When we think about musicals, what comes to mind first is Broadway, and not French musicals. However we also have some pretty good musicals in France too.
Starmania, 1979
Starmania is probably one of the most famous French musicals, as it is one of the first ones. More than the story, this is the songs that are powerful here and that we still listen to a few generations later. I found the whole musical, that lasts about 2 hours, on Youtube. If you are interested, go to this page.
Notre-Dame de Paris, 1998
This musical was inspired by the novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, written by Victor Hugo. This show really paved the way to other musicals, that have been created in the early 2000’s. I have never watched it, the songs are so famous, that if I listen to it once, it will stick to my head for days and days! Click here if you wish to have a look at it.
Les Dix Commandements, 2000
This musical, as indicated by its name, is a biblical story. The songs (that I really like) were huge hits in France. You can watch it on Youtube. On the right side, each link has a number and is following the order of the musical. Start here.
Roméo et Juliette, 2001
Everyone knows the story of the most famous lovers in the world : Romeo and Juliette. It inspired French producers. The musical is quite cheezy and gullible, if I may say so. But I kind of like it as we played it with my musical group 🙂 In order to watch it, click here.
Le Roi Soleil, 2005
Le Roi Soleil (literally translated as the sun king) was the nickname of the king of France Louis XIV. As you can guess, the story is about a part of his life. This musical is my favorite one. Firstly, because I saw it live in Paris and I really loved it. Secondly, because we played it my musical group. I know all the songs by heart and I listen to it once in a while to remind me the good old days. The full musical is here on Youtube, with English subtitles. I obviously highly encourage you to watch it 🙂
Read also this article about French novels that are taking you to historical Paris
Mozart, l’opéra-rock, 2009
This show is about Mozart’s life and alternates between pop-rock songs and classical compositions of Mozart. If you like both styles, you will probably enjoy it. Lucky you, I found the whole musical with English subtitles right here.
1789 : Les Amants de la Bastille, 2012
The Bastille lovers, as we would translate to English, is a love story during the French Revolution. This musical has been quite a success in France, but I must admit it’s not my favorite and I don’t really like the songs. If you want to listen to it(couldn’t find the show online), click here.
Let me know in the comments which French musicals you want to watch or you actually watched 🙂
