Let's be honest here, we all have guilty pleasures, and most of those are musicals. In my case, that guilty pleasure is not that subtle, but nonetheless, just as big. I love musicals, in film, but especially in theatre. So I've made a list with some of the best musicals ever!
1. "The Wiz"
"The Wiz" is generally known for the movie starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, but that movie is actually based on this wonderful musical, which is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. The musical has great songs, including one of my favorites 'Home'. I saw this musical in my home country, the Netherlands, in 2006.
2. "Mamma Mia!
"Mamma Mia!" is a jukebox musical based on the songs of ABBA. It is generally known for the movie adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. But years before that it was an original musical! My favorite ABBA song features in the show is: 'The Winner Takes It All'. I unfortunately have never seen this musical live.
3. "The Phantom of the Opera"
"The Phantom of the Opera" is cult in musical land and is the longest-running musical on Broadway, till this day. Sierra Boggess is one of my favorite Christines ever (she starred in the 25th anniversary edition!), you can hear her singing my favorite song from the show in the video above. I unfortunately have never seen the musical live.
4. "Chicago"
"Chicago" is also a cult musical and has been in various countries. "All That Jazz" is a classic musical sing-a-long and also one of my favorite songs from the show. Our very own Dutch musical artist, Pia Douwes, plays Velma Kelly on Broadway and that, of course, brings pride to my little country. I have seen a high school performance of the show, but never the real deal. Chicago was also made into a movie starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
5. "Into The Woods"
"Into The Woods" is musical containing elements from various fairy tales. It's dark stories and humor make it one of my all-time favorites! It was also made into a movie in 2014 starring Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and many more. 'No One Is Alone' is my number one favorite musical songs of all time and it is from this show. I have also been lucky to see the show live in the Netherlands, in 2017!
6. "Les Miserables"
"Les Miserables" is also a classic musical, that you have to see at least once in your life (even though I haven't yet, but I NEED to). With classic songs as 'I Dreamed A Dream', 'On My Own' and 'One More Day' it contains incredible musical songs, but my favorite is 'A Little Fall Of Rain'. It was also made a movie in 2012, it starred Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and many more!
7. "Elisabeth"
"Elisabeth" is the most successful Austrian musical in history. There's no English version, but in the Netherlands it was also immensely popular (when it was translated into Dutch). It's also really popular in Asia, where it has been adapted in various languages. Pia Douwes, known for her Broadway role as Velma Kelly, launched her career with the title role of Elisabeth and has played it in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. Elisabeth is based on the life of the Austrian empress of the same name. My favorite song can be heard above and I was fortunate enough to see an 'In Concert' version of the show since it hasn't been played in Dutch since in 2001.
8. "Miss Saigon"
We're in the hard part of the list. Since Elisabeth the choices are one, to be honest. I cannot really make a choice between my top 3, but this is the one I made. "Miss Saigon," the musical that launched Lea Salonga's career is one of the best in my opinion. It contains so many beautiful songs, but I choose for 'I'd Give My Life For You'. I have no words for this show, it's so good. I saw it live in its Dutch version in 2012 and it was amazing.
9. "Rent"
"Rent" is a rock musical based on the opera 'La Vie Boheme' and it is one of my favorite musicals ever. It's so inclusive, diverse and doesn't shy away from hard topics. My favorite song is 'Goodbye Love', but songs like 'One Song Glory' and 'Without You' are also favorites. The musical was made into a movie in 2005 starring most of the original cast, including Idina Menzel (Wicked), but also new faces as Rosario Dawson (known now for her role as Claire Temple in the Netflix Marvel series).
10. "Wicked"
My all-time favorite musical must be "Wicked" starring Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Although our very own Dutch Willemijn Verkaik is a close second Elphaba (she has played her for years now in Germany, the Netherlands, West End and Broadway). This show tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz and it is amazing. I saw in 2014 in the Netherlands, with my favorite song being 'No Good Deed'. It will be made into a movie, scheduled for 2019, with no cast yet announced!
