* Favourite Shows (Musicals) in →→ ABOUT ME

Musicals have always played a huge role in my life.

I was introduced to this wonderful part of life by my family (specifically my mother, who I can also credit for my love of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings & Star Wars) and I love it to this day, making sure to go to the theatre each month to either enjoy a new show or re-live one I’ve seen before.

My first ever show I saw in the West-end was Beauty & the Beast in 1998 at the Dominion Theatre. My first ever Broadway show was Phantom of the Opera in 2022 at the Majestic Theatre.

Although I enjoy plays, operas and ballets on stage as well, this post will be specifically for musicals.

Wicked
I have seen Wicked on stage over 30 times, including a performance in Stuttgart, Germany back in 2009 with the incredibly talented Willemijn Verkaik (the one in the Wicked video posted here) starring as Elphaba. I discovered this musical when I was 16 and fell in love. These days, we try to limit our Wicked visits to once a month.

Phantom of the Opera
This really secured my love for the theatre. I fell in love with the 2004 film (starring Gerard Butler & Emmy Rossum) and would watch it on repeat. My mother surprised me with tickets to see it on stage and the rest is history. This is when I began a discovery of and an appreciation of opera in general, too. I have seen Phantom over 20 times and it is also the first Broadway show I have seen upon my first visit to USA in 2022.

Frozen
Although this is still quite a new musical, I have seen it several times and plan to see it more, of course. They did such a fantastic job at putting one of my favourite Disney films on stage with the addition of a beautiful song called “Monster” that lives rent free in my head. Every time I see this one on stage, it just gets better!

Hamilton
I watched this on Disney+ during the pandemic and could not get the songs out of my head for so long afterwards. They’re so catchy! Lin-Manuel Miranda is a (hot) genius. Finally getting to see it on stage after Lockdown had lifted was a phenomenal experience and is definitely one that you can re-watch at the theatre ~ (I’ve seen it 3 times). I can’t wait to see it again!

The Lion King
This beautiful show never ceases to amaze me. It will always be one I hold dearly to my heart. I remember seeing it for the first time as a child in 1999, practically on opening night when it came to The West-End. I’ll never forget this experience. Since then, TLK is a musical that I have seen quite a lot of times on stage. It’s also my partner’s favourite musical.

Woman In White
I decided to share an absolute favourite from this musical. Although this song never appears in the musical itself. . . I have only seen this musical once when my mother took me to see it when I was younger - and I remember enjoying it but it never really stood out for me. As time went on and I went through college and listened to nothing but musicals (and metal, lol) at that time, I re-discovered this gem and, even now, I still absolutely love it.

Notre-Dame de Paris
Although I have never gotten the pleasure of seeing this show live, it remains one of my favourites. I love how they presented this and especially the music (in French, of course). You can find videos of it on YouTube and I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Jekyll & Hyde
I’m sharing my favourite song from this musical as I’m too lazy to hunt down the trailer for it. Sadly, I haven’t gotten the chance to see this on stage but was introduced to it by some musical-obsessed friends. I would not stop watching it. The songs are still constantly stuck in my head! I love the story and would be a wish come true to finally see it on stage! (Or if not a stage option available, can they make a proper film out of it with this music?!)

Les Miserables
I have always been a huge fan of the music from Les Miserables. I went to see it when I was younger but the show never really hit me. The film came out years later and I really liked it (despite a certain someone’s singing in it, lol). My partner and I went on a musical crawl in Autumn 2022 (where we were practically going to 4+ shows a week for months) and decided to re-visit Les Miserables. It was at a different theatre and we had good seats. It was absolutely amazing. I didn’t think it would bring me to tears as the first time I saw it, I wasn’t that into it, but it sure did and, aye, I still adore the music.
Lesson learnt: Don’t disregard a show just because it wasn’t that enjoyable the first time! Give it another chance - just to be sure!

Beauty and the Beast
Considering that this was the very first West-End show (and first theatre show) I ever saw, I thought it appropriate to include it. I’ve always loved the animated Disney classic and I still, very vividly, remember my experience of seeing this in 1998. I was in awe (and a little frightened of the beast). I was delighted to see it make a return to the West-End. My partner and I went to see it in 2022 and, yep, still good. Don’t bother with the daft live-action film. Go see the stage show if you can - or watch clips of it on YouTube!

Of course more musicals may become very loved so I’ll make sure to add them!

Last updated March 02, 2023