BWW Blog: 5 Movie Musicals to Watch on Your Next Movie Night

Hi everyone! This week I wanted to give you some ideas for your next movie night. We all love musicals and understand that hunting for bootleg copies of your favorite Broadway show is bad, so what do we do when we want to watch a show but can't make it to the theater? Movie musicals!!! I'm going to tell you five of my personal favorites to watch when I'm having a movie night, and I think you'll enjoy them if you haven't seen them already!

1. Mamma Mia! (2008) - It's impossible not to enjoy this incredible cast singing covers of ABBA songs. I've never had the chance see Mamma Mia live, but I have seen this movie musical 10+ times. It's a fun and light hearted musical, but definitely has moments that tug at your heartstrings because of it's themes about family and love. Also, Meryl Streep in the role of Donna Sheridan? Iconic. (Bonus: Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again the sequel that didn't disappointed as sequels often do.)

2. Hairspray (2007) - I've seen multiple versions of Hairspray live and it's one of my favorite soundtracks to listen to. I remember when this movie came out in theaters, 10 year old me saw it at least three times (mainly because I had a celebrity crush on Zac Efron). It's still one of my favorite movie musicals today. It has an amazing cast and definitely did the live production justice. It's guaranteed to have you singing and dancing along in your living room!

3. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - The first time I saw this movie was in a high school drama class. I thought it was so unique and I really enjoyed it. Now I'm currently working on a live production of it in college. It's one of the few sci-fi musicals that are out there, but it still has comedy and holds an audiences interest. What's interesting about the movie version is the alternate ending that isn't in the live versions. I won't give any spoilers, but it is a movie musical worth watching on your next day off!

4. Into The Woods (2014) - One of my favorite things about the movie version of Into The Woods is the design and production aspects. It truly transports you "into the woods" (no pun intended), and uses the magic of film to create this alternate world. It features an all-star cast of Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine and many more. I feel like this musical doesn't get enough appreciation, so watching the movie version is a good alternative.

5. West Side Story (1961) - This is one of the first movie musicals that was a true Broadway musical I had ever watched. I absolutely fell in love with West Side Story after watching this movie. The story, the design, the casting, the soundtrack, everything about it was great. There is a new movie musical version coming out in 2020 that I'm equally excited for, but it's necessary to watch the first version of it.

I hope I helped you find something to watch on your next movie night! I'll see you all with a new post up soon!