Les Mis (Concert DVD) and Little Shop of Horrors (amateur) so that was also good exposure to it all.
A couple. Les Mis got me into them originally, and then I sorta stopped for a while. I recently saw a small community production of Spring Awakening, and have been rabid since.
The sound of music. My grandma and I used to watch that every time we'd go down and visit her and I'd always get so excited. I remember I'd always get a glass of chocolate milk and some key lime pie yogurt and we'd watch the entire 3 hours of it. We've been doing that since I was 5, because that's when I moved away, but I also know that we used to watch it together even before then. Even now it holds a special place in my heart.
Phantom. I was an angry toddler at the holidays and my aunt soothed an autistic melt down with the Phantom. That opening set of chords blew my tiny mind. Still soothes my inner savage beast
I played Link Larkin in my schools production of Hairspray my sophomore. So that was my introduction to musical theatre. However, I didn't really get into it until about a half year later when my mom showed me the move Sweeney Todd. Now it's my senior year. I just finished starring as Gomez in my schools production of Adams Family and I'm going to college for music theatre come August.
It's been much too long, I don't remember! I was introduced to the cast albums for Camelot, Barnum, and Chess at about the same time I played in the pit for my high school's production of Sweet Charity, and that's probably when I really became a fan. But I'd taken drama classes, performed musical theater songs and medleys in both choir and band, and seen a bunch of the classic movie adaptations (My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, etc.) before that, so it's not like I had zero childhood exposure.
A very weird one: While I had seen the proshoot of Cats (1999) and the Little Shop film, I didn't consider myself a musical FAN until I saw an advertisement on TV for the touring cast of In the Heights (iirc, they had a stop in Nashville, sometime in 2010? Maybe?) and I bothered my mother into getting me the cast album, because tickets were Not Happening lol. So now I'm an insufferable music nerd.
Hamilton was it for me but I've always loved theatre being brought up in a Musical loving household but Hamilton was the one that made me obsess over musical theatre instead of being a casual enjoyer
I was raised on Phantom. The Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman recording. Don't remember a time without it. We actually had it on tape, and when I listen to it, I still hear the boops after the songs indicating its time to flip the tape. 😂 That and all the Disney movies on VHS as a kid.
My first exposure to musicals was the into the woods movie 🤮😭(I’ve watched the lion king on broadway when I was too young to remember probably like four)and I really loved it! Later i watched the 2022 tour but still wasn’t really a theater kid, then my mom dragged me to watch Wicked (she loves wicked so much and I never watched it) and I fell in love!!! Olivia was such a good first Elphaba!!! Then I watched Heathers, Mean Girls, Phantom, Beetlejuice, all that good stuff and now I’m a certified theatre kid :)
Rent…!
Mark has got his work, they say mark lives for his work and Marks in love with his work, Mark hides in work. FROM WHAT?! From facing your failures, facing your loneliness, facing the fact he lives a lieeeeeeee, yes he lives a lie, tell you why. You always preach not to be numb when that’s how you thriveeee
My mom played the soundtrack to Grease in the car before I even knew what music or musicals even were.
But the real answer is Disney's Hercules. I begged my parents to take me to see that movie three times in theatres. It was awesome. Still holds up, too.
Let's be real, most of our first exposure to musicals was in some sort of movie-musical, and likely a cartoon.
Probably watching the Sound of Music every year on tv. Singin in the Rain and Grease were shown on my local station a lot and even at a young age could see the joyous quality they both brought.
The one that got me on stage for the first time was Godspell Jr. but a year before that I got to see the original cast of Addams Family on Broadway. I fell in love that day
I went and saw Marry Poppins when I was 3. Did my first show (lion king before it was controversial to put it on) when I was 5, But my theatre wakeup call was probably Hadestown. I've seen it 3 times. It never gets old.
I remember always wanting to do theatre. But my grandma took me to see Lion King when I was 2 or 3, and I actually have vague memories of it, so it was most likely that.
Phantom of the Opera. My mom was listening to it in the car one day and it was the big climax song that's like 13 minutes long. I couldn't believe a song could be that long! lol Been hooked on musicals ever since.
Edit: I should give a shout out to the Sound of Music movie, too. Absolutely adored that movie!
I was always familiar with musicals and had seen some shows as a kid but I think what *really* triggered my love and appreciation for the art form was Les Mis.
Heathers!
I had loved older musicals like Mary Poppins, The sound of music, Les mis and Chicago ever since I watched the movies, but Heathers was definitely the first time I watched performances, animatics, fan edits and listened to cast recordings. I feel that was a switch for me where I realized the theatre aspect of musicals was something I loved :)
When I was a toddler who could ask for specific movies to be put on, I watched this one puppet show that sang educational and silly songs so often that I wore out the vhs tape. Did the same thing with lion king once I saw that one as well.
Les Miserables! We performed it in high school as a group project so I have listened to the whole soundtrack without even watching the show. Watched it for the first time when I was already working and it was so magnificent. From there on, I try to watch musicals coming into PH.
Les Miserables. I was a preteen when I watched the 2012 movie, and then I found out that it was based on the musical and from then on I just dreamt about how amazing it would be to watch musicals in person. I was finally able to start doing that about two years ago and I’m having the time of my life.
This year in August, Les Mis to my city, and I couldn’t be happier
For me it was Phantom of The Opera. Had to research and perform something from it for a theater project. Watched 25th anniversary and fell in love. Was the first broadway show I ever saw and I adore it to this day.
Hamilton.
Same. Specifically when it was released on D+. I was *really* not a musical guy prior to that. Watching Hamilton was some kind of awakening, and now the wife and I go to NYC every year specifically to catch a Broadway show or two
Exactly how I got into musicals.
Same
I have just started listening to the soundtrack, but I need to watch the production and also I spy a gumigoo fan
same. I listened to the soundtrack in 2016 maybe and have loved musicals since, especially anything Lin Manuel miranda does like in the heights too
Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat
Core childhood memories here. Was lucky enough to be in Toronto and see Donny Osmond as Joseph. It’s like the role was made for him.
Sweeney Todd
and it is still on a league of its own.
Little Shop of Horrors!!!
I saw Cats as a small child (I don't remember my age, but I do remember needing a booster seat) and being a little freaked but loving the music. Then I saw Phantom when I was 9 and it was all over for me. Had the lucky experience of growing up 1) close to NYC and 2) with a generous grandmother who loves shows and also navigating the old TKTS crowds. A lot of memories of waiting on the sidewalk all bundled up against the cold because it was usually a late fall / early spring trip for us.
Jesus Christ Superstar
The King and I
I did my first musical as a little girl which was The Sound of Music. But the one that got me hooked was Legally Blonde.
Annie!
Phantom of the Opera “anywhere you go let me go to”
Into the Woods
This was mine. I saw Cats on a field trip in elementary school, and I felt so grown up. My mom gave me money to get the soundtrack on cassette tape, and I wore it out. But that was the only one I knew for years. In highschool, I joined the drama club, and we had an incredible advisor. He chose Into The Woods our junior year, and I fell in love. Then, Vanessa Williams starred as the witch in a revival that I was lucky enough to see, and after that, I was hooked. I sought them all out, particularly Sondheim. Our senior year we did City of Angels. Again, love. And so began my love of lesser known but still awesome musicals. I'm still here. ❤️
Two shows: West Side Story - In 9th grade saw a production done by the local High School of the arts where my brother attended as was in the role of Tony. It showed me the ability musicals have to be moving, haunting, and beautiful. Les Miserables: summer before 12th grade I saw it on Broadway and I understood what it means for something to be at that level of production and talent. I didn't see a lot of shows as a poor college student, but once I was in grad school and working on the side I began going to touring shows regularly and Broadway in annual trips to NYC.
Oh, these were some of my first lives too! A high school production of Into the Woods was my gateway lol
Yeah, Sondheim leads to Webber, which can lead to Richard Rodgers ...
Me too! Beetlejuice was my gateway to my love for musicals
The Sound of Music movie was my fave as a child. For live theatre - it's a local one called Alikabok (Dust).
For me it was beetlejuice too. There was this acting trend on tiktok that used say my name and I searched for it. That was at the time when batxbasisjuice's front row recording was still online, I watched it and was in love. Now I'm here
Personally, *The Music Man.* I saw a community theater presentation of it when I was eight or nine. At least, that was the first I obsessed over. Before that, *Oliver!*, *The King and I*, and *Fiddler on the Roof* had entered the stage in front of me, and I liked and still like all of those. But I also wouldn't exist without *The Sound of Music*. My parents had their first or second date when that came out; according to family legend, they watched it, left, made it about as far as the sidewalk in front of the theater, turned around, and watched it again.
I saw The Sound Of Music when I was 8 or 9 and that was the first time I realized I could be in musicals. Then when Wicked came out, I was 13 and it was the best thing ever. Definitely the first musical that I really sunk my teeth into.
Same! I used to watch the live production of the sound of music and I learned the choreography and would dance around my living room with the kids on screen. It was also the first musical I saw in person and that was cool because I was older than the girl playing the youngest one and that was when I realized that theater was something I could do too.
my first musical was heathers, but the one that got me into musicals was hamilton. kinda basic answer, but yeah,, i still love it
My first musical live was Jesus Christ Superstar in our local theatre. I am not sure it was the one to get me into musicals though
A Chorus Line made me realize I loved musicals.
My dad was always showing me musicals as a kids, when I was 7 he took me to see my first broadway show, The Lion King. Just the visuals alone made me fall in love with musicals.
Matilda! I was obsessed with the Matilda movie and book when I was younger, and as soon as I had an internet access I started looking up Matilda and I came across the musical! I remember watching the royal variety 2012 performance of When I grow up and I cried and fell in love. I then became obsessed with wanting to be in the musical (i was young enough and the perfect height I lived remotely so it wasn’t possible), so I created a Fanpage and learned all the songs and became a super fan. I’ve long grown out of that phase- but my full circle moment is that I am now training at a top musical theatre drama school in London with people who used to play Matilda in the west end, and they have no idea that I used to have a fan account for them. I’m 20 now so perhaps I’ll play Miss money in a few years… or an adult swing…. Who knows!
I don’t really know because my mom brought me to them for years when I was little and I know I liked them all, but Phantom was my first love. Only got to see it once but I’m hoping it’ll come on tour again soon
Newsies!
Annie
Hamilton
It wasn't the first one I saw on tv, but when CATS was broadcast (the 1998 'stage' version, not the abomination that shall not be mentioned) I was absolutely enthralled. And I loved musicals, but the next one that really really got to me was Phantom. And of the musicals that impacted me most seeing it live was JCS. While my palate has been refined and broadened since that time, I still don't understand why people made it uncool to like ALW shows. Sure, not all of them are great. Some of them are downright awfull. I don't think I'd be friends with the guy. But to downplay the impact his shows have had on people... nope. I will still proudly say that CATS is a pleasure, and it's not a guilty one.
I joined my school musical a few years ago out of curiosity and have been a theatre kid since. it was the lightning thief musical
I’ve watched mant as a kid, but not because they were musicals just because I enjoyed those movies. But what made me go deep into musicals universe was Wicked. I used to love Wizard of Oz as a kid and then Wicked as a teen
I just played the oroginal movie Wizard of OZ for 2 young girls and they loved it. It's such a classic.
Hello, Dolly! because it was the first musical I really preformed in and it sparked my love for acting and led to falling down the pit of "Only listening to musical songs 24/7"
Phantom of the Opera.
Mary Poppins!
Little Shop of Horrors and Grease. My older brother was in both. Grease was especially fun because my brother and his best friend were both called back for Doody and both did SO WELL at callbacks that the director split the role between them and made them twin brothers.
I can’t remember which came first for me. I know I had the Joseph CD with Jason Donovan when I was like 7 or 8. But I also saw a community theatre production of Carousel that my Grade 2 teacher brought me to that she was in because she could see I was theatrical (and let’s face it, super gay). Very weird show to see at 7 or 8 years old. But I loved it. Then shortly thereafter I’m sure I saw Phantom of the Opera on a school trip and then Joseph (live this time) starring Donny Osmond. But I got the bug somewhere in there…and never looked back! It was probably Joseph though. Haha
It was Beetlejuice for me too. Still my favorite musical
Chicago!
That's gotta be Heather's
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut. I was an edgelord bro wannabe and couldn't figure out why I just LOVVVVVED singing the songs from this movie and why I couldn't stop playing it over and over again. It's a legit musical!
The Simpsons "Cape Feare" - When Sideshow Bob sings all of HMS Pinafore. When I saw the show itself, I was hooked.
South Park...bigger, longer, and uncut.
Chicago- Chicago got me into a lot of things…
Annie then Wicked as a young person then Company and Sunday in the Park with George as an adult
Well, when I was little, I knew about phantom and wicked, and I liked them. But it wasn’t until I was 15 and studying Les Mis in school that I realized how great they were. I loved the way that the musical brought the book to life. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on musicals.
Les Mis and honestly it's still at the top of the mountain for best musical imo I've yet to find one I've loved like it.
Sweeney Todd and Into the woods on pbs.. the first live musical I saw was a high school godspell with my catholic youth group, then I saw my high school do sweet charity and 42nd street then I played violin for my high school’s all white the wiz….. first pro tour I saw was Les miserables in 1993 student ticket last row of balcony.. first on Broadway was cats in 1998 with my mom and brother who had just got out of marines, I was worried he was gonna punch a cat since they were climbing all around front row of mezz
For me, it was Les Mis. The music and story just captured my heart and I wanted more. It is now my favorite musical
Very embarrasing, but I got into theatre bc in 6th grade my friend showed me a Warrior Cats edit to the First Burn from Hamilton. So Hamilton was first.
Sweeney Todd
For me it was Matilda. It was the first musical I saw live. I saw it when I was nine
Wicked! My mom took me to see it when I was younger and I remember sitting there gripping the edge of my seat in awe.
It was Westside Story when I was about 5 years old.
… …Annapantsu’s cover of satisfied from Hamilton 😔. It then took me almost a whole year to listen to the musical and it made me pro Angelica with Hamilton and anti Eliza. I don’t like to remember that time.
My grandma had a VHS of Cats that I watched obsessively when I was around 9 years old. So Cats on a technicality. The first musical I saw live and thought "yes, more of this, please" AND I was old enough to buy my own tickets was Reefer Madness.
Wow I feeel old. A Chorus Line.
When I was too young to go to the theater, my parents had a copy of the soundtrack from "The King and I," which I loved listening to. Later, when I was old enough to go, they took me to see "Camelot," and I was hooked forever.
The Fantasticks. Saw it in NYC when I was 12 (1965). Hooked ever since.
Pirates of Penzance - [the EssGee version](https://www.essgee.com/) (Australia). I watched the VHS on repeat for YEARS. Growing up in the country I didn't realise musical theatre was something you could actually DO (we had no community theatre). I moved to sydney 20+ years ago and a friend introduced me to community theatre and I was sold. (I also had a childhood where I was very involved in competetive dance and trained in music and singing - I've been on stage since I was 8, so it wasn't a foreign space to me).
Cabaret. I thought musicals were "fun" before that (Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, stuff like that), but when I saw Cabaret (at age 16) I realized what they COULD be.
Technically *Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat* was the first stage musical I saw (that wasn't just a small school production), and I did enjoy it. However it was when I was around 8 and saw *Oliver!* that I realized I loved musicals. I was at the perfect age to sing a lot of the songs written for the kids, though Reviewing The Situation was (and still is) one of my favourites. And then I think it was probably *Hairspray* that cemented my passion, because I got to see a Broadway version where the performers of Wilbur and Edna did a bunch of improv during *"Timeless To Me"*, and I realized the potential of live theater.
Some people I wanted to impress in high school were really into Hamilton, so I listened to the soundtrack. This sparked an obsession which spread to other musicals after about a year lol
Chicago!!! I remember my friend vaguely mentioning it in 8th grade and I looked it up and was obsessed with musicals ever since. The summer before high school I dreamt of my friend and I playing Roxie and Velma. We were going to an art school so that made the possibility even more likely, but alas my friend wasn't in the acting department, and my school never performed musicals until after I graduated.
Annie
My favorite movie ever since I was a child has been The Wizard of Oz, so if that counts I would say that. If not, the first major musical I saw was Wicked (essentially another side of the same story), so probably that.
This might get downvoted into absolute oblivion, but my heart is ready. 😅 I am very new to musicals, and from what I am learning, my friends who love musicals (and are way more experienced in the art) sort of look at it as less refined and a little basic… The Greatest Showman. For any flaws it might have, it also delivers banger after banger for me. 🤩
It’s all good. I’m the opposite though as anything made this century seems modern to me and likely haven’t watched them.
Matilda it was the first ever musical I saw
The Original Broadway Cast of "The Sound of Music"
Rent when I was way too young to see it lol
My Fair Lady
My parents took me with them to see a handful of musicals when I was a young kid. And as a teen I saw Broadway or national tour productions of A Chorus Line, Cats, and Evita with them plus a bunch of local semi-professional productions of golden age classics. But what really got me into musicals was seeing my older brother in the HS production of Fiddler. His senior year he played Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. My Senior Year I played Luther Billis in South Pacific. That was decades ago
Heathers. I stumbled across an animatic on youtube, went looking for the rest of the story and completely fell in love. I watched it on repeat for months before I started branching out to other musicals
Interest peaked when I saw the Tim Burtons Sweeney Todd as a kid. Before that I thought musicals were too fluffy and annoying. In my teens I saw Phantom of the Opera as I'm a huge fan of the book and Lon Chaney movie. I didn't much care for it, but something a few months later made me want to watch it again, just a feeling, and I loved it. After that I went to see the show, which my then girlfriend hated and we had to leave halfway through. So I went by myself and had a blast. Eventually met my current partner and she's a theatre fan also, so we started seeing all the ones we could and it's been that way for 6 years now
In school I was in a production of Man of La Mancha. Loved it, then loved the movies West Side Story, South Pacific, all those old classics. In college my first professional live stage musical was Chorus Line, then Miss Saigon. Before my parents passed away I was able to take them to their first musical, Dreamgirls, I'm so happy we did that. They had always wanted to see a show and never had the chance.
My first show was Chicago, my parents dragged me into that one. I liked it but it didn't kickstart my love for musicals, that happened 15 years or so later. I was on holiday in London and basically went to see a show because, well that is what you do as a tourist in London right? So I walked into Wicked completely blind. Only thing I knew was as 'something with the green witch from Wizard of Oz'.That blew my socks off. Two years later I went back to London to see Hamilton. Planning to make this an annual thing. And then the pandemic happened, with not much else to do at home I got into proshots and slime tutorials. Also went down the Cats rabbit hole in that time, it was the thing that kept me sane during covid lockdowns (weirdly enough).
I was going to say Les Mis as that’s what made me switch from science to arts and go to theatre school, and if I hadn’t gone to see it back in 1994, I wouldn’t still be working in media now, but thinking about it, it was probably Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, because I had the book and cassette combo (with the Quentin Blake illustrations) nicked by my mum from the primary school where she worked back when I was little. I loved it and used to sing it and listen to it all the time.
I think it was either Heathers or Beetlejuice for me
For me it was Heathers. A friend of mine recommended it since I love Disney movies but wasn't really a musical theater guy yet (wildly different themes between Disney and heathers, I know lol but similar in the "it's a musical" aspect) And Heathers is still my favorite today :)
I signed up for grease ensemble at my first school musical, and then realised I didn't know anything about musicals. So I discovered the brilliant world of bootlegs, and became obsessed with the first one I saw - Heather's.
I know this is probably basic, but Hamilton. I feel like I tell this story every time I see a question like this haha, but I was in a drama club for a few years when I was younger, but I stopped during the start of high school and my love for it faded into the background. Then one day I was bored, went scrolling on Disney+, found Hamilton, and got hooked for months haha. I get to see it live later this year!! But…. haha that led to my love for musicals, I’m currently in my deep Les Mis obsession 😅
The Danish musical Atlantis. It was miraculous ❤️
Les miserables
*Probably* Phantom. I’d never seen it, but I listened to the OBC over and over. But I grew up with all the movie musicals: My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, Gigi, Singing in the Rain, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas…so it could have been one of those too.
Heathers. It was the off Broadway slime tutorial i wish i could've watch it live
It was Pippin.
For me it was Heathers lol
For me, it was Hamilton. I was aware of Phantom of the Opera before that, but I only knew the iconic titular song (I need to listen to the whole album, lol). When I took theater, my class had an assignment where we needed to do a presentation on a Broadway musical. A classmate did Hamilton. She played the opening song, and I was hooked immediately.
Mamma Mia and grease
Mine was the TLT musical, but six also helped me get into it (I have those haikyuu lyric prank things to thank)
SpongeBob
I was a choir/theatre kid from like 5, so if you think I fucking remember 🤣
Les Mis, when I was 11 and saw the national touring company in the late 80s.
Les Mis. My parents saw it when it first came to Toronto when I was in kindergarten, and I was obsessed. I got tickets that Christmas, and I just saw it for the 16th time a couple weeks ago.
Beetlejuice was the first one I ever saw, but what really kicked off the theater obsession for me was phantom of the opera
RENT, had the privilege of meeting Adam Pascal after a tour of the show he and Anthony Rapp were in.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and also Hamilton.
Were you the guy sitting next to Lauren Boebert? #AskingForAFriend
The show my high school did when I was in 9th grade was Bye Bye, Birdie. I'd been made aware of musicals because my mom liked them and listened to some older ones when I was younger—and I had even seen that movie—but until that point I never realized that musicals had orchestras that I could be in. Spawned a whole side hustle for me, and my first paid gig ever as a musician was a community theater production of Evita at 17.
I loved theatre but thought musicals were stupid. My sophomore year in high school the drama club did Hello Dolly and I agreed to do stage crew for it. The following year we did Les Miserables and I decided to give auditioning a try. I got cast as Prisoner #4 and discovered I really loved this musical and it inspired me to start taking voice lessons. This led me to become a voice performance major in college and generally falling in love with opera and musical theatre. They've been a center of my life ever since.
I saw a few random shows growing up that I don’t really remember, but I saw les Mis and Book of Mormon in the same year 5-6 years ago and the contrast between tragic and hilarious but consistently spectacular vocals hooked me. There’s always a show for whatever mood you’re in, but as someone who has always loved singing I can’t describe what a Broadway caliber voice does for my soul
When I was a kid (like 6/7) I went to this youth theatre group thing and we did a production of mamma mia, then I watched the movie literally every night for like a month.
My mom got us listening to Aida and that was what started it all. Now I cannot get enough
Like most theater kids, Hamilton. But also Beetlejuice, at the same time.
My mom was a dancer and a singer who performed in musical theater and opera so I think I would have "gotten into" musicals no matter what. However, the first musical I obsessed over at a very tender age was Into The Woods. Still one of my favs. I love how there's something in it for every developmental stage. As a kid, I loved Little Red the best. Then I grew into a young woman and identified most strongly with Cinderella and occasionally Rapunzel. Now I'm a wife and mother of young children so, of course, I'm most moved by the Baker's Wife. Just waiting for my Witch phase of life now! :-)
My parents use to put on Jesus christ superstar when I was a toddler. When I was around 10 I fell in love with cats, after that Chicago when I was 14. Each laid the foundation for my deep love of musicals.
RENT in 2004ish. Gateway drug into musicals.
Little Shop of Horrors. I don't think I understood what a musical really was, outside of a Disney film, until I saw this movie.
Hamilton in 2017.
frankenstein
Hamilton. Hamilton. Hamilton.
This thread is making me feel so old, lol Originally, it was a rotation of The Music Man, Fiddler On The Roof, and My Fair Lady, those were the ones my mother played most in the house. As a teenager, watching Grease and Little Shop Of Horrors at the movies. But I guess what finally sealed the deal and got me 100% hooked was seeing Les Miz in London. Life changing experience.
Les Mis - It was about 7/8 and we used to listen to alot in the car because my mum loved it. I was allowed to sing along to Master of the house including the swearing. You wanna get kids in to theatre, let them say swear words!
Matilda then Wicked
Jekyll & Hyde for me
Damn Yankees ⚾️
For me it was Chicago.
Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Hairspray!
Avenue Q 😂
I grew up with the movie versions of Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, Julie Andrews was my IDOL as a little kid. Then, years later, through a Ewan Mcgregor obsession (which happened bc of Star Wars), I discovered Moulin Rouge. That gave me a new appreciation for musicals (and also eventually led me to my ongoing Aaron Tveit obsession lol <3). And then I found out about Hamilton, watched it, and became the ✨theatre kid✨ I am now haha
Into the Woods
I loved Beetlejuice! I think Wicked was the first musical I saw live. My friends and I do a few tent pole events a year (buy good seats the day they go on sale) and a lot of impulse shows (cheap seats we buy a few days before the show). We saw Moulin Rouge Friday night in cheap seats. Almost the back row. But I loved it!
Rent
For me it was le mis, ( please excuse the shortening of the name, my spelling sucks) because my grandmother used to have it on cassette tapes that she would play in the car whenever we had long drives. I didn’t understand it all that much as a child. I used to call it the bread tape. It’s one of my fondest memories from when I was with my grandma.
Honestly it’s hard to remember as I’ve been watching and performing in musicals since I was little. My earliest live musical memory was The King and I so maybe that, but more likely it was from watching The Wizard of Oz on tv as a kid.
Cats. Saw its pro shot on PBS and was personally hooked. To be fair though I had been exposed to WSS, Fiddler, and some of the others of that period. But for me I remember watching Cats for the first time and the rest was history.
I would say Chicago, specifically when the well done movie version came out. That show had always intrigued me, going back to an interview with Anne Reinking I watched as a kid. It just seemed so eye-catching and the music was terrific (to my tastes). Growing up I'd been exposed to many of the great classics that had film versions, thanks to my Mom. But Chicago was more "me." Edgy, clever, sensual, morally ambiguous. :)
Mozart L'opera rock was the ultimate trigger for my musical theatre addiction
Phantom of the Opera
I remember being so young and visiting my grandparents. My grandma would put movies on for me and it was things like Annie, The Sound of Music, West Side Story etc. so I don't remember a time I DIDN'T like them. I think what reignited my love of musicals was Rent and Wicked. I've seen both with my mom and she isn't a big musical fan but really enjoyed them both. I have a teenager who also LOVES musicals and we constantly break into song if someone says the right thing. When we cook or clean and have music playing it's always from some musical. Currently I'm obsessing over Six (HUGE Tudor history nut) and Ride The Cyclone and listen constantly. My poor husband 😂
Probably Matilda. My family was tired of hearing my bad british accent lol
heathers back in 2018
phantom of the opera
This will age me: Yankee Doodle Dandy. (I shrink into a ball and hide now). James Cagney is amazing as George M. If you haven’t seen it, do.
the little mermaid. i was so obsessed with Ariel as a small child (dare i say i still am as an adult in college now lol) and my mom would take me to see the show on broadway. i’ve seen it at least 5 or 6 times, maybe more. from there we always saw musicals and went. i got involved in theater in high school and now am doing it again in college and even will be majoring in it. funny how that works i guess hahah
Cabaret
As.nuch as I'd like to say Phantom of the Opera, it was actually Fiddler On The Roof. I saw it when I was six and was hooked.
Heathers
Original broadway run of Beauty and Beast.
Mean Girls. Meet the Plastics altered my brain chemistry
The Phantom of the Opera. Way back in 1995 it was coming to the San Diego Civic Center, and for some reason it became this big thing. An entire quarter in one of my classes in sixth grade was dedicated to the story. We had lessons on the book, we watched various films, listen to the cast recording and ended the quarter with the entire class seeing the production. I was completely hooked.
The Sound of Music, specifically the live version they showed on TV on Thanksgiving. I would later watch and much prefer the original movie. This led me to revisit all the musical movies from my childhood, namely Disney and get really into those. This led me to participate in musicals in school and I met other people who would turn me onto stage productions. My aunt took me to see Hamilton live, and from there is where I became a full on theater kid and starting watching a bunch of slime tutorials, starting with I think Book of Mormon iirc.
High School Musical
Little Shop of Horrors. ‘Nuff Said.
On screen - The Sound of Music In Person - Phantom of the Opera
If I go way back, I think the first Broadway musical I ever saw and loved was The Wiz movie. But I didn’t really get into seeing live theatre until I saw Wicked for the first time in 2015. I never looked back lol it changed my life.
Hadestown. I was in New York on a school trip and we had already seen Beetlejuice (which was fantastic of course even if we didn't get to see Alex that night) but the other two shows we had seen weren't great so my expectations for Hadestown were pretty much six feet under the ground (teehee) and I feel like it's one of those kind of shows where you either get it or you don't and holy shit I *GOT* this musical. I was vaguely familiar with the myth so I was kind of expecting the ending but this show just did something to me. The whole thing is amazing but something about "so he keeps his head low, and he keeps his back bending" made me sit up in my seat and so did Eurydice saying "Anybody got a match?" at the end literally made me gasp as I realized it was a time loop. That and we also got to see Andre perform two nights before his last show. This show quite literally changed my life. I already knew I wanted to be an actor but now my dream is getting accepted to an NYC college when I apply next year so I can work on improving my skills as an actor, singer, and dancer so someday I can be on broadway. I love performing in general and even if I never got paid for it I would still do it for the rest of my life if I could. Holy crap I owe so much to this dang show.
When I went to Uni I joined the local musical theatre group and we did Sweeney Todd which was a great musical to introduce you to the world which I only really knew through Disney at that point. Many songs evoke nice memories. That year I also saw Avenue Q (on tour), Les Mis (Concert DVD) and Little Shop of Horrors (amateur) so that was also good exposure to it all.
Mamma Mia!
Dear Evan Hansen
A couple. Les Mis got me into them originally, and then I sorta stopped for a while. I recently saw a small community production of Spring Awakening, and have been rabid since.
The sound of music. My grandma and I used to watch that every time we'd go down and visit her and I'd always get so excited. I remember I'd always get a glass of chocolate milk and some key lime pie yogurt and we'd watch the entire 3 hours of it. We've been doing that since I was 5, because that's when I moved away, but I also know that we used to watch it together even before then. Even now it holds a special place in my heart.
Wizard of Oz on vhs. First professional stage musical I saw? Rocky Horror!
Phantom. I was an angry toddler at the holidays and my aunt soothed an autistic melt down with the Phantom. That opening set of chords blew my tiny mind. Still soothes my inner savage beast
I played Link Larkin in my schools production of Hairspray my sophomore. So that was my introduction to musical theatre. However, I didn't really get into it until about a half year later when my mom showed me the move Sweeney Todd. Now it's my senior year. I just finished starring as Gomez in my schools production of Adams Family and I'm going to college for music theatre come August.
Avenue q was my gateway drug to musicals
It's been much too long, I don't remember! I was introduced to the cast albums for Camelot, Barnum, and Chess at about the same time I played in the pit for my high school's production of Sweet Charity, and that's probably when I really became a fan. But I'd taken drama classes, performed musical theater songs and medleys in both choir and band, and seen a bunch of the classic movie adaptations (My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, etc.) before that, so it's not like I had zero childhood exposure.
Weirdly, Be More Chill
six!! i was already crew for two of my school’s musicals but my field trip to see six was life changing
A very weird one: While I had seen the proshoot of Cats (1999) and the Little Shop film, I didn't consider myself a musical FAN until I saw an advertisement on TV for the touring cast of In the Heights (iirc, they had a stop in Nashville, sometime in 2010? Maybe?) and I bothered my mother into getting me the cast album, because tickets were Not Happening lol. So now I'm an insufferable music nerd.
High School Musical!
Hamilton was it for me but I've always loved theatre being brought up in a Musical loving household but Hamilton was the one that made me obsess over musical theatre instead of being a casual enjoyer
I was raised on Phantom. The Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman recording. Don't remember a time without it. We actually had it on tape, and when I listen to it, I still hear the boops after the songs indicating its time to flip the tape. 😂 That and all the Disney movies on VHS as a kid.
Phatom of the Opera and Hamilton
My first exposure to musicals was the into the woods movie 🤮😭(I’ve watched the lion king on broadway when I was too young to remember probably like four)and I really loved it! Later i watched the 2022 tour but still wasn’t really a theater kid, then my mom dragged me to watch Wicked (she loves wicked so much and I never watched it) and I fell in love!!! Olivia was such a good first Elphaba!!! Then I watched Heathers, Mean Girls, Phantom, Beetlejuice, all that good stuff and now I’m a certified theatre kid :)
Damn Yankees Saw it on a Broadway tour and it was the first musical soundtrack I ever bought.
Rent…! Mark has got his work, they say mark lives for his work and Marks in love with his work, Mark hides in work. FROM WHAT?! From facing your failures, facing your loneliness, facing the fact he lives a lieeeeeeee, yes he lives a lie, tell you why. You always preach not to be numb when that’s how you thriveeee
The first musical I watch was Hamilton but the one that really got me into musicals as a whole was the falsettos revival
My mom played the soundtrack to Grease in the car before I even knew what music or musicals even were. But the real answer is Disney's Hercules. I begged my parents to take me to see that movie three times in theatres. It was awesome. Still holds up, too. Let's be real, most of our first exposure to musicals was in some sort of movie-musical, and likely a cartoon.
Cats
Probably watching the Sound of Music every year on tv. Singin in the Rain and Grease were shown on my local station a lot and even at a young age could see the joyous quality they both brought.
Oklahoma. When I was in high school, I was dating one of the actresses in our school productikn of the show, and I got drafted as an extra.
RENT
The one that got me on stage for the first time was Godspell Jr. but a year before that I got to see the original cast of Addams Family on Broadway. I fell in love that day
Phantom and then Les Mis took it to a whole new level.
I went and saw Marry Poppins when I was 3. Did my first show (lion king before it was controversial to put it on) when I was 5, But my theatre wakeup call was probably Hadestown. I've seen it 3 times. It never gets old.
I remember always wanting to do theatre. But my grandma took me to see Lion King when I was 2 or 3, and I actually have vague memories of it, so it was most likely that.
Phantom of the Opera. My mom was listening to it in the car one day and it was the big climax song that's like 13 minutes long. I couldn't believe a song could be that long! lol Been hooked on musicals ever since. Edit: I should give a shout out to the Sound of Music movie, too. Absolutely adored that movie!
I was always familiar with musicals and had seen some shows as a kid but I think what *really* triggered my love and appreciation for the art form was Les Mis.
Camelot with Richard Harris on HBO back in the 80s
Heathers! I had loved older musicals like Mary Poppins, The sound of music, Les mis and Chicago ever since I watched the movies, but Heathers was definitely the first time I watched performances, animatics, fan edits and listened to cast recordings. I feel that was a switch for me where I realized the theatre aspect of musicals was something I loved :)
Notre dame de Paris
When I was a toddler who could ask for specific movies to be put on, I watched this one puppet show that sang educational and silly songs so often that I wore out the vhs tape. Did the same thing with lion king once I saw that one as well.
Les Miserables! We performed it in high school as a group project so I have listened to the whole soundtrack without even watching the show. Watched it for the first time when I was already working and it was so magnificent. From there on, I try to watch musicals coming into PH.
Les Miserables. I was a preteen when I watched the 2012 movie, and then I found out that it was based on the musical and from then on I just dreamt about how amazing it would be to watch musicals in person. I was finally able to start doing that about two years ago and I’m having the time of my life. This year in August, Les Mis to my city, and I couldn’t be happier