If you know me in real life or follow me on any social media platform in the market from Twitter to Instagram (among others), you've probably come to find out through my many posts that I have some kind of unhealthy addiction to musicals.
No shame.
Most of my bios on my profiles even say "Broadway Addict" in them, and in all honesty, I have to give my best friend credit for this because she constantly exposes me to them. After listening to certain soundtracks for any time between a few weeks to multiple months together, I have come to realize that I might actually love these songs whenever I catch myself singing them in the shower or driving my car...because let's face it, it would wickedly (no pun intended) be the coolest thing ever to randomly break into song and dance about anything you talk and/or think about and be socially acceptable.
So without a doubt, here's a list of my all time favorite ones currently (on-Broadway & off-Broadway):
10.) Matilda
Favorite Song: When I Grow Up
Originally a book by Roald Dahl, Matilda is one of my all time favorite movies...to the extent that I will stop anything I am doing in that moment to watch it if I notice it is playing on ABC Family (now Freeform?) I don't know about anyone else, but I definitely wasn't disappointed with the musical version.
9.) Avenue Q
Favorite Song: Sucks To Be Me
Until about a year ago, I had never heard anything about what Avenue Q was. In fact, I didn't even have a clue it existed until the soundtrack found its way onto a recommended playlist on my Amazon Prime account. I did some reading on it, found out the show was an adult parody of Sesame Street, and I've been hooked since.
8.) Waitress
Favorite Song: Opening Up
Sara Bareilles - 'nough said
7.) Heathers
Favorite Song: Candy Store
Based off of a 1980s movie, this version of Heathers is pretty much musical Mean Girls on steroids...Three popular high school girls all named Heather make a dork popular.
6.) Newsies
Favorite Song: King of New York
Another one based off of a movie, Newsies was originally a Disney film directed and produced in 1992. Before I actually saw the musical version for the first time in theatres, I always thought Newsies was incredibly overrated...but my mind changed after I watched the show, and now it is no doubt one of my favorites.
BONUS - Here's this video of Kara Lindsay talking about accidentally hitting the orchestra conductor with a broom once during a show:
5.) Hamilton
Favorite song: The Schuyler Sisters
Okay, so I totally get why Hamilton can be an automatic turn-off to people who have no other exposure with Broadway because it is constantly in the mainstream media. You tell yourself, "I don't want to seem trendy..."
NO, DEFINITELY SEEM TRENDY IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
You will smile because *spoiler.*
You will cry because *spoiler.*
You will be angry because *spoiler.*
You will feel every emotion ever able to be felt because *spoiler.*
Main point, Hamilton deserves the hype it gets. The Schuyler Sisters make me feel like one heck of an empowered woman - WORK!
4.) Anything Goes
Favorite song: You're the Top
This show no doubt has a special place in my heart for two reasons:
1.) My high school theatre performed it my junior year and in some kind of miracle fashion, I memorized the Purser's lines within a span of two and a half hours on opening night.
2.) Sutton Foster is one heck of an amazing Reno Sweeney.
Amazingly enough, Anything Goes was the first show I saw on Broadway, so this was kind of like the whole love at first sight deal I suppose.
3.) Hairspray
Favorite Song: Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now
I didn't start having a love for Hairspray until I was dragged to the movie theater with my mom and brother to see the 2007 version with Zac Efron playing the dreamy teenage sensation, Link Larkin. Not to mention my friend and I have watched the NBC Live version together at least fifteen times, but as far as the National Tour version goes...I can't deny that Aaron Tveit is stellar.
2.) Wicked
Favorite song: Dancing Through Life
Wicked is the first Broadway Musical I ever remember hearing about...and I became so obsessed with the musical that I knew all of the words to popular at the age of nine. I have no complaints about the show - ABSOLUTELY NONE. In that case, 12/10 would recommend.
1.) Dear Evan Hansen
Favorite Song: The entire soundtrack minus So Big / So Small
Dear Evan Hansen is easily the best musical I have ever seen. Today, so many things in life can knock us down, but Dear Evan Hansen speaks messages that we all need to be reminded of: Nobody deserves to be forgotten and you will be found. Every single person on this Earth matters no matter who you are, what you've done, or where you've been because you are an amazing person in your own way...and nobody can take that away from you.
"Dear Evan Hansen,
Today is going to be a good day, and here's why: because today, today at least you're you and that's enough."
