Top 5 Must-See Musicals for 16-year-olds
Posted on
| By
Charlotte Addy
With so much choice in the West End, musicals-wise, it’s hard to know where to start. From Les Misérables to The Lion King, the sheer number of smash-hit shows lining the streets of London don’t make the already daunting decision any easier. It seems we’re almost spoilt for choice with award-winning performances around every corner! Well have no fear; I, your average 16-year-old clueless teenager, have compiled my favourite top 5 must-see musicals to help shorten your list – and trust me, I can guarantee you won’t be able to stop singing along to these ones!
Waitress at London's Adelphi Theatre is a must see!
1. & Juliet
I have three words: Ultimate. Girl. Power. & Juliet is the highly anticipated musical following Juliet Capulet. She decides she doesn’t fancy dying a star-crossed lover and instead rewrites her own story, going on a girl’s trip to the tune of some classic pop anthems like ‘Baby One More Time', 'Love Me Like You Do', and 'Can't Feel My Face'. What more could you want?! Oh yeah… did I mention there’s a jaw-dropping cast list, containing stars like Miriam Teak-Lee (Hamilton), Cassidy Janson (Leading Ladies, Chess, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Oliver Tompsett (Kinky Boots, Wicked)? I don’t know about you, but I’d choose this show over a 5-page Shakespeare essay in my English class any day…
🎫 Book tickets to see & Juliet here.
2. Waitress
On the topic of girl power, how does Waitress’ all-female creative team tickle your taste buds? The Tony Award-nominated success is back with a brand-new cast, starring Lucie Jones (Les Misérables, Ghost the Musical, Legally Blonde) as Jenna alongside Ashley Roberts (The Pussycat Dolls, Strictly Come Dancing) as Dawn. It’s a show with amazing songs that also explores very real problems some women face. I mean come on; how could it not make my top 5?! It’s the only musical in the West End that smells as good as it sounds!
🎫 Book tickets to see Waitress here.
3. Six
I’ll admit, when I first heard that the London Art’s Theatre was housing a musical focusing on the topic of my year 8 history classes, I had my doubts. But these didn’t last long until I heard Six’s incredible soundtrack featuring the collective masterminding of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, who have turned the old English tale of Henry VIII into a “75-minute celebration of sisterly sass-itude”. If you’ve come anywhere near me and my friends recently, I’m sure all you could hear was us religiously chanting “XO baby” earning us some strange looks. Well, I can promise you’ll be humming the songs all day as well after watching this fab musical!
🎫 Book tickets to see Six here.
4. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
With three WhatsOnStage Awards already under its belt, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the fabulous feel-good show following the story of sixteen-year-old Jamie New (played by the fantastic Layton Williams) who doesn’t quite fit in. This show is not only extremely relevant with great LGBTQ+ representation but also has a catchy soundtrack by the ingenious Dan Gillespie Sells. Not to mention that the Apollo Theatre has a great location right next to Soho for pre/post show fun. I’ve got to say, this is THE show I’m begging my mum to give me cash for right now, so I can start talking about it too!
🎫 Book tickets to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie here.
5. Dear Evan Hansen
And last but certainly not least, the musical masterpiece straight off of Broadway; Dear Evan Hansen’s. The plot is so relevant to loads of people, who can definitely empathise with socially awkward Evan in all his cringe-worthy attempts to make new friends. My friend Lucy never stops singing songs from the playlist, and honestly, I’d probably be sick of it by now if it weren’t for the mind-boggling music written by award-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s (The Greatest Showman, La La Land). From what I can see, it’s a real tearjerker, so I’ll be first in the queue with my family pack of Kleenex! Will I see you there?
🎫 Book tickets to see Dear Evan Hansen here.