For decades, musical storytellers have turned to different source material for inspiration. Often books and films are adapted for the stage, but records have also served as a jumping-off point for Broadway musicals.
The term “concept album” describes a musical recording with a structural narrative that ties all the tracks together. While the first concept album is considered to be Woody Guthrie’s 1940 album Dust Bowl Ballads, the rock genre heavily contributed to the format skyrocketing. Several concept albums have been adapted into Broadway musicals, giving musical theater opportunities to blend with genres like disco, rock, and pop.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s latest musical project, Warriors, takes the form of a concept album, inspired by the 1979 film The Warriors. Adapted by Miranda and Eisa Davis, the album will feature an all-star cast, including Billy Porter, Busta Rhymes, Colman Domingo, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Joshua Henry, Lauryn Hill, Marc Anthony, and Nas. So far, Miranda has only said a stage adaptation “would be very exciting to explore.”
Ahead of Warriors’ release on October 18, we are diving into nine concept albums that later bowed on Broadway.
American Idiot
Rock band Green Day released the concept album American Idiot in 2004, dubbing it a “punk rock opera.” The story follows the character Jesus of Suburbia, a “lower-middle-class American teenage antihero,” while providing commentary and critique of America’s sociopolitical landscape during the early 2000s. The album won the 2005 Best Rock Album Grammy Award and Record of the Year for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” It was adapted for the Broadway stage, officially opening at the St. James Theatre April 20, 2010, using the original album for music and lyrics, and with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong cowriting the book with director Michael Mayer. Starring John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, and Michael Esper, the musical expanded upon the story established in the original album, which follows three friends who want to run from their lives in the suburbs to find meaning. The production was nominated for Best Musical, and won for Best Scenic and Costume Design of a Musical. In a full-circle moment, the cast album won the 2011 Best Musical Show Album Grammy Award.
Chess
An unexpected subject became the source material, and title, of a musical in the 1980s: Chess. The story follows a Cold War–era chess tournament (and love triangle) between two grand masters, allegorically reflecting the political landscape of the time. Lyricist Tim Rice teamed up with ABBA’s Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus to write the musical’s score, which was released as a concept album in 1984 by RCA Records. Similar to Rice’s other musicals Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, the album served as a litmus test with audiences and acted as a fundraising strategy to produce the musical. “One Night in Bangkok” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “I Know Him So Well” topped the U.K. singles chart. In 1985, five music videos were filmed for some of the album’s tracks. After premiering in London’s West End in 1986, the creative team reworked the musical, and the show opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on April 28, 1988. Starring David Carroll, Judy Kuhn, and Philip Casnoff, the production earned two Tony Award nods for both Carroll’s and Kuhn’s performances. The original cast album was nominated for a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Show Album.
Evita
Just six years after the success of Jesus Christ Superstar, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Rice collaborated on another concept album: Evita. The story focuses on the life and rise to power of former first lady of Argentina Eva Perón. The rock opera was released as a concept album in 1976, and though it didn’t see major success in America, several recording artists, such as Olivia Newton-John, released cover versions of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.” The song, and entire album, saw success in other parts of the world, with the song reaching No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart. Two years later, the stage production opened in London’s West End and became a smash hit, running for more than 3,000 performances. Evita premiered on Broadway on September 25, 1979, at the Broadway Theatre, starring Patti LuPone in the titular role. The production earned 11 Tony Award nominations in 1980, winning seven, including one for LuPone’s performance, Best Original Score, Best Book, and Best Musical. The Broadway cast album won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album. In 1996, pop singer Madonna starred in the film adaptation, which received five Academy Award nominations, winning one for best original song. When the musical returned to Broadway in 2012, it earned three Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.
Hadestown
Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell first began performing songs from her indie folk opera to crowds in Vermont in 2006, and then decided to release a concept album. The musical brings the Greek mythology characters Orpheus, Euridyce, Hades, and Persephone to life, intertwining their love stories. After reworking the narrative with director Rachel Chavkin, Mitchell wrote more songs to deepen the story, and they staged several versions before opening at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre on April 17, 2019. Reeve Carney starred as Orpheus, Eva Noblezada as Euridyce, Patrick Page as Hades, and Amber Gray as Persephone. The production earned 12 Tony Award nominations, including for Noblezada, Page, and Gray. The show walked away with eight Tony Awards, including for André de Shields for his performance as Hermes, Mitchell for best original score, Chavkin for Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Musical. Hadestown’s cast album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album the following year.
Read our interview with Ani DiFranco, who played Persephone on the concept album and later on Broadway.
Here Lies Love
Similar to Evita, Here Lies Love dives into the life of a female political figure. Cowritten by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, the story centers on former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, set to disco-pop songs. The concept album, released in 2010, featured recording artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Florence Welch, and Sia. Though Byrne performed the musical as a song cycle several times before the album was released, Here Lies Love officially premiered Off-Broadway in 2013 at The Public Theater, starring Ruthie Ann Miles, Jose Llana, and Conrad Ricamora. A decade later, Here Lies Love finally made its Broadway debut at the Broadway Theatre on June 17, 2023. Because of the musical’s disco score, the theatre was renovated into an immersive dance club experience. The club and karaoke nature of the piece also led to plans of the Broadway cast performing to prerecorded tracks, as it had since its stage inception, which drew criticism from the Local 802 of American Federation of Musicians union, as Broadway theatres have a minimum for orchestra pit musicians who must be hired. Ultimately, the production agreed to feature 12 live musicians, which included three actor-musicians in the cast who were already set to play. The production was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Original Score, and made history as the first all-Filipino cast on Broadway.
Read our interview with Arielle Jacobs and Lea Salonga, who starred in the Broadway production.
Note: No Broadway cast album was released; this is the original stage cast recording from 2014.
Jekyll & Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is considered a pillar of classic literature and has inspired an abundance of adaptations, sequels, and parodies across stage and screen. One such adaptation was the 1990 musical concept album Jekyll & Hyde, with music by Frank Wildhorn, book by Leslie Bricusse, and lyrics by Steve Cuden, Bricusse, and Wildhorn. Written in the late 1980s, the musical couldn’t find financing for a Broadway production, and so a demo recording was released before the official concept album featuring Colm Wilkinson and Linda Eder. After some regional theater presentations and a national tour, the stage musical adaptation premiered on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre (now Schoenfeld Theatre) on March 21, 1997. Starring Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder, and Christiane Noll, the production earned four Tony Award nominations and was a nominee for the 1998 Best Musical Show Album Grammy Award. The production became the longest-running show at the Plymouth Theatre, and in 2000, was filmed for Jekyll & Hyde: Direct From Broadway with its final cast, which included Baywatch’s David Hasselhoff in the titular role. The musical’s only Broadway revival had a short run in 2013, playing 29 performances and 15 previews.
Jesus Christ Superstar
What’s the buzz? In 1970, it was the concept album Jesus Christ Superstar. When Webber and Rice wanted to musicalize the last week of Jesus’s life, they couldn’t get backing for a stage production. Instead, they turned their musical into a concept album, releasing Jesus Christ Superstar. It saw immediate success, earning $1 million in sales within three weeks after being released in America. It became so popular that unauthorized productions started popping up across the country before the musical finally opened on Broadway on October 12, 1971, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. Starring Jeff Fenholt as Jesus and Ben Vereen as Judas, the production earned five Tony nominations in 1972, including one for Vereen’s performance. The musical has had two revivals, in 2000 and in 2012, both of which earned Best Revival of a Musical Tony nominations. Both the London and Broadway cast albums were nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award, in 1972 and 1973, respectively. On Easter Sunday in 2018, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert aired on NBC, starring John Legend as Jesus, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, and Norm Lewis as Caiaphas. It won the 2018 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
The Who’s TOMMY
Tommy Walker’s amazing journey began in 1969, the year British rock band The Who released Tommy as a rock opera concept album. Lead guitarist Pete Townshend conceived the story after being introduced to spiritual leader Meher Baba. The musical centers on young protagonist Tommy Walker, who develops an affinity for pinball and becomes a spiritual leader himself after spending years as “deaf, dumb, and blind” due to some major childhood trauma. Though it didn’t win any Grammy Awards when the album was first released, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. The album first inspired a film adaptation in 1975, and on April 22, 1993, the stage musical premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Townshend cowrote the book with director Des McAnuff, and it starred Michael Cerveris in the titular role. The Who’s Tommy received 11 Tony nods, taking home five statues, including for McAnuff’s direction and Townshend’s score. Perhaps a redemption arc from the original album not earning any Grammy nominations, the cast album won the 1993 Best Musical Show Album Grammy. Its 2024 Broadway revival earned a Best Revival of a Musical Tony nomination.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Charles Schulz created the Peanuts comic strip in 1950. It ran in seven American newspapers before transforming into a cultural mainstay. The 1960s were considered Peanuts’ “Golden Age,” which may have been why composer Clark Gesner felt compelled to write songs based off of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang. He was unable to get permission from United Features Syndicate to use the character names, but after sending his demo to Schulz, Gesner compiled the songs into You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, released as a 10-track “original MGM musical album” in 1966. One year later, the characters leaped off the page and onto the stage when the musical adaptation premiered Off-Broadway. The show ran for more than 1,500 performances and picked up a 1968 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Show Album. In 1971, the musical opened on Broadway in 1971 at the Golden Theatre, only running 32 performances and 15 previews before closing. The 1999 revival saw a longer run, playing 149 performances, with some beloved Broadway stars in the cast, including Anthony Rapp in the titular role, Kristin Chenoweth as Sally, and Roger Bart as Snoopy. Both Chenoweth and Bart won Tony Awards for their performances, and the revival earned two additional Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical for Michael Mayer. The cast album was one of the nominees for a Best Musical Show Album Grammy in 2000.