Top 10 Greatest Jukebox Musicals EVER

This biopic musical follows the 1960s vocal group The Temptations, primarily through the eyes of their founder Otis Williams, as they grow and develop as singers, dancers, recording artists, and stars. Featuring inside looks at the workings of Motown in its heyday, lots of familiar, famous people, like Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross, show up as characters—though the contribution of Motown’s house choreographer Charles “Cholly” Atkins to the Temptations' performances has been omitted. The hit show, which premiered in California in 2017, and will be returning to Broadway in October 2021, showcases many of the band’s greatest songs, like “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” and of course the title number, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” leaving audiences singing in the aisles.

The story of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner, deserves to be told, and this musical is the vehicle to do it. Following Turner’s life from a young girl in Tennessee to her massive stardom, the show features her greatest hits, including “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer,” “The Best,” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” as a full-on rock show with an engaging story. We see the rock icon overcome sexism, racism, and drug abuse, finally escaping the violent and controlling relationship with her first husband and musical partner, Ike Turner. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and nominated for 12 Tony awards, including one for “Bring It On”’s critically-acclaimed Adrienne Warren, the show is set to be back in front of Broadway audiences in October 2021.

Unlike the 2018 “Bohemian Rhapsody” movie, which was a biopic of rock band Queen’s charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury, this musical uses Queen’s biggest hits to tell an original story about a Bohemian non-conformist named Galileo in a futuristic, supposedly perfect, world. On iPlanet, formerly Earth, conformity reigns; Ga Ga Kids all dress the same, think the same, and consume the same content—and rock music doesn’t exist. Despite being trashed by critics after it opened in the West End, it became the Dominion Theatre’s longest running musical, beating out “Grease”, which held the record previously. Though it’s never opened on Broadway, it toured the United States, including Madison Square Garden, and has developed a cult following. Hopefully it will become available again in the future.

Another biopic musical, this time following the iconic, legendary actress and singer Cher throughout 3 periods of her life. The show uses three different actors to portray the superstar during the different points: “Babe,” the young kid just starting out, “Lady,” the glamorous pop music celebrity who’s had a chart-topping Billboard single every decade between the 1960s and 2010s, and “Star,” the legendary pop culture icon. Famous people in her life all make appearances, such as her late husband and musical partner Sonny Bono, fashion designer Bob Mackie, and Cher’s mother. The amazing Stephanie J. Block won a Tony for playing the “Star,” as did Mackie for his sparkling, glittering costume design. A new national tour of the show is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2021.

This popular jukebox musical collects over 20 fun, popular songs from the glam-rock ‘80s to tell a fictional story about aspiring rocker Drew and hopeful actor Sherrie following their Hollywood dreams while working at a club that’s about to be torn down. Combining the music of bands like Foreigner, Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Starship, and REO Speedwagon, plus singers Pat Benetar, and Joan Jett, the show was a huge success. Starting in 2009, it played on Broadway for more than 2,300 performances and was adapted into a 2012 movie. Surprisingly though, the Def Leppard song it’s named after doesn’t appear in the musical, because Universal Music Group didn’t give permission. Bet they’ve since regretted that decision...

The only musical on this list that started as a film before being adapted for the stage—over 15 years earlier! The conclusion to visionary director Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy, the brilliant 2001 movie set the stage for many bricolage forms of content that celebrate pop culture and nostalgia. The original movie and the 2018 stage show use pieces and mashups of lots of hit tunes, including “Lady Marmalade,” “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” and “Your Song,” to tell the story of Satine and Christian, star-crossed lovers in Fin de Siècle Paris. The stage show rewrites some of the story to include a bunch more current popular songs, with the incredible Aaron Tveit starring as Christian in the US. It’s due to return to Broadway in September 2021.

This brilliant musical opened in December 2019, a scant three months before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered Broadway. Yet it already received great acclaim, and 15 Tony nominations—the most of any show this season—and won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Based on the songs of Alanis Morissette, particularly from her seminal 1995 album, the show pulls no punches: it tells the story of a “perfect” modern family secretly struggling with social issues like painkiller addiction, sexual misconduct and gender identity. This is the epitome of what a jukebox musical should be: the storytelling songs, beautifully orchestrated by Tom Kitt, are flawlessly built into an engaging and satisfying story by Diablo Cody, with dazzling, freshly modern direction and choreography.

This biopic musical follows the early career of songwriter first, singer second, Carole King, who co-wrote dozens of hit songs for groups like The Shirelles, The Drifters, and even The Monkees, before striking out and singing her own songs. The story tells of her partnership and sometimes rocky marriage with lyricist Gerry Goffin, and their friendly competition with songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, while they worked as part of the songwriting industry in the 1960s. The play ends with the release of King’s smash hit 1971 album “Tapestry.” Jessie Mueller starred as King in the original cast, which was a role that also served as the 2018 Broadway debut for “Supergirl” actor Melissa Benoist.

This jukebox biography follows the story of popular rock and roll group The Four Seasons. Told in four parts, or seasons, with fourth-wall breaking narrations from the characters, it shows the 1960s’ group’s creation, stardom, and disbandment. With lead singer Frankie Valli’s unique, 3-4 octave falsetto and Bob Gaudio’s songwriting prowess, the boys offered a distinctive sound, and a huge string of hit songs, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night).” The smash hit musical won four Tonys, including Best Musical, and ran for 12 years and 4,642 performances, plus had a film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood. The show is such a big hit that it plans to return to Off-Broadway in November 2021.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“American Idiot”
The Concept Musical Based on Green Day’s Album

“Million Dollar Quartet”
Capturing a Historic 1950s Recording Session

“Motown: The Musical”
Berry Gordy’s Biography About the Founding of Motown

“On Your Feet!”
The Big Hit Biopic of Gloria & Emilio Estefan

“Head over Heels”
A Joyfully Anachronistic, LGBTQ-Positive Show with Music from The Go-Go’s

This is the one that ignited the jukebox musical’s popularity in the modern day. This massive hit was conceived by producer Judy Craymer, who saw the storytelling potential in ABBA’s chart-topping song “The Winner Takes It All.” She approached Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who were working on the musical “Chess,” about creating a show based on ABBA’s music. With book-writer Catherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd, who also helmed the 2008 smash film adaptation, the largely women-led creative team made history. The show opened on the West End in 1999, where it’s still playing (or will be again)! The 2001 Broadway run closed after almost 14 years and 5,773 performances, making it Broadway’s ninth longest-running show, and its longest-running jukebox musical.