Hello and welcome to the Simon Morris blog. If you are as much of a musical theatre enthusiast as I am then
you are going to love this blog as it is dedicated to all things musical!
I’ve had an obsession with
musical theatre from the time I was young. I was the sort of kid that bought
all the show tune albums and re-enacted my favourite scenes on the imaginary
stage that is my bedroom.
The first musical that really hit
me was ‘Evita’. I may receive some criticism for this but when I first saw the
movie version with Madonna in the title role, I fell in love. I immediately got
my parents to buy me her autobiography and from here never looked back.
When I went to university I
decided to take my love of the stage and make it a career. I studied joint
honours in English Literature and Theatre. This allowed me to take my passion
and learn how to carry it into the real world. It was some of the best three
years of my life.
I now work as a theatre manager
and it’s a dream come true. Not only do I get to view all my favourite
productions, but I get to work with the talented cast who make them come to
life every day. I also get to see how my favourite shows have been built from
the ground up and help bring their riveting narratives to a whole new
generation.
For me there’s something
transcendent about setting a story to music. You can use music, melody and
lyrics to capture the essence of a characters journey in a way that words alone
simply can’t. When Elphaba holds that belt you feel like you’re defying gravity
with her and when Collins’ sombre tones wade through ‘I’ll Cover You (Reprise)’
you grieve for Angel with him.
I’m somewhat of a modern musical
fan; modern meaning the last several decades. My personal favourite is Evita,
the woman who was never truly defined as saint or sinner. My other favourites
include Wicked, Rent, Spring Awakening, Cats, We Will Rock You, Into the Woods
and Funny Girl.