the 10 Most Innovative Shows of the 21st Century

[esparza 333]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 3:13pm

???????????

[dramaboy27]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:04pm

Caroline or Change
Urintown
Angels in America
August Osage County
Sweeney Todd Revival
Sunday in the Park...Revival
Macbeth Revival
In The Heights
Spring Awakening
Avenue Q

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:06pm

Wasn't Angels in America in the 20th century?

Anyhoo, Spring Awakening and Passing Strange.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:08pm

What exactly was innovative about PASSING STRANGE?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:17pm

They wrote a musical that was unabashedly intelligent and funny and didn't care what people thought, among other reasons.

[mr.scribble]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:34pm

isn't that what almost every musical is set out to do?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:39pm

LEGALLY BLONDE, THE LITTLE MERMAID, and crap of that ilk don't.


I'd add anything by the Wooster Group.

Ivo Van Hove's revivals.

Charles Mee's productions.

Its a big list but Broadway really isn't the place to look for "innovative".

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:45pm

Caroline or Change (For the score. But loved everything about the show!)

Stuff Happens (I like that the script was based on what might have been said behind closed doors)

Adding Machine (Have only heard it, so for it's score)

Fuerzabruta (For the whole production)

Updated On: 7/25/08 at 04:45 PM

[SteamHeat2]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:46pm

bare?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:49pm

METAMORPHOSES

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 4:49pm

BARE crossed my mind, but I don't know that I found it to be "innovative". I loved it though.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:04pm

We're only 8 years in. lol

Honestly, the only ones that are REALLY innovative would be Avenue Q, Urinetown, and Spring Awakening.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:16pm

I meant to include Urinetown. I had to see it twice. Excellent show.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:18pm

I second Metamorphoses.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:18pm

This is a very broad topic...innovative in terms of what? Topic? Production? Writing? Technical aspects? Performances?

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:21pm

Urinetown
The Light In The Piazza

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:24pm

I guess you could say Sweeney Todd revival. I know some people didn't like it, but you have to admit that what John Doyle did WAS innovative.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 5:27pm

WICkED, I agree, that's why I specified things for each show I listed in my 1st post.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 7:04pm

"...and there were 94 years to go!"

[Chance]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 7:22pm

hahah neverandy.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 7:32pm

NEVERANDY, I WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME THING!!!!!!

[philly03]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 8:32pm

I happen to believe that Woman in White is #1.

First show to rely solely on projections, and paved the way for shows that actually got great reviews for them such as Sunday... .

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 9:20pm

Obviously it depends on how one classes innovation...as people have said, there are a list of different categories.

In The Heights is the first of its kind to reach the critical + commercial success that it has.

Wicked in terms of spectacle, is pretty innovative. You could argue that the fact the story revolves around two women is pretty uncommon, if not...the only.

Spring Awakening, Avenue Q and Bare are contenders too i'd say.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 9:52pm

What was so innovative about Doyle's sweeney? Unless by "innovative" you mean completely unintelligible.

[Kev14]

Posted: 7/25/08 at 10:50pm

Doyle's Sweeney Todd for sure. It was a completely new concept for Broadway.

Also you have to admit, Wicked started the trend of shows painting their actors green

Updated On: 7/25/08 at 10:50 PM