r/musicals • • Nov 13 '24

"What musical should I listen to next?" unified thread

224 Upvotes

One of the most common questions we get on this subreddit is "what should I see/listen to, here's the stuff I like". It's a valid question, but it's tiring to see a dozen of those threads every week, so this will serve as both a stickied thread of suggestions and as a home for new visitors to r/musicals who would ask that question. (As a result, new "what should I listen to threads" will be redirected here and deleted.)

Below, you'll find a list of popular musicals in alphabetical order along with suggestions for what might interest you based on that. This list is mostly vibes-based, with some inclusion of the same or similar composers or subject matter. The shows I name are taken from my own personal list of shows I've listened to (350+), the vast majority of which will be available on Spotify.

The shows I chose to make suggestions for are heavily skewed toward recent shows because that's what felt like good fits. If you're interested in a show not named below and want to know what to listen to next, comment below and I'll add a line for it (assuming I know it well enough to make educated suggestions).

If you enjoyed... Consider checking out...
Be More Chill Altar Boyz, American Psycho, bare: a pop opera, Beetlejuice, Bubble Boy, Cry-Baby, Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Fly By Night, Freaky Friday, Here Lies Love, How to Dance in Ohio, Jagged Little Pill, Passing Strange, Spring Awakening
Beetlejuice Back to the Future, Be More Chill, Bubble Boy, Catch Me If You Can, Cry-Baby, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Groundhog Day, Heathers, Jekyll and Hyde, Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, The Producers, School of Rock, Sweeney Todd, Urinetown
The Book of Mormon The Addams Family, Carrie, Catch Me If You Can, Cry-Baby, Curtains, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Full Monty, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Kimberly Akimbo, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, [title of show]
Come From Away Allegiance, The Band's Visit, Bright Star, Elegies for Angels Punks and Raging Queens, Fly By Night, Hadestown, If/Then, Kimberly Akimbo, The Last Ship, A New Brain, Once, Parade, Soft Power, Spongebob Squarepants, Waitress, The Wrong Man
Dear Evan Hansen 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Altar Boyz, bare: a pop opera, Be More Chill, Bubble Boy, Carrie, Closer to Heaven, Cry-Baby, Daddy Long Legs, Dogfight, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Footloose, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, How to Dance in Ohio, Kimberly Akimbo, A New Brain, Newsies, The Outsiders, The Prom, Ride the Cyclone, tick...tick...BOOM, Wonderland
Falsettos Amour, Burt Bacharach's Some Lovers, Cabaret, Chess, Closer than Ever, Elegies for Angels Punks and Raging Queens, Far From Heaven, From Here to Eternity, Fun Home, Kiss of the Spider Woman, La Cage aux Folles, A New Brain, Parade, Rent, Ride, Side Show, Some Like It Hot, A Strange Loop, Yank!
Groundhog Day The Addams Family, Catch Me If You Can, City of Angels, Cry-Baby, Curtains, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Flying Over Sunset, The Full Monty, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, High Fidelity, Jagged Little Pill, & Juliet, Kinky Boots, Mrs. Doubtfire, A New Brain, Next Thing You Know, The Producers, School of Rock, Urinetown, Wonderland
Hadestown Aida, American Utopia, The Band's Visit, Bright Star, The Capeman, Come From Away, Floyd Collins, Ghost Quartet, The Gospel at Colonus, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Here Lies Love, Knoxville, The Last Ship, The Lord of the Rings, Marie Christine, Memphis, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Once, Passing Strange, Preludes, Rent, The Scottsboro Boys, Soft Power, Tarzan, Venice, Whistle Down the Wind, The Wrong Man
Hamilton 1776, Allegiance, American Psycho, American Utopia, Assassins, Chess, Fame, Giant, Here Lies Love, In the Heights, The Last Ship, The Light in the Piazza, Martin Guerre, Parade, Ragtime, Rent, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Soft Power, A Strange Loop, Venice, Water for Elephants, The Wild Party (Lippa), The Wrong Man
Heathers Altar Boyz, American Psycho, bare: a pop opera, Be More Chill, Beetlejuice, Bubble Boy, Carrie, A Chorus Line, Cry-Baby, Daddy Long Legs, Dogfight, Freaky Friday, Ghost Quartet, High Fidelity, Jagged Little Pill, Kid Victory, Kimberly Akimbo, Marie Christine, A New Brain, Now. Here. This., Ordinary Days, The Outsiders, Rent, Spring Awakening, [title of show], Whistle Down the Wind, Wonderland
In the Heights American Utopia, Bright Star, The Capeman, Chicago, Closer to Heaven, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Finding Neverland, Fun Home, Giant, The Gospel at Colonus, Hamilton, In the Green, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Passing Strange, The Prom, Raisin, Seesaw, Sweet Smell of Success, Venice, The Wrong Man
Les Miserables Brigadoon, Carousel, Chess, Cyrano, Death Takes a Holiday, Doctor Zhivago, Flower Drum Song, Giant, Hadestown, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lord of the Rings, Martin Guerre, Miss Saigon, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Parade, The Pirate Queen, Ragtime, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Titanic,
Ride the Cyclone The Addams Family, Anastasia, bare: a pop opera, Billy the Kid, A Chorus Line, Dogfight, Fame, Finding Neverland, Footloose, Freaky Friday, How to Dance in Ohio, If/Then, Kid Victory, Kimberly Akimbo, A Little Princess, Memphis, Newsies, The Outsiders, The Prom, School of Rock, The Time Traveler's Wife, Tuck Everlasting, Whistle Down the Wind
Six Aida, Altar Boyz, American Psycho, Be More Chill, Closer to Heaven, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Fly By Night, Ghost, Groundhog Day, Hair, Hamilton, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, In the Heights, Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, & Juliet, Kinky Boots, Million Dollar Quartet, Moulin Rouge, Now. Here. This., Once, Passing Strange, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Venice
Sweeney Todd American Utopia, Anyone Can Whistle, Assassins, Ballroom, Cabaret, Days of Wine and Roses, Death Takes a Holiday, Floyd Collins, From Here to Eternity, Ghost Quartet, Grand Hotel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, In the Green, Kid Victory, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Lost in the Stars, Martin Guerre, Parade, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Shenandoah, Steel Pier, Sweet Smell of Success, Titanic, The Visit, Whistle Down the Wind
Wicked Aladdin, Amelie, Bright Star, Daddy Long Legs, Doctor Zhivago, Fun Home, If/Then, Jane Eyre, The Light in the Piazza, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Passion, The Rink, Side Show, The Story of My Life, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Vanities, Violet, The Wild Party (LaChiusa), Wonderland
-- --
Starkid musicals (all of them) The Addams Family, Aladdin, Back to the Future, Be More Chill, Billy the Kid, Bubble Boy, Carrie, Cry-Baby, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Freaky Friday, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, A Little Princess, Merrily We Roll Along, The Outsiders, The Prom, Ride the Cyclone, School of Rock, Shrek, SpongeBob SquarePants, [title of show], Tuck Everlasting, The Witches of Eastwick, Wonderland

Again, these are mostly based on vibes, but they're a start.


r/musicals • • Jul 11 '24

Discussion Folks, we’re gonna take a break on the “me too” games.

367 Upvotes

These “judge me on my top five”, “tell me your favorite and I’ll tell you if you’re cool”, “here’s five, which is your favorite” threads box everything else out cause everybody feels the need to add their own. I did the tier list thread to try and nip it in the bud, but folks just shifted to different me too games, and it’s rapidly spiraling.

I’m calling a temporary moratorium on those threads. They may resume in the future (at a date TBD), but for now, all new threads of that nature (beginning midnight EDT tonight) are going to be locked, deleted, and all of the existing replies wiped out.

If you want to discuss a show, great, but “rate my taste” isn’t it.


r/musicals • • 4h ago

Review I did not care for The Drowsy Chaperone Spoiler

3 Upvotes

I've been working Spotlight for a local production of this show and I really feel like it doesn't know what it's supposed to be. Like yes, obviously it's a comedy inside a musical, but it loses that idea by minute 30. At that point it's a comedic musical inside the depressed ramblings of a divorcee trying to cling to the last threads of hope he still has.

By the end the Man in the Chair has an entirely different tone from The Drowsy Chaperone as a show within the show. Especially "L-ve while you can". Man in the Chair goes on a minutes-long rant about false love and lost marriages and living with nothing but what his mother left him, but since the scenes sandwiching it are comedic then the audience continues to laugh. Taken in isolation both of his Act 2 monologues are deeply troubling. They illustrate a broken man. He's living in a derelict apartment that loses power randomly, he's mentally unwell to the point that a phone call sets him off, but we're supposed to laugh?

And on the other end, the show within a show is genuinely funny. It's classic vaudeville, slapstick and quips nesting side by side between a plot that's easy to follow and consistently comedic. But it keeps getting interrupted by this depressed loser who can't seem to move past the divorce he went through years ago. Anyways, here's a joke about how Aldolpho's accent makes "ship" and "sheep" sound the same. Now applaud the happy ending.

Taking one of the two stories at face value results in a complete discarding of the other emotional throughline. But if you try to genuinely engage with both then you're dealing with the whiplash caused from jumping between an old-timey comedy and a sad modern drama trading lines.


r/musicals • • 5h ago

Sister Mary Robert

3 Upvotes

Hello!

I’m doing my first audition in a long time - I really want this role and I want to pick a good song.

I have good confidence in singing The Life I never Led but I don’t want to sing that for my audition as I believe singing from the show is not favoured. They told me to just pick a song of my choice.

Any recommendations to make me stand out/a strong candidate?


r/musicals • • 9h ago

Some DIY street signs I made.

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5 Upvotes

(Yeah, I know my Beetlejuice one isn't that great) I plan on adding "The Room Where It Happens" for Hamilton and either "Queen's Boulevard" or " Tudor Lane" for SIX.


r/musicals • • 10h ago

Wish they gave Lion King 2 a live musical

7 Upvotes

I know it’s unorthodox to make a sequel musical but as successful as Lion King has been all these decades, you can’t convince me a live African themed orchestra and choir singing We Are One or One of Us won’t be absolute HITS. Then obviously we’ll tie the 2 together with a version of He Lives In You. Thank you for reading my random shower thought of the day.


r/musicals • • 23h ago

Video Tim Minchin - When I Grow Up (from Matilda The Musical) (Live on The Last Leg)

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52 Upvotes

Never been into musicals, and never watched Matilda The Musical. However I am a big fan of The Last Leg, and this was a genuinely beautiful rendition to close the show. Tim's voice is amazing.


r/musicals • • 2h ago

Should I Read Les Mis + Phantom?

1 Upvotes

I really like to read, and because I like musicals, people often give me the books that musicals are based off of. My question is, since I know them so well is it actually worth reading. I had the problem with Rebecca, that despite being able to realise that the book itself was interesting, due to the fact that I knew the musical, I knew the plot hence wasn't too enthralled. However, I think that might be because it was a mystery novel. Wanted to ask advice, if these books will be enjoyable reads or if I should dedicate my time to other books as they (specifically) Les mis is quite long.


r/musicals • • 4h ago

Audition Auditioning for Benny!! (in the heights)

0 Upvotes

just wanted to ask if anyone has tips on what do do for auditions, or just your personal experience! Any help is appreciated 🫶


r/musicals • • 7h ago

Discussion Initial thoughts after seeing the Hadestown Pro Shot

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1 Upvotes

r/musicals • • 1d ago

Discussion What do you mean Goodbye from Catch Me If You Can isn’t the finale?????

44 Upvotes

So my sister went to NYC in 2011 with our aunt, and she got to see Catch Me If You Can with Aaron Tveit (something which she did not appreciate at the time). After she saw the musical, she convinced my parents to buy Live in Living Color, Seven Wonders, and Goodbye on iTunes, so I grew up listening to those songs but not the rest of the album. So I was under the impression that Goodbye was the finale, not the 11 o’clock number because it’s a much better finale than the actual final song. But I decided to finally listen to the entire album, and I feel so dumb for assuming that that was the finale.


r/musicals • • 8h ago

Help Auditioning for Flotsam and Jetsam in The Little Meramid

0 Upvotes

Hi, everybody!

I'm auditioning for a local production of The Little Mermaid. Rules state that all auditions must be disney songs and cannot be from The Little Mermaid itself. All disney projects all allowed, including songs from disney stage adaptations

I'm going for mainly Flotsam and Jetsam but also Grimsby and Chef Louis

I'm not that strong of a singer and prefer to do songs where you can do fun voices

Any and all suggestions are welcome


r/musicals • • 9h ago

Sound of music

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1 Upvotes

r/musicals • • 9h ago

Help Sound of music

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1 Upvotes

r/musicals • • 10h ago

Audition BloxLive, a New Roblox Theatre Company!

0 Upvotes

BloxLive is a digital theatre company focused on creating original shows, musicals, and performances. The goal is to bring people together to act, sing, write, build, and create stories in a fun and welcoming environment.

We'll be having our first show soon, so join now!

https://discord.gg/juDNUTA7uj


r/musicals • • 20h ago

Discussion Reefer madness ticket sales

5 Upvotes

Currently in a production of Reefer Madness in Long Beach, CA. I play Jimmy. It’s a great show and I’m so proud of it but filling seats has been a challenge.

Has anyone else done this show/struggled to get people in the door? I know it’s pretty niche, not exactly family friendly, and really over the top but I feel like it’s the type of show that even non-theatre people would like if they just gave it a chance!


r/musicals • • 12h ago

Advice Needed Is it too late to start?

0 Upvotes

Hi,

im a dancer who just moved to the uk to study musical theatre and dance, and im just not feeling like my uno is challenging enough and im considering auditioning for a conservatoire. the problem is im already 20 (2006) and if i have to start over again im gonna be 24 by the time i graduate. I’m scared and feel like im wasting my time and that once I’ve graduated im gonna be behind my peers who started in younger. I really really want a career in dancing, and i want to start asap, but I know im not at a level to bypass further education in the subject.

what do i do? do i start over in case they don’t let me into the second year entry?

all advice helpful.


r/musicals • • 18h ago

Discussion Mi primera experiencia del teatro💛

3 Upvotes

¡Hola! Soy una estudiante de español, entonces perdonen mis errores.

En mi clase, hablamos sobre eventos memorables en nuestras vidas, y para mí, es la primera vez fui a un musical profesional. Cuando tenía 14 años, mi tía vivía en Detroit y me invitó a ver a Les Miserables en el teatro de Fisher. ¡Era un momento muy emocionante para mí!

El teatro estaba muy bonito y tuvimos los asientos en la primera fila del balcón. Me encantó ver los disfraces y oír las voces de los actores. Pero cuando las luces se apagaron, ¡lo empezó mi amor por el teatro!

¿Qué fue tu experiencia primera del teatro?


r/musicals • • 16h ago

Review The curry club: Annie

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2 Upvotes

Hope you dont mind me putting this here. Its my review of the 1982 adaptation of annie


r/musicals • • 1d ago

Photo Opening night tonight

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61 Upvotes

Here we have myself as the wolf and my costar as little red in our local community theaters production of Into The Woods. Its been a blast and am excited to have our first performance tonight with an almost sold out house. Wish we had a wig that went with the gloves hair, but its fine


r/musicals • • 1d ago

Discussion FanCast: Joe Keery as Andrew Jackson in a film adaptation of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

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53 Upvotes

r/musicals • • 20h ago

Discussion What's your version of the "saxophones getting louder"?

1 Upvotes

I always realize things too late so my brain just factory whistle's me when things fall in place just like Sweeney Todd lol


r/musicals • • 1d ago

MT songs with a C6

12 Upvotes

Hi! Looking for musical theater songs that contain a c6. This is for an audition for Cosette in Les Mis; the audition requirement is “32 bars of a lyric soprano song that reaches a c6”. It seems that most soprano songs only go up to a A or B. There‘s “Think of Me” and “The Phantom of the Opera”, but I’ve always been taught that those are not appropriate audition songs. There’s “Round and Round” from The Fantasticks… but again, not a great audition pick. Any suggestions?


r/musicals • • 1d ago

Discussion Any more soliloquies/numbers that are just people with intense emotiona rambling in the void?

11 Upvotes

Think "Roxie" & "Rose's Turn"


r/musicals • • 22h ago

Help Need some beginner vocal exercises.

1 Upvotes

So, im young, and i know all that “its never too late to start” but i do feel like i need to start now. Im very insecure about my acting and voice. If you ask me, i’ll say i have the worst voice in existence, which i know is exaggerating, but i do objectively not have a good voice. I’d like some beginner vocal exercises and/or breathing exercises. I struggle most with holding a long note. Im very angsty/hopeless about my future, so i would really like to get some exercises now. I have very limited oppurtunities for being in local productions, and i would like to train myself before i try to get in any.

(also pls motivation if you have any i’ve been feeling really hopeless)