When you are a fan of musicals, you may want to be able to share that wonderful 'musical' experience with the people you love. But what do you do when your nearest and dearest don't share that excitement with you or perish the thought ... THEY DON'T LIKE MUSICALS!
Now I'm sure this is the case in many households and amongst groups of friends. Those who are well and truly 'for' musicals and those who are 'against'. For those of you wondering, I LOVE musicals! There are some members of my family who aren't so keen, but I believe there are ways you can slowly bring them to the melodious side of life ... because ... THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHO ... yeah okay you get it.
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1. Don't throw them in the deep end
One main thing to remember is that you need to take it easy. Imagine your loved one as a new pet. They will come out and play when they are ready but on their terms. They may hide under the table for a while but you need to give them space.
One thing I would not recommend is immediately taking them to a show. They will FREAK OUT! They are very loud and before you know it they will be back under the table again and back at square one. (By the way, if your loved ones are actually hiding under a table for avoid musicals ... maybe it's not for them)
2. Find their niche
The thing you have to find in order for the musical obsession to begin is your loved ones musical calling. That one musical that makes them LOVE musicals. We all have them. Mine was Cats. Your loved one has never had this miraculous moment, so you'll need to create it.
They key is to find a musical which matches their taste. For example if they like a particular artist such as Michael Jackson, then introduce them to 'Thriller Live'. Or the Beatles, try 'Let it Be'. The one that worked in out household was 'Mamma Mia'. It helps if they know all of the words and aren't mumbling along like a child singing hymns in school assembly. Also there are musicals that have particular styles of music which may appeal to your loved one. 'The Commitments' is based on Soul music and if you like Rock there's 'Rock of Ages'.
There are so many musicals around these days with so many different music styles so there really is something for everyone. No excuse!
3. Ease them in
Now you need to find ways to entice your loved one into the wonderful world of musicals. This can be done in many ways, but you can decide whether you are open or sneaky about it.
Many of the musicals have soundtracks which you can purchase. I very much enjoy listening to the Jersey Boys soundtrack. You could introduce a musical to your loved one buy getting them the album ... or be sly and say "I don't know how that music got on your iPod ... Did you like it?" Or you can play the album at home and just hope that osmosis causes your loved one to sing the music.
As I said earlier, don't just immediately take them to a show. A good introduction is to watch the film from the comfort of your own home. There are films which have been turned into musicals which are already family favourites such as 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Matilda' and 'The Lion King'. There are film adaptations of already existing musicals like 'Les Misérables' and 'Phantom of the Opera'. There are even films of stage productions available like 'Cats' and 'Billy Elliot'. So you don't even have to leave the house to watch a musical, so they can't use that excuse either!
4. Expand slowly after they find a favourite
It may take a while but a time may come when they say, yes I like that musical! Hazzah! Now don't get over excited and throw every musical you love at them. They will be back under the table. Take it one at a time. Show them your favourite. Explain what you love about and introduce it slowly. They may not like it as much as you but they'll have an understanding of what it means to you because they have their favourite. If you get anything out of this process your loved one will at least understand a little bit why you love musicals ... thats the best I can offer you. Sorry.
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On your quest to make your musical hater into a musical lover, you will come across THAT question;
"Why do they always burst out into song!?"
Musicals are just a different way to tell a story. The songs are there to either advance a character/plot or as a break so the audience can follow the story on. We all know that songs are a strong portrayl of any emotion, so what a great way for a character to be able to express how they feel.
I also found this when browsing through Tumblr;
"Anyone who doesn't like musicals because "no one just starts randomly singing and dancing in real life" has clearly never visited my house."
Too right!
Lucinda x
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