TOP TEN TUESDAY: Spooky Musicals

It's officially spooky season, and as we approach the scare-fest that is the Halloween period, I thought it would be an apt opportunity to explore some of those musicals with dark, spooky, or just downright grisly subject matter; here are my picks for the top ten musicals that will have you hiding behind your programme. Oh and we will be discussing major plot points, so here is your preemptive SPOILER ALERT as a courtesy...

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10. THE ADDAMS FAMILY

They're creepy, they're kooky, and as of 2009 they're all-singing and dancing; "The Addams Family" is arguably Andrew Lippa's most beloved musical property, based on the Charles Addams comic strip of the same name, and various other media it subsequently spawned. The musical focusses around the family's young daughter Wednesday, who is now an adult and has fallen for normal non-outcast boy Lucas, which she attempts to keep a secret from her family, but ends up confiding in father Gomez, who has never kept a secret from wife Morticia in his life. When the Addams and Beineke families, each with vastly differing values, meet for dinner, what ensues is understandably, given the nature of the titular clan, crazy and chaotic.

The musical had its world premiere in Chicago in 2009, later directly transferring to broadway the following year, with a star studded cast comprising the likes of Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Carolee Carmello and Zachary James all making the journey from Chicago to New York, where it played at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for just short of two year. Though it has never played the west end, it has experienced a flurry of UK touring productions, and has become something of a fan favourite in recent years, especially with the release of Tim Burton's TV series "Wednesday". What's certain is that Charles Addams' legacy is one that has stood the test of time, having survived almost 90 years, and appealed to generations of fans the world over.

9. JEKYLL & HYDE

Many of the tropes and basic ideas of modern horror genre are very much built upon those established in the era of gothic literature, dating back to Horace Walpole's seminal work "The Castle of Otranto", often considered the first in a long line of gothic horror stories that took 18th and 19th century readers by storm. Written at the genre's second peak, Robert Louis Stevenson's world renowned novella "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" is one of the foremost of the genre, and has been adapted countless times for the screen and stage, the best known of the latter being Frank Wildhorn's first musical which, much like the novella, is presented by Jekyll's lawyer and close friend lawyer John Utterson, as well as his future father-in-law Sir Danvers Carew.

It is a story that is iconic as it is gripping, as we follow Dr Henry Jekyll's experimental attempt to separate the good and evil elements of a person into two separate entities, however the experiment goes horribly wrong, as although he does separate the two aspects of his nature, they end up in an internal tussle for his physical form, with his evil alter ego Mr Hyde regularly reining control and going on a murderous spree in Victorian London. Following the final internal confrontation between the two, Jekyll heads into his wedding with fiancée Emma Carew believing he had seized control, however Hyde makes one final apearance, killing one wedding guest and taking Emma hostage before Jekyll finds enough strength to impale himself on Utterson's swordstick, ending his life and freeing himself.

8. RIDE THE CYCLONE

It is natural to be fearful of any sort of adrenaline-fuelled thrill rides, such as skydiving, bungee jumping, and the most popular of these, riding rollercoasters, as the event of anything going wrong could prove to be fatal, and this is certainly the case in the 2009 Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell musical "Ride The Cyclone", during which we learn of the respective fates of six adolescent members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir, all of whom perish in a crash on the titular rollercoaster in Uranium city. Overlooked by the villainous fortune teller Karnak, the students have to each sing a song and tell of their own individual stories, for the chance to win a prize: the opportunity to return to life.

Though I shan't reveal the exact details of the ultimate outcome, the journey we take to get there is laden with terrific songs, such "Noel's Lament", "The Ballad of Jane Doe" and "Sugar Cloud" all taking us on journeys of discovery relating to each character. The show had its first lease of life in 2009, performing in various Canadian territories, before making it to New York in 2016, running off-broadway in a production featuring Taylor Louderman, Alex Wyse and Gus Halper. Though its commercial success has been scattered, and though the word "cult" has been thrown around a lot in this article, it has indeed developed a considerable cult status over the years, and it's this which has, in part, contributed to it finally being on the precipice of its upcoming European premiere, so stay tuned...

7. ROCKY HORROR SHOW

Fifty two years ago, actor and writer Richard O'Brien pooled together all of his experience of sci-fi, horror, B movies and gender identity, and came up with "The Rocky Horror Show", a deliciously daring and revolutionary piece that's now been celebrating queer culture for over half a century. The musical tells the story of newlywed high school sweethearts Brad and Janet, who get a flat tyre on their car as they're driving through the rain to visit their former science tutor. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, they attempt to find solace, and a telephone, in an old nearby castle, but what they find instead is a cornucopia of kooky characters, hunchbacked handyman Riff-Raff, and an enigmatic transvestite with a penchant for human experimentation.

First premiering in the west end in 1973, starring a young Tim Curry as the mysterious Frank-N-Furter, and the show's writer O'Brien as Riff Raff, "Rocky Horror" subsequently transferred to broadway two years later, with Curry and O'Brien both reprising their roles, alongside the likes of Meat Loaf, playing the dual role of Eddie and Dr. Scott. It has been revived multiple times in both London and New York, and tours the UK regularly, most recently in a production starring Jason Donovan; other major stage stars to have featured in the show include Anthony Head, Lea Michele, Raúl Esparza, Alice Ripley, Stephen Fry and David Arquette. Fifty years on, this weird and wacky spook-fest isn't going away any time soon.

6. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The longest running show in broadway history, Andrew Lloyd Webber's most iconic musical has been haunting west end audiences since the 1980s, ever since Michael Crawford first donned the iconic mask and cape almost 40 years ago. The musical tells of the titular phantom, a disfigured but charming musical genius, who haunts the Paris Opera House in the late 19th century, becoming obsessed with, and eventually secretly tutoring, the soprano Christine Daaé. However when her childhood friend and first love Raoul returns into her life, the Phantom's obsession turns to jealousy and rage. His anger and envy eventually subside, and after Christine returns to his lair and kisses him, he allows her to leave with Raoul.

Aside from the world renowned title song though, the musical is best known for its act 1 finale scene, during which the chandelier within the auditorium comes crashing down to earth, after the eponymous antihero cuts said ceiling ornament from its fixing; this was inspired by a real life disaster at the same Paris theatre where the musical is set, and is a final desperate attempt by the Phantom to assert his dominance. Running on broadway for over three decades, the show is also one of the longest running west end shows of all time, and this is a testament to the musical’s innate popularity and global reach.

5. TEETH

Just when you thought you'd seen it all as far as movie adaptations go, enter "Teeth" a musical based on a film about a woman with a set of sharp gnashers..."down below" shall we say. Don't let the wince-inducing surface of it all fool you though, as beneath the surface of all the blood, chaos, and hungry, hungry hymens, is a story that is just as much about female empowerment, religious repression, and reclamation of bodily autonomy from patriarchal ideals set out by youth pastor-instilled "purity culture". Bizarrely enough, the notion of vagina dentata, as it is so eloquently described, is not one that is exclusive to this bloody tale, as the notion has existed in folklore for millennia, including in ancient Greece and early Hindu teachings.

A brilliant satire of the US-based celibacy culture, the musical Written by Tony and Pulitzer winner Michael R. Jackson, along with Anna K. Jacobs, the satirical comedy-horror musical had two separate off-broadway runs in 2024, first at Playwrights Horizons, and then later at New World Stages, with broadway heavyweights Steven Pasquale and Andy Karl both having featured as youth pastor Bill O'Keefe. Whether or not there is future life for the musical remains to be seen, but fans of gore, comedy, and an abundance of plastic members will no doubt revel in this unhinged one-act bloodbath.

4. BEETLEJUICE

Say his name three times and get ready for a haunting you'll never forget. Based on the classic 1988 film of the same name, "Beetlejuice" is everyone's favourite bio-exorcist, summoned by uttering his name three times, he is a permanently dead spirit who spends his time waiting patiently to be summoned, so that he can get started in dissuading the house's occupants from remaining there. Newlywed couple Barbara and Adam have moved into said house, and plan on raising a family, and after realising the house needs a lot of work, they tragically fall to their deaths, only to meet Beetlejuice, who begins to guide them through the afterlife. The next occupants of the house, teenaged Lydia Deetz who, through the grief that came with losing her mother, is borderline suicidal, especially given that she is also contending with her neglectful father and mind-numbingly superficial stepmother.

Whilst sat on the roof preparing to end her own life, Lydia notices the titular ghoul nearby, and what follows is the most unlikely friendship founded on their joint love of other people's fear and screams, that culminates in the pair of them getting married, as well as Lydia reconciling with her father, who until this point had been in denial about his late wife. With music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, its status as a broadway flop hasn't stopped it, as the musical is currently on its third spell on broadway, and is set to open in London's west end in May of 2026, so keep on saying his name, as he's here to stay!

3. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

For many of us, the first work that comes to mind when one mentions Mel Brookes will be "The Producers", however his second stage musical, premiering six years after his record breaking magnum opus, provides us with plenty to love and laugh about, as it brilliantly parodies both gothic horror and the monster movie genre it spawned, that was popularised in the 1920s and 30s, most specifically Mary Shelley's seminal work Frankenstein. The musical (and film on which it's based) tells of Frederick Frankenstein (amusingly mispronounced as "Fronkensteen" by the man himself), the grandson of the infamous Victor, who inherits his grandfather's Transylvanian castle and all the experiments contained within.

Reluctant at first, as evidenced by how he tried to distance from his grandfather's legacy, Frederick eventually embraces the mad scientist within, being encouraged to follow his predecessor's example and build a monster, and in the process forming a friendship with hunchbacked servant Igor, and a budding romance with ethnically ambiguous assistant Inga. The show ran for over a year on broadway, and finally in the west end over 10 years later. With a production currently running at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre, there is clearly plenty of life for this Mel Brooks second symphony.

2. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Who knew a 1960s cult horror film about a man-eating plant could become one of the most popular dark comedy musicals of all time. Living in the dilapidated urban district of Skid Row, Seymour is an unassuming young man, orphaned as a child, who lives with local Jewish florist Mr Mushnik, for whom he tends to the plants, one of which is…slightly unusual to say the least. After trying everything he can to reinvigorate the wilted botanical being, he inadvertently cuts his finger, only to find out that it is strangely taken by the blood drawn from his wound. Although he initially promises “just a few drops”, this soon gets out of hand, and as newly named “Audrey II” grows bigger in size, its appetite for human flesh takes a similar upward trajectory, ending up eating Orin the sadistic dentist, Mr Mushtik, and finally Seymour's primary love interest Audrey.

"Little Shop of Horrors" is also a rare example of a film becoming a musical then a film again, as the 1986 movie musical starring Rick Moranis as Seymour and Ellen Greene as Audrey, the latter reprising the role she originated off-broadway and in the west end respectively. Much like the stage show, the Frank Oz-directed film re-adaptation was a critical and commercial smash hit, making a twofold profit on its original budget and gaining a whole host of awards and nominations, including two Oscar nods. Over 40 years since Alan Menken and Howard Ashman came up with the barmy idea of adapting this 60s B-movie to the stage, it is still going from strength to strength, in no small part due to its upbeat, brilliant written score and dark yet substantial book.

1. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

The top pick for this list was never in doubt, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical masterpiece has been terrifying and titillating audiences for over 45 years, since it first appeared on broadway in 1979, with a cast led by Len Cariou as the eponymous barber, Angela Lansbury as his morbid neighbour Mrs Lovett, and Victor Garber as the young sailor Anthony who saved his life and enchanted his estranged daughter. Sweeney Todd, real name Benjamin Barker, is a barber who was transported on false charges by the tyrannical Judge Turpin, and after being rescued at sea by the young sailor Anthony, returns to London to swear revenge on the Judge, who has taken Barker's daughter as his ward. What follows is a gruesome series of events that transcend simple revenge, ending up with half the population of London being baked into pies, and the other half unwittingly enjoying consuming their fellow countrymen.

Though the partnership between Todd and Lovett proves to be a fruitful one, Todd is still set on revenge against the Judge, and though he does eventually get his man, he soon comes to learn that his wife Lucy, thought to have died, was in fact alive, and had taken the guise of the beggar woman, whom he had just slaughtered. Distraught and angered by Mrs Lovett's deceit, Todd slits her throat before himself being killed by Tobias, himself driven to madness. It's a show that, on paper, would have many of us scowling in revulsion at its premise and themes, however such is the strength of Sondheim and Wheeler's storytelling, and interpretation of the original Penny Dreadful, that it not only works an absolute treat, but it has become an all-time, world renowned musical theatre classic, with lead roles that many a stage performer dream of playing on the biggest stages in the world.

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Did I miss any of your favourites? Which is your go-to spooky musical? Let me know below, or on my instagram page.