Loving Music Means Show Tunes As Well

I'm not very knowledgeable about Broadway music, better known as the show tunes genre.  It's a minefield of guilty pleasures.  I like what I like but often keep it to myself.  A guy who likes show tunes, well, for some reason his sexuality comes into play.  Come on, aren't we more mature than that?

I'll grant you it's a generalization that holds water.  I'm sure, if surveyed, gay men enjoy musicals more than straight men.  But I'm not ashamed to call The Wizard Of Oz one of my favorite movies of all time.  And it's the songs that place it there. 

Musicals were part of my childhood.  Before Disney got into Pixar their big moneymakers were animated musicals that remain classics.  And films like Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music helped form my musical appreciation as much as anything else. 

But I kind of abandoned show tunes for rock and roll early on.  Still, there's songs from musical theater that can't be denied.  In the '80s I saw Mandy Patinkin sing "Over The Rainbow" on David Letterman.  I've been a fan of his ever since.  Here's an encore performance of it he did for Letterman in 1989.

I feel more comfortable with my professing a love of show tunes when someone like Hugh Jackman comes along.  Jackman is known by most for his macho movie roles but the Australian actor is a song and dance man, having won a Tony award.  He's on Broadway this holiday season doing a one man show.  It's the hottest ticket of the season and completely sold out. 

The New York Times did a great story on the two sides of Jackman, Hugh Jackman Keeps His Pants On. "For some women his double-jointedness makes him the perfect platonic lover: part leading-man seducer (who gives you the best sex you never had), part gay best friend (who picks up your spirits by singing show tunes with you)." 

In the show he sings the aforementioned "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and opens the performance with "Oh What A Beautiful Morning".

I doubt that a musical soundtrack will ever make my end of the year lists but there's no denying that I enjoy a good show tune now and then.