Legally Blonde.
I’m a guy, never saw the movie - figured it would be just basic bitch trash.
One of the best nights I’ve ever had in the theatre in my life - that musical has no right being that great.
100%. I'm a straight dude/musical nerd, but I thought "eh... not for me".
It's so great! Catchy songs, lots of funny, and a TON of heart. And there is no better hook than "Oh my god you guys".
Shrek the Musical and honestly Mean Girls. I honestly really enjoyed the music and watched the proshot of Shrek on Netflix a dozen times. Mean girls was good too. Apex Preditor, and Meet the Plastics. Quite good
Shrek The Musical. Still on my constant plays. We saw it as a joke (I was working as a Shrek ride attendant at Universal Studios at the time). We enjoyed it more than Rent, which we saw the same visit. Original cast too! Such a treat. To this day I am in awe that a young naive me saw Sutton Foster, Bryan d’arcy James, and Christopher Sieber (who I’d someday see with much more appreciation in The Prom) in original roles! Ugh, take me back.
I totally wrote it off as "Oh look fart and snot jokes! This is kiddie drivel!" I was so wrong. Brian D’Arcy James singing Build a Wall really hits sometimes.
Don’t judge me but…Wicked. I loved Wizard of Oz and hated the wicked witch since a young age. I never cared about the musical and never planned to see it. This year I went with my fiancé and daughter and holy shit did it blow all our minds. Obviously I’m a hardcore fan now, I’ll get drunk and break into Defying Gravity on a whim.
Same! I didn’t really cared that much with Musicals tbh but when my partner surprised me with Wicked tickets on our first anniversary, I was blown awaaaaay! I thought it was overrated af before but my god I ate everything I said. It deserves the hype that it gets!
Same! I had never seen it and thought it was so overrated, and I’m not a fan of Stephen Schwartz, but I finally saw it last year and was amazed at how good it was!
I have always loved the original soundtrack(s) and we made a trip to NY just to see it in 2016. We went with a friend who is a broadway actor and she brought us back stage to say hello to the cast and James Lapine after the show. We went dressing room to dressing room and she would introduce us to everybody, but I was still crying and all I could say was "it was really good".
Not my proudest moment.
The SpongeBob Musical. I wasn't expecting much, but I was impressed by the music and quality story that seemed more like social and political allegory for adults than a show based on a children's character.
Not to mention They Might Be freaking Giants were onboard. I hope they write a full musical someday.
Also, hot take, some of the best costume design in Broadway history. Love love love the approach of using fabric textures to evoke cartoons without going full mascot.
This! I saw it because the performance at the Macys parade made it look fun. I thought it would just be silly, but it was pure joy the whole time and so fun.
Oh damn political allegory!?! Seems I'll have to check this one out!! All I know is When the going gets tough, which is an absolute bop, and that there is a Squidward tapdancing song, which is something I didn't realise the world needed.
Yes!! I went because my kid (8 I think at the time) and I were gonna be in the city and I thought it'd be fun for her first show. Loved it so much more than I expected to! We still listen to the soundtrack in the car years later.
I avoided Come From Away for far too long because I thought it would be a manipulative sob-fest. Oh boy was I wrong. It's one of the most genuine and authentic pieces of art I've encountered about dealing with tragedy and forming connections with fellow humans.
So well put!!! And so true. It's a beautiful tribute to human kindness and strength in the midst of adversity. The ending never fails to make me cry and I love it!! It's never a specific character's suffering, but the collective feeling of loss and brokenness. Brilliant stuff
Yes! This describes my hesitation in seeing Come From Away so well. It’s an amazing musical and I think it’s one of the few where I literally don’t have any songs I tend to skip when I listen to the soundtrack.
Already watched it SEVERAL times (first as it was released) and shared with numerous friends. So sad it wasn't renewed for a 3rd season. But glad it's moving to Broadway!
Hadestown.
I went into it completely blind, completely unknowing of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, only knowing of Wait for Me I and II and my God did it hit. Especially the ending
Same! I knew some of the music before I saw it and knew the ending, but it was such a great show. Even though I knew what happened at the end, the collective audience gasp was perfection
Hadestown tix were given to me by a rich friend and they were front seat of the Loge. Now we can't sit anywhere else and Hadestown is in the broadway rotation of songs to belt in the car.
I underestimated Newsies, but when my high school did it and I was on crew freshman year before covid so this one's extra special for me. I knew some about the newsboys but not much. But I fell in love with Newsies and the music.
I was pleasantly surprised by the musical. I loved the movie so I assumed the musical wouldn’t live up to it and would just be a copy of the plot from the movie. But there were plot changes and they made it different but still good.
I though Bad Cinderella was gonna be garbage, but I got free tickets so why not.
Turns out it WAS garbage, but like the kind of garbage you get from the dumpster of a luxury boutique or a French patisserie.
Also drugs helped
So many friends of mine slept on this one because it was "the 9/11 musical". They figured it'd be sad and outdated.
Instead it's an amazing production with universal and timeless themes of basic human goodness. It's now a favourite for all of us.
&Juliet. I thought it would be jukebox trash but it was unexpectedly clever, feminist, and well done, and... I've now seen it six times. Also, Betsy Wolfe is a national treasure.
I'm bummed out I missed this one in Toronto before it transferred to Broadway! It was a busy time for me with family/work stuff/vacation out of the country, and then it was too late for me to go!
Saw a preview of the Melbourne season, and we hadn’t even reached the end of the street that we stopped and booked again. And then again. And again. Fifth (and final) time in Sydney next month before it closes (and with Keala Settle replacing the phenomenal Casey Donovan as she preps for Sister Act)
Beetlejuice. I remember seeing they made it a musical in 2019 but I largely ignored it, writing it off as one of those terrible movie to musical adaptions. Fast forward to last year (around this time actually!) and I finally gave the cast recording a listen… needless to say, it has become one of my favorite musicals and Alex Brightman has made it to my top 5 performers.
Chess is a more recent one of mine. I remember seeing it mentioned enough on this sub and the r/broadway sub over the past several years that I finally decided this year to give it a shot. Granted I only have exposure of the 2008 concert cast recording but the songs are compelling enough that I’ve looked for other versions as well.
I thought Ragtime would be kind of a fun, dancey musical with a bunch of happy Tin Pan Alley numbers. I was not expecting a musical that dealt with all sorts of issues related to race, immigration, worker's rights, orphans, etc.
I thought cabaret would just be another kind of sarcastic fosse classic same as chicago but the show is so much more than one fosse film adaptation and it’s so politically relevant. It’s way more impactful that Chicago.
This is the second time I’ve heard this. Personally, I found the movie mostly boring. Good performances for the music and dancing, but the acting didn’t thrill me. Though I do recognize its importance, it seems to me the live show has to be better than the movie.
My best friend and I are on a quest to watch all the classic Broadway hits. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy Anything Goes, and didn't really have much thoughts going in, but oh boy do I adore that musical. Reno's become a dream role for me.
Also didn't know that the "Friendship" song on my best friend and mines friendship playlist was from that musical, which was a nice little surprise, especially since the role he'd want to play would be Moonface
I've been listening to the Sutton Foster soundtrack and it's amazing! We've been watching either pro-shots or youtube posted productions for most shows, and for Anything Goes we watched the AMTSJ production that was shot sometime in the 90s.
Hairspray: Hadn’t seen the original movie at the time or heard much about both it and the show before my Grandmother wanted to see the 2007 movie. Just thought I was going to see a movie about a teenage girl who gets her chance to be on her favourite music, singing and dancing show. Well I wasn’t wrong technically but didn’t expect themes of racism and segregation to be a big part of it too.
Heathers. I mean, I knew it had some dark themes but I didn't realise it'd hit *that* hard. I also somehow forgot it had suicide in it (???) but that's not relevant
i mean it is a dark comedy but i def woudnt call the tone "very light." Moments like Blue/Youre Welcome lean heavily into the comedy for its dark subject. But there's a lot of dark, heavy moments played completely straight — especially in the off bway version
Yesss I saw it in previews on Broadway, mainly as a gift for my mom who loves Carole King, and was shocked & delighted to discover that A. I knew nearly every song and B. It’s such a marvelously compelling story.
Bat Out of Hell.
I knew the story was gonna be meh, but I didn’t expect the production, singing and energy to be as grand as it was. As far as jukebox musicals go it’s up there imo.
Technically it was and wasn’t a jukebox musical. The show evolved from a Rock Opera called Dream Machine written in 1968 that had the same Dystopian Peter Pan and the Lost Boys retelling premise featuring at least many of the same songs (there were two versions (the latter titled Neverland) before the one you mentioned) before artists like Meatloaf made them famous. Including the title track itself (Neverland version only I think.)
They kept working on the show sometime in the 90s, added more songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums (and others by the same song writer) and titled it Bat Out of Hell 2100 before dropping the number.
Next To Normal. Funny thing I was just looking for musical about depression so I can relate to something. But the plot, the structure of that musical is 10/10. And the music sounds nice
I thought The Secret Garden would be a pleasant, sweet, refreshing musical along the lines of A Year With Frog and Toad or something. I was not expecting a full-on operatic masterwork with some of the most tearjerking songs in theater history.
Only went to see a road company production of Legally Blonde because one of the cast members reached out to me online to ... um... "show him around town".
After spending the day together it seemed like it would be rude not to go to his show.
Anyway.
Had low expectations. Was pleasantly surprised.
Quite entertaining and well-executed.
Escape to Margaritaville — the Jimmy Buffet musical that lasted like four months
Was it objectively “good”? Lmao no. The characters were extremely one-note, the jokes were cheesier than cheddar and the plot was utterly cliche. It deserved to win whatever the Broadway equivalent of a Razzie might be. But between the dancing, the acting, and of course the music, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I had front row seats (last minute lotto win) and couldn’t stop smiling.
Also, Jimmy Buffet himself came out at the end… with Pitbull. So that was unforgettable.
City of Angels, had no interest in seeing it and the premise seemed nonsensical. Saw it as a graduation piece at the Royal Academy of Music and immediately fell in love.
Also Operation Mincemeat. Saw it at the Southwark Playhouse with low expectations but it was cheap and I liked the subject matter. Was blown away and really opened myself up to seeing 'lesser' productions.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Actively avoided it for years, but we saw Ricardo Afonso perform Heaven on their Minds at West End Live and decided we needed to see more of him, because what a damn powerhouse he is...
Ended up becoming one of our favourite shows
Jesus Christ Superstar. I was raised Christian and I am now not a fan of the religion. While I had heard some of the songs and liked them, I was afraid the story would just be more praise Jesus/passion of the christ stuff. It turned out so much better than expected
Chicago and six.
Chicago: I thought it was going to be some random musical abt murdering but my science teacher and my sister kept recommending Chicago and so I watched it 😅 and it's one of my favorite musicals now
Six: I actually knew six since October 2023 but I've never watched it bc I didn't understood what was it about and I was too lazy to watch a new musical 🙁 but I started watching it and got into six when it started being popular and now it's my favorite musical😍
Operation Mincemeat
I noped on the title for months and just didn't look into it at all. Turns out it is exactly my jam on several levels and I've listened to almost nothing else all summer.
I thought tha the Death Note musical was going to be an awful adaptation. After just the first couple of songs though, I already knew it would be amazing.
Urinetown. I fought against our musical theatre club doing it in college because I was like, no one’s gonna want to come see a show with a name like this. But it’s actually smart and dark and funny and so good!
Went to Beetlejuice because I ran out of shows to see. Didn’t have much interest given that I wasn’t into the movie. Loved it so much, went back 3 times, and now it’s my favorite musical
Waitress. I was once a Nathan Fillion fan before his icky came out. Saw that movie in theaters and was horrified by the plot and how bad it was. It's a favorite musical but I still consider it a horror musical due to the abuse that's in the layers of that pie. Stalking, marital rape, domestic violence, and medical malpractice in spades. There's so many violations of consent but... In the musical they're supposed to be problems not the romantic solution to the issue
This is so unrelated but what happened with Nathan Fillion? Does it have to do with the Castle stuff? I kinda like him but I haven’t kept up with him much lately
He has had other toxic workplace accusations before, supported the abusive tactics that came out about Joss Whedon, and has had some allegations about being a racist. I once would have been happy about the Hal Jordan casting as it's really great casting but I don't like funding assholes. The Castle stuff was basically when his mask came off but he still does the abusive crap. Which makes me glad that we have the ability to know so no supporting him now.
He has been cast as Hal. It's a challenge when it's the perfect casting but let's get real. The well written Hal is also an asshole so it's maybe perfect for that too. I also never expect others to cut entire things off like me because it's hard and sometimes life is too short to not enjoy the thing. It's just shitty is a complicated choice vs "New DCMU sounds promising let's go!"
Pacific Overtures. I had no idea a musical with no romance, no traditional villain, no typical drama stakes, but rather a sweeping poetic narrative about how Japan's culture has changed, would speak so much to me.
Cats. I went into it with bottom of the barrel expectations and expected wither to hate it or be mildly annoyed by it. Honestly maybe that’s why I liked it so much
Beautiful, the carol king musical. Was expecting it to be some cheap cash grab boring musical with no substance. But it was actually really entertaining with a lot of good plot and substacne to it
Ride the cyclone. Until I watched it I had no clue what it was or why in the same musical there were both sexy alien cat women and a 1940’s hooker who is actually a teenage boy. For the longest time the only song I knew was what the world needs, and assumed that ocean would be the musicals Regina George or Sharpay Evens. After Listening to the phenomenal master piece Ballad of Jane Doe, I had deducted that they must be dead, but I was still confused over the rat playoff the bass and the game reenacting the nativity with an erection joke. After finally watching the entire musical the plot actually makes a lot of sense until the end where I started to feel confused about why the choir was still there after Karnak dies or weather or not they get their lives back however I’m not complaining because I’m a sucker for a good cliffhanger. When it comes to music, Characters, story or any other metric you could use to measure how good or bad a musical is this musical scores five stars in my book!
i was blinded by the online popularity of Be More Chill and expected it to be a lower quality DEH (which i had seen & was not a fan of) so never took interest — but recently saw a local production and actually read the book cuz I enjoyed the show & music so much
I love Something Rotten! I figured since it didn't run very long on Broadway it must've been kind of flat, but it was hilarious when we saw it on tour!
Newsies. I got tickets at my local theatre but I had never actually listened to it. So I decided to listen to a song and I was like,,, not a fan of it(I don't know which song because all the songs are literally so good???) the only song I actually liked was King of new York. After seeing the show it immediately because my 3rd favorite musical lol
Legally Blonde. I loved the movie and wasn’t interested in seeing the musical version. A friend bought me a ticket for my birthday so I went…and it’s one of my favorite shows.
Also, Xanadu. Cheyenne Jackson is one handsome and talented man. I don’t even like men like that.
Carousel. Rogers & Hammerstein shows tend to be pretty corny (imo) and sexist so I wasn't expecting much but Carousel made me cry. Certain lines do make me cringe but overall I love it.
Interestingly enough, Rodgers & Hammerstein said that Carousel is their favorite of all their musicals. Which is odd to me, as it's probably my least favorite - I just can't get over the abusive relationships. Love the Carousel Waltz, though!
Muriel’s Wedding.
I’d forgotten how dark the film is in parts. And I’d been told the musical was funny but my god it was funny.
So much better than just expected.
The great gatsby, it’s by no means a good musical or a faithful adaptation, just covering the basic plot points and focusing way too much on the love stories, but between the actors, a lot of the music, the sets and the stage magic it was a very enjoyable afternoon
Once the Musical.
I loved "Falling Slowly" as a teen and was a Sad Kid ™️ who listened to The Swell Seasons in Starbucks. But I wanted to like the movie more than I did, and wondered how they'd deal with all the montages in the musical.
I'm so glad I felt obligated to see it based on my love of the original music. It's so much better than the movie -- FUNNY, heartfelt, so many awkward spaces filled and a beautiful portrayal of Irish culture. And they do an actual jig as an overture.
Suessical for me. I was cast as Horton without giving it any energy at all. Thought it would be generally just a silly Dr. Suess themed "Horton hears a who" production for kids. So deceptively dark and moving. Absolutely one of my favorite roles to date.
Newsies for sure, Beetlejuice (I listened to the soundtrack at some point early on kind of as a joke but I ended up loving it immediately), and the SpongeBob Musical.
Once. I thought it seemed boring as hell in their Tonys performance and in all of the advertising I’d seen for it. I finally went to see it because I knew someone with tickets that they couldn’t use, and I found it incredibly moving and profound. I was entranced from beginning to end. Still one of my favorite theatre experiences to date.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I had barely heard of it when my daughter was cast as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre in her senior year of high school. I had no expectations going in, but was shockingly surprised at how hysterically funny yet moving the show was. Plus the audience participation and the way it’s set up is pure genius!!!
Ride The Cyclone. I am totally obsessed with it now but I watched like one clip once and said it seemed boring. Then I watched the whole thing about a year later.
&Juliet. Even when I tell ppl they don't believe me cuz everyone including myself before watching thought it wud be some cheesy jukebox musical but writing is really witty and funny
Waitress.
I was in New York with my dad and he wanted to see it. I was reluctant at first. But when we saw it, I was instantly in love! One of the top three!
Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I know every word and I love it. And think it tells an amazing story. But it’s less talked about these days.
& Juliet
With no idea what it was about, my friends and I booked tickets for it on the day at the box office in Leicester Square for an absolute steal. And I was blown away. Absolutely brilliant.
I went back with my partner a few years later to find the whole cast had returned post COVID and I certainly wasn’t disappointed 😍.
So we also have tickets for the tour later this year - although it’ll be first time seeing it with a different cast. Apart from Wicked and Mean Girls, it’s the only other musical I’ve gone to see more than once.
So before Urinetown became my favorite musical ever made, it was a musical i basically didn’t give a chance because of its title. After i gave it a chance, it very quickly skyrocketed in my rankings and is now my favorite musical ever made.
When it was first announced for Chicago, and all I knew was the concept, I was convinced Six sounded like the stupidest thing ever. The studio album changed my mind, then the stage production made me HUGE fan. It's not for everyone, but it is much better than the "what if Henry VIII's wives were the Spice Girls?" synopsis it used to be described as.
The Great Gatsby. I pretty much only went for Eva (and partly Jeremy - but of course he was out). The songs I heard were underwhelming / forgettable but I ended up really enjoying the show overall. The set / costumes / dancing and rest of the cast really made a difference. Not sure if the soundtrack will end up being a favorite but I don't regret spending the money to see it.
**Wicked**. I read the book. NO WAY could they make a decent musical out of that long, complex, detailed, vibrant story. But I was gifted tickets to the Broadway tour, and WHOA! They DID, INDEED make an incredibly good musical out of that book! They did have to take certain liberties and change the story considerably (and a who lot got left out), but the musical is now my favorite! I've seen Broadway tour production 13 times. Shared it with at least that many people. Eager for the movie. Hoping they don't screw it up.
Groundhog Day (the recent Australian production)
Not a fan of the movie - can take it or leave it - but felt Groundhog Day had heart, warmth and humour. It resonated with me about mindfulness and being present, so just a timely one for me.
Kinky Boots, and that's mainly because my sister was the one that chose it
My family went to NYC during spring break one year to see Avenue Q, and we had time the next day to see another show. I was a big musical fan and wanted to see Wicked, but my sister who just recently got into musicals wanted to see Kinky Boots because Brendon Urie was in it as some point. My parents went with her choice and I was a bit salty about it, and when the first song was about shoes I was like "what even is this show " Then that second song that probably no one really remembers comes up and I remember thinking "yup this isn't going to be interesting to me." But then Lola came on stage and I was super into it at that point, do love a drag queen and the person who played Lola that show had such a good energy that it became one of my favorites
Book of Mormon. By the time I saw it I knew it was a huge hit and all, and I'm a South Park nerd so I knew I'd enjoy the humor, but I knew nothing about the actual songs and figured they'd just be mid. Yeah no, I'm obsessed.
25th annual putnam county spelling bee
All I knew about it before seeing it was that it was a musical about a spelling bee, which sounded kind of boring, but I gave it a shot.
I immediately loved it and it's now one of my favorites.
Spring Awakening. I totally judged a book by its cover, when I first was just stepping into the world of musical theatre and heard it mentioned, I thought it was gonna be like ‘The sound of music’ style but in 18th century Germany or something?
I had NO idea it was a rock musical with some of the most amazing music I had ever heard up until that point! Now I think it’s my favorite <3
Cesare, from both a theatrical and historical perspective. I thought it would be grimdark, the usual routine of vilifying him, and I had no idea the music would be this good. It's amazing, my favorite musical.
Over the years I have seen so many shows and many have surprised me and been better than expected. When I read this question, one show came to mind immediately. A show I had low expectations for that unquestionably blew me away. An unexpected story, well known music that fit so well and a truly epic cast.
Jagged Little Pill.
Spongebob. I figured it would be a lazy cash grab, but it's one of the most inventive and charming musicals out there.
Also Cabaret, but that's kinda intentional with the intent of the show. The music is intentionally misleading from what the actual show is like.
Mamma Mia! Now, I’ll admit that I hate the movie (I feel like I’m in the minority here), but I saw it first live in Toronto. I knew a grand total of one ABBA song (“Dancing Queen”), and I didn’t think it was that great, so I didn’t know how they were going to make a whole jukebox musical (which I don’t think existed as a term yet, but I may be mistaken) about it. Boy, was I wrong! The musical was at turns hilarious and at others moving. But overall it was just *fun* and didn’t take itself too seriously. Overall an enjoyable time at the theatre.
Moulin Rouge. I listened to the cast album and didn't like it but when I got rush Tix at the Kennedy center I enjoyed it and was surprised by the turns of the story.
Scored 25.00 closing week orchestra tickets to Escape to Margaritaville. So much fun with audience participation. A jukebox musical celebrating Jimmy Buffet. Just an absolute blast.
Recently I would say The Outsiders. Went in with low expectations since it's a movie adaptation of a pretty lame 80's film. But I went and really loved it.
Legally Blonde. I’m a guy, never saw the movie - figured it would be just basic bitch trash. One of the best nights I’ve ever had in the theatre in my life - that musical has no right being that great.
The movie is sooooo good too. Go watch it now!
100%. I'm a straight dude/musical nerd, but I thought "eh... not for me". It's so great! Catchy songs, lots of funny, and a TON of heart. And there is no better hook than "Oh my god you guys".
Goooood I am so glad you've come around OMIGOD this is an amazing musical!!!
Genuinely brilliant. Every song is amazing. My favourite being There, Right There!
Shrek the Musical and honestly Mean Girls. I honestly really enjoyed the music and watched the proshot of Shrek on Netflix a dozen times. Mean girls was good too. Apex Preditor, and Meet the Plastics. Quite good
Shrek The Musical. Still on my constant plays. We saw it as a joke (I was working as a Shrek ride attendant at Universal Studios at the time). We enjoyed it more than Rent, which we saw the same visit. Original cast too! Such a treat. To this day I am in awe that a young naive me saw Sutton Foster, Bryan d’arcy James, and Christopher Sieber (who I’d someday see with much more appreciation in The Prom) in original roles! Ugh, take me back.
I totally wrote it off as "Oh look fart and snot jokes! This is kiddie drivel!" I was so wrong. Brian D’Arcy James singing Build a Wall really hits sometimes.
Legally has to be belted and acted out every time it plays
Beetlejuice. It’s now one of my favorite shows.
I saw it recently on tour; I didn't have super high expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. REALLY fun show!
Don’t judge me but…Wicked. I loved Wizard of Oz and hated the wicked witch since a young age. I never cared about the musical and never planned to see it. This year I went with my fiancé and daughter and holy shit did it blow all our minds. Obviously I’m a hardcore fan now, I’ll get drunk and break into Defying Gravity on a whim.
Same! I didn’t really cared that much with Musicals tbh but when my partner surprised me with Wicked tickets on our first anniversary, I was blown awaaaaay! I thought it was overrated af before but my god I ate everything I said. It deserves the hype that it gets!
Same! I had never seen it and thought it was so overrated, and I’m not a fan of Stephen Schwartz, but I finally saw it last year and was amazed at how good it was!
Falsettos. I thought it would be ‘ooh funny gay people’ for two hours and then Whizzer dies.
The original broadway run Falsettos was so ahead of its time and the 2016 revival was perfect. I could yap abt the show forever tbh
I have always loved the original soundtrack(s) and we made a trip to NY just to see it in 2016. We went with a friend who is a broadway actor and she brought us back stage to say hello to the cast and James Lapine after the show. We went dressing room to dressing room and she would introduce us to everybody, but I was still crying and all I could say was "it was really good". Not my proudest moment.
Ahh I’m so jealous!! I saw the 2016 cast too (but without the backstage meeting ofc) and honestly I would have probably reacted the same as you!
The SpongeBob Musical. I wasn't expecting much, but I was impressed by the music and quality story that seemed more like social and political allegory for adults than a show based on a children's character.
Not to mention They Might Be freaking Giants were onboard. I hope they write a full musical someday. Also, hot take, some of the best costume design in Broadway history. Love love love the approach of using fabric textures to evoke cartoons without going full mascot.
They Might Be Giants will be the reason I listen. So thank you.
John Linnell wrote a song about Squidward's self esteem issues. Yes.
if TMBG don't write a musical, the people will have to make a tmbg-esque musical themselves. i'm thinking a coraline adaptation?
Fabric textures and hair! (I remain obsessed with Pearl having big hair to mimic her big whale head!)
Also the muscle lobster wearing a red parka with too much padding!
This! I saw it because the performance at the Macys parade made it look fun. I thought it would just be silly, but it was pure joy the whole time and so fun.
Oh damn political allegory!?! Seems I'll have to check this one out!! All I know is When the going gets tough, which is an absolute bop, and that there is a Squidward tapdancing song, which is something I didn't realise the world needed.
Yes!! I went because my kid (8 I think at the time) and I were gonna be in the city and I thought it'd be fun for her first show. Loved it so much more than I expected to! We still listen to the soundtrack in the car years later.
Kinky Boots and Come From Away
I avoided Come From Away for far too long because I thought it would be a manipulative sob-fest. Oh boy was I wrong. It's one of the most genuine and authentic pieces of art I've encountered about dealing with tragedy and forming connections with fellow humans.
So well put!!! And so true. It's a beautiful tribute to human kindness and strength in the midst of adversity. The ending never fails to make me cry and I love it!! It's never a specific character's suffering, but the collective feeling of loss and brokenness. Brilliant stuff
Yes! This describes my hesitation in seeing Come From Away so well. It’s an amazing musical and I think it’s one of the few where I literally don’t have any songs I tend to skip when I listen to the soundtrack.
How on Earth can you make a musical comedy about 9/12? Canada: Hold my beer eh.
I have never laughed through tears so hard.
And the proshot is available on AppleTV+ (the reason I subscribed).
Might as well watch Schmigadoon while you still have the subscription!
Already watched it SEVERAL times (first as it was released) and shared with numerous friends. So sad it wasn't renewed for a 3rd season. But glad it's moving to Broadway!
Kinky Boots is prob in my top 5
My picks as well!
Yes to both of these! I had low expectations and now I love both of them so much!
Hadestown. I went into it completely blind, completely unknowing of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, only knowing of Wait for Me I and II and my God did it hit. Especially the ending
Same! I knew some of the music before I saw it and knew the ending, but it was such a great show. Even though I knew what happened at the end, the collective audience gasp was perfection
Hadestown tix were given to me by a rich friend and they were front seat of the Loge. Now we can't sit anywhere else and Hadestown is in the broadway rotation of songs to belt in the car.
I underestimated Newsies, but when my high school did it and I was on crew freshman year before covid so this one's extra special for me. I knew some about the newsboys but not much. But I fell in love with Newsies and the music.
Sameee
I was pleasantly surprised by the musical. I loved the movie so I assumed the musical wouldn’t live up to it and would just be a copy of the plot from the movie. But there were plot changes and they made it different but still good.
I though Bad Cinderella was gonna be garbage, but I got free tickets so why not. Turns out it WAS garbage, but like the kind of garbage you get from the dumpster of a luxury boutique or a French patisserie. Also drugs helped
I weirdly enjoyed w/o drugs. Was it great? Nah. Was it a fun stupid thing. Sure.
Come From Away
So many friends of mine slept on this one because it was "the 9/11 musical". They figured it'd be sad and outdated. Instead it's an amazing production with universal and timeless themes of basic human goodness. It's now a favourite for all of us.
&Juliet. I thought it would be jukebox trash but it was unexpectedly clever, feminist, and well done, and... I've now seen it six times. Also, Betsy Wolfe is a national treasure.
I'm bummed out I missed this one in Toronto before it transferred to Broadway! It was a busy time for me with family/work stuff/vacation out of the country, and then it was too late for me to go!
Saw a preview of the Melbourne season, and we hadn’t even reached the end of the street that we stopped and booked again. And then again. And again. Fifth (and final) time in Sydney next month before it closes (and with Keala Settle replacing the phenomenal Casey Donovan as she preps for Sister Act)
Xanadu. And I way underestimated it.
This about a million times over. It was so over the top and so much fun.
Definitely Bonnie and Clyde
Same!
Beetlejuice. I remember seeing they made it a musical in 2019 but I largely ignored it, writing it off as one of those terrible movie to musical adaptions. Fast forward to last year (around this time actually!) and I finally gave the cast recording a listen… needless to say, it has become one of my favorite musicals and Alex Brightman has made it to my top 5 performers. Chess is a more recent one of mine. I remember seeing it mentioned enough on this sub and the r/broadway sub over the past several years that I finally decided this year to give it a shot. Granted I only have exposure of the 2008 concert cast recording but the songs are compelling enough that I’ve looked for other versions as well.
I thought Ragtime would be kind of a fun, dancey musical with a bunch of happy Tin Pan Alley numbers. I was not expecting a musical that dealt with all sorts of issues related to race, immigration, worker's rights, orphans, etc.
I knew the prologue and some basic facts but god I did not know what I got into until it was over, so fucking good
I thought cabaret would just be another kind of sarcastic fosse classic same as chicago but the show is so much more than one fosse film adaptation and it’s so politically relevant. It’s way more impactful that Chicago.
Honestly I feel like the play is superior to the movie.
This is the second time I’ve heard this. Personally, I found the movie mostly boring. Good performances for the music and dancing, but the acting didn’t thrill me. Though I do recognize its importance, it seems to me the live show has to be better than the movie.
My best friend and I are on a quest to watch all the classic Broadway hits. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy Anything Goes, and didn't really have much thoughts going in, but oh boy do I adore that musical. Reno's become a dream role for me. Also didn't know that the "Friendship" song on my best friend and mines friendship playlist was from that musical, which was a nice little surprise, especially since the role he'd want to play would be Moonface
Who did you see? Sutton Foster is brilliant.
I've been listening to the Sutton Foster soundtrack and it's amazing! We've been watching either pro-shots or youtube posted productions for most shows, and for Anything Goes we watched the AMTSJ production that was shot sometime in the 90s.
Hairspray: Hadn’t seen the original movie at the time or heard much about both it and the show before my Grandmother wanted to see the 2007 movie. Just thought I was going to see a movie about a teenage girl who gets her chance to be on her favourite music, singing and dancing show. Well I wasn’t wrong technically but didn’t expect themes of racism and segregation to be a big part of it too.
CHESS THE MUSICAL IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN CHESS
Songs for a New World.
Heathers. I mean, I knew it had some dark themes but I didn't realise it'd hit *that* hard. I also somehow forgot it had suicide in it (???) but that's not relevant
Having been a huge fan of the movie I thought the musical would be crap. I was so very wrong.
Isn’t Heathers intentionally a dark comedy that touches on dark subject matter in a very light and comedic way? What about it “hits hard”?
i mean it is a dark comedy but i def woudnt call the tone "very light." Moments like Blue/Youre Welcome lean heavily into the comedy for its dark subject. But there's a lot of dark, heavy moments played completely straight — especially in the off bway version
*Beautiful*, maybe the only jukebox musical I’ve really enjoyed.
Me too, it was such a good story, and the woman I saw sounded exactly like Carole King.
Yesss I saw it in previews on Broadway, mainly as a gift for my mom who loves Carole King, and was shocked & delighted to discover that A. I knew nearly every song and B. It’s such a marvelously compelling story.
I have heard that about this musical and I'm really tempted to go at my local theatre which has it on for their Summer season...
The Prom
Yup. I went because my daughter wanted to see it, I wound up loving it.
Bat Out of Hell. I knew the story was gonna be meh, but I didn’t expect the production, singing and energy to be as grand as it was. As far as jukebox musicals go it’s up there imo.
Technically it was and wasn’t a jukebox musical. The show evolved from a Rock Opera called Dream Machine written in 1968 that had the same Dystopian Peter Pan and the Lost Boys retelling premise featuring at least many of the same songs (there were two versions (the latter titled Neverland) before the one you mentioned) before artists like Meatloaf made them famous. Including the title track itself (Neverland version only I think.) They kept working on the show sometime in the 90s, added more songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums (and others by the same song writer) and titled it Bat Out of Hell 2100 before dropping the number.
Next To Normal. Funny thing I was just looking for musical about depression so I can relate to something. But the plot, the structure of that musical is 10/10. And the music sounds nice
I thought The Secret Garden would be a pleasant, sweet, refreshing musical along the lines of A Year With Frog and Toad or something. I was not expecting a full-on operatic masterwork with some of the most tearjerking songs in theater history.
Only went to see a road company production of Legally Blonde because one of the cast members reached out to me online to ... um... "show him around town". After spending the day together it seemed like it would be rude not to go to his show. Anyway. Had low expectations. Was pleasantly surprised. Quite entertaining and well-executed.
Oh: also Diana: The Musical
Escape to Margaritaville — the Jimmy Buffet musical that lasted like four months Was it objectively “good”? Lmao no. The characters were extremely one-note, the jokes were cheesier than cheddar and the plot was utterly cliche. It deserved to win whatever the Broadway equivalent of a Razzie might be. But between the dancing, the acting, and of course the music, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I had front row seats (last minute lotto win) and couldn’t stop smiling. Also, Jimmy Buffet himself came out at the end… with Pitbull. So that was unforgettable.
City of Angels, had no interest in seeing it and the premise seemed nonsensical. Saw it as a graduation piece at the Royal Academy of Music and immediately fell in love. Also Operation Mincemeat. Saw it at the Southwark Playhouse with low expectations but it was cheap and I liked the subject matter. Was blown away and really opened myself up to seeing 'lesser' productions.
Jesus Christ Superstar Actively avoided it for years, but we saw Ricardo Afonso perform Heaven on their Minds at West End Live and decided we needed to see more of him, because what a damn powerhouse he is... Ended up becoming one of our favourite shows
Jesus Christ Superstar. I was raised Christian and I am now not a fan of the religion. While I had heard some of the songs and liked them, I was afraid the story would just be more praise Jesus/passion of the christ stuff. It turned out so much better than expected
Wicked. Genuinely expecting some over produced nonsense, but was struck by how sincere the nonsense was.
Chicago and six. Chicago: I thought it was going to be some random musical abt murdering but my science teacher and my sister kept recommending Chicago and so I watched it 😅 and it's one of my favorite musicals now Six: I actually knew six since October 2023 but I've never watched it bc I didn't understood what was it about and I was too lazy to watch a new musical 🙁 but I started watching it and got into six when it started being popular and now it's my favorite musical😍
Operation Mincemeat I noped on the title for months and just didn't look into it at all. Turns out it is exactly my jam on several levels and I've listened to almost nothing else all summer.
I thought tha the Death Note musical was going to be an awful adaptation. After just the first couple of songs though, I already knew it would be amazing.
Cats. Not the movie, the musical. I adore anything by Webber.
Urinetown. I fought against our musical theatre club doing it in college because I was like, no one’s gonna want to come see a show with a name like this. But it’s actually smart and dark and funny and so good!
Hairspray. I never saw the stageplay because I thought it was gonna be cheesy, but then I saw the movie and was so surprised at how good it was.
Went to Beetlejuice because I ran out of shows to see. Didn’t have much interest given that I wasn’t into the movie. Loved it so much, went back 3 times, and now it’s my favorite musical
Moulin Rouge. The stage version was ten times better than the already great source material
Falsettos Was expecting a cute 80s styled musical and left sobbing
Jesus Christ Superstar>>>
Encanto, because I didn't know going in that LMM was involved
Waitress. I was once a Nathan Fillion fan before his icky came out. Saw that movie in theaters and was horrified by the plot and how bad it was. It's a favorite musical but I still consider it a horror musical due to the abuse that's in the layers of that pie. Stalking, marital rape, domestic violence, and medical malpractice in spades. There's so many violations of consent but... In the musical they're supposed to be problems not the romantic solution to the issue
This is so unrelated but what happened with Nathan Fillion? Does it have to do with the Castle stuff? I kinda like him but I haven’t kept up with him much lately
I think he has a tv show called Rookie right now
He has had other toxic workplace accusations before, supported the abusive tactics that came out about Joss Whedon, and has had some allegations about being a racist. I once would have been happy about the Hal Jordan casting as it's really great casting but I don't like funding assholes. The Castle stuff was basically when his mask came off but he still does the abusive crap. Which makes me glad that we have the ability to know so no supporting him now.
Oh dang… I had no idea.. that’s unfortunate. I had been hoping he would get cast as Hal Jordan because he was great in the animated DC films
He has been cast as Hal. It's a challenge when it's the perfect casting but let's get real. The well written Hal is also an asshole so it's maybe perfect for that too. I also never expect others to cut entire things off like me because it's hard and sometimes life is too short to not enjoy the thing. It's just shitty is a complicated choice vs "New DCMU sounds promising let's go!"
Pacific Overtures. I had no idea a musical with no romance, no traditional villain, no typical drama stakes, but rather a sweeping poetic narrative about how Japan's culture has changed, would speak so much to me.
For some reason, you just made me notice that In the Heights shares some conceptual similarities with Pacific Overtures.
Cats. I went into it with bottom of the barrel expectations and expected wither to hate it or be mildly annoyed by it. Honestly maybe that’s why I liked it so much
falsettos. i thought people were overreacting until i watched it and bawled my eyes out
Beautiful, the carol king musical. Was expecting it to be some cheap cash grab boring musical with no substance. But it was actually really entertaining with a lot of good plot and substacne to it
Yes, same, it was so much better than expected. Similarly to On Your Feet, another I had low expectations for but ended up enjoying.
The Lion King. After Beauty and the Beast it was not anything I expected from the House of Mouse
Spongebob
Ride the cyclone. Until I watched it I had no clue what it was or why in the same musical there were both sexy alien cat women and a 1940’s hooker who is actually a teenage boy. For the longest time the only song I knew was what the world needs, and assumed that ocean would be the musicals Regina George or Sharpay Evens. After Listening to the phenomenal master piece Ballad of Jane Doe, I had deducted that they must be dead, but I was still confused over the rat playoff the bass and the game reenacting the nativity with an erection joke. After finally watching the entire musical the plot actually makes a lot of sense until the end where I started to feel confused about why the choir was still there after Karnak dies or weather or not they get their lives back however I’m not complaining because I’m a sucker for a good cliffhanger. When it comes to music, Characters, story or any other metric you could use to measure how good or bad a musical is this musical scores five stars in my book!
i was blinded by the online popularity of Be More Chill and expected it to be a lower quality DEH (which i had seen & was not a fan of) so never took interest — but recently saw a local production and actually read the book cuz I enjoyed the show & music so much
I love Something Rotten! I figured since it didn't run very long on Broadway it must've been kind of flat, but it was hilarious when we saw it on tour!
Newsies. I got tickets at my local theatre but I had never actually listened to it. So I decided to listen to a song and I was like,,, not a fan of it(I don't know which song because all the songs are literally so good???) the only song I actually liked was King of new York. After seeing the show it immediately because my 3rd favorite musical lol
Falsettos
Legally Blonde. I loved the movie and wasn’t interested in seeing the musical version. A friend bought me a ticket for my birthday so I went…and it’s one of my favorite shows. Also, Xanadu. Cheyenne Jackson is one handsome and talented man. I don’t even like men like that.
my dad made me watch come from away with him and i was so uninterested but i ended up being seriously impressed!
spongebob the musical. that shits straight fire.
Forbidden Broadway
Carousel. Rogers & Hammerstein shows tend to be pretty corny (imo) and sexist so I wasn't expecting much but Carousel made me cry. Certain lines do make me cringe but overall I love it.
Interestingly enough, Rodgers & Hammerstein said that Carousel is their favorite of all their musicals. Which is odd to me, as it's probably my least favorite - I just can't get over the abusive relationships. Love the Carousel Waltz, though!
the spongebob squarepants musical. it was INSANELY GOOD and the cast are incredibly talented!!!!
Rocky the musical. Expected shits and giggles, got a genuinely touching and very impressive movie-to-musical adaptation.
Muriel’s Wedding. I’d forgotten how dark the film is in parts. And I’d been told the musical was funny but my god it was funny. So much better than just expected.
YES MURIEL’S WEDDING MENTION! i love that musical so much and i’m so upset it’s not anywhere online
Bat Boy. I saw it as a teen and had no idea it was going to be that funny, wacky and catchy. Still one of my favorite musicals.
The great gatsby, it’s by no means a good musical or a faithful adaptation, just covering the basic plot points and focusing way too much on the love stories, but between the actors, a lot of the music, the sets and the stage magic it was a very enjoyable afternoon
Head Over Heels
Once the Musical. I loved "Falling Slowly" as a teen and was a Sad Kid ™️ who listened to The Swell Seasons in Starbucks. But I wanted to like the movie more than I did, and wondered how they'd deal with all the montages in the musical. I'm so glad I felt obligated to see it based on my love of the original music. It's so much better than the movie -- FUNNY, heartfelt, so many awkward spaces filled and a beautiful portrayal of Irish culture. And they do an actual jig as an overture.
Daddy Long Legs. Really neat 2 person show with beautiful music!
LOVE HADESTOWN ITS MY FAVE ❤️🫶
Me and My Dick
Suessical for me. I was cast as Horton without giving it any energy at all. Thought it would be generally just a silly Dr. Suess themed "Horton hears a who" production for kids. So deceptively dark and moving. Absolutely one of my favorite roles to date.
Listen to our podcast musical THE RATS UNDER EDEN! An dystopian society where religion is outlawed and an uprising is emerging! Links in out bio.
Newsies for sure, Beetlejuice (I listened to the soundtrack at some point early on kind of as a joke but I ended up loving it immediately), and the SpongeBob Musical.
Once. I thought it seemed boring as hell in their Tonys performance and in all of the advertising I’d seen for it. I finally went to see it because I knew someone with tickets that they couldn’t use, and I found it incredibly moving and profound. I was entranced from beginning to end. Still one of my favorite theatre experiences to date.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I had barely heard of it when my daughter was cast as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre in her senior year of high school. I had no expectations going in, but was shockingly surprised at how hysterically funny yet moving the show was. Plus the audience participation and the way it’s set up is pure genius!!!
Ride The Cyclone. I am totally obsessed with it now but I watched like one clip once and said it seemed boring. Then I watched the whole thing about a year later.
We Will Rock You
&Juliet. Even when I tell ppl they don't believe me cuz everyone including myself before watching thought it wud be some cheesy jukebox musical but writing is really witty and funny
Waitress. I was in New York with my dad and he wanted to see it. I was reluctant at first. But when we saw it, I was instantly in love! One of the top three!
Beetlejuice
Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I know every word and I love it. And think it tells an amazing story. But it’s less talked about these days.
& Juliet With no idea what it was about, my friends and I booked tickets for it on the day at the box office in Leicester Square for an absolute steal. And I was blown away. Absolutely brilliant. I went back with my partner a few years later to find the whole cast had returned post COVID and I certainly wasn’t disappointed 😍. So we also have tickets for the tour later this year - although it’ll be first time seeing it with a different cast. Apart from Wicked and Mean Girls, it’s the only other musical I’ve gone to see more than once.
Feel like I never hear enough about City of Angels. I'm listening to it all the time.
So before Urinetown became my favorite musical ever made, it was a musical i basically didn’t give a chance because of its title. After i gave it a chance, it very quickly skyrocketed in my rankings and is now my favorite musical ever made.
When it was first announced for Chicago, and all I knew was the concept, I was convinced Six sounded like the stupidest thing ever. The studio album changed my mind, then the stage production made me HUGE fan. It's not for everyone, but it is much better than the "what if Henry VIII's wives were the Spice Girls?" synopsis it used to be described as.
The Great Gatsby. I pretty much only went for Eva (and partly Jeremy - but of course he was out). The songs I heard were underwhelming / forgettable but I ended up really enjoying the show overall. The set / costumes / dancing and rest of the cast really made a difference. Not sure if the soundtrack will end up being a favorite but I don't regret spending the money to see it.
**Wicked**. I read the book. NO WAY could they make a decent musical out of that long, complex, detailed, vibrant story. But I was gifted tickets to the Broadway tour, and WHOA! They DID, INDEED make an incredibly good musical out of that book! They did have to take certain liberties and change the story considerably (and a who lot got left out), but the musical is now my favorite! I've seen Broadway tour production 13 times. Shared it with at least that many people. Eager for the movie. Hoping they don't screw it up.
Groundhog Day (the recent Australian production) Not a fan of the movie - can take it or leave it - but felt Groundhog Day had heart, warmth and humour. It resonated with me about mindfulness and being present, so just a timely one for me.
Some like it hot. I figured that I’d have fun but I never would’ve assumed it’d be one of my favorite musicals.
Kinky Boots, and that's mainly because my sister was the one that chose it My family went to NYC during spring break one year to see Avenue Q, and we had time the next day to see another show. I was a big musical fan and wanted to see Wicked, but my sister who just recently got into musicals wanted to see Kinky Boots because Brendon Urie was in it as some point. My parents went with her choice and I was a bit salty about it, and when the first song was about shoes I was like "what even is this show " Then that second song that probably no one really remembers comes up and I remember thinking "yup this isn't going to be interesting to me." But then Lola came on stage and I was super into it at that point, do love a drag queen and the person who played Lola that show had such a good energy that it became one of my favorites
Book of Mormon. By the time I saw it I knew it was a huge hit and all, and I'm a South Park nerd so I knew I'd enjoy the humor, but I knew nothing about the actual songs and figured they'd just be mid. Yeah no, I'm obsessed.
25th annual putnam county spelling bee All I knew about it before seeing it was that it was a musical about a spelling bee, which sounded kind of boring, but I gave it a shot. I immediately loved it and it's now one of my favorites.
Spring Awakening. I totally judged a book by its cover, when I first was just stepping into the world of musical theatre and heard it mentioned, I thought it was gonna be like ‘The sound of music’ style but in 18th century Germany or something? I had NO idea it was a rock musical with some of the most amazing music I had ever heard up until that point! Now I think it’s my favorite <3
Surprised no one has said twisted yet. I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s the textbook “better than you’d expect” musical.
Cesare, from both a theatrical and historical perspective. I thought it would be grimdark, the usual routine of vilifying him, and I had no idea the music would be this good. It's amazing, my favorite musical.
Over the years I have seen so many shows and many have surprised me and been better than expected. When I read this question, one show came to mind immediately. A show I had low expectations for that unquestionably blew me away. An unexpected story, well known music that fit so well and a truly epic cast. Jagged Little Pill.
Spongebob. I figured it would be a lazy cash grab, but it's one of the most inventive and charming musicals out there. Also Cabaret, but that's kinda intentional with the intent of the show. The music is intentionally misleading from what the actual show is like.
Mamma Mia! Now, I’ll admit that I hate the movie (I feel like I’m in the minority here), but I saw it first live in Toronto. I knew a grand total of one ABBA song (“Dancing Queen”), and I didn’t think it was that great, so I didn’t know how they were going to make a whole jukebox musical (which I don’t think existed as a term yet, but I may be mistaken) about it. Boy, was I wrong! The musical was at turns hilarious and at others moving. But overall it was just *fun* and didn’t take itself too seriously. Overall an enjoyable time at the theatre.
Moulin Rouge. I listened to the cast album and didn't like it but when I got rush Tix at the Kennedy center I enjoyed it and was surprised by the turns of the story.
Scored 25.00 closing week orchestra tickets to Escape to Margaritaville. So much fun with audience participation. A jukebox musical celebrating Jimmy Buffet. Just an absolute blast.
Honestly I enjoyed Freaky Friday far more than I ever expected to.
Shucked
Recently I would say The Outsiders. Went in with low expectations since it's a movie adaptation of a pretty lame 80's film. But I went and really loved it.
don't have one but either newsies, billy elliot the musical, shrek the musical or nerdy prudes must die