Legendary Musical of the Decade

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Updated On: 7/22/06 at 03:28 PM

Show Boat for the '20s, and Oklahoma! for the '40s are locks, I think.

While Jesus Christ superstar was an important piece in the rock opera genre, Chorus Line was vastly more influential for the '70s.

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Updated On: 7/22/06 at 03:29 PM

How can we say which musical was most revolutionary in the 2000's if a) it's not over yet and b) we haven't had time to see how the musical affected Broadway????

And what was revolutionary about RAGTIME? I mean, it is a brilliant show, but hardly anything extraordinary. THE LION KING was more "revolutionary."

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I think Ragtime because it's a return to the epic and theatrical musical. Perhaps Lion King should go in the slot.

I put Piazza in there because I wasn't sure what else should go in. What would work better? I'm open to suggestions

Lion King is probably a better choice for the '90s, as it is the reason you have Universal, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, MGM and other movie studios now trying their hand at Broadway. I think Ragtime, as one of the last gasps of Livent, is more of a one-off. I don't think you'll see anyone attempting a show on quite that same size and scale.

Rent, too, might be a fine choice for the '90s. Some dismiss it as the '90s answer to Hair, but it was rare for a Broadway musical to cause as much excitement as Rent did when it opened.

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for the 70s (xover to 80) I'd have to say Sweeney Todd

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I think RENT was a bit more revolutionary than RAGTIME. It shaped quite a huge generation of new Broadway fans.

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Agree with Hair, A Chorus Line, and The Lion King.

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I'm not sure that URINETOWN opened doors for shows from the fringe circuit to move to Broadway, so much as it was the first to realize that Off Broadway is currently a broken formula and that no matter how small the show, you really have to play a Broadway house to make money.

But even if that was the sole accomplishment, it is sizable as it illustrates how fiscally, theatre in New York City has drastically changed from 20 years ago.

The winner though, has to be MAMMA MIA! which launched the jukebox trend and is shortly going to take PHANTOM as the most globally successful musical of all time.

I would probably still vote for LION KING for the 90s. It really did start the entertainment corporation take over of Broadway, which has completely changed and revitalized the industry.

RENT was a cult pheom, but it didn't really "influence" the theatre that came after it. And it's subject matter and presentation wasn't really what I would call ground breaking, just timely.


I'd vote for:

1920s: SHOWBOAT
1930s: OF THEE I SING
1940s: OKLAHOMA!
1950s: WEST SIDE STORY
1960s: HAIR
1970s: A CHORUS LINE
1980s: CATS
1990s: THE LION KING
2000s: MAMMA MIA!

Updated On: 7/22/06 at 05:04 PM

Strange that Sondheim didn't make any of these lists. I think Company had an effect on every show after it...

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I'd put PRODUCERS in for the 2000's - it heralded the return of musical COMEDY.

Legendary musical of the 1900s might be Floradora, and its wildly celebrated Floradora Girls, who were all the rage. It also produced the huge popular hit of the day, "Tell Me Pretty Maiden".

I think the most important development in musicals during the 1910s were the Princess Theatre shows. They are the important link in the evolution of musical comedy. The most distinguished titles are probably Very Good Eddie, Leave it to Jane and Oh, Boy!, but I couldn't decide between those three.

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