WhatsOnStage today announces the top 100 musicals as voted for by the theatregoing public, who have been voting across the month of April.
The poll see Les Misérables crowned the number 1 most popular musical, with The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Hamilton and West Side Story making up the top 5, with only the latter not currently running in the West End.
Stephen Sondheim proves the most popular composer/lyricist with 11 entries in the top 100 – West Side Story, Company, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Gypsy and Assassins. He is closely followed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (who shares Sondheim’s birthday of 22 March) with The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Starlight Express, Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Alex Wood from WhatsOnStage said today, “Musicals are the lifeblood of theatre, and readers have voted in droves to anoint Les Misérables their favourite musical of all times. Not a critic favourite when it opened, it has proved a solid gold hit with audiences, and remains the longest running musical in the West End.”
THE FULL LIST OF TOP 100 MUSICALS:
1 Les Misérables
2 The Phantom of the Opera
3 Wicked
4 Hamilton
5 West Side Story
6 Blood Brothers
7 Rent
8 Cabaret
9 Come From Away
10 Jesus Christ Superstar
11 Sweeney Todd
12 Company
13 Six
14 Miss Saigon
15 Starlight Express
16 The Sound of Music
17 Into the Woods
18 Dear Evan Hansen
19 Guys and Dolls
20 The Rocky Horror Show
21 Heathers
22 Jersey Boys
23 Waitress
24 Newsies
25 Mamma Mia!
26 Little Shop of Horrors
27 The Lion King
28 Hadestown
29 Spring Awakening
30 Kinky Boots
31 Hairspray
32 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
33 The Book of Mormon
34 Oklahoma!
35 In the Heights
36 Matilda the Musical
37 Cats
38 Evita
39 Chicago
40 Follies
41 Bat Out of Hell
42 Mary Poppins
43 Gypsy
44 The Last Five Years
45 Hello Dolly
46 The King and I
47 Anything Goes
48 Chess
49 42nd Street
50 Carousel
51 Grease
52 Fiddler on the Roof
53 South Pacific
54 Merrily We Roll Along
55 Legally Blonde
56 Groundhog Day
57 Sunset Boulevard
58 Ragtime
59 Aspects of Love
60 My Fair Lady
61 Once
62 Billy Elliot
63 Sunday in the Park with George
64 Moulin Rouge!
65 Annie
66 & Juliet
67 The Producers
68 Sister Act
69 Hair
70 A Chorus Line
71 Fun Home
72 We Will Rock You
73 Avenue Q
74 Oliver!
75 Hedwig and the Angry Inch
76 Singin’ in the Rain
77 La Cage aux Folles
78 Crazy for You
79 Dreamgirls
80 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
81 Assassins
82 Back to the Future the Musical
83 Barnum
84 A Little Night Music
85 Frozen
86 Falsettos
87 Next to Normal
88 Bonnie and Clyde
89 Half a Sixpence
90 The Music Man
91 Parade
92 The Color Purple
93 Aladdin
94 The Scottsboro Boys
95 Priscilla Queen of the Desert
96 From Here to Eternity
97 Top Hat
98 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
99 Sweet Charity
100 Pippin
