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Showboat
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Based on Edna Ferber's Showboat (1926) Follows the lives of the performers, stagehands, and dock workers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927 1st musical comedy African-Americans in major roles -
Porgy & Bess
All African-American Opera/Musical Theatre
Music by George Gershwin Lyrics by Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward Book by Heyward was based on novel Porgy Cast of the show protested performing before a segregated audience in 1936 while in Washington D.C. - resulting in the first integrated audience for a performance of any show at the National Theatre. -
Oklahoma!
First musical to use DANCE to move the plot forward Based on the novel Green Grows the Lilacs First collaboration between Rogers & Hammerstein -
My Fair Lady
Opened in 1956. Film made in 1964.
Songs for the male lead are different than most musicals Words are meant to be SPOKEN, not SUNG, which led later to RAP MUSIC Early rap artists recount hearing this album when they were kids -
West Side Story
"Modern" day version of Romeo & Juliet 2007 revival utilized the Spanish language for the Puerto Rican characters Socially relevant - dealing with real issue of racism, immigration, teenagers, and gangs Very daring for theatre at the time Film made in 1961 won Academy Award for Best Picture (1 of 10 awards won) -
Chicago
Based on a play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins Watkins was assigned to cover the 1924 trials of murderesses Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune 2002 film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Supporting Actress -
Sweeney Todd
Musical based on an urban legend about questionable pie fillings in London Tells the story of Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd, who return to London after 15 years of being in prison When he finds out that his wife poisoned herself when he went to prison, he vows revenge on the judge and later, the whole world He teams up with a pie-maker, Mrs. Lovett, and opens a barbershop in which he kills customers and has them baked into pies to hide the bodies -
Les Miserables
Set in early 19th century France The plot follows the stories of many characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution One of the longest running musicals of all time -
Into the Woods
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, andCinderella The stories are tied together by a story involving a baker and his wife, and their quest to begin a family. -
RENT
Off-Broadway premiere in 1994 Modern-day opera based on La Boheme Brought back cutting edge realism into the theatre Very minimalistic - used the lease amount of costumes, sets, and music Cutting-edge because it dealt with many taboo topics of the time, such as homosexuality and transgender The show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the off-Broadway premiere. -
The Lion King
Based on The Lion King (1994) film Features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets One of the highest grossing Broadway show of all time (more than $800 million) -
Contact
Off-Broadway premiere in 1999 It is a “dance play,” using recorded music rather than live music No singing, and very little dialogue Each section of the play is loosely based on the need for emotional and physical connection -
Wicked
It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) Based on the book (1900) and movie (1939) named The Wizard of Oz The Musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz: Elphaba - Wicked Witch of the West; Glinda - Good Witch of the North The plot begins before, during, and after Dorothy’s arrival from Kansas Includes references to locations, events, characters, and situations from both the film and book -
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Tells the story of the origin of Spider-Man, his romance with Mary-Jane and his battles with the evil Green Goblin. The show includes highly technical stunts, such as actors swinging from "webs" and several aerial combat scenes. Several actors were injured during rehearsals and previews. It is the most expensive Broadway musical ever produced Official opening moved from November 2010 to November 2011 due to technical probl
