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Period: to
Musical Theater (1955-Present)
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The Sound of Music (1959)
"The Sound of Music" opened November 16, 1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and won five Tony awards.
It is set in Austria and tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as a governess to the Von Trapp family while deciding if she wants to become a nun. She falls in love with the children and their widowed father. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German Navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. -
Hello, Dolly! (1964)
"Hello, Dolly!" debuted November 18, 1963 at the Fisher Theatre and moved to Broadway on January 16, 1964. It won 10 Tony awards. Dolly Levi is a widow, matchmaker and a professional meddler. She makes a living by matchmaking, dance instruction and mandolin lessons. While trying to find a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder, Dolly decides she plans to marry Horace. -
Hair (1968)
"Hair" opened on Broadway April 29, 1968. "Hair" tells the story of a group of politically active, long-haired hippies, fighting against being drafted into the Vietnam War. Claude must decide whether to resist the draft, like his friends did, or succumb to the pressure of his conservative parents and serve in Vietnam. This is the first Broadway musical that uses nudity and obscene language. -
Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)
"Jesus Christ Superstar" opened on Broadway October 12, 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. It is a rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It started as a rock opera album musical before its Broadway on-stage debut in 1971. This musical is sung through, no spoken words. This musical is loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus' life. It depicts political and interpersonal struggles between Judas and Jesus that are not present in the bible. -
Lion King (1997)
"The Lion King" musical debuted July 8, 1997 at the Orpheum Theatre. It won six Tony awards. The story is about a young lion prince living in the African Pride Lands.
When Simba's uncle Scar takes the life of his father, he flees the Pride Lands, and leaves everything that he knows behind him. When the weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from the now ravaged Pride Lands come to find the adult prince, he must take on his uncle and fulfill his destiny to be king. -
Footloose (1998)
"Footloose" opened on October 22, 1998 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Ren McCormack and his family move to a small town, Bomont. This is a very conservative town where a law was passed forbidding dancing after a horrific car accident involving four kids returning from a dance. Ren speaks with the pastor and explains that he should not take his anguish, about his son's death, out on the entire town. At the next service, the pastor decides to allow the teenagers to have a dance. -
Wicked (2003)
"Wicked" premiered on Broadway June 10, 2003. The musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. The plot of this musical begins before and continues after Dorothy Gales arrives in Oz from Kansas. It tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glenda, the Good Witch. They struggle through opposing personalities, viewpoints, the same love-interest and Elphaba's fall from grace. -
Jersey Boys (2005)
"Jersey Boys" began previews on Broadway October 4, 2005 and officially opened November 6, 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre. It won four Tony awards. It is presented in a documentary style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of the 1960's rock and roll group, The Four Seasons. When they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which reunites them, each member takes the time to explain the pride they had being in the band and what they did afterwards. -
Newsies: The Musical (2012)
"Newsies" officially opened on Broadway March 29, 2012 at the Nederlander Theatre. It won two Tony awards. It was inspired by the 1899 real-life newsboys strike when the publisher of the New York World, increased the cost of the newspapers to the delivery boys. This resulted in them striking and trying to get their voices heard. A reporter named Katherine Plumber, had an idea to print their own paper and one that helped determine the outcome of the strike. -
Hamilton (2015)
"Hamilton" premiered on Broadway July 13, 2015 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Hamilton won 11 Tony awards. It tells the story of American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. It is described as being about "America then, as told by America now." After being orphaned as a child, it shows how various historical characters influenced his life.
