Theater 39 jukebox musicals to sing (and dance) along to By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on November 18, 2022 10:30AM EST Trending Videos Close this video player 01 of 40 Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, and more Playbill Broadway audiences have been singing and dancing along to the hit songs of jukebox musicals for years — and the genre is showing no signs of slowing down. Some jukebox musicals have more staying power than others (see: the success of Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys versus the "they made that?" forgettability of Viva Forever!), but they generally have a built-in audience of diehard fans of the original music artist. Here are dozens of jukebox musicals that will have you grooving (or at the very least, bobbing your head) to some of the most unforgettable tunes ever written. 02 of 40 Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Kevin Berne Using the music and lyrics of disco diva Donna Summer, Summer traces the rise and fall of the musical legend. Told through the dramatic lens of her final concert, the musical features three actresses in the main role, as well as more than 20 of Summer's iconic hits in the score, including "Love to Love You, Baby," "Bad Girls," and "Hot Stuff." Summer made its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in California and opened on Broadway on April 23, 2018 — two of its stars, LaChanze and Ariana DeBose, earned Tony nominations for their performances. 03 of 40 Head Over Heels Joan Marcus Head Over Heels features the iconic songs of the most successful female rock band of all time: the Go-Gos. The show boasts a Shakespearean plot full of mistaken identities, jealous lovers, romance, and scandal, which is fitting given it premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. With Gwyneth Paltrow on board as executive producer, the musical burst onto Broadway in summer 2018, proving to audiences that it's got the beat. 04 of 40 The Cher Show Joan Marcus Do you believe in life after love? Broadway does — in fall 2018, a biographical musical featuring Cher's chart-topping hits premiered, exploring the life of the singer, actress, and icon over her six-decade career. Considering Cher has lived so many lives, three different actresses portray her in the show at various stages in her career. Stephanie J. Block won a Tony for her performance, as did Cher's longtime costume designer Bob Mackie for his contributions. 05 of 40 Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Manuel Harlan Tina Turner earned her own Broadway jukebox musical in fall 2019, with the aptly-named Tina. Using Turner's iconic music, it tells the story of her life and her rise to superstardom. It premiered in London's West End in April 2018, transferring to Broadway in 2019, and it boasts some legit jukebox musical credentials with original Mamma Mia director and choreographer Phyllida Lloyd and Anthony van Laast on the production team. Adrienne Warren won a Tony for portraying the Queen of Rock & Roll. 06 of 40 Jagged Little Pill Evgenia Eliseeva Since 2013, we knew of Alanis Morissette's plans to adapt her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill for the stage. It finally debuted in May 2018 at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., moving to Broadway in 2019. The musical was penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (who won a Tony for her work) in collaboration with Morissette, centering on "a modern and multi-generational family and their complex dynamics, touching on issues of gender identity and race." 07 of 40 Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations Matthew Murphy Hits from Motown have provided a lot of fodder for various musicals over the years, so the Temptations were a natural subject to get the Broadway treatment. Based on founding member Otis Williams' autobiography, Ain't Too Proud played to raucous crowds on the West Coast in 2018 before it made the jump to Broadway in spring 2019. 08 of 40 Escape to Margaritaville Matthew Murphy Featuring the greatest hits of Jimmy Buffett (and a couple of new tunes as well), Escape to Margaritaville blends the tropical party vibe of a Buffett concert with a rom-com musical tale of bartender/resort singer Tully and ecological scientist Rachel. The show opened on Broadway on Feb. 16, 2018, where it received mixed reviews. 09 of 40 Jersey Boys Joan Marcus Arguably the greatest jukebox musical success story, Jersey Boys uses the music of the Four Seasons to tell the story of the formation, rise, and dissolution of the 1960s group and its famous frontman, Frankie Valli. It won four Tony awards, including Best Musical, and ran on Broadway for more than a decade. Eventually adapted into a film by Clint Eastwood, the show continued to run around the world even after its Broadway closure, including a national tour and an Off-Broadway production. 10 of 40 Mamma Mia! Craig T. Mathew Beginning on the West End in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, Mamma Mia! launched a new craze of jukebox musicals with its ABBA-inspired score and sun-soaked tale of a young woman seeking to discern which of three men might be her father in the days before her wedding on a Greek isle. It remains one of the top 10 longest-running shows on both Broadway and London's West End, and was adapted into a major motion picture in 2008 starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and more. A sequel film was also released in 10 years later. 11 of 40 MJ the Musical Bruce Glikas/WireImage Opening in early 2022, this chronicle of the turbulent life of Michael Jackson was a major hit on Broadway, though critics were mixed on its approach to the material. Nevertheless, the production won four Tony awards including Best Actor in a Musical for Myles Frost in his Broadway debut. 12 of 40 All Shook Up BRAD GODA Based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, All Shook Up uses the rock & roll jams of Elvis Presley to tell a story of mistaken identity and romance in a small 1950s Midwestern town. It ran for seven months on Broadway in 2005 and remains a popular show with schools and regional theaters. 13 of 40 Motown: The Musical Joan Marcus The sounds of Motown defined a generation, so it was a surefire hit when Berry Gordy decided to adapt his autobiography and the music of the hitmakers of Motown record label into a Broadway musical. Motown played Broadway twice, from 2013 to 2015, running again in a 2016 limited engagement. 14 of 40 Moulin Rouge! The Musical © Matthew Murphy, 2019 With Baz Luhrmann's 2001 fantasia Moulin Rouge! serving as one of the preeminent jukebox movie musicals, it was only natural that it would eventually be adapted to the stage. Songs from the original film are incorporated into the production, such as "Come What May" and "Lady Marmalade," but it also adds hits like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," Katy Perry's "Firework," and Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance." The show won 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical. 15 of 40 American Idiot John Daughtry Green Day surprised the world when the band turned its 2004 rock opera album American Idiot into a sung-through musical in 2010. It ran for over a year and earned a Tony nomination for Best Musical with its tale of disaffected youth fleeing a stifling suburban lifestyle in pursuit of their dreams. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong even occasionally subbed in for St. Jimmy throughout the run. 16 of 40 We Will Rock You Paul Kolnik Based on the music of Queen, this musical became the 10th-longest-running show in West End history, running from 2002 to 2014. It's never played Broadway, but it did have a Las Vegas run and a North American tour. The show follows a group of Bohemians in the distant future fighting to bring love, fashion, and rock & roll to a world ruled by conformity. 17 of 40 Rock of Ages Joan Marcus Built around famous glam metal rock bands of the 1980s, Rock of Ages features songs from the likes of Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Steve Perry, Styx, and Europe, among other well-known rock bands. Drew and Sherrie meet while working at a dive bar on the Sunset Strip and fall in love amidst pursuing their dreams as performers and fighting to save the club. The 2009 musical was nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards and spawned a 2012 film adaptation. 18 of 40 Movin' Out Joan Marcus Conceived by Twyla Tharp and featuring the music of Billy Joel, this 2002 musical tells the story of Long Island teenagers in the 1960s grappling with the Vietnam War and the generation gap. All set to Joel's music and borrowing character names from his songs, the show has little dialogue and the dancers don't sing, but, instead, tell their story through dance while the band provides their score. 19 of 40 Come Fly Away Joan Marcus Inspired by the success of Movin' Out, Twyla Tharp conceived of another dance-heavy, plot-thin musical — this time using the catalog of Frank Sinatra. Set to the music of the famous crooner, four couples look for love in a New York nightclub in this 2010 show. 20 of 40 RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles Joan Marcus Named the longest-running Beatles tribute act, this musical features over 30 songs of the Fab Four performed as a re-enactment of their concerts and music. There is little dialogue, but it does provide a solid chronological history of the lads from Liverpool. It began in 1975 in Laguna Beach, Calif., but made the jump to Broadway in 2010. 21 of 40 Girl From the North Country Matthew Murphy Set during the Great Depression in 1934 Minnesota, Girl From the North Country tells the story of ordinary folk just trying to get by. The musical compiles the songbook of Bob Dylan to tell a soulful story befitting the icon's lyrical storytelling. The show first debuted at the Old Vic in London in 2017, eventually premiering Off Broadway in fall 2018. Girl From the North Country opened on Broadway on March 5, 2020, one week before the industry shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show rallied and re-opened in October 2021, winning the 2022 Tony for Best Orchestrations. 22 of 40 Crazy for You David Cooper Rather than drawing from pop or rock songs, Crazy for You turns to American standards in the form of the Ira and George Gershwin songbook. The musical is inspired by the songwriting duo's 1930s musical Girl Crazy, but incorporates many additional songs. The show is an old-fashioned tale of backstage drama, romance, and good old "put on a show" hijinks. It won the 1992 Tony award for Best Musical. 23 of 40 On Your Feet! Matthew Murphy This 2015 musical tells the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan through their music. Using their most famous Cuban-fusion pop tunes, it paints a biographical picture of one of the world's most popular artists. Gloria Estefan produced the show and even wrote a new song for the proceedings with her daughter. 24 of 40 The Boy from Oz Casey Kringlen This 1998 Australian musical hit Broadway in a revised form in 2003, telling the life story of Australian star Peter Allen through his own music. Allen was married to Liza Minnelli, so the musical also features Minnelli and her mother, Judy Garland, who are integral to his own discovery of his sexuality. It earned a Tony for Hugh Jackman, proving that Wolverine had astounding song and dance skills in addition to some killer claws. 25 of 40 The Bodyguard Joan Marcus Whitney Houston may be gone, but we will always love her and her music. The pop icon's 1992 film was adapted into this 2012 musical featuring her most famous songs from the film's score, as well as many other Houston favorites. The stage musical also expanded the role of Houston's character, Rachel, and focused more on her than the titular bodyguard. It made a successful West End bow and has mounted productions all over the world, but has yet to play Broadway. 26 of 40 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Joan Marcus Based on a 1994 film of the same name, this musical follows two drag queens and a transgender woman as they trek across the Australian outback to play an engagement at a remote resort. Along the way, they encounter homophobia and a whole comedy of errors. It made its Broadway debut in 2011, having already found success in Australia and the U.K. Similar to the film, it features a host of popular songs including "Material Girl," "It's Raining Men," and "I Will Survive." 27 of 40 Viva Forever! Brinkhoff/Moegenburg Spice up your life with this musical featuring the most popular songs of British girl group the Spice Girls. It ran for seven months, beginning in 2012 in London's West End, but has never transferred Stateside. The musical follows a young woman who has her life turned upside down when she excels in a TV singing competition. 28 of 40 American Utopia 'David Byrne's American Utopia'. HBO David Byrne adapted his 10th studio album American Utopia to a Broadway concert of the same name in 2019. The conceptual show, which also features tracks from his work as part of Talking Heads, was eventually filmed by Spike Lee for HBO in 2020. The show earned a noncompetitive Tony award, two Emmy awards, and a Grammy nomination. 29 of 40 Saturday Night Fever Jeff Bellante Though the Bee Gees have a musical in the works featuring their songs and life story, the band already featured heavily on Broadway in this adaptation of the hit 1977 film of the same name featuring its iconic score. The musical tells the story of Brooklynite Tony Manero (originated by breakout star John Travolta in the film), who finds refuge in the local disco. It played Broadway in 2000 after a successful London run. 30 of 40 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Joan Marcus Beautiful tells the story of the early career and life of singer-songwriter Carole King, from her time writing hits for other groups with husband Gerry Goffin through to her breakout success with her 1975 solo album Tapestry. Jessie Mueller won a Tony for her portrayal of King in the 2014 musical, which features many of King's most beloved songs. 31 of 40 & Juliet The company of '& Juliet'. Matthew Murphy What if Juliet didn't die at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? This production, which originated in Britain, imagines such an alternate timeline, set to the music of prolific pop songwriter Max Martin. The millennial-friendly score includes such needle-drops as Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" and Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time." 32 of 40 Million Dollar Quartet Darren Bell This 2010 Broadway musical tells the story of one fateful day in December 1956 when four of music's biggest legends came together for a jam session at Sun Studio in Memphis. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis come to life together onstage — as well as delivering some of their greatest hits as solo artists and detailing their rise to fame via Sun's Sam Philips. 33 of 40 Smokey Joe's Cafe Brett Beiner This 1995 musical revue features 39 pop standards from iconic songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. There is no dialogue or unifying theme, but merely an assortment of performances from various members of the cast. The show, which won a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, remains the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. 34 of 40 Ain't Misbehavin' Ben Krantz Named after a famous Fats Waller song, Ain't Misbehavin' is a musical revue that serves as a tribute to Black musicians of the 1920s and '30s who belonged to the Harlem Renaissance and made their name in nightclubs like the Cotton Club. Five performers lead the audience through the biggest hits of the era and the life motto of the likes of Fats Waller. It opened on Broadway in 1978, but has since seen a 30th anniversary national tour in 2009 with American Idol contestants Frenchie Davis, Trenyce Cobbins, and season 2 winner Ruben Studdard. 35 of 40 Our House Courtesy Our House Named after their most popular single, Our House features the music of ska/pop band Madness. Debuting in the West End in 2002, it won an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Madness was inspired to create a jukebox musical with their own songs after the success of Mamma Mia!. The musical follows Camden lad Joe Casey at a turning point, then following through to trace two different paths of "Good Joe" and "Bad Joe." 36 of 40 Hot Feet Brad Barket/Getty Images A modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes, Hot Feet uses the music of Earth, Wind & Fire to craft a story of a young woman who dreams of becoming a Broadway dancer and finds her life unraveling when she turns to a pair of magic shoes. The show opened in April 2006 and ran for barely four months before bad reviews forced it to close. 37 of 40 Good Vibrations Xavi Torrent/WireImage This short-lived 2005 musical turned to the music of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys for its jukebox score. The musical follows three high school friends yearning to escape their New England town for the promise of California — however, none of them own a car. Enlisting the car and travel companion of the school's unpopular valedictorian, they embark on a journey full of romance and drama. 38 of 40 A Beautiful Noise Matthew Murphy Neil Diamond is given the jukebox musical treatment with A Beautiful Noise, which made its Boston premiere in June 2022 before making the leap to Broadway in November of that year. Anthony McCarten, who wrote the movie music biopics Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) and I Want to Dance With Somebody (2022), penned the book of this musical. 39 of 40 Disaster! Jeremy Daniel Photography An homage to the ensemble disaster films of the '70s (Airport 1975, Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure, etc.), this musical made it to Broadway in 2016 and features a catalog of hits of the '70s, including "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer and "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. 40 of 40 Fela! Monique Carboni The music of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti takes centerstage in Fela!, which made the leap to Broadway in 2009. The show, which centers on Kuti's experiences being targeted by the government, received 11 Tony nominations and three wins.