Theatre is a very subjective art. Some people like rock musicals, some people like historical musicals, others like fantasy ones. Theatre offers a wide variety of shows, but some of them have been much more impactful than others. With impactfulness and my opinion of them in mind (I’d love to hear your opinions on the matter), here are the top 5 musicals.

5: Legally Blonde

“Omigod You Guys”, I can’t believe that this show made it on a top 5 list. “Legally Blonde” is a musical based on the hit 2001 movie. The musical keeps the base plot while expanding on a lot of the characters quite a bit. One thing that makes this show so amazing is that the original cast was phenomenal. 

4: “Little Shop of Horrors”

With MIA Performing Arts doing this show this year, it should be no surprise that it is on this list. One of the most known shows among the theatre community with one of the most known musical theatre songs (“Suddenly Seymour”), this show has already gone down in history as one of the best ever. If you want to check it out, come visit Skid Row on MIA’s Rhine Stage on April 19th, 20th, 26th, and 27th.

3: “Hamilton”

Often considered one of the most overrated musicals of all time, “Hamilton” left a huge mark on musical theatre as a whole by challenging convention in a large number of ways, while still providing a striking performance filled with some amazing songs and raps. Being a historical show also makes the talent of Lin-Manuell Miranda even more apparent.

2: “Wicked”

This prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” is one of the most ‘popular’ musicals there is, especially recently. Many of the songs have gotten large on various social media platforms, primarily TikTok. “Wicked” is also one of the shows that MIA’s Thespian Troupe saw in the 2023 trip to the state Thespian Conference.

1: “Phantom of the Opera”

Phantom is easily the most-known musical of all time. Even if you are not familiar with it, you have probably heard of it and are familiar with the dramatic organ music that plays in the introduction of the title song. Phantom also recently retired from Broadway as the longest-running Broadway musical yet.