Musical Madness: Play our bracket, set to showtunes

A March Madness tournament set to showtunes? Why not? Why should the jocks have all the fun?

We looked at all the musicals that are on high school stages across the Lower Hudson Valley this season and made a bracket.

Our tournament committee — OK, it was a troika — deliberated long and hard at the City Limits Diner in White Plains last month, poring over the musical titles while drinking nothing stronger than milkshakes. We then ranked each one, without regard to which school was doing which show.

“The Producers” isn’t here. “Urinetown”? You’re out. Those musicals aren’t being staged by any high school we’ve heard from in Rockland, Westchester or Putnam counties this season.

(Looking for a show? Check out our searchable musicals database.)

Around that paper-strewn diner table, long-held biases and fandoms were exposed and embraced as we created seeds, employing a flimsy and wavering but defensible metric. We had fun with it. And, just like any seeding process for any tournament, that metric will be judged by social media to be flimsy, wavering and indefensible.

When things got heated around that table — which is more than half the fun — we sipped our milkshakes, and that seemed to help. We slotted the 37 musicals into 36 slots.

The tournament kicks off this week, with four play-in matchups to determine the No. 8 seed in each of the four regions: Rodgers, Sondheim, Menken, Miranda. Remember: This is about the musicals, not about the schools that are producing them. The winners will join the Big Tournament when it gets under way next week.

Voting is open from 5 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Thursday. You can vote once. (Sorry, Russian bots, no extra votes for “Anastasia” when it joins the bracket.) Each week, the polls will be updated and you’ll watch your favorite shows fall or advance. If you’re a huge fan of one of this week’s shows, spread the word!

Without further ado, here is the play-in round for our inaugural Musical Madness Tournament.

Love's Labour's/Twelfth Night vs. The Addams Family

In the Rodgers Region, the play-in game pits Shakespeare (“Love’s Labour’s Lost”/“Twelfth Night") against Gomez and Morticia ("The Addams Family").

We combined two bard-based musicals. “Love's Labour's Lost” has a king and his pals swearing off women, right before four smart and adorable women arrive on the scene. “Twelfth Night” has a shipwreck, cross-dressing and mistaken identity. Pro: LLL has “The Tuba Song.” “Twelfth Night” has “Play On.” Con: Bard-haters, beware. (“Love’s Labour’s” at New Rochelle, March 23-25. “Twelfth Night” at Clarkstown North, March 16-18.)

They go up against one of the season’s most-popular titles, "The Addams Family." Charles Addams’ characters fill the stage and the cemetery with all-together ookiness. Pro: Opening song, “When You’re an Addams.” Cons: “Crazier Than You” and “Not Today.” (Rye Country Day started the Addams cavalcade, Feb. 10-11; Westlake, March 17-19; 24-25; Fox Lane, April 21-23; Pearl River, April 21-22.)

POLL QUESTION: Who should advance? "Love’s Labour’s Lost”/“Twelfth Night" or "The Addams Family"?

"Love’s Labour’s Lost”/“Twelfth Night"

"The Addams Family"

Zombie Prom vs. 9 to 5

The Miranda Region play-in has a suicidal teen zombie ("Zombie Prom") up against three ladies with the worst boss ever ("9 to 5").

“Zombie Prom” is high school with a zombie and a nuclear accident. A friend of the committee calls it “Sort of ‘Grease’ with a touch of ‘duck and cover.’” (If you know, you know.) Pro: Quirky and irreverent. Con: That suicide, though. (The Masters School, Feb. 23-25)

In "9 to 5," they've had enough and they’re not going to take it anymore. Pro: That title song. Con: All the others. (Catch it at John Jay, March 23-25)

POLL QUESTION: Who should advance? "Zombie Prom" or "9 to 5"?

"Zombie Prom"

"9 to 5"

James and the Giant Peach vs. Fame

In the Menken Region, the play-in has "James and the Giant Peach" going up against "Fame."

"James and the Giant Peach" is Roald Dahl, minus Matilda, with music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Pros: Dahl. Cons: The threat of British accents. (Brewster, March 24-26)

"Fame" is another high school on stage, and it’s gonna live forever. The title song won an Oscar. Pro: Kids playing kids, leg warmers. Con: Reliving high school years, even those spent at a famous arts school. (Woodlands, March 17-19)

POLL QUESTION: Who should advance? "James and the Giant Peach" or "Fame"?

"James and the Giant Peach"

"Fame"

Grease vs. Bat Boy

In the Sondheim Region, the play-in has “Grease” vs. “Bat Boy.”

“Grease” has fast cars and Pink Ladies. Tell us more, tell us more. Pro: Born to hand jive, baby. Con: Does Sandy really have to change to get her man? (Clarkstown South, March 24-26)

“Bat Boy” is an American horror musical with a rock score is based on a Weekly World News story about a half-boy, half-bat. Pro: Offbeat, quirky, rare. Con: Rare, quirky, offbeat. (Pelham, March 24-26)

POLL QUESTION: Who should advance? "Grease" or "Bat Boy"?

"Grease"

"Bat Boy"

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: March Madness with showtunes? Play our School Musicals Bracket