This is a personal list of musicals that I think deserve far more recognition than they tend to get. “Underrated” here doesn’t mean obscure, unsuccessful, or forgotten. It simply reflects my own experience with shows that are often overlooked in conversations about musical theatre. Here are my top 58 picks:
Underrated 1920s-1950s Musicals
Allegro
House of Flowers
Nymph Errant
The New Moon
The New Yorkers
Underrated 1960s-1970s Musicals
Cyrano
Golden Boy
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Kean
Robert and Elizabeth
She Loves Me
The Robber Bridegroom
The Zulu and the Zayda
Working
Zorba!
Underrated 1980s-1990s Musicals
A New Brain
Big River
Chess
La Cage aux Folles
Merrily We Roll Along
Ragtime
Ruthless!
Sarafina!
Sunset Boulevard
The Capeman
The Life
Titanic
Tomfoolery
Underrated 2000s Musicals
A Year With Frog and Toad
Bernarda Alba
Closer to Heaven
Grey Gardens
Lizzie
Passing Strange
Rooms: A Rock Romance
Sweet Smell of Success
The Lord of the Rings
The Story of My Life
The Wild Party (LaChiusa)
Underrated 2010s Musicals
Alice by Heart
Allegiance
American Psycho
An American in Paris
Doctor Zhivago
Fangirls
Honeymoon in Vegas
Hot Mess
Hundred Days
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Nevermore
Preludes
Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Ride the Cyclone
The Bridges of Madison County
The Dolls of New Albion
The Last Ship
Venice