Cabaret is a musical with a logical justification for the singing. The movie focuses on a night club and the songs are performances on stage for an audience within the film
in the context of something ostensibly meant to be taken seriously. It completely takes me out of it.
Since this is about your desire to change your own mind - do you like to sing? If not, have you considered learning to sing? Anyone can sing - you don't have to be a professional or anything - and it can definitely be an emotional and therapeutic experience.
I'm actually in almost exactly the same boat. RHPS was the only musical I ever really got into at all for a while.
That being said, I used to work at a movie theatre and got to see La La Land for free. I wouldn't have, because I hated musicals, but plenty of people who claimed the same said it was just worth it.
It definitely got me, I loved it - but it didn't ignite anything in me, so I'm curious if anything can. I've put up with plenty of them for the sake of being with people who wanted to watch them, but I just can't enjoy them.
I feel musicals are silly and distracting, but there are a few I’ve enjoyed lately. I’ve heard that in musicals, songs are used to express feelings that go beyond what words would be able to describe. This reasoning has definitely made things more palatable for me.
It's on Netflix starring Andrew Garfield and directorial debut of Lin Manuel Miranda. This is one of those that I would recommend to those who don't usually like musicals.
It's an adaption of a rock monologue. It's all about the protagonists life and troubles when they turned 30 and hadn't found success on broadway as a musical writer.
It works because the setting is the character(s) on stage playing instruments and singing. As the songs go on, it cuts back to the protagonists memory of the events. So when the memory turns into a musical, it subconsciously makes sense. I mean they are trying to create musicals after all.
I actually feel like La La Land is a great movie for someone that doesn't like musicals. If your brain can't handle non-diegetic musicals, there's not much to like transition you into it. You either suspend your disbelief or you don't. It'd be like "I can't get into sci-fi because the logic in my brain has trouble processing laser swords and magic."
I mean, if you want something that's diegetic then something like A Star is Born (2018) or Elvis (2022) which essentially function as musicals. There's also the films of John Carney that revolve around music: Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street.
In terms of just diegetic musicals that maybe would appeal to you. If you liked Rocky Horror you'd probably like Cry Baby from John Waters.
Singing in the Rain might appeal to you since there's a reason for them to be singing and dancing in the context of the movie.
Not sure what you meant by the La La Land bandwagon. I personally hate the musical genre and I like LLL a lot. I’ve heard that fans of musicals don’t tend to like it as much ans they should and it’s made for people who don’t really care about the genre, which rings very true to me. It’s a film about existing as a creative person and choosing between the passion for the arts and passion for romance. If you could relate to that theme at all, it’s definitely worth watching. It’s also incredibly well made technically and very cynical compared to most musicals. If you don’t want to watch it because you think the movie might be a celebration of Hollywood culture, it’s not.
I was in a similar boat and forced myself to watch a few classics to better understand what I could like out of them. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ended up really working for me. All the dialogue is 100% sung. Perhaps it was the lack of transition between spoken word and singing that made it more palatable.
My wife and I went to see "Into the Woods" because we liked the idea of a more mature take on Grimm's fairy tales. Neither of us knew it was a musical by the same name before seeing it. I don't enjoy musicals, but that one was enjoyable for me. Might be worth a shot for you?
Once upon a time I tried, unsuccessfully, to sell La La Land to someone. It didn't work until that person saw another man he respects endorse it. Then once he felt "allowed" to enjoy it, he did.
If your reasons for hating musicals stems from some kind of insecurity or fear of allowing yourself to enjoy something emotional or "illogical" expression of feelings, then perhaps try to seek out the endorsements from men you respect.
When I was 10, all the boys in the class were into Power Rangers. There's nothing at all logical about most tokusatsu; sci fi can be extremely corny and "speculative" at best, and explosions on screen are non-musical emotions writ large; most approved male power fantasies are precisely that, a fantasy. And yet most of us grew up with some baggage over what kind of suspension of disbelief and enjoyment we are allowed to enjoy.
I would also suggest School Of Rock: its music is mostly diegetic. Much of Sister Act is also diegetic music so perhaps those can sneak past your eye roll detector.
Maybe Chicago? It's pretty brilliantly adapted to film - the story is about women trying to make it in showbiz, so the musical framing makes more sense anyway, but the actual numbers are split into the show style of the music juxtaposed with straight acting about what's going on (even in the middle of the songs). Great story, great music, spectacular casting.
It's OK if it just doesn't appeal to you, but if it helps make "sense" of it, think of it as magical realism - it's just a method of getting you to feel what the people are feeling, regardless of whether it's "happening" or not.
Musicals don't work for me typically because the logical side of me can't rationalize people singing about their worries, etc. in the context of something ostensibly meant to be taken seriously.
Maybe it would help for you to learn a bit about the genre of musicals and how they derived from opera? This youtube video does a good job of explaining it (yes it's about Mulan but he starts out by explaining a bunch of musical theory).
I am not much of a "musicals on TV" person either. But have you seen any live? They are absolutely excellent, I love live musicals. For me that is enough to suspend my disbelief when matching a movie, ymmv.
Try our Schmigadoon! on Apple TV. The characters of the “real world” are stranded in a magical realm where people sing and dance. You may connect with one of the main characters, who hates musicals and thinks they are silly and finds the situation they are in to be ridiculous.
I like the show because its tongue and cheek, poking fun at typical musical tropes that require suspension of disbelief. It also is an excellent stylistic review of the early classic musicals like The Music Man, Oklahoma, and Carousel.
As an aside, not everything needs to be logical to be enjoyable. Sometimes its ok for things to just be a spectacle, whether they are weird and strange, or fantastical, or obnoxious and whimsical. A lot of entertainment is about escaping the harsh realities and logic of the real world.
Also, if musicals are not your taste, that’s fine too. They’re not for everyone.
I think that musicals often capture and play up the moments where we, in our day-to-day lives, feel that certain something that only music can capture. It's like how the perfect song can amplify a "first dance" at a wedding, a song that makes you remember your mother on a Saturday afternoon, how a night drive can become something almost magical and...out of life. I think that's the feeling musicals are trying to capture. That "out of life" feeling we can get when a song, when music creates these big moments where you might otherwise have silence or dialogue.
I think my suggestion would be to try some...lower stakes musicals. And, while Team America might disagree, Cats and The Lion King are my top recommendations. Not the, er, newer Cats to be clear. You'll want the 1998 version. You don't need to logic your way into understanding why cats are singing because we've already firmly departed logical territory. Who is to say that cats aren't always singing instead of talking? On that premise, I think you'll be able to enjoy the music more for what it is delivering: telling a story, creating excitement, and delivering loads of talent. I've introduced guys and gals in their 20s/30s to it and even those who weren't really into musicals had a good time and enjoyed themselves.
As for The Lion King, this is sort of an interchangeable recommendation. Find an animated musical that you enjoy and see if you enjoy its theatre counterpart. For me, I watched the movie as a kid and then went and saw it live as an adult. It's also possible that played a factor - perhaps you might enjoy seeing a musical live more than just watching it on your TV? That has certainly been true of my experience with some musicals. Something about being in the audience versus watching through a screen. But perhaps taking an animated musical that you already enjoy and watching the theatre version will suit you better and allow you to ease into other musicals.
Maybe you'll have better luck with musicals that were made for being watched as film? Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Blues Brothers, Footloose (the 1984 version), Chicago, Sweeney Todd, or Moulin Rouge.
I'm in the same boat as you, mostly disliking musicals for more or less the same reason and liking the ones you listed. Another you might like is [Repo! The Genetic Opera](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgpU25C6fg". It's a campy sci-fi horror in which Paris Hilton gets her face ripped off. And it's also an opera. I also enjoy Jesus Christ Superstar but that is very nostalgia fueled so that's less of a recommendation, more of an admission of a guilty pleasure.
I think it would be easier to offer recommendations if we knew more about the show that you like. That way it might be easier to "gateway drug" you into musicals.
A lot of people are responding with musicals that have diagetic songs, which is usually a good way to get past the "I can't suspend my disbelief" factor. But I think it's possible that might not be the full picture here, and it might be easier to identify what might be putting you off with more details about what you're trying to get into.
Instead of approaching musicals as something to take seriously, maybe coming from the more campy side of things would help? Avenue Q (Spotify) is a comedic musical in the style of an adult Sesame Street. It's irreverent (see the songs "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist", "Schadenfreude", and "The Internet is for Porn") and the songs don't exactly stick out since most of the characters are puppets, so I'm not sure what serious reality there is to hang on to in the first place.
They are prime meme material, and I find them hilarious. They did Harry Potter Musicals, and are the source of the "I don't really wanna do the work today" meme.
Maybe an understanding of some of the logic behind the medium would help?
In a musical with a "traditional" structure that mixes dialogue, songs, and choreography, the question of when do you use each one is an interesting one. As a general rule, you talk about emotions/conflicts until they don't fit in dialogue any more so they spill over into song and as standing and singing doesn't get the point across either, you spill into dance.
So, it's not that people burst into song for no reason. It's that they are trying to communicate an idea and they have to escalate their efforts when they aren't getting their point across.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix. There are a few musical numbers in every episode. They're all spoofs of either musicals or popular bands so the genre changes frequently. The actors break into these performances somewhat unexpectedly but it flows with the show well and is hysterically funny. It doesn't 'take itself too seriously' the way a lot of musicals do, they're very much making fun of themselves and it's easy to watch.
Have you tried Little Shop of Horrors? While it is a non-diegetic musical, if you liked Rocky Horror it is similarly campy as all hell and very much a cult classic in that regard. It is about a sentient plant that craves human blood.
The movie was directed by Frank Oz who voiced many a Muppet, but he also directed The Dark Crystal and some other movies of the 80s/90s. The cast is also stellar, it stars Rick Moranis, Steve Martin as a deranged sadistic dentist, as well as cameos from Jim Belushi, John Candy, and Bill Murray.
Can I sell musicals to you when you don't like them? Simple answer is no I can't, not without knowing specifically what it is about musicals you don't like.
However it's important to understand WHY you don't like musicals.
It completely takes me out of it. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's some deep-seated childhood trauma, who knows.
So this is important. You say "Who knows" as if you have no interest in truly figuring out what it is about musicals that turns you off. But that's the key.
All I can offer now is just my personal experience with others who haven't liked musicals and hope that something sticks.
Assuming you're a straight male, one of THE most common reasons for straight men to not like musicals is societal conditioning that musicals are effeminate. There is this stigma with musicals that it is somehow not very "manly" since musicals are generally filled with emotion, and men in our society are conditioned to be somewhat uncomfortable around emotions.
This doesn't have to manifest directly as "that's not manly," but it can manifest as "musicals can't be serious" because a lot of toxic masculine culture has men and manliness being defined by seriousness and stoicism. Which is why anything that shows too much emotion, which is basically the crux of what makes musicals musicals, is seen as less than.
To add to this, musicals stem and get a lot of inspiration from stageplays and broadway, which is in toxic masculine culture is once again not seen as "manly."
Anyways, food for though. Try to really get in some self awareness and emotional intelligence points to really figure out what it is about musicals you don't like, like keep asking yourself "why" until you can't ask why anymore.
Like this is an example of what I meant, this in no way is supposed to be your personal reasoning: "Why don't I like musicals?" -> "Because they take me out of the story and ruin my immersion." -> "Why is my immersion ruined when people start singing in musicals?" -> "Because it's not realistic and it's ridiculous." -> "Well, musicals aren't supposed to be 'realistic' as realism obviously isn't the focus of a musical, so why do you think it's ridiculous when they start singing?" -> "Hmm, why DO I think it's ridiculous? I think it's because I can't relate to the music?" -> "But why can't you relate? Is it the content of the music, or do you think that singing itself is unrelatable?" -> "Maybe it's not that I can't relate, it's just that I feel uncomfortable" -> "Why do you feel uncomfortable?" -> "I guess because of the societal pressures of men? I've been surrounded by men where showing emotion or interest in things like musicals was generally frowned upon." Boom, there's the answer.
Check out the Book of Mormon, written by the guys from South Park. When I left the theatre my face was sore from laughing so much. Definitely a great musical for people who don't like musicals! :)
I'm glad you mentioned the titles because I can maybe relate on this one.
I don't mind musicals, but I think most are "eh". I've enjoyed theater productions of things like Les Miserable/Phantom of the Opera (and Mean Girls to be less pretentious about it), and felt La La land was a pretty fun movie that successfully pulled an Oscar Bait at the last moment. I watch a variety of things and get the "turn your brain off" fun of some things (like really bad movies such as the 90's The Avengers or Niel Breen stuff), and that's generally how I handle musicals.
THAT being said, while I do enjoy those shows, I think they over rely on it. The father singing to his daughter in one of the early episodes was an excellent use of song and I was shocked at how high quality it was, but their decision to work a musical into every (nearly?) episode has me also zoning out on most of them because they just feel like they're there to be there.
To be fair though, that might just mean it's not really for your and me. I see it kinda like fanservice/junkfood shows where everyone's got different tastes on what they enjoy and what they don't, so I'm sure there's a ton of people who love every song, and it might just not be for the likes of us. Show's are still mostly good enough I'm probably going to watch them, but I imagine i'll continue to start browsing the web when the songs kick in.
Maybe you see musicals as stories that get interrupted by people randomly bursting into song and dance? But you could reframe it as being a concert that just happens to have a story tying the songs together.
Do you enjoy concerts / music in general, apart from musicals? If so, I'd recommend looking for musicals that have the same kind of music you already enjoy.
That said, it's also fine if you just can't get into musicals. Maybe it's just not your thing and that's ok. I still consider myself as someone who's not really into musicals even though there are some that I really love. (What I generally dislike about musicals is the feeling that the words are being "forced" into the melody. To me, it's not enough to have words that correctly fit into the timing of the music-- the words themselves have to sound nice with the cadence and the melody, they have to sound like they really belong in that melody.)
As a cinematic and musical historical artifact, may I suggest The Threepenny Opera (1931)?
To a certain extent, it satirizes the operatic romantic tropes that became even more overblown in modern musicals, and there's a hefty dose of old school anti-capitalist messaging. It's witty rather than comic, anti-heroic... imagine a Marxist Victorian Peaky Blinders with music.
May not be your cup of tea, but thought I'd mention it since you asked.
Not a musical, but have you heard of the podcast MusicalSplaining? In this podcast, a passionate musical enthusiast takes on the challenge of making a self-proclaimed musical hater discover the magic of musicals.
So, if none of the recommendations here seem tempting, maybe try listening to the perspective of someone who firmly proclaims to hate musicals, but still managed to find some endearing things about them.
Time to pimp one of my favourite shows! I don't generally like musicals either, but I don't hate them. It's usually a slight turn off for me, but once in a while I find something I enjoy. I too, don't really like romance stories and have never felt any kind of romantic feelings for anyone else. That's important for context as the premise of the show I'm going to recommend includes some romance, but romance really stops being the focus pretty quickly. It's just to set things up.
So! Have you watched Galavant? It's a comedy and there's only two seasons. The premise is basically that a knight lost his partner as she was abducted by the king who was infatuated with her. But the show proceeds to subvert everything that's cliche of this kind of story. Some people call it a parody, but I wouldn't exactly call it that. One of the cast members called it "the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride"
I would say i am lukewarm to musicals. I dont outright hate them, but I don't go searching for them. What i have realized is I like fun movie musicals like Rocky Horror or Hedwig and the angry inch. Something where they a few good dance tunes.
But I also really enjoy seeing musicals live like on Broadway. Live musicals are easier to suspend your belief. Honestly, I enjoy the craft of it when it is live. I have only seen 3 broadway musicals but they all been great. I just enjoy people being really good at something. Although, seeing this way is pretty privileged, and I am glad I was able to see it. I didnt get musical until i saw it live.
Cabaret is a musical with a logical justification for the singing. The movie focuses on a night club and the songs are performances on stage for an audience within the film
Since this is about your desire to change your own mind - do you like to sing? If not, have you considered learning to sing? Anyone can sing - you don't have to be a professional or anything - and it can definitely be an emotional and therapeutic experience.
I'm actually in almost exactly the same boat. RHPS was the only musical I ever really got into at all for a while.
That being said, I used to work at a movie theatre and got to see La La Land for free. I wouldn't have, because I hated musicals, but plenty of people who claimed the same said it was just worth it.
It definitely got me, I loved it - but it didn't ignite anything in me, so I'm curious if anything can. I've put up with plenty of them for the sake of being with people who wanted to watch them, but I just can't enjoy them.
I feel musicals are silly and distracting, but there are a few I’ve enjoyed lately. I’ve heard that in musicals, songs are used to express feelings that go beyond what words would be able to describe. This reasoning has definitely made things more palatable for me.
Tick... Tick... Boom!
It's on Netflix starring Andrew Garfield and directorial debut of Lin Manuel Miranda. This is one of those that I would recommend to those who don't usually like musicals.
It's an adaption of a rock monologue. It's all about the protagonists life and troubles when they turned 30 and hadn't found success on broadway as a musical writer.
It works because the setting is the character(s) on stage playing instruments and singing. As the songs go on, it cuts back to the protagonists memory of the events. So when the memory turns into a musical, it subconsciously makes sense. I mean they are trying to create musicals after all.
I actually feel like La La Land is a great movie for someone that doesn't like musicals. If your brain can't handle non-diegetic musicals, there's not much to like transition you into it. You either suspend your disbelief or you don't. It'd be like "I can't get into sci-fi because the logic in my brain has trouble processing laser swords and magic."
I mean, if you want something that's diegetic then something like A Star is Born (2018) or Elvis (2022) which essentially function as musicals. There's also the films of John Carney that revolve around music: Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street.
In terms of just diegetic musicals that maybe would appeal to you. If you liked Rocky Horror you'd probably like Cry Baby from John Waters.
Singing in the Rain might appeal to you since there's a reason for them to be singing and dancing in the context of the movie.
Not sure what you meant by the La La Land bandwagon. I personally hate the musical genre and I like LLL a lot. I’ve heard that fans of musicals don’t tend to like it as much ans they should and it’s made for people who don’t really care about the genre, which rings very true to me. It’s a film about existing as a creative person and choosing between the passion for the arts and passion for romance. If you could relate to that theme at all, it’s definitely worth watching. It’s also incredibly well made technically and very cynical compared to most musicals. If you don’t want to watch it because you think the movie might be a celebration of Hollywood culture, it’s not.
The Happiness of the Katakuris is a horror comedy with some musical bits. I'd recommend it if you like unique movies.
I was in a similar boat and forced myself to watch a few classics to better understand what I could like out of them. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ended up really working for me. All the dialogue is 100% sung. Perhaps it was the lack of transition between spoken word and singing that made it more palatable.
My wife and I went to see "Into the Woods" because we liked the idea of a more mature take on Grimm's fairy tales. Neither of us knew it was a musical by the same name before seeing it. I don't enjoy musicals, but that one was enjoyable for me. Might be worth a shot for you?
Once upon a time I tried, unsuccessfully, to sell La La Land to someone. It didn't work until that person saw another man he respects endorse it. Then once he felt "allowed" to enjoy it, he did.
If your reasons for hating musicals stems from some kind of insecurity or fear of allowing yourself to enjoy something emotional or "illogical" expression of feelings, then perhaps try to seek out the endorsements from men you respect.
When I was 10, all the boys in the class were into Power Rangers. There's nothing at all logical about most tokusatsu; sci fi can be extremely corny and "speculative" at best, and explosions on screen are non-musical emotions writ large; most approved male power fantasies are precisely that, a fantasy. And yet most of us grew up with some baggage over what kind of suspension of disbelief and enjoyment we are allowed to enjoy.
I would also suggest School Of Rock: its music is mostly diegetic. Much of Sister Act is also diegetic music so perhaps those can sneak past your eye roll detector.
Maybe Chicago? It's pretty brilliantly adapted to film - the story is about women trying to make it in showbiz, so the musical framing makes more sense anyway, but the actual numbers are split into the show style of the music juxtaposed with straight acting about what's going on (even in the middle of the songs). Great story, great music, spectacular casting.
It's OK if it just doesn't appeal to you, but if it helps make "sense" of it, think of it as magical realism - it's just a method of getting you to feel what the people are feeling, regardless of whether it's "happening" or not.
Maybe it would help for you to learn a bit about the genre of musicals and how they derived from opera? This youtube video does a good job of explaining it (yes it's about Mulan but he starts out by explaining a bunch of musical theory).
I am not much of a "musicals on TV" person either. But have you seen any live? They are absolutely excellent, I love live musicals. For me that is enough to suspend my disbelief when matching a movie, ymmv.
Try our Schmigadoon! on Apple TV. The characters of the “real world” are stranded in a magical realm where people sing and dance. You may connect with one of the main characters, who hates musicals and thinks they are silly and finds the situation they are in to be ridiculous.
I like the show because its tongue and cheek, poking fun at typical musical tropes that require suspension of disbelief. It also is an excellent stylistic review of the early classic musicals like The Music Man, Oklahoma, and Carousel.
As an aside, not everything needs to be logical to be enjoyable. Sometimes its ok for things to just be a spectacle, whether they are weird and strange, or fantastical, or obnoxious and whimsical. A lot of entertainment is about escaping the harsh realities and logic of the real world.
Also, if musicals are not your taste, that’s fine too. They’re not for everyone.
I think that musicals often capture and play up the moments where we, in our day-to-day lives, feel that certain something that only music can capture. It's like how the perfect song can amplify a "first dance" at a wedding, a song that makes you remember your mother on a Saturday afternoon, how a night drive can become something almost magical and...out of life. I think that's the feeling musicals are trying to capture. That "out of life" feeling we can get when a song, when music creates these big moments where you might otherwise have silence or dialogue.
I think my suggestion would be to try some...lower stakes musicals. And, while Team America might disagree, Cats and The Lion King are my top recommendations. Not the, er, newer Cats to be clear. You'll want the 1998 version. You don't need to logic your way into understanding why cats are singing because we've already firmly departed logical territory. Who is to say that cats aren't always singing instead of talking? On that premise, I think you'll be able to enjoy the music more for what it is delivering: telling a story, creating excitement, and delivering loads of talent. I've introduced guys and gals in their 20s/30s to it and even those who weren't really into musicals had a good time and enjoyed themselves.
As for The Lion King, this is sort of an interchangeable recommendation. Find an animated musical that you enjoy and see if you enjoy its theatre counterpart. For me, I watched the movie as a kid and then went and saw it live as an adult. It's also possible that played a factor - perhaps you might enjoy seeing a musical live more than just watching it on your TV? That has certainly been true of my experience with some musicals. Something about being in the audience versus watching through a screen. But perhaps taking an animated musical that you already enjoy and watching the theatre version will suit you better and allow you to ease into other musicals.
Maybe you'll have better luck with musicals that were made for being watched as film? Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Blues Brothers, Footloose (the 1984 version), Chicago, Sweeney Todd, or Moulin Rouge.
I'm in the same boat as you, mostly disliking musicals for more or less the same reason and liking the ones you listed. Another you might like is [Repo! The Genetic Opera](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgpU25C6fg". It's a campy sci-fi horror in which Paris Hilton gets her face ripped off. And it's also an opera. I also enjoy Jesus Christ Superstar but that is very nostalgia fueled so that's less of a recommendation, more of an admission of a guilty pleasure.
I think it would be easier to offer recommendations if we knew more about the show that you like. That way it might be easier to "gateway drug" you into musicals.
A lot of people are responding with musicals that have diagetic songs, which is usually a good way to get past the "I can't suspend my disbelief" factor. But I think it's possible that might not be the full picture here, and it might be easier to identify what might be putting you off with more details about what you're trying to get into.
Instead of approaching musicals as something to take seriously, maybe coming from the more campy side of things would help? Avenue Q (Spotify) is a comedic musical in the style of an adult Sesame Street. It's irreverent (see the songs "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist", "Schadenfreude", and "The Internet is for Porn") and the songs don't exactly stick out since most of the characters are puppets, so I'm not sure what serious reality there is to hang on to in the first place.
Might I recommend Team Starkid?
They are prime meme material, and I find them hilarious. They did Harry Potter Musicals, and are the source of the "I don't really wanna do the work today" meme.
They even have a musical titled:
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals
Maybe an understanding of some of the logic behind the medium would help?
In a musical with a "traditional" structure that mixes dialogue, songs, and choreography, the question of when do you use each one is an interesting one. As a general rule, you talk about emotions/conflicts until they don't fit in dialogue any more so they spill over into song and as standing and singing doesn't get the point across either, you spill into dance.
So, it's not that people burst into song for no reason. It's that they are trying to communicate an idea and they have to escalate their efforts when they aren't getting their point across.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix. There are a few musical numbers in every episode. They're all spoofs of either musicals or popular bands so the genre changes frequently. The actors break into these performances somewhat unexpectedly but it flows with the show well and is hysterically funny. It doesn't 'take itself too seriously' the way a lot of musicals do, they're very much making fun of themselves and it's easy to watch.
Have you tried Little Shop of Horrors? While it is a non-diegetic musical, if you liked Rocky Horror it is similarly campy as all hell and very much a cult classic in that regard. It is about a sentient plant that craves human blood.
The movie was directed by Frank Oz who voiced many a Muppet, but he also directed The Dark Crystal and some other movies of the 80s/90s. The cast is also stellar, it stars Rick Moranis, Steve Martin as a deranged sadistic dentist, as well as cameos from Jim Belushi, John Candy, and Bill Murray.
Can I sell musicals to you when you don't like them? Simple answer is no I can't, not without knowing specifically what it is about musicals you don't like.
However it's important to understand WHY you don't like musicals.
So this is important. You say "Who knows" as if you have no interest in truly figuring out what it is about musicals that turns you off. But that's the key.
All I can offer now is just my personal experience with others who haven't liked musicals and hope that something sticks.
Assuming you're a straight male, one of THE most common reasons for straight men to not like musicals is societal conditioning that musicals are effeminate. There is this stigma with musicals that it is somehow not very "manly" since musicals are generally filled with emotion, and men in our society are conditioned to be somewhat uncomfortable around emotions.
This doesn't have to manifest directly as "that's not manly," but it can manifest as "musicals can't be serious" because a lot of toxic masculine culture has men and manliness being defined by seriousness and stoicism. Which is why anything that shows too much emotion, which is basically the crux of what makes musicals musicals, is seen as less than.
To add to this, musicals stem and get a lot of inspiration from stageplays and broadway, which is in toxic masculine culture is once again not seen as "manly."
Anyways, food for though. Try to really get in some self awareness and emotional intelligence points to really figure out what it is about musicals you don't like, like keep asking yourself "why" until you can't ask why anymore.
Like this is an example of what I meant, this in no way is supposed to be your personal reasoning: "Why don't I like musicals?" -> "Because they take me out of the story and ruin my immersion." -> "Why is my immersion ruined when people start singing in musicals?" -> "Because it's not realistic and it's ridiculous." -> "Well, musicals aren't supposed to be 'realistic' as realism obviously isn't the focus of a musical, so why do you think it's ridiculous when they start singing?" -> "Hmm, why DO I think it's ridiculous? I think it's because I can't relate to the music?" -> "But why can't you relate? Is it the content of the music, or do you think that singing itself is unrelatable?" -> "Maybe it's not that I can't relate, it's just that I feel uncomfortable" -> "Why do you feel uncomfortable?" -> "I guess because of the societal pressures of men? I've been surrounded by men where showing emotion or interest in things like musicals was generally frowned upon." Boom, there's the answer.
Check out the Book of Mormon, written by the guys from South Park. When I left the theatre my face was sore from laughing so much. Definitely a great musical for people who don't like musicals! :)
I'm glad you mentioned the titles because I can maybe relate on this one.
I don't mind musicals, but I think most are "eh". I've enjoyed theater productions of things like Les Miserable/Phantom of the Opera (and Mean Girls to be less pretentious about it), and felt La La land was a pretty fun movie that successfully pulled an Oscar Bait at the last moment. I watch a variety of things and get the "turn your brain off" fun of some things (like really bad movies such as the 90's The Avengers or Niel Breen stuff), and that's generally how I handle musicals.
THAT being said, while I do enjoy those shows, I think they over rely on it. The father singing to his daughter in one of the early episodes was an excellent use of song and I was shocked at how high quality it was, but their decision to work a musical into every (nearly?) episode has me also zoning out on most of them because they just feel like they're there to be there.
To be fair though, that might just mean it's not really for your and me. I see it kinda like fanservice/junkfood shows where everyone's got different tastes on what they enjoy and what they don't, so I'm sure there's a ton of people who love every song, and it might just not be for the likes of us. Show's are still mostly good enough I'm probably going to watch them, but I imagine i'll continue to start browsing the web when the songs kick in.
Maybe you see musicals as stories that get interrupted by people randomly bursting into song and dance? But you could reframe it as being a concert that just happens to have a story tying the songs together.
Do you enjoy concerts / music in general, apart from musicals? If so, I'd recommend looking for musicals that have the same kind of music you already enjoy.
That said, it's also fine if you just can't get into musicals. Maybe it's just not your thing and that's ok. I still consider myself as someone who's not really into musicals even though there are some that I really love. (What I generally dislike about musicals is the feeling that the words are being "forced" into the melody. To me, it's not enough to have words that correctly fit into the timing of the music-- the words themselves have to sound nice with the cadence and the melody, they have to sound like they really belong in that melody.)
As a cinematic and musical historical artifact, may I suggest The Threepenny Opera (1931)?
To a certain extent, it satirizes the operatic romantic tropes that became even more overblown in modern musicals, and there's a hefty dose of old school anti-capitalist messaging. It's witty rather than comic, anti-heroic... imagine a Marxist Victorian Peaky Blinders with music.
May not be your cup of tea, but thought I'd mention it since you asked.
Not a musical, but have you heard of the podcast MusicalSplaining? In this podcast, a passionate musical enthusiast takes on the challenge of making a self-proclaimed musical hater discover the magic of musicals.
So, if none of the recommendations here seem tempting, maybe try listening to the perspective of someone who firmly proclaims to hate musicals, but still managed to find some endearing things about them.
Time to pimp one of my favourite shows! I don't generally like musicals either, but I don't hate them. It's usually a slight turn off for me, but once in a while I find something I enjoy. I too, don't really like romance stories and have never felt any kind of romantic feelings for anyone else. That's important for context as the premise of the show I'm going to recommend includes some romance, but romance really stops being the focus pretty quickly. It's just to set things up.
So! Have you watched Galavant? It's a comedy and there's only two seasons. The premise is basically that a knight lost his partner as she was abducted by the king who was infatuated with her. But the show proceeds to subvert everything that's cliche of this kind of story. Some people call it a parody, but I wouldn't exactly call it that. One of the cast members called it "the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride"
This is basically the opening of the first episode to explain the premise. Don't be put off by it yet! It's intentionally doing a cliche opening so that they can play around with it later.
This is the king singing about his frustration that his kidnapped bride doesn't like him. I don't think this is really a spoiler because I think it happens in the first episode, and it's pretty logical for a kidnapped bride to be unhappy with her captor.
If you don't mind spoilers here are some of the other songs that I like from the show for you to get how subversive it is:
Secret Mission
I Love You As Much As Someone Like Me Could Love Anyone
My dragon pal and me
That's Democracy
I just realised a lot of those songs include King Richards in them. But he's the best character. He's my favourite.
I would say i am lukewarm to musicals. I dont outright hate them, but I don't go searching for them. What i have realized is I like fun movie musicals like Rocky Horror or Hedwig and the angry inch. Something where they a few good dance tunes.
But I also really enjoy seeing musicals live like on Broadway. Live musicals are easier to suspend your belief. Honestly, I enjoy the craft of it when it is live. I have only seen 3 broadway musicals but they all been great. I just enjoy people being really good at something. Although, seeing this way is pretty privileged, and I am glad I was able to see it. I didnt get musical until i saw it live.
Tim Minchin's standup specials are musicals, they're super fun. The Pope Song and Thank You God are my favorites.
Also the new Matilda movie is a musical (with Tim doing the music), and it's utterly fantastic.