Student Blog: Pride Month Musicals

Happy June, and happy pride month! I have made a list of some musicals with queer representation to celebrate!

1. The Prom

The Prom is a fun show about a queer girl who just wants to take her girlfriend to prom, but her small town won't allow it, so with the help of a bunch of Broadway stars, she becomes a trailblazer! This musical is also now a Netflix movie.

Song recommendation: Unruly Heart

2. Rent

A classic musical with some great queer representation in the form of Angel and Collins and Maureen and Joanne. Rent is about a bunch of artists living in the village in NYC during the AIDS crisis, originally based on the opera La Boheme. This one is also a movie (but I prefer the musical).

Song recommendation: I'll Cover You

3. Kinky Boots

This musical with music by Cyndi Lauper focuses on the story of Charlie, a man trying to save his father's shoe factory, whose only hope is the fabulous drag queen Lola (originally played by Billy Porter!).

Song recommendation: Land of Lola

4. Falsettos

Falsettos is a quirky musical that focuses on a family where the father figure, Marvin, has left his wife to be with his lover Whizzer, and how that affects all of their lives. This musical was originally two musicals, and it later became one musical.

Song recommendation: I Never Wanted to Love You

5. Fun Home

The first Broadway musical with a canonically lesbian protagonist, Fun Home tells the story of cartoonist Allison Bechdel's memoir about figuring out her sexuality and her relationship to her father. Fun Home won best musical in 2015!

Song recommendation: Changing My Major

6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

This glam rock musical tells the story of Hedwig, a genderqueer, aspiring rockstar, and her life journey and relationships. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, originally a movie, won best revival in 2014 with Neil Patrick Harris playing the title role.

Song recommendation: Wicked Little Town

7. Bare

Bare is a coming of age story centered around the forbidden romance between two teenagers, Peter and Jason, who attend a very prestigious Catholic school. The original musical is Bare: A Pop Opera, and the revised, 2012 version is Bare: The Musical.

Song recommendation: 911! Emergency!

8. Head Over Heels

This jubilant musical tells the story of two sisters, Pamela and Philoclea, and their respective love lives and wacky adventures. This show also featured some nonbinary representation on Broadway through the character Pythio.

Song recommendation: Vacation

9. If/Then

This underrated musical is about a woman named Elizabeth and the two different paths her life could have taken based on one small decision. The queer representation in this musical is her friends, Kate and Anne and Lucas and David.

Song recommendation: Love While You Can

10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Based on the cult classic movie, Rocky Horror is the story of young couple Brad and Janet who find themselves surrounded by wacky characters in a strange house. The songs from the movie are in the show, and it was originally on Broadway in 1975.

Song recommendation: Time Warp

11. The Color Purple

Based on Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple centers around Celie and her journey growing up as an African American woman in the south in the early 1900s. Cynthia Erivo won a Tony for her portrayal of Celie in the 2015 revival.

Song recommendation: I'm Here

12. Zanna, Don't!

Zanna, Don't! imagines a world in which homosexuality is the norm, and heterosexuality is seen as strange. This unique show was first put up off-broadway in the early 2000s.

Song recommendation: I Think We Got Love

These are just a few queer shows to get you started with your musical theatre pride month celebrations! Hopefully by next pride, there will be even more LGBTQ+ representation in theatre!