WEBF Wishlist: Top 10…Broadway shows we need to transfer to the UK
Besties, I’m sure you know this about me by now, but I’m a little bit obsessed with Broadway. Before “The Blip”, I would spend my time saving up all of my money to go and see the latest shows and I’ve been fortunate enough to see some gems as well as getting obsessed with the cast recordings of the ones I couldn’t see (shakes fist at sky) so here, Besties, is my top 10 list (in no particular order) of shows that I think need to make the trip across the Atlantic.
Lysistrata Jones
I was lucky enough to catch this in previews, $20 student rush ticket, front and centre on Broadway… UNHEARD OF. Take the Greek play of ‘Lysistrata’ by Aristophanes, throw it into the modern era amongst basketball players and cheerleaders and you’ve got an effervescent 2.5hr show of laughter, tears and absolute bangers. This show was the ultimate surprise and has lived in my mind, rent free ever since, even making its way into the top 5 productions I have ever seen. We need a UK production Besties, it’s pure joy and its message is glorious. It also starred icon Patti Murin and you can hear her on the cast recording so you know it’s legit! Get listening. Despite a slew of great reviews, it was a casualty of a criminally short run. I say it’s time it gets the appreciation it deserves.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
Bonnie & Clyde
As I sat down, the usher handed me my playbill and said, and I quote: “It’s closing in two weeks and I hate it, enjoy”. Couldn’t have disagreed more if I tried. This account of one of America’s most famous pairs of criminals was jaw-dropping from start to finish. I mean, you had the power couple that was Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes steering the ship, could it get any better? To this day those performances stick in my head. A heart-breaking story about love and morality that we’ve come so close to having in the UK but never fully professionally staged. We all want it Besties, and if you haven’t heard these vocal powerhouses, do yourself a favour and listen. It may not have been a hit with Broadway critics and audiences, but this show has become somewhat of a cult classic we desperately need.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Jeffrey Richards Associates, Nathan Johnson
Next to Normal
I don’t think there’s a ‘Dream Broadway transfers’ list penned since 2009 that hasn’t involved this masterpiece. Centring on Diana, a mother who suffers from bi-polar, Next to Normal was a critical smash and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama when it premiered on Broadway, spawning quite the legacy. It seemed like a sure-fire transfer, but we’re all still waiting and wondering why it’s taking so long. It’s long been rumoured that various producers are sitting on the rights, but we just ask that we finally get the production we deserve. If you haven’t listened to this gorgeously moving rock musical Besties, it’s an urgent requirement.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
The Band’s Visit
This is one of those shows that had me engaged from start to finish, a beautiful still musical about the beauty of human conversation. Based on the film of the same name, it tells the story of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra who end up in the wrong city in Israel and so must stay for a night. The show explores the relationships that form between the members of the orchestra and the residents and how a seemingly simple conversation with a stranger can change everything. The show achieved critical acclaim winning 10 TONY Awards and is honestly beautiful from start to finish, Besties. We need it, so get listening and join the campaign train.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
The Prom
Another show I saw in previews and knew nothing about and came away changed. I’m not exaggerating here, The Prom was and is such an important show that highlights the struggles of the queer community and queer youth in an honest, real and uplifting way. The show crushed me and rebuilt me. I won’t forget the buzz of the audience on the way out and overhearing members of the elder generation openly talk about how the show made them aware of their previously ignorant views and also helped to change them. The show is a sensation, the film as I’m sure many of you have seen is a great adaptation, however for me, nothing will ever top the original - it just had something that can’t be bottled. So bring it on over I say!
Photo credit: Deen van Meer
Once On This Island
Although the UK is no stranger to this musical, having won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1995, what we need is a replica production of the 2017 Broadway revival. This show was a joyous cacophony of the celebration of nature. The story tells of an island girl who goes on an adventure assisted by the Gods. The production was in-the-round using sand as the base of the stage, incorporating rain and a pool representative of the sea. The show used live animals and felt wholly immersive as well as repurposing the litter that can be found in the sea and on the beach as costumes and shipping containers and sets commenting on the environmentalism issues our oceans are facing. It was a celebration of vocal beauty and joyous harmony. It’s a shoe in for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre or The Playhouse once it’s in its round configuration. Listen to the revival cast recording, be wowed by Alex Newell’s Osaka, and know it simply has to come here.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Besties, I’m definitely being biased here, its my favourite Disney film and whilst not technically on Broadway, I saw the opening preview at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey and my jaw was on the floor. We all know that the film score is unreal, and they’ve expanded upon it and taken it back to the book roots, so it’s much darker in tone which makes it far more interesting in its tackling of morality and religion. A travesty that it’s never made it to Broadway so Menken and Schwartz can win the TONY they truly deserve. Give the studio album a listen and be prepared to be blown away.
Photo credit: Matthew Murphy
AIDA
Disney Theatrical Production’s first show, not based on a movie but based on the opera, premiered on Broadway to acclaim 21 years ago and has still never made it across the pond. We’re begging for it, Besties! Its incredible score by Tim Rice and Elton John is full of some absolute bops and it presents such a powerful story that we’re simply livid we haven’t been presented with it yet. However, with an upcoming international tour confirmed, fingers crossed it won’t be long until it becomes our strongest suit.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
A New Brain
Another slight curveball as A New Brain never made it to Broadway, but William Finn’s almost autobiographical musical about a man’s struggle with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his brain premiered Off-Broadway to critical acclaim in the late 90s. We love this score Besties, its full of heart (and music) and we definitely want to see someone mount it over here. Why are they taking so long? I’m sure many of you are unfamiliar with this niche addition, but give a listen and you won’t be disappointed.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
Ooo let’s add one more for good measure.
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Besties, this 1997 Frank Wildhorn musical is one of my all-time favourites. Based on the infamous book about a masked English Nobleman who tries to free the innocent from the blade of the guillotine in revolutionary France, The Scarlet Pimpernel is full of soaring harmonies and gorgeous numbers. I still can’t believe it hasn’t had a UK premiere Besties, I really need this to happen, we deserve it.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
So, there we have it Besties! There’s the top 10 shows that the UK has yet to see and we think it’s high time we were given our stagey desires. We know there are plenty of others, so what production has the UK yet to see that you think we’re in desperate need for? Comment below, Besties.
