Musicals To See Before You Die

Here is my list in order of preference, the musicals one should see before they die. Its a good list to take with you when you retire or have the time and money to indulge. At any one time, I think Broadway would have at least 1/3 of the shows below still running or reprised.

My Fair Lady
Les Miserables
Phantom of The Opera
La Cage aux Folles
West Side Story
Company
The Sound of Music
Wicked
Gypsy
The King & I
Sunday In The Park With George
Sweeney Todd
Oklahoma!
South Pacific
Oliver!
A Little Night Music
Funny Girl
Cabaret
The Lion King
Mamma Mia
The Jersey Boys
The Producers
Cats
Guys & Dolls
Porgy & Bess
Finian's Rainbow
Little Shop of Horrors
Fantasticks
Brigadoon
Camelot
Carousel
Fiddler on The Roof
Chicago
Into The Woods
Evita
A Chorus Line
Showboat
Young Frankenstein
Dreamgirls
The Music Man
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Ragtime
Hair
Hello, Dolly!
Follies
Godspell

Musicals are know for their showstopper tunes. I have included a few that stuck:

The showstopper in Les Miserables, Do You Hear The People Sing?, was absolutely marvellous in the musical, it was grand, rousing ... makes me think maybe some people in a certain country could use it very well (don't mention names la). I can very well imagine the majority of the public singing this song, wouldn't that be loverly?



The showstopper in La Cage aux Folles, I Am What I Am, where the drag queen displays his bitterness at being sidelined by his son because of his being a drag queen. Its a powerful song which speaks for self actualisation, confidence in our own choices in life.



The brilliant showstopper, Defying Gravity, in Wicked (a genius prequel to The Wizard of Oz story, you will look at the Wizard and the Witch differently after the show). Have to click on link as they won't let me embed this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g4ekwTd6Ig

This next showstopper was at the end of the musical Carousel, a rousing number which later some silly football club stole it and regarded it as their birthright.



Finally, I had to feature this by Colm Wilkinson, whom I think has the best male voice on the musical stage now. He sings Bring Him Home from Les Mis, as he was praying for the life of his daughter's love. Its easily better than I Dreamed A Dream from the same musical.