Did Your Favorite Musical Make The Cut On The List Of The Top 5 Broadway Musicals Of All Time, A Collection Of Enduring Broadway Show Classics On The Great White Way
The Top 5 Best Broadway Musicals of All Time And What Makes Them Great
The Great White Way has produced mega-hits, mega-flops and everything in between. Here is the top five Best Broadway musical list - its the brightest and best Broadway musicals that Broadway has offered over the years
1. Hamilton (2015-Future)
Lin-Manuel Miranda reinvented the wheel with his part-rap part-musical theatre revisionist historical account of Alexander Hamilton, the founding father without a father. A critical darling and an instant hit with the masses, this is one history lesson that audiences will be paying to learn over and over again.
2. Wicked (2003-Future)
With a book by Winnie Holzman and a tuneful, groovy score by Stephen Schwartz, this popular show is still going strong twenty years later. A fan favorite, the Wizard of Oz origin story of good witch Galinda, green witch Elphaba and their enduring friendship, has been enchanting audiences with its magical spell for its entire legendary run.
3. Rent (1996-2008)
Must be something about one-word musicals because this one changed the rules of Broadway entirely. Notable for its contemporary score and gritty storytelling, Jonathan Larson’s reimagining of La Boheme made musical theatre believers out of all of us. Larson was a true pioneer who unwittingly spawned an entire generation of innovators, including Lin-Manuel Miranda.
4. Sunday In The Park With George (1984-1985)
When Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine sat in front of Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, they didn’t see their protagonist on the canvas. They realized it was the painter who would drive their musical and it remains the quintessential depiction of the tortured artist, stunning in every regard.
5. Gypsy (1959-1961)
No best-of Broadway list would be complete without mentioning Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’ classic adaptation of Gypsy Rose Lee’s memoirs. Often revived, it’s the quintessential Broadway musical centering on the stage mother to end all stage mothers. The coveted role of Rose has been portrayed by LuPone, Peters, Merman and Lansbury.
