By Olly Constantine,
Staff Writer.
Musicals are well-loved among theater enthusiasts, but some more than others. Here are five popular musicals ranked from worst to best.
Starting off with number five on the list is the musical Carrie, based on the horror novel by Stephen King and the movie directed by Brian De Palma and Katt Shea. Carrie had its Broadway debut in 1988 and was an immediate flop. It had a budget of $8 million but had a run of only five performances on Broadway and received criticism due to its set design and faulty special effects. At one point a set piece fell, coming close to hitting Barbara Cook, the actress who played Carrie. Despite its poor reception, Carrie has developed a bit of a cult classic reputation among musical fans.
Next up is Cats, which is infamous for its poor movie adaptation, but the musical itself isn’t all bad. It follows a group of cats called the Jellicles who gather to decide which cat will be reborn each year. It is known for frequently breaking the fourth wall and being mostly plotless. However, it’s a fun musical with great choreography and songs such as “Memory” and “The Jellicle Ball.”
In third place is Beetlejuice: The Musical, based on the 1988 Beetlejuice movie. It follows a deceased couple who haunt their old house with the help of a demon and a teenage girl in an attempt to get the house’s new residents to move out. Despite being based on the movie, the musical is quite different from its source material. It focuses a lot more on Lydia’s grief for her deceased mother and themes of family but still has the same charm as the movie. Both the musical and movie are great in their own right.
The Phantom of the Opera is a classic based on a novel by Gaston Leroux and had a 35-year run on Broadway. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber who wrote and composed other musicals such as Evita, Cats and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Phantom of the Opera first opened in 1988 and closed just last year. When it first opened, it won seven Tony awards, including Best Musical. It is one of the most beloved musicals among theater enthusiasts for its music, set design and story. “I’m a very big set person, and the whole vibe of it is very old-fashioned, with chandeliers and opera buildings,” said sophomore Lucy Schneider.
Ride The Cyclone follows six teenage chamber choir members who are killed after a rollercoaster accident. They wake up in limbo, where they meet a mechanical fortune teller and must tell their stories to decide which one of them will be brought back to life. Sophomore Lena Meline appreciates the character-driven storyline: “The characters are amazing and I like character based stories.” The musical premiered in Canada in 2008 and in the United States in 2015 where it didn’t gain much popularity until 2022 when the song “The Ballad of Jane Doe” began circulating online.
The final ranking from best to worst is: Ride the Cyclone, The Phantom of the Opera, Beetlejuice: The Musical, Cats and Carrie.
