The British Musical

It's hard to talk about Broadway Musicals without including a page about how our friends across the pond have contributed to them. Many people who love Broadway musicals might not even be aware that many of the shows they have fallen in love with, were written or composed by british artists.

The British Musical "Invasion"

The English stage was always feeding ours from the very beginning, and early in the 19th century, it began flowing both ways. Americans invented musicals,(or so it's argued) but the British adopted them. By the time the American-style English musical Florodora conquered New York, in 1900, American producers were importing shows from London. Some 50 years before audiences were introduced to West Side Story, Broadway saw a production of the London hit called The Belle of Mayfair which was a musical update of Romeo and Juliet.


Gilbert and Sullivan

While some will say that "operettas" by Gilbert and Sullivan are not true musicals, many will argue this if they saw the Broadway Production   of The Pirates of Penzance that was staged in 1983 with actor Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel. This production was also made into a delightful film.


The Modern British Musical and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Some of the best broadway musicals of the day are British Musicals, and so many of them have been attributed to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Whether you like his style or not, it is undeniable that Sir Andrew has played a large part in bringing us some of the most popular and memorable musicals of the day. Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love, Evita ; these are all hit musicals that have graced the Broadway stage and continue to thrill audiences the world round.

Other British Hits and Classics


So many other British Musical hits make the list, especially in today's musical melting pot. From the classic Oliver! ; with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart to "The Who's Tommy" which is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, which is also by Pete Townshend. Another recent injection of british musical hilarity comes from Eric Idle of Monty Python fame with "Spamalot".

British Musical Films

Many of these classic british musicals have been made into films. Oliver! has been made over a few times and is always a favorite. Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita were both made into films and most recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera was filmed and  has had better success on DVD than it did at the box office.  Other British Musical Films include: The Slipper and the Rose (one of my favorites), The Three Penny Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond, and Spamalot among others. As you can see, the Brit's have really played a large part in contributing to the beloved Broadway Musical with these fantastic British Musicals.