I am a proud musical fan. Always have been, always will be.

I know an uncomfortable amount of Hamilton off the top of my head, and I’m not even ashamed, really. When lyricism and quality composition come together, you get the birth of a pretty sick musical baby. 

I understand the hype behind being a hater, but this musical hate feels so forced. Everyone likes music, and not every musical has the same genre of show tunes that people stereotypically expect.

There are musicals that are based off of Greek mythology, like Epic: The Musical or Hadestown, for everyone who never outgrew the Percy Jackson phase like myself, which are starkly different in terms of musical range and arrangement, as well as presentation. 

The former takes inspiration from video games and animation in addition to the tale of Odysseus and his journey back home from the Trojan War, whereas Hadestown is also a retelling of myth, with a less upbeat soundtrack.

There’s the stage productions of the smash hit, Legally Blonde, which expand on the characters and relationships we see in the movie, which precludes it by six years. 

I get giddy about random musical episodes in TV shows. Like, yes, give me the seasonal, plot-filler, unnecessary musical dialogue in a murder mystery, or a sitcom, or a teen drama. I’ll eat it up every time.

Musicals connect people, and it’s such a beautiful thing. They’re fun to watch, fun to listen and sing along to, and fun to introduce others too.

This isn’t me saying that you should go listen to a musical against your will. I’m just saying that you have absolutely enjoyed at least one musical in your life, and if you’re bent on saying you haven’t, you’re a liar.