Thanks to the increased release of cast albums (yes, there was a time when not every Broadway show produced one) and increased availability of YouTube videos, fans have unprecedented exposure to scores and musical numbers from recent musicals. Still, the early aughts have been a prolific time for theatre and there are shows and writers you may not be familiar with鈥攂ut should be.
From insta-classics like The Producers to cult hits like Here Lies Love, from Jason Robert Brown鈥檚 The Last Five Years to Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey鈥檚 Pulitzer-winning Next to Normal to Jeanine Tesori鈥檚 Thoroughly Modern Millie, from adaptations of big titles like Monty Python鈥檚 Spamalot and Legally Blonde The Musical to small personal stories like Everyday Rapture, this week鈥檚 半岛体育 Mixtape brings you the must-know tunes of the 2000s.
For all of your sonic knowledge, plus playlists for every mood, be sure to .
An historical guide for your listening education:
鈥淲elcome to My Party鈥� 鈥� from The Wild Party by Michael John La Chiusa
鈥淥migod You Guys鈥� 鈥� from Legally Blonde the Musical by Laurence O鈥橩eefe and Nell Benjamin
鈥淏ig Girls Don鈥檛 Cry鈥� 鈥� from Jersey Boys by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
鈥淎s We Stumble Along鈥� 鈥� from The Drowsy Chaperone by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
鈥淭he King of Broadway鈥� 鈥� from The Producers by Mel Brooks
鈥淣ot for the Life of Me鈥� 鈥� from Thoroughly Modern Millie by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan
鈥淒ancing Through Life鈥� 鈥� from Wicked by Stephen Schwartz
鈥淭he Life of the Party鈥� 鈥� from The Wild Party by Michael John LaChiusa
鈥淯nder the Sea鈥� 鈥� from The Little Mermaid by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater
鈥淎mayzing Mazie鈥� 鈥� from Seussical Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
鈥淧ractically Perfect鈥� 鈥� from Mary Poppins by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
鈥淭here Is Life Outside Your Apartment鈥� 鈥� from Avenue Q by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
鈥淭he Revolutionary Costume for Today鈥� 鈥� from Grey Gardens by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie
鈥淩un, Freedom, Run!鈥� 鈥� from Urinetown The Musical by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis
鈥淏reeze Off the River鈥� 鈥� from The Full Monty by David Yazbek
鈥淐ome to Your Senses鈥� 鈥� from tick, tick鈥OOM! by Jonathan Larson
鈥淚 Believe鈥� 鈥� from Altar Boyz by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker
鈥淔ind Your Grail鈥� 鈥� from Monty Python鈥檚 Spamalot by John Du Prez and Eric Idle
鈥淪uddenly鈥� 鈥� from Xanadu by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne
鈥�96,000鈥� 鈥� from In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda
鈥淲ithout Love鈥� 鈥� Hairspray by March Shaiman and Scott Wittman
鈥淚 Can Do Better Than That鈥� 鈥� from The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown
鈥淐an鈥檛 Help Falling in Love鈥� 鈥� from All Shook Up by Elvis Presley
鈥淭he I Love You Song鈥� 鈥� from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn
鈥淚 Hate the Bus鈥� 鈥� from Caroline, or Change by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner
鈥淲hat About Love?鈥� 鈥� from The Color Purple by Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, and Allee Willis
鈥淭he Light in the Piazza鈥� 鈥� from The Light in the Piazza by Adam Guettel
鈥淎stonishing鈥� 鈥� from Little Women by Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein
鈥淲ho I鈥檇 Be鈥� 鈥� from Shrek The Musical by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire
鈥淕et Out and Stay Out鈥� 鈥� from 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
鈥淯p the Ladder to the Roof鈥� 鈥� from Everyday Rapture
鈥淚 Am The One鈥� 鈥� from Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
鈥淧lease Don鈥檛 Touch Me鈥� 鈥� from Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks
鈥淚t鈥檚 Your Wedding Day鈥� 鈥� from The Wedding Singer by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
鈥淭he Lamest Place in the World鈥� 鈥� from 13 by Jason Robert Brown
鈥淭ouch Me鈥� 鈥� from Spring Awakening by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater
鈥淓lectricity鈥� 鈥� from Billy Elliot The Musical by Elton John and Lee Hall
鈥淢arried鈥� 鈥� from A Catered Affair by John Bucchino
鈥淣ext Best Thing to Love鈥� 鈥� from A Class Act: A Musical
鈥淎t the Fountain鈥� 鈥� from Sweet Smell of Success by Marvin Hamlisch and Craig Carnelia
鈥淗ere I Am鈥� 鈥� from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by David Yazbek
鈥淪how People鈥� 鈥� from Curtains by John Kander and Fred Ebb
鈥淪ee What I Wanna See鈥� 鈥� from See What I Wanna See by Michael John LaChiusa
鈥淣umber 5 With a Bullet鈥� 鈥� from High Fidelity by Tom Kitt and Amanda Green
鈥淲hat鈥檚 Inside is Just a Lie/And Now I鈥檓 Ready to Explode鈥� 鈥� from Passing Strange by Heidi Rodewald and Stew
鈥淭rouble Sleep鈥� 鈥� from FELA! by Aaron Johnson, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Jordan McLean and Jim Lewis
鈥淪teal Your Rock 鈥榥鈥� Roll鈥� 鈥� from Memphis by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro
