A regular reader of the Make Lists, Not War website recently suggested that I create a meta-list of the Best Musicals of All Time. I thought it was a great idea, but I realized immediately that one list would not be sufficient. Stage musicals and movie musicals are very different genres (although many musicals have both stage and film versions), so I created a pair of meta-lists for both stage (also sometimes referred to as Broadway) musicals and movie musicals. For each format, I’ve created a ranked list (with the musicals on the most lists at the top) and a chronological list.  The ranked lists have more pictures.  For the stage musicals, I tried to find original posters to use as the images. For the movie musicals, I used still images from the films. Each entry includes relevant information.

Here are the links:

Best Stage Musicals of All Time – Ranked
Best Stage Musicals of All Time – Chronological
Best Movie Musicals of All Time – Ranked
Best Movie Musicals of All Time – Chronological

Finding lists of best stage musicals raised an interesting question. For stage productions from the 1950s and earlier, the number of people still living who saw the original production is probably small, so many excellent musicals may not make the list only because few of those who saw them are still among us. Some of those older musicals may be revived, however, giving new, younger audiences a chance to enjoy them (and put them on “best musicals” lists).

The sources of the stage musicals are diverse. Some are based on novels, short stories, non-musical plays, and even nonfiction books (like Hamilton, which is based on a biography of Alexander Hamilton). Some musicals are based on movie musicals (like The Lion King, Singin’ in the Rain and Moulin Rouge!); some are based on non-musical movies (like Hairspray, Sunset Boulevard, and Little Shop of Horrors). Some are pure originals.

Most of the movie musicals fall into one of three categories:
(1) Original movie musicals in the old style (examples: Gold Diggers of 1933, Singin’ in the Rain; Top Hat, The Band Wagon)
(2) Film versions of stage musicals (examples: Oklahoma, West Side Story, Hairspray, Sweeney Todd)
(3) Original movie musicals in a newer style (Dancer in the Dark, Once, Sing Street)

Here are some facts about the lists:

— Number of Musicals on the meta-lists:  83 stage musicals & 76 movie musicals
— Top Rated Stage Musical: West Side Story (1957) (on 15 lists)
— Top Rated Movie Musicals: Singin’ in the Rain (1952) (on 10 lists) & West Side Story (1961) (on 10 lists)
— Oldest Stage Musical: Show Boat (1927) (on 5 lists)
— Oldest Movie Musical: Love Me Tonight (1932) (on 3 lists)
— Most Recent Stage Musical: Moulin Rouge! The Musical (2018) (on 3 lists)
— Most Recent Movie Musicals: West Side Story (2021) (on 4 lists) & tick, tick… Boom! (2021) (on 3 lists)