And just in case you did not see Glee this past week, here is the pilot for your entertainment if you have about 45 minutes. Only up for a limited time before it goes away.

Now with regard to musicals. Before I met my wife, I would have nothing of it. Except for the one time I took a date to see Don Quixote in college. But I liked Don Quixote in story form and I liked girls. She liked musicals. But chalk it up to my wife to put a little culture into me. My top musicals (none seen on Broadway)?

* Rent
* Chicago
* Les Miserables
* Urinetown
* Aida

I grew up with musicals, and in particular, the soundtracks to the movie versions of “Man of La Mancha,” “Camelot,” “My Fair Lady, “Oliver,” “The King and I,” and “The Sound of Music.” My parents played these all the time, and when VHS burst onto the scene, they bought all of these and I saw them for the first time.

I’m not sure my parents listen to soundtracks anymore, or watch many musicals—though we watched “Paint Your Wagon” together the last time I was up to see them, so perhaps some things do never change—but what they began in me no man has put asunder.

My favorite is, and will likely always be, “Les Miserables.” I read the unabridged version of Hugo’s novel at 19 while squeezed into the cubby hole for luggage behind the driver’s seat of a 26-foot moving van—traveling from New York to Washington state. I read while the Broadway and London soundtracks a college roommate had copied for me blasted from my Walkman. (That’s right: they were tapes, and the progenitors of illegal downloads, too.) It and the musical remain favorites to date. I’ve seen it performed seven times now, and have it on CD in German, Japanese, Austrian, Chinese, and several other languages. (You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Javert and Valjean throw down in Japanese.)

Other favorites include:

*The Secret Garden
*Phantom of the Opera (It’s not a favorite story, really, but the music is divine. This is another one I have in a handful of languages, and have seen on Broadway as well as in Vancouver and Seattle and several times here at the Capitol Theatre.)
*1776 (Hey, all you geeks, Data [Brent Spiner] was John Adams in this one.)
*Chicago

And others I enjoy the music from include:

*Evita
*Chess
*Into the Woods
*”Gethsemane” from Jesus Christ Superstar

I’m sure I’m forgetting many, but my brain just doesn’t work like it once did—and it didn’t function that well to begin with.

It’s functioning well enough to remind me not to forget TV, though—and “Xena: The Bitter Suite,” which started it all for me. That’s the one to which all other TV musicals must try to live up. I love it, and every time I listen I’m reminded of the fact that the world will never again get to enjoy the charisma and talent of Kevin Smith. What a voice he had!

I love the “Buffy” musical as well, but the first “Xena” musical is tops, to my mind.

And no: not THAT Kevin Smith….

I’m not really interested in “Glee,” though a couple of people mentioned it reminded them of “Election,” which is a point in its favor.

Doh! More geekiness: Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya) starred in the Broadway version of “The Secret Garden.” I also have several CDs filled with him singing songs from musicals like “South Pacific” and “Brigadoon.”

For the most part, I can’t stand musicals. I even find myself fast-forwarding now and again through some of the singing on Family Guy. But, I did enjoy Glee. Christy’s right. It took a while for the pilot to get going, but by the end, I was digging it.

I was destined to have a connection to musicals, I think. I was born on the night my parents had planned to go out to eat and then see Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave in “Camelot” on the big screen. My mother likes to tell me she was rather peeved at me for some time for making her miss that night. >;)

Geez, I just noticed this. What in God’s name is Urinetown?

“Urinetown” looks like something I may have to check out.

I accept my love of musicals—because it’s not on me. If Jason can blame his girlfriend (way to hide behind the apron strings, Jason—twice now in as many days), I can definitely blame my parents. They brainwashed me.

Urinetown….
“All restroom activities are done in public toilets controlled by a megacorporation called “Urine Good Company” (or UGC). To control water consumption, people have to pay to use the amenities. There are harsh laws ensuring that people pay to pee, and if they are broken, the guilty party is sent to a supposed penal colony called “Urinetown”, where offenders are sent but never return.”

ah Urinetown! best thing about it is its Brechtian qualities. It knows its a musical and ain’t afraid to make fun of itself.

I grew up with a classic Rogers & Hammerstein collection: Sound of Music, Carousel, King and I and South Pacific. My siblings and I would spend in inane amount of time reenacting those musicals (especially King and I) with or without an audience!

So with all that in mind. my favorites:
Secret Garden (Amber, you and i must have lead parallel lives)
Les Miserables
Chicago
King and I
Sound of Music
Cabaret

All this jibba-jabba about musicals, and nobody’s mentioned “Moulin Rouge?” I thought that was one of the more creative mainstream musicals to appear in the last 15 years, and definitely helped respark interest in the genre.

I turned “Moulin Rouge” off after about 25 minutes. Different strokes and all that…. I’ve been contemplating giving it another chance, though.