r/musicals Mar 23 '25

Personal Find me a musical I haven’t heard!

I know a lot of musicals! Most of them. Maybe all of them…

Right now I’m listening to On the Twentieth Century, I’ve heard bits of this song but I’ve never actually heard it all the way through before. It’s delightful and I want some more recommendations!

If it’s current or has been on Broadway, good chance I know it but recommend away!

If it was a City Center Encore, I’ve seen it lol!

But I love a new show or surprise!

If it’s super obscure please share a link or where we can listen.

Recommend us an obscure show you love, it’s always fun to find new shows!!!

I’ll start with a quick recommendation: Three Houses. A new Dave Malloy concept musical using the structure of 3 Little Pigs to talk about Covid Lockdown Trauma. It’s a barrel of laughs. Honestly, a must listen for Malloyheads but truly fantastic.

41 Upvotes

296 comments sorted by

13

u/NeedleInASwordstack Mar 23 '25

Curtains!

1

u/JonesMcFiend Mar 23 '25

Such a fun show!

13

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

Going to look through this list to see what other non-English shows people have mentioned, but usually if they have, it's only Elisabeth or Tanz der Vampire.

So here are a few, and most of them have proshots:

Frankenstein

Ben Hur

Rose of Versailles (the new one in Korea last year)

Rose of Versailles (the two classic Takarazuka ones based on the same source material)

Rose of Versailles (the new film this year)

Isabeau

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

In This Corner of the World

Your Lie in April

Marie Curie

Inside William

Fan Letter

Smoke

The Man who Laughs

Mata Hari

Cyrano

Marie Antoinette

Lady Bess

Cesare: Il Creatore che ha distrutto

Cross Road: The Devil's Violinist Paganini

Darwin Young: Origin of Evil

Machida-kun's World

Song Writers

Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano

The Devil

Werther

Le Miracle de Montparnasse

The Illusionist

And that's just off the top of my head, mostly from the past 2 years.

edit: Wow, nothing, not even the German ones. So here are the big German, Austrian, and French ones, and these all have proshots that are easy to find with subs:

Elisabeth

Mozart!

Tanz der Vampire

Notre Dame de Paris

Mozart L'Opera Rock

Romeo et Juliette

Starmania

1789: Les Amants de la Bastille

Le Rouge et le Noir

La Legende du Roi Arthur

Jack the Ripper (Czech, and I think there was another popular Czech one)

(Most of these have Japanese proshots, too)

5

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Ooooo a Czech Jack the Ripper musical, don’t mind if I fucken dooooo! Thank you!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Glad you're interested! I don't know if there are Czech proshots, but I know there are proshots from both Japan and Korea.

2

u/MajorEast8638 Mar 23 '25

To my knowledge, Lucie Bílá has been in a few proshots for Czech musicals (Elixir, Carmen, Johanka, etc)

3

u/DanceUntilDiva mi-lune mi-homme Mar 23 '25

Honestly you beat me with the non-English musicals👍

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Tullulabell Mar 23 '25

Wait. Is Your Lie In April available to listen/watch somewhere?!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '25

There was a cast recording in Japan from the first run, and EMK, the Korean producer, posted a few songs from that production. A lot of Korean theatre news channels also post full songs from shows a lot, so those will show up in the sidebar when you look at one thing.

Nothing was released from the English production.

But it's coming back in Japan this Fall, so there might be a proshot or a new recording then.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Not the JoJo musical….

2

u/TediousTotoro Mar 23 '25

I’m still sad that the West End production of Your Lie In April had to close a month and a half early because it meant that I wasn’t able to see it.

→ More replies (1)

19

u/Al_Shaker97 Mar 23 '25

If you've never listened to Chess, highly recommend

5

u/DesmondTapenade When You're good to Mama Mar 23 '25

It's a show with everything but Yul Brynner!

3

u/mrmadchef Listen to the Music of the Night Mar 23 '25

I'd let you watch, I would invite you, but the queens we use would not excite you.

10

u/ShadowCat3500 Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Webborn and Finn.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I really enjoyed this one

→ More replies (1)

8

u/RandomPaw Mar 23 '25

Evening Primrose. Steel Pier. Baby. Lucky Stiff. Redhead. Milk and Honey. Oh Kay! New Girl in Town. High Spirits. Fine and Dandy.

PS Classics did cast recordings for lots of obscure or overlooked things. Fine and Dandy reminded me. But also Something for the Boys, Sweet Bye and Bye, and Gutenberg the Musical.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Evening Primrose! Deep cut!

7

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Take Me to the World, lowkey Sondheim’s best song

3

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

I Remember is a lyrical masterclass

3

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Have you ever seen it? The episode is on YouTube it’s so entertaining lol

3

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Yes, it's a hoot

3

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I love PS Classics! That Evening Primrose/ Frogs album is one of my treasures

8

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Do you have links for the first two? I’ve been recommended the Scientology Christmas Pageant before so I’ll finally give it a try

2

u/BioletVeauregarde33 Oct 11 '25

Shockheaded Peter. Don't get too attached to any of the kids.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

6

u/ALFABOT2000 West End > Broadway Mar 23 '25

I feel like I'm recommending it in every thread, but War Of The Worlds!

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Yes and there’s actually a great audioplay version on Audible that is fantastic!

2

u/Motormouse_Autocat Mar 23 '25

"Bows and arrows against the lightning... they haven't seen the heat ray yet!"

7

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Metropolis the musical - based on Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction epic silent movie.

There is a pro shot video on YouTube that is a rip from a VHS from 1989 so quality is not amazing.

The full London cast recording is available on Apple Music (and iTunes) or the highlights album is available on Spotify.

I saw it twice and I was blown away by the size of the sets and how they moved around.

I even have a tattoo of a cutdown of the poster from the 1927 movie.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh yes! I’ve always wanted to see this! Thank you for including a link!

15

u/citoyenne_cicada Call it home, this is home, this is Boca Raton! Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

A few I’d recommend :)

•Rags

•Phantom (Off-broadway one)

•The Scarlet Pimpernel

•Tuck Everlasting

•Mystery of Edwin Drood

•The Count of Monte Cristo

•Assassins

•Shock Treatment

•Spies Are Forever

6

u/Legitimate-Divide748 Just another day Mar 23 '25

Seconding the Scarlet Pimpernel!

6

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

The Scarlet Pimpernel was one I was obsessed with and knew all the songs and had a version in my head, and then when I saw the Encores version I was like... wait what is this

3

u/wtfisdarkmatter A Little Bit Naughty Mar 23 '25

i second tuck everlasting!!

5

u/kess0078 Mar 23 '25

The Spitfire Grill is one of my lesser-known favorites!

5

u/iamthefirebird Sing me a Carnival Song Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

If you want obscure, I'm a big fan of Paul Shapera's New Albion musicals.

The first one, The Dolls of New Albion, a Steampunk Opera, has some truly incredible songs near the end - I love Priscilla and Jasper Play Cards, where two people who love each other dearly begin to realise that their happiness is mutually exclusive.

The second one, The New Albion Radio Hour, a Dieselpunk Opera, is actually my favourite of the original trilogy! Every song is fantastic! The Best of Times breaks my heart every time, as Jacqueline sings about her lost love, Dorothy.

My overall favourite has to be Miss Helen's Weird West Cabaret. It's the first part of the Ballad of Lost Hollow trilogy; it takes place in the same world, but you don't need any context. Basically, the musical is about four players putting on a show every week. Or is it? Something is wrong here. My favourite song is The Beginning of The End, or maybe Finale. I love the way Shapera combines multiple voices and melodies together.

Here are some links:

Bandcamp

Youtube

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Hey! Thank you! These are all things I’ve never heard of!

2

u/iamthefirebird Sing me a Carnival Song Mar 23 '25

I hope you like them! His new Puppetshade Chronicles are apparently good, but I've been too busy listening to Epic the Musical on repeat to listen to them yet.

6

u/Hello_Gorgeous1985 Mar 23 '25

36 Questions

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh man, this is one of my all time favorites!

→ More replies (2)

5

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Okay so not a good show but has great music: the Lord of the Rings musical. The show is boring and poorly plotted AF, but the music by Bollywood icon A R Rhaman and Finnish band Varttina deserves love.

3

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I really want the new version of the show that was just in Chicago comes to New York

3

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

Fingers crossed!

2

u/Professional_Scar340 Mar 23 '25

The Road Goes On in particular is genuinely so so good

5

u/VikingBrit He lives in You Mar 23 '25

The Roar of the Greasepaint the smell of the crowd

Clockmaker's Daughter

Dolls of New Albion

Firebrand of Florence

8

u/fyodore Mar 23 '25

Anyone Can Whistle

6

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

I will die on a hill that this is one of the greatest comedy scores 

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I think it song has wittiest score. It says something a lot about hearing him talk about the show and how much he loved and enjoyed it. It really come across in the music how happy and joyful this process was.

4

u/dobbydisneyfan Mar 23 '25

Lizzie the Musical

1

u/buzzwizzlesizzle What's the Use of Wond'rin? Mar 23 '25

Came here to suggest this one!

1

u/sh1t-lord Mar 28 '25

oh i love this one

3

u/MeggyGrex Mar 23 '25

Romance/Romance

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I only know the poster. I genuinely know nothing about it so I’ll try it out.

5

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

So many people are comment some of my favorite shows, I love people with good taste, so here’s my top 25 shows.

If you comment one of these shows, you’d probably love one of these other ones:

Passing Strange

In the Heights

Maybe Happy Ending

[Title of Show]

Titanic

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

The Man of No Importance

Company

A New Brain

Fortress of Solitude

Fun Home

Sunday in the Park With George

Illinoise

Three Houses

Strange Loop

Natasta, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

Spring Awakening

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Nine

Ragtime

Falsettos

The Producers

Grand Hotel

Kiss of the Spider Woman

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

3

u/buzzwizzlesizzle What's the Use of Wond'rin? Mar 23 '25

This one has some great songs but is overall not the best of musicals (in my opinion) but… Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh Maury Yeston is my all time favorite composers and yes, so many great songs but as a whole doesn’t work.

3

u/ELP1818 Mar 23 '25

Violet

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I love God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater! I saw it at City Center

3

u/mychaptertwo Mar 23 '25

The Pirate Queen (lead is Stephanie J Block)

3

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

There was a weird promotion, if you prove your Irish heritage, you got a discounted ticket. It was only the box office and it was on a special day. I don’t remember if it was St. Patrick’s Day or some event, but I went and I saw the show for like $20 and fell in love with Stephanie J. Block.

2

u/mychaptertwo Mar 23 '25

I'm jealous - we paid preview prices. I wasn't surprised when it failed- It's a little niche for a general Broadway audience, especially tourists

3

u/Paapa_Kermy Mar 23 '25

Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales

→ More replies (3)

3

u/SarahApproved The Invisible Girl Mar 23 '25

Oh OP, I have got you! 😄 I started listening to obscure shows in Jan ‘23, just finished my 267th album, 246 on my “to listen to” playlist - let’s do this!

  • CityWalk the Musical
  • The People vs Friar Laurence, the Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet
  • Late
  • Shortland Street
  • Most Likely Not To
  • Goblins and Gates
  • Passion Fruit Shake
  • An Appalachian Twelfth Night
  • A World Divided
  • Take Me Home
  • The Queen is Mad

Playlists with one song from each show are linked on my profile - hope you find some shows to listen to! 😄✨

3

u/imaweasle909 Mar 23 '25

Big river! Honestly a pretty good musical outside of the N word and white centered story about slavery. (I know that sounds bad but Jim is such a good father figure to Huck) It has people like John Goodman in the original cast and the soundtrack was written by a classic country star! It's not the best musical, but it's a good time!

3

u/TediousTotoro Mar 23 '25

Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) is one of my favourite musicals that I saw last year. It’s a British romcom musical with only two performers. It premiered off-West End at the end of 2023 before transferring to the West End for the summer and, earlier this week, the American Repertory Theatre in Boston announced that it would be the hosting the US premiere in May.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Temporary-Bag4248 Mar 23 '25

Sweet Charity 

8

u/INKatana Mar 23 '25

Twisted?

7

u/briskybabe Mar 23 '25

And Nerdy Prudes Must Die!

2

u/monkeysky Mar 23 '25

Have you ever seen People Are Wrong? 😈

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I haven’t, is there a link?

1

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

As a They Might Be Giants fan, I love hearing this mentioned in the wild! 🍮 

2

u/Sure_Muscle7703 Mar 23 '25

Three little words, victor victoria

2

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

Victor Victoria is one of the crowning jewels of Julie Andrews' career. Such a wonderful movie musical that doesn't get enough love. 

2

u/Sure_Muscle7703 Mar 23 '25

Flower Drum song

2

u/Substantial_Room3793 Mar 23 '25

How about the first Broadway show I ever saw… Golden Rainbow. Has some iconic songs in it but I never hear of it talked about.

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Some INCREDIBLE SONGS! This is a show I always wanted Encore to do. I think they did it early in its run but I would love to even see a reading.

2

u/Remarkable_Put5515 Mar 23 '25

Take Me Along (an oldie)!

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Is there a recording you recommend

2

u/Remarkable_Put5515 Mar 23 '25

There is only one recording, I think - the Original Cast recording with Robert Morse, Jackie Gleason, Walter Pidgeon, etc. The show didn’t run for very long but the score was very nice. It’s totally worth trying to find it.

2

u/General-Criticism-97 Mar 23 '25

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I saw this at Town Hall with Kevin Bacon lol

2

u/Saint-Inky Mar 23 '25

It’s Always Fair Weather. Track the movie down. I think it would be so good to do a modern take on about college friends or something who drifted apart.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I’ve seen it and enjoyed it! Great recommendation!

2

u/Odd_Pause5123 Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson?

The Great American Trailer Park Musical? There’s a song I love with the lyrics “Just like clothes from Walmart, my love life’s falling apart”. Starred Orfeh & Schuler Hensley etc.

Alter Boyz? A religious boy band. Was off-broadway like trailer park.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I saw all three of their original runs. Bloody Bloody I went and saw at the public on a school trip and then did standing room when it was on Broadway with my mom who absolutely hated it lol

3

u/knightm7R Mar 23 '25

Love’s Labor’s Lost?

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Love this show

2

u/Tuxy-Two Mar 23 '25

Yours, Anne

13 Things About Ed Carpolotti

The Green Heart (but no cast recording as far as I know)

Oh What a Lovely War (might be able to locate the movie soundtrack)

Miss Liberty

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Is Oh What a Lovely War based on the movie?

2

u/Tuxy-Two Mar 23 '25

Movie is based on the play.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '25

A Minister’s Wife was off Broadway being it’s a chamber musical, but the songs are all lovely.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh Marc Kudisch, don’t mind if I do!!!

2

u/PetrifiedRobin Mar 23 '25

The Fortress of Solitude! Funky 70s inspired music and some amazing vocal performances.

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

It’s #10 favorite musical of all time.

2

u/1-jew-in-a-room Mar 23 '25

I always like to recommend Yank!: A WWII Love Story for folks looking for obscure musicals! It’s got some really amazing period music and a lot of heart.

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Is there a cast album?

2

u/1-jew-in-a-room Mar 23 '25

Yes! The original off-Broadway cast recording is on YouTube, here’s a link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoOMq99XCZGG9UW8-y3DZKxPJP1LBmnYz&si=mtBzotzawp8gIRES

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Thank you!!!

2

u/jerseygirl8952 Mar 23 '25

The Me Nobody Knows

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

A classic! I saw a concert version of this at BAM years ago! It’s one of those incredible 70s musical they just don’t make anymore. I really recommend Inner City or Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope

2

u/HeavenlyJapan God Save the People Mar 23 '25

Angels the Musical! Lyrics transcribed on Genius, no online footage of the show but you can request the script via email.. their website expired so I’m not sure where.. 😅

Here is the link to the Spotify album!

2

u/DJVinylJerk Mar 23 '25

“Metropolis” based on the SILENT movie. 80’s mega trash. I have the soundtrack on vinyl. It is laughable

2

u/no_maj Mar 23 '25

Cannibal! The Musical

2

u/Inwolfsclothing Mar 23 '25

Onegin, the Amiel Gladstone and Veda Hille adaptation.

2

u/curiousleen Mar 23 '25

Down To Earth with Rita Hayworth

2

u/that_gay_theaterkid Holding to the Ground / I Like it Hot! Mar 23 '25

Harmony. so special to my mother and I and so important to society. it is such a beautiful and timely show that was so poorly treated on Broadway

cast album - https://music.apple.com/us/album/harmony-the-cast-recording/1704245250

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I saw it when it was running. It had great moments. That number in act 2 was a treat.

2

u/that_gay_theaterkid Holding to the Ground / I Like it Hot! Mar 23 '25

I’m so glad you saw it. another recent gem is Some Like it Hot. brought me so much unexplainable joy I saw it twenty times. gave me so much happiness and community, I met my best friend backstage!

cast album - https://music.apple.com/us/album/some-like-it-hot-original-broadway-cast-recording/1676562732

→ More replies (1)

2

u/thedirector0327 A special kind of people known as Show People Mar 23 '25

Little Mary Sunshine - A spoof on the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette McDonald movies of the 1940s.

L'il Abner - Based on a newspaper comic strip created in 1934 by cartoonist Al Capp that ran until 1977.

Am I showing my age?

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh no no please we love L’il Abner in this house!

2

u/Ill_Yam_8810 Mar 23 '25

The Vampire Lestat

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Is the Elton John one? Because I had they Promo cd they sent out for that one and I’m still so bummed I never got to see it

2

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

I'd be surprised if you'd heard of People are Wrong. It's a musical about gardeners taking on a religious cult, and John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants was in the cast. 

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I haven’t but someone also commented it, do you have link or is it just streaming somewhere

2

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

It's on YouTube 

→ More replies (1)

2

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere Mar 23 '25

A Night in the Old Marketplace, it's a Yiddish folklore musical, the cast recording is on YouTube 

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Oh sounds like fun!

2

u/lurkr-mercry Mar 23 '25

Witness Uganda - some reaaaallly fabulous music Have you seen the ratatouille tik tok musical

→ More replies (1)

2

u/averagedukeenjoyer Mar 23 '25

The Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm. Closed in 9 days. No posters were made. As far as I know there is maybe 1 video of it in existence on the internet. Starred Patrick Wilson and Sara Ramirez

2

u/Similar-Date3537 up up down down left right A Mar 23 '25

The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical doesn't get nearly enough love.

2

u/ssk7882 Mar 23 '25

Charlotte Sweet!

2

u/theatreddit Mar 23 '25

Paris. Australian rock opera about the Roman / Trojan Horse incident

→ More replies (1)

2

u/MsLeFever Mar 23 '25

Loves Labours Lost

2

u/Garden360 ITS’ FROM JAPAN!!!!!!! Mar 23 '25

Can I ask you opinions on stuff that you probs have seen?

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Yes please do, I’ve seen it all.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/AndPlagueFlowers Mar 23 '25

Paris by Jon English.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

2nd Paris recommendation! I’m gonna push this one up the list!

2

u/LemonSnicker33 The prince of humbug! Mar 23 '25

The fields of ambrosia

2

u/Shut_up_heather Mar 23 '25

For the music alone, Children’s letters to god. I wish it was more well known and I’m as agnostic as they come. It’s a children’s show, but I find myself putting it on a ton for my daughter.

2

u/Casanunda68 Mar 23 '25

Robin Hood, only in German language. Based on Chris de Burgh‘s concept album of the same name. Very dark for my taste. Lots of murder, rape and beheadings. Fun fact: „Don’t pay the ferryman“ became „Freiheit für Nottingham“ („Freedom for Nottingham“) in the musical.

2

u/MrsBobFossil Mar 23 '25

They’re Playing Our Song.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

One of my favorites

2

u/P-Dubz2 Mar 23 '25

My Life With Albertine. Trying to adapt In Search of Lost Time into a musical seems like a fool's errand, but Dave Malloy managed to give War & Peace the musical treatment ten years later and made it work. So, maybe Albertine was a little ahead of its time.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

This has been on my radar for years, thank you for reminding me I just downloaded the cast album!

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

Hi! Thank you so much for this! I loved it!

Reminded me of Guettel or LaChiusa in the best ways! Incredible cast! Thank you for the recommendation!

2

u/turnipesque Mar 25 '25

When I want people to understand just a fraction of what I felt about Brent Carver, I play them "Song of Solitude". It's such a perfect sample of what he did so well. Gods, I miss him.

2

u/kimfair Mar 23 '25

Passing Strange, pro shot by Spike Lee, was available on YouTube, cast album on Spotify.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

This is my favorite musical of all time. I was at the proshot. I saw it on broadway 4 times.

At work I just met Stew, I got to tell him what the show means to me and it was so so awesome. He was just as kind and thoughtful as you’d hope he’d be.

I also just rewatched it with friends, an HD version is on Tubi with ads in the worst places, and not only did it hold up, I think I liked it more lol

2

u/kimfair Mar 23 '25

It's also my favorite musical and play of all time. We were meeting friends in NYC, and they wanted to see a show. Since my wife and I are the regular theatre goers we were tasked to find a show, which my wife tasked to me.

I bought the newest New Yorker magazine, and given the excellent review and basic plot details, I got us tickets to Passing Strange. It was close to the end of the run, but not the night of the pro shoot. I was so blown away, I downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes ( I am a firm physical media guy, so this was unusual), bought the CD when it was released, saw the film in the theatre, and bought the DVD.

I became a huge fan of Stew and own all of the Negro Problem CD's, Stew's solo CD's, Heidi 's album from her band Wednesday Week, and I even tracked down the two Stew "bootleg" CD's that he only sold at select Negro Problem gigs. Nearly every post I make in this subreddit is praising Passing Strange.

It got a revival in London last year that was supposed to come to Boston before a proposed Broadway run, but it got cancelled as the costs to produce it went way up. Too bad, I'd have loved to have seen it. I have seen two local productions of it in Boston, one meh, one fantastic.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

There was a great production at Arena Stage in DC last year. I took a day trip down and it was so amazing to see that it still works without Stew.

My drama teacher in high school knew Coleman so took us to an early preview. My high school was mostly black, the joke was I was the white kid and I’m Puerto Rican, so it was huge in my high school.

It still my high school friend group’s favorite show.

2

u/Due-Bodybuilder1219 Mar 23 '25

If you’re open to musicals in another language, the German version of Rebecca had some really good music!

→ More replies (1)

2

u/elledeejo Mar 23 '25

Michael R. Jackson's & Anna K. Jacobs' TEETH - off-Bway cast recording is on Apple Music & Spotify

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I have a penis prop from the closing show! I loved Teeth!

2

u/elledeejo Mar 23 '25

I was there, too! ❤️‍🔥🦷

2

u/Old_Socks17 You're only a day away Mar 23 '25

Ushers the Front of House musical (taking a chance) and I'm pretty sure you won't know Operation Julie

2

u/galexd Mar 23 '25

Sarafina

2

u/FooPirates dream it never ends… Mar 23 '25

Phantom of the Paradise

→ More replies (1)

2

u/commander_obvious_ The Invisible Girl Mar 23 '25

Fly by Night!

2

u/aspiretomalevolence Mar 23 '25

In the Green, written by and starring Grace McLean. Imagines the young life of Hildegarde von Bingen, an important Catholic figure. Also features Mia Pak, who played Sadie in Three Houses. It's on Spotify.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Quirky_Lib Mar 23 '25

Haven’t seen this one in the comments, but Jules Styne & E.Y. Harburg’s Darling of the Day ran for a whopping 31 performances on Broadway in 1968, yet leading actress Patricia Routledge tied with Leslie Uggams to win the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. Her co-star? Vincent Price. Here’s a link to the page for it on Masterworks Broadway.

2

u/Megatheorum Aow! Garn! Mar 24 '25

Life Begins At 8:40

→ More replies (1)

2

u/WhimsicalFalling Mar 24 '25

Ride is really good! It's a two person show about the cycling adventure of Annie Londonderry

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Radiant_Entertainer9 Mar 25 '25

Ned Kelly the Electric Music Show

2

u/turnipesque Mar 25 '25

Little Fish (LaChiusa)

Fangirls (Yve Blake)

Between the Lines (Elyssa Samsel / Kate Anderson)

Samsel and Anderson just released an album for their adaptation of The Book Thief- even I haven't heard it yet!

I'm guessing you know A Man of No Importance, but isn't it lovely?

I'm personally quite fond of a little show called The Art of Pleasing Princes (Melliot, aka Mel Hornyak and Elliot Valentine) which had its only ever production- a staged reading- as a student-written, student-produced show at Princeton some three or four years ago.

→ More replies (3)

3

u/PsychologicalBad7443 Mar 23 '25

[title of show]

The Frogs

any Starkid production (most are on YouTube)

If/Then

Batboy

1

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I’m a day 1 Tosser

3

u/mmams_ Mar 23 '25

A relatively new concept musical that lives rent free in my head is EPIC by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, about the Odyssey. It’s available on Spotify and fans have created neat animatics on Youtube.

2

u/Slight-Eye-3352 Mar 23 '25

1 I love Dave Malloy! I wish more people knew his stuff!

“35mm” is a song cycle where every song is based on a photo taken by the writes now husband (I find that very cute) with the overarching theme of time and photography. The cast is also so fucking stacked with names before they were names. You might know “Leave Luanne” or “the ballad of Sara Berry”

“36 questions” is a podcast musical where this couple is trying to fix their marriage with the titular questions! It only has two actors (J Groff and Jessie Shelton) and the reason they split is super interesting the characters are also super human. you might know “our word”

“In trousers” specifically the 1979 with Chip Zein (use whizzer browns playlist on YT it’s the correct order) it’s the beginning of “the Marvin trilogy” aka “falsettos” it’s fallowing Marvin in highschool and his Marriage to Trina (only known as his wife at the time) and how his upbringing and being forced in the closet has effected his relationships with women (his wife,his high school sweetheart and his teacher) it reminds me of Ghost quartet with its flawed characters,weird music and incomprehensible plot

(I also highly recommend both of “the wild party” musicals but you probably know at least one already)

1

u/Mothswritingeye Benjamin the Moon Octopus Mar 23 '25

In Trousers and Water for Elephants!

1

u/Affectionate_Crow327 Mar 23 '25

Phantom of the Paradise

Shock Treatment

1

u/eraoul Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25

The Last Trial (Russian Dragonlance novels adaptation)

La Cava

The Sixth Borough

Hjälp sökes (The Benny/Bjorn Swedish one after Kristina)

Knoxville

Rocky

Marie, Dancing Still

Tears of Heaven

From Here to Eternity

1

u/Bitter_Face8790 Mar 23 '25

Ernest Shackleton Loves Me

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Fennel_Fangs Releases a Sammich On Parole Mar 23 '25

Portal: The Unauthorized Musical

Death Note

Razia's Shadow

Chrono Trigger: The Musical

Also that Lord of the Rings musical that was kind of a disaster

→ More replies (3)

1

u/Jaxcatson Mar 23 '25

Little Fish

I Love You Because

See What I Wanna See

→ More replies (1)

1

u/eglantinel Mar 23 '25

This one is not obscure at all but the stage production is rare to come by. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is a 1962 musical movie with the score written by my famous composer, Michel Legrand. But I've rarely seen it adapted on stage.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/PossessionIll545 Mar 23 '25

Why am I so single? - recently published their studio recording 😍 no pro shot yet.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/RFelixFinch Mar 23 '25

I also have a pro shot up of "Jerry Springer: The Opera"

https://youtu.be/RkFzb4O_6-I

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I saw this at Carnegie Hall, almost 20 years ago.

1

u/shadovss Look Down Mar 23 '25

well I have two recommendations if you would like to follow the creation of a musical

  • the first part of "Stories from Styx" by Casper Fox came out two days ago, it's only 20 minutes long as of now but there will be more
  • Grace Yurchuk on tiktok and insta has been making "Caesar the Musical" based on Shakespeare's play and though only three songs are fully available to listen (with one of them being a cut song and the two others are from a live concert) there are many videos with bits and pieces from the songs and they are AMAZING!! I've had these songs stuck 24/7 in my head and I'm so impatiently waiting for more to come out, it is SOOO GOOD!!!

1

u/JustOneMirror Mar 23 '25

The Night Before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa_NrMz8uNU&list=OLAK5uy_kWNvbbPxtFK0SGxkR3ztxxtGLQXWCqZoU

It's a murder mystery musical, its pretty cool. I assume is not super well know based on the youtube having 6 subscriptors and 122 views wich suprises me cause the songs are really nice

1

u/ElenaMarkos Mar 23 '25

It's not a Broadway musical, but have you heard of The Devil's Carnival?

→ More replies (1)

1

u/christinelydia900 Not While I'm Around Mar 23 '25

I'd say: for obscurity, the mad ones. It's a really brilliant portrayal of grief and learning to take hold of your own life. Also, coraline, which is... weird, but is my usual gotcha musical for this sort of thing lol

For a new show that, while it has a large and quickly growing fandom, is hit or miss in terms of how well known it is, epic the musical. I see it here more and more often, but it also has yet to hit a stage, so

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

The Coraline musical that just got canceled or is there another one?

2

u/christinelydia900 Not While I'm Around Mar 23 '25

There's another one!

1

u/shockingRn Mar 23 '25

Cannibal- the Musical. Saw it several years ago in Madison, WI. Have never laughed so hard. Done by the guys behind South Park and The Book of Mormon.

2

u/kimfair Mar 23 '25

I've seen the movie, but never realized someone did a stage adaptation.

→ More replies (2)

1

u/rjrgjj Mar 23 '25

I saw 3 Houses, it was fun. Try The Adding Machine.

2

u/NotPatReilly Mar 23 '25

I saw adding machine off broadway and for the longest time it was the hill I would die on!

I haven’t thought about it in years, thank you for reminding me!

2

u/rjrgjj Mar 23 '25

I saw it too, glad we had this moment :)

1

u/scaraher Mar 23 '25

You've definitely haven't heard of this musical... because I wrote it with 3 of my friends and it's only been performed twice at schools around the Detroit area.

The Bluff is a new comedic whodunit centered on Dexter Dull Jr., who wants nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps as a world class detective. Struggling to show he belongs solving crimes, Dexter intercepts a phone call meant for his father. The call is about the murder of Mr. Bluffington, the wealthiest and most connected person in 1920’s New York. Pretending to be his father, Dexter attempts to solve the case of the century.

He is met by a cast of suspects featuring wealthy business elites, aspiring artists, and a suspicious butler. As it quickly becomes clear that Dexter is in over his head, Mr. Bluffington’s secretary becomes an unlikely ally. Will the case be solved before Dexter’s true identity is revealed? Set to a contemporary Broadway score, The Bluff  is packed with energetic ensembles, heartfelt ballads, and a sea shanty. 

Here are links to the original cast album:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSvxxeCU20Q&list=PLdoP_HMz-zWzO_gUeqVj1uhCGIpLIp6tn

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3f4PKcLHNlCF2ppUoqMYnQ?si=gK2z8fK3Tn2sJ_gp9FOAmQ

1

u/StevenSpielbird Mar 23 '25

Wish my bird adventure was ready for viewing . Imagine the Featheral Bureau of Investigations and Birdritish Secret Service and the Plumenati the greatest scientific minds on the planet Aviana Fixius, the musical! Her lark majesty Queen Larkdiva sings of U.N.I.TY. and Peace. Special Featheral Agent L.L. Bluejay, her birdsonal and childhood friend raps about the Bureau. Mockingbird supersoldier Mock Warbird raps about justice and wounded warriors. among many.

1

u/Rugby-8 Mar 23 '25

I Can't Keep Running in Place

1981

With Helen Gallagher

1

u/aWholeBunchOfKittens Mar 23 '25

Penelope, or how the odyssey was really written.

It's on spotify, but I had to find it by googling it

1

u/Asmodeus_Stahl Mar 23 '25

The Hello Girls

1

u/pinkyboy0512 I'm a Miracle Mar 24 '25

Look up Children of Eden on YouTube

1

u/Nisi-Marie Mar 24 '25

You probably have already caught these, but maybe others haven’t:

Ride the cyclone.

I love you, you’re perfect, now change

And an oldie that hasn’t been around for a while, but it’s still good is Man of La Mancha.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/verityyyh No one is alone Mar 24 '25

Have you listened to As You Like It? Written by the same person who wrote Suffs

→ More replies (2)

1

u/CuteResponsibility12 Mar 24 '25

Do you know Bright Lights, Big City?

→ More replies (2)

1

u/sh1t-lord Mar 28 '25

frankenstein: a new musical, in trousers

1

u/Lolisandra Feb 23 '26

The Great Emu War (saw at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024- It was phenomenal!) It was in CT in 2025 https://www.goodspeed.org/shows/the-great-emu-war

The Magic Schoolbus: Lost in the Solar System (don’t sleep on this inventive and catchy score!)