optimal places to listen to these musicals
otherwise known as: “but theater is meant to be experienced live!!!” is a myth invented by capitalism
Anastasia: a sleepover at your best friend’s home
The Band’s Visit: in a silent house with the lights off and the curtains drawn
Be More Chill: in the safety of your room after an exhausting school day
The Book of Mormon: not in public
Dear Evan Hansen: a long drive home
Falsettos: walking around a city you don’t know well; it feels mundane and surreal at the same time
Hamilton: with friends on a road trip, yelling along and tripping over the words and laughing
The Last Five Years: stuck in an elevator with a stranger
Les Misérables: anywhere with a lot of durable furniture
Little Shop of Horrors: downtown, where the folks are broke
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: in an abandoned parking lot at 2 AM with Monster Energy in the cupholder and giant floodlights in the distance. And a hamster running on a wheel in shotgun just for fun.
Newsies: on the treadmill
Next to Normal: riding the subway, absorbing each word like you’re listening to a gripping audiobook, watching the world flicker by
The Phantom of the Opera: the shower, of course, so that you can sing along
Spring Awakening: sitting in an empty playground
Tuck Everlasting: laying in the sun, the scent of grass in the air
Waitress: returning to visit a favorite place from childhood, bracing your heart for the ways it has changed