From Original Broadway Cast Recordings to iconic revivals, listening to your favorite Broadway soundtrack is a way to experience the magic of your favorite show all over again or experience a new show or composer for the first time. Here are some of the most popular Broadway albums:
Merrily We Roll Along has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth.
The cast features: Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez.
Songs you might know: “Old Friends,” “Not a Day Goes By,” “Opening Doors,” and “Merrily We Roll Along.”
Camelot has music by Frederick Loewe and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and follows King Arthur, his wife Guenevere, and the Knights of the Round Table.
The cast features: Phillipa Soo, Andrew Burnap, Jordan Donica, Dakin Matthews, Taylor Trensch, and Marilee Talkington.
Songs you might know: “Camelot,” “The Lusty Month of May,” and “If Ever I Would Leave You.”
KPOP has music by Helen Park and Max Vernon and follows a group of K-pop superstars as they prepare for a one-night-only concert.
The cast features: Luna
Songs you might know: “This is My Korea,” “Bung Uh Ree Sae,” and “Gin & Tonic.”
Almost Famous has music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt, and follows a teenager who is hired by Rolling Stone magazine to follow an up-and-coming rock band on tour.
The cast features: Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, and Drew Gehling.
Songs you might know: “Tiny Dancer,” “Everybody’s Coming Together,” and “It’s All Happening.”
Funny Girl has music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill and follows the indomitable Fanny Brice on her journey to stardom. The original cast album won a Grammy Award in 1965 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
The cast features: Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Tovah Feldshuh, and Jared Grimes.
Songs you might know: “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.”
Into the Woods with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine follows fairy tale characters from stories like Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk and their encounters with a giant and a witch.
The cast features: Sarah Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Phillipa Soo, Gavin Creel, and Joshua Henry.
Songs you might know: “Into the Woods,” “There Are Giants in the Sky,” “Agony,” and “Children Will Listen.”
Kimberly Akimbo has music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and follows Kimberly Levaco, a teenager with an aging disease, as she navigates school, family, and friendship on a shortened timeline.
The cast features: Victoria Clark, Bonnie Milligan, Steven Boyer, Justin Cooley, Michael Iskander, and Justin Cooley.
Songs you might know: “Anagram,” “Better,” and “Great Adventure.”
Parade has music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Alfred Uhry. Set in Georgia in 1913, it follows Jewish couple Lucille and Leo Frank as Leo is accused of a horrible crime.
The cast features: Ben Platt, Micaela Diamond, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Alex Joseph Grayson
Songs you might know: “The Old Red Hills of Home,” “You Don’t Know This Man,” and “This Is Not Over Yet.”
The Music Man released a new, star-studded recording of this beloved classic with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson featuring the cast of the current Broadway revival.
The cast features: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Jayne Houdyshell, Shuler Hensley, and Jefferson Mayes.
Songs you might know: “Ya Got Trouble,” “Goodnight My Someone,” “Seventy-Six Trombones,” and “Till There Was You.”
Six won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2022 with music and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. In this musical about Henry VIII’s six wives, these Tudor queens come together concert-style to tell their own stories of heartbreak, celebration, and resilience. This album is the first cast album to be recorded live on opening night.
The original Broadway cast features: Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macasaet, Abby Mueller, Brittney Mack, Samantha Pauly, and Anna Uzele
The songs you might know: “Ex-Wives,” “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” “Six.”
A Strange Loop won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020. With book, music and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop follows Usher, a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer…
The original cast features: Jaquel Spivey, L Morgan Lee, James Jackson Jr., John-Michael Lyles, John-Andrew Morrison, Jason Veasey, Antwayn Hopper
The songs you might know: “Inner White Girl,” “Memory Song,” and “Intermission Song.”
Hadestown won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2019 with music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020. The musical follows the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Persephone and Hades.
The original cast features: Andre De Shields, Eva Noblezada, Reeve Carney, Amber Gray and Patrick Page
The songs you might know: “Way Down Hadestown,” “Wait for Me,” and “Our Lady of the Underground.”
The Band’s Visit won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2018 with music and lyrics by David Yazbek. The musical, based on the Israeli movie of the same name, follows an Egyptian orchestra heading to Petah Tikva in Israel when they accidentally take a bus to the town of Beit Hatikva instead and must stay the night.
The original cast features: Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub, Adam Kantor, Ari’el Stachel
The songs you might know: “Welcome to Nowhere,” “Omar Sharif,” and “Haled’s Song About Love.”
Dear Evan Hansen won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2017 with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. The musical follows teenager Evan Hansen who struggles to fit in until he finds newfound popularity in the wake of a tragedy when he makes a well-intentioned lie.
The original cast features: Ben Platt, Mike Faist, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Park, Laura Dreyfuss, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Jennifer Laura Thompson.
The songs you might know: “Waving Through a Window,” “You Will Be Found,” and “For Forever.”
The Color Purple won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2015 (winning over Bright Star, Fiddler on the Roof, the West End recording of Kinky Boots, and Waitress with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles).
The cast features: Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, and Danielle Brooks.
Songs you might know: “What About Love,” “I’m Here,” and “The Color Purple.”
Hamilton won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2016 with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton.
The original cast features: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Jonathan Groff, Jasmine Cephas Jones.
The songs you might know: “My Shot,” “You’ll Be Back,” and “The Room Where It Happens.”
Fun Home won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2015 with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The musical, adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir of the same name, follows Alison Bechdel from a child through young adulthood as she discovers her sexuality and examines her relationship with her gay father.
The original cast features: Beth Malone, Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas, Emily Skeggs, and Robert Colindrez.
Songs you might know: “Ring of Keys,” “Changing my Major,” and “Days and Days.”
The Bridges of Madison County, based on the novel of the same name by Robert James Waller, won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2014 with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical follows an affair between a photographer and a housewife in 1960s Iowa.
The original cast features: Kelli O’Hara, Hunter Foster and Steven Pasquale
Songs you might know: “It All Fades Away,” “Falling Into You,” and “One Second and a Million Miles.”
Kinky Boots, based on the movie of the same name, won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2013 with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. The musical follows Charlie who, after inheriting a shoe factory, saves the struggling business with the help of a drag queen named Lola.
The original cast features: Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford, Stark Sands, and Lena Hall
Songs you might know: “Raise You Up,” “Everybody Say Yeah,” and “The History of Wrong Guys.”
Newsies, based on the film of the same name, won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2012 with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman. The musical follows a group of newsboys who battle against newspaper publishers after they increase distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense.
The original cast features: Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Ben Fankhauser.
Songs you might know: “King of New York,” “Seize the Day,” and “Carrying the Banner.”
The Book of Mormon won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2011 with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone. The musical follows Mormon missionaries Elder Cunningham and Elder Price who are sent to Uganda to spread their faith.
The original cast features: Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, Nikki M. James, Rory O’Malley
Songs you might know: “Hello,” “I Believe,” and “Turn it Off.”
Memphis won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2010 with music by David Bryan and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. The musical follows one of the first white DJs who played black music in the 1950s.
The original cast features: Chad Kimball, Montego Glover, James Monroe Iglehart, J. Bernard Calloway, Derrick Baskin, Cass Morgan, Michael McGrath.
Songs you might know: “The Music of my Soul,” “Say a Prayer” and “Memphis Lives in Me.”
Next to Normal won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2009 with music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. The musical follows a woman with bipolar disorder and the effects the illness has on her family.
The original cast features: Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Jennifer Damiano, Aaron Tveit, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson.
Songs you might know: “I’m Alive,” “I Miss the Mountains,” and “Superboy and the Invisible Girl.”
In the Heights won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2008 with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It follows the struggles and triumphs of characters living in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
The original cast features: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo, Mandy Gonzalez, Chris Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Olga Merediz and Janet Decal.
Songs you might know: “In the Heights,” “96,000,” and “Paciencia Y Fe.”
Spring Awakening won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2007 with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Stephen Sater. This coming-of-age story follows a group of teenagers going through puberty in 19thcentury Germany.
The original cast features: Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr, Gideon Glick, Skylar Astin, and Lilli Cooper.
Songs you might know: “The Bitch of a Living,” “Touch Me,” and “Those You’ve Known.”
Wicked won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2005 with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
The original cast features: Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Norbert Leo Butz.
Songs you might know: “Popular,” “Defying Gravity,” and “For Good.”
Avenue Q won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2004 with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.
The original cast features: John Tartaglia and Stephanie D’Abruzzo
Songs you might know: “There’s a Fine, Fine Line,” “I Wish I Could Go Back to College,” and “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English.”
Les Misérables won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 1987 with music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the impresario behind Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera.
The original cast features: Colm Wilkinson, Terrence Mann, Randy Graff, Judy Kuhn, and Frances Ruffelle
Songs you might know: “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “On My Own.”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 1979 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The original cast features: Angela Lansbury, Len Cariou, and Victor Garber
Songs you might know: “A Little Priest,” “God, That’s Good!” and “Not While I’m Around.”
Company won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 1971 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. A revival of Company is currently playing on Broadway starring Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone.
The original cast features: Elaine Stritch and Merle Louise
Songs you might know: “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Being Alive,” and “Getting Married Today.”
The Music Man won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 1959 with music and lyrics by Meredith Wilson. A revival is currently running on Broadway starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. The New York Times reported the revival set a box office record for the highest gross of any show since Broadway reopened since the pandemic.
The original cast features: Robert Preston and Barbara Cook
Songs you might know: “Goodnight My Someone,” “Ya Got Trouble,” and “Till There Was you.”
& Juliet reimagines the story of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by asking the question, what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo?
The original London cast features: Miriam-Teak Lee, Cassidey Janson, Oliver Tompsett, Nicolas Colicos, Joe Foster, and Tom Francis
Songs you might know: “Larger Than Life,” “I Want It That Way,” “…Baby One More Time,” “I Kissed a Girl,” and “Roar.”
A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical is based on the life and music of Neil Diamond.
The original cast features: Will Swenson, Mark Jacoby, Robyn Hurder, and Linda Powell.
Songs you might know: “Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” and “A Beautiful Noise.”
American Idiot is based on the songs of Green Day.
The original cast features: John Gallagher Jr, Michael Esper, Stark Sands, Joshua Henry, and Tony Vincent.
Songs you might know: “American Idiot,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Jagged Little Pill is based on the songs of Alanis Morissette. It won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2021.
The original cast features: Celia Rose Gooding, Elizabeth Stanley, Sean Allan Krill, Derek Klena, and Lauren Patten
Songs you might know: “Hand in My Pocket,” “Ironic,” and “You Oughta Know.”
Jersey Boys is based on the songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
The original cast features: John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer
Songs you might know: “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “My Eyes Adored You.”
Mamma Mia! is based on the songs of ABBA.
The original cast features: Siobhan McCarthy, Louise Plowright, Jenny Galloway, and Lisa Stokke
Songs you might know: “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” “Dancing Queen,” and “Thank You for the Music.”
MJ the Musical includes many hit songs by Michael Jackson.
The original cast features: Myles Frost, Tavon Olds-Sample, Christian Wilson, Quentin Earl Darrington, and Whitney Bashor.
Songs you might know: “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man in the Mirror.”
Moulin Rouge! showcases many popular hit songs and is based on Baz Luhrmann’s movie of the same name.
The original cast features: Aaron Tveit, Karen Olivo, and Danny Burstein
Songs you might know: Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” Lorde’s “Royals,” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”
Rock of Ages showcases many classic rock songs from the 1980s.
The original cast features: Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger, and Wesley Taylor.
Songs you might know: “We Built This City,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
A Star Is Born has been remade four times, most recently in 2018.
The cast features: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (the 1954 film starred Judy Garland and James Mason)
Songs you might know: “Shallow,” “I’ll Never Love Again,” and “Music to My Eyes.”
Hello, Dolly! is based on the Broadway musical of the same name which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Score of a Musical Picture with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The role of Dolly Levi has been played by Barbra Streisand, Carol Channing, Bette Midler, Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, and Ethel Merman.
The cast features: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, and Tommy Tune.
Songs you might know: “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” and “Hello, Dolly!”
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is based on the musical of the same name with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser.
The cast features: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Anthony Teague, Rudy Vallee, and Maureen Arthur.
Songs you might know: “Been a Long Day,” “I Believe in You,” and “Brotherhood of Man.”
Into the Woods is based on the musical of the same name with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The cast features: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Billy Magnussen and Chris Pine.
Songs you might know: “Into the Woods,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” and “No One Is Alone.”
Mary Poppins with music and lyrics by the Sherman brothers was later adapted into a Broadway musical.
The cast features: Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke
Songs you might know: “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Feed the Birds,” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
Matilda with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly brings Roald Dahl’s beloved book to the stage.
The cast features: Emma Thompson, Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch, Andrea Riseborough, and Stephen Graham.
Songs you might know: “Miracle,” “School Song,” “Naughty,” “Revolting Children,” and “When I Grow Up.”
My Fair Lady is based on the musical of the same name with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.
The cast features: Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn (whose singing voice is sometimes dubbed by Marni Nixon).
Songs you might know: “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” and “Get Me to the Church on Time.”
Rent is adapted from the musical of the same name and reunites many of the original Broadway cast.
The cast features: Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Fredi Walker.
Songs you might know: “La Vie Boheme,” “Seasons of Love,” and “I’ll Cover You.”
The Lion King with songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer was adapted into one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway.
The cast features: Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Rowan Atkinson, and Jim Cummings.
Songs you might know: “Hakuna Matata,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “Circle of Life.”
West Side Story is based on the musical of the same name with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The cast features: Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Ansel Elgort, and Mike Faist.
Songs you might know: “Maria,” “America,” and “I Feel Pretty.”
Looking for a gift for a musical theatre lover in your life? Check out our article on Broadway Gifts – there’s even a gift section for the budding musical theater composer!
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