Ranking Disney on Broadway: Celebrating and Analyzing 25 Years on the Great White Way

Ranking Disney on Broadway: Celebrating and Analyzing 25 Years on the Great White Way

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance, Second Star to the Right

It is hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Disney produced its first musical on Broadway, changing the trajectory of family musicals (and Times Square) forever. Today, I take a look at the nine musicals Disney Theatricals have brought to the Great White Way, offering my opinions on what worked, what didn’t, and rank the titles in order of my least favorite to my most favorite. All opinions are my own and please note that, though I look at these nine with a critical eye, I find something wonderful in everything Disney has to offer. This list includes only musicals that have made it to Broadway (no Freaky Friday, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, or The Jungle Book) and no concerts (sorry King David). Stay with me as I work my way to my choice for #1. 

Remembering Two By Two

Remembering Two By Two

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

When the groundbreaking composing team of Rodgers and Hammerstein came to an end with Hammerstein’s death in 1960, Rodgers spent the balance of his career trying to find a lyricist with whom he could achieve similar magic. A decade later, Rodgers was still searching when he paired with lyricist Martin Charnin for the musical Two By Two. Two By Two was based on the Clifford Odets play The Flowering Peach (adapted by Peter Stone) that followed the biblical character of Noah and his family as they prepare for the flood, build an ark, and set sail with a menagerie of animals, one male and one female of each species. 

Remembering High Button Shoes

Remembering High Button Shoes

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Jule Styne was a one of the great composers for the Broadway musical stage, having penned the melodies for such classic scores as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, and Funny Girl. Styne’s first Broadway score, however came in the form of the breezy and bright High Button Shoes, which premiered in 1947. Paired with lyricist Sammy Cahn, the show is best remembered as the musical that introduced that showtune classic “Papa, Won’t You Dance with Me?” and the clever dance sequences staged by Jerome Robbins.

Remembering Cabin in the Sky

Remembering Cabin in the Sky

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Musicals about the black experience were not unheard of in the early years of the Golden Age of Broadway, despite a society that didn’t exactly embrace black culture. Shows like Porgy & Bess (1935), Carmen Jones (1943), St. Louis Woman (1946) and Lost in the Stars (1949) told compelling stories about this underrepresented faction of the population. What was harder to come by were musicals about black characters that delved into the world of fantasy and folklore. There was, however, the 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky which gave us both a serious story about people of color that also delved into their cultural heritage and folklore while employing a touch of fantasy. 

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