$
Broadway Best Friends
Broadway Best Friends

Broadway Musicals that Celebrate Friendship

Friendship is one of the most joyous things we can partake in. Having a best friend means having someone you can trust, through thick and thin, that will be there for you. You might even have the best Broadway buddy, someone you can share your favorite theatre obsessions with. There are so many Broadway shows that feature friendship in their plots, but here, we’re rounding up just a few favorites that feature best friendship to reminisce on the friends that are most important to us. These best friends might hit some bumps in the road, but they eventually push through and grow together in the end.


Be More Chill

In this musical, Jeremy and Michael are the nerds of high school and are happy to only have each other. The song “Two-Player Game” highlights how much they are a team together, and throughout high school, they only need the other to survive. Throughout the show, Jeremy wants to be “cool” and takes a SQUIP pill that hides Michael from his mind. The arguably most well-known song, “Michael in the Bathroom” is about how Michael has been ditched in the bathroom at a party by his best friend, and how he’s feeling all alone. It’s up to Jeremy’s dad to convince Michael not to give up on his best friend. At the end of the show, Jeremy and Michael reconcile. Be More Chill features music and lyrics written by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz. This musical opened on Broadway in 2019 at the Lyceum Theatre, after being a pop hit sensation, with a sold-out run Off-Broadway earlier that year.


Bring It On: The Musical

Bring It On: The Musical features cheerleading and high school drama, and was loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name. Campbell starts off in the show as the team captain of the cheerleading squad at Truman High School, with her close friends Skylar and Kylar. Unfortunately, she gets redistricted to Jackson High School, where she realizes that the school doesn’t have a cheer team. Campbell meets Danielle, the captain of the dance team, and the two don’t end up on the right foot. Campbell wants to join the dance team, but Danielle firmly explains that they are a dance team, not a cheerleading squad in “We Ain’t No Cheerleaders.” Throughout the show, Campbell convinces Danielle and her team to create a cheerleading team and go for a win at Nationals, incorrectly stating that winning would include scholarships for everyone and appearing on live television. When Danielle finds out that Campbell was lying about the scholarships, she is furious and their friendship is over. In “We’re Not Done,” the two confess that they miss each other and how they work together, and Nationals is back on. In the end, Jackson doesn’t win, but the squad celebrates their true victory: friendship in “I Got You.” Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music for Bring It On: The Musical, with lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda, and book by Jeff Whitty. This show originally opened on Broadway in 2012 at the St. James Theatre.


Frozen

In this musical based on the hit 2013 movie, Frozen features Anna and Elsa, sisters who grow up apart from one another once Elsa accidentally harms Anna with her magical ice powers. Anna does not know why her sister, who once was her best friend, has shut her out of her life. As they grow up, Anna continues to try rebuilding that friendship in “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?” but Elsa continues to disagree and close the door. Throughout the show, Elsa is trying to find herself and control her magical ice powers, something that she doesn’t understand and is scared of. She ends up harming Anna, freezing her heart, where only true love’s kiss can save her. After twists and turns, we find out that Anna saving her sister from Hans, the villain, is really what unfreezes her heart, and true best friendship and sisterhood was the antidote. With music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and book by Jennifer Lee, this show opened in 2018 at the St. James Theatre.


Mean Girls

Mean Girls might already be familiar, as it is based on the popular movie of the same name. Cady, the new girl at North Shore High School, just moved from Africa where she’s been homeschooled her whole life. She meets two friends, Damian and Janis, who teach her about the hierarchy of the whole school in “Where Do You Belong,” with the “Plastics” at the top of the food chain. Damian, Janis, and Cady join forces to take down Regina, Gretchen, and Karen through Cady, where she infiltrates the group and the qualities that make them “popular.”  The Plastics want Cady to join their clique, and she soon learns their shallow ways. Ultimately, she finds that Janis and Regina used to be friends. Janis sings “I’d Rather Be Me” where she realizes that she doesn’t care about all the cliques at the high school and what they say about her, and she’d rather be true to herself. At the end of the show, Cady and Janis, along with Regina and the rest of the cast all reconcile and finally accept each other in “I See Stars.” This show originally opened on Broadway in 2018 at the August Wilson Theatre, with music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and a book by Tina Fey.


Side Show

In this musical by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music), the conjoined twins Violet and Daisy try to find their way in life, with one wanting a normal life with a husband and home, and the other wanting fortune and fame. They get into the sideshow business along with other freaks in “Come Look at the Freaks” and run into complications with their own personal love lives. Throughout the show, they find separate romantic interests, but when the partners are asked if they are involved with the twins, they deny any claims, and the twins sing “Who Will Love Me as I Am?” Before Violet’s wedding, her partner decides that he is not strong enough to marry the twins, and Daisy’s partner announces he’s leaving. At the end of the show, the twins find solace in each other’s love and friendship in “I Will Never Leave You.” This show originally opened on Broadway in 1997 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and was revived in 2014 at the St. James Theatre.


SpongeBob SquarePants

Known as some of the most iconic cartoon characters, SpongeBob and Patrick are recognized as an iconic best friend duo. This show features songs by various artists and a book by Kyle Jarrow. Near the beginning of the show, SpongeBob sings “BFF” in order to make Patrick feel better about the impending doom that is coming to destroy the town. Later on, Patrick decides to ignore SpongeBob’s plan and instead chooses a plan that will make himself the savior, in “Super Star Sea Savior,” this angers SpongeBob and ends their BFF status. In Act Two, SpongeBob realizes that he wishes Patrick were there to help them save the day, and Patrick decides to leave his plan and follows SpongeBob. This show originally brought its fun-loving story to Broadway in 2018 at the Palace Theatre.


Wicked

Before having the most “wicked” friendship there is, Glinda and Elphaba started out as roommates who hated each other, in the song “What Is This Feeling?” In the musical, they learn to endure each other in “Popular” where Glinda helps Elphaba become prettier and more popular. They separately fall in love with Fiyero, creating a love triangle between the three characters. Throughout the show, we see Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship growing apart, because of the city’s fear of Elphaba’s powers. She goes into hiding and Glinda becomes “Glinda The Good,” a city figure with the reputation of saving the city from Elphaba. In the end, they realize that their friendship is what is most important, and Glinda and Elphaba reconnect in “For Good,” and Elphaba is defeated by Dorothy, or so it seems. This musical by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman opened on Broadway in 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre.


Missing your best friend? Check out our Broadway Songs to Share with Your BFF playlist to jam out with them.