Festive musicals are definitely a thing, but maybe they\u2019re not as big a thing as you\u2019d think, and perhaps don\u2019t get the recognition they deserve. Here in the UK, the holidays mean Panto season, so an all-out Christmas musical is perhaps the last thing on our minds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best stage musicals of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
10 of the best songs from musicals<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The best musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The best musicals by Leonard Bernstein<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
That hasn\u2019t stopped composers having a go at putting Christmas on Broadway and the West End, but it\u2019s perhaps the musicals for the big screen that continue to be the most memorable. Who doesn\u2019t love snuggling up with a cocoa to watch Michael Caine sing with The Muppets? More on them later.<\/p>\n

Six of the best\u2026 festive film scores<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The best Christmas ballets of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The 25 greatest Christmas carols of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Like with \u2018regular\u2019 musicals, the stage and screen have regularly fed off of each other, meaning there are Christmas musicals based on Christmas films based on musicals. Confused? Don\u2019t worry, have another chocolate out of the tin and check out our pick of the very best Christmas Musicals\u2026<\/p>\n
Best Christmas musicals<\/h2>\n
Dr Seuss\u2019s How The Grinch Stole Christmas<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
(1966\/94\/2006)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Who wants to take over Christmas, when you can just steal it? Dr Seuss\u2019s classic children\u2019s book is a perennial favourite, adapted for the screen in 1966, 2000 and 2018. This stage musical made a brief appearance in the \u201990s, making a slightly larger impact on Broadway in 2006\/7, before being filmed for a TV special in 2020. The music and songs are by Mel Marvin, with lyrics by Timothy Mason. It utilises the the 1966 songs \u2018You\u2019re a Mean One, Mr Grinch\u2019 and \u2018Welcome, Christmas\u2019, written by Albert Hague, with lyrics by Dr Seuss himself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018You\u2019re a Mean One, Mr Grinch\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Dr\" seuss=\"\" how=\"\" the=\"\" grinch=\"\" stole=\"\" christmas=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(1994)<\/strong><br\/>\nIf you\u2019re one of those who like to start Christmas early, here\u2019s a great one to get things going in October. That\u2019s right, Tim Burton\u2019s cult classic animated musical is set at Halloween <em>and<\/em> Christmas. Composer Danny Elfman wrote the songs and score for this dazzlingly dark tale about the King of Halloweentown, who decides he want to take over Christmas, too, and bring a little joy to his fellow ghouls.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018What\u2019s This?!\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"The\" nightmare=\"\" before=\"\" christmas=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>Scrooge<\/em> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(1970\/92)<\/strong><br\/>\nThe late composer\/lyricist Leslie Bricusse adapted Charles Dicken\u2019s <em>A Christmas Carol<\/em>, creating this seminal seasonal musical in the process. Originally an <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/all-the-oscar-winners-and-nominees-for-best-original-score\/"\">Academy Award-nominated<\/a><\/strong> 1970 film starring Albert Finney in the title role, Bricusse returned to it in 1992 and reiomagined it as a stage production. The classic tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge was brought vividly to life on screen and stage, with the latter seen around the world in many touring productions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018Thank You Very Much\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Albert\" finney=\"\" scrooge=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>A Christmas Carol<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong> (1994\/2004)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (<em>Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin<\/em>) turned his hand to Dickens for a new stage musical of the story in 1994. With lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, the show was an annual fixture at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a decade. It attracted some big names in the lead role, including F. Murray Abraham, Jim Dale, Roger Daltrey and Frank Langella. It was adapted into a TV movie in 2004, starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge. Concert performances of the show have also taken place since.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018Christmas Together\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"A\" christmas=\"\" carol:=\"\" the=\"\" musical=\"\" birds=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>The Muppet Christmas Carol<\/em> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(1992)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The story is familiar, but the faces are a little fuzzier. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge in this memorable retelling of Dickens\u2019s spooky festive tale. Gonzo the Great guides us through the story, which is peppered with toe-tapping songs by Oscar-winning songwriter\/composer Paul Williams \u2013 a Muppet regular, having written Kermit\u2019s classic \u2018Rainbow Connection\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018One More Sleep \u2018til Christmas\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the soundtrack on <a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Muppet-Christmas-Carol-Muppets\/dp\/B000GGU1I4\/ref=sr_1_3?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"The\" muppet=\"\" christmas=\"\" carol=\"\" handmade=\"\" a4=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>Elf <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(2010)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes <em>Elf<\/em> is also a musical. This Broadway musical by Matthew Sklar and Chad Begulein is becoming a bit of a modern classic. Based on the uber-popular 2003 film of the same name, starring Will Ferrell, it tells the same story of Buddy \u2013 a human, raised by Elves who returns to New York to find his Dad.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018Sparklejollytwinklejingley\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the original London cast recording<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\""monetizer-in-text-link-list"\"><li data-type=\""in-text"\" class=\""monetizer-in-text-link"\" data-config=\"'{"nameKeywords":\" original=\"\" london=\"\" cast=\"\" recording=\"\" data-text=\""<b\">Buy now from {merchant} ({price}), {merchant} ({price}) and {merchant} ({price}).”> <\/li>\n<\/ul><script><![CDATA[ (function () { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text\/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = \"\/\/classical-music.com\/pricecomparison\/widget\/intext\/app.bundle.js\"; s.onload = function () { new inText({ domain: \"classical-music.com\/pricecomparison\", shopId: 1378, geolocation: true, }); }; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); \/\/trim whitespace from li to flag empty items (twig seems to strip out closing if you remove the space..... [].forEach.call(document.querySelectorAll('.monetizer-in-text-link'), function(textLink) { textLink.innerHTML = textLink.innerHTML.trim(); }); })();\n]]><\/script><h3><strong><em>Meet Me in St. Louis<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong> (1944)<\/strong><br\/>\nReleased in time for the US holidays in 1944, <em>Meet Me in St. Louis<\/em> isn\u2019t only about Christmas. That said, this year in the life of the Smith family (1903\/04), has Christmas at its heart and features what has become one of the most universally loved Christmas songs. \u2018Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas\u2019 was written for the film by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, and is memorably performed by Judy Garland. She sings it it to her little sister, who is sad about moving to a new city and worried Santa won\u2019t find them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Meet\" me=\"\" in=\"\" st.=\"\" louis=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>White Christmas<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong> (1954\/2000)<\/strong><br\/>\nThe title rather gives away the most famous song in this musical, though Irving Berlin didn\u2019t write it for this. It actually featured in a 1942 film called <em>Holiday Inn<\/em>, but was brought back for this fully seasonal offering starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. A musical about Broadway stars putting on a show in a Vermont hotel at Christmas to help an old Army chum, it\u2019s as charming, warm and funny as you\u2019d expect. It also features the popular number \u2018Sisters\u2019. It was adapted for the stage in 2000.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018White Christmas\u2019 (obviously)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"White\" christmas=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>The Polar Express<\/em> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(2004)<\/strong><br\/>\nOkay, so this isn\u2019t wall-to-wall song and dance, but it has its moments\u2026 and some of them are a bit dark. Based on Chris van Allsburg\u2019s children\u2019s book of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis broke new ground with this film. Utilising the very latest performance capture technology, it was animation as audiences had never seen it before. Tom Hanks plays multiple roles in the story, which follows a mysterious\/magical train that gives children the ride of their lives on one memorable Christmas night. The original songs are by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018When Christmas Comes To Town\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"The\" polar=\"\" express=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h3><strong><em>Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer<\/em> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>(1964)<\/strong><br\/>\nThis has become a bit of an institution in the US, where it has screened on television every year since it premiered in 1964. It of course tells the tale of everyone\u2019s favourite reindeer \u2013 the one with the very shiny nose. That song is at the heart of the story, but it features a clutch of other numbers, also written by \u2018Rudolph\u2019 composer Johnny Marks, that have become synonymous with the season for millions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Song\u2026 \u2018Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the Dvd<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-container"\" data-position=\""adhoc"\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\""background-color:\" color:=\"\"\/> <div id=\""monetizer__deals"\" data-type=\""price-comparison"\" data-config=\"'{"shopId":"1378","market":"gbp_en","template":"default","searchKeywords":"Rudolph\" the=\"\" red-nosed=\"\" reindeer=\"\" dvd=\"\"\/> <div class=\""monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <p>\u00a0<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Michael Beek Published: Friday, 19 November 2021 at 12:00 am Festive musicals are definitely a thing, but maybe they\u2019re not as big a thing as you\u2019d think, and perhaps don\u2019t get the recognition they deserve. Here in the UK, the holidays mean Panto season, so an all-out Christmas musical is perhaps the last thing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7473,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals.jpg",1200,901,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals-768x577.jpg",768,577,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals-1024x769.jpg",800,601,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals.jpg",1200,901,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/ten-of-the-best-christmas-musicals.jpg",1200,901,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Michael Beek Published: Friday, 19 November 2021 at 12:00 am Festive musicals are definitely a thing, but maybe they\u2019re not as big a thing as you\u2019d think, and perhaps don\u2019t get the recognition they deserve. Here in the UK, the holidays mean Panto season, so an all-out Christmas musical is perhaps the last thing…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/7472"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}