EDITORIAL: IN DEFENSE OF THE MUSICAL

More often than not, I feel like many people think about musicals negatively. This is something that I have honestly never been able to understand very well because I have a large appreciation of musicals, especially Broadway shows. I myself have seen several and think that they are fantastic when done well. Musicals are a form of art, just like other music, movies, and literature.

A lot of effort goes into the writing and performing of musicals.  Many people still try to stick to the idea that they don’t like musicals because it isn’t their type of music and they don’t particularly like the sound. However, I think that is simply a stereotype. Not every show has the same music; just like other music, different genres are present in all types of musicals. “Hamilton” being on Broadway is a great example of musicals having music in them that is not typically associated with the stereotypical musical. That being said, the rap in that play is definitely not the only example of songs that change people’s perspectives on musicals. There are many others that defy boundaries.

Musicals tell beautiful stories through their music, which is no different than what other artists do. I’m not saying that disliking musicals isn’t acceptable, but how can anyone know their opinion if they don’t even know enough about the topic to make a decision? With all of the different musicals that there are, it is too simple to just dismiss an entire form of art.