Top 6 Musicals and Songs

Not everyone can sing great, nor can they act or perform. But whether or not you are a musical theater geek or a choral nerd, these songs are some of the best songs that non-Broadway fans are sure to love. Some musicals on this list might be off-Broadway now or they may be still performing on Broadway. The music from these musicals may also be some of the best works written by their composers.

1. 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Andrew Lloyd Webber

This musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber has some of his greatest compositions to date. The musical starts in the year 1897 with the Paris Opera at its height. Christine Daae becomes the next Prima Donna with the help of the Phantom only to turn on him and run off with Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny.

Some of the best songs from this musical are the title song "The Phantom of the Opera" and its counterpart "The Music of the Night." However, Christine's solo performance and the masquerade party at the opera are some crowd-pleasing performances. Yet it is the Phantom's voice and control of Christine that makes the musical worth the experience.

2. 'Love Never Dies' by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The sequel to The Phantom of the Opera is good enough to earn its own review. In this version of the Phantom story, the Phantom moves to New York and owns a vaudeville house known as Fantasma. He offers Christine a chance to perform the aria he has recently composed and also offers to pay off the money to settle the gambling debts of her husband Raoul. Along the way, he finds out he has a son and that the Girys are planning to find a way to get a hand on the money from the insurance policy on the abandoned Paris Opera.

Songs such as "'Till I Hear You Sing," "Devil Take the Hindmost," and "Love Never Dies" are just some of the winning songs performed with a stellar cast. The musical is an absolute must see and it is something that everyone can enjoy.

3. 'Heathers: The Musical' by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy

This musical is based of the 1980s cult classic Heathers, which starred Winona Rider, Christian Slater as J.D., and Shannen Doherty as Heather Duke. The movie has won a television remake which has a politically correct spin on the original story. But the musical remains true to the original story in which Veronica joins a gang of girls whose first names are all Heather to stop being bullied, only to fall in love with the newcomer Jason Dean and go on a killing spree before graduating Westerburg High School.

Some of the songs that may swing some non-musical lovers to the other side are the songs "Candy Store," "Dead Girl Walking," and "Seventeen." Of course, some of the more funnier songs such as "Blue," which is sung by Kurt and Ram in the musical, can give laughter and comedy to the dark humor around teenage suicide.

4. 'Rock Horror Picture Show' by Richard O'Brien

This musical is probably one of the top musicals that anyone can enjoy. Even though I personally thought the live performance of the musical on the FOX channel was too politically correct for my taste, this musical is great for someone wanting to bust out of their shell and be a "Sweet Transvestite."

Some of the songs that I personally like to do either singing or playing include the reprise and beginning versions of "Science Fiction (Double Feature)" and "Over at the Frankenstein Place." Of course, the opening song "Rose Tint My World," with the cast lined up for a stage performance within the movie is a pretty good song to just dance or hope that Shocktop would use it for their other flavored beers besides orange.

5. 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' by David Greg

Based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Dahl of the same name, the musical has more of a darker and comical intent than that of the book. Parodies of the Russian Nutcracker ("Veruca's Russian Nutcracker") as well as comical references to Donald Trump ("Vidiots") can be found during the performance. Some of the best songs from the musical include many of the songs from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory like "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man," and "I've Got A Golden Ticket."

This play might be too dark for some young children, but it is a good idea to see the play if you have older children because this classic book is often on their summer reading lists for school.

6. 'Chicago' by Fred Ebb and John Kander

"All that jazz" is one of the beginning songs to the musical based during the later point of the roaring twenties. Other famous songs from the musical include "Cell Block Tango," "When You're Good to Momma," and "Roxie."

A woman murders her lover in cold blood because he lied to her about having a kid or any family whatsoever. She is sent to an all female prison where she meets a woman doing crime for murdering her sister and her husband when she caught them in the act of sex. This musical has a mostly female cast and it's about the glitter and glam of the twenties and the crash into the Great Depression. It's about stardom, dreams, and the unlikely event of friendship in some of the oddest places to find friends.

The movie of the same name, which features John C. Riley, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, and Renee Zellweger, are some of the top list celebrities that play parts within the movie version of this musical.

Whatever you want to sing or enjoy doing with your friends and family, having a little pop culture in your pocket doesn't hurt to get everyone together.