I'm with watty. Hamilton is #1 by a mile - changed me as a person. My wife and I saw it three times - Chicago, New York, and Houston.

I'll put my full list together later, but one I haven't seen mentioned yet is Bright Star, co-written by Steve Martin. The plot is fairly predictable (other than one or two things) but it was some fantastic bluegrass music.

Dude! I had no idea you were into Hamilton too!

And I've been meaning to listen to the Steve Martin one for a long time and haven't gotten around to it. One of these days, hopefully.

caleblyn said:

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Saw Les Mis again this past Saturday. Such a great show. Every singer was great and the sets are amazing.

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Les Miserables will always be first by a mile for me.

Saw Book of Mormon last night in Houston. So vulguar and hilarious at the same time. I can't believe that they get away with same of the jokes (maybe they don't?!?)

I'm always amazed at how talented everyone is!

My rankings : (with tiers)

1. Hamilton

2. Book of Mormon
3. Les Miserables
4. Bright Star
5. Something Rotten
6. Jersey Boys
7. Finding Neverland
8. Wicked
9. In the Heights
10. Rent
11 Spamalot - Holy Grail was a big deal in my family growing up, and watching this with my whole family was a special night. Because of that, I'm probably much higher on it than most.

12 School of Rock
13. Blue Man Group (does this count?)
14. West Side Story - saw as a kid, it's been a long time
15. Phantom of the Opera
16. Anastasia - had front row, center seats for this one in NY with original cast
17. Blood Brothers - Saw this in London when I was really young (first play I ever saw) and loved it. Who knows if it's actually any good or not - I can't really remember anything about it at this point
18. Mary Poppins
19. On Your Feet (Emilio and Gloria Estefan)

20. Aladdin - had high expectations and it just didn't live up
21. Grease - can't really remember it compared to the movie
22. The Bodyguard - wasn't bad, just not my thing, I guess.
23. The King and I
24. The Wiz - maybe it was the cast, or just burnout on the Wizard of Oz stories, but I was bored out of my mind


Want to See :
1. Once
2. Lion King
3. Dear Evan Hansen - wife saw it in NY and loved it.
4. Jesus Christ, Superstar
5. Blood Brothers - want to see it again, but kind of afraid it will ruin my "memory" of it.
6. Waitress - Comes to Houston this February
7. Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (because of this thread)
8. The Producers - seen the movie, but not on stage

Same top 3, looking forward to something rotten next month at MSC.

New Orleans posted the lineup for next season...

Wicked - Will take daughter and a friend of her's. Will be 3rd time to see it.
Dear Evan Hansen - Have not seen it
A Christmas Story - Have not seen it
Miss Saigon - Have not seen it. This show is on my Bucket List, therefore, I am excited.
Charlie & Chocolate Factory - Have not seen it
Mean Girls - Have not seen it
Anastasia - Have not seen it
Fiddler on the Roof- Have not seen it. Looking forward to this one

Okay lineup.

That's a great lineup

Miss Saigon and 42nd street are some of my faves. I could watch miss Saigon again and again. May have to do with seeing it at the London opera house and they had an actual helicopter on stage. 13year old me was blown away.

They still did the helicopter over the audience last fall on Broadway

Saw Waitress this week.

Cast and soundtrack were great, and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. My wife and I hated the plot and almost every character. I'd put it in the bottom tier of shows we have seen because of that.

it had to have been written by someone who cheated on their spouse and wants to feel better about it.... right?

- Jenna cheated on her abusive husband. Ok, I get it.
- Becky cheated on her bed-ridden husband.
- Cal cheated on his wife that he thinks might be gay
- The doctor cheated on his wife, who by all accounts seems like a nice person and loves him.

... and these are the leads we're supposed to like and relate to?

Jenna is one of the weakest lead characters I've ever seen. The actress was great, I just didn't like the role.

caleblyn said:

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New Orleans posted the lineup for next season...

Wicked - Will take daughter and a friend of her's. Will be 3rd time to see it.
Dear Evan Hansen - Have not seen it
A Christmas Story - Have not seen it
Miss Saigon - Have not seen it. This show is on my Bucket List, therefore, I am excited.
Charlie & Chocolate Factory - Have not seen it
Mean Girls - Have not seen it
Anastasia - Have not seen it
Fiddler on the Roof- Have not seen it. Looking forward to this one

Okay lineup.

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I think this is pretty good lineup but not as good as this seasons in NOLA

CoachRTM said:

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Saw Waitress this week.

Cast and soundtrack were great, and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. My wife and I hated the plot and almost every character. I'd put it in the bottom tier of shows we have seen because of that.

it had to have been written by someone who cheated on their spouse and wants to feel better about it.... right?

- Jenna cheated on her abusive husband. Ok, I get it.
- Becky cheated on her bed-ridden husband.
- Cal cheated on his wife that he thinks might be gay
- The doctor cheated on his wife, who by all accounts seems like a nice person and loves him.

... and these are the leads we're supposed to like and relate to?

Jenna is one of the weakest lead characters I've ever seen. The actress was great, I just didn't like the role.

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Saw it at hobby center this week too. I get your points, based on the cheering at certain parts I would say the Jenna character was relatable to a lot of people in the crowd, but maybe not to the happily married. Overall I liked it. The music that was in the show was really good, but there wasn't very much of it, also seems like they cheated with too many awkward silences (both to build tension or to force laughs).

Beware of Doug said:

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CoachRTM said:

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Saw Waitress this week.

Cast and soundtrack were great, and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. My wife and I hated the plot and almost every character. I'd put it in the bottom tier of shows we have seen because of that.

it had to have been written by someone who cheated on their spouse and wants to feel better about it.... right?

- Jenna cheated on her abusive husband. Ok, I get it.
- Becky cheated on her bed-ridden husband.
- Cal cheated on his wife that he thinks might be gay
- The doctor cheated on his wife, who by all accounts seems like a nice person and loves him.

... and these are the leads we're supposed to like and relate to?

Jenna is one of the weakest lead characters I've ever seen. The actress was great, I just didn't like the role.

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Saw it at hobby center this week too. I get your points, based on the cheering at certain parts I would say the Jenna character was relatable to a lot of people in the crowd, but maybe not to the happily married. Overall I liked it. The music that was in the show was really good, but there wasn't very much of it, also seems like they cheated with too many awkward silences (both to build tension or to force laughs).

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I saw it this weekend, too, and agree with RTM. The music was generally enjoyable but nothing memorable. There were definitely some funny moments, but the story didn't do anything for me. Not one I'd recommend to others.

Finally saw Hamilton this past Saturday.

Great show. I would give it a 5 and place it in the top 7 on my list. I love the soundtrack and pretty much listen to it..."Non-Stop!" See what I did there!

Anyhow, I thought the singers were good but I unfortunately compare them to the original which is unfair, but happens regardless. With that being said, I though Washington was ok, I thought Burr was okay. The girls were great! King G was amazing!, and Hamilton was good to great. The rest of the cast played there parts well.

Burr started off pretty sluggish in my opinion and I was immediately concerned for I knew his part was just as big as Hamilton's. In the end, he did a good job. The, "less-rapping," style of songs were better. Wait for It and Theodosia was really good!

Hurricane ended up being one of my favorites even though it is one I typically skip on the soundtrack.

In summary, great show!

Saw "Come From Away," Saturday.

I went in with low expectations and boy was I surprised. This show is FANTASTIC!!!!!

Please add it to your list of must see shows!

The story line is a town in Newfoundland that took on a bunch of stranded passengers during the week of 9/11.

The music was really really good. Not Hamilton, Wicked, or LK good, but really good. Has a Hamilton feel where they give the story as they go. There is some monologue throughout, in-between songs, but the story of the events and to get the perspective of those not knowing what is going on, and from those who needed to step up and care for a bunch of strangers, was really well done.

Some other notes...

It will tug at your heart-strings, so prepare yourself!
If you get extremely turned off by the LBTGQRSTUV stuff and have no desire to deal with it, you might not want to see it. If you can deal with it and enjoy a good show then you MUST SEE IT!

In then end, I will give it a 4 star rating, but note that I think it is close to 5 stars but cannot justify putting it in the category of Phantom, Ham, LK, Wicked, etc. Nonetheless....great show!

Saw Hadestown and Dear Evan Hansen this past week.

Hadestown is phenomenal ,definitely in my top 5. Great performances, great music, great set. Some of our right leaning friends might take exception to the "build the wall" song, but keep in mind it was written 10+ years ago. Andre de Shields probably gave my favorite performance I have seen.

DEH was really good too. Really liked the story and the main character. Second half music wasn't as good as the first, second half almost felt like more of a play than a musical. But definitely worth seeing, recommended if you are looking for a show for a teen.

Had listened to the soundtrack countless times, but FINALLY saw Dear Evan Hansen tonight and it lived up to the 3+ years of hype in my book. Relevant, heartbreaking & hopeful with incredible performances by the current Broadway cast (most of whom were part of the original tour.)

I had tickets to the original production several years ago but couldn't make it due to work and it's take 2.5 years for the theater to have availability for my past date ticket. I couldn't help but regret not being able to see it with Ben Platt but was still pleased with the current cast.

If it's touring in your area, I highly recommend. Take your family. Listen to Waving Through a Window on repeat. That's all.

Agree completely.

I saw it Houston recently with my wife. We loved it so much I took my 14 yo daughter the following week. She literally plays "Waving through a Window" daily. She said it was the best show she's ever seen and we have seen quite a few.

Got a chance to see the Christmas Carol on broadway this year, was a fantastic show and will be back for the 2020 holiday season, already planning to see it this year as well.

Also saw DEH when it was in Houston. Had listened to the soundtrack for the past years. Hard to replace Platt but it was a good show and I liked how they handled all the social media with the set. very good show.

Went to broadway before New Years. Spent 2 nights at Cursed Child. Immersive with the work they put into the theater and really well done. Had read the book years ago but was still very entertained. Just hard to justify 2 out of my 3 nights....and was missing musicals.

The lAst night saw Wicked. Had seen on tour forever ago but daughter - who loves the music - wanted to see. Really good cast. The Galenda lead saw the original cast as a child and dreamed of staring. She was basically doing a Chenowith impersonation but she pulled it off. Girl playing Elphaba was fine, but no possible way to follow Idina. Probably needed to turn her volume up to give her a chance.

Was in the city last week and we caught To Kill A Mockingbird. It was pretty darn good. Atticus Finch was played by Ed Harris, he was fantastic.

very nicely done

I've seen 3 shows in my life and would see them all again in heart beat.

Phantom - The music is a freaking masterpiece. I listen to the soundtrack on spotify a ton at work. One of the best things I've ever seen regardless of medium.

The Producers - Was 15 or so when I saw this on Broadway and it was funny. This was the first play I had ever seen and it blew my mind. I always viewed plays/theatre as kinda.....not for me. I always envisioned every play as either opera or shakespeare. But this made me realize that plays and the theatre can be really entertaining.

The Newsies - Saw this recently and did not have high hopes going into it. But left pleasantly surprised. Not a bad storyline and some really good music.


I've seen a lot of plays or operas and the like on different mediums, but not in the theatre.

Ones I want to see:

Hamilton
Wicked
Lion King

Iowaggie said:

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For Broadway (Les Mis) fans dealing with Covid-19

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The boy's mistake at 1:20 mark is hilarious and easy to miss.

So, it is time to update this thread. We finally were able to get back into the theater after nearly two years. As a reminder, our season tickets are in New Orleans, where the mayor is a loon!

This past Saturday we got to see Hadestown. I don't think my high rating/evaluation is due to the long lapse, but this show was fantastic!

The cast was off the chart good. Usually, you get one or two that are meh performers. This cast was fantastic. We were actually blessed to have Levi Kreis cast as Hermes for our showing. He is presently traveling with Hadestown. Kreis won a Tony for his origination role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quarter! Andre De Shields was the original Hermes, but I would argue that Kreis is better.

Hadestown is based on the Greek Mythology story of Orpheus who goes to Hades to rescue his love, Eurydice. The story is fantastic. Please note, there are some heart-strong pulling in this show. Be forewarned.

The music is amazing. I love the soul music and really enjoyed it. The entire band/orchestra is on stage (similar to Once). If you want a taste of what the music feel is like, watch a video of Wait For Me - Reprise.

In all, great musical, and it was nice to get back to the theater. I give Hadestown a 4 out of 5.

Remaining shows for this season...

Frozen - We are taking the kids plus a few nieces and nephews.
Anastasia
Mean Girls - Never saw the movie so I better find it soon.
Hamilton - Seen it. Looking froward to taking the daughter this time.

caleblyn said:

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Andre De Shields was the original Hermes, but I would argue that Kreis is better.

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De Shield's Hermes is the best performance I've seen in person on broadway. I will have to go to the show in Dallas before I judge how wrong you are .

We are seeing Hadestown this weekend in Houston, so this is exciting to read.

We have tickets to Six and The Music Man on Broadway in February. Can't wait! I saw Jackman in the Boy from Oz and Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie years ago, so this cast is a dream. Hope there are no covid issues by then.

I responded to this thread a couple of years ago not knowing how much musicals would be part of my life. My daughter started doing musical theater a year ago and got the lead of matilda this past summer. Weve been doing nothing but musicals since lol. Cant wait to go see some more professional shows.

Fair enough. To be honest, I did not see De Shields in person...only via You Tube. He is fantastic. I am simply saying that Kreis was phenomenal, and from what I have seen and heard, Kreis takes the nod in my book. However, of course, my opinion is biased.

Please let me know what you think after seeing it again.

Saw Six in London about a month and a half ago. Fun show, but nothing earth shattering. Enjoyed it for what it was, and it was cool seeing it in London.

Also saw Hilton in London, and that was a neat experience. It was well done. We have now seen it 5 times, and this performance was second only to Broadway.

We also did Mary Poppins when we were there. That was spectacular. Very well done. May have a better opinion of it because we weren't expecting much.

We get to see Hadestown in Dallas soon. Very excited about this one!

We were supposed to see it this weekend also but it's been postponed because of breakthrough cases. So disappointed.

For those that have seen Hadestown, is it "scary" or graphic at all? Debating on taking my 8yo daughter with us or just get a sitter. She has seen quite a few shows and loves Broadway (Wicked, Frozen, Lion King, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, School of Rock) but I've known about them before going into it. I really don't know anything about this show other than the general myth it is based on. I know she probably won't get most of it, but just curious about is it sexualized or scary for that age (we didn't take her to Moulin Rouge for example).