SOUND OFF Special Edition: Top 10+ Most Important Gay Musicals

The landmark Supreme Court ruling handed down late last week instating national legalization of marriage rights for all individuals is a cause celebre for the country at large, particularly the Broadway community who has vocally and vociferously fought for equal acceptance for all for many decades now. Given the preponderance of LGBT people in the theatre community at large, this legislative victory is a particular joy for many to celebrate and savor, as well. As a result of this momentous event, now is certainly the ideal time to take a look back at the most important and notable musicals that have appeared on Broadway and beyond in the last several decades to shine a light on the gay community, ranging from portrayals of closeted individuals trapped and unable to find acceptance in a conservative society all the way to the out and proud representations available to see in some currently running smash hits. Additionally, who could forget all of musicals that have touched upon LGBT issues over the years - from the campy to the controversial to the highly acclaimed. Needless to say, FUN HOME winning the Best Musical Tony Award and several others just last month makes it a must-see of the current spate of Broadway shows and a certain shoo-in to be included on future lists such as this one documenting the history of LGBT musicals.

Here are my picks, share yours in the comments below!

1. COCO. Way back in 1969 when the musical all about Coco Chanel titled COCO hit the Great White Way, all the audience could talk about going into the theater was the chance to witness a true blue Hollywood icon onstage in a new musical for the first time, the one and only Katharine Hepburn. Little did they know, all anyone could discuss on the way out was the unforgettable character turn by Rene Auberjonois as one of the first out gay characters ever represented in musical theatre, occurring the same year as the Stonewall Riots, no less- and he took home a 1970 Tony Award for his efforts. C'est magnifique!

2. KINKY BOOTS. The 2013 Best Musical Tony Award winner not only marked the cultural shift in the perception of LGBT individuals by the general population as gay marriage became legalized state by state across the country over the last decade, but also evidenced a major moment in pop culture arising with a musical about acceptance of all individuals that also showcased several drag performances winning the top theatrical prize of them all. Fierce!

3. FALSETTOS. Many may cite William Finn and James Lapine's incomparably effective and emotionally engaging musical about a quirky, close-knit Jewish family - and "the lesbians from next door," of course - as the first major mainstage musical to address the issues of coming out and juggling a gay lifestyle with a heterosexual one. At the end of the day, though, the show proved that both are one in the same - people are people and love is love. The fact that FALSETTOS was the first Broadway musical to directly address the AIDS crisis in the manner that it did also makes it a must for a list such as this. What would we do without FALSETTOS?

4. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. 1984 Best Musical winner LA CAGE AUX FOLLES by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein is considered by many to be the first gay musical for the masses insofar as its depiction of a loving family that just so happens to feature two fathers raising a son as opposed to a father and a mother, with the story based on the classic French film of the same name. Showstopping anthem "I Am What I Am" became a linchpin statement for many ever since, too - and rightly so given its incredible power and message. Nevertheless, the best of times is now - especially with gay marriage fully legalized at last.

5. RENT. Bringing the acceptance-of-all message to a new generation, the musical of the 1990s was undoubtedly the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera based on LA BOHEME ingeniously conjured up by the late Jonathan Larson as a tribute to all of his colorful and memorable friends cohabitating in the East Village at the "end of the millenium." Wilson Jermaine Heredia's Tony-winning turn as gender-bending Angel is further proof of the impact that the LGBT individuals represented in the show had over voters - and audiences around the world, too.

6. KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. Another Best Musical winner, this one from the incomparably starry creative team of John Kander, Fred Ebb, Terrence McNally and director Hal Prince, based on the seminal novel by Manuel Puig. Displaying the hostile-cum-harmonious pairing of two drastically different denizens at a South American prison, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN gave dignity, grace and gravitas to a gay relationship in a stately, series and incredibly affecting manner. A musical that definitely brought the gay movement "over the wall" and into audiences's hearts and minds.

7. THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. The most raucous, wild and just plain out there character in perhaps all of musical theatre history, there are simply no words to describe the gender-bending alien from the planet Transsexual Transylvania at the core of this spoofy and indelible rock musical. Truly, his name alone intones the outlandish and fabulous allure inherent to the wink-wink and nudge-nudge nature of the entire enterprise - Dr. Frank N. Further. One helluva "Sweet Transvestite," indeed.

8. THE BOY FROM OZ. Based on the true story of Australian crooner and all-around showman Peter Allen, a star on the rise named Hugh Jackman took Broadway by storm in 2002 with his fiercely committed portrayal of the song and dance man in the biomusical, shimmying his way to Tony Award glory as Best Actor In A Musical, as well. The touching "I Honestly Love You" sequence also signified a major step forward for the portrayal of a gay relationship onstage in a musical on Broadway, to boot.

9. HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's unbelievably unique and endlessly entrancing rock musical about a East Berlin refugee with a botched sex change operation seeking fame and fortune in the United States as an androgynous rock star not unlike David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust is, in a word, spectacular. Additionally, the eloquence and pathos of "The Origin Of Love" translates the prescient ideas of Plato's Symposium to a new generation (or two) in a whole new way thanks to the delicious melodies and brilliant lyrics overflowing from the audience-pleasing score for the dynamite show. So, go ahead and try to tear HEDWIG down!

10. ROAD SHOW. Stephen Sondheim and George Furth repeatedly denied that the central protagonist of the groundbreaking 1970 concept musical COMPANY portrays a gay man at the center of the relationship-centric story, yet there is no denying that Sondheim and his bookwriter on ROAD SHOW, John Weidman, addressed homosexuality head-on in their most recent musical collaboration, ROAD SHOW. Based on the lives of scrappy early 20th century true-life characters Addison and Wilson Mizner, Sondheim penned his first outright love song between two men especially for this score - the rapturous and moving "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened". The rest is history.

And, while this list is quite comprehensive as it is, special mention should also be made to A NEW BRAIN, DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER, HELLO AGAIN, THE WILD PARTY (both LaChiusa and Lippa), ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS & RAGING QUEENS, TABOO, CLOSER TO HEAVEN, VOYEURZ, THE FIX, ELEGIES, AVENUE Q, BARE, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, GLORY DAYS, SOHO CINDERS, YANK!, SPRING AWAKENING and many more for their important portrayals of LGBT individuals. Now: everybody say yeah!