My youngest daughter is an incredibly talented actress. She has appeared in multiple amateur and professional shows already and would love to continue her hobby into adulthood. An activity we have both come to enjoy is visiting the theatre together (whenever she is off the stage). We absolutely love musicals and frequently listen to the music of these show tunes. We’ve put together a list of what are in our opinion, some of the musicals with the best show tunes.
Hamilton
We were fortunate enough to see Hamilton in Manchester earlier this year. In our opinion, Hamilton has some of the best contemporary music in theatre currently. The tunes can be listed as standalone tracks to sing along to as well which makes them even better. I was rather impressed with my daughter, I thought Hamilton would be a tad too mature for her. The story can be a little tricky to follow given the thick American accents on stage, but she managed to follow the story and now has some great show tunes to sing along to!
Some of our favourite songs from Hamilton are:
- ‘You’ll be Back’ performed by the hilarious character King George III.
- ‘My Shot’ performed by Hamilton.
- ‘Non-Stop’ performed by multiple members of the cast as a song featured several tunes featured in Act 1 of the show.
Les Miserables
Some of the tracks from Les Mis have entered into popular culture, for instance ‘One More Day’. I have seen videos of this song performed at weddings and other celebrations. It is a great track as it incorporates many members of the main cast. The feature film from 2023 popularised Les Mis and brought their tunes to a whole new, younger generation. Each of the show tunes featured in this production is powerful and moving. They all require singers with strong voices to perform these numbers.
Some of our favourite songs from Les Miserables are:
- ‘One Day More’ performed by multiple members of the cast.
- ‘Master of the House’ performed by the Innkeeper, Monsieur Thénardier, and his wife, Madame Thénardier.
- ‘Who Am I’? Performed by Jean Valjean
Phantom of the Opera
My daughter recently performed a show which featured multiple show tunes from The Phantom of the Opera. Although my children are not particularly fond of the play (I on the other hand am), they still love the show tunes from this epic production. Phantom of the Opera is another Andrew Lloyd Weber classic. Show tunes from Andrew Lloyd Weber are always powerful and memorable. Along with the brilliant visual appeal, the show tunes from The Phantom of the Opera make this show absolutely epic.
Some of our favourites from this show include:
- ‘Masquerade’ performed by the Cast.
- ‘Prima Dona’ performed by Carlotta Altieri.
- ‘All I ask of You’ performed by Christine Daaé and Raoul.
Cats
Another Andrew Lloyd Weber classic is Cats. The songs from the musical are based upon a collection of poems written by T.S. Elliot entitled ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’. The play doesn’t really follow too much of a story and this means the show tunes from this production can be sung alone as stand-alone tunes or incorporated into concerts with ease.
Some of our favourite show tunes from Cats include:
- ‘Bustopher Jones’ performed by Bustopher Jones and Jenny and Dots.
- ‘Jellicle Cats’ performed by the cast.
- ‘Memory’ performed by Grizabella.
Hairspray
I was lucky enough to see Hairspray some years ago, and let me tell you, seeing it on stage was even better than the awesome film! There’s nothing quite like a live performance! The songs from this show are catchy and memorable and definitely sing-along tunes. From this colourful uplifting musical, we have chosen some of our favourite tunes:
- ‘Ladies Choice’ performed by Linc.
- ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ performed by Tracy Turnblad.
- ‘Run and Tell That’ performed by Seaweed.
What are your favourite show tunes? Please let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image by Ewa Kurowska from Pixabay
