Top 10 Jukebox Musicals We Need

Honestly, with the neo-baroque sound of their first album, you could have a musical written exclusively around those songs. But Panic! has experimented with many sounds throughout their crazy career, and for their fans, it has been a wild ride. Why not put that adventure into one giant, insane musical with each of their sounds being its own act? It could follow one man’s journey through lands of music, a “Gulliver's Travels” for the modern and more maniacal age. But let’s just skip Pretty. Odd., okay?

The setting: a raunchy nightclub. Somewhere in the distance, we hear a saxophone playing the opening notes to “Careless Whisper.” Dancers take the stage, limbs weaving around each other as they pull and grope. Our main characters - the two club owners - enter from opposite sides of the stage, clearly at odds. As they dance with everyone but each other, their eyes are fixated on one another. This is the kind of opening scene we’d expect from a George Michael musical. A story of business partners turned toxic lovers told in flashbacks, all set to the highly sexualized music of the ‘80s pop star. This is one musical that would leave Broadway quaking for years.

Over the course of their career, Coldplay has produced a very diverse offering of music. They’ve gone from rock to pop and back again, and with that, a writer could do a lot. With so much to choose from, the story could go in multiple directions, but more than likely, it would be a devastating love story. Perhaps it could be a tale of a runaway, finding her “Paradise” with a older, rich woman who attempts to fix her. No matter the plot, it would be a musical that would leave us in wonder.

Though “Purple Rain” was already a great film, this master musician deserves another musical under his glorious belt. When the curtain first opens, we are transported back to just before the turn of the century. There’s a party going on onstage with streamers and the year 2000 written on everything. And as we count down to the new year, we see different relationships come together and fall apart, all to the music of the late Prince. Maybe it could be for the tribute of it; maybe because he wrote some amazing tracks. Either way, one thing is for sure; it would be a pretty darn good musical.

The 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, “Rumours”, made waves in the music world almost as soon as it was released. With hit after hit, a Broadway musical could be written with that album alone. And why not? As it later came to light, each song on “Rumours” is written about relationships within the band itself, both troubled and triumphant. Why not bring that to live theatre with a fictional band? A band - let’s call them The Rumours - could go through the same pitfalls and high points that Fleetwood Mac did back in the ‘70s. It could be a beautiful throwback to a tumultuous time.

Just give “My Heart Will Go On” a listen. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear those opening notes? Jack and Rose, right? Clearly, Celine already has an impressive way of creating a signature song, which is what every Broadway musical needs. With power ballad after amazing power ballad in this diva’s discography, it is easy to imagine a beautiful but inevitably heartbreaking love story, told through the theatre-trained voices of Broadway. It would certainly be a musical that would leave The Great White Way in awe for years to come. In fact, how has no one written this yet?

Pink Floyd has brought us many musical opportunities throughout their career. Between the ‘70s classic “The Wall” and their album “The Dark Side of the Moon” rumored to be set to “The Wizard of Oz”, it’s amazing the band’s music hasn’t been used by Broadway yet. However, if a musical were ever made, it would be one trippy ride. Their music practically demands creepy images and outlandish characters. Perhaps Julie Taymor of “The Lion King” fame could lend her hand at creating beautiful puppets again to tell a terrifying but lesson-teaching tale of how the world works.

Not unlike Celine Dion, Madonna has some great love songs in her discography that could make for a heartbreaking ballad at the bottom of a first act. And then there are those danceable songs that when paired with some killer choreography would have the whole house rocking. And in between: a tale of passion and romance. Maybe one of one young woman’s love life as she tries to find the one, with each “Beautiful Stranger” pulling her in a different direction. In the vocal cords of a powerful female Broadway voice, this dream musical could bring the house down.

This would be a musical parody for the ages. A musical that is aware it’s a musical. Think meta jokes coming out the wazoo. The fourth wall breaks would be insane, with the cast asking the audience to sing along or even join them on stage for a dance. This musical might even point out the silliness of musicals and singing emotions at random times… just before breaking out in the song, “Tacky”, of course. All the while, the audience would be rolling with laughter, because who doesn’t love a good parody song by the master of parody? To make it even better - with “Weird Al” now writing children’s books - perhaps he could write the script himself.





Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions



The Dixie Chicks





Muse





The Police

When hearing the words ‘a musical written around the music of Elton John’, multiple ideas spring to mind. With a song written for every mood and every moment, a writer could easily piece together any type story. Perhaps one following the lives of multiple people who all live in one city, like the 2017 “Tiny Dancer” music video. Or maybe a story of an up-and-coming singer, whose relationship is struggling due to the newfound fame. Whatever the plot may be, if anyone’s music can write a Broadway hit, it’s Elton John’s. Just look at “The Lion King” if you ever have doubts!