Hamilton fever may have taken over the country, but for years, Broadway has hosted musicals with incredible soundtracks and songs that stay in your head for days. Here are four lesser-known musicals that are worth your listen:
1. Bonnie & Clyde
The story of Great Depression era outlaws, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, may seem like an odd storyline to set to music on a Broadway stage, but composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Don Black have done just that. Wildhorn and Black’s score intertwines bluegrassy tunes, energetic pop-rock-like melodies and classic Broadway-style phrasing of piano and stringed instruments; the score, when combined with the noteworthy voices of performers Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan on stage as Bonnie and Clyde, respectively, creates a Broadway cast album with at least one song that will interest fans of diverse music genres.
2. The Last Five Years
This sung-through Jason Robert Brown musical tells the story of Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt’s five-year relationship from Jamie’s perspective in chronological order, as well as from Cathy’s perspective in reverse-chronological order; the two stories meet up in the middle of the relationship--the couple’s wedding day. While the musical has yet to play on Broadway, it opened an Off-Broadway production in March 2002, and has since had a revival, a film version starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, a recent one-night-only concert in NYC, as well as an upcoming West End London production later this year.
3. First Date
According to rnh.com, this 2013 musical starring Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez tells the story of when blind date newbie, Aaron, is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines.
4. She Loves Me
While you may not recognize this musical, you will probably recognize the movie "You’ve Got Mail." "You’ve Got Mail" is based on this musical about shop clerks Amalia and Georg, two coworkers who can’t stand each other, but end up falling in love after they both respond to a “lonely hearts” advertisement in the newspaper. The most recent revival of the 1930's musical opened on Broadway in February of this year and starred Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi. The best songs on the album are “Vanilla Ice Cream” and “She Loves Me.”
