Three of my favorite musicals are "Les Misérables", "Wicked", and "Mean Girls"; traditional, popular shows set in a regular theatre. However, my other favorite musicals are unconventional and lesser-known, and certainly more experimental and strange. The musicals, by the way, are "Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812", "Nikola Tesla Drops The Beat", and "Hadestown".

Experimental theatre represents what ALL theatre should be about; original, risky ideas that haven't been seen or heard before. I'm not saying that traditional theatre shows are boring or dull because they're not! I'm saying that experimental theatre simply deserves more love and support.

One of my favorite weirdly wonderful shows, "Great Comet," is set in a Russian-style dinner theatre and tells the story of War and Peace; the lyrics come exactly from the original Tolstoy text, so it's confusing and nothing rhymes, but it's still beautiful. Cast members hand out egg-shakers, love letters, and more to the audience.

In another unusual show I like, "Tesla", a modern-day Nikola Tesla tells the story of his life and inventions through the character of a deejay, and he has rap battles with rival Thomas Edison and has a full conversation with a pigeon, all while surrounded by neon LED lights.

Lastly, "Hadestown" is about the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, set in a round theatre so that the audience completely surrounds the stage while the cast sings into old-fashioned microphones.

Are shows like these for everyone? Absolutely not, and that's why they tend to be less popular. That being said, I encourage everyone to still give these shows and other experimental theatres a try. I certainly didn't expect to be interested in any of those musicals when I first heard of them, and now they're among my favorites.

Listen to them, you may be surprised.