Welcome to Part 3 of my year-in-review! Part 1 is here (link) and Part 2 is here (link).
In Part 2, I told you about Broadway shows that I think should be performed again, by community theater groups. In this section, I’ll tell you about the shows that I think are worth revisiting just to listen to and appreciate. Many of them are available to be performed, but for various reasons they didn’t make my previous list. Again, each musical is listed with the year of its Broadway debut, the organization who holds licensing rights, and information about the musical. Most of the musicals have recordings on Spotify, and for the others I have provided links to recordings that others in the Broadway 2 A Day community have found.
1. Shinbone Alley
- 1957, Music Theatre International (under the title archy & mehitabel)
- Synopsis: A cockroach writes a newspaper column about his life and about his love, a wayward alley cat.
- Why this show: This has got one of the weirdest premises of any Broadway show. It’s based on a set of actual newspaper humor columns purported to be written by a cockroach. In the original, Eartha Kitt played the cat who couldn’t settle down, and I wish I could see the show for that alone. The music is better than it has a right to be, and Mel Brooks is one of the writers on the book, so for all I know this would be a great performance choice! But check out the album with Eartha Kitt here: (link)
2. The Body Beautiful
- 1958, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: A young man finds success in boxing, but it may cost him the relationship with the woman he loves. The boxer is propelled forward by a manager with a complicated romantic history.
- Why this show: This musical is from the team that created Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me. It’s an earlier work and it’s not as strong as those shows, but it has some lovely gems, like “Leave Well Enough Alone.” Sadly, this show requires a huge number of men! The casting is listed as 6 women and 20 men, although I read that the later studio recording was performed by a cast of 15. You can listen to that recording here: (link)
3. Inner City
- 1971, Concord Theatricals (under the title Street Dreams: The Inner City Musical)
- Synopsis: A series of nursery rhymes for adults (some satirical, some sincere) paint a picture of the inner city.
- Why this show: This show is a great listen. It uses a variety of musical styles, and I encourage you to listen to the whole thing, because there are a lot of striking moments, sometimes within a medley. You may have heard the song “Deep in the Night” before, because it’s been covered by multiple artists. “Law and Order,” a cynical but fun funk number, is my personal favorite from this album.
4. Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death
- 1971, rights not currently available
- Synopsis: A series of vignettes explore the negative aspects of life in a poor Black neighborhood.
- Why this show: This show is headed back to Broadway this year, which I’m very interested to hear about. I wouldn’t have thought it would make a great revival, because it’s a show that’s so of its time. Most of the scenes are spoken-word, and the music is a blend of funk, jazz, early hip hop, and other styles. A revival may not feel as innovative as the original did in the 70s, but it’s still bound to have a big emotional impact. “The Coolest Place in Town” is one of the most memorable songs I listened to all year. You can listen to the soundtrack here: (link)
5. Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don’t You Ever Forget It)
- 1973, rights not available
- Synopsis: A young Jewish girl with dreams of stardom finds that success has a dark side.
- Why this show: A flop, this show closed during previews but has lived on in infamy. The original cast included (pre-Little Shop of Horrors) Ellen Greene (though they had originally tried to get Bette Midler) and André DeShields (Hadestown, Ain't Misbehavin'). One reviewer described it as a show where you might understand it better if you were on drugs. This show sounds like a wild ride and it’s worth listening to some songs even if they don’t fully capture the energy of this show that bewildered many (but also had a small group of very devoted fans). You can listen to selections here (if you don’t listen to the whole thing, at least check out “Dear Miss Streisand”): (link)
6. Doonesbury
- 1983, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: A group of college students look forward to graduation and try to imagine their futures.
- Why this show: There’s a lot of political commentary that might not resonate outside of its context (the early Reagan years), but there are enough fun songs to make this a worthwhile listen. The cast album is available here: (link)
7. The Human Comedy
- 1983, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: I… I’m not sure. There’s a family, a train, and a telegraph office. World War II is happening. Don’t worry about it too much; just let the music wash over you.
- Why this show: This folk opera would be a great thing to put on in the background while you do your spring cleaning. Don’t think of performing it; the album has EIGHTY-SIX tracks. But the music has charm and although I can't tell you the plot I'm sure there is one! You can listen to all 86 songs (some are very short) here: (link)
- 1985, rights not available
- Synopsis: A tabloid editor is obsessed with printing lurid stories of violence, while the daughter he neglects unknowingly connects with a serial killer.
- Why this show: This show was, by all accounts, terrible. And yet! There’s something about this dark, cynical musical that I really like. It’s like a campy horror movie – some parts may be dumb, but there’s still a thrill in how the storytellers committed to their particular telling. In the London version Richard O’Brien (writer of and performer in The Rocky Horror Picture Show) played the serial killer and how I wish there was a video recording of that performance. I wish the rights were available for this show! You can listen to the Broadway (live) recording here: (link)
9. The Gospel at Colonus
- 1988, rights not available
- Synopsis: After the events of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus nears the end of his life and seeks absolution for his actions, while his children deal with the troubles his curse has brought them.
- Why this show: This is a beautiful example of what an adaptation can do. It places this ancient story in a setting and style that is so specific and recognizable, and finds new connections and new meaning through that context. This musical was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. You may recognize one of the songs, “How Shall I See You Through My Tears,” from the movie Camp. The show was performed at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia with Morgan Freeman as the narrator and the Blind Boys of Alabama collectively playing the part of blind Oedipus, and you can watch the whole thing here (and/or listen to the cast recording on Spotify): (link)
10. Chess
- 1988, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: Two international chess champions compete for dominance in chess and the love of a woman during the Cold War.
- Why this show: This rock opera was created by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, with superstar lyricist Tim Rice, and yes, it rocks. I have heard of non-professional groups putting this on, but it’s pretty male-heavy and I think it would be difficult to do justice to the music on a community theater budget. So I say just sit back and enjoy the music (I recommend listening to Chess (The Original Recording) rather than Chess in Concert).
11. Jelly’s Last Jam
- 1992, rights not available
- Synopsis: At the moment of his death, jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton is forced to look back on his life and legacy.
- Why this show: Jelly Roll Morton was a key figure in the growth of jazz, but his life was complicated by racism, colorism, and his own ego. This musical succeeds at painting a nuanced picture of the musician while also shedding light on different aspects of Black life in the 1920s. The music itself is infectious. The original Broadway recording stars tap genius Gregory Hines as Morton and Keith David (one of my favorite actors) as the mysterious afterlife figure Chimney Man. If you watched The Princess and the Frog and wished the villain (i.e. Keith David) would sing more, well, here you go.
12. Kiss of the Spider Woman
- 1993, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: In a prison in Argentina, two men are jailed for very different reasons. Molina is serving a long sentence for being gay, and Valentin is a revolutionary; if Molina can extract information from Valentin, he can finally be released, but the relationship between the two men becomes more and more complicated as they learn more about each other.
- Why this show: Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret) wrote the music for this show, which won Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score at the Tonys. It’s a strong, complex musical that requires a whole bunch of men but is really worth a listen.
13. Cyrano: The Musical
- 1993, Stage Entertainment
- Synopsis: Cyrano is a great soldier but is hampered romantically by his overly large nose. He helps another man woo the woman he himself loves – until they both must go off to the dangers of war.
- Why this show: First, don’t confuse this with the previous Cyrano musical starring Christopher Plummer. When looking for this version, you may need to add composer Ad van Dijk to your search terms. I found this adaptation to be engaging and very enjoyable. I would be very interested to see it in person for the sword-fighting alone! You can listen to the music here: (link)
- 2004, Music Theatre International
- Synopsis: The Greek god Dionysus, troubled by the state of the world, travels to the underworld to bring back a playwright who can help society face its problems.
- Why this show: All the leads are men, or this would have ended up on my other list. Every theater fan should know the “Invocation and Instructions to the Audience,” and “Ariadne” is a beautiful song I want to listen to over and over again. Fun fact: this musical was first performed in a pool at Yale and the cast included Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Christopher Durang. I hope that we’re all ready to give up on A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which has not aged well; if you want a Sondheim show set in the ancient Mediterranean, try this one instead!
15. Lennon
- 2005, rights not available and unlikely to ever be
- Synopsis: John Lennon’s life is told through his own songs, with multiple actors playing the singer/songwriter.
- Why this show: If the rights were available, this would be a no-brainer. John Lennon wrote some amazing songs, and even without his collaborations with Paul McCartney, this show is full of good music. Yoko Ono had a hand in the development of the script, and it’s interesting to see the breakup of the Beatles from a pro-Yoko angle. Some critics complained that this musical was too Yoko-heavy, but after all, Lennon did seem to be madly in love with her, so maybe if he had written the show he would have done it the exact same way. Who knows! You can watch the full show here: (link)
16. The Scottsboro Boys
- 2010, Music Theatre International
- Synopsis: A group of Black boys is accused of a baseless crime. They struggle for truth and freedom but can’t escape the roles into which they have been cast.
- Why this show: This show is based on a true incident, but the story is told using all the artifice of the theater. The musical is framed as a minstrel show, implying that Black pain has to be “dressed up” to be made palatable to a wider audience, but as the show progresses the characters revolt against this construct. This is a difficult but powerful show. You can listen to the cast recording here: (link)
17. Bring It On
- 2012, Music Theatre International
- Synopsis: After becoming captain of her team, a cheerleader is forced to switch to a new school where she is out of place. Eager to get back at her rival, she struggles to put together a cheerleading team at her new school so they can face her old team at Nationals.
- Why this show: Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the composers for this show. The plot is somewhat different from the movie, mainly in that there is an active villain conspiring against the lead character. This show also features the first transgendered high school character on Broadway. Honestly, this is a really good show! To bad the talent needed for this show makes it practically impossible to put on.
18. A Night With Janis Joplin
- 2013, rights not currently available
- Synopsis: Janis Joplin discusses her life and her musical influences while performing her greatest hits.
- Why this show: I would recommend this show for community theater if I didn’t think it would be impossible to cast. An all-female rock review? If you can find actresses that can play these roles, by all means put it on and I will come see it. This is a cool twist on the musical biopic; unlike Tina or The Cher Show, the show doesn’t attempt to depict different scenes from the artist’s life. Instead, Joplin talks about her past between songs, and singers like Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone add to the reminiscing with songs that illustrate the changing times.
19. Doctor Zhivago
- 2015, Concord Theatricals
- Synopsis: A man is torn between two women, while political turmoil throws Russia, and all of their lives, into chaos.
- Why this show: This story is an epic in the style of Les Misérables, and I think it could do very well at scratching the same itch, if it weren’t so male-heavy. Maybe a group should put in on anyway? The original novel is a literary classic, and the author won the Nobel Prize in Literature after it was published. This musical presents the story in a way that is both compelling and easy to follow!
20. Allegiance
- 2015, rights not currently available
- Synopsis: A Japanese family is sent to an interment camp during WWII, challenging their loyalties to their country and each other.
- Why this show: This show is inspired by (Star Trek actor) George Takei’s family’s real-life experience during World War II. The show’s production was successfully crowd-funded and the Broadway cast included George Takei and Lea Salonga (the singing voice of two Disney princesses, and the original Kim in Miss Saigon). It’s a well-crafted musical with a lot of compelling characters.
Thanks for reading my list; I hope that you'll check out the musicals on this list and keep the conversation going by telling people about them! This concludes my year-in-review of listening to every Broadway musical (mostly; see Part 1 for the details). At some point I intend to go through off-Broadway musicals and see what I’m missing out on in that category, but I will be doing that at a much more leisurely pace and with a much more selective list. When I’ve done that, I’ll again be posting my recommendations. (I wonder if the sequel to Annie is any good – can’t wait to find out!) In the meantime, I’ll continue posting reviews of community theater shows here. If you know of an upcoming show that you think should be reviewed here, use the contact form (click on the three horizontal lines at the top of the page to access the form) and let me know!
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