Thespians anonymous

By Megan Colleen McGee
Collegian Reporter
April 12, 2006

Hi, my name is Megan and I’m a musical theater addict. To some, this would be a major problem; however, having lived with this problem since the age of four, it doesn’t bother me. My mother bought a tape of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Greatest Hits, which at the time included Cats, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. How many four-year-olds do you know who sings “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” in the tub? Since then, musicals of any medium have been my weakness, or as one may say, my guilty pleasure. This was thanks to my parents, who are closeted musical addicts. My younger sister is the only one who seems to have escaped the addiction so far.

After I began high school, I had friends going to college who, in turn, introduced me to Rent, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Wicked. Since I have come to La Salle and joined the Masque, I have acquired over 40 musicals into my collection and have become what you would call “a well-rounded theater addict.”

I’ll give you some stats of my collection. According to the current count on iTunes, I have 781 show tunes on my computer. This includes both Disney soundtracks and strictly movie musicals, like Moulin Rouge. It takes 1.7 days to listen to every showtune that I own. Can you fathom what a person can do in 1.7 days?

Alphabetically, the albums range from A Chorus Line to Zombie Prom, and the songs range from “’S Wonderful” (An American in Paris) to “Zombie Prom” (Zombie Prom). I estimate that I’ve spent a small fortune on my musical theater collection, mainly because, unlike popular music, musical soundtracks aren’t just floating around on myTunes. Therefore, I am forced to buy them myself, which has cost me a pretty penny.

Despite it all, I am more than proud to admit my addiction to musical theater. It’s my God-given right to roll the windows down on my Mercury Sable and blast “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” from The Producers. I should feel no shame when I want to sing “Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair” from South Pacific while I’m showering, washing my hair.

So next time you see me dancing in my window from the sidewalk in front of North Dorms, just know that I am suffering from an addiction and that there is no helping me. To quote La Cage aux Folles, “Life ain’t worth a damn, till you can stand up and say, ‘I am what I am.’”

mcgeem1@lasalle.edu