The public’s 100 favourite musicals

Published: 9 May 2023
Reporter: Sandra Giorgetti

Les Misérables—the cast Credit: Danny Kaan
A Little Night Music at The Watermill Theatre: Josefina Gabrielle Credit: Philip Tull
Disney's Frozen—Samantha Barks as Elsa Credit: Johan Persson © Disney

In April, theatre news web site WhatsOnStage.com took a vote across its readership to identify their favourite musicals.

The top five slots might suggest a London-heavy voter profile as all but one is currently playing in the West End:

  1. Les Misérables
  2. The Phantom of the Opera
  3. Wicked
  4. Hamilton
  5. West Side Story

Stephen Sondheim pips Andrew Lloyd Webber to the composer top spot with eleven entries.

WhatsOnStage’s Alex Wood said, “musicals are the lifeblood of theatre, and readers have voted in droves to anoint Les Misérables their favourite musical of all time. 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 is:

  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

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