large ensemble musicals and a guitar

11 Large Ensemble Musicals Audiences Love

Ensemble musicals deliver an unmatched energy and spectacle, making them a standout favorite for both performers and audiences. These productions celebrate the magic of community and collaboration in theatre, featuring dazzling group numbers and plenty of roles to showcase a wide range of talent. Explore our list of large ensemble musicals that always leave audiences cheering for more.


The Cher Show Book by Rick Elice

2024 National Tour

The Cher Show is based on the life of Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman or as her friends call her, Cher! The kid on a tricycle, vowing to be famous. The teenage phenom who crashes by twenty. The glam TV star who quits at the top. The would-be actress with an Oscar. The rock goddess with a hundred million records sold. The legend who’s done it all, still scared to walk on stage. The wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. The woman, looking for love. The ultimate survivor, chasing her dream. They’re all here, dressed to kill, belting out all the hits, telling it like it is. And they’re all the star of The Cher Show.


Bat Boy Story & Book by Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming, Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe

2012 University of West Florida production

Based on a story in The Weekly World News, Bat Boy: The Musical is a musical comedy/horror show about a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia. For lack of a better solution, the local sheriff brings Bat Boy to the home of the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a “normal” boy by the veterinarian’s wife, Meredith, and teenage daughter, Shelley. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of Hope Falls, they turn on him, prodded by the machinations of Dr. Parker, who secretly despises Bat Boy. Shelley and Bat Boy, who have fallen in love, run away together from the ignorant townfolk and have a blissful coupling in the woods, but their happiness is shattered when Meredith arrives and reveals a secret. Soon the entire town arrives and hears the shocking story of Bat Boy’s unholy origin.


Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Book by Kevin del Aguila, Music & Lyrics by Michael Mahler & Alan Schmuckler, Based on the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” Book Series by Jeff Kinney & the 20th Century Studios Films

Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography, 2022 The Children’s Theatre Company production

Middle school, ugh. It’s the worst. But Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor, Fregley. Or maybe Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg…no way. Jeff Kinney’s popular character takes center stage as Greg’s cartoon diary becomes a hilarious and heartfelt musical. Will Greg’s plans to become popular lead him to sacrifice his one true friend? Can anyone avoid the dreaded Cheese Touch? Grab a hall pass and don’t be late for an adventure familiar to anyone who actually survived middle school.


Heartbreak Hotel Book by Sean Cercone & David Abbinanti, Based on a concept by Floyd Mutrux

Photo by Brett Beiner, 2018 Broadway Playhouse production

His singular name still evokes immediate recognition from people all over the world. This official Elvis Presley bio-musical takes a closer look at the rock star and incomparable icon whose impact shaped the history of music and culture. Trapped in a moment of crisis, his younger self guides him through pivotal moments of his life that led him to become “The King of Rock and Roll.” Heartbreak Hotel features over 40 Elvis hits and iconic songs including, “That’s All Right,” “All Shook Up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Are You Lonesome,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.”


The Old Man and the Old Moon by PigPen Theatre Co.

Photo by Hiroyuki Ito, 2014 New Victory Theater production

The Old Man has kept his post as the sole caretaker of the moon for as long as he (or his wife, the Old Woman) can remember. When she is drawn away by a mysterious melody that sparks memories of their shared past, the Old Man must decide between duty (and routine) and love (and adventure). Luckily for audiences everywhere, he chooses the latter, and what follows is an imaginative sea-faring epic, encompassing apocalyptic storms, civil wars, leviathans of the deep, and cantankerous ghosts, as well as the fiercest obstacle of all: change.


Water for Elephants Book by Rick Elice, Music & Lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co.

Photo by Mathew Murphy, 2024 Broadway production

Water for Elephants, based on the bestselling novel by Sara Gruen, is a dazzling, heart-filled musical about Jacob, a young man desperate to escape his past, who jumps aboard a moving train uncertain of the road ahead. Finding himself on the ride of a lifetime, Jacob joins the colorful company of a traveling circus and is hired by the imperious ringmaster, August, as caretaker to the animals. Jacob soon develops an unspoken attraction to the star performer and August’s wife, Marlena. A last-ditch effort to save their struggling show brings an elephant into the troupe, drawing Marlena and Jacob dangerously close, forever changing the circus’s fate. Nominated for 7 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Water for Elephants features a book by four-time Tony Award® nominee Rick Elice and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co..


A Bronx Tale Book by Chazz Palminteri, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, Based on the Play by Chazz Palminteri

Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2018 Broadway production

Based on the critically acclaimed play that inspired the now classic film, this streetwise musical will take you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s—where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Featuring a book by Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri, music by Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award® winner Alan Menken, and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Oscar and Tony Award® nominee Glenn Slater, A Bronx Tale is a story about respect, loyalty, love, and above all else: family. Contains adult language and mild violence.


After Midnight Conceived by Jack Viertel

Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2013 Broadway production

Welcome back to that electrifying time when Harlem’s Cotton Club was the place to be. Winner of the 2014 Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire Awards for Best Choreography, After Midnight is the smash-hit musical that celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the famed club. Combining the big-band songs of Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields and Harold Arlen, this musical revue is framed by the poetry of Langston Hughes.


Chaplin Music & Lyrics by Christopher Curtis, Book by Christopher Curtis & Thomas Meehan

2015 Pavilion Theatre production

Chaplin is based on the real-life story of Charlie Chaplin, the iconic film actor, writer, producer and director. The new musical spans the comic’s entire career, from Chaplin’s first performance as a child in 19th-century London to his tearful acceptance of an honorary Academy Award in 1972. The show documents the beloved actor’s rise to fame and the people who shaped his life, including his mother Hannah, his older brother Sydney, his fourth wife Oona O’Neill and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. The musical dramatizes the making of Chaplin’s legendary films, including The Kid, The Circus, Modern Times and The Great Dictator as well as his turbulent childhood, frenzied love life and political beliefs. Featuring an original score by Christopher Curtis, including “Look at All the People,” “Just Another Day in Hollywood” and “This Man,” Chaplin tells the touching story of the man who makes the world laugh as his legendary screen persona, the Tramp, but struggles to find happiness in his own life.


Diana Book & Lyrics by Joe DiPietro, Music & Lyrics by David Bryan

Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2021 Broadway production

It’s 1981 and the world is hungry for a royal wedding — but is the 20-year-old bride prepared for what comes after? Following her fairytale union, Princess Diana faces a distant husband, an unmovable monarchy and overwhelming media scrutiny. But her modern perspective and remarkable compassion galvanizes a nation, even as it threatens the royal family’s hold on England.


Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary & Des McAnuff, Songs by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder & Paul Jabara

Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2018 Broadway production

She was a girl from Boston with a voice from heaven, who shot through the stars from gospel choir to dance floor diva. But what the world didn’t know was how Donna Summer risked it all to break through barriers, becoming the icon of an era and the inspiration for every music diva who followed. Spend the night with Donna in her electrifying universe.

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