Musical Theatre has been around ever since the early twentieth century. Yet, what is a musical? Believe it or not, some people may not know what a musical is. A musical is a form of theatrical performance that combines not only songs, but spoken dialogue, acting, and dancing as well. There are many famous and well-known musicals such as Wicked, Hamilton, The Lion King, and Dear Evan Hansen. Then there are the less popular musicals like Be More Chill, and How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying. I’m here to tell you about three must-see musicals currently running.

The first noteworthy Musical is Dear Evan Hansen which had its first performance on July 30th, 2015. However, it wasn’t opened on Broadway until December of 2016. This story is about an extremely anxious teenager who finds himself in a social media-inflamed lie that completely spirals out of control. Evan Hansen who is played by Ben Platt, is a teenager who struggles with severe social anxiety disorder. Because of this, his therapist has assigned him to write letters to himself and explain why the day will be good. These letters spark the plot of the story. Another character named Connor Murphy, who is played by Mike Faist, is also a high school senior who has a lot in common with Evan. Both are social outcasts with no friends. The play then takes an unfortunate dark turn which leads Evan to make some bad decisions. If you’re interested in comedy then this musical is for you.

Next is a well-known musical called Wicked. This musical is actually based off of Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West which was written by Gregory Maguire in 1995. It is also an alternative telling of the 1993 film Wizard of Oz. The musical is told in the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. Wicked actually tells the story of Elphaba, who is the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, who is later known as Glinda the good witch. These two polar opposites somehow find friendship. Let’s go back in time for a bit. Long before Dorothy arrived, their was a girl who was born with emerald green skin. She held an amazing and extraordinary talent. Her name was Elphaba and she was sent to the school for one reason. The reason was to take care of her younger sister. If that isn’t exciting yet maybe the songs will make up for it. The songs such as “Popular”, “As Long As You’re Mine”, and “Defying Gravity” are filled to the brim with emotion. Tickets for this amazing show start at $80.00 so why not take a trip to the city sometime. Viewers will have no regrets about seeing this famous musical.

The last Musical that might be of interest to see  is called Be More Chill. The musical is based off a novel called Be More Chill which was written by Ned Vizzini. The musical starts off with Jeremy Heere, who is played by Will Connolly. He is on his way to high school and tries to avoid all human contact. However, that changed when he sees his crush, Christine Canigula, signing up for the school play. Luckily, he gets to interact with his crush only for it to be disrupted by the “populars”. When Jeremy leaves, he instantly bumps into the school bully Rich Goranski. Instead of Rich harassing Jeremy, he tells him about a SQUIP. This little pill is actually a computer that helps him become popular. Join Jeremy on his adventure of using the SQUIP and the struggle of Michael trying to get his best friend back. If you enjoy crazy plots or hilarious songs, then this musical might just be up your alley.

There are tons musicals out there and as New Yorkers we have easy access to Broadway in the city that never sleeps!  . Take a look at https://www.broadwaybox.com/ and explore the amazing musicals out in the world.