Sing as you go… By Alex Wiggan

There are many great things in life which must always exist. One is air. Another is water. Of course the other and possibly most vital of all, is the Musical. Without this, the other life support systems have no great value and guys would be forever fated to a monotonous existence, where they work all night and work all day, to pay the bills they have to pay. Ain’t it sad? But dry those tears and put those jazz hands back in place because thankfully all good friends of Dorothy will never have to worry about living a life where sequins, sensationalism and spotlights don’t exist, as long as they embrace what the Musical has to offer. Whether it’s Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Gypsy, Wicked or The Sound of Music, there’s plenty to go around, because after all life is a cabaret old chum and the curtain never falls during the performance of a lifetime. Oh it may not always seem like something which Earth relies on, and the Musical might not always hit the headlines, but that is most likely because it asks for very little and instead lives off the happiness of others. So if your future is unclear now, and you’re not sure what’s left of your career now, you can at least be content knowing the life-giving properties of the Musical will always be around to perk a chap up, even if he’s a beauty school dropout.

Take the recent television treat that is Glee, a show about a bunch of high school students who sing their hearts out or Sister Act the musical which just asks you to simply raise your voice. In essence singing is the ideal platform to get an issue off the chest whilst also doing justice to some fabulous lyrics, but make it a musical number and that tune is suddenly given the old razzle dazzle. This isn’t any ordinary bit of tweaking; it’s instead the precise amount of pomp and pizzazz, to encourage guys everywhere to burst into song at any given opportunity. Oh and this doesn’t have to be a designated location, because if the Musical has taught anything, it’s that there is much joy to be found performing a quick number in the most random of places. Yes, whether it’s walking through town on a busy Saturday afternoon or whilst trying to smuggle 8 items through the 5 items or less counter at Tesco’s, nowhere should ever be ruled out from becoming a stage. Whilst at the carnival with her friends, did Sandy think twice about telling Danny to shape up in Grease? No! Was Don Lockwood fussed that belting out tunes in the middle of a downpour was not the best idea in Singing in the Rain? Of course he wasn’t. Let’s not even question any of Mary Poppins motives, because to do so would be an insult to cockney chimney sweepers, cartoon animals and magical nannies of London! These locations were just a convenient landscape to put on a show stopping sequence, and if any passersby wanted to suddenly stop and join in as backup singers, then there’s no valid reason as to why they wouldn’t be allowed.

Musicals are magical, they’re spectacular, they’re an emotional rollercoaster the likes of which you promised never to go on again, and chances are, they’re gayer than you! You see the Musical inspires the shy retiring types by giving them that one opportunity to imagine themselves as a headlining act where they’re soaring, flying and generally breaking free. At the same time they cast light on a traumatic situation something every guy has found himself in, whether it’s working out who their dad is from a list of three suspects, or waking one day to find they’re in a gingham dress and clearly not in Kansas anymore. The Musical also provokes a reaction in others, because sing a few bars from any of the songs in The Little Mermaid and you can finally break the ice with the guy you had previously wasted a Bacardi and Coke on, to no avail. Knock out a rendition of the theme from Beauty and the Beast and you’re practically planning the civil ceremony. A journey exists within one musical, so take the highs with the lows, prepare to fall in love, witness hearts being broken and experience those foot tapping, hand clapping once upon a time moments. Soak them up, let musicals get in the blood, the soul and that spare bit of brain matter you were saving for a rainy day! Come what may, they’re always going to be here, so welcome them, celebrate them, learn the routines and above all else never forget to sing along with them. Now let’s take it from the top and do it once more, with feeling.