Hamilton is one of the most famous musicals of the 21st century, and it’s not hard to see why it appealed to such a wide range of people. But that particular Founding Father isn’t the only real person to inspire a Broadway musical. You may or may not know that these musicals were based on real people or stories, too—but you’ve almost definitely heard the music of these smash hits on the Great White Way. Check them out below!
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1. Evita
Andrew Lloyd Webber is Broadway royalty. He’s produced the music for hits from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968) to School of Rock (2015), so it’s no surprise the show Evita has also become famous. The musical is based on the life of Eva Perón, the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952. Her advocacy for the working class and her tragic early death made her a beloved figure in Argentine society. Evita memorializes Perón’s story in a rock opera worth seeing more than once.
2. Tick, Tick… Boom!
Tick, Tick… Boom! was written by composer Jonathan Larson, best known for his musical Rent. The rock opera is about a struggling composer named Jon, trying to get his big break in New York in 1990. Larson intended the story to be semi-autobiographical—a fact his father has confirmed. Sadly, things turn out much better for the characters than for the real-life hero; Larson passed away in 1996 when he was only 35. Like Jon, however, he was eventually recognized for his musical genius.
3. Funny Girl
Funny Girl tells the story of Fanny Brice, a singer and comedian rising to fame in the 1910s. It’s best remembered for the 1968 film adaptation, where Barbra Streisand played the title character. Though the story takes some liberties, it’s rooted in real life—no wonder, since it was co-written with the son-in-law of the real Fanny Brice. The musical follows Brice’s rise to fame, her romance with gambler Nicky Arnstein, and the demise of their marriage. The closing number is “My Man,” a song by the real Brice.
[RELATED: The 5 Broadway Musicals with the Hands-Down, We-Dare-You-to-Argue Best Music]
4. Newsies
Newsies started out as a movie before becoming a stage play, earning a host of Tony nominations. The cast includes a mix of real and invented characters. But the Newsboys’ Strike of 1899 really did happen. During the strike, newspaper deliverers across New York City refused to distribute The New York World or The New York Journal until they were granted the back pay they were owed. The musical combined two real-life figures in the strike, Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti and Morris Cohen, to create the protagonist, Jack “Cowboy” Kelly.
5. The Sound of Music
Everyone knows The Sound of Music, full of songs that have become a part of many of our childhoods. You’ve probably also heard that the play is based on a true story. There really was a family von Trapp that escaped the Nazis, and their tale was memorialized in Maria von Trapp’s autobiography The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. There were a few key differences between the musical and the real story, however—for one thing, Captain von Trapp was anything but a stern authoritarian, and the family fled the country by train. Nevertheless, the essentials are all there, set to some of the most famous music of the 20th century.
6. The King & I
Is The King & I a true story? Kind of. It’s based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, a teacher to the royal children of Siam (now Thailand) in the 1860s. But a few details were definitely sensationalized. For one thing, Leonowens didn’t have a romance with King Mongkut, and he was far from the conceited tyrant she claimed he was. Despite the inaccuracies of history and culture, the musical does contain at least a sliver of truth.
7. Chicago
Chicago is one of the most famous musicals of all time. Great music, dance numbers by Bob Fosse, and a cast of antiheroes—who can resist? While Roxie and Velma weren’t real, their characters were based on actual women. Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner were each on trial for murder in Chicago in the 1920s. After a massive media frenzy surrounding their cases, each was acquitted. Playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins was a court reporter for the Chicago Tribune at the time, and drew on their stories to create the play we know and love.
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