Best Broadway Musicals of the 2000s

As we say our goodbyes to the first decade of the new millennium, I thought it would be fun to look back at the musical theatre of the past decade. For me, I thought there were many groundbreaking pieces that have stretched the expectation of what a musical can be.

That being said, here is my list of the Best Broadway Musicals of the 2000s:

15. The Producers - this musical won the most Tony Awards in Broadway history and proved that a "Golden Age" book musical can be a success on Broadway today.

14. Taboo - You might be surprised that Taboo made my list, but I actually saw this show twice! This wonderful musical was overshadowed by the media going after Rosie O'Donnell. If you don't believe me, just think about how in an interview at the end of that season, Stephen Sondheim thought Taboo was the most underrated show of the year!

13. Urinetown - I don't think I ever laughed so hard in a theater as the night I saw Urinetown. I always wonder how much longer the show would have run if it wasn't forced to close due to the demolition of Henry Miller's Theater. Since it closed, I don't think this show has had the kind of life that I would have hoped. I think that many community theatres and colleges haven't acknowledged the satirical nature of this show and hope that some high profile regional theaters will right this ship.

12. Xanadu - I will never forget going to see Xanadu in the second week of previews because I heard it was awful and I wanted to see the damage. Little did I know that I would absolutely LOVE this musical. Douglas Carter Beane did the seemingly impossible: take a terrible film, give it some dramatic relevancy, and create a wonderfully crafted musical.

11. [title of show] - the little musical that could got its shot at Broadway and am so happy that this musical had a future life after its production at the Vineyard.

10. The Drowsy Chaperone - showed audiences that an original musical that is in the style of the classic musical can be a smash hit. It was such a thrill for me to see audiences of all ages enjoy such a positive musical.

9. Passing Strange - From me, this was one of the most exciting musicals I've seen. From the moment the story begins, you are treated to a completely different type of musical storytelling. One of the biggest movements I support is artists coming in from the "outside" and share their musical stories and Stew started a trend I hope will catch on with other artists.

8. Caroline, Or Change - Kushner and Tesori wrote one of the most powerful musicals in the canon of the musical theatre. I will never forget seeing this show early in its Broadway run and finding so much to connect with.

7. Next to Normal - One of my favorite scores of the past decade, I was so inspired by this musical when I saw it at Second Stage. It was so excited to see a contemporary story being told in a perfect contemporary musical style.

6. In the Heights - In the same vein, In the Heights is remarkable for using contemporary Latin rhythms and melody to tell its beautiful and fun story. I remember seeing the show at 37 Arts and telling friends that day that it will win the Tony for Best Musical when it transferred.

5. Avenue Q - One of the biggest thrills of any of the Tony Awards this past decade was when Avenue Q took the prize for Best Musical. It absolutely was the best musical of that year and gave the musical theatre cannon a very different entry.

4. Hairspray - To this day, I still think that Hairspray is one of the best musicals of the past 25 years. When I saw it early previews, I was sold in the first 10 minutes that this was going to be a smash hit. There are moments, like the song "Welcome to the 60s", that I think are among the best pieces of musical theatre dramatic writing that we have. Unfortunately, the movie version is not very faithful to the stage version and most people's perception of the musical is now skewed.

3. The Light In the Piazza - This is the only Broadway musical I ever saw twice in the same month! I was absolutely floored by the beauty and craftsmanship of this musical. I am still so disappointed that this musical didn't take home Best Musical after winning six Tonys! (The top honor went to Spamalot)

2. Spring Awakening - When I saw this musical early in previews, I didn't know what to think of it. I said to myself: I either didn't get what I just saw, or that was one of the most brilliant pieces of musical theatre I've ever seen. I saw the show again the week of the Tony Awards and realized that my opinion was more akin to the latter. The way the authors use contemporary music to tell a story in a timeless way was so well crafted. It was such a thrill to see teenagers and parents in the theater experiencing this musical and being able to have a mature conversation about the nature of sexuality. I can only hope that this piece stays alive in the canon and can be a conversation starter for generations to come.

And the Best of the Best Broadway Musicals of the 2000s goes to..........Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party

1. The Wild Party - This selection, to those who know me, is made without any hesitation. I am absolutely enamored with the craftsmanship and artistry of the musicals of Michael John LaChiusa. I think that he is the preeminent contemporary musical theatre artist who has the best toolkit to write in a mature way, but connect with a wide audience. With The Wild Party, he does everything I hope for in a new musical. He challenges standard form, he creates a whole aural world, he dramatically integrates every character to have a specific purpose, and he creates an entertaining way to tell us something about our present state. I can only hope that he will grace Broadway again with another wonderful musical.

So there we are! I hope that you've enjoyed my posts for 2009 and hope that you will join me in this new year to get some perspective about the musical theatre. That being said, why don't you take a moment and click the link that says "Subscribe" to make sure you never miss a post.

Thank you and happy new year!