Top Musicals
by Colsophnel | created - 30 Nov 2015 | updated - 01 Dec 2015 | PublicYes, yes just my opinion. Imdb is missing a few of my favorites. This was a top 50 list...
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1. Les Misérables (2012)
PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Votes: 345,920 | Gross: $148.81M
Prefer the stage production, but this is the only version imdb has.
2. 1776 (1972)
G | 141 min | Drama, Family, History
A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
Director: Peter H. Hunt | Stars: William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden
Votes: 10,303 | Gross: $6.10M
3. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
G | 181 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In pre-revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant with traditional values contends with marrying off three of his daughters with modern romantic ideals while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon
Votes: 47,837 | Gross: $80.50M
4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Approved | 102 min | Musical, Romance, Western
In 1850 Oregon, when a backwoodsman brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 27,076 | Gross: $9.40M
5. Godspell (1973)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
An adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Victor Garber, Lynne Thigpen, Katie Hanley, David Haskell
Votes: 3,723 | Gross: $1.20M
6. Into the Woods (2014)
PG | 125 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt
Votes: 148,000 | Gross: $128.00M
7. Finian's Rainbow (1968)
G | 141 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
An Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American citizens threatened by a bigoted politician.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks
Votes: 4,167 | Gross: $11.60M
8. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
G | 106 min | Drama, History, Musical
Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life told in an anachronistic manner.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen
Votes: 29,887 | Gross: $24.48M
9. South Pacific (1958)
Approved | 157 min | Musical, Romance, War
On a South Pacific island during World War II, love blooms between a young nurse and a secretive Frenchman who's being courted for a dangerous military mission.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Ray Walston
Votes: 9,798
10. West Side Story (1961)
Approved | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 121,138 | Gross: $43.66M
11. The Lion King (1994)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 1,141,334 | Gross: $422.78M
Stage production, that is. Though this movie is excellent.
12. Cinderella (1997 TV Movie)
G | 88 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
Although mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella is able to attend the royal ball through the help of a fairy godmother.
Director: Robert Iscove | Stars: Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle Reid
Votes: 9,680
13. The Secret Garden (1993)
G | 101 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott
Votes: 44,448 | Gross: $31.18M
Again, stage musical.
14. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 130,632 | Gross: $51.27M
15. Wicked! (2001– )
Unrated | 30 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Rory and Dawn, two squabbling young step-siblings living with their newlywed parents in a small Aussie town, are terrorized by a mysterious evil scientist with a head shaped like an eaten apple.
Stars: Bianca Nacson, Mark Franklin, Bill Conn, Elaine Smith
Votes: 71
Stage production...
16. Grease (1978)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Director: Randal Kleiser | Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Votes: 300,358 | Gross: $188.76M
17. The Little Mermaid (1989)
G | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes
Votes: 290,833 | Gross: $111.54M
Stage production...
18. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 260,883 | Gross: $163.21M
19. Aladdin (1992)
G | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
Votes: 466,508 | Gross: $217.35M
Stage production...
20. Miss Saigon
Drama, Musical, Romance | Announced
Set during the Vietnam war, Kim, a young girl is forced from her home and falls in love with an American GI
Director: Danny Boyle | Star: Lauren King
21. The Fantasticks (2000)
PG | 86 min | Musical, Romance
A mysterious fair that comes to a small community in the countryside could make real the illusions of two teenagers.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Joel Grey, Barnard Hughes, Jean Louisa Kelly, Joey McIntyre
Votes: 1,432 | Gross: $0.04M
22. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Musical
The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Votes: 386,805 | Gross: $52.90M
23. Man of La Mancha (1972)
PG | 132 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical
The funny story of mad but kind and chivalrous elderly nobleman Don Quixote who, aided by his squire Sancho Panza, fights windmills that are seen as dragons to save prostitute Dulcinea who is seen as a noblewoman.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews
Votes: 4,734 | Gross: $3.79M
24. Oklahoma! (1955)
G | 145 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
In Oklahoma, several farmers, cowboys and a traveling salesman compete for the romantic favors of various local ladies.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, Charlotte Greenwood
Votes: 14,060
25. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 41,386 | Gross: $16.80M
26. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,417 | Gross: $2.08M
27. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy, Musical
A wily Roman slave schemes to earn his freedom by romantically uniting his master with a courtesan. But matters get complicated and he ends up dragging in his neighbors around him, leading to chaos.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford
Votes: 9,839
28. Evita (1996)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Nail
Votes: 37,565 | Gross: $50.05M
29. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Passed | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer
Votes: 27,672 | Gross: $7.57M
30. Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Approved | 112 min | Comedy, Musical
A rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton
Votes: 9,325 | Gross: $13.13M
31. Annie (1982)
PG | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A spunky young orphan is taken in by a rich eccentric, much to the chagrin of the cantankerous woman who runs the orphanage.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking
Votes: 49,468 | Gross: $57.06M
32. Guys and Dolls (1955)
Not Rated | 150 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine
Votes: 19,347 | Gross: $13.00M
33. Urinetown: The Musical (2010 Video)
112 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
In a futuristic society where it is illegal to use the restroom for free, people struggle with the need to use the bathroom and pay the fees. When the ruthless but intelligent leader of the... See full summary »
Director: George H. Diehl | Stars: Darian Archie, Jordan Brooker, Alexandra Coonradt, Stephanie DeMarco
Votes: 16
34. Rent (2005)
PG-13 | 135 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In New York City's gritty East Village, a group of bohemians strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Rapp
Votes: 55,907 | Gross: $29.08M
35. Yentl (1983)
PG | 133 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A Jewish girl disguises herself as a boy to enter religious training.
Director: Barbra Streisand | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Amy Irving, Mandy Patinkin, Nehemiah Persoff
Votes: 15,839 | Gross: $40.22M
36. Jekyll and Hyde (1990 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.
Director: David Wickes | Stars: Michael Caine, Cheryl Ladd, Joss Ackland, Ronald Pickup
Votes: 1,292
Again, stage musical production...
37. The Music Man (1962)
G | 151 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
Traveling con artist Harold Hill targets the naïve residents of a small town in 1910s Iowa by posing as a boys' band leader to raise money before he can skip town.
Director: Morton DaCosta | Stars: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold
Votes: 19,156 | Gross: $14.95M
38. Hairspray (2007)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Director: Adam Shankman | Stars: John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Michelle Pfeiffer
Votes: 138,669 | Gross: $118.87M
39. The King and I (1956)
G | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson
Votes: 27,911 | Gross: $21.30M
40. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,506 | Gross: $8.82M
41. Hello, Dolly! (1969)
G | 146 min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a partner for "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece's intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.
Director: Gene Kelly | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew
Votes: 16,954 | Gross: $7.24M
42. Damn Yankees (1958)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators makes a pact with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.
Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen | Stars: Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Russ Brown
Votes: 3,439
43. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
Approved | 121 min | Comedy, Musical
Armed with the titular manual, an ambitious window washer seeks to climb the corporate ladder.
Director: David Swift | Stars: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Anthony 'Scooter' Teague
Votes: 5,141 | Gross: $6.32M
44. Footloose (1984)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest
Votes: 92,155 | Gross: $80.04M
Again, stage musical...
45. The Wiz (1978)
G | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross
Votes: 17,029 | Gross: $21.05M
46. Peter Pan (1960 TV Movie)
100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
In this magical tale about the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan and his mischievous fairy sidekick Tinkerbell visit the nursery of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling.
Director: Vincent J. Donehue | Stars: Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard, Lynn Fontanne, Maureen Bailey
Votes: 2,342
47. Gypsy (1993 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 153 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Based on the autobiography of Gypsy Rose Lee, this made-for-TV movie-previously a Broadway smash and a 1962 film-depicts the life and times of a stripper and her domineering mother.
Director: Emile Ardolino | Stars: Bette Midler, Peter Riegert, Cynthia Gibb, Edward Asner
Votes: 2,151
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