Valentine’s month isn’t over yet!
Before "Valentine's Month" comes to a close, I wanted to rank my top ten Musical Love stories. Well, some of my favorite love stories. This is a pretty wide category so I had to be pretty selective, and I'm definitely forgetting a few just because of how general this style is. I'm very prepared for you to disagree on a few - but let me know what you think!
HAIRSPRAY What would we do "Without Love"? Hairspray's entire trope is based around "unlikely lovers", and as cheesy as it is we're here for it. Not my favorite, but I'm also not one for the "pop" musical." That said, I could watch the 2007 movie remake again and again (Hi Zac!).
LES MISERABLES We all have opinions about the love story depicted in this musical. Every discussion quickly turns into #teamcosette, #teameponine, or #teamNOTmarius. No matter your opinion, I think we can all agree that this musical is flawless, and in large part to it's love stories.
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA A modern classic. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Phantom" tells of a tragic love triangle and gives us sweeping melodies like "All I Ask of You." I do appreciate the story despite it not being my favorite of the love-musicals, and all I ask of YOU is to forgive me for that.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC A father and a governess finding love in Nazi-occupied Austria scored by R&H - what could be better than that? I think we all fall in love a little watching this movie; from the Austrian dance in the backyard to the beautifully soft rendition of "Something Good" - this musical (and, rightfully, the movie adaptation) is a love story for the ages. Oh, and it's a true story.
R&H's CINDERELLA This musical has been one of my longest loves, and I don't think I need to speak for the love story itself. It's classic, it's magical, and need I say again, it's R&H.
SWEENEY TODD Odd musical to put on my list, I know. I'm already a little partial because this happens to be my favorite musical, but you'd have to agree that "Johanna" is one of the greatest love songs of all time. Just for that, Sweeney Todd gets a decent spot on my list.
THE LAST FIVE YEARS Need I say more? The Last Five Years is a favorite of the contemporary love stories. Even better, the movie version is free on Youtube right now.
CAROUSEL Why are all the best musical love stories tragedies? As sad as this show is, however, does not mask how beautiful the story and music are. Another R&H classic, Carousel gives us (among other love themes throughout the show) the beloved "If I Loved You." This musical is revived often, and it's not hard to see why.
FALSETTOS Love is messy in this show, and it ends tragically; but that doesn't mean the stories aren't beautiful. This musical covers love between spouses, friends, and parents and their children. If you want a show that will give you all the feels, look no further.
WEST SIDE STORY You had to know that this would be my #1. The classic retelling of Romeo & Juliet is beloved for its story and gorgeous melodies, courtesy of the dream team of Bernstein and Sondheim. The new movie adaptation (starring Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort) also comes out later this year, so there's no better time to revisit this classic.
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