So you’re going to be in New York. Everyone says you must see a Broadway show while you are there. You think yes, but what should I see?
Must-See Broadway Shows
Broadway as we know puts on spectacular performances that can move you to tears or bring you to hysterical laughter or both. Perhaps a look back on 2016 and the top-rated shows can help you with your big decision.
The Lion King
This performance will be sure to dazzle you with the wonderful costumes.
The show starts with the kind and wise Lion King of the Pridelands, Mufasa, and his queen Sarabi introducing their newborn son, Simba to the animals of the savanna. All seems well except Mufasa’s evil brother, Scar, secretly desires to be king. Along with his evil henchmen, the hyenas, Scar orchestrates a stampede that kills Mufasa.
Simba, believing he caused the death of his father, secretly leaves the Pridelands. With Simba presumed dead, Scar becomes king. Under his rule, the Pridelands become a wasteland. In a stroke of luck, Simba runs into his old friend Pumbaa in the jungle. She tells him of the horrors of Scar’s rule and begs Simba to return to the Pridelands.
When Simba returns, he ends up killing Scar and reclaims his thrown to the joy of all the animals.
Tickets for this performance start at $118.
The Phantom of the Opera
This musical will be sure to tug at your heartstrings and bring out your romantic side.
Based on the 1910 horror novel by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera is a thrilling and romantic account of the legendary Phantom, a musical genius who dwells deep beneath a majestic opera house in Paris. Shunned by society for his horrible facial deformity, he takes a promising young soprano, Christine, under his wing and grooms her for operatic fame, all the while falling deeply in love with her.
As Christine grows ever more successful, and a handsome young man from her past begins to successfully court her, the Phantom descends into a jealous rage and terrorizes the opera company with increasingly dangerous threats.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score soars with such famous tunes as “Think of Me,” “All I Ask of You,” “The Music of the Night,” and the title song, “The Phantom of the Opera,” and Phantom has gone on to become a cultural tour de force and one of the most successful musicals of all time.
Tickets for this performance start at $125.00
Chicago on Broadway
This musical will be one that you will never forget.
This Musical is Broadway’s longest-running American musical, Chicago is a dazzling and satirical look at fame, justice, and the media machine.
Set in 1920s Chicago and based on real-life murders and trials, Chicago follows Roxie Hart, a wannabe vaudevillian star who murders her lover and is arrested, despite her attempts to convince her pushover husband, Amos, to lie for her. In the Cook County Jail, Roxie meets her hero, the famed double-murderess and nightclub performer Velma Kelly.
When both acquire the same lawyer, the greedy and lustful superstar, Billy Flynn, tensions come to a head as they vie for the spotlight– though instead of onstage, they’re mugging for the flashbulb of the newspaper reporters.
With catchy, sexy music and timeless lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a funny, intelligent, and utterly engaging book by Kander and Bob Fosse, Chicago is a musical spectacular that is as addictive as gossip rags and as unforgettable as any trial of the century.
Tickets for this performance start at $130.
Jersey Boys on Broadway
This musical is guaranteed to keep your toes tapping.
Jersey Boys is the inspiring story of four blue-collar boys from Jersey who become the one of the biggest doo-wop/rock ‘n roll sensations of the 1960s: The Four Seasons. The show is narrated in turn by each of the band members and shows the price and joys of fame.
Tickets for this performance start at $75.00
Wicked on Broadway
This musical is sure to make you cry and understand why the Wicked Witch came to be in Oz.
The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz takes place before L.Frank Baum’s classic Wizard of Oz story ever began. Before Dorothy was even alive, two young girls met in the Land of Oz, became rivals, and then friends. One was born with emerald green skin, with a brilliant mind and a fiery spirit. The other was classically beautiful, with great ambition and incredible drive.
The green-skinned Elphaba was ostracized by her family and by everyone at school. The beautiful Galinda was destined to be forever popular.
Over the course of Wicked, we discover how these two young women became rivals and then the closest of friends – and how they ended up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Originally starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, Wicked is an amazing vehicle for two powerhouse actresses, and also features a large, strong ensemble.
Tickets for this performance start at $127.00.
There you have it, the top-rated musicals on Broadway. As you can see no matter what you choose you will have an experience that you will never forget. Take the time to be transported and enchanted to another place and time. Good luck in choosing. See you on Broadway!!
