Sing Sweetly Studio

Great Musicals


Musicals to watch at any age:

  • Singin’ In the Rain: Beautiful music, dancing, Old Hollywood glamour, hilarious slapstick humor, and romance. Who could ask for anything more?
  • Mary Poppins: Aside from Dick Van Dyke’s baffling cockney accent, this film is practically perfect in every way.
  • Cinderella: 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein; come for the music, stay for the colorblind casting and flashy costumes.
  • Annie: The 1999 version most closely follows the original musical, is therefore much more kid-friendly, and features the incomparable Audra McDonald.

Musicals to watch next:

  • My Fair Lady: Audrey Hepburn is charming as ever, and her dub, Marni Nixon, has the voice of an angel. The storytelling and comedy may not hold little ones’ attention, but they certainly captivate me.
  • The Music Man: The opening sequence on the train is so cool! Be prepared for some snickering at the baffling “Shepoopie” number.
  • The Newsies: A young Christian Bale leads a very talented cast in this true story about a bunch of underdogs who win against “the man.”
  • Anastasia: Some scenes may scare young children, but the musical numbers and romance are top-notch.
  • Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Where to begin? The music, the comedy, the biblical storytelling, Donny Osmond’s performance—they’re all superb! Just be warned that a few of the costumes and the scene with Potiphar’s wife are a little risqué.
  • The Prince of Egypt: Speaking of Bible stories—this one is a must-watch. Whether or not you are religious, it will make you feel things. Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz outdid themselves. Be warned that as a fairly accurate portrayal of the story of Moses, this story gets quite dark at times.

Musicals to watch later:

  • The Phantom of the Opera: One of the top five musicals of all-time, IMO, and the movie does it justice.
  • The King and I: The 1999 animated version adds some unnecessary magic and action sequences, but you’ll have a lot less explaining to do with your kids; if you’d rather watch the original 1956 movie, just wait until they’re a bit older.
  • Shrek the Musical: The filmed staging is surprisingly good! Fiona’s song “I Know It’s Today” is a real show-stopper, and Farquad is hilarious.
  • Into the Woods: A dark twist on the traditional fairytales. The first act is fairly kid-appropriate, but the second act is more mature. I strongly recommend the 1989 filmed staging starring Bernadette Peters.

Recordings to listen to:

  • Les Miserables: This is widely regarded as the greatest musical of all time. The Complete Symphonic Cast Recording includes the entire libretto, which has no spoken dialogue. Precocious kids can handle the storyline with some careful guidance, but you first should be familiar with it yourself. This musical, like the book it is based on, is intricate, and I could honestly talk about it all day. And please don’t watch the movie without familiarizing yourself with the music first. Overall, the music in the movie is just…not good.
  • The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Broadway Cast Recording starring Sarah Brightman is the standard. You can compare and contrast it with the beautiful film.
  • Anastasia: The Broadway musical is much more realistic and historically plausible; the antagonist is a Bolshevik official rather than Rasputin.
  • The Secret Garden: Read the book and watch the together first. It’s a sweet, kid-friendly classic.
  • Matilda: This isn’t my favorite score, TBH, but it’s widely appreciated by kids and adults alike.
  • Frozen: Your kids have seen the movie—two or three thousand times—so why not mix it up with some fresh new songs? A few of them were outtakes from the movie.
  • Wicked: Be sure to watch (and/or read) The Wizard of Oz first! Be warned that “As Long as You’re Mine” is a bit sensual.
  • Beauty and the Beast: This was my first Broadway show, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Its only glaring flaw is that the Beast is illiterate (but this allows for a touching scene where Belle teaches him to read). “If I Can’t Love Her” gives me chills every time.
  • Jane Eyre: Read the book first! The score is delightful and very true to the book, which is my all-time favorite novel.
  • The Woman in White: A gothic murder mystery with a forbidden love triangle; trigger-warning: the plot is mature and deals with murder and sexual violence, but it is handled carefully and never explicit.
  • Jekyll & Hyde: I prefer the Original Broadway cast recording over the London; same trigger warning as above.