By Taylor Landau
When you find a musical you like, it can be hard to move onto a new one. Maybe it's the story that pulls you in, or maybe it's the captivating music. Whatever it is, you may be surprised to know that you can find a surprising number of musicals that actually share a lot of similarities. Let's take a look at some musicals you may have enjoyed and some others that share a lot of characteristics you should give a listen.
Something Rotten - & Juliet
Shakespearean adaptations are nothing new to the world of theater, but these two musicals give new life to "The Bard’s" plays. Something Rotten tells the story of aspiring playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom who attempt to overthrow William Shakespeare as the Renaissance’s leading man by writing Omelet: The Musical at the behest of a local soothsayer. Something Rotten pokes fun at Shakespeare, musicals, and everything in between making it an extremely fun, enjoyable show for everyone.
The newest Shakespearean adaptation & Juliet is another bubbly, bright show full of lots of laughs. The jukebox musical poses one question that sets the entire rest of the story in motion: what would’ve happened if Juliet didn’t die for Romeo? What follows is a spunky, feminist story about the power of second chances and commanding your own story. Both musicals ironically feature Shakespeare himself as one of the main characters, and both are hilariously thoughtful and clever. While the former has an original score and the latter is based on Max Martin’s lengthy music portfolio, they both have so much to offer for Shakespeare and musical theater fans alike.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Parade
I know this blog post is supposed to be about musicals, but it felt wrong to leave To Kill a Mockingbird off this list. One of the most renowned American novels of all time, the play adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, defending a black man wrongly accused of rape while also teaching his kids the value of being a good person. The show is deeply emotional and contains strong themes of racism, prejudice, and morality.
If you’re looking for a similar story, the 1998 musical Parade may be for you. Parade is kind of like if To Kill a Mockingbird was a musical (and about Jewish people). This deeply moving and disturbing musical is about the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man, who was wrongly accused of murder, and his wife, Lucille, who fights to free him. The musical’s rousing score offers up commentary on the dangers of antisemitism and far-right Confederate values that plagued Georgia (and the American South) during much of the late 1800s and 1900s. Still relevant today, both shows offer valuable lessons on the dangers of intolerance in an extremely moving, but upsetting, way.
Listen to the 1998 production of Parade here and the 2023 revival here (To Kill a Mockingbird is a play and thus does not have a cast recording).
Hamilton - Six
Hamilton is considered one of the most ground-breaking musicals of all time, and there are very few shows that compare to the hip-hop story that reinvents the way audiences see the misguided founding father, Alexander Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda expertly retells the story of Hamilton’s life including his greatest achievements and hardest pitfalls in a unique way that appeals to audiences of all ages. This historical retelling will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest musicals in the Contemporary Era of musical theater.
If you’re looking for another modern, historical retelling, then you should take a look at SIX: The Musical. We’ve all heard the stories of Henry XIII’s six wives, and in this new musical, the queens take back history and set the record straight about what really went down with the King of England. Performed in a series of pop songs and structured like a live concert, Six retells the story of these women in this feminist and contemporary musical. While it’s not as ground-breaking as Hamilton, SIX is a fun-filled show that gets the crowd going every performance.
Les Miserables - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
One of the most widely performed musicals of all time, Les Miserables is an epic story of love, compassion, and hope based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The opera-style musical follows ex-convict Jean Valjean as he goes on the run and tries to become a better man in 17th century France. Les Miserables features a brilliant score and a narrative that has touched hearts since the 80s. With songs like "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "I Dreamed a Dream," Les Miserables is one of the most renowned musicals to ever grace the Broadway stage and continues to dazzle audiences all over the world.
Another well-known musical/movie with similarities to the aforementioned opera is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Based on the Disney movie, which was subsequently based on the novel also by Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame tells the story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame. He desires to be part of society without being cast out, and the sweeping musical poses the questions what makes a monster and what makes a man? Both musicals have brilliant, grand scores that tell moving stories about men looking to rejoin societies that cast them out. Both shows delve into the human psyche and what makes a person good or evil. These stories are both unforgettable and will stick with you long after you've given them a listen.
Listen to Les Miserables (2010 cast) here and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2016 Studio Cast Recording) here.
Spring Awakening - Alice By Heart
Steven Slater’s musical Spring Awakening took the theater world by storm when it first opened in 2006. The show is a dark, coming-of-age musical about adolescent sexuality that features a score of alternative rock music to tell the story of teen anguish and angst. Spring Awakening explores various themes like homosexuality, child abuse, rape, and teenage pregnancy, which is part of what made it such a bold piece of theater at the time. The show has been revived several times, including the "Deaf West" production where deaf actors portrayed the main characters while their hearing counterparts sang the music.
One of Steven Slater’s other shows that’s easier to digest but still tugs at the heartstrings is Alice By Heart. Set in a subway tunnel bunker in London during World War II, Alice By Heart explores dealing with loss, moving forward, and the complicated feelings that come with first love. The entire show is told through the lens of Alice By Wonderland as teenage Alice, the titular character of the musical, tries to keep her friend and love, Albert, from succumbing to tuberculosis. Like Spring Awakening, Alice By Heart touches on ideas of teenage adolescence and sexuality, but it’s told through the lens of a fairytale instead of 19th-century Germany. Both musicals offer up tragic stories about love and loss that still feel relevant today despite taking place several decades ago.
Honorable Mentions
There are lots of different musicals I could've mentioned here, and honestly, this blog could go on forever! Here's a list of several other musicals you should take a listen to if you're looking for something new:
The Book of Mormon - Avenue Q (dark humor; comedies)
The Sound of Music - Cabaret (set in WWII; iconic scores)
West Side Story - Hadestown (star-crossed lovers; retellings of classic stories)
Tootsie - Mrs. Doubtfire (men cross-dressing as women; comedies)
Godspell - Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat OR Jesus Christ Superstar (religious retellings)
Funny Girl - New York, New York (performers in New York City; features romance)
Hadestown - The Lightning Thief (Greek mythology)
A Chorus Line - 42nd Street (performers trying to make it big on Broadway)
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