Pick a Day

Music History Events: Musicals

April 20, 2010 The stage adaptation of Green Day's American Idiot rock opera officially opens on Broadway, a year after its debut at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

April 7, 2009 The jukebox musical Rock of Ages, a celebration of glam metal and classic rock of the '80s, opens at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. More

January 18, 2008 Amid casting sessions for American Idol, Clay Aiken makes his Broadway debut in New York City in Monty Python's Spamalot.

April 10, 2007 Fantasia Barrino becomes the first American Idol winner to star in a Broadway musical when she takes on the role of Celie in The Color Purple. In 2023, she plays the same role in the film adaptation.

November 19, 2006 The ill-fated Bob Dylan musical tribute The Times They Are A-Changin' closes on Broadway after a scant 28 showings.

April 24, 2005 After 94 performances, the Broadway musical and Beach Boys tribute Good Vibrations closes.

April 19, 2004 A stage musical version of the Elvis Presley film Jailhouse Rock opens in London.

October 28, 2003 Tonight's The Night, a musical play written around the hits of Rod Stewart, opens in London's West End.

April 14, 2003 R&B singer Angie Stone makes her Broadway debut when she joins the cast of Chicago.

March 17, 2003 Cliff – The Musical opens at The Prince of Wales Theatre in London. The show, which is based on the life of Cliff Richard, closes three months later.

November 16, 2001 Havana's National Theatre debuts Se Seco el Arroyito (The Brooklet Dried Up), a musical written by Cuba's veteran "sonero," Compay Segundo.

June 29, 2001 Dream A Little Dream: The Almost-True Story of the Mamas & the Papas, a stage musical penned by former Papas member Denny Doherty, premieres in Toronto.

October 5, 1998 Without comment, the Supreme Court refuses to throw out a suit charging that composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber copied from another songwriter for the "Phantom Song" from his Phantom of the Opera. The case stems from a 1990 suit filed by U.S. liturgical composer Ray Repp that claims Webber's song copies Repp's 1978 composition "Till You."

November 5, 1995 A charity performance of The Wizard of Oz in Concert is staged at New York's Lincoln Center, featuring Jewel (Dorothy), Jackson Browne (The Scarecrow), Roger Daltrey (The Tin Man), and Nathan Lane (The Cowardly Lion).

June 6, 1993 The Who's Tommy, which has been converted into a Broadway play, wins five Tony Awards.

April 22, 1993 The Broadway play Tommy, based on The Who's album, opens at St. James Theater.

October 18, 1991 Los Angeles declares it "Rocky Horror Picture Show Day" in honor of the 1975 cult classic musical.

November 4, 1990 The musical tribute Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story opens on Broadway.

April 9, 1986 The musical Time premieres at the Dominion Theatre in London. Produced by Dave Clark, the show stars Cliff Richard in the lead role.

April 25, 1985 The musical Big River, based on Mark Twain's work and featuring a score by Roger Miller, opens on Broadway. Miller would go on to win a Tony Award for the music.

April 8, 1985 The musical Leader Of The Pack: The Songs Of Ellie Greenwich opens on Broadway (running for 120 performances).

October 30, 1984 Linda Ronstadt makes her operatic debut in La Boheme in New York.

February 8, 1982 Cher makes her Broadway debut in Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.

December 2, 1981 The Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which is based on The Supremes, opens on Broadway. It is later made into a hit movie starring Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson.

January 8, 1981 Linda Ronstadt makes her Broadway debut alongside Rex Smith and Kevin Kline in the revival of The Pirates of Penzance, which runs for 787 performances.

September 15, 1980 David Bowie debuts on Broadway in The Elephant Man.

July 15, 1980 Linda Ronstadt makes a well-received dramatic debut in Joseph Papp's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance in New York's Central Park, setting off a "Pirates" fad that lasts for the next three years.

April 13, 1980 The musical Grease closes on Broadway after a record 3,883 performances.

November 12, 1979 Jefferson Airplane/Starship singer Marty Balin premieres his new rock opera, Rock Justice, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco.

December 22, 1978 The stage version of Nilsson's musical The Point opens in London, featuring ex-Monkees Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz.