Best Musicals

This post covers all of the musicals that you need to know about! There are so many great shows out there, but these are the ones that stand out to me, and I think are the best. Some are newer musicals, some are older musicals, and I’m going to review them all! It’s important to know that Broadway shows go in and out all the time, so you have to keep an eye out for what’s currently playing and if ANY of these are, YOU NEED TO GO. 😄

Phantom of the Opera

• Background: It first opened on the West End in London in 1986, then 2 years later it opened on Broadway in NYC. It ran until 2023, making it the longest running broadway show in history (35 years).
• Plot: It’s basically about a disfigured man (hence the mask) who falls in love with a woman who sings at the Opera house that he lives under.
• Live Recording: There are a few live performances you can watch, but I think the 25th Anniversary one at the Royal Albert Hall is the best. The cast is incredible, Sierra Boggess is incredible, and that is the one to watch.
• Live In-Person: To see it in person, check their website to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Wicked

• Background: It first opened on Broadway in 2003, and the original cast was Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. You really cannot get more iconic than that. They were MADE for those roles. The voice Idina brought to Elphaba, and comedy Kristin brought to Glinda, was absolute perfection. The show is still running on Broadway today.
• Plot: It’s basically a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, and tells the background story of the 2 witches: the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good.
• Live Recording: I can’t find any live recordings of the entire show, but there are the movies and I’ll link them below.
  • Wicked (Currently in theaters)
  • Wicked Part Two (Coming next year)
• Live In-Person: You’re in luck! It’s currently still on Broadway so you can go see it! They also go on tour so you can check all the locations and dates on their website.

Les Misérables

• Background: It first opened in Paris in 1980, then opened in London in 1985, then opened on Broadway in 1987. It ran on Broadway until 2003, for a total of 16 years.
• Plot: As a heads up, the plot of this show is VERY sad. Les Misérables literally translates to “The Miserable” in English. The whole point is that it’s describing a sick, cruel world, and the story follows a man seeking to change it.
• Live Recording: The one you want to watch is the 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. It has the best cast with Ruthie Henshall, Judy Kuhn (aka the voice of Pocahontas), and Lea Salonga (aka the voice of Jasmine and Mulan). Need I say more?? 😄
• Live In-Person: To see it in person, check their website to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Rent

• Background: It first opened on Broadway in 1996, and ran for 12 years until 2008. Of important note, this was Idina Menzel’s Broadway debut, so this was a very big step in her career.
• Plot: It’s a story about a group of friends in NYC, trying to make it as young artists. This one also gets a bit dark as you would imagine (i.e. drugs, addiction, poverty, etc.), so be aware of that before you watch.
• Live Recording: There’s a live version here, but most people watch the movie because it has the original cast.
• Live In-Person: To see it in person, check their instagram to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Annie

• Background: It first opened on Broadway in 1977 and ran for about 6 years. It was then made into a movie in 1982, and has been re-made a few more times since.
• Plot: It’s about a young girl who lives in an orphanage, and meets a billionaire who changes her life (and she changes his).
• Live Recording: The NBC special is the one you wanna see. It has Celina Smith as Annie who is absolutely incredible and McKenzie Kurtz (who recently played GLINDA) is in it, so that is the cast you want to watch.
• Live In-Person: To see it in person, check their website to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Mamma Mia

• Background: It first opened on the West End in 1999, and then opened on Broadway in 2001. It ran until 2015 for a total of 14 years.
• Plot: It’s a musical based on songs written by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the story follows a young woman trying to find her biological father. It was also made into a movie, which was released in 2008.
• Live Recording: I was not able to find a recording of the live broadway show, but you can watch the movie linked here.
• Live In-Person: To see it in person, check their website to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Any Disney Production

Disney has a lot of Broadway shows, and they’re all worth seeing. I’ll list all of the productions below:

• Beauty and the Beast
  • Ran from 1994 – 2007
  • Website
• Hercules
  • Opens in 2025 on the West End
  • Website
• The Little Mermaid
  • Ran from 2008-2009
• Aladdin
  • Ran from 2014 – present
  • Website
• The Lion King
  • Ran from 1997 – present
  • Website
• Anastasia
  • Ran from 2017 – 2019
  • Website

Kinky Boots

• Background: It was first a movie that was released in 2005, then premiered as a Broadway show in 2013. It ran until 2019 for a total of 6 years.
• Plot: It’s about a boy who inherits a shoe factory, meets a drag queen named Lola, and starts making high-heeled boots to save the business.
• Live Recording: You can watch a recording of the show here.
• Live In-Person: Check their YouTube channel to see if they’re on tour / where it’s currently playing.

Burlesque

• Background: Ok, this technically was never a broadway show, BUT it’s a great movie and Christina Aguilera is in it, so I had to add it to this list. It was released in 2010, and some other big names are in it like Cher and Kristen Bell. I could listen to Tough Lover ALL DAY.
• Plot: It’s about a girl who moves to LA with dreams of being a singer.
• Movie: You can watch the movie here.

Broadway Spotify Playlist

And those are all of the best musicals! I made a playlist that has all of the best songs from every musical, so check it out for all of the songs that you need to know about. Click the circle with the plus sign in it, and it will add to your playlists!

Best Broadway Artists Live Playlist

To see all of these artists performing live, check out this playlist here. ⬇️

What are your favorite musicals? Let me know in the comments!