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How Often Are Broadway Musicals About Real People?

How often are Broadway musicals about real people who actually existed?

The article goes on to discuss:

  • jukebox musicals (eg A Beautiful Noise, The Boy From Oz, Tina, MJ)
  • shows adapted from documentaries (eg Grey Gardens, Hands on a Hardbody)
  • shows based on real life political figures (eg Here Lies Love, 1776, Assassins, Diana, Evita, The King and I, Jesus Christ Superstar, Six, Parade, as well as lesser known shows like Onward Victoria)
  • shows based real show business figures, but which are not jukebox musicals (eg A Class Act, Barnum, Funny Girl, Gypsy, Mack and Mabel, Side Show)
  • shows based on historical events but not centred on real life figures. though real life figures may appear in them (eg Titanic, South Pacific, Ragtime, Pacific Overtures)
  • shows that mix autobiographical and fictional elements (eg A Chorus Line, Rent, A Strange Loop, Fun Home)
  • shows that don't quite fall into any of the above categories. including those based on people outside the worlds of politics and show business (eg Come From Away, The Sound of Music, The Capeman, Flying Over Sunset, Legs Diamond, Sunday in the Park with George, War Paint)
1 comments

  • Another interesting article by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, though I'd quibble with some of the examples. Eg I'd say The Sound of Music falls squarely into the "shows based on real show business people" category, and while Fun Home is based on a autobiography (by Alison Bechdel), Bechdel herself was not directly responsible for the musical's creation, unlike A Strange Loop (where Usher is very much a stand-in for Michael R Jackson) and Rent (drawn from Jonathan Larson's experiences). A Chorus Line is an interesting edge case.

    I'll also add that Les Miserables is an example of a show based on historical events but not centred on real life figures. Many people may not know that the 1832 student rebellion depicted in the musical actually happened and that General Lamarque (of "Lamarque is dead" fame) also actually existed.