Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week.

Photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash

Musicals naysayers, you might want to take the week off. Musicals are one of the longest-running traditions on the big screen and (of course) on the stage. Something about music has a way of sticking with and moving us, and musicals really capitalize on this.

With workloads increasing and finals coming up, musicals seem like a great way to add a little pep to your step (or to get some emotions out). So, enjoy some musical recs this weekend as you get ready for the end of the semester.

Did you know? If you’re looking for musicals that you can stream–no DVD player required–through Falvey, check out our BroadwayHD Collection here. This collection features filmed live Broadway performances of musicals and plays like Falsettos and Romeo and Juliet. 

If you have 2 minutes and 7 seconds…and like 2000s movies, watch the Mean Girls movie musical trailer. Although the trailer doesn’t really let on, this is a movie-version of the Broadway musical.

Bonus: if you love Reneé Rapp, listen to her singing “World Burn” from Mean Girls The Musical.

If you have 29 minutes and 7 seconds…and think the villains always get the best songs, watch this ranking of Broadway musical villain songs. My personal favorites are “Candy Store,” “Pretty Women,” and “Dentist.”

If you have 1 hour and 28 minutes…and are a fan of kids (or nostalgic) movies, watch The Lion King, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. Despite being almost 30 years old, The Lion King still manages to hook people in with its beautiful score.

If you have 1 hour and 59 minutes…and love Christina Aguilera’s voice, watch Burlesque, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection.

Bonus: if you prefer the classics, watch Cabaret, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection.

Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

If you have 2 hours and 7 minutes…and like slightly nonsensical, campy musicals, watch Moulin Rouge, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. Featuring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, this jukebox musical is a wild ride, but the songs are great, and the set design is unbeatable.

If you have 2 hours and 40 minutes…and want to watch my personal favorite musical, watch The Phantom of the Opera, available free to stream on Youtube. Although I grew up on the movie, live performances of Phantom never disappoint.

If you have 7 hours…and have been moved by the musical, read Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, available online through Falvey.

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.