Broadway Quiz: Best Musical Theaters

With its Best Musical Tony win, Maybe Happy Ending became the first Best Musical to open at the Belasco Theatre. You'll note that their ad announcing this achievement qualifies it by saying "Original Musical." That's because the original production of Ain't Misbehavin' played part of its Tony-winning run at the Belasco; it is a revue/jukebox musical. Still, that show didn't start there!

So, where did it open? What about the other Best Musicals? That's the stuff of this week's Broadway Quiz!

Broadway Quiz: Best Musical Theaters

DIRECTIONS: The correct answers are based on the original productions and the theater where they began their runs.

1. A Chorus Line

    A. The Imperial        B. The Schoenfeld    C. The Shubert    D. The Cort

2. Annie

    A. The Alvin    B. The Virginia    C. The Winter Garden    D. The Neil Simon

3. Evita

    A. The Marquis    B. The Winter Garden    C. The Broadway    D. The Broadhurst

4. The Wiz

    A. The Marquis    B. The Majestic    C. The Nederlander    D. The Palace

5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

    A. The Al Hirschfeld     B. The 46th Street    C. The Rodgers    D. The Booth

6. All of these Best Musicals opened at the St. James Theatre EXCEPT:

    A. Hello, Dolly!    

    B. Two Gentleman of Verona

    C. The King and I

    D. Sunset Boulevard

7. Which THREE currently running Best Musical and Best Musical from the past pairs below are correct?

    A. Sunset Blvd./The Producers

    B. The Book of Mormon/Big River

    C. Hamilton/Nine

    D. The Outsiders/Once

8. TRUE or FALSE: The entire original Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie played the Marquis Theatre.

9. Two Sondheim Best Musicals opened at the Alvin Theatre (now known as the Neil Simon Theatre). They are:

    A. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

    B. Follies

    C. Passion

    D. Company

10. TRUE or FALSE: To date, the Booth Theatre has had only one Best Musical, Kimberly Akimbo, but it has been home to two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals.

***Ain't Misbehavin' opened at the Longacre Theatre, the first and only Best Musical to play there.

Broadway Games: Best Musicals By Pic

Vote for your favorites for 

The 2025 JKTS Readers' Choice Awards!

Cast your ballot HERE

With the Tonys just weeks away, and with a new Best Musical soon to be crowned, let's play a little game about previous winners! Good luck!

Broadway Games:

Best Musicals By Pic

DIRECTIONS: Name the show and the year it was named Best Musical. 

1. What show? What Year?

2. What show? What Year?

3. What show? What Year?

4. What show? What Year?

5. What show? What Year?

When the "Best" Isn't Your "Favorite": A Strange Loop vs Girl From The North Country (and Six)

When the "Best Musical" Isn't Your "Favorite":
A Strange Loop vs Girl From the North Country (and Six)

It's been a while since we posted an article in this series, so we thought we'd revive it with what may be a somewhat controversial take on a critically acclaimed and beloved show. 

In the 2021-2022 season there were six Best Musical nominees: Girl From the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, Paradise Square, Six and A Strange Loop. We saw four of them. Most of them got solidly positive reviews, but one - A Strange Loop - was a critical darling, and was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Audiences were polarized, with theater buffs and trend setters falling all over themselves to appreciate and applaud the piece. 

It is a decidedly modern musical in its themes and point of view, to be sure. Whole communities and minorities (not just racial) were being seen for the first time in this piece, and that, if nothing else, deserves not only its accolades, but its rightful place in history. It would go on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.  But, as the title of this series suggests, it may have been the "best" musical, but it wasn't my favorite. Not even my second or third of that season. 

At the time, I didn't formally review the show, but I can summarize my thoughts this way: I greatly admire its ambition and its author, Michael R. Jackson, and I am thrilled that his voice and what that represents is being heard and taken seriously. But as a musical, I find it to be sloppy as it tries to be ground breaking but is, by and large an old-fashioned show with songs that don't stay with you, and worse yet, lyrics that range from sophomoric to amateurish. In short, the ideas are profound while the execution was, I'll be polite, less than adequate.

On the other hand, the 2021-2022 season did offer not one but two really great shows. One, Girl From the North Country, really satisfied my "musical as an art form" side, while the other, Six, hit my "musicals can be just plain fun" side. What I love about Six is its energy and creativity. Smart and very funny, it is masterful in its choreography, sharp homages in the score to a variety of female pop icons, and a slick, but important message about empowerment. Still, it is a slight entertainment that knows what it is and fulfills its promise. It is still running...

If I had to choose just one musical as my favorite of that season, though, it would be Girl, a show we almost missed had we not gotten tickets for one of its final week of performances. One of the few jukebox musicals to succeed as an original drama, I found myself so focused and immersed in what was going on that I was completely unaware of anything around me. Not a Bob Dylan fan, I was unfamiliar with any of the songs, and so in a way, for me it was an original musical (not unlike this season's Swept Away). The story was enthralling, the acting was sublime (kudos to Mare Winningham!), and the staging was art in motion (kudos to Conor McPherson!). It was a show that made me better for having seen it.

Do you have a favorite show that wasn't that season's "best?" Let us know!

Friday 5: 5 Best Musicals That Need Their First Revival

 5 Best Musicals That Need Their First Revival

Believe it or not, this edition of F5 was actually brought about by the announcement of yet another revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, which feels like it comes around as often as Gypsy. And before that one gets here in a couple of months, I thought about other musicals that would be great to see in a revival. Of course, there are the usuals on the list like City of Angels, Grand Hotel and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. 

But what about true classics that have yet to see the light of day since their original Broadway runs. Surprisingly, there are several Tony Award-winning Best Musicals that have yet to be revived. Here are 5 I'd love to see be revived in the order they that they won the big prize:

Kismet - Best Musical 1954 (583 performances)

An all-star writing team - book by Luther Davis (Grand Hotel) and Charles Lederer, music by Alexander Borodin, music adapted by and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest (Song of Norway, Grand Hotel) - and a cast headed by Alfred Drake, Joan Diener, Richard Kiley and Doretta Morrow. Famous song: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads." Ancient Persia, princesses, a wazir, and a magician could be a nice retreat from reality (a grown-up Aladdin?) Creative staging, authentic casting and a script tweaking could bring this one back in a big way.

Redhead - Best Musical 1959 (452 performances)

The show that marked Bob Fosse's Broadway directorial debut was a Victorian era murder mystery involving an American chorus girl, a wax museum and a timeline shared with Jack the Ripper. Headlined by Gwen Verdon, Richard Kiley and Leonard Stone (all three won Tonys), the show had a score by Albert Hague and Dorothy Fields (Sweet Charity, Annie Get Your Gun), who also wrote the book with Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw. Fun fact: the original cast included a singer named Mame Dennis! In the right hands, this could be a load of fun!

Hallelujah, Baby!  - Best Musical 1968 (253 performances)

This concept musical tracing social injustice through the early to mid 20th century, it seems this show could be more relevant than ever. An updated book with a little more bite may do the trick. The original team behind it was no less than Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. And it made a star out of Leslie Uggams, making her Broadway debut. To date, this remains the only Best Musical winner that was already closed when it won the award.

Applause - Best Musical 1970 (896 performances)

Comden and Green did it again, with one of my favorite scores of the 70s, and a book by the writing team that brought us Bye Bye Birdie and Annie, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. An updated musical version of the film All About Eve, the show starred 

Lauren Bacall, Len Cariou, Penny Fuller and showstopper, Bonnie Franklin. Considering how much fandom, hero worship and the quest for fame has pervaded our Tik Tok/Instagram society, this could - with some updating - be a huge hit. Or it could go vintage as written, but with pointed direction and concept. Either way, I think Broadway is ready for another dose of Margo Channing and Eve Harrington!

Two Gentlemen of Verona - Best Musical 1972 (614 performances)

I'm dying to see the show that bested the now-classic Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease and Follies. I'm sure I'm not alone. With music by Hair's Galt MacDermott, lyrics by playwright John Guare, who also adapted Shakespeare with Mel Shapiro. It starred Clifton Davis and Raul Julia as the titular gentlemen, and featured the debut of a young lady named Stockard Channing. I wonder why this hasn't seen the light of day since it closed?

When the "Best" Isn't Your "Favorite": Thoroughly Modern Millie vs Urinetown

When the "Best Musical" Isn't Your "Favorite":

Thoroughly Modern Millie vs Urinetown

It was the 2001-2002 season, and we were all still recovering from the shocking tragedy of 9/11. We were all looking for laughs and comfort, and Broadway was providing just that. That season, there were three big shows, all funny, all song and dance. As it all shook out in the long-run, Mamma Mia! ran for years even if it went home Tony-less. The other two shared in the Tony glory and had respectable runs: Thoroughly Modern Millie (903 performances) was crowned Best Musical, while Urinetown (965 performances) took home the triple crown of Best Book, Score and Direction. For months, pundits argued, "how could one have the best book, best score and best director, and not be the best musical?" No matter. It's all history, now.

While I will always have an affectionate spot in my heart, Mamma Mia! is a sugary treat and my go-to for comfort food theater. As for the other two, that year's Best Musical, was my least favorite of the whole season, while the runner-up is still one of my all-time favorites.

I can appreciate Millie, after all it made a star out of Sutton Foster, one of my favorite performers. The principal cast included some other greats including Gavin Creel, Marc Kudisch, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Harriet Harris. There were also some fantastic ensemblists, too; you may have heard of Anne L. Nathan, T. Oliver Reed, Kate Baldwin, JoAnn M. Hunter, and a guy named Casey Nicholaw. 

The dances, choreographed by Rob Ashford were splashy, tap dance and old school musical theater, jazz infused numbers. There were also new songs written for the score by Jeanine Tesori. Again, no slouches there.

Of course, a great deal of Millie would not pass muster today. It's cringe-worthy for its blatant sexism, and it's absolutely insane that even then, its overt racism involving Asian stereotypes played for laughs wasn't called out. Will this ever be revived? Not as originally scripted for certain.

No, that season's Best Musical was not my Favorite Musical. That honor goes to Urinetown. Why? Well, I love shows that push the boundaries of the art form. Okay, in this case it was more of a nudge than a push, but progress was made. Despite the profuse silliness of the entire premise, it still had something to say about capitalism, policing, gender expectation, and class warfare. I like my laughs with a side of meaning. Then, there was the reverence for musical theater history, with its nods to West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and others in its staging and choreography (by Tony-winner John Rando and John Carrafa, respectively). The environmental scenery was by a newbie you may have heard of, Scott Pask, who transformed the entirety of the Henry Miller's Theatre, inside and out into a dystopian (tongue in cheek) Hell-scape, from the leaky roof all the way down to the basement bathrooms. (Amazing how a show that sings about the privilege to pee makes you have to go at intermission - there was even a line for the men's room! It was there that they had free souvenirs: a series of postcards!

It was a battle of the Fosters that year: Sutton led Millie; her brother Hunter Foster, was the lead actor in Urinetown. He was a hilarious triple-threat. Other standouts included the always wonderful John Cullum, Jeff McCarthy, Spencer Kayden, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Ken Jennings (Sweeney Todd's original Tobias), and Nancy Opel. They even had several great replacements, including Carolee Carmello, Amy Spanger, Charles Shaughnessy, Tom Cavanagh and Victoria Clark.

The score, though, is probably my favorite part of the whole thing - I still, more than 20 years later, listen to the cast recording. Some of Greg Kotis (music) and Mark Hollmann 's (lyrics) gems include "It's a Privilege To Pee," "Cop Song," "Snuff That Girl," the rousing numbers, "Run Freedom Run" and "I See a River," and my favorite of them all, "Don't Be the Bunny." If you've never heard the score, I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy. And if you have heard it, I suggest you dust off your copy and revisit it. I think it really holds up.

Now, how about a revival? It seems as relevant as ever.

Broadway Games: Which Tony Award Nominee?

With the 74th annual Tony Awards coming up this weekend, here's a game all about the 3 jukeboxers vying for the Best Musical trophy! All you need to do is figure out which show each song title below is from. Good luck!

Broadway Games:

Which Tony Award Nominee?

a. Jagged Little Pill          b. Moulin Rouge!          c. Tina

1. "Private Dancer"

2. "Ironic"

3. "What's Love Got to Do with It?"

4. "Chandelier"

5. "Your Song"

6. "Smiling"

7. "Come What May"

8. "Firework"

9. "We Don't Need Another Hero"

10. "Uninvited"

11. "You Learn"

12. "River Creep - Mountain High"

13. "Crazy - Rolling in the Deep"

14. "All I Really Want"

15. "I Don't Wanna Fight No More"

16. "Predator"

17. "El Tango de Roxanne"

18. "Thank You"

19. "Nature Boy"

20. "Disco Inferno"

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Answers to Last Week's 

Broadway Games:

Musicals as Airport Codes

What show are you seeing? (Not all of them are true acronyms!)

1. MFL My Fair Lady       2. WIZ The Wiz

3. JLP Jagged Little Pill 4. KSW Kiss of the Spider Woman

5. TMM The Music Man      6. MLR MouLin Rouge

       Thoroughly Modern Millie

7. SMU The Sound of MUsic 8. FST FalSeTtos

9. POV Pacific OVertures  10. ALV Aspects of LoVe

Broadway Games: Finish the Lyrics!

Like many of you, I've spent my fair share of my quarantine time listening to cast recordings. You know how lyrics to songs get stuck in your head? It can be maddening! This week's game asks you to to finish the given lyric from songs that are in Tony Award-winning Best Musicals.  Good luck getting them out of your head! Bonus if you can name the song title!

Broadway Games:

Finish the Lyrics

Best Musical Edition

1. "Kiss today goodbye, and ______  ______  ______  ______"

2. "Put on your Sunday clothes when ______  ______  ______  ______  ______"

3. "There she is! Towering high, broad and grand - ______  ______  ______!"

4. "Your short hair and your dungarees ______  ______  _______  _______  _______"

5. "There's a fine, fine line between love and ______  ______  ______  ______" 

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BEST OF THE DECADE: 10 Favorite Jukebox Musicals

Of course, most of us would love see original musicals taking over Broadway. But let's be honest. Jukebox musicals (and their sub-genre, the bio-musical) can be excellent shows. Like all musicals, if it is well done, high quality entertainment, a jukebox show can be just as good, if not better than a brand new from scratch musical. The past decade had its share of really terrific shows of this type, insuring that this sub-genre isn't going anywhere soon.

 Best of the Decade:

Jeff and Mike's

10 Favorite Jukebox Musicals

10. Disaster! (2016)

This spoof of disaster films and horribly shoe-horned snippets of disco tunes is not a very good musical, per se. But it knows that it isn't and playfully jabs at musicals as hard as it does those films. The A-list cast managed to sell it, and we had a good time anyway. Every time I see a slot machine...

9. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2014)

I'm sure we'll get emails about this, but both of us agree: this was a pretty boring show. Ms. King's life couldn't possibly have been that drama free. That said, not many people have the songwriting gift that she has, and the songs and slick staging kept us in our seats. The cast wasn't bad, either!

8. The Cher Show (2018)

Seeing Stephanie J. Block become Cher, and seeing the debut of Micaela Diamond were highlights of my theater-going career. And it was FUN! 

7. On Your Feet! (2015)

I admit I knew next to nothing about Gloria Estefan's life, I have always loved her songs and performances. This one hit the perfect balance of biographical information and dramatic style. And that band! Wow! Can't wait to see what Ana Villafañe does next.

6. After Midnight (2013)

As musical revues go, this may have been the best one Broadway has seen since Ain't Misbehavin'. The music was top notch, the musicians even better. The company full of triple threats made this one of our favorite evenings of the last ten years.

5. Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (2019)

Take a lesson, Beautiful. This is how you do a bio-musical. Easily the best of that sub-genre, the show has style and drama to spare, with a uniformly superb cast. Shout out to our Tina, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe who was simply the best.

4. Priscilla Queen of the Desert (2011)

Better than the movie, in my opinion, due largely to the trio of talent that headed the company - Will Swenson, Nick Adams and the divine Tony Sheldon. An extravaganza of song, dance, and thrilling visuals (Priscilla was amazing!), it was hard to sit still in my seat. And I might have shed a tear or two...

3. Head Over Heels (2018)

There wasn't one thing I didn't love about this show! Smart, funny, outrageous and even educational, this groundbreaking show had you in its grip from the first note. And what an honor to say we were there when Bonnie Milligan made her brilliant debut!!

2. Moulin Rouge! (2019)

Spectacular! Spectacular! Gorgeous to look at, and so much fun. Sonya Tayeh's hot choreography is among the best we've ever seen. And really, has Danny Burstein ever been better? Nope! Sing for me, Aaron Tveit!

1. Jagged Little Pill (2019)

2019 was the Year of the Jukebox Musical it seems - three of these shows made the whole decade list. But this one wasn't just the best of the season. Elizabeth Stanley is giving a career-defining performance, and Lauren Patten is a force of nature. And Broadway debutante Celia Rose Gooding is one to watch. Life is messy, and somehow JLP makes it all make sense.

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