Top ten greatest musicals of all time

New research by Churchill Insurance has revealed the nation’s greatest musicals of all time. Mamma Mia tops the chart closely followed by the classic Phantom of the Opera.

The findings show that you cannot beat the dependable classics, with all of the top ten having a long history of entertaining audiences.

The Churchill Insurance list of the greatest musicals of all time:

1. Mamma Mia – the smash hit musical based on the songs of Swedish pop sensation ABBA

2. Phantom of the Opera – composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantome de L’Opera by Gaston Leroux

3. Les Miserables – adapted from the 1862 book which translates as ‘the miserable ones’

4. Grease – the highest grossing musical film ever features the love story of Danny and Sandy. No party is complete without the infamous Grease Mega-mix

5. Rocky Horror Show – British stage musical opened in 1973 launching the Time Warp

6. Chicago – Starring a night-club dancer, a smooth talking lawyer and a cell block of sin – it would be a crime to miss it!

7. West Side Story - Set in New York in the mid-1950s, the musical explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks

8. Oliver - Dickens’ timeless story of the boy who asked for more

9. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – with a crash of drums and a flash of light this musical tells the story of biblical brothers Joseph and Jacob

10. Cats – another Lloyd Webber classic based on the T. S. Elliot book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

Matt Owen, spokesperson for Churchill, says:

“The recent success of the film has sent the musical Mamma Mia to the top of the popularity chart. In his new advert, Churchill has a true ‘Oh No!’ moment when he turns up at a West End audition, only to find it is for Cats which was also in the top ten favourite musicals.”

Churchill Insurance commissioned the research to mark the launch of a new TV advertisement featuring the Churchill nodding dog auditioning for Cats.