Top 25 Favorite Musicals

A bunch of my friends on Facebook were doing this, so I figured it's only right that I bring it over onto here. I made my list of 25, mostly in order (tricky!), and then had to make a list of a few that I couldn't bring myself to include. Also keep in mind this is *favorites*, not necessarily what you think to be the best of all time, so some guilty pleasures can sneak in. I really enjoyed making this list, and thinking about what shows I really love. Can't wait to hear all of your lists!

Here's my list:
1. Gypsy
2. A Little Night Music
3. next to normal
4. Caroline, Or Change
5. Company
6. Ragtime
7. Chicago
8. Sweeney Todd
9. Follies
10. RENT
11. South Pacific
12. Cabaret
13. Bat Boy
14. The Scottsboro Boys
15. Dreamgirls
16. Candide
17. Beauty and the Beast
18. Passing Strange
19. The Producers
20. Grey Gardens
21. The Book of Mormon
22. The Drowsy Chaperone
23. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
24. Drood (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)
25. Billy Elliot

The NOT List (aka, not in my top 25, but worth mentioning. I have included my reasons for not including them on the main list.)
1. Sunday in the Park with George- gorgeous first act, derails majorly in the second (minus Move On).
2. A Chorus Line- a good (it is at least good) show that comes across very dated nowadays.
3. Anyone Can Whistle- Phenomenal score (one of my very favorites), but a truly horrific book.
4. Guys and Dolls- A great American musical, for sure, but a little too simplistic and worn out for me.
5. Little Shop of Horrors- A very very fun musical that I can't seem to allow myself to consider in the big list.
6. Evita- Worth considering, for sure, because it's so interesting, but it's ultimately too fractured for me.
7 (8, 9 and 10). Carousel/Sound of Music/Oklahoma/The King and I- Brilliant in each of their own way though they are, none of them really grab me like they seem to everyone else.

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Updated On: 6/10/11 at 12:10 AM

I've never been as in love with that show as many others. As you can see from my main list, I thought that year should've belonged to Chicago instead. It certainly has its moments, though.

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This was fun to make. I'm sure in five minutes I'll completely change the list, but this was the list as it came to me in my head.
1. Sweeney Todd
2. Cabaret
3. Fiddler on the Roof
4. West Side Story
5. Gypsy
6. A Little Night Music
7. Caroline, Or Change
8. Anything Goes
9. Next to Normal
10. Les Mis
11. The King and I
12. A Chorus Line
13. Evita
14. Rent
15. Little Shop of Horrors
16. Chicago
17. Guys and Dolls
18. How to Succeed
19. Dreamgirls
20. Hello, Dolly!
21. Avenue Q
22. The Sound of Music
23. Ragtime
24. Grease
25. The Book of Mormon (I confess - I've never seen this one, though I've heard the recording and wanted to put a new musical somewhere on the list)

Didn't include:
1.) My Fair Lady - I've only seen one horrid production of the show, probably impacted its placement here.
2.) The Music Man - I find the musical to have aged poorly. And, as you can tell from my list, I have nothing against older musicals.
3.) La Cage Aux Folles - A beautiful musical, that I think relies a bit too much on the spectacle. It detracts a bit from the show and a few songs (like the title song) make me want to put this far away from this list.

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1. Anything Goes
2. Avenue Q
3. Book of Mormon
4. Company
5. Drowsy Chaperone
6. Guys and Dolls
7. Gypsy
8. Hairspray
9. In the Heights
10. Into the Woods
11. My Fair Lady
12. Nine
13. Ragtime
14. Rent
15. Sound of Music
16. South Pacific
17. Spamalot (I used to deny that I liked this show)
18. Spring Awakening
19. Sunday in the Park with George
20. Sweeney Todd
21. Thoroughly Modern Millie
22. Urinetown
23. West Side Story
24. Wicked
25. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Haven’t seen the show, but I’m in love with the score)

Others:
Anyone Can Whistle and Follies: I listen to those shows all the time
Miss Saigon and Les Mis: Got me into musical theater, but I got tired of them. I think it was more that Lea Salonga was in those shows that got me to listen to them in the first place.

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My favorite are:

1. Into the Woods
2. Ragtime
3. Candide
4. Les Miserables
5. Wicked
6. Cabaret
7. Steel Pier ( finally saw a local production )
8. Hairspray
9. Gypsy
10. My Fair Lady
11. Avenue Q
12. The Producers
13. Sunday In The Park With George
14. Sweeney Todd
15. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
16. Promises, Promises
17. On The Twentieth Century
18. The Music Man
19. Thoroughly Modern Millie
20. Spring Awakening
21. Follies
22. South Pacific
23. Carousel
24. Young Frankenstein
25. A Chorus Line

Updated On: 6/11/11 at 02:56 PM

I'd say that the first ten are in order, but eleven and beyond are in no sort of order, and are subject to change within the next hour or so.

1. Company
2. Sunday in the Park with George
3. Sweeney Todd
4. La Cage aux Folles
5. A Little Night Music
6. The Producers
7. Into the Woods
8. [title of show]
9. Next to Normal
10. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
11. Next to Normal
12. The Rocky Horror Show
13. Annie
14. The Music Man
15. My Fair Lady
16. Gypsy
17. How to Succeed...
18. Les Miserables
19. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
20. Urinetown
21. West Side Story
22. Pippin
23. Godspell
24. Fiddler on the Roof
25. Chicago

Follies
Next to Normal
A Chorus Line
Ragtime
Drood
The Drowsy Chaperone
Parade
Cabaret
Anyone Can Whistle
Chicago
The Light in the Piazza
Evita
Company
Assassins
[title of show]
A Little Night Music
Nine
Passion
Les Miserables
Sweeney Todd
Sunday in the Park with George
West Side Story
Avenue Q
Rent
Xanadu

That was hard! Keep in mind, i know that some of these are seriously flawed and may look weird next to others that are near perfect, but these are just my favorites.

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER (except for the first five)

Sweeney Todd
Bat Boy
Reefer Madness
Les Miserables
Into the Woods
Annie Get Your Gun
Wicked
Avenue Q
Showboat
South Pacific
Floyd Collins
Chicago
Seussical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Kiss Me Kate
Hairspray
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The Phantom of the Opera
The Lion King
Gypsy
Hair
The Apple Tree
Legally Blonde: The Musical!
Singin’ In the Rain
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

and i'm loving you guys who say that you love Women on the Verge whenyouhaven't seen it-not trying to be rude but-I think for the sake of your love for the score, I'm glad you didn't...

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1 - The Book of Mormon
2 - The Drowsy Chaperone
3 - Blood Brothers
4 - Legally Blonde
5 - next to normal
6 - Billy Elliot
7 - Rent
8 - Avenue Q
9 - In the Heights
10 - Memphis
11 - Love Story
12 - La Cage aux Folles
13 - Spring Awakening
14 - Les Miserables
15 - Sister Act
16 - American Idiot
17 - Rock of Ages
18 - Little Shop of Horrors
19 - Xanadu
20 - The Phantom of the Opera
21 - Lend me a Tenor
22 - 9 to 5
23 - Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi
24 - Anything Goes
25 - Betty Blue Eyes

Not really in an order. Love all of these.

Not in any particular order.

01. Sunday in the Park with George
02. Company
03. Sweeney Todd
04. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
05. Jesus Christ Superstar
06. Ragtime
07. Next to Normal
08. Legally Blonde
09. West Side Story
10. Nine
11. Bare: A Pop Opera
12. The Lion King
13. South Pacific
14. A Chorus Line
15. Hair
16. Evita
17. Fiddler on the Roof
18. Les Miserables
19. Little Shop of Horrors
20. Urinetown
21. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
22. Assassins
23. Cats
24. The Fantasticks
25. Cabaret

1. Passion
2. Sunday in the Park with George
3. Candide
4. Follies
5. Aida
6. Drood
7. Next to Normal
8. Assassins
9. Gypsy
10. Mame
11. La Cage Aux Folles
12. Into the Woods
13. Evita
14. South Pacific
15. Anyone Can Whistle
16. Cabaret
17. [title of show]
18. Ragtime
19. A Little Night Music
20. Fiddler on the Roof
21. Anyone Can Whistle
22. Nine
23. Women on the Verge
24. Finian's Rainbow
25. In the Heights

1. Hello, Dolly!
2. Gypsy
3. Peter Pan
4. Sweeney Todd
5. Follies
6. A Little Night Music
7. Mame
8. She Loves Me
9. La Cage Aux Folles
7. Company
8. High Button Shoes
9. Camelot
10. Dear World
11. Mack and Mabel
12. Annie Get Your Gun (original version, thank you very much!)
13. Fanny
14. Kiss Me Kate
15. South Pacific
16. Carmelina
17. My Fair Lady
18. West Side Story
19. The King and I
20. Shenandoah
21. Man of La Mancha
22. Can Can
23. Kismet
24. The Desert Song (more of an operetta than a musical)
25. Cabaret

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1. MISS SAIGON
2. RENT
3. IN THE HEIGHTS
4. A CHORUS LINE
5. HAIR
6. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
7. LES MISERABLES
8. GYPSY
9. EVITA
10. COMPANY
11. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
12. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS...
13. CHICAGO
14. SPRING AWAKENING
15. ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
16. CABARET
17. INTO THE WOODS
18. SOUTH PACIFIC
19. AIDA
20. NEXT TO NORMAL
21. THE SOUND OF MUSIC
22. RAGTIME
23. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
24. ROCKY HORROR SHOW
25. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS


I feel like I'm leaving several out..... shoot me....