For every Hamilton or Wicked released, there is a musical that is brushed aside. Some of these shows are brilliant, but they never get the attention that they deserve.These hidden gems of the great white way make the musical theater genre what it is. In no particular order, here are some of the best, underappreciated musicals.
1. Heathers: The Musical
Based on the 1988 film, Heathers, this rock opera is everything you would want from a show based on the ‘80s. Heathers is a comedy that finds a way to deal with some heavy issues. Unfortunately, they never saw an official Broadway run. That being said, if you want to check it out, you could pick up the cast recording of the Off-Broadway cast.
2. [title of show]
[title of show] is a one-act musical that shows the struggles that the author and composer go through as he attempts to write a musical. The musical about writing a musical is definitely something you never knew you needed until you found it. [title of show] did receive both an Off-Broadway as well as a Broadway run, but it never received the attention it really deserved.
3. Catch Me If You Can
What is better than a movie where Tom Hanks plays an FBI agent chasing a young fugitive played by Leonardo DiCaprio based on a true story? The musical based on it. Catch Me If You Can received a few Tony nominations but only won for best Leading Actor. The Broadway run closed after only 170 regular performances.
4. Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde is based on a true story about two of the most famous outlaws of all time. The show did have a Broadway run. Unfortunately, due to slow ticket sales, Bonnie and Clyde saw only 33 previews and 36 regular performances. This was probably due to the negative reviews from critics, which the cast and crew felt was a bias based on the composer’s previous works (which were all relatively obscure and/or poorly received). They received a few Tony nominations but did not receive any wins.
5. The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden was relatively popular when it was on Broadway (running for 709 performances and winning a few Tony awards). However, with the exception of the song “Lily’s Eyes,” the musical seems to have faded into obscurity. The show is something that any musical fan should definitely go check out.
6. Assassins
Assassins is a musical by Stephen Sondheim that premiered Off-Broadway in 1990.It tells the story of every person who attempted to kill a president of the United States both successful and not.The music changes to reflect the time period that each assassination takes place.The show received a Broadway revival in 2004 where it won several Tony awards (including best revival of a musical).Even though it has received some attention, it is still much more obscure than it should be.
7. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock opera about a German rock band and their transgender lead singer, Hedwig. The show first premiered Off-Broadway in 1998. It did eventually garner some popularity with the 2014 Broadway revival where they won the Tony for best revival of a musical. Even with this, as well as stars such as Neil Patrick Harris and Darren Criss taking the lead role of Hedwig, the show is still obscure and does not receive the attention it truly deserves.
All of these shows deserve more attention than they received. If you are a fan of musical theater and have not heard of some or any of these, I highly recommend checking them out or at least picking up the cast recording.
