Hello TLL community!

As summer starts to creep closer, we’re getting in the mood to sing out loud! The movie musical has been around for almost 100 years, since the end of the silent film era in the late 1920s. Goodbye silence hello elaborate stages, intricate dance numbers, and the added technology of special effects. There has been a lot of progress in the look and feel of the movie musical since the 1920s.

Music is such incredible art and everyone has different tastes so we’ve landed on some musicals that vary in genre too. Whether you are a musical theater aficionado or have never seen a musical in your life, we hope you enjoy dancing (or crying) along with our picks!

Singin’ in the Rain (1952 Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen) G

by Brynna Arens, TLL Editorial Lead

Every time I watch Singin’ in the Rain, it takes me back in time to my middle school choir days, my nerdy self being one of the only students actually interested in watching the movie instead of talking with friends . It was one of a few classic musicals that my teacher had on rotation for the handful of days a year we weren’t practicing for concerts or contests. At 13 I was already a lover of musicals, it was the age of High School Musical after all! But it was watching the musical numbers of Singin’ in the Rain brought to life on an old box TV mounted precariously on the classroom wall that showed me how spectacular the movie musical can be.

Now, I know musicals aren’t for everyone, but I would argue that Singin’ in the Rain could win over the harshest musical cynic. Set during the late 1920s, this classic musical is a fictional behind-the-scenes look at Monumental Picture’s transition from silent films to “talkies” (films with synchronized sound). Even with their talented stars Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) at the helm, the studio struggles to adapt their period drama to the changing technology. While Don works with his industry friends Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) and Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) to brainstorm ideas to save the movie, Kathy has the genius idea to turn the film into a musical. In most classic musicals, the stakes are never too high and generally the main characters find closure and have a happy ending. While I love and appreciate the tear-inducing ballads and deeper emotional beats often found in more modern musicals, Singin’ in the Rain’s focus is on giving the audience a good time with musical numbers that beg you to get up and dance along. Set after Kathy’s big idea, one of my favorite songs in the musical, “Good Morning”, invokes the feeling of staying up late into the early morning with your friends. Don, Cosmo, and Kathy dance and sing around the house with the giddiness that is all too familiar in the creative industry when inspiration strikes. It’s hard to not join in on their hopefulness and joy as they celebrate this victory. I love this song and dance number because it is such a good reminder that even the small things in life are worth celebrating. While Singin’ in the Rain is a stylized, fictional take on how movies were made during this period, it’s still a lot of fun for film fans who love to see the inner-workings of the industry.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015 Created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna) TV-14

By Mercedes Gonzales-Bazan, TLL Research Lead

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend tells the story of successful and lovingly neurotic lawyer Rebecca Bunch played by Rachel Bloom, the musical dramedy’s co-creator, writer, and director Aline Brosh McKenna. Together McKenna and Bloom create an exaggerated world out of Rebecca’s daydreams and delusions that blend into the realism of her daily life. In the pilot, we find Rebecca amidst a moment of emotional panic in the middle of New York City, when she runs into her summer camp boyfriend Josh Chan, played by Vincent Rodriguez III. Rebecca is inspired to make a change after hearing about Josh moving back to his hometown, and she too decides to make a move…to his hometown of West Covina, California in search for the happiness that Josh seems to so effortlessly carry. Upon arrival in West Covina, she is introduced to her new law firm colleagues, her cool-girl neighbor and Josh's entire social circle. The same questions are on their mind- who is Rebecca and why is she here? At first glance, Rebecca is self sabotaging and impulsive, but as the show continues you grow to understand her through the ways her mental illness is captured on screen— the nonlinearity of her development feels authentic in its portrayal. As each new season unfolds, the audience is taken on a journey alongside Rebecca to understand herself, her motives, and her mental health, while she and her West Covina crew sing self aware songs with honesty and social commentary which give insights into their own individual character truths.

There’s typically two to four songs per episode and they parody the musical theater format of characters unexpectedly performing in the midst of emotional highs and lows. Each character’s development exists most in their songs as they sing about their most internalized thoughts, realizations, desires, or fears. Even the deeply personal songs can hold layers of social commentary or educational need set to a fun, upbeat tune— like the “Sexy Getting Ready Song” featuring Nipsey Hussle, where Rebecca details the painfully realistic and exhausting beauty rituals women are expected to do on the regular to appease the beauty standard. The music in each episode does more than just add fun and levity to the storylines; these songs move along the character arcs and bring nuance to a show that can easily be dismissed because of its name and seemingly kitschy energy. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend knocks all assumptions to the side as it plays with the classic hijinks of a sitcom in an original way and covers larger themes from sexuality and reproductive health to grief and mental illness.

Dreamgirls (2006, Directed by Bill Condon) PG-13

By Shamira Brown, TLL Graphic Designer

Dreamgirls is a story that shows the evolution of R&B during the 60s and 70s in America through a Black girl group who had a dream to be on top and to make it in the music industry (which was a predominantly white space) while breaking racial and gender barriers. “The Dreamettes” later known as “The Dreams”. The group was made up of lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) and her backup singers Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose).

The trio later met Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), a ruthless music manager, at a local amateur talent show where Curtis offered the trio to sing back up for James "Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy). The girls accepted the offer and that was the start of their music careers. Each member goes through a personal journey of finding who they are as a person while navigating the spotlight. They go through tough life lessons that help guide me in my adulthood. One lesson is finding your own voice through the lens of Deena – who later married Curtis and she lost a piece of herself and wanted to branch out to other things that made her happy. This is also shown when she sang “Listen,” in the musical. She later realized that finding her own voice as a person led to unveiling who Curtis truly was as a person and how he used other people for his own personal gain.

Dreamgirls is said to be based on the girl groups in the 1960s such as The Supremes. Dreamgirls was adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical under the same name. The film goes through many topics from body image to colorism to music plagiarism. The film depicts how The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement (along with the Detroit Riots) affected the music industry and influenced the music within the musical. Dreamgirls allows viewers to analyze stereotypes that were apparent in the time setting in the movie and how they remained in our culture to this day, specifically when it comes to gender and racial equality.

Rent (2005, Directed by Chris Columbus) PG-13

By Jade Gonzales, TLL Editorial Contributor

Rent is a rock musical composed by Jonathan Larson and loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera, La Boheme. Rent tells the story of one year in the life of a group of friends living in the East Village, New York City from 1989-1990 during the height of the HIV / AIDS epidemic. The film’s focal group of friends consists of struggling artists, many of them living with HIV who are all interconnected through romantic relationships, friendships or shared experiences.

Through following the friend group,we get a deep and personal look into different realities like racism, homophobia, poverty, illness and addiction and how each plays a role into the individual lives of the characters. What I think makes Rent such a phenomenal piece of work is both its timeless characteristic - these themes are just as relevant now as they were in 1989 and the way the characters are so deeply relatable. Whether you hold the same identities or seem to hold none of the same identities, each character has been put in a box by society and thats an experience we’ve all faced From Mimi the Latina stripper and drug addict to Angel the Black drag queen street percussionist living with HIV to Joanne the Black Ivy-League educated lesbian lawyer- these characters will win your heart. Through each character’s story, we learn how society deems certain identities as less valuable and how each character has to fight through stereotypes and discrimination because of their identity.

Despite these obstacles, each character within the group of friends has the courage to live their authentic truths. Through their truths and the raw depiction of their story, you are able to relate to them through their heartbreaks, their career endeavors, their friendships, their losses, their wins and the list goes on. And while each character goes through these inevitable experiences in life, they stay true to who they are and that is what I admire the most in each character.

This brief review of Rent doesn’t cover half of the themes and stories that Rent has brought to the front and center stage. However, if I had to pick one lesson from Rent that has stuck with me, is how we should value our time and human lives. So every time I look down at the roman numeral tattoo on my arm displaying 525,600, I am reminded that value is not measured in status, money, mistakes, choices, identities but our lives and time are measured in love.

In the Heights (2021 Directed by John M. Chu) PG-13

by Brynna Arens, TLL Editorial Lead

Based on Lin Manuel Miranda’s stage musical of the same name, In the Heights takes place in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights and focuses on the hopes and dreams of the people who live there. While I can’t relate to every nuance of the character’s struggles, I do feel a connection to their dreams of a better life. Two of the main characters Vanessa (Melissa Barrero) and Nina (Leslie Grace) struggle with expectations. Vanessa has high expectations for what her life should be like. She wants to move downtown to be a fashion designer and is constantly looking toward the future instead of living in the present. I too constantly dream of leaving my hometown and making a name for myself away from where I grew up, but like Vanessa I’ve had to learn how to work toward my future goals while still making time to enjoy the present. Nina is back home for the summer after her first year at Stanford, but struggles with the expectations of her father and everyone else in the neighborhood. She has to decide if continuing with college is what she really wants, or if she’s just following this path out of obligation. Like Nina, I struggle with determining how much of my life plan is based on what I want versus what I think my parents want. In the Heights reminds me that the universe doesn’t always give us exactly what we want in life – but it is great at giving us what we need.

One of my favorite musical numbers, “96,000”, really solidifies this idea as a theme for the rest of the movie. This song appears about halfway through the story, and occurs after a winning lottery ticket worth $96,000 is sold in the neighborhood. As the news spreads, characters share what that kind of money would mean to them as they gather at the community pool. It’s a fun, energetic song that invites you to share your own dreams for a better tomorrow as the anticipation builds for a winner reveal. In the Heights convinces me to open myself up to the magic of possibility, but to not be disappointed if things go a little differently than I thought they would. Any time I need a pick-me-up, In the Heights is at the top of my list.