The Information To The Performing Arts handbook dates the time period “jukebox musical” to the early 60s – lengthy earlier than Mamma Mia! modified the panorama of musical theatre in 1999 by making the pop music stage present a field workplace sensation. Within the late twentieth century, there have been a lot of fascinating theatre musicals – together with these that includes the music of Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Louis Jordan, and Elvis Presley. There was even a Broadway present known as Beatlemania, in 1977, which recreated the sensation of a dwell present by The Beatles.
Nonetheless, the theatre panorama modified eternally with Mamma Mia!, which opened in London in 1999 and moved to Broadway in 2001. The mix of ABBA’s timeless music, a feel-good story, and pure escapism for the spectators prompted a wave of follow-up musicals, as Broadway raced to current the rock-era American songbook.
Jukebox musicals now are available in two fundamental varieties: a straight-up celebration of a physique of music, with out a lot plot; and the biographical musical. There have been quite a few fascinating examples of the latter. Love, Janis was a cabaret-style present about Janis Joplin, based mostly on her letters; Misplaced Freeway was based mostly on the tragic lifetime of Hank Williams and ended with a rousing model of his gospel music “I Saw the Light.”
Dozens of musicians have been the topic of jukebox musicals, together with Buddy Holly, Carole King, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Fela Kuti, Bob Dylan, and Tupac Shakur. Not all of them have succeeded. Lennon, the 2005 Broadway present concerning the solo profession of the Beatles star – who was generally performed by a feminine actress – lasted for under 49 appearances.
The problem of getting a profitable Broadway present nonetheless appeals to musicians, although. In 2018, Springsteen On Broadway featured 69-year-old Bruce Springsteen enjoying guitar and piano, performing his music as he recounted anecdotes from his autobiography, Born To Run. One of the vital in style productions of 2019 was The Cher Present.
Among the world’s most profitable bands have additionally impressed jukebox musicals. Followers of those teams have flocked to see stage productions about their musical heroes. Among the many most high-profile have been reveals concerning the music of Queen (We Will Rock You), Earth, Wind And Hearth (Scorching Toes), The Seashore Boys (Good Vibrations), The Kinks (Sunny Afternoon), and The Temptations (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life And Occasions Of The Temptations).
There have additionally been jukebox musicals about totally different eras of in style music. Dreamboats And Petticoats celebrated the music of the 50s, whereas Rock Of Ages did the identical for the 80s.
Right here is our information to the ten finest jukebox musicals of the previous few many years.
10: The Cher Present
“My life as a musical on Broadway. It seems crazy, exciting, and bizarre – but that’s probably how my life seems to most people,” mentioned Cher, whose life appeared ripe for the jukebox musical therapy. The Cher Present, which ended an award-winning run on Broadway in August 2019, has already been booked for a tour of America in 2020. It received Tony Awards for Stephanie J Block (Finest Efficiency By A Main Actress In A Musical) and for Bob Mackie (Finest Costume Design Of A Musical), and contains Cher’s personal hits, comparable to “I Got You Babe,” together with “I Like It Like That,” a music by made well-known by drummer Dave Clark and his band.
9: After Midnight
After Midnight, partly based mostly on the music of Duke Ellington – with hits comparable to “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “Daybreak Express” – featured an orchestra of 17 musicians, plus 25 vocalists, together with dancers and performers. The music course was by Jazz At Lincoln Heart’s creative director Wynton Marsalis. The present received a Tony for finest choreography and was nominated for six additional awards, together with finest musical of 2014.
8: Movin’ Out
Movin’ Out, which featured the songs of Billy Joel, was conceived by Twyla Tharp and informed the story of rising up in Lengthy Island throughout the 60s in opposition to the backdrop of the Vietnam Conflict. The principle characters had been drawn from individuals in Joel’s tunes, comparable to high-school sweethearts Brenda and Eddie (“Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”), Judy (“Why Judy Why”), and Tony (“Movin’ Out”). Within the present, the songs had been carried out by a piano participant on a platform above the stage. The manufacturing was brilliantly choreographed and Holly Cruikshank received the 2005 Helen Hayes Award for Excellent Actress for her portrayal of Brenda.
7: Rock Of Ages
Rock Of Ages ran for two,328 performances on Broadway. The jukebox musical, which was based mostly round a ebook by Chris D’Arienzo, showcased rock hits from the 80s, particularly from the well-known glam steel bands of the last decade. The musical options songs by Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison, and Europe. The behavior of performers breaking the “fourth wall” and straight addressing the viewers solely added to the recognition of the present.
6: Million Greenback Quartet
This musical, which opened on Broadway in 2010, was impressed by the well-known recording session that introduced collectively rock’n’roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Money, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins on December 4, 1956. When these 4 stars gathered at Solar Data in Memphis, the studios of file producer Sam Phillips, they produced one of the important jam periods within the historical past of music. The traditional songs within the present included “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “That’s All Right,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Great Balls Of Fire,” “Walk The Line,” and “Hound Dog.” The Broadway musical was nominated for 3 Tony Awards in 2010.
5: Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys, which opened on Broadway in 2005 and which remains to be on tour in Australia, was a smash hit that informed the story of doo-wop sensations Frankie Valli And The 4 Seasons. It was hailed as the most effective biographical musicals of the twenty first Century and didn’t sanitize the lifetime of the unique 4 Seasons (Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi). The memorable rating included songs comparable to “My Eyes Adored You,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “Working My Way Back To You Girl.” Jersey Boys received the Tony on Broadway and the Olivier within the West Finish for Finest New Musical. John Lloyd Younger, the primary actor to play Valli, reprised the function for the 2014 movie model directed by Clint Eastwood.
4: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life And Occasions Of The Temptations
Motown has been a wealthy supply of inspiration for jukebox musicals. Following the success of Motown: The Musical, the 2013 present based mostly on Berry Gordy’s autobiography, To Be Liked: The Music, The Magic, The Reminiscences Of Motown, the electrifying Ain’t Too Proud musical informed the story of The Temptations. Their extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Corridor Of Fame was informed by way of treasured hits comparable to “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” and the present was praised by the critics. “The performance of those songs, orchestrated by Harold Wheeler with musical direction and arrangements by Kenny Seymour, is pretty close to perfection,” mentioned The New York Occasions.
3: Lovely: The Carole King Musical
Carole King was nonetheless performing dwell sell-out concert events when the Broadway musical model of her life started as a trial present in San Francisco in September 2013. King’s excellent again catalogue contains such masterpieces as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “You’ve Got A Friend,” and “I Feel the Earth Move,” and audiences responded to the story of a sympathetic, humorous heroine.
2: We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You makes use of Queen’s music to inform a futuristic, “quirky, eccentric and heartfelt story of outsiders.” The hit musical, written by Ben Elton, closed in London in 2014 after a 12-year run within the West Finish. Brian Could and Roger Taylor would sometimes flip up and play on stage in London in a present that features a few of the band’s biggest hits, together with “Radio Ga Ga,” “Killer Queen,” and “A Kind Of Magic.” We Will Rock You has been seen by greater than 18 million individuals throughout 28 international locations, throughout a sell-out tour of the world – a run that included the US in 2013. Following the success of the 2018 Bohemian Rhapsody biopic, We Will Rock You returned to North American arenas in September 2019.
1: Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!, a celebration of the music of Swedish superstars ABBA, arrived on Broadway in 2001, two years after its London debut. Within the following 14 years, the present grossed greater than $600 million and its irresistible cross-generational enchantment impressed quite a few imitators. The stage present additionally led to a profitable film model and a spin-off sequel.
Searching for extra? Uncover the historical past of musicals on the silver display.
