BWW Blog: Spooky Shows to Watch This Halloween

It's finally spooky season and it's time to get out your best costume to get ready for Halloween! Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, and I could not be more excited to put on my costume, munch on some candy, and watch my favorite scary movies. Get ready to carve your pumpkins, hang up your skeletons, and put on your best witch hat. Here are a few scary shows that you can watch and listen to in order to prepare for your own Broadway Halloween!

The Addams Family

The musical adaptation of the film and cartoon franchise The Addams Family written by Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman is perfect to listen to and watch for a family-friendly Halloween movie night. With music and lyrics written by Andrew Lippa, this dark and hilarious musical brings everyone's favorite creepy family to life with pop-rock, upbeat songs like "When You're an Addams," "Pulled," and "Full Disclosure." The show premiered on Broadway in 2010 and starred musical theatre icons including Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Kevin Chamberlin, Krysta Rodriguez, and Wesley Taylor. Go listen to the soundtrack on Spotify or Apple Music and dance around your house to get into the spooky spirit.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The musical with book, lyrics, and music by Richard O'Brien is perfect for any Halloween movie night. This Frankenstein-esque show premiered on Broadway in 1975 featuring songs including "Time Warp," "Over at the Frankenstein Place," and "Rose Tint My World." Go watch the 1975 film adaptation starring Tim Curry, Meat Loaf, Susan Sarandon, Richard O'Brien, and Barry Bostwick this Halloween.

Little Shop of Horrors

Little Shop of Horrors features a book written by Howard Ashman and music by Disney legend Alan Menken. This movie musical is perfect for any Broadway-themed Halloween movie night. The plot of the musical follows a nerdy florist shop worker who cares for a Venus Fly Trap-type plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. Before the pandemic, I saw a production of Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway starring Christian Borle, Jonathan Groff, and Tammy Blanchard and it was hilarious and absolutely terrifying. After watching the 1986 film adaptation of this musical, you will have songs like "Somewhere That's Green," and "Suddenly Seymour" stuck in your head.

Sweeney Todd

This 1979 musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler and book and lyrics written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim is sinister enough for Halloween. It's based on a play of the same name written by Christopher Bond and opened on Broadway in 1979. Featuring soul-stirring songs including "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" and "Johanna," this musical will both scare you and break your heart. The plot follows a murderous barber named Todd and his cleptomaniac wife, Mrs. Lovett as they soak up the riches of their unsuspecting customers and sell their parts in the form of meat pies. Watch the famous 2007 film adaptation starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Alan Rickman this Halloween.

The Phantom of the Opera

This 1986 musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and written by Webber and Richard Stilgoe has been running on Broadway for 32 years consecutively and is one of the longest-running shows of all time. This British musical follows a young opera singer named Christine, who the Phantom of the Operahouse aims to get close to. This gothic romance features amazing music including "The Phantom of the Opera," "All I Ask of You," and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." Go get out your own mask and watch the 2004 film adaptation starring Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver, and Ramin Karimloo.

Ghost

The musical Ghost features a book written by Bruce Joel Rubin and music written by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. Based on the 1990 fantasy hit of the same name, this musical first premiered in 2011 and is both eerie and stunningly beautiful. This ghostly show (see what I did there?) features songs including "Unchained Melody," "With You," and "Talkin' About a Day." Go listen to the cast album on Apple Music or Spotify this Halloween, and turn on the film version starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

Jekyll and Hyde

This 1990 musical is loosely based on the 1896 novella of the same name written by Robert Louis Stevenson and features a book written by Leslie Bricusse and music and lyrics written by Frank Wildhorn, Bricusse, and Steve Cuden. It premiered on Broadway in 1997 and starred Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder, and Christiane Noel. A revival of the show opened on Broadway in the spring of 2013 and closed shortly after. In March 2019, it was announced that Alexander Dinelaris will write the script for the upcoming film adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, and it will be produced by Lexicon. The show follows talented physician Dr. Jekyll's descent into madness as he creates an alternate evil personality for himself, Dr. Hyde. Throughout the show, one man tries to juggle both polar opposite personas and rid himself of the evil Dr. Hyde. This show features a pop-rock score including songs like "This is the Moment," "Someone Like You," and "In His Eyes." Go listen to the soundtrack on Apple Music or Spotify and watch this gripping tale's film adaptation this Halloween.

Dracula, the Musical

Based on the Victorian novel of the same name written by Bram Stoker, this 2001 musical was written by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and features music written by Frank Wildhorn. The show premiered on Broadway in 2004 and follows Jonathan Harker, a young man who records his time in Transylvania with the infamous Count Dracula. The Broadway cast included Kelli O'Hara, Tom Hewitt, Melissa Errico, and Darren Ritchie. The show features songs including "A Perfect Life," "If I Could Fly," and "The Longer I Live." Listen to the soundtrack for the musical and watch the 1992 adaptation of this frightening tale this Halloween.

Frankenstein- A New Musical

This 2009 musical adapted from Mary Shelley's famous terrifying tale about the horrifying monster known as Frankenstein was written by Gary P. Cohen and Jeffrey Jackson and features music composed by Mark Baron and lyrics written by Jackson. The show ran off-Broadway in 2007 and starred Christiane Noll, Hunter Foster, Steve Blanchard, Jim Stanek, and Mandy Bruno. The musical includes songs such as "Birth to My Creation," "Dear Victor," and "An Angel's Embrace." You can listen to the soundtrack on Apple Music or Spotify and watch the 2015 film adaptation of this classic tale to get into the Halloween spirit this October.