Daniel Kent – Play Time

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg, and eggs are better.

Stay with me here. 

Which came first, musicals or plays? Plays, so plays are better.

Now if you’re not following my complex, logical argument, I encourage you to read on.

As the wonderful Catheatre production of Big Fish premiered yesterday, I’m reminded of the many plays and musicals I have seen over the last four years on the Hill. From SpongeBob the Musical to the Clumsy Custard Horror Show, I’ve enjoyed seeing almost every Catheatre production. However, when it comes to the world of theater, I prefer plays over musicals—an important point of contention among arts-lovers. 

While I’m not the most familiar with the theater world and Broadway productions, I’ve seen my fair share of plays and musicals including Hamilton and Frankenstein. From these experiences, I’ve found that plays strike me as more emotional and intriguing. Without the constant soundtrack of a musical, actors in plays can more realistically portray their human emotions. I believe this adds a complexity to the overall production which makes them more enjoyable. 

Even Thespian Co-President Senior Julia Hurley sided with plays. She explained, “Musicals tend to rely on songs to move the story along. With plays, actors get to build a story through their emotions and their lines, and give better performances.”

Without learning complex choreography and how to hit the right note of a song, actors in plays save rehearsal time, and they are able to dedicate more energy toward perfecting the delivery of their lines. This again leads to a more emotional, believable production. Aside from this, it offers more room to develop the storylines which are the heart of any theater production, just as Hurley said. 

Given the option between seeing a play or a musical, I’ll opt to enjoy a play. That being said, I won’t be stopped from seeing Big Fish this weekend in the auditorium.

Celia Miles – Musical Magic

When I sit down at the theater, I expect and hope to see extravagant dancing and singing numbers to keep me entertained. Don’t get me wrong I love a good play such as Romeo and Juliet, but what I would love to see added is Juliet breaking out in a dance number from the top of her tower.

Take Hamilton for example. History is represented with dancing, rapping, and singing. I’m almost 100% certain that Alexander Hamilton was not singing and dancing on top of bar tables about throwing away his shot.

Musicals are a way to keep the audience engaged and put a fun spin on classic plays. Sure acting is fun to watch but when dancing and singing are added it adds something special.

Caroline Drew 24’ said, “I personally like musicals better because they add dimension to the show. In order to truly perform you have to be a triple threat; singer, dancer, and actor coming from someone with experience in this department. I think musicals keep me more entertained than any play could.”

Big Fish Cathedral’s spring musical which is in action from April 25 to April 28, is a perfect example of a great musical. Watching a musical puts the audience in a joyful mood as they await the next big dance or singing number to break out.

So to sum it up, if I were given two broadway tickets, one a musical and one a play, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab the