The world of musical theatre has seen a decline in the quality of its songs, particularly on Broadway, according to Professor Ceiling Cat. While musicals have become more sophisticated, the songs themselves have suffered, reaching their peak in the early 1940s to the early 1960s. This is a personal opinion, as the author admits to a bias towards music from their youth. The article highlights three exceptional Broadway songs from the last fifty years: 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' from 'Evita', 'Send in the Clowns' from 'A Little Night Music', and 'All I Ask of You' from 'The Phantom of the Opera'. However, the author laments the lack of memorable songs in recent musicals, citing 'My Shot' from 'Hamilton' as an example of a heavily rap-influenced song that fails to work as a musical number. The author then takes a trip down memory lane, praising earlier musicals like 'Brigadoon', 'Oklahoma!', 'My Fair Lady', 'Camelot', 'South Pacific', 'West Side Story', 'Show Boat', and more, for their memorable songs. The author also mentions the influence of Jewish songwriters on the classic Broadway musicals, despite their low percentage in the American population. The article concludes with a personal reflection on the quality of songs in musicals, suggesting that the decline in song quality is a matter of personal taste and the passage of time.
