Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#1Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/19/22 at 10:34am
What would you consider essential female-driven or female-empowered musicals (from on or off-Broadway)? Anything from the early or golden age leading up to today. Whether the show is female-driven, or it’s an essential theme of the plot for a female-identifying character(s). I’m just gathering outside opinions other than my own, but also want to consider shows not at the forefront of my mind. I think it would be nice anyway to have this list so even directors or schools can take a look.
TheGingerBreadMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/7/12
#2Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/19/22 at 12:51pm
Dreamgirls
Fun Home
Six
The Prom
Heathers
Legally Blonde
Waitress
The Sound of Music
Next To Normal
Matilda
Wicked
Gypsy
Mamma Mia
The Color Purple
Caroline, Or Change
Mary Poppins
Evita
#3Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/19/22 at 1:10pm
Sunset Blvd
Applause
Woman of the Year
War Paint
Grey Gardens
Carrie
Soozie
Stand-by Joined: 7/26/05
#4Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/19/22 at 2:31pm
Upcoming at The Public Theater: Suffs
The story is about women and their empowerment.
The entire cast are women.
The majority of the creative team are women.
The lead producers are women.
VintageSnarker
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
#5Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/19/22 at 4:42pm
Fun Home
Waitress
Caroline, or Change
In the Light
Ragtime
Passion
Chicago
Marie Christine
Once Upon a Mattress
Nine
I will always love a show that considers a relatively ordinary woman's life and her wants important
#6Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/20/22 at 12:45am
No matter how good or bad they were, how can we ignore the following musicals of four incredible women;
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Summer- The Donna Summer Musical
The Cher Show
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
#7Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/20/22 at 9:56am
Jagged Little Pill
War Paint
The Woman in White
The Phantom of the Opera
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#8Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/20/22 at 1:17pm
Thanks for these, everyone. Especially the older shows. Any other titles would be much-appreciated.
QueenTwinnied
Broadway Star Joined: 6/16/17
#10Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/20/22 at 2:21pm
A trio of cheerleading musicals: Bring It On, Lysistrata Jones, and We Are The Tigers.
chrishuyen
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/12/14
#11Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/23/22 at 10:34pm
Don't know if it works for what you're doing, but the gender-flipped revival of Company I'd add to this list. I'd argue that Sweeney Todd is female-driven as well, though it may not seem that way at first glance. The King and I as well, though problematic in the racial dynamics. Also Thoroughly Modern Millie, Annie, Mean Girls, and Frozen.
SoCalDirector
Stand-by Joined: 1/12/12
#12Essential Female-Driven or Female-Empowered Musicals
Posted: 1/23/22 at 11:11pm
I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. It was an off Broadway musical that ran for 1165 performances starting in 1978. It was written by Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer who was the original lead. She is Jon Cryer's mother.
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