Susan's 2017 Reading Blog: Let's Celebrate Musicals! Quarterly Challenge

Let's Celebrate Musicals! Quarterly Challenge

June 15, 2017- September 14, 2017

Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.

Let's Celebrate Musicals!

Pick a level and begin reading on June 15th!

Level 1-Complete any 5 tasks- I've heard there are Musicals

Level 2- Complete any 10 tasks- I've listened to a show tune

Level 3- Complete any 15 tasks- I've seen a Musical

Level 4- Complete any 20 tasks- I've been to a few Musicals

Level 5-Complete any 25 tasks- I try to see them often

Level 6- Complete all 30 tasks- Musicals are my life!

Bonus- 6 books that can be completed with any level

**There is no minimum page requirement for this challenge.

Audiobooks and rereads are allowed.

You can always add levels as you go.

You may update your original post with your progress or repost , it is your choice. But please repost upon completion**

Broadway Musicals- Spring 2017- NYC

1. Come From Away- Read an uplifting story or a story where someone gets stranded.

2. Hamilton- Read a book that includes a scandal, or an orphan or someone in the banking industry or a politician.

3. Dear Evan Hansen- Read a YA or NA story or a story with a character who tells a lie.

4. Kinky Boots- Read a book with a character in the fashion industry or a book with a flamboyant, colorful character

5. Bandstand- Read a book with a military character (current or veteran) or military setting or a book featuring a band.

6. Chicago- Read a book with a lawyer or a book set in Chicago or a book with a character who has spent time in jail.

7. Waitress- Read a book with a single parent or a book that has a restaurant or diner or waitress in the story.

8. Groundhog Day- Read a book that you have read before or a book with an animal in it.

9. Hello, Dolly!- Read a romance with a matchmaker (or anyone who is trying to get two people together) or a book with double letters in one word of the title (i.e. hello, or apple).

10. Lion King- Read a book with a family, or friends or nobility.

11. Wicked- Read a Paranormal romance or a book with what you think is an unattractive cover, but turns out to be attractive on the inside (the story).

12. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Read a book with a scientist or inventor character, or a book with a character who eats, creates or wants sweets or a book with a blue collar worker.

13. Anastasia- Read a mystery romance or a book with a brave woman.

West End Musicals- Spring 2017- London

14. Beautiful- Read a book with a character who is married, or divorced, or successful or struggling.

15. Aladdin- Read a romance featuring adventure, or an exotic location or a magical being.

16. Phantom of the Opera- Read a book with a ghost , or a singer or a love triangle or a book with a spooky(creepy, eerie, etc.) incident or story line.

17. Les Miserables- Read a book with a child character in it or a book with an adoption or a book with someone who gets sick

18. Annie- Read a book with a red-headed character, or a book with a character who lost their parents or a book with a one word title.

19. Mamma Mia- Read a book with a wedding in the story or a book set on an island.

20. Matilda- Read a book with a character who has/had a difficult home life or a book with a school setting or a book with a character who helps another.

21. Motown, the Musical- Read a book with a sports figure (Berry Gordy was a boxer) or or a book with musical performers in it.

22. Dreamgirls- Read a book that is part of a trilogy or a book with close friends.

23. School of Rock- Read a book with a teacher character or a book with a student(s) in it.

24. Bat Out Of Hell, the Musical- Read an apocalyptic or post- apocalyptic story or a story with a rebellious character or an evil character (maybe the devil?).

25. The Book of Mormon- Read a book with a religious character or a humorous book.

Touring Musicals- Spring 2017

26. Finding Neverland- Read a book with a writer character, or a story with brothers in it or a fairytale retelling.

27. Something Rotten!- Read a book set in England or a book that is the first in a series or a book that is an author's debut.

28. The King and I- Read a book set in Asia, or a book with a royal character, or a book with a gown on the cover.

29. On Your Feet!- Read a book with feet or shoes on the cover, or a book set in Cuba or Florida.

30. Jersey Boys- Read a book with a season name in the title (Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) or a book with one of these words in the title- Big, Girls, Don't, Cry.

Bonus- A look back at Broadway-

1. 1940's- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (1943) was the first "blockbuster" Broadway show, running a total of 2,212 performances, and was made into a hit film

-Read a book that was made into a movie or a book with much acclaimed success

2. 1950's- The 1950s ended with Rodgers and Hammerstein's last hit, The Sound of Music, which also became another hit for Mary Martin. It ran for 1,443 performances and shared the Tony Award for Best Musical. Together with its extremely successful 1965 film version, it has become one of the most popular musicals in history.

- Read a book written by a duo or a historical romance

3. 1960's- Rock music would be used in several Broadway musicals, beginning with Hair, which featured not only rock music but also nudity and controversial opinions about the Vietnam War, race relations and other social issues

- Read a book with a person(s) on the cover showing naked torso or a book that you think has a controversial element.

4. 1970's- A Chorus Line swept the Tony Awards and won the Pulitzer Prize, and its hit song, What I Did for Love, became a standard.

- Read a book that has won an award or a book with a line(s) on the cover

5. 1980's- The 1980s saw the influence of European "mega-musicals", or "pop operas", on Broadway, in the West End and elsewhere, i.e., Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard.

- Read a book with a musical instrument on the cover or a large musical production or number in the story or a book with an 'over the top' story line or a book that has poetry in it or a book with a cat on the cover.

6. 1990's-Present
-Choose one of your favorite Musicals from the last 27 years, or one you would like to see, and make up a task for it.
9 to 5 - Read a book with a boss/employee romance, or a book about women's friendships.

1. A Soldier's Journey - Patricia Potter (HS #2030 - Apr 2016) (uplifting) - June 29

2. From Kiss to Queen - Janet Chapman (Jove - July 2016) (orphan) - July 10

3. The Rancher's Cinderella Bride - Sara Orwig (HD #2518 - May 2017) (fake relationship) - July 3

4. Sea Glass Sunrise - Donna Kauffman (Zebra - June 2015) (flamboyant sisters) - Aug 9

5. One Night with a SEAL - Tawny Weber, Beth Andrews (HB #943 - June 2017) (SEALs) - Aug 15

6. Cornered in Conard County - Rachel Lee (HI #1726 - Aug 2017) (jail) - July 2

7. A Cowboy to Call Daddy - Sasha Summers (HWR #1635 - Mar 2017) (single parent) - July 5

8. A Promise of Forever - Marilyn Pappano (Forever - June 2015) (dog) - June 19

9. Twice a Hero, Always Her Man - Marie Ferrarella (HSE #2522 - Jan 2017) (matchmakers) - June 24

10. The Rancher's Surprise Baby - Trish Milburn (HWR #1646 - June 2017) (family) - June 27

11. Even Vampires Get the Blues - Sandra Hill (Avon - Aug 2015) (paranormal) - Aug 3

12. Four Weddings and a Sixpence - Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, Stefanie Sloane (Avon - Jan 2017) - And a Sixpence in Her Shoe by Julia Quinn (scientist) - June 15