Top 10 Musicals of the Decade

[Phantom of London]

This time of the year, you start seeing the ubiquitous lists in the shrinking reviews section and this year being the end of the decade I expect to see best musical of the decade, however being the ardent fans we are, So what are your top 10 musicals from this decade?

[sleepflower]

Got to be Hamilton at the top surely.

[danb]

It’s the only show that I can think of that has straddled critical and financial success that well.

[Phantom of London]

I am clearly in the minority, but Hamilton wouldn’t make it in the room where it happens.

For me;

Matilda
Book of Mormon
Come From Away
Kinky Boots
Legally Blonde
Sister Act
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comets of 1812
Bright Star
Sister Act
London Road
Dreamgirls

[Deleted]

Any list that doesn't include Hamilton is incomplete regardless of your own personal opinion of the show, purely because of its social and cultural resonance.

I personally think it has to be at number 1, with Come From Away close behind.

I would include The Band's Visit and Matilda as well straight off the top of my head. I'd have to do a bit of thinking to make a longer list!

[pianowithsam]

Does Something Rotten count? Or is 1595 a bit far back?

[ukpuppetboy]

I’m going to explicitly mention the productions because judging by some of the comments on this board on 2 of the London versions I may have had a different opinion - but from MY experiences of new musicals from the last decade (in a loose order):

1. The Bridges of Madison County (LA)
2. Hamilton (OBC)
3. Fun Home (OBC)
4. Lift (Soho Theatre)
5. The Band’s Visit (OBC)
6. Romantics Anonymous (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
7. Come From Away (Dublin)
8. Dear Evan Hanson (LA)
9. Here Lies Love (Dorfman)
10. Loserville (Garrick).

*Full disclosure - I haven’t seen Matilda or Groundhog Day (or Natasha Pierre) which I fully expect would have been contenders.

[anthony40]

Jason Robert Brown's Parade has to be there. (To this day) every time I think of the Donmar Warehouse production, the complexities of the storyline and vocally, I still get goosebumps!

[ukpuppetboy]

Nov 28, 2019 23:00:08 GMT anthony40 said:

Jason Robert Brown's Parade has to be there. (To this day) every time I think of the Donmar Warehouse production, the complexities of the storyline and vocally, I still get goosebumps!

2007 though anthony40. Time is running away with you!

[musicalmarge]

The best musicals I have seen in the past decade are

Six
Dogfight
Carrie
Dreamgirls
42nd street
Ragtime (Charing cross)
Yank
Matilda
Come from Away
Fiddler on the roof (Playhouse)

[cheesy116]

These are all of my personal favourite shows but in terms of objective success, it has to be Hamilton for financial reasons, and how much it has affected mainstream culture.

Matilda
Come From Away
Hamilton
Dear Evan Hansen
Fun Home
Kinky Boots

[ptwest]

If we are including revivals then it is clear that the musical that has given me more joy than any in the last decade was 42nd street.

But taking that out of the equation, in no particular order my favourites from the decade would be:

Memphis
Hamilton
Once
Come From Away
Everybodys talking about Jamie
Sister Act
Book of Mormon
Kinky boots

Dare I mention & Juliet? Just for the sheer fun of it!


To be honest I haven’t seen that many other “new” musicals in the last decade that have blown me away. Shows like Dreamgirls was fun but suffered from being mega understudy night, and I really cannot sit through Matilda again. Most of the other “Wow” moments have come from revivals such as Chess, Sunset, Les Mis concert etc

[ukpuppetboy]

May have to bump Loserville off of my list for the MTC production of Next to Normal in Melbourne which was fantastic.
Hopefully a London run can be on everyones list for the next decade.

[Someone in a tree]

Nov 28, 2019 20:58:31 GMT Phantom of London said:

This time of the year, you start seeing the ubiquitous lists in the shrinking reviews section and this year being the end of the decade I expect to see best musical of the decade, however being the ardent fans we are, So what are your top 10 musicals from this decade?

Is it written and premiered or just produced in this decade? Either way my money is on Bring it on, Stephen Ward and Exposure...

[MrBraithwaite]

Expected to see Hamilton on everyones list...quite happy that it's not. Wouldn't feature on any of my lists, just ignoring it.

[apubleed]

I like Hamilton but I feel no need to add it to my list - it’s a cultural phenomenon because Americans can’t stop congratulating themselves that they have created a 3 hour long dense musical about their history reappropriated with people of colour. Yes it’s innovative - but I don’t think the rest of the world should be forced to pay attention to yet again another example of America taking itself too seriously. We don’t have to care about your history as much as people think we should. And I say this as someone who of course loves America and American musicals - Hamilton being a prime example of why they are so good at it. But enough is enough. I think it’s ok if we respect it from a distance and feel comfortable enough to say you know what, maybe it’s ok to not have to pretend we care about your culture enough to consider it one of the best things we’ve ever seen.

[danb]

What if it’s just the best thing you’ve seen so far this century, without turning it into a sociology lecture? What if it makes your chest burst with excitement in ‘Yorktown’, and your eyes tear up with pride in ‘One Last Time’ etc? I’m the last to celebrate jingoism or great new American things for the sake of it (see DEH thread 😬) but I do think it’s the best thing I’ve seen so far this century. I’d say ’Bat Out of Hell’ but am well aware that it isn’t.

I have big hopes for the Spongebob thing though....

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

If we're talking just new musicals then my list would probably include Preludes, Great Comet, Fun Home, Bridges of Madison County, Hamilton, Islander, Come From Away, Hadestown, Once and Waitress. This is only stuff I've seen though, there's a lot of cast recordings I love like (The Band's Visit, Honeymoon in Vegas, Ghost Quartet, Octet, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) that might snack on over those last three (don't take what's before then as my order of preference though, I'd struggle to order them properly - the too different). Also if it were productions of musicals in general, including revivals then Follies, Company and so many others would have to be included.

[Mark]

Come From Away
Dear Evan Hansen
Kinky Boots
Hamilton
The Book of Mormon
Something Rotten
Groundhog Day
Fun Home
Love Story
Matilda

- Not necessarily my "favourites", but I'd say these were the "best" ones I've seen this decade. If we'd be talking about "most fun" I'd be including Mean Girls, Muriel's Wedding, SpongeBob, Bend it Like Beckham etc.

[Deleted]

Gosh - this thread would work much better for me if was best revivals/new versions from the last decade. As I have mainly been seeing JCS/Evita/Joseph/Miss Saigon and Les Mis. Company and Follies also great. And the new Starlight in Bochum. Woman In White was an intimate but great revival, ditto Aspects of Love. Mary Poppins another classic.

There has been loads of brand new stuff I have LIKED, very little I have LOVED. In fact the only one I have loved I can think of is Bat Out Of Hell. By no means a perfect musical, but the must absorbing two hours for me. And now & Juliet I am close to loving ;-)  

So it's actually I would say not been a great decade for new musicals at all, the revivals have it. All the American stuff leaves me luke warm at best. Jamie is the only British show that comes to mind that survived beyond a cast change (there MUST be others - help me someone!) which again I liked but had no desire to go back.

Am sorry Made In Dagenham didn't do better. And I loved Love Never Dies, but I appreciate that was just me lol.

Hamilton? Yeah I get it's success in America and it's clever staging. I honestly don't think when the history books are written it will have turned out to be legendary in Britain. It is very American, for obvious reasons, and last time I was at the Victoria Palace, audience was mainly American tourists - they can see it here due to good availability and non Broadway prices. Slightly daft situation if you ask me but there you are.

And so I wait with baited breath for the triumphant comeback (I hate that word, it's a return) of the British musical. 

[Phantom of London]

Gosh I forgot about Love Story absolutely loved that.

Hamilton is vastly overrated.

[Deal J]

For me, the absolute top would be Shock Treatment for finally getting a stage version and for managing to improve on the original 1981 movie.

[theatregeek]

Nov 29, 2019 10:37:28 GMT @sharpe12 said:

Gosh - this thread would work much better for me if was best revivals/new versions from the last decade. As I have mainly been seeing JCS/Evita/Joseph/Miss Saigon and Les Mis. Company and Follies also great. And the new Starlight in Bochum. Woman In White was an intimate but great revival, ditto Aspects of Love. Mary Poppins another classic.

There has been loads of brand new stuff I have LIKED, very little I have LOVED. In fact the only one I have loved I can think of is Bat Out Of Hell. By no means a perfect musical, but the must absorbing two hours for me. And now & Juliet I am close to loving ;-)  

So it's actually I would say not been a great decade for new musicals at all, the revivals have it. All the American stuff leaves me luke warm at best. Jamie is the only British show that comes to mind that survived beyond a cast change (there MUST be others - help me someone!) which again I liked but had no desire to go back.

Am sorry Made In Dagenham didn't do better. And I loved Love Never Dies, but I appreciate that was just me lol.

Hamilton? Yeah I get it's success in America and it's clever staging. I honestly don't think when the history books are written it will have turned out to be legendary in Britain. It is very American, for obvious reasons, and last time I was at the Victoria Palace, audience was mainly American tourists - they can see it here due to good availability and non Broadway prices. Slightly daft situation if you ask me but there you are.

And so I wait with baited breath for the triumphant comeback (I hate that word, it's a return) of the British musical. 

I agree with so much of this. I still wonder why Made In Dagenham didn't do too well - loved it.

For me, the ones I have loved the most (revivals included) - and revisited - are...

42nd Street

Kinky Boots

Follies

Company

Book Of Mormon

Ghost

School Of Rock

Once

Seeing Dear Evan Hansen tomorrow - a tad wary with the comments on here.

I'm another one in the minority that got bored rigid by the second half of Hamilton, but we're all different!

[irisjeregenboog]

My vote for a mention in the top 10 would definitely go to The Book of Mormon. Otherwise, I've mostly seen revivals. Looking forward to someday experiencing what all the Hamilton talk is about

[Deleted]

Kinky Boots, Ghost, 42nd Street, 9 to 5, I also really enjoyed!

And I have remembered another one I loved - Here Lies Love at the Dorfman; that was brilliant!
I also loved (another revival) the St James'/tour of Rent.