Best Original Musicals of the Decade — Page 4

In the Heights
Next to Normal
Caroline or Change
[tos]

In that order!

---

Caroline, or Change
Urinetown
Next to Normal
[title of show]

I have to think that using the word "original" in the thread title indicates shows that are not based on anything else. If that's not what the OP meant, they should have said best NEW musicals of the decade.

---

>>You rarely ever post about a musical that is NOT Rock of Ages.

Which doesn't mean I haven't seen any others.

You rarely say anything nice- doesn't mean you're not.
:)

---

THE WILD PARTY by Michael John Lachiusa is UNDOUBTEDLY the greatest musical of the twentieth century so far, and along with FOLLIES, GYPSY and WEST SIDE STORY the greatest of American musicals in any century.

I believe that Michael John also holds the distinction of having written the last new musical to open on Broadway in the 20th century, MARIE CHRISTINE, and the first new musical, or one of the first, to open in the twenty-first century, TWP.

P

AVENUE Q!!! And please.. it IS AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL. It may have been "inspired" by Sesame Street. But if you say it's not original because it's "based" on Sesame Street well, then it sucks to be you. AVENUE Q is about as original as it comes.

Thats my bad.. I thought the list was supposted to be original as in new. My bad.

---

I feel like this was the decade of adaptations, so all of our answers are basically the same.

Next to Normal
In the Heights
Avenue Q

PS - broadwaybaby - half of yours are adaptations, not originals.

1. The Last 5 Years
2. Caroline, or Change
3. tick, tick...BOOM!
4. Contact
5. Next To Normal
6. Avenue Q
7. Urinetown
8. The Scottsboro Boys
9. A Class Act
10. Passing Strange
11. In the Heights
12. Yank!
13. (title of show)
14. The Drowsy Chaperone
15. Swing!
16. Curtains

---

merrily we roll along had it's west end premiere on december 11, 2000 at the donmar warehouse (where passion with elena roger just closed), and won the olivier award for best new musical in 2001. i know it's a technicality, but this was a weak decade and any opportunity for more sondheim is good.

also, sorry, i thought original just meant new. didn't realize adaptations don't count for anything anymore. (that was sarcasm, many of the great musicals were adaptations.)
my broadway blog

i wasnt implying that you don't know what the donmar is. i was just mentioning passion because that looked like a lovely production.

brava! you have beaten me at this game. but i didn't really have 10 top-notch musicals to put on my list, so i did some creative thinking.
my broadway blog

No particular order:

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Shockheaded Peter (the puppets, the music, everything was perfect)
Caligula: An Ancient Glam Rock Epic (where's that Broadway production that was announced?)
Coraline
Grey Gardens
Caroline, or Change
Amour (great score, great performances, unfortunate money-hemorrhaging tech problems)
Passing Strange
James Joyce's The Dead (fantastic score, if way too faithful to the short story to be accessible for a wide audience; as a Joyce fanatic, I approved)

And, even though it's technically not a stage show and only played five performances but totally should be just write out a script and release the rights already,
Evelyn Evelyn

Or, judging by the rules presented by some in this thread, Evelyn Evelyn is the best original musical of the decade. None of my others aren't in some way based in personal history, literature, or other plays. Sorry for the distress my list of unoriginal (though original in that they were written for the stage with new music, lyrics, books, and stagings) musicals might have caused.

Wait, no. Further technicality. There are officially no good original musicals written in the decade intended (00-09) as Evelyn, Evelyn had its stage premiere in '10.

Updated On: 12/30/10 at 08:56 PM

i think next to normal did some great things for the direction of musical theatre. it would have to be on top for me.