Through the Looking Lens

An Insight Into the Inspiration

When it comes to movie magic, nothing beats the thrill of experiencing a tried and true film classic for the very first time. And musicals — a wonderland of exploration all on its own — are no exception to the rule, having walked, danced and silently sung their way into our hearts long before they could talk.

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Like so many of you, I grew up watching what's considered to be the best among the rest: Grease, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, South Pacific...you get the point! But more recently, and through what I consider to be a serendipitous occurrence, I discovered countless gems that the casual modern viewer just doesn't seem to know about. So while the noteworthy titles I listed above seem to be in an entirely different class of their own, managing to stand the test of time, plenty of others have gotten lost along the way — failing to excite, incite or invite future moviegoers to the legendary rabbit hole known as the Golden Age of Hollywood. Until now.

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Whether you're a novice or a nostalgist, it's never too late to skip down the Yellow Brick Road, ballet your way through the streets of Paris as an American or ballroom-dance "Cheek to Cheek" in a gazebo among the brightest stars in all the sky. Welcome to Classics in Wonderland and let this hopefully epic, good-versus-bad and everything-in-between guide be the start of your own musical adventure!

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-Diana Balakirov, Creator