Musicals have seen quite a big resurgence in the past number of years. As the amount of musicals on Netflix continues to grow, we thought it would be worth running through 10 of the best that are currently available on the streaming platform.
'Mamma Mia!'
The 2008 original saw bride-to-be Amanda Seyfried trying to find out who her birth-father is through the form of singing and dancing hit songs from ABBA. And it worked, 'Mamma Mia!' was so successful that it spawned one of last year's biggest hits, 'Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again'. And who knew Pierce Brosnan could sing? The jury is still out on that one, but he gave it his best shot. If you never got around to watching it, now's your chance.
'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'
The Coen brothers returned wholeheartedly to the western genre last year with 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'. Taking the form of six short tales involving bank robbery, gold-mining, and, would you believe it, Brendan Gleeson - the movie also manages to shoe-horn in an Oscar-nominated song, 'When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings'. A very worthy watch.
'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'
It doesn't have to be Christmas for you to watch a good old-fashioned Dick Van Dyke movie. The screenplay for the 1968 classic 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' was written by Roald Dahl all those years ago, which was itself based on the book of the same name by Ian Fleming. There's definitely plenty out there who have only seen bits of the movie while chowing down on leftover turkey sandwiches - why not take it all in now, out of season.
'Sing'
If yourself and the children aren't one bit interested in Dick Van Dyke, then why not give 'Sing' a go. The animation features the voices of a whole host of actors such as Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, and original number 'Set It All Free' by porcupine Scarlett Johansson. There's also a planned sequel on the way in 2020 too.
Eric Idle's 'What About Dick?'
This one is for all your musical-hating Netflix viewers out there. Eric Idle's 'What About Dick' is a stage performance of various stars, including Russell Brand, Billy Connolly, and Tim Curry, acting out Idle's interpretation of "the decline and fall of the British Empire, as through the eyes of a piano." Now you know what he's been up to since 'Monthy Python'.
'Beauty & the Beast'
Yep, that really is Emma Watson singing in the live-action adaptation of 'Beauty & The Beast'. The movie is two years old already, and with Disney planning on shifting all of their assets onto their new streaming platform Disney Plus later this year, it might not be available on Netflix for too much longer. So if you haven't yet given it a go yet, don't wait too long.
'Holy Camp!'
One for lovers of foreign-language films, 'Holy Camp!' is a Spanish-made movie that sees two rebellious teens who love electronic music somehow end up at a catholic camp for the summer. Based on the stage musical of the same name, the movie is heaps of fun and offers some quality original tracks.
'Pitch Perfect'
If you haven't already watched 'Pitch Perfect' and its two sequels... what have you been doing with your life? Taking the essence of 'Glee' and running with it wholeheartedly, the original movie sees Anna Kendrick and her Bellas try to take on their university campus' biggest competition through singing a capella. Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy and Hana Mae Lee's Lily steal the show.
'Opening Night'
So THIS is what Topher Grace has been up to ever since 'Spiderman 3'. Grace stars as a failed broadway star who now works as a production manager on this seriously cheesy stage show. The cast of 'Opening Night' is full of people that you might recognise from smaller roles in other films, and includes N*Sync member JC Chasez.
'Fiddler on the Roof'
If you only watch one of this list of musicals on Netflix, make it 'Fiddler on the Roof'. This 1971 classic follows the life of Tevye (Israeli actor Topol) and his family as they go through various trials and tribulations in their lives in pre-revolutionary Russia. The musical is full of emotion, and includes the iconic 'If I Were A Rich Man'. Clocking in at three hours, it might be one for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
