A history of Elton John musicals on Broadway and beyond
The Tony Award-winning composer's latest New York premiere is the new musical Tammy Faye, but he's been represented on Broadway for over 25 years and counting.
Talk about a Rocketman. Pop superstar Elton John first blasted onto Broadway in 1975 and almost never left. One of his best-known musical works, the 1997 Disney dynamo The Lion King, is, well, still standing. Audiences can feel the love tonight.
This fall, Tammy Faye, a musical about real-life televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, marks Sir John’s fifth original score to touch down on Broadway. Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters wrote the lyrics, and the book is by James Graham. Two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle and British actress Katie Brayben wrap their voices around John’s songs as the Bakkers starting October 19 at the Palace Theatre.
Learn more about John’s eclectic theatre career, and watch clips to discover how he’s made lions, princesses, vampires, ballet boys, and hellish editors sing.
Get Tammy Faye tickets now.
Bette Midler’s Clams on the Half Shell Revue
The Divine Miss M, as Midler was known at the time of this characteristically saucy 1973 revue, was peppered with songs by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein (“Oklahoma!”), Noël Coward (“If Love Were All”), and Elton John and his longtime lyricist, Bernie Taupin (“The Bitch Is Back”).
The Who's Tommy
Based on the 1969 concept album Tommy, director Ken Russell’s extravagant 1975 film starred Roger Daltrey in the title role, along with Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed as Tommy’s parents, in a story of family dysfunction, fame, and self-realization.
John didn't write any of the music, but he played the larger-than-life Pinball Wizard.
Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years
“Take Me to the Pilot,” a song from John’s 1970 self-titled album he co-wrote with Taupin, made it into this 1982 Broadway revue that lasted nine performances.
“Take me to the pilot, lead me through the chamber, take me to the pilot, I am but a stranger,” the song goes. Lyrically, it's a head-scratcher – the songwriters have said as much.
The Lion King
Alongside lyricist Tim Rice, John earned a Tony Award nomination for the powerful score of this 1997 family-friendly Best Musical Tony winner based on the 1994 Disney animated film.
“The Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” add particularly rich textures to the story of a young lion seeking his rightful place in the world. Learn more about all the songs in The Lion King on Broadway.
Get The Lion King tickets now.
Aida
John and Rice took home a Tony for their score in this 2000 Disney musical based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It’s about a Nubian princess who falls for an Egyptian commander who’s loved by the pharaoh’s daughter. The love triangle inevitably gets messy.
The score is juicy, packed with pop-, gospel-, and soul-infused songs like "Elaborate Lives" and "My Strongest Suit."
Lestat
With Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles as source material, songs by John and Taupin, and a book by Linda Woolverton (Aida), this 2006 musical seemed good on paper. The show follows Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman-turned-vampire. Lestat became immortal, but the show only ran 39 performances.
Billy Elliot: The Musical
Based on the 2000 film of the same name, this big-hearted musical opened in London’s West End in 2005 and three years later on Broadway, where it won 10 Tony Awards. John and Lee Hall's score earned a nomination. An ashes-to-arabesques story, the musical follows a boy in a Northeast England mining community with a passion for ballet.
Next Fall
In 2010, John returned to Broadway as producer of Geoffrey Nauffts’s Tony-nominated play about love, faith, and acceptance amid crisis. It follows a gay couple whose lives are changed by an accident.
In an interview on the show's opening night, John expressed his delight in supporting the work in his behind-the-scenes role: “I’m as proud to have my name on this as I am Billy Elliot.”
Everyday Rapture
Sherie Rene Scott’s semi-autobiographical musical about faith and fame blends her life story with fiction. It traces her journey from a Mennonite upbringing in Kansas to Broadway stardom.
Woven into the mix of monologues and eclectic songs is John’s “My Strongest Suit,” Scott's big number when she starred in Aida.
Holler If Ya Hear Me
This 2014 Broadway musical is inspired by Tupac Shakur's life and lyrics. It weaves his songs into a narrative about friendship, family, and the struggle for justice. John is credited for writing additional music for a section called Ghetto Gospel.
Rocktopia
In this 2018 Broadway concert mashup of classical music and rock standards, John and Taupin’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” was in the set list. Released in 1974, the ballad is about vulnerability and seeking help.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Set in 1899 Paris, this 2019 Tony-winning Best Musical follows a poet who falls for a cabaret star of the titular club. Like the 2001 Baz Lurhmann film it’s based on, the show is threaded with dozens of contemporary and classic songs underscoring themes of love, jealousy, and artistic passion. John and Taupin’s “Your Song” is a swoon-worthy highlight on both screen and stage.
Get Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets now.
The Devil Wears Prada
Fashion editor from hell Miranda Priestly and her young new employee, Andy, were introduced in a 2003 bestselling book that became a hit Meryl Streep movie in 2006. In 2022, John’s musical take on The Devil Wears Prada premiered in Chicago with lyrics by Shaina Taub (Suffs), a book by Kate Wetherhead (Submissions Only), and direction by Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County).
Following lukewarm reviews, the creative team girded its loins and made alterations. Vanessa Williams stars in the latest version, directed by Jerry Mitchell and premiering this fall in London.
Almost Famous
John and Taupin’s irresistible 1971 hit “Tiny Dancer” has a brief but memorable showcase in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 cinematic ode to rock and roll life. The short-lived 2022 Broadway musical adaptation by Crowe and Tom Kitt supersized “Tiny Dancer” into the first-act finale.
Tammy Faye
John’s new Broadway musical, seen in London in 2022, follows Tammy Faye Messner, a televangelist, and her tumultuous life with her first husband, Jim Bakker. The Rupert Goold-directed show explores themes of faith, resilience, and the temptations of success. Knowing the songwriters as well as the characters in the spotlight, expect plenty of vibrant music – and eye makeup to match.
Get Tammy Faye tickets now.
Photo credit: The Lion King, Tammy Faye, and Almost Famous musicals. (Photos by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, Marc Brenner, and Neal Preston)
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