The new season of musicals in Madrid continues this winter with proposals for all tastes. The Gran Vía has little to envy to Broadway, here the shows flourish and multiply, so much so that even The Economist has highlighted in an article on the capital its growth in the city since the pandemic.
There are romantic classics, fantasy, novelties with a good Pop touch and even sung biographies; the diversity of the shows that flood the capital makes it difficult to choose just one.
1. The Book of Mormon
The Mormons, or followers of the Latter-day Saint Movement church founded by American Joseph Smith in 1830, and their particular vision of Christianity are the central theme of The Book of Mormon. This 4 Tony Award-winning musical is the big premiere of the season. The key to its success, already confirmed by the 9 million viewers it has had in London and New York, lies in its acid humor and the great staging backed by SOM Produce, one of the largest show producers.
📍 C alderón Theater (Callede Atocha, 18)
2. The Phantom of the Opera
Sometimes you just have to start at the beginning and in the case of musicals, The Phantom of the Opera is the best way to get started. This classic is the adaptation of the novel of the same name by Frenchman Gaston Leroux, which premiered more than 30 years ago on stage, but its mixture of drama, horror and love means that every so often it returns to the Madrid billboard and continues to receive the same good reception.
📍 UMusic Hotel Teatro Albéniz (Calle de la Paz, 11)
3. WAH Madrid
Wah Madrid is a show that exudes the musical and artistic strength of the great Broadway shows that starts this new season with a success: conquering the audience through the stomach. The first section takes place in its Food Hall, a gigantic gastronomic area where unusual characters and artists parade through to entertain the arrival of the spectators.
Once inside, on the stage, the artists WAH Madrid star in a show that draws on references such as Marvel, Disney and the Berlin opera in a journey through the history of music that recalls Puccini, Guns & Roses, David Guetta, Paco de Lucía and Lady Gaga.
💸 Tickets starting at 55 €. Free tickets for children under 12 years old during Saturday and Sunday morning sessions.
Since September 8.
IFEMA. Avenida Partenón, 5 (Barajas district)
4. Bailo Bailo, the Musical by Raffaella Carrà
The Teatro Capitol celebrates one of the greatest divas in the history of music: the eternal Raffaella Carrà. The songs of the Italian singer will serve as context and guiding thread for a musical in which six protagonists search for themselves, investigate their human growth and explore their own path.
With a libretto by Federico Bellone and Nacho Álvarez (director of the film Explota Explota Explota from which the musical is based) and choreographed by Gillian Bruce, the show will land this fall at the renovated Teatro Capitol in Gran Vía.
Gran Vía Street, 41 (Downtown)
5. Pretty Woman
On October 10, 1990, a movie that would become, in a matter of months, a viral phenomenon before the term ‘viral’ existed, was shown in theaters all over Spain. Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, was a hit at box offices around the world.
Now, its musical version arrives in Madrid at the EDP Gran Vía Theater with sessions from Tuesday to Sunday. Following the narrative thread of the film, this theatrical show is completed with a soundtrack composed by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. Of course, there will also be the now iconic “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison.
66 Gran Vía Street (Downtown)
6. Chicago
Chicago arrives in Madrid just as it has just celebrated its 25th anniversary on Broadway, surpassing even Cats. The musical is set in the 1920s and stars Roxie Hart, a nightclub dancer who murders her lover when he threatens to leave her. Desperate to get public opinion on her side, she hires a famous lawyer, who will make her famous thanks to the tabloids.
Apolo Theater (Pl. de Tirso de Molina, 1)
7. Aladdin
Aladdin was produced by the same team behind other successful Disney musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. This musical features one of the most outstanding soundtracks of all time. The music, composed by the master of musicals and winner of 8 Oscars, Alan Menken (who has also composed other unforgettable soundtracks such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas), earned Aladdin the Oscar for Best Soundtrack and Best Original Song for A Whole New World.
Coliseum Theater of Madrid (Calle Gran Vía, 78)
8. Tick, Tick…Boom!
Tick, Tick…Boom! is a musical about creativity, fear of failure and the vertigo of the late twenties. Jonathan Larson wrote this musical with autobiographical touches. He was a playwright and creator of the musical Rent the Pulitzer and Tony Award -winning show that ran on Broadway for twelve straight years.
On stage – and in the Netflix film – he appears as Jon in 1990, when, at 29, he is still working as a bartender in New York while writing Superbia, which he hopes will be the next great American musical and the play that will give him the chance to become more than an aspiring songwriter.
The Spanish adaptation of the musical that can be seen at La Estación Theater is by Luis Álvarez and is directed by Gabriel Olivares and José F. Romero.
La Estación Theater (Cta. de San Vicente, 44).
9. We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You is an incredible musical based on the songs of the British band Queen. A production of Brian May and Roger Taylor with which more than 16 million spectators in 19 countries have enjoyed anthems such as We Are The Champions, I Want To Break Free or Bohemian Rhapsody.
The story is set in a dystopian future where music has been banned. During the show, some rebels will defy repression while awaiting the arrival of a leader who will make possible the return of music through rock.
Gran Teatro CaixaBank Príncipe Pío (Carretera de San Vicente, 44)
10. Matilda
Among the musicals in Madrid that most stir the memories of any self-respecting millennial is Matilda. The multi-award-winning musical by the Royal Shakespeare Company is based on the novel by Roald Dahl -although in the collective memory is the 1996 film version, directed by Dani DeVito-, and arrives in Spain after twelve years in London and four on Broadway. The second season will kick off on September 13, after having captivated more than 250,000 viewers in its first season.
Con 82 actores, que también cantan y bailan, y 16 músicos, Matilda cuenta con uno de los elencos más grandes jamás vistos en un musical en España. Además, es de los espectáculos que más va a dar que hablar esta temporada porque Netflix estrenará estas navidades la película basada en el musical con Emma Thompson en el papel de la señorita Trunchbull.
Nuevo teatro Alcalá (Calle de Jorge Juan, 62).
11. The Lion King
El Rey León, es uno de los musicales más reconocidos a nivel mundial, habiendo sido presenciado por más de 110 millones de personas alrededor del mundo. La puesta en escena y la caracterización han hecho de este espectáculo uno de los musicales de Madrid más populares.
Este musical transporta al espectador a la sabana africana tanto a través de su música como de los diferentes escenarios. Reconocidos talentos musicales (Elton John, Time Rice, Lebo M y Hans Zimmer) y teatrales (Julie Taymor) a nivel mundial se unieron para crear esta obra, fusionando sofisticadas disciplinas de las artes escénicas africanas, occidentales y asiáticas. El Rey León constituye un hito en el mundo del espectáculo que no deja indiferente a nadie. El Teatro Lope de Vega acoge esta producción desde octubre de 2011.
El Rey León es el musical con mayor trascendencia en la historia del género en Broadway, alcanzando niveles de venta insuperables desde su estreno en 1997 y estableciéndose como el musical de mayor éxito en la taquilla.
Teatro Lope de Vega (Calle Gran Vía, 57)
12. Mamma Mía! El Musical
Es difícil no saber alguna de las canciones del musical de Mamma Mía. El Teatro Rialto acoge la segunda temporada de este musical tras el éxito cosechado en la primera, con más de 300.000 espectadores. Con funciones de martes a domingos, se trata de una adaptación de la archiconocida comedia musical construida en torno a los grandes éxitos del grupo sueco ABBA.
Este enredo romántico traslada a los asistentes hasta una paradisíaca isla griega, donde Sophie Sheridan prepara su boda en el hotel de su madre. Sophie no sabe quién es su padre porque su progenitora, Donna, nunca se lo ha dicho. Pero todo cambia cuando encuentra el antiguo diario de su madre, descubriendo que en el verano que fue concebida Donna tuvo sendos romances con tres hombres. ¡Cualquiera de ellos podría ser su padre!
Teatro Rialto (Calle Gran Vía, 54)