Guides for Musicals, Plays, Operas & Operettas
Read expert-written show guides with context, plot, characters and video examples.
Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular show, The Pirates of Penzance, is a rollicking, delightfully funny tale of a band of soft-tempered pirates. Mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate by his nursemaid Ruth at the age of eight, the handsome Frederic is now twenty-one and, though quite fond of the gro... read more
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is an epic, stunning adaptation of Puccini’s opera, Madame Butterfly, by the writers behind Les Miserables. Reframing Puccini’s story by setting it during the Vietnam War, Miss Saigon is a powerful and poignant tale of love in a war-torn country. In the dangerous days before Saigon’s... read more
The Crucible
In the insular, Puritan community of 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, a group of young girls are found dancing in the woods, and immediately fall ill. When no earthly cause can be determined, the citizens of Salem suspect that some more sinister force may be at hand. As long-held grudges turn to violen... read more
Gypsy
Speculated by many to be the greatest of all American musicals, Gypsy tells the story of the dreams and efforts of one hungry, powerhouse of a woman to get her two daughters into show business. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoir of famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, entitled Gypsy:... read more
Spamalot
Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur’s quest to find the Holy Grail. Inspired by the classic comedy film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical also diverts a bit from more traditional versions of the legend. Instead, Spamalot features shenanigans including a line of beautiful... read more
13 (Thirteen)
Evan Goldman is about to turn thirteen, and he can’t wait. His life seems full of possibilities -- that is, until his parents get divorced, and he is forced to move with his mom from big-city New York to podunk Appleton, Indiana. If Evan can’t get the coolest kids to come to his bar mitzvah, how... read more
Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls follows the story of a black, all-girl singing trio from Chicago called "The Dreams" and the behind-the-scenes reality of the entertainment industry. At first, the Dreams' manager falls in love with the lead singer, Effie. Later, he abandons her both romantically and professionally, re... read more
Evita
Evita is based on the historical story of María Eva Duarte de Perón, a poor Argentinian girl who grows up to be the wife of the president of Argentina, worshipped by her people. As a young woman who longs for an acting career, fame, and fortune, Eva quickly learns that her feminine wiles hold pow... read more
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is the inspiring rags-to-riches tale of The Four Seasons. When Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi met, they were just four New Jersey teens singing together under street lamps, scraping for gigs and money in their working-class neighborhood. As the quartet rises t... read more
Annie Get Your Gun
Rough-and-tumble Annie Oakley is the best shot around. A backwoods gal, Annie uses her skill to support her family by selling the game she hunts. When she’s discovered by Buffalo Bill and persuaded to join his Wild West Show, Annie is plucked from obscurity and becomes the toast of Europe. Anni... read more
