Telly 30th June 2020 by Stellar Magazine

10 Musicals To Watch This Week While You Patiently Wait For Hamilton

The countdown is on, but for now, we're bingeing these classics!

 

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With the release of the highly anticipated live Broadway recording of Hamilton coming to Disney Plus on July 3rd, we’re in the mood for musicals. Between Netflix and Disney Plus there are many to choose from, with one for any genre or mood you may be feeling.

We’ve put together a list of ten musicals for you to watch this week, if you haven’t seen one of these yet, you must get cracking!

1. Mama Mia! Here We Go Again (Netflix)

 

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The sequel film, with even more icons in the cast, hello Cher?!

This musical works both as a sequel and a prequel, picking up the story in the future and also revisiting Donna’s past to get the back story and the ‘what happened next’ of it all. Packed with some absolute bops from ABBA such as When I Kissed The Teacher and Fernando, as well as songs we know from the first movie like Mama Mia, and many more. The perfect musical for someone who is a fan of songs they already know and who enjoyed the first film. Seeing Lily James portray a young Meryl Streep is a must.

2. Into The Woods (Disney+) 

If you’re a musical lover, Into The Woods is one for you. In a similar style to Les Misérables, the story is told through song so you won’t find too much dialogue throughout the film, although there is a narrator and substantially more dialogue than in Les Mis.

With an all-star cast line-up including James Corden, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt to name a few, the film follows a baker and his wife’s journey ‘Into The Woods’ in order to break a spell. Full of bizarre twists and turns and some really beautiful music, this needs to be on every musical fanatics list.

3. The Sound of Music (Disney+) 

 

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A classic is all you need sometimes. Queen of musicals Julie Andrews, plays Maria, a nun in training, who goes off to be a governess to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp, and the rest is history, right?

Based on the true life events of the Von Trap family and music by Rodgers & Hammerstein as their final collaboration, this musical is full of beauty and is a classic for a reason. If it’s been a while since you’ve watched it, definitely stick it on.

4. West Side Story (Netflix)

 

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Another classic, for the Broadway lovers, West Side Story is the iconic forbidden love story musical based on the unlikely and unapproved romance between an American (Tony) and a Puerto Rican (Maria), heart-breakingly romantic and yet it makes you want to get up and show off your best Broadway moves. A remake of this musical is set to be released later this year, directed by Stephen Spielberg and starring Ansel Elgort, get yourself excited by watching this one first.

5. Annie (Netflix) 

Both the Original and the 2014 remake are on Netflix, whether you’d like to introduce your child to the older version or give the new one a shot for yourself, both films are sweet and full of feel good songs. The Original still holding the higher space on our pedestal but the younger generation seem to prefer the new one, either way Annie is a must in our musical marathon.

6. Tangled (Disney+) 

Switching to animated movie musicals now, we have Tangled, this movie is never a let-down.

It’s music is catchy and feel good, the story is cute and beautifully animated, with the vibrant colours creating a world we can’t keep our eyes off. We also love the sassy frying pan swinging Rapunzel and the dashing Flynn Rider’s relationship. Also, the soundtrack for this musical is underrated, when you think about it, When Will My Life Begin, Mother Knows Best and I See the Light all great songs you’ll be singing for the rest of the day (or week). Animated movies aren’t just for kids, you know.

7. Moana (Disney+) 

 

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An animated musical masterpiece, and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson singing? Genius.

With the soundtrack of this movie written by Hamilton writer Lin Manuel Miranda, there’s no wonder it’s songs are so good. Nominated for an Oscar for the original song How Far I’ll Go which also won a Grammy, there’s no doubt you’re in for a great sing along.

The story follows Moana daughter of the Chief of her Island who is determined to rule her own destiny. A true female icon and role model for young children Moana is the type of Disney princess we expect to see more of in the future.

8. Aladdin (Disney+) 

 

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The live action version of Aladdin is like Hollywood meets Bollywood meets Broadway, a combination any musical lover knows is going to be amazing.

Based largely on the stage production of the film the entire movie has choreography and singing one would expect to see on Broadway but in feature film fashion. The sets and costumes are so appealing to the eye there is a real element of Disney magic in this remake, one of their best live action films in recent years, it’s well worth a watch. Will Smith also portrayed a fantastic Genie, which both tributes the performance of the late Robin Williams but also gives his own spin on it as to not try and recreate Williams’ iconic performance in the original film. If you’re yet to watch this one and you’re a fan of live theatre this’ll be a fave for you.

9. Pitch Perfect 2 (Netflix)

 

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The non-musical, musical, for the stubborn partner or family member who won’t agree to watch an all out musical. Pitch Perfect is the perfect medium between comedy and sing along, because they only sing when they are practicing or performing (i.e. no sudden outbreaks of song without context) it’s easy to watch without even noticing it’s a musical. The second instalment of the franchise is on Netflix and is the perfect feel good film for the first week of phase three.

10. Hamilton (Disney+) 

 

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Last but certainly not least we have the highly anticipated Hamilton, premiering on Disney + on the 3rd of July.

If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it’s a powerful story of one of America’s founding fathers Alexander Hamilton, the show took over Broadway and the West End, being one of the most in demand shows to see. Written by Lin Manuel Miranda the soundtrack is a mix of hip-hop, R&B, jazz and Broadway which makes the style so unique and recognisable. We promise you’ll be adding the original Broadway soundtrack to your Spotify after watching. If you’re eager for a sneaky listen beforehand, we recommend Satisfied, Helpless and The Schuyler Sisters as a first introduction to the soundtrack.

There we have it! A musical filled week for all, what better way to go into phase three than by singing and dancing? Theatre fans are still waiting for the day to get back to enjoying live performances, so in the meantime movie musicals are taking their place and with so much to choose from, we won’t run out any time soon.

Words by STELLAR Intern Jade Carpenter

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