Hamilton, Wicked, Rent, Suessical, and Phantom of the Opera; these are just a few of the greatest Musicals of all time.

West Side Story

• A more modern take on Romeo and Juliet, this musical is one of my personal favorites. It follows the lives of a new American gang member and his love interest, the younger sister of a Puerto Rican gang leader. One of the most famous songs from this musical is “I Feel Pretty”, which is a classic.

Hamilton

• This new musical has captivated audiences all over the world. Written, produced, directed, and acted in by Lin Manuel Miranda, this historically accurate tale of Alexander Hamilton’s life is a must see. Not to mention the amazingly catchy songs that get stuck in your head for days.

Rent

• This tale of a group of friends who are struggling with paying the rent and fighting AIDS is a classic. It brought us songs like “Seasons of Love” and “Light My Candle”, which are both amazing, along with the rest of the soundtrack. The movie version with Idina Menzel is available to view on Netflix. I highly recommend it.

Wicked

• Senior Kadet Ashlie Steel said, “Wicked was the first show I watched on Broadway and ultimately made me love theatre and what gave me the courage to audition for my school Musical freshens year. The entire show is chilling and so intricately created that it brings tears.” The song “Popular”” came from this musical and a version of it played on the radio a couple years ago by Mika and Arianna Grande.

Suessical

• This musical is the tale of Horton and many other of Dr. Suess’s original original characters. For students of Air Academy who were here last school year, the school system musical was this one. The whole cast did a great job and it is such a good show.

Phantom of the Opera

• This musical is a classic. The famous half-mask is a very well known symbol of this musical. Although the musical is a little strange, the music and whole show in general is very good. This is a must-see for any musical lover.

Dear Evan Hanson

• This is a newer musical that follows the life of a high school student. The music for it is amazing and everyone I know who has heard the music has fallen in love with it.

Next to Normal

• This Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical came out in 2008. It follows the life of a mother struggling with worsening bipolar disease and the effects that has on her family as they attempt to fix it. This is a hard-hitting musical that deals with some very mature issues, so I would not recommend it for kids.

The Music Man

• In 1962 Meredith Willson released his amazing musical The Music Man. She wrote the score, lyrics, and music for this musical. It is a classic and very highly rated.

Singin’ in the Rain

• This musical is considered one of the best and most successful musicals of all time. Starring the late Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, this movie has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Since 1952, the song “Singin’ in the Rain” has held up its popularity.

Matilda

• Most people I know have at least heard of the book Matilda. This musical is based off of the book. It is a super cute tale of a little girl who lives in an orphanage. This is a great family musical.

Kinky Boots

• This Tony winning musical is a fantastic musical. It is the tale of a shoe store that is going under so they partner up with a group of drag queens who perform with their boots on. Junior Emma Lilly says, “One of the best live Musicals I’ve seen, 10 out of 10 would recommend.”

While these aren’t the only good or even great musicals, these are just a few that are really great and should be on everyone’s must-see list.