1. Gypsy
Patti LuPone won her second Tony as Momma Rose in the revival of this backstage musical, which often is called the greatest of all time.
Gypsy is the story of a stop-at-nothing stage mother whose own yearning for the spotlight extends to pushing one daughter away and leading another into burlesque.
In addition to LuPone’s critically acclaimed performance, the cast CD has Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines, who also won Tony awards for the show.
Of course, Gypsy features music by Jule Styne and lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim on such songs as “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and “Together Wherever We Go.”
2. In the Heights
The only original work to be nominated this year, In the Heights is original indeed. Conceived by newcomer Lin-Manuel Miranda while still in college, In the Heights revolves around an eventful Fourth of July, weaving a tale of immigrant hopes and dreams in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
Miranda wrote the music and lyrics winning Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Musical in a show that comes alive to the salsa and hip-hop beats of the neighborhood, all the while defining the characters and moving the plot forward in true Broadway style.
3. South Pacific
A second revival to be Grammy nominated this year, South Pacific was as big a hit in 2008 as it was when it premiered in 1949.
Any score is going to be helped when Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II collaborate on it. Add in the vocals of multiple Tony-nominee Kelli O’Hara and opera sensation Paulo Szot, who won the Best Actor Tony, and you’ve got something special.
Among the standards from this show are “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Younger Than Spring Time,” “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,” and more.
4. The Little Mermaid
The score to Disney’s animated version of The Little Mermaid by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Best Song Oscar for “Under the Sea.” Transferring the movie to the stage, Menken expanded his score with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Chances are good you know many of the other songs in this story of the mermaid princess, Ariel, who longs to live and love out of the sea. Songs include: “Kiss the Girl,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Part of Your World.”