That's a Broadway workout right there.
All told, during Friend Like Me, our sensors tracked nearly
900 steps.
Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our
picks for the musicals that ask a lot more of
their performers than your average show.
Taking this twice, fellow way, so I can read cults.
Whenever he's lost things, I'm going to stop and say
I'll make them jump on my butt.
I'm amazing.
What's me engaging?
I'm escaping.
I'm enraging them out #10 Les Miserables.
While it's a monumentally moving production, this Seminole Broadway classic
is also very demanding.
Les Mis requires a lot from everyone.
The ensemble has to maintain their voices while cycling through
an endless series of strong emotions throughout the entire production.
The crew, meanwhile, needs to make its various transitions feel
seamless.
There are costume swaps, scenery changes, and a huge, huge
score to get through.
With a show this epic, the audience isn't off the
hook either.
You know?
No matter how noble eventually miss is, you just get
sick and tired of hearing that score night after night.
Shut up.
Work it out.
Between its long ballads, epic romance, heartbreaking deaths, and roughly
3 hour runtime, it can be taxing even if you're
just sitting in the dark watching it.
The darkness, the trees are full of Starlight, and all
I see is him and me, forever and forever #9A
chorus line.
This lauded musical about a group of dancers desperate to
book a chorus part was once the longest running show
on Broadway.
The thing about A Chorus Line is that it's themes
demand a high level of conformity in its group numbers.
At a certain point, the dancers in the show aren't
really meant to stand out.
The movement things must be a near perfect match.
Fortunately, there are enough solos that some of the performers
managed to get a few breaks in every.
Man, you are beautiful at the ballet.
I was happy, I would love to, but those are
often some of the most emotionally wrenching parts of the
story.
Then it's back to dancing #8 Spider Man turn off
the dark.
Ahead of its official opening night in June 2011, the
insanely expensive Spider Man musical was already raising eyebrows.
More controversial than its unconventional source material was it's highly
involved and often dangerous choreography.
Turn Off the Dark is a full out spectacle, but
your strength will be a vision beyond visibility, and the
gift I've woven for you will give you new eyes
to see every night.
Its team was expected to make gravity defying high wire
stunts look effortless.
It takes a lot of core strength to do aerial
work as intricate as this, and the original Broadway production
became notorious for the amount of injuries its ensemble sustained.
I have a bunch of, you know, screws in my
back right now, but the moment I'm going to as
aggressively as I can go through my physical therapy and
the moment I feel like I'm good, I'm back in
the show.
I can't wait.
After a while, it probably took a lot of effort
just to work up the courage to step out on
stage #7 Newsies.
Even marketing images for Newsies showcase performers in midair, so
you know this is a high octane production.
This crowd pleaser about a group of newspaper boys trying
to unionize probably has one of the fittest ensembles ever
to hit a Broadway stage.
With this cast doesn't just have to dance, they spend
almost the entire time twirling, jumping, and racing up and
down fire escapes while maintaining crystal clear addiction.
And they have to do all that while often still
keeping their hats on.
The amount of money these Newsies spend on gym memberships
alone could probably fund a whole other show.
Number six, anything goes.
Cole Porter's seafaring comedy is one of the few holdovers
from the early days of musical theatre.
It's been revised a lot since then.
One thing that hasn't changed much since its premiere is
how difficult it is to do it justice.
Full of breezy songs and fancy footwork, the trick to
selling the production is making it look easy.
Of course, it's anything but.
The title number alone is a nightmare.
The actress playing Reno Sweeney has to honor each and
everyone of Porters fast-paced lyrics, all while holding her own
with a chorus of tap dancers.
There's a lot of sweat behind all that smiling #5
cats.
It may have a reputation as one of the more
confusing and borderline nonsensical Broadway mega hits, but there's a
reason Katz is so beloved.
Since its premiere, audiences have been dazzled by the show's
agile and furry footed ensemble.
The creative team behind the original West End production knew
that the dancing was essential in making it work.
So it was designed as a massive showcase for artists
who can master all sorts of styles and perform the
steps in a way that also mimics the distinct way
a cat moves.
No one said being Jellicle was easy.
#4 The Lion King There is war to see and
can never be seen more to do.
Disney's Tony winning adaptation of the 1994 animated classic is
one of the biggest musicals ever in almost every way.
Not only is it the most financially successful production in
Broadway history, it also has an incredibly large creative team.
It takes 50 performers and about 100 crew to make
a performance happen every night.
Throughout, its ensemble must sing and act while donning huge
masks and costumes.
How many puppets are in So in the actual show
is 200 and 32232.
The choreography by itself would be challenging, but many of
its ensemble members must also give life to on stage
animals in the form of intricate puppets.
This illusion requires superhuman precision, flexibility and dexterity.
They live in you.
They live in, they're watching over #3 Hairspray.
Considering how how peppy and positive the dance crazy Tracy
Turnblad is for the entire story, Hairspray has got to
be one of the hardest productions to carry.
Given that it's about a teen dance show, you can
bet that the grooving is a major high point here.
And there's a whole lot of it.
In fact, it's almost wall to wall upbeat songs.
It's got 60s novelty dances galore and big hair that
look like they weigh a ton.
Then, after hours of all that, the cast is on
hand for one of the most breathless, most energizing finales
ever.
It is not for the week #2 Starlight Express.
There are a few reasons this Andrew Lloyd Webber extravaganza
is not as well known as some of his other
efforts.
This story of anthropomorphic trains falling in love and facing
extinction by the modern diesel engine is a musical, romance
and light show all in one.
It's most famous and challenging requirement of its cast is
that they must all perform in roller skates.
To top it all off, it also features costumes that
are bulky and heavy to lug around, with some productions
featuring garments that can weigh anywhere between 35 and 50
lbs.
There we continue.
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If you're on your phone, make sure you go into
your settings and switch on notifications #1 West Side Story.
The original conceit behind this musical was to blend the
timeless love story of Romeo and Juliet with a modern
sensibility.
Jerome Robbins's West Side Story choreography skewed towards ballet, employing
jazzier movements for the more dangerous scenes between its rival
gangs.
Through the years it's been updated and reinterpreted to make
way for different styles of dance, but it's always a
show where movement is integral to the storytelling.
It's legendary choreography, combined with its runtime and the tragic
love story at its center, makes West Side Story an
endurance test for its cast.
Which of these shows looks like the biggest workout?
Tell us in the comments.
Do you agree with our picks?
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