It’s no secret that I love musicals.  Whether it be Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Grease or Cabaret, there are few musicals that don’t brighten my mood and put a smile on my face.  Of course, there are one or two exceptions.  But usually without fail every time I finish watching a musical- whether it be on stage or a television screen- one feeling prevails: I want to live the musical, I want to be the lead character, and I want to sing about it and dance in unison with everyone else in the room! 

So, after some thought, I came up with a few reasons why life would be better as a musical:

1.  Everyone has an amazing singing voice
I love singing, but am not especially talented at it.  In a musical, every character seems to have the gift of song, no matter if they are a lawyer or a garbage man.  Since you and everyone around you is so musically inclined, it only makes sense to sing about every event or emotion that arises instead of talking about it like boring normal people.  I mean, how much more satisfying is it to belt out a ballad about your broken heart or deepest desire, with friends, neighbors, and anyone else who happened to be nearby harmonizing behind you? 

2. Everyone is an accomplished dancer
Not only can everybody sing, they are all exceptional dancers as well.  The only thing that can make your upbeat, incredibly well-sung musical number better is a troupe of perfectly choreographed townspeople getting jiggy with it alongside you.  Don’t deny it, after you watch one of those ginormous dance scenes you can’t fight the urge to learn every dance move so that you can dance along.  It just looks so fun!  Coordinated dancing can also help to ease the tension of a situation.  Come on, it’s hard to continue hating your enemies when you are all swing dancing together on the roofs of taxi cabs. 

3. There is always a love story
Being the hopeless romantic type that I am, I’m a sucker for a good love story.  Musicals seldom disappoint, and you can bet that there will be lovestruck teenagers pining for each other (but neither knows it), lead characters hopelessly in love with people they’re sure they will never have (but inevitably get), or two people that initially detest each other but as the story progresses realize their hate is actually passion and won’t admit it (but they always figure it out).  Whatever flavor romance a musical provides you, rest assured that it will leave you with a pleasant taste in your mouth.

4.  There is almost always a happy ending
Musicals are happy affairs, that’s just the way they are.  There is the moment of conflict in the middle, but inevitably everyone exits happy and cheerful and in love and, most likely, singing and dancing.  The story generally closes with the main characters all getting exactly what they wanted (except for villains, they pay!) and learning a valuable life lesson that has changed their way of viewing the world.  Not only do they get all of this, but there will be a final song that explains the moral and really demonstrates how happy and content the characters have become in the course of 2.5 hours.  What a way to go!

So, let’s review.  If my life was a musical, I would be an excellent singer and dancer and I would fall passionately in love and live happily ever after, with many comedic hijinks along the way that would provide me with knowledge I would use for the rest of my days.  Wow, sounds rough.  Where do I sign up?