SOUND OFF Special Edition: 10+ Most Important Gay Musicals, Part 2

The BroadwayWorld community is nothing if not vocal and yesterday's SOUND OFF critical column, available here, revealing my absolute top picks for the most important gay musicals of all time inspired many reactions in the feedback section, on Facebook and on social media, ranging from "I LOVE LOVE LOVE COCO" to "No FUN HOME?" to "Where's THE FAGGOT?" and far beyond. As with any opinion-based list such as this, historical perspective is an essential element to consider and a musical such as FUN HOME that has only been on Broadway mere months is obviously too new to truly assess insofar as its historical influence and impact on the overall legacy of gay musicals on Broadway in toto - especially when going as far back as 1969's COCO and covering all the way up to 2013's KINKY BOOTS, as yesterday's list quite comprehensively did. So, as a result, we are giving you more of what you are asking for and sharing 10 more musicals that have been important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement, all of which were cited in yesterday's column but not included on the actual top ten list as it was presented. Accordingly, what follows are merely my personal choices, so I now ask you: what are yours? Let us know and perhaps we will even need to do another list to shine a light on even more LGBT touchstones worthy of discussion.

1. FUN HOME. Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron's thoughtful and powerful adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic novel of the same name is overflowing with artistry, emotionality and cultural impact. A Tony Award-winning musical ostensibly concerning itself with a young lesbian and her closeted gay father and their journeys to coming out and also revealing to the world, and themselves, who they really are has come at a paramount time for the LGBT movement thanks to the Supreme Court's decision to nationally legalize marriage rights for all. Brava.

2. SPRING AWAKENING. Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's teen angst-infused rock musical based on the classic and controversial Franz Wedekind play was a breakout hit of the mid-00s largely as a result of its edgy original Tony Award-winning production featuring an impossibly talented cast of up and comers including no less than Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher Jr., Jenna Ushkowitz and Skylar Astin, among others. Furthermore, its sensitive portrayal of homosexual versus heterosexual sexual awakening, even in a play set more than 100 years ago, showed that we are all more alike than different. A perfect musical for a purple summer - as, as we discovered yesterday, very ripe for revival, as well.

3. TABOO. Boy George himself played the outre performance artist Leigh Bowery in the original Broadway production of his self-composed musical all about his heyday of pop superstardom in the 1980s, complete with all the various outrageous LGBT individuals he called friends - and enemies. Talk show queen, Broadway proponent and outspoken LGBT ally Rosie O'Donnell produced the original Broadway production, as well, making it a definite for inclusion on a list of the most important musicals in the theatrical pantheon. Plus, does musical theatre get any more memorable than "Out Of Fashion"? A quintessential quintet (and then some) for the ages.

4. A NEW BRAIN. The very recent Encores! Off-Center mounting of the William Finn/James Lapine autobiographical musical about music, mothers, boyfriends, books and brain surgery, starring Jonathan Groff, updated the show to the present day and with it reminded us all of the many persuasive and endearing elements of this unusual fever dream of a show - and also reinforced that this is one of the most melodic and moving scores of the 1990s. To wit, the protagonist's boyfriend singing the rapturous "I'd Rather Be Sailing" left anyone lucky enough to attend the brief run swimming in sonorousness and its sexy shower-set duet reprise later on left nary a dry eye in all of City Center.

5. DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER. ANNIE and BYE BYE BIRDIE composer extraordinaire Charles Strouse teamed up with legendary MY FAIR LADY lyricist Alan Jay Lerner for an unusual short-lived musical based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 play IDIOT'S DELIGHT back in 1983. Boasting a score overflowing with lilting melodies and romantic moments, one of the most notable of all was undoubtedly a duet shared by Brent Barrett and Jeff Keller ruminating on gay marriage titled "Why Can't The World Leave Us Alone?". History was made, although the show did not last long enough to have very much impact, alas.

6. THE WILD PARTY times two. Both Andrew Lippa and Michael John LaChiusa set out to adapt Joseph Moncure March's truly wild Jazz Age poem about one sordid, gin-soaked night at a chic showbiz party in Prohibition-era Manhattan in the 1920s. Lippa's score was infused with rock and pop elements and a highlight included a guffaw-inducing showstopper for a tough-talking lesbian titled "Old Fashioned Lesbian Love Story" while LaChiusa's gave great weight to the actual period sound and showcased several LGBT characters, including an outspoken lesbian performance artist, her mannequin model-esque lover, a pair of incestuous brothers and an "ambisextrous" playboy named Jackie. Both scores are well worth seeking out - and both worth reviving.

7. AVENUE Q. The Best Musical of 2004 was not TABOO or even mega-hit WICKED but an adult puppet show loosely inspired by SESAME STREET discussing events of the day - including gay rights, of course. Indeed, Rod is one of most humorous gay characters to grace Broadway and his "If You Were Gay" shared with his roommate Nicky is a standout comedy moment in any musical from the early 2000s. Thankfully, Rod comes out and comes to terms with his sexuality before the final curtain, as well, giving some dramatic weight to the comedy.

8. VOYEURZ. Likely the first major rock/pop musical largely centered on a lesbian sexual experience, the graphic, explicit and little-known West End VOYEURZ is a true curiosity but begs inclusion on a list of musicals that have made a progressive mark in displaying the LGBT lifestyle onstage. Originally presented by producer Michael White, the premiere production was noted for its ample nudity and extensive exploration of BDSM - whips, chains, leather, dildos and much more included. Score highlight? "Sex On A Train". A ride worth taking, if only for curiosity's sake.

9. BARE. The late Damon Intrabartolo crafted a "pop opera" from the heart along with Jon Hartmere Jr. with their immensely moving and provocative original musical about a group of friends and foes coming of age at a Catholic school in the late 1990s. Showstopper character songs exploring teenage pregnancy ("All Grown Up"), loneliness ("A Quiet Night At Home") and the gay experience itself - namely, staying in the closet to please one's parents ("Role Of A Lifetime") and the resulting toll that it takes on the psyche of the person himself - made it the pre-SPRING AWAKENING answer for millennials looking to hear their voice and see their lives represented onstage.

10. ELEGIES. William Finn made history with his Tony Award-winning FALSETTOS trilogy - comprising IN TROUSERS, MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS and FALSETTOLAND - and explored his own life and experience as a gay man in A NEW BRAIN, but his most autobiographical and personal work of all is ELEGIES - and, as he recently revealed to me in our InDepth InterView, available here, it is his absolute favorite work to date, as well. A tribute to all of those he has lost in his life - from his mother to Joe Papp and beyond, including many lost to the ravages of AIDS - make it necessary to consider when evaluating the most impacting gay musicals to date.

So, what is the most important LGBT-related musical of all time in your estimation? What would your list look like? Sound off - that is the name of this column, after all - and let us know below! Also, check out yesterday's column for the first 10+ LGBT musicals discussed, available here.