Top 10 Most Unexpected Love Stories in Broadway Musicals

#10: Lulu & Gordy

Shucked

If youve heard any song from this recent show, its probably Independently Owned. Its a barnburner of an I am song, originated on Broadway by the vocal powerhouse Alex Newell. Lulu is pursued by a conman doctor named Gordy. She is uninterested, even downright antagonistic toward him throughout the show. Through a series of miscommunications, he ends up with Lulus cousin instead. Their tension continues, only turning mutually flirtatious in the second act. Maybe shes not as independent as she thought. After everything is revealed, we find out Lulu actually is into him after all, and the show has been narrated in part by their grandchild.

#9: Rose & Herbie

Gypsy

Rose is not necessarily interested in romance. Actually, the only thing shes concerned with is making sure her daughters become stars and living vicariously through them. Meeting Herbie, a talent agent, seems like just another tactic to get her girls on the Vaudeville stage. But its incredibly surprising to actually watch the two develop a real relationship. Of course, its completely doomed by Roses obsession with stardom, and she will ruin everyones lives in the process. But for a while there, you actually start to think Herbies convinced her to settle down and be content.

#8: Trina & Dr. Mendel

Falsettos

When this tragicomic musical begins, Trina is not in a great place, admittedly. Shes just been left by her husband Marvin for another man. She deals with this in a myriad of ways, including aggressively chopping carrots and bananas while in a full-on musical tailspin. But its her exs psychiatrist who helps her start to move on from her heartache. His methods of getting to know her are a little unconventional and perhaps even unethical. Still, he proposes to her out of nowhere. She accepts and they both seem pretty happy with the arrangement. Just chalk it up to a meet-cute thats fine as long as it stays on the stage.

#7: Evan & Zoe

Dear Evan Hansen

Dishonesty spins out of control in this controversial musical about a boy with social anxiety, and the lies he tells about a deceased classmate he barely knew. Evans stories, untrue as they are, bring a grieving family comfort, and gets him closer to the boys sister, Zoe. Some find the entire thing way too problematic to even engage with, but one thing you cant deny is that Evan and Zoes romance is anything but typical musical fare. The shadow of his lies and the memory of her late brother hang over their doomed love, ultimately coloring our perceptions of their relationship.

#6: Tateh & Mother

Ragtime

This ensemble piece presents a cross-section of America at the dawn of the 20th century, with a large cast made up of different ethnic and racial groups. At the start of Ragtime, Mother is in a stifling marriage to Father, but social convention keeps her there. She and Tateh, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, meet briefly in the first act and seemingly part forever. They reconnect in the second act due to their childrens budding friendship, and they fall in love themselves. Their affection is a signal not just of their own personal journeys, but also the shifting American culture that fuels the entire show.

#5: Donna & Sam

Mamma Mia!

On the eve of her daughters wedding, Donna is faced with three lovers from her past. She has no idea her daughters invited these men to Greece, thinking one is the father she never knew. Its pretty obvious one of them will rekindle their relationship with Donna. But which one will it be? At first, its kind of a toss-up as to who Sophies dad is, let alone who Donna will catch feelings for again. Its not really clear until the second act, when she and Sam, the architect, start to relive their glory days. Also surprising and pretty out of nowhere is when her friend Rosie ends up with her other ex, Bill.

#4: Dawn & Ogie

Waitress

This Sara Bareilles-penned musical has all kinds of surprising relationships. If you have no idea about the story going in, Jennas fling with her OB/GYN, Dr. Pomatter, probably seems crazy enough. Later in the show, diner server Becky and her boss are caught mid-hookup. But the award for most unexpected, and unexpectedly charming, love story in the show has to go to waitress Dawn and Ogie, the nerdy and eccentric man she met online. She thinks their date was a disaster. He thinks he met his soulmate. They finally bond over their offbeat interests and more off-kilter declarations of love.

#3: Fräulein Schneider & Herr Schultz

Cabaret

If the movie starring Liza Minnelli is your only exposure to the classic Kander and Ebb musical set in Berlin, you might be surprised to find out the show is very different. Sally Bowles is still a major character. But the most haunting and heartbreaking couple consists of her landlady, Fräulein Schneider, and a tenant, fruit merchant Herr Schultz. He brings her a pineapple to demonstrate his affection, touching off a sweet romance. The mismatched pair are eventually ripped apart by the encroaching antisemitic Nazi regime. Schneider ultimately breaks off their engagement, defending her painful decision to call things off due to Schultzs Jewish identity. She chooses safety over a potentially dangerous future.

#2: Eliza & Henry

My Fair Lady

Phonetics professor Henry Higgins berates and condescends to a young woman he essentially picked up off the streets of London for hours. They fall in love by the end. Considering Eliza Dolittle also finds herself pursued by a charming socialite named Freddy, this is genuinely surprising. Anyone familiar with the play the musical is based on would also be confused, because in George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion, Eliza does gear up to marry Freddy. But through all their bickering and devastating insults, she and Henry somehow end up growing accustomed to each other enough in the production to have us rooting for them.

#1: Christine & the Phantom

Love Never Dies

Many fans swear that opera singer Christine Daaé was as in love with the Phantom as he was with her. Yet the text of the original show doesnt necessarily support that. So imagine our surprise when the sequel, Love Never Dies, finally hit the stage after years. This show tells us that not only did Christine reciprocate his feelings, but that the two had an off-stage affair that resulted in a love child, named Gustave. This may be a win for those who wanted them to be together, but its arguably shocking in its brazen unfaithfulness to the original. Theres a lot of logistical and emotional hoops to jump through here, making it a truly unexpected love story.

Did your favorite musical make the list? Tell us in the comments.