Hi! Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday. Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com. This bookish meme was born out of our love of lists, and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list based on the topic. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have any ideas for the topic that week. This week, our topic is audiobook narrators. I missed last week, so this is a make-up week, and I had a few ideas for this one. In the end, I wanted to talk about my top Ten Musicals at the moment, because theater is a big part of my life, and it’s almost theater awards season.

1. Les Miserables

This is a favorite from my childhood, and will always be a musical I  love. The music is fantastic, and I love the characters. I don’t even remember how I found it, I was just a young theater kid and fell in love with the music and the story.

2- Amelie

Amelie is a newer musical that not many people know about. I never got the opportunity to see it, but I was a huge fan of the cast recording. Amelie as a character was what drew me to the piece in the first place, and I just fell in love with the story. Amelie and Nino have such a sweet story, and I love them.

3- Beetlejuice

This was a musical I saw just before the world shut down in 2020. I saw the movie after the musical, and enjoyed that as well. The music in Beetlejuice is a lot of fun, and I believe it’s different, but goes well with the more pop sounds of musicals today. Part of what I love about Beetlejuice as well is the story. I enjoy the slightly spooky vibes of Beetlejuice, even though I’m not a fan of the genre. My favorite characters are Lydia and Barbara.

4- Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Not many people know of this musical, but I love it so much. It’s based on 70 pages in War & Peace. I attempted to read the book, but it wasn’t for me. If a musical could be described as Indie, it would be this one. The songs are across a wide variety of genres, and the music is wild if you’re new to the musical. I also love the story, and how many characters are in the show.

5- Waitress

I’ve never seen the musical, but Waitress is one of those musicals that will never leave my mind. I’ve seen it twice, and I loved it both times. Sara Bareilles wrote the music, so that was  my one of the draws at first. I love the actress who originated the role of Jenna, so day one, I was listening to the cast recording because of that. I love the characters, the story, and the music.

6- Hadestown

Hadestown has been writing the award season high these last few years. I have been a fan since the start, even though I haven’t seen the musical on stage yet. I love the music, and the take on Greek Myth. This is another musical that could be described as Indie because of the music and the vibes.

7- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I’ve been rereading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series, I just finished book 2, so this musical has been getting a lot of plays lately. It tells the story of the first book in a fun and unique way. The music is fun, and you can tell the team that created the musical has a love for the source material.

8- & Juliet

Jukebox musicals have been taking over the Broadway stage these last few years, and this one is just a vibe. The story follows Juliet of Shakespeare’s fame, taking back her life. It takes place after  the story of Romeo and Juliet ends. I love the take on Romeo and Juliet and how much fun the music is.

9- Falsettos

This musical is heavy. I got into the musical when the revival happened, and I’ve gone through phases where I listen to the musical a lot, and just skip the songs when it comes shuffle because I’m not in the mood. I love the music, the story, and what the show as a whole does for the queer community. I just love the characters and the story even though it makes you feel all the emotions.

10- Into the Woods

This is my favorite Sondheim musical and has been in rotation again since the cast recording came out last fall. I love the fairy tale vibes, but the mature story and the music. I also love how it weaves all three stories you follow in the musical together. I’m also helping out with a local junior production soon.