For a birthday present this year, I was given tickets to see "Mamma Mia!" At the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. It was hands down, one of the best birthday presents I have received, only second to a first edition of "Gone with the Wind". But this made me think of why I love musical theater so much. Musicals have been a big part of my life, and many numbers from different musicals have become my anthem or theme song at one point or another, as well as have been performed in secret while everyone is gone.

I think this love for musicals started with Disney movies, and the catchy songs that were usually a part of the film. I can also admit that my first big musical that I saw was "The Lion King". Ever since that first magical musical (Disney is always magical) I was hooked. Musicals seemed to have captured my heart, and I can’t help but count the days away to when the production I see will be.

One of the major things about musicals that made me fall in love was the idea of a reality that you could your problems away… at least, just for a moment. Everything was also solved through mostly music, and that stood out to me immensely, especially looking back at my past where music filled most of my time. It made me think that there was music for every occasion, and I haven’t been proved yet about that. The best part of the music, though, is the fact that it tells a cohesive story, full of emotions and over the top actions. The music breathes in life to the story played out on stage in inventive ways, from ballads and 70s hits, to raps and love songs. This adds a flare that doesn’t exist in reality, because random song and dance numbers just don’t happen, unfortunately.

Another thing that stood out was how everything seemed bigger than life. Almost every action is deliberate and grand, and sets can be just the same, or a simple as needed to allow for the actors to fill the rest of the space. This and the way musicals are able to take you out of reality into a new one filled with song for three or so hours always made me happy, and the songs almost never leave my head. Musicals are special to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.