6. The Lion King
When you hear the opening strains of “The Circle of Life,” you are reduced to tears. Not only does it remind you of your Disney-filled childhood, Rafiki’s soaring voice reminds you that you are a part of this planet and connected to everyone else. The costumes and animal puppets are impressive, but what remains its selling point is its story: Simba, son of the late King Mufasa, is driven away from his kingdom by his uncle Scar, who guilts him into thinking he is responsible for his father’s death. Like the film, the musical was well-received, becoming the top-earning title in box-office history.
LSS: “The Circle of Life”
7. Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard‘s Norma Desmond is one of pop culture’s most important icons. In the film, when she is told by her scriptwriter Joe Gillis that she used to be big, she imperially retorts, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small!” Their relationship is curious: Desmond is a faded silent movie actresses, who wants to return to the screen with a script that she wrote. She hires Gillis and they develop a complicated relationship. The Broadway production was nominated for 11 Tonys, winning three, including Best Musical and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Glenn Close’s touching portrayal of Desmond.
LSS: “With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye”
8. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Like Cabaret, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is set in Germany and is about a genderqueer rock star. Hedwig, born as Hansel, had a sex change so he (now she) can join his (now her) lover in the US. When the sex change is botched and she is left by her lover, she takes on a glamorous personality and starts a band called the Angry Inch, referring to what’s left of her male organ. The band’s music is reminiscent of the androgynous glam rock music of David Bowie, and John Lennon, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop. Neil Patrick Harris has played Hedwig on Broadway, winning Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2014 Tony Awards.
LSS: “Angry Inch”
9. Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark
This is your friendly neighborhood musical, and it could have been blockbuster hit, except it became a blockbuster mess. Its highly-technical stunts and aerial combat scenes backfired on the producers, with delays, budget overruns, cast and creative team replacements, and cast injuries (six have been injured in total, with one actress suffering a concussion during the first preview performance).
LSS: “Turn Off the Dark”
Bonus: Cleansed
Cleansed is not a musical, but it deserves to be seen in the Philippines. Cleansed is about a doctor working in a university-turned-laboratory that performs cruel and sadistic tests on patients. The play is so brutal that you see someone’s tongue get cut, a pole inserted in someone’s rectum, and a guy’s hands and feet brutally mangled. Reports say that people have fainted due to the violence onstage. I wonder how Filipino audiences would fare?
Note: These are musicals that have never been staged here, either by international and local productions.
How about you? What musical do you want to see in Manila?
