BROADWAY WEEK TOP 5 LIST: MOST UNDERRATED SHOWS

Tuesday: These Guys Deserve More Credit!

Note: These are not the most Unknown or least mainstream musicals or songs, but the most UNDERRATED songs and shows. So there are some really mainstream songs on here that just never quite get the credit they deserve. They are also not ranked by how good each song is, but by how Underrated that song is. So for instance I like Judas' Death more than Someone in a Tree, but Someone in a Tree is more severely under appreciated than Judas' death, so it is ranked higher on the list.

Top 5 Most Underrated Broadway Songs-

5. Sunrise, Sunset - Fiddler On The Roof

Sunrise, Sunset is one of the prettiest songs in Fiddler on the Roof, with gorgeous imagery and a strong emotive melodic line. Definitely one of the least recognized songs in the show, and definitely one of the best.

4. There's A Place For Us- West Side Story

Similar to Sunrise, Sunset, There's A Place for Us is one of the softer, slower songs in West Side Story, but lyrically and emotionally it is one of the most powerful. It speaks to the many themes in West Side Story and puts them all together in one beautiful and easily relatable song. not to mention it saved my ass in Music Theory Class, since I could always remember that the first two notes of the song were a minor 7th apart.

3. Judas' Death - Jesus Christ Superstar

Of all the songs in JCS, Judas' Death is the one song that manages to span the most emotional territory. It follows Judas through his anguish at having turned in Jesus up to his decision to kill himself. It solidifies Judas as a character that you can sympathize with just in time for him to kill himself. Possibly the most heartbreaking moment of the show is when a broken Judas reprises "I Don't Know How To Love Him" in the middle of this song. Since this song doesn't have the hooks of "Superstar" and doesn't have the original version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him," it almost never gets mentioned along with the best songs of the show, but it is clearly up there.

2. Someone In A Tree - Pacific Overatures

An absolutely lovely song from Pacific Overtures about "that guy" who happened to be eves dropping when something really big went down, and how important "that guy" can be. Much like the rest of this under the radar show, "Someone In A Tree" strikes the just the right balance between comedy, drama and meaningful commentary with just a sprinkle of sweet racism and stereotyping.

1. The Ballad of Guiteau - Assassins

The Ballad of Guiteau is probably the funniest, most entertaining and most frightening of all of the songs in Assassins, a musical full of songs written with the intent of scaring the crap out of you while making you fall out of your seat laughing. The Guiteau character is wonderfully eccentric, and his antics are in full display in this song, as he slowly makes his way to the Gallows, all the while trying to psych himself out by singing "I am going to the Lordy/I am so glad."

Top 5 Most Underrated Broadway Shows

5. Les Miserables

Okay so maybe Les Mis isn't classically underrated, and it certainly isn't unknown, but a Musical this good can never get enough praise, and I don't think enough people appreciate just how good Les Mis is. It is one of the greatest musicals of all time, and I get the feeling that it is almost never considered in that Upper Echelon. It Should Be.

4. Urinetown

Unlike Les Mis, Urinetown is not the best musical ever. In fact there are a lot of things I don't like about Urinetown, but after being in my High School's version of Urinetown, I have to say that there is a lot here. There is an almost astonishing abundance of great humor in the show, and I think that as far as comedies go, Urinetown should get a lot more recognition than it does.

3. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum

AFTHOTWTTF (as I will now lovingly refer to it) is a truely top notch comedy that often seems to get overlooked in the scope of things. It's got that lovely Roman setting, a locale not often visited in musicals, it's got the absolutely irresistible Pseudolus character, and it has a bundle of terrific songs like "Comedy Tonight," and "Everybody Ought To Have Maid." AFTOTWTTF also kicks off what I would like to dub "The Lost Sondheim Trilogy" or "LST."

2. Pacific Overtures

Pacific Overtures is part two of the "Lost Sondheim Trilogy" and of the three, it is probably the least well known, and that's really a shame. It's a great show that continually strikes a great balance between humor and a serious, compelling story. Pacific Overtures remains dark and serious throughout while managing to constantly poke fun of itself and lighten the mood with Sondheim's great sense of irony and humor. It is a balanced and entertaining show, and it gives some really enlightening perspectives into the rarely discussed Westernization of Japan.

1. Assassins

If you can't tell by its placement on this list, I absolutely love Assassins (LST Part III). It is probably one the sickest, funniest, and darkest musicals out there, as it takes a sarcastic, ironic, and sympathetic look at the lives of the men and women who have tried to kill the President. You probably never thought that you'd feel sorry for John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald, but during Assassins, you will. The best part of Assassin though is the music and lyrics. I think that Assassins contains some of Sondheim's best Music, and the lyrics capture all of the eccentricities of each character while being bitingly sarcastic and clever. This show deserves to be considered alongside other Sondheim greats, like Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, but due to it's controversiality and sickly humor, it always seems to fall by the wayside.