Looking to get in the Halloween spirit? There are some scary good shows you can watch or listen to to get you in the mood for all things ghosts and goblins.
Little Shop of Horrors
With Alan Menken behind the tunes for this musical, you know the songs will be sticking in your head! Menken is also behind such Disney hits including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Newsies. Little Shop teams comedy with horror and centers around a cannibalistic plant who just wants to be fed! The musical was adapted to film in 1986 and stars Steve Martin, Ellen Greene and Rick Moranis.
Available on Amazon
The Phantom of the Opera
Phantom is loved all over the world. First produced in 1986, many believe this musical is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s finest pieces of work. The musical is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux about beautiful opera singer who becomes the obsession of a disfigured musician. The movie version is passable, but you really need to see this onstage to get a feel for the spectacle it is. Recently, Sierra Boggess has played Christine and she is outstanding and Ramin Karimloo is top notch in his performance as the tortured Phantom.
Available on Netflix
The Addams Family
The Addams Family has become a popular musical for community theatres and high schools to mount in the fall. What more can be said about this family except that: “They’re creepy and they’re kookey. Mysterious and spookey. They’re altogether together ookey. The Addams Family”! The Broadway show premiered in 2009. There is some great music and you’ll feel right at home with this family!
Soundtrack available on Itunes and Spotify
Sweeney Todd
People LOVE this musical. Me? Not so much. It truly is terrific for the Halloween season because it is CREEPY and tends to the grotesque. The musical is dark and morbid. It doesn’t get more disgusting than a barber who murders his clients and then has their remains baked in pies. Sondheim’s musical first made the cut in 1979, with a Tim Burton film version in 2007.
Available on Amazon and Netflix
Young Frankenstein
The Mel Brooks film was adapted to the stage in 2007. Young Frankenstein tells the story of the grandson of Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”) finding his was along with his hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced “Eye-gore”), and lab assistant Inga. He learns to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, bringing a monster to life. When the monster escapes, things get silly, which is what makes this show so much fun. Highlight? a monster tap dancing to Puttin on the Ritz.
Soundtrack available on ITunes and Spotify
Jekyll and Hyde
This musical is based on the horror story by Robert Louis Stevenson. It tells the tale of a young doctor who takes a potion to transform into an evil sociopath that commits crimes and then returns to his former self. The musical opened on Broadway in 1997. The song This is the Moment is one great musical theatre song!
Film version available on Amazon
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