Musical Theatre has been around for millennia, Ancient Egyptians, to Ancient Greeks and Romans lead the way for minstrels and travelling musical companies in the Middle Ages. Even Shakespeare set a couple of plays to music, ‘The Tempest’ for example. Without these early examples of ‘Musical Theatre’ we may ever have heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Gershwin, Cole Porter and so on. More and more people were able to access musical style shows with the invention of films (even a very famous mouse got involved and animated musical film was born)

Variety shows such as Vaudeville also brought music, song and dance to the masses leading into our early 1900s shows. The Golden Age of musical theatre gave us classics such as ‘Sound Of Music’, ‘Wizard of Oz’ and @Oklahoma’ to name a few. New composers, lyricists and writers have carried on what their predecessors started with both original shows and reimagined classics.

West End to Waipawa brought highlights of the last few decades, starting at the 1920’s with ‘Showboat’ up to the most recent musical in 2021, Andrew Lloyd Webbers ‘Cinderella’ as well as a song, that while has been a hit from a film ‘The Greatest Showman’ is due to hit stages in a couple of years.

Circle Of Life - The Lion King (1997)

Close Every Door - Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968)

I Could Have Danced All Night - My Fair Lady (1956)

Ol’ Man River - Showboat (1927

Cant Help Loving Dat Man - Showboat (1927)

Cell Block Tango - Chicago (1975)

There Are Worse Things I Could Do - Grease (1972)

I Know Him So Well - Chess (1986)

Master Of The House - Les Miserables (1985)

Anything Goes - Anything Goes (1934)

All That Jazz - Chicago (1975)

Day By Day - Godspell (1971)

This Is Me - The Greatest Showman (coming to stages 2023)

Seasons Of Love - Rent (1996)

All I Ask Of You - The Phantom Of The Opera (1986)

For Good - Wicked (2003)

Defying Gravity - Wicked (2003)

One Day More - Les Miserables (1985)

I Know I have A Heart - Cinderella (2021)

You Will Be Found - Dear Evan Hansen (2015)

Abba Medley - Mamma Mia! (1999)