Which Christmas Songs Suit Your Favorite Broadway Shows?
See which classic Christmas songs best fit your faves including Hamilton, Hadestown, Waitress, Mrs. Doubtfire, and more!
By: A.A. Cristi Dec. 25, 2021
Christmas songs. Love them or hate them, at this time of year it is inevitable that you'll run into them pretty much everywhere you go. For us theatre fans however, the Christmas song is nothing more than an extension of the showtune, making them a most welcome addition to our usual musical fare.
The Christmas song is so closely related to the showtune, in fact, that many of our favorites were written by Broadway composers. The great Irving Berlin gave us the classic tune, "White Christmas," Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls) is the pen behind, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Jule Styne (whose musical Funny Girl will be revived in 2022) wrote, "Let It Snow!" and Meredith Willson, best known for another revival, The Music Man, gave us, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."
With so many of our finest artists tethering the Christmas song to Broadway, this year we're taking a look at some of Broadway's best shows to see where they land in the holiday equation. Since handsomely orchestrated songs built around specific feelings and happenings are kind of our thing, let's see which of our favorite shows can be tied to some of our most timeless Christmas tunes!
Hamilton
.jpg "Which Christmas Songs Suit Your Favorite Broadway Shows?")
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
"You'll go down in history!" With those words the legacy of one misfit reindeer with a very shiny nose was secured, but those of us familiar with the full story of Rudolph know that the journey to sleigh star was one filled with otherness and adversity. The title character of Broadway's blockbuster musical, Hamilton, can certainly relate to that struggle. As an immigrant with a gift of gab and the sharpest pen in town, A. Ham is continually insulted and cast out by his fellow founding fathers. Despite all this adversity, Alexander keeps it pushing helping to win the Revolutionary War, authoring 51 Federalist Papers, overcoming scandal, loss, and rescuing the U.S. from the foggy principles of presidential candidate, Aaron Burr. It takes tough a ton of tough decisions to make it to the ten dollar bill, but Ham the Man made it happen, and went down in history as a result.
Waitress
In winter it's a marshmallow world, but in Jenna Hunterson's kitchen sweet treats rule all year round as this pie prodigy cranks out dozens of the finest creations diner guests have ever encountered. Working her resentments and insecurities out through inventive flavors like Deep Dish Blueberry Bacon, Slow As Molasses Shoefly Pie, and of course, Marshmallow Mermaid, Jenna finds a roadmap to a sweeter life and her own inner-strength.
Chicago
They had it coming. Or at least that's what the Merry Murderesses of the Cook County Jail would have you believe. After Fred Kaisley welches on his promise to make his side chick, Roxie Hart, a vaudeville star she shoots her paramour and is swiftly incarcerated. Upon her arrival at the penitentiary, she is dispatched to a cell block famous for its collection of homicidal ladies. Liars, cheaters, and gum poppers all learned their lesson at the hands of these vengeful vixens who made sure these gentleman got plenty of rest...in peace.
American Utopia
You may find yourself in a manger in the dead of winter. You may find yourself looking down at a newborn savior. You may ask his mother, "Shall I play for him?"
The titular drummer boy of this well-known tale had no gift to bring but his percussive abilities, and if he'd had the drumline from American Utopia with him, he'd be bringing down the house on Broadway instead of in the manger. With the most impressive drummers on Broadway, David Byrne and his grey-suited band of merry musical geniuses are serving up grooves fit for a king eight times a week at the St. James Theatre and putting the "pa rum pa pum pum" back into Christmas on Broadway.
Hadestown
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
No characters on Broadway can understand the doldrums of a lonely holiday better than the estranged lovers of this Tony-winning Best Musical. With Persephone trading the factory floor for the flower bed each spring, Hades is left without a chess buddy for the better part of the year. When the time apart becomes a bit too much, he boards the train to Earth to scoop up his Mrs. and returns with a sweet little songbird named Eurydice in tow. When her distraught lover, Orpheus, learns of her trip to the underworld, he sets out on a fraught journey to bring his heart home.
Mrs. Doubtfire
"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"
When it comes to comedic mishaps involving elderly women (or, in this case, a dad in disguise) no show hits the mark better than Broadway's newest musical comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire. Based on the classic Robin Williams' film of the same name, the musical tells the story of Daniel Hillard, a loving father who cooks up an outrageous scheme to be near his children following an acrimonious divorce. Stepping into the orthopedic shoes of a Scottish nanny persona named Euphegenia Doubtfire, Daniel initially pulls off the ruse, returning to his former home each day to tend to his kids. But he quickly finds himself in hot water as his plan begins to unravel and in one of the film's most famous sequences, Daniel's Doubtfire mask is bumped out a window where it is promptly run over... by a truck. See this iconic scene and more memorable movie moments in this big-hearted new musical.
SIX
"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...divorce, a beheading, another divorce, a natural death, and...well, you get the picture. In the classic holiday tune, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" our narrator details all of the elaborate gifts bestowed upon them by their true love in the days leading up to Christmas. ('Lotta birds. Too many birds.) The acclaimed new musical SIX follows a similar structure with half a dozen divas stepping forward to detail all the things their not-so true love, King Henry VIII, gave, but mostly took ('Lotta heads. Too many heads.) from them throughout their infamous marriages.
Wicked
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
It's always the most wonderful time of year in the Emerald City, where citizens are enamored with their leader, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But the merry old land of Oz, it turns, out, isn't so merry. And that wizard? Not so wonderful after all. When our green-skinned heroine, Elphaba, crosses paths with this famed head of state she sees his true colors, setting off the events of the timeless story of The Wizard of Oz, on which the musical is based.
Aladdin
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"
Over at Disney's Aladdin, the citizens of Agrabah know a thing or two about wishes. When the titular street kid is sent to retrieve a magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders, he finds himself in the presence of a magical genie, who gives him three wishes to make his dream of winning the heart of Princess Jasmine come true. Can Al win his true love while saving the city from the dastardly Jafar? You'll have to see the show to find out! We wish you would!
The Lion King
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
Glory to the newborn king! In the incredible opening number of this Disney on Broadway blockbuster all the creatures of the Savannah congregate to celebrate the birth of their future king, Simba. When tragedy strikes, the young cub flees his kingdom and vows to never look back. He's prepared to abdicate this throne entirely when he catches word that his evil Uncle Scar and his band of evil hyenas have taken control of the Pridelands. Can Simba win back his rightful place on the throne and restore peace to the animal kingdom? We just can't wait for you to find out!
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