Which was the musical that got you interested in musical theatre?
The first musical in my life was The Sound of Music. Until I was four, my Gran used to look after me during the daytime. And at nap time, she used to platy me one of three LP’s – the other two being My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins. The reason I single out The Sound of Music is that I, probably at around age 4 or 5, made a tape of myself singing Liesl’s part of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”. I found the tape a couple of years ago and, even if I say so myself, I am pretty damn cute. I guess that is where the love affair started for me.
Musical Cyberspace 
Mine was Hairspray. I know, I know, everyone is going to judge me because it’s a really recent musical. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m fairly new to musical theatre! I’ve been a fan of musical theatre for 6 or 7 years, but just a casual fan. Mostly just knowing the stuff I had been in. Hairspray was the first show I ever saw done by a professional company. (A touring Broadway company in 2005.) I was floored. The sets, the costumes, the singing, the acting, the awesome. It probably helped that I could totally relate to Tracy. I wanted to see more, different shows. I wanted to soak up every bit of musical theatre related information that I could. I was hooked.
Either Grease or The Sound of Music. I can’t remember which one I saw first as a child.
I had always been exposed to musical theater as a kid, so I always knew about it and liked it. However, it was RENT that made me fall in love with it. This was probably 10 years ago.
Richard Harris in the Broadway revival of Camelot. I saw it on HBO then I saw him live on tour with it!
I’ve been doing children’s theater programs since I was pretty young (5 or so), but I don’t think I really understood what was going on, so my first couple shows didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I think the one that really made me love musical theatre was when I did Barnum when I was, I think, 7 or 8. I specifically remember how much I loved the music and everything about the whole experience. It would either be that or when I did Oliver! or The Pajama Game or any of the other shows I did when I was much younger. They all had a big impact on the way I see theater now.
But musical theatre is the gift that keeps on giving, so of course my love just renewed itself whenever I discovered another show or composer to love.
Joseph initially got me into it but I’ve always loved acting, singing and music so it’s a kinda perfect mixture of the 3!
Definitely The Sound of Music. I was pretty young, and was so excited when I heard that there were more things like it!
I first became obsessed with Mary Poppins way back when I was only a small child. Then I discovered Jesus Christ Superstar several years later. That’s the show that basically introduced me to musical theatre. Finally, I got to know Les Misérables and saw it live – my first ever live performance of a musical. I was hooked.
I got started in musical theater through my dad. He was a hippie (complete with afro) and a roadie for Jesus Christ Superstar. He was always a 70s rock musical guy, and I grew up with Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera, his favorites. My mom played You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Annie Get Your Gun for me when I was young. The one I always liked the most was The Phantom of the Opera. Now I know so many more musicals than my parents. I’m teaching them.
My entire life has been surrounded by cast recordings. I was born in 1956, and my mom used to play The Student Prince, Show Boat, Porgy and Bess, The Music Man (1957) and West Side Story (the 1957 Broadway version, complete with the original words to “Gee, Officer Krupke”) around the house. I was the only three year old white girl who walked around the grocery store singing, at the top of my lungs, “Bess, You Is My Woman Now.” I didn’t actually get to do a musical until 1970, and that was Annie Get Your Gun, but I was hooked long before.