The most famous musicals in the world

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The musical is one of the most popular genres of theatrical art. After all, its plot is played out not only in words and actions, but also in songs and dances. In addition, musicals, as a rule, are notable for their massiveness and brightness, which attracts the audience. In our list, we decided to recall the most famous musicals in the world, their authors and composers.

My Fair Lady

• Genre: drama, melodrama, comedy
• Release date: 1956

The musical premiered on March 15, 1956. Julie Andrews played the main role, Eliza. The show immediately became incredibly popular and soon won several prestigious theater awards.

Description

This musical is based on the play "Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw, which tells how the main character, flower girl Eliza Doolittle, becomes a charming lady. This transformation took place due to a dispute between a professor of phonetics and his linguist friend. Eliza moved to the house of a scientist to go through the difficult path of training and transformation.

In 1964, the film of the same name was released, in which Audrey Hepburn played the role of Eliza.

Sounds of music

• Genre: biography, drama, romance, family
• Release date: 1959

The premiere took place on November 16, 1959. The musical has won 8 Tony Theater Awards. In 1965, the film of the same name was released. Its plot was slightly different from the play, but it was he who brought the "Sound of Music" real world fame.

Plot

The German film "The von Trapp family" became the basis for this musical. The picture told about an Austrian family who, fleeing the Nazis, went to America. The plot was based on the book by Maria von Trapp - a direct participant in those events.

Cabaret

• Genre: melodrama
• Release date: 1966

The musical premiered on November 20, 1966. The production won 8 Tony Awards. In 1972, the film of the same name, directed by Bob Fosse, was released. The image of Sally was brilliantly embodied by Liza Minnelli.

Description

The plot of the legendary musical is based on the stories "Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood about life in Germany in the early 30s. Another part of the story comes from the play "I Am the Camera" by John Van Druten, which tells the story of the love of the young writer and singer of the Berlin cabaret Sally Bowles. Fate brought the hero to the capital of Germany in the early 30s. Here he meets Sally and falls in love with her. But she refused to follow him to Paris, breaking his heart.

Jesus Christ Superstar

• Genre: drama, history
• Release date: 1971

The piece sparked a lot of controversy and became a cult icon for the hippie generation.

The music for this musical was written by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Unlike traditional productions, this one tells the whole story only through songs. It also became original thanks to rock music and modern vocabulary in the lyrics. This made the production a real hit.

For the first time, the rock opera sounded in the form of an album in 1970, the main role in it was played by the lead singer of the group Deep Purple Ian Gillan. The piece sparked a lot of controversy and became a cult icon for the hippie generation. A year later, it was staged on Broadway.

Plot

The story in it is about the last seven days of Jesus' life, which pass before the eyes of Judas Iscariot, disappointed with the teachings of Christ.

Chicago

• Genre: crime, drama, comedy
• Release date: 1975

On March 11, 1924, in the Chicago Tribune, journalist Maureen Watkins told about the variety show actress who killed her lover - this became the starting point for the plot of the musical. In those days, stories of sex crimes were very popular, and Watkins continued to write about them. On April 3, 1924, her new article appeared about the woman who shot her boyfriend. Watkins later wrote the play Chicago.

In 2002, the movie Chicago was released with Renee Zellweger (Roxy), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma) and Richard Gere (Billy Flynn).

Description

The story of the musical tells the story of the corps de ballet dancer Roxy Hart, who killed her lover in cold blood. In prison, Roxy meets Velma Kelly and other criminals, and then hires lawyer Billy Flynn, with the help of whom he avoids punishment, and at the same time becomes a real star. The musical premiered on June 3, 1975.

Cats

• Genre: fantasy
• Release date: 1981

In "Cats" there is no curtain, and the stage merges with the hall into a single space. Everything is unusual here - there is no curtain on the stage, it merges into a single space with the audience. The scene itself is framed like a dump. The actors appear in the form of graceful cats thanks to the complex multi-layered makeup. Their costumes are hand-painted, with wigs, tails and collars made of yak wool. The musical premiered on May 11, 1981 in London.

Plot

The basis for this popular musical was the cycle of children's poems by T. S. Eliot's "The Old Opossum's Book of Practical Cats", published in England in 1939. The collection ironically told about the habits and habits of cats, in which human traits were guessed. Elliot's poems liked Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Phantom of the Opera

• Genre: thriller, drama, melodrama
• Release date: 1986

The Phantom of the Opera premiered on October 9, 1986 at the Royal Theater, with even members of Her Majesty's family present. The show was the first longest running musical in Broadway history, surpassing even Cats.

In 2004, the musical became a film in which the image of a masked ghost was embodied by Gerard Butler.

Description

The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux. A romantic but dark story tells of a mysterious creature with supernatural powers living in a dungeon under the Paris Opera. It falls in love with the young singer Christina and becomes her patron.

Evita

• Genre: drama, biography, history
• Release date: 1978

The musical was released on June 21, 1978, and 20 years later it was decided to shoot a film based on it. Directed by Alan Parker, Madonna played the main role.

Plot

The idea of creating the musical came about by chance - in October 1973, Tim Rice in his car heard the end of a radio broadcast, in which it was about Evita Perón, the wife of the Argentine dictator Juan Perón. The story of her life interested the poet. The plot of the show tells how she came to Buenos Aires at the age of 15 and became first a famous actress, and then the wife of the country's president. This woman helped the poor, but at the same time contributed to the establishment of the dictatorship in Argentina.

Mama Mia

• Genre: melodrama, comedy
• Release date: 1999

For the first time this cheerful and bright musical was shown to the audience in 1999, and in 2008 a film based on it with Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried and other actors was released.

Description

The popularity of ABBA's songs is so great that the idea of creating a musical based on them is not surprising. The musical includes 22 hits of the legendary quartet. The male half of ABBA became its authors. The plot is as follows: Sophie is getting ready to get married. She is going to invite her father to the wedding to take her to the altar. Only the girl's mother, Donna, never talked about him. Sophie found her mother's diary, which described her relationship with three different men, as a result, an invitation is sent to all of them. When guests start arriving at the wedding, the fun begins …

Notre Dame de Paris

• Genre: drama, melodrama, history
• Release date: 1998

The musical is based on Victor Hugo's novel Notre Dame Cathedral. It was first shown in Paris on September 16, 1998 and entered the Guinness Book of Records as having the most successful first year.

Plot

According to the plot, a young gypsy girl named Esmeralda with her beauty attracts the attention of men. Among them are the Bishop of Notre Dame Cathedral Frollo, a young handsome man - the captain of the royal riflemen Phoebus and the ugly bell ringer Quasimodo, a pupil of Frollo.

Esmeralda falls madly in love with the most beautiful of them - Phoebus. He does not mind taking advantage of this, despite the fact that he has a bride - Fleur-de-Lys. Frollo is overwhelmed with jealousy and tormented by doubts - after all, as a priest, he has no right to love a woman. Quasimodo admires the young gypsy woman, seeing in her that unattainable unearthly beauty, which is his complete opposite.

Juno and Avos

• Genre: drama, melodrama
• Release date: 1981

The musical "Juno and Perhaps" is without exaggeration the most famous Russian production of this genre. It premiered on July 9, 1981. The director was Mark Zakharov, and the main roles were played by Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina. It was based on the poem "Perhaps" by Andrei Voznesensky.

Description

According to the plot, Count Rezanov, having buried his wife, decided to devote all his strength to serving Russia. His proposals on the need to try to establish trade relations with North America for a long time did not meet with a response from the authorities, but, finally, he was ordered to go there. There he meets young Conchita, and they fall in love. Circumstances force them to part, but they manage to secretly get married. And although they will not be destined to see each other again, their love will live forever.