Top 50 Musicals: By the Numbers

[Pombar]

It really is rather good. Now that me and my wife have seen Les Mis, Hamilton, and Oliver! during our various trips to London, we are thinking we’ll see The Lion King next time she’s over. Have heard only good things about the stage production.

 

[Violentvixen]

I must have filled three sketchbooks while trying to copy moments from The Lion King to learn to animate. I know I wore out one VHS tape and possibly two due to the constant stopping and rewinding. I had at least one art book. While I didn't ultimately pursue animation as a career this movie taught me so much about it.

Two things of note about the stage production (which is amazing and highly recommended):

Julie Taymor wanted to change the plot significantly. I can't find an old link I had to her talking through it in full detail but did find a short one. Hilarious.

She also insisted that productions include South African performers since so much of the music was based on music from that region. It has provided a significant number of jobs and career opportunities and it's now a small industry in the country. Here's an article about it (NYTimes link, can't find a free one with a similar story).

 

[Issun]

Pretty sure The Lion King is the movie I saw the most times in the theater. Good stuff.

 

[nataeryn]

I had Lion King at #6.
Saw the movie in theatres as a kid and we had the VHS tape. For some reason I don't remember, my youngest sister hated it and since we were often watching movies to entertain all of us kids, it didn't get played as much. The probably only time I slow danced with someone before high school was to "Can you Feel the Love Tonight". It was at my uncle's wedding and it was probably one of my cousins.

I went to a stage production of Lion King in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay. I remember Zazu being really good.

 

[Mogri]

I learned only in the last year that Zazu was originally voiced by Rowan Atkinson.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

1.

307 Points, 10 Lists, Highest Vote: #1 @Daikaiju & @nataeryn ​

Originators: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Time: 1776-1804
Place: The Colonies/The United States

In 1776, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton meet for the first time. Both are for American independence but while Hamilton is bold, Burr is more cautious. Soon, these differing approaches spur the men to become political rivals, which slowly builds as Hamilton sees a meteoric rise. Burr eventually finds that his own cautious ways have some advantages but both experience shocking twists in their lives that eventually lead the two men to duel.

It's interesting, you can see this on Disney Plus in play form but somehow this mega-hit has won despite never getting a film adaptation. A “rap musical about history” feels like it would have been a corny joke from the 90s but the music is fantastic and cemented Lin-Manuel Miranda as a superstar of the stage. DID YOU KNOW THIS DUDE IS PLANNING A MUSICAL BASED ON THE WARRIORS?! SIGN ME THE FUCK UP! If you want a taste, it’s already out as a concept album (I’ll admit, I haven’t heard it yet). Anyway, I think it’s telling the impact it has had that this show both critically acclaimed and famously hard to get into hit as hard and it deserved it, an absolutely enthralling and often funny re-imagining of American history with some absolute banger songs.

I didn't actually see any of the staging of Hamilton until years into its popularity as I didn't have whatever streaming service it was on and it didn't have a production near me. For some reason I mainly watched animatics, and this one always sticks in my head:

- @Violentvixen

Go see this live. It's fundamentally different than the Disney Plus experience because the core of the show is the chorus work.

- @Bulgakov

Showstopper

 

[Daikaiju]

But have you seen it in its original Animal Crossing performance? Raymond was stellar!

 

[Daikaiju]

Excellent list folks. Here's my contribution.

1. Hamilton
2. Chicago
3. Cabaret
4. "Subspace Rhapsody", Star Trek BNW
5. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
6. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
7. The Muppet Movie
8. Mary Poppins
9. A Muppet Christmas Carol
10. "Mr. Greg" Steven Universe
11. Encanto
12. Moana
13. Aladdin
14. Little Shop of Horrors
15. The Pirate Movie
16. Steven Universe: The Movie
17. "The Night Begins to Shine", Teen Titans Go!
18. "Rollercoaster!" Phineas & Ferb
19. "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together", Phineas & Ferb
20. Teen Titans Go! The Movie
21. The Music Man
22. Rocky Horror Picture Show
23. "La Bretto" Dexter's Laboratory
24. Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special

As usual, Musical related lists tend to fare well for my picks.

That said, you're all sleeping on You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Laserdisc) : Charles M. Schulz, Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez, United Feature Syndicate : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Digitized with Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Plus 3Side A: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (CLV)Chin up, Charlie Brown. It doesn't matter that you can't pitch your...

archive.org

 

[Violentvixen]

Lin-Manuel Miranda as a superstar of the stage. DID YOU KNOW THIS DUDE IS PLANNING A MUSICAL BASED ON THE WARRIORS?! SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!

My first thought was this meant the Golden State Warriors basketball team. I would 100% be into Steph Curry's power ballad.

My list is below, a very good showing for me. I think the only one that I'm really surprised didn't place is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I also thought it was feasible for Pitch Perfect to show up.

1	RENT	My friends and I went nuts for this. We could fully perform La Boheme. I always identified with Mark but it was funny to see how everyone else was just like "yep, you're Mark".
2	Les Miserables	I was obsessed with this. I loved singing Stars, Javert's part in this movie
3	The Nightmare Before Christmas	Incredibly good songs, stunning animation technique, so many amazing and iconic moments.
4	The Lion King	My favourite Disney movie. A triumph of animation and so many songs and images that persist.
5	Hamilton	I didn't actually see any of the staging of Hamilton until years into its popularity as I didn't have whatever streaming service it was on and it didn't have a production near me. For some reason I mainly watched animatics, and this one always sticks in my head:
6	The Sound of Music
7	Mulan	The reanalysis that blew up on the internet a few years ago is required watching:
8	Dr Horrible	Bad horse
9	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	I was only thinking of the animated version, but in making this list looks like there's an actual musical now? Admit I haven't seen that but I'm fine if votes need to be combined.
10	The Phantom of the Opera
11	Beauty and the Beast
12	Pitch Perfect	Just dang fun and so many goofy/surprising covers of songs.
13	Stray Gods the Roleplaying Musical	This game is just really fun from a technical perspective. Choosing your character's mood/song is really neat. I want to see more games try this.
14	Fiddler on the Roof	Rewatching this as an adult made me realize how major these cultural shifts are. The musical is a lot darker than I remembered, but even more powerful.
15	The Rocky Horror Picture Show	Might not be my thing personally but boy is the subculture around this powerful. Random side story: my friends in high school got into Rocky Horror and that came up when they were over at my house. My mom overheard and was absolutely baffled. Her response was "what? Rocky Horror? That's still going? That was only fun 20 years ago when I did it in New York, how is it still going?". This of course made "that was only fun 20 years ago when I did it in New York" a permanent in-joke in my friend group.
16	Star Trek Strange New Worlds Subspace Rhapsody	Extremely impressive execution of an idea that sounds so silly but worked very well.
17	South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
18	My Fair Lady
19	Mary Poppins
20	Frozen
21	Interstella 5555
22	Avenue Q	The internet is for porn
23	Tommy (The Who)	I don't think this is technically the first rock opera but it feels like the first big one
24	Green Day American Idiot	This album took over my college campus and people talked about this punk opera so much.
25	Bedknobs and Broomsticks	I don't know why I watched this about 8000 times as a kid but I did. It's a weird choice and this is firmly a nostalgia vote but I dunno, big part of my childhood.

 

[Kirin]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

I actually had that on my long list! It's a weird little thing but I have fond memories of it too.

Can't believe I forgot to vote for Hamilton, lol, but it's not like it needed the help.

Here's my list, as per my usual contrarian ways, bolded ones *didn't* make it. Had a real high hit rate on this one:

01. Labyrinth - I like Bowie, yeah? Plus it's just a super fun muppet-y fantasy.
*02. The Muppet Movie
*03. Star Trek Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody
*04. Rocky Horror Picture Show
*05. Into The Woods
06. The Magicians: All That Hard Glossy Armor - Another fun musical episode of a long-running show
*07. Jesus Christ Superstar
*08. Les Miserables
*09. The Blues Brothers
*10. Mary Poppings
*11. Rent
*12. Little Shop of Horrors
*13. Dr. Horrible
*14. Nightmare Before Christmas
15. Yellow Submarine - Trippy, surreal Beatles jukebox. I like Jeremy the Nowhere Man.
*16. Phantom of the Opera
*17. Moana
18. The King and I - The other one I did in high school, played trumpet in the orchestra for this one
*19. The Sound of Music
*20. The Lion King
*21. The Music Man
*22. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
23. The Jungle Book - Obviously some things in this don't hold up, but there's some fun catchy songs
*24. Aladdin
25. Rhapsody (the musical RPG)

 

[Johnny Unusual]

My list

Johnny Unusual

1. The Muppet Movie
2. Cabaret
3. Once
4. The Rabbit of Seville
5. The Muppets
6. What’s Opera, Doc?
7. Coco
8. The Blues Brothers
9. Hamilton
10. A Mighty Wind
11. The Phantom of the Paradise
12. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
13. The Little Shop of Horrors
14. Steven Universe: The Movie
15. Mr. Greg
16. Frozen
17. Moana
18. Aladdin
19. Hercules
20. Singin’ in the Rain
21. A Hard Day’s Night
22. The Sound of Music
23. The Wizard of Oz
24. Encanto
25. Labyrinth
Full list...

Spoiler: List

1. Hamilton – 307 Points, 10 Lists, #1 Daikaiju & Nataeryn
2. The Lion King – 265 Points, 10 Lists, #4 Baudshaw & Violent Vixen
3. Little Shop of Horrors – 245 Points, 10 Lists, #1 Adrenaline
4. Rocky Horror Picture Show – 209 Points, 9 Lists, #4 Kirin
5. Les Misérables – 189 Points, 7 Lists, #1 FelixSH & Pombar
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas – 180 Points, 8 Lists, #3 Violent Vixen
7. Mary Poppins – 174 Points, 7 Lists, #5 Falselogic
8. Frozen – 165 Points, 7 Lists, #3 WildcatJF
9. The Muppet Movie – 162 Points, 5 Lists, #1 Johnny Unusual
10. Aladdin – 152 Points, 7 Lists, #2 Nataeryn
11. Chicago – 148 Points, 6 Lists, #2 Daikaiju
12. Moana – 131 Points, 6 Lists, #4 Pombar
13. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – 131 Points, 6 Lists, #8 Violent Vixen
14. A Muppet Christmas Carol – 129 Points, 5 Lists, #2 Lokii & RT-55J
15. The Little Mermaid – 118 Points, 4 Lists, #5 Pombar
16. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – 109 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Torzelbaum
17. Into the Woods – 105 Points, 4 Lists, #5 Kirin & Lokii
18. The Sound of Music – 103 Points, 5 Lists, #6 ViolentVixen
19. Once More With Feeling – 102 Points, 4 Lists, #2 FelixSH
20. The Wizard of Oz – 100 Points, 4 Lists, #3 Torzelbaum
21. Beauty & The Beast – 98 Points, 4 Lists, #7 FelixSH
22. West Side Story – 96 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Issun
23. Cabaret – 93 Points, 3 Lists, #2 Johnny Unusual
24. Mulan – 92 Points, 3 Lists, #4 RT-55J
25. Fiddler on the Roof – 90 Points, 4 Lists, #7 Adrenaline
26. The Phantom of the Opera – 87 Points, 4 Lists, #10 Baudshaw & Violent Vixen
27. Robin Hood – 87 Points, 3 Lists, #4 WildcatJF
28. The Phantom of the Paradise – 85 Points, 4 Lists, #9 Adrenaline
29. My Fair Lady – 85 Points, 4 Lists, #12 Falselogic
30. Subspace Rhapsody – 85 Points, 3 Lists, #3 Kirin
31. Rent – 84 Points, 3 Lists, #1 Violent Vixen
32. The Blues Brothers – 83 Points, 3 Lists, #6 Torzelbaum
33. Jesus Christ Superstar – 81 Points, 3 Lists, #6 Bulgakov
34. Singin’ in the Rain – 78 Points, 3 Lists, #4 Adrenaline
35. Grease – 69 Points, 3 Lists, #4 Nataeryn
36. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut – 68 Points, 3 Lists, #2 Issun
37. Steven Universe: The Movie – 68 Points, 3 Lists, #10 Nataeryn
38. Wicked – 67 Points, 3 Lists, #9 Baudshaw
39. A Strange Loop – 67 Points, 2 Lists, #2 Bulgakov
40. The Rabbit of Seville – 66 Points, 2 Lists, #2 Torzelbaum
41. Hadestown – 63 Points, 2 Lists, #4 Lokii
42. The Music Man – 62 Points, 4 Lists, #20 Issun & Nataeryn
43. Once – 57 Points, 2 Lists, #3 Johnny Unusual
44. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – 56 Points, 3 Lists, #6 Daikaiju
45. The Pirates of Penzance – 56 Points, 2 Lists, #1 RT-55J
46. The Muppets – 56 Points, 2 Lists, #5 Johnny Unusual
47. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – 56 Points, 2 Lists, #7 Baudshaw
48. Encanto – 54 Points, 3 Lists, #11 Daikaiju
49. What’s Opera, Doc? – 54 Points, 2 Lists, #6 Johnny Unusual
50. Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – 54 Points, 2 Lists, #7 Bulgakov
51. The King and I – 51 Points, 2 Lists, #3 Falselogic
52. Bat Boy – 51 Points, 2 Lists, #4 Bulgakov
53. Matilda – 49 Points, 2 Lists, #8 Baudshaw
54. Company – 49 Points, 2 Lists, #9 Bulgakov
55. All That Jazz – 48 Points, 2 Lists, #1 Lokii
56. Mr. Greg – 47 Points, 2 Lists, #10 Daikaiju
57. Labyrinth – 46 Points, 2 Lists, #1 Kirin
58. In the Heights – 44 Points, 2 Lists, #4 Nataeryn
59. The Greatest Showman – 43 Points, 2 Lists, #7 Nataeryn
60. Something Rotten – 43 Points, 2 Lists, #9 Nataeryn
61. Oklahoma! – 41 Points, 2 Lists, #6 Lokii
62. Hercules – 39 Points, 2 Lists, #14 FelixSH
63. Hair – 35 Points, 2 Lists, #17 Bulgakov
64. Assassins – 35 Points, 1 List, #1 Bulgakov
65. Death Note – 35 Points, 1 List, #1 Baudshaw
66. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – 35 Points, 1 List, #1 Falselogic
67. This is Spinal Tap – 35 Points, 1 List, #1 WildcatJF
68. High School Musical – 34 Points, 2 Lists, #13 Torzelbaum
69. Tarzan – 34 Points, 2 Lists, #18 Falselogic
70. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life – 34 Points, 1 List, #2 Adrenaline
71. How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying – 34 Points, 1 List, #2 WildcatJF
72. The Producers – 34 Points, 1 List, #2 Falselogic
73. Chess – 34 Points, 1 List, #3 Baudshaw
74. Oliver! – 33 Points, 1 List, #3 Pombar
75. Glee- 33 Points, 1 List, #3 FelixSH
76. Duck Soup – 33 Points, 1 List, #3 Adrenaline
77. Muppet Treasure Island – 33 Points, 1 List, #3 Nataeryn
78. Hairspray – 33 Points, 1 List, #3 RT-55J
79. A Hard Day’s Night – 32 Points, 2 Lists, #19 Adrenaline
80. Evita – 32 Points, 1 List, #4 FelixSH
81. Fun Home – 31 Points, 1 List, #5 Bulgakov
82. Jem and the Holograms – 31 Points, 1 List, #5 Torzelbaum
83. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown – 31 Points, 1 List, #5 Daikaiju
84. Twisted – 30 Points, 1 List, #6 Baudshaw
85. Enchanted – 30 Points, 1 List, #6 RT-55J
86. All That Hard Glossy Armor – 30 Points, 1 List, #6 Kirin
87. The Prince of Egypt – 29 Points, 1 List, #7 RT-55J
88. White Christmas – 29 Points, 2 Lists, #19 Falselogic
89. Coco – 29 Points, 1 List, #7 Johnny Unusual
90. Alice in Wonderland – 29 Points, 1 List, #7 Issun
91. Steven Universe – 29 Points, 1 List, #7 Lokii
92. The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings – 29 Points, 1 List, #7 Torzelbaum
93. Next to Normal – 28 Points, 1 List, #8 Bulgakov
94. Frosty the Snowman – 28 Points, 1 list, #8 Torzelbaum
95. Free to Be… You and Me – 28 Points, 1 List, #8 Issun
96. The Muppet Show – 28 Points, 1 List, #8 Lokii
97. How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 27 Points, 1 List, #9 Violent Vixen
98. Fan Fiction – 27 Points, 1 List, #9 Falselogic
99. A Mighty Wind – 26 Points, 1 List, #10 Johnny Unusual
100. South Pacific – 26 Points, 1 List, #10 WildcatJF
101. The Muppets Take Manhattan – 26 Points, 1 List, #10 Falselogic
102. Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny – 26 Points, 1 List, #10 RT-55J
103. Bright Star – 25 Points, 1 List, #11 Nataeryn
104. The Book of Mormon – 25 Points, 1 List, #11 Falselogic
105. The Hobbit – 25 Points, 1 List, #11 RT-55J
106. Cats – 25 Points, 1 List, #11 Baudshaw
107. Hello, Dolly! – 24 Points, 1 List, #12 Nataeryn
108. Pitch Perfect – 24 Points, 1 List, #12 Violent Vixen
109. Barbie – 24 Points, 1 List, #12 Issun
110. Scrooge – 24 Points, 1 List, #12 RT-55J
111. Guys and Dolls – 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Arenaline
112. All About Mormons – 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Falselogic
113. An American Tail – 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Issun
114. A Chorus Line – 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Bulgakov
115. Camelot – 23 Points, 1 List, #3 RT-55J
116. Stray Gods - 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Violent Vixen
117. Inu-Oh – 23 Points, 1 List, #13 Pombar
118. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – 21 Points, 1 List, #15 Adrenaline
119. School of Rock – 21 Points, 1 List, #15 Nataeryn
120. The Pirate Movie – 21 Points, 1 List, #15 Daikaiju
121. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - 21 Points, 1 List, #15 Torzelbaum
122. Yellow Submarine – 21 Points, 1 List, #15 Kirin
123. Chi-Raq – 20 Points, 1 List, #16 Adrenaline
124. A Little Night Music – 20 Points, 1 List, #16 Bulgakov
125. Emilia Perez – 20 Points, 1 List, #16 Pombar
126. A Canterlot Wedding – 20 Points, 1 List, #16 FelixSH
127. An American in Paris – 19 Points, 1 List, #17 Adrenaline
128. Dr. Dolittle – 19 Points, 1 List, #17 Pombar
129. The Night Begins to Shine – 19 Points, 1 List, #17 Daikaiju
130. My Musical – 19 Points, 1 List, #17 FelixSH
131. Bye Bye Birdie- 19 Points, 1 List, #17 Issun
132. Repo! The Genetic Opera – 18 Points, 1 List, #18 Pombar
133. Rollercoaster – 18 Points, 1 List, #18 Daikaiju
134. Cry-Baby – 18 Points, 1 List, #18 Adrenaline
135. Hairspray (1988) – 18 Points, 1 List, #18 Trozelbaum
136. The Transfer Student Is Dandy, Baby – 17 Points, 1 List, #19 Torzelbaum
137. Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together – 17 Points, 1 List, #19 Daikaiju
138. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies – 17 Points, 1 List, #19 Daikaiju
139. Swing Time – 17 Points, 1 List, #19 Lokii
140. Pocahontas – 17 Points, 1 List, #19 FelixSH
141. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T – 16 Points, 1 List, #20 Lokii
142. Moulin Rouge! – 15 Points, 1 List, #21 Nataeryn
143. La La Land – 15 Points, 1 List, #21 Falselogic
144. Interstella 5555 – 15 Points, 1 List, #21 Violent Vixen
145. The Young Girls of Rochefort – 14 Points, 1 List, #21 Adrenaline
146. Fame – 14 Points, 1 List, #21 Torzelbaum
147. Avenue Q – 14 Points, 1 List, #21 Violent Vixen
148. Regional Holiday Music – 14 Points, 1 List, #22 Falselogic
149. Ragtime – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 Nataeryn
150. Tommy – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 Violent Vixen
151. Songs For a New World – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 Bulgakov
152. The Jungle Book – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 Kirin
153. Meet Me in St. Louis – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 Issun
154. What Was Missing – 13 Points, 1 List, #23 FelixSH
155. Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Daikaiju
156. On the Town – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Adrenaline
157. Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Torzelbaum
158. La Bretto – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Daikaiju
159. American Idiot – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Violent Vixen
160. Dance of the Vampires- 12 Points, 1 List, #24 FelixSH
161. Hedwig and the Angry Inch – 12 Points, 1 List, #24 Falselogic
162. Three Little Bops – 11 Points, 1 List, #25 Torzelbaum
163. Bedknobs and Broomsticks – 11 Points, 1 List, #25 Violent Vixen
164. Rhapsody – 11 Points, 1 List, #25 Kirin

 

[Torzelbaum]

My list:

1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ✔
2. Rabbit of Seville - Looney Tunes ✔
3. The Wizard of Oz ✔
4. Little Shop of Horrors ✔
5. Jem and the Holograms
6. The Blues Brothers ✔
7. The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings - Futurama
8. Frosty the Snowman (1969 Rankin/Bass TV special)
9. The Rocky Horror Picture Show ✔
10. Grease 1978 movie ✔
11. Chicago 2002 adaptation ✔
12. What's Opera, Doc? - Merrie Melodies ✔
13. High School Musical
14. Hamilton ✔
15. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964 Rankin/Bass TV special)
16. Les Miserables ✔
17. Once More With Feeling - Buffy the Vampire Slayer ✔
18. Hairspray 1988 movie
19. The Transfer Student Is Dandy, Baby - Space☆Dandy
20. Hair
21. Phantom of the Opera ✔
22. Fame
23. In the Heights
24. Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious - The Simpsons
25. Three Little Bops - Looney Tunes

What I think the Showstopper is for Fame:

I would 100% be into Steph Curry's power ballad.

But he's a point guard...

This vote was based on the movie, which in addition to being a very fun musical, has in my mind two of the greatest practical special effects ever put to film.

Do you mean the different versions of Audrey II or one of those and something else?

I think the only one that I'm really surprised didn't place is How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

I think I might have considered it but rejected it for some odd reason (even though I put two of the Rankin-Bass animated specials on my list).

 

[nataeryn]

1. Hamilton - "Non-Stop" - No surprise this won out. It blew up. I saw it live in Washington, D.C.
2. Aladdin - "Friend Like Me"
3. Muppet Treasure Island - "Professional Pirate" - I was the only vote. I had Muppet Chirstmas Carrol in this slot up until the last minute. I decided I liked Tim Curry in MTI and the songs are fun.
4. Grease - "Greased Lightening"
5. In the Heights - "In The Heights" - I thought about votin this #1 and just leaving off Hamilton, figuring it didn't need the help. To me, its thematically related to other NYC immigrant musicals like West Side Story and Ragtime that really capture the New York-ness of broadway musicals.
6. The Lion King - "Be Prepared"
7. The Greatest Showman - "The Other Side" - Honestly, i thought this was going to be on the list. Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron are so much fun to watch.
8. Rocky Horror Picture Show - "Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul"
9. Something Rotten - "A Musical" - I saw this on Broadway after it was featured on the Macy's parade. If you're a fan of musical theatre and plays, SR is full of meta jokes and references.
10. Steven Universe The Movie - "Drift Away"
11. Bright Star - "Whoa, Mama" - I saw a local production. Its set in North Carolina. One of the writers is Steve Martin, but its a really touching story. I'd highly recommend it. I often really like musicals that are rural in nature for their almost anti-new york perspective. Maybe Oaklahoma! was the more obvious choice for that spot, but because of its setting in the south, I like Bright Star better.
12. Hello, Dolly! - "Put on your Sunday Clothes" - my other high school musical. Extra special to me now because my niece was part of the chorus as a dancer in 2024. Its funny and touching. Also, its kind of in Wall-E!
13. My Fair Lady - "The Rain in Spain"
14. Chicago - "Cell Block Tango"
15. School of Rock - "Stick it to the Man" - saw a local production in NC. One of the prerequisites to be in the show is the kids have to actually play the instruments and i was sort of blown away by the talent on display in a relatively small local community. The live show i felt like really celebrated the joy of learning to play an instrument.
16. Mary Poppins - "Super-cali-fragi-listic-expi-ali-docious"
17. Little Shop of Horrors - "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space"
18. Into the Woods - "Into the Woods"
19. Frozen - "Love is an Open Door"
20. The Music Man - "Ya Got Trouble" (honorable mention to the Simpsons Monorail song and double honorable mention to "Shapoopi" performed on Family Guy)
21. Moulin Rouge! - "Elephant Love Melody" - Ewan McGregor singing. Obi Wan has a beautiful voice. The visual style is so off the charts. I put it kind of low because it uses pop music, but like in Elephant Love Melody they use the pop songs in an inventive way.
22. West Side Story - "In America"
23. Ragtime - "Ragtime" - like WSS and Heights, a broadway musical about new york city, immigrants and race, but set in an earlier time period so its whites, harlem african americans and eastern european migrants. This was my highbrow way of voting for An American Tale...
24. White Christmas - "Blue Skies" - its a christmas themed musical, and its sweet.
25. Nightmare Before Christmas - "This is Halloween"

26. Rogers: The Musical. This is a joke vote. - i thought about putting in a vote for an "in universe" musical since the rules specifically spelled out it was allowed, but Rogers only has one song in universe and its really not good.

15 out of 25 made the big list. Most of mine that didn't make it were not so popular, so not big surprise.

 

[Baudshaw]

Yep, Hamilton definitely deserved #1. I watched Hamilton sometime in January and absolutely loved it a bunch. I might have put it #1... but here's my full list.


1. Death Note: The Musical
2. Chess: The Musical (comment: especially the 2008 London concert one)
3. Hamilton
4. The Lion King
5. Hadestown
6. Twisted
7.The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical
8. Matilda the Musical
9. Wicked
10. The Phantom of the Opera
11. Cats

Also, I thought "musical" only meant the ones performed live onstage

 

[Torzelbaum]

Also, I thought "musical" only meant the ones performed live onstage

Not quite:

Musical may also refer to:

Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance

Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narrative songs sung by the characters

Johnny did mention that the list was open to all things in the nomination thread:

1) Any medium counts. Stage, film, TV episode, TV series, short films, parodies, video game parodies, podcast episode, web series… Probably some I hadn’t thought of yet.

 

[Violentvixen]

Moulin Rouge! - "Elephant Love Melody" - Ewan McGregor singing. Obi Wan has a beautiful voice.

I 100% forgot he was in this

 

[Falselogic]

1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
2. The Producers (1968)
3. The King and I (1956)
4. The Muppet Movie (1979)
5. Mary Poppins
6. Singing in the Rain
7. Disney’s Robin Hood
8. Rocky Horror Picture Show
9. Fan Fiction, Supernatural (S 10, E 5)
10. Muppets Take Manhattan
11. Book of Mormon
12. My Fair Lady
13. All About Mormons, South Park (S 7, E 12)
14. Muppet Christmas Carol
15. Once More with Feeling, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S 6, E 7)
16. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
17. Disney’s Aladdin
18. Disney’s Tarzan
19. White Christmas (1954)
20. Willie Wonkie & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
21. La La Land
22. Regional Holiday Music, Community (S 3, E 10)
23. Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog
24. Hedwig & the Angry Inch
25. Grease

I tried to include TV, Stage, and Movie throughout my list. It doesn't look like any TV episode specials made it into the Top 50, except for Steven Universe, a show I've still never watched. A lil surprised I was the only person who voted for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Y'all missing out on a banger musical.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

It doesn't look like any TV episode specials made it into the Top 50, except for Steven Universe

Subspace Rhapsody and Once More With Feeling both made the list

 

[Falselogic]

Subspace Rhapsody and Once More With Feeling both made the list

Ah, I missed the Once More with Feeling. One I voted for! Thank you.

 

[Daikaiju]

Also, I thought "musical" only meant the ones performed live onstage

I've run into definition problems on past lists. It happens

 

[nataeryn]

Good list FL.
If I had thought of the Community episode, i would have had another tough decision to make.

 

[Issun]

Thanks for running this, JU!

I wasn't too surprised Hamiltob won. I like it okay but I was never a theater kid and it's a musical of the theater kids, by the theater kids, for the theater kids.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Did somebody say theater kids?