[musictheatre00]

I think mine has to have been Wicked, because when I first heard it I couldn't stop for a while, and then it came back a couple of months later for like a whole summer. I think I'm pretty much over it now, now I've discovered Jekyll & Hyde and listening to itlike crazy!

[The Next Ten Minutes]

Ooh, Jekyll & Hyde is wonderful

[ActingDude17]

Mine's got to be Sweeney or Wicked (both of them are current).

My goal is to see Wicked 100 times before I die (only 99 more to go)!

*waits for Wicked haters to come*

As for Sweeney, I've done some pretty radical things.

[stlgurl702]

I consider Wicked my "gateway drug" to theatre obsessions.

[Orestes Fasting]

My Les Mis obsession is epic.

- Seen the show 70+ times
- Including one week-long road trip halfway across the USA for the tour closing
- Became a fixture at the stage door during the Broadway revival
- Spent most of my trip to Paris (with side trips to Montfermeil and Montreuil-sur-Mer) tracking down the places where it all happened
- Own every official recording of the show in existence
- And at least 150 unofficial ones
- Translated the French lyrics back into English (well, I'm not done with that yet)
- Somehow ended up moderating half the Les Mis communities on LiveJournal
- And a bunch of stuff relating to the book that probably doesn't belong on a musical theatre obsession thread

[jesuiscommejesuis]

The only shows I\'ve ever been obsessed with are Wicked and RENT.

But you know what? I know they\'re both often looked down on by the theatre community, but I love them for reasons beyond their content; RENT helped me out with so many problems I had when I was younger and was a gateway to theatre. Without it, I wouldn\'t have ever really cared about musical theatre at all. My friend just gave me the OBCR one day and made me listen to it. That went into Wicked, and Wicked introduced me to the rest of the world of theatre.

Sooo whatever. People can hate all they want, I think RENT and Wicked are awesome.

[bare24601!]

My biggest obsessions are the musicals bare and Les Miserables; hence the username which is a combination of the two.

[Quique]

Les Mis for me as well. I'm not as active a fan as I used to be, but I was an absolute nut for years up to the the late 90's.

-I've seen it 26 times.
-Have all official cast albums and a nice amount of unofficial ones.
-Have a crap load of memorabilia.
-Used to stagedoor and got a backstage tour of the Imperial by the then young Cosette, Alicia Morton.
-Followed J.P. Dougherty around the streets of WeHo back when the show was in L.A. (1999). No I wasn't stalking him. I happened to bump into him by accident and wanted to say something to him but he got away. He never knew I recognized him.
-Took an hour-long ride on the Metro blue line to Long Beach when I was younger to see the 3rd NT load in the scenery.
-Used to construct miniature Les Mis sets for fun.
-Listened to it nearly daily from 2004-2006.
-I sobbed like a maniac at the final 3rd NT L.A. performance.
-Makes me very nostalgic and warm and fuzzy inside. The characters are like family to me.
-I'm an orchestration nazi.
-Had many regular LM pen-pals pre-internet.

I also had an unhealthy obsession with Phantom during the 90's. I saw it 16 times in a few months back in 1997. It's a guilty pleasure cause I realize it has gaping holes in it's plot, but have still managed to see it 32 times despite this.

[Monsieur D'Arque]

Little Me.

A relatively lightweight show, with only three major productions (three and a half if you count Charles Busch's revival of LM as a drag show with a hodgepodge script from all three previous versions). Yet I have become a self-made expert on the show. Only Neil Simon knows more about Little Me than I do. I have all four scripts, all the scores (granted, the 1982 and Busch ones are just mix-and-match with one or two extra songs added, but I have those), as much audio and video documentation of each as is available, and more.

[broadwayxdoll]

probably seussical. ive done the show 3 times. im going to audition for my 4th even though im kinda tired of it.

i just cant help myself

[blue wind]

wicked.

it's what really got me into musical theatre...[/i]

[Kiwi]

I was super obsessed with Notre Dame de Paris last summer. I watched the clips on Youtube like ten times a day and listened to the music nonstop. Now I still love it and like to listen to the music, but I'm not nearly as obsessed as I was at first

[MunkustrapQC]

Jesus Christ Superstar since I began to explore the world of musicals!!
I'm just crazy of it!

[shakalakababy]

the phantom of the opera back when i was a freshman. I was unhealthily obsessed with it to the point that i even started reading phantom fan fics. It was just sad. Except it was pretty damn magical the first time i saw it because i had been so crazy about it for the past year and then i finally got to see it live and i was about 6 rows from the stage so it was perfect. No other show has really brought across that same magical feeling in me when i saw it (well maybe les mis) so i know most people hate on the phantom but it still holds a special place in my heart. I went through the Wicked and RENT thing too but none of those were as crazy as my phantom obsession.

[Phantom On A Budget]

Phantom. Obviously. But I did have a slight obsession with Les Mis a year or so ago. I had avoided it completely up until then, but somehow I managed to collect several cast recordings. Before long I was listening to it all the time for about two weeks; it was actually making me crazy, but I just couldn't turn it off.

But again, Phantom trumps them all. Even after 13 years it's still at a really scary obsessive level.

[Kiwi]

As crazy as so many people are for Phantom and Les Mis, I've never been able to get too into them, especially Les Mis. I listen to the music when I feel like it, but I'm not all that into them. Maybe it's just because it's been shoved down my throat so much by the people who are obsessed with it...I don't know.

[Phantom On A Budget]

That's one of the reasons why I stayed away from Les Mis for so long, Kiwi. To this day I still haven't seen it and yet have managed to survive perfectly well. I try not to be obnoxious about POTO around people, since I know all too well that it's not for everyone.

I also have a deep love of Crazy For You.

[pish123c]

[Annie]

There were Wicked and Hairspray phases of which I am not proud.
Particularly that of the former.



Happily, both have subsided.



I do, however, continue to appreciate Hairspray in all its delightfully campy, but unarguably FABULOUS wonder.

[jarrod001]

Wicked and Cats.
When I was little I saw Cats on PBS and it was all I did. Everything was Cats and I was obsessed. Then my parents took me to see it on broadway for my eighth birthday and it was amazing.

And I saw Wicked on the Macy's Parade and I just wanted to see it and I got obsessed and I've seen it five times and I just can't get enough

[ILoveToSing2010]

Cats.



Nuff said...

[Dvarg]

I used to be very much into POTO, Les Mis and Chess, the best known "mega musicals" in Scandinavia, I think. But I wasn't really obsessed with them to a nutty degree, I believe.

Then came Which Witch.

Now, I get why you guys love POTO and Les Mis out of sentimental reasons. I do the same with WW, though I am perfectly able to spot out it's dramaturgical flaws - which are many. Stranglely, those flaws are part of why I like WW, to me they make the piece more interesting to analyse than for example Sweeney Todd (which imo is totally perfect.

And don't get me started on my general Sondheim obsession, which just lasts

[Catherine]

I used to be really obsessed with Wicked (anyone who was around before my username change knows this: hello, avidest wicked fan), I remember watching every DG mix out there on Youtube, and I forced myself to read the book (even though I was only 13/14 at the time)

Thank goodness I'm not as obsessed now. Blood Brothers is a bit of an obsession, but I don't listen to it too much, so when I see the show, I'm never sick of the music which is great (Well except the Kids Game, but thats just grating)

Les Mis is a bit of an obsession now, but it seems tiny compared to everyone else on here.

[The Drama Queen]

Wicked was definitely my biggest obsession ever. It really was my introduction to current musicals. Before I heard of Wicked, I never really listened to ANY OBC's of current or recent musicals- Now I can't stop!

[Quique]

Am I a bad person for admitting that I'm surprised by the number of people who were obsessed with Wicked? I was very unimpressed by it when I saw it back in June. But, that's just me. I'm sure some of you hate Les Mis, and I'm sure some of you have bad taste.

[pish123c]

[Quique]

I was half kidding. Yes, it annoys me somewhat. And I am definitely extremely unimpressed by it now. But at the same time, I'm glad it introduces young people to musicals. I recall liking it as a family show at the time, and being very impressed by the two leads. But overall, it didn't stay with me.

[dcrowley]

Hmmm... I used to enjoy the soundtrack of Wicked when I first heard it... I even sang "Dancing Through Life" for a random, last minute audition, but I was never ever obsessed with it.

I would have to say I am very much a Les Miserables lunatic. I was actually in New York City the day that the revival was closing... and I felt like the biggest traitor for not going to see it.

I am also obsessed with Bare: a Pop Opera. I have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop... I want to make love to Matt Doyle... no joke.

[Salome]

[Salome]

shows i couldnt stop listening to when i first heard them..

My Fair Lady
Camelot
Parade
Assassins
Follies
Grey Gardens
Darling of the Day

among others

[Annie]

As far as current obsessions go for me, I'm sort of past the being completely addicted to one show or another - I just have my hardcore favorites.

Ragtime.
Sunday in the Park with George.
Company.
Songs for a New World.
Assassins.

woot.

[musictheatre00]

[wicked_boy]

You all know mine.

I can't help it.

[DontDoSadnessxx]

[jesuiscommejesuis]

Dear Daniel,

Welcome to the last two years of my life.

bare = heaven.

[Anno_Domini]

Back when I was a newbie, I had an unhealthy obsession with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I thought that the man was the be-all and end-all of musical theatre. Superstar, Phantom, Joseph...I couldn't get enough of those shows. Now don't get me wrong, I still love many of his works, but I know that there are still better works out there, of course.

Other past obsessions: Jekyll & Hyde, Rent, Legally Blonde, Sweeney Todd

NOTE: I still love all of those shows!!!

Current Obsession: Well, my own musical *points to left*[/i]

[bare24601!]

[Yip1982]

I'd probably say I have some obsessions with shows, but not quite as deep as many of you.
I do feel obsessed with CATS, but don't own everything and anything I can lay my hands on. Yes, I do own a few cast recordings, but the non-English versions are collecting dust on my shelf. I've kept a souvenir programme from London, and own a mug and a CATS T-shirt.
I would say I've got a similar obsession with SOUND OF MUSIC, but I only own books and CDs. I own the film soundtrack and many of the major English recordings, but I've stopped at the Australian version with McCune.
I used to be obsessed with Joseph's Dreamcoat but not I'm not so badly obsessed with it. I used to think I could wear the dreamcoat but not I'm not so sure.

[Cake_in_Song]

I do have quite an obsession with Hamlet. It comes and goes. It's coming again right now. He just really gets me. The poster boy for depressed, indescisive teenagers. Even if he was thirty. Although I prefer the other theory, that he was 16, because that makes his love for Ophelia significantly less creepy.

[Elphaba22]

Note my username...how do you change user names, I've been considering it. I still love Wicked and The Wizard and I is still one of my favorite songs, but I definitely got over it. But it took 2+ years.
Now I am SOOOO into Urinetown, its crazy. All I do is think about Urinetown, and listen to it, watch clips of it on YouTube, and try to find productions of it to go see.
I'm really into Assassins right now as well. And Little Shop of Horrors, but Urinetown is my current favorite.