From high-flying acrobatics to non-stop dancing, Broadway demands a lot from its performers. Join us as we explore the musicals that push actors to their physical and emotional limits. These shows require exceptional stamina, combining intense choreography, challenging vocals, and complex storytelling to create unforgettable theatrical experiences.
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00:00that's a broadway workout right there all told during friend like me our sensors tracked nearly
00:06900 steps welcome to ms mojo and today we're counting down our
00:11picks for the musicals that ask a lot more of their performers than your average show
00:16while it's a monumentally moving production this seminal broadway classic is also very
00:40demanding les mis requires a lot from everyone the ensemble has to maintain their voices while
00:46cycling through an endless series of strong emotions throughout the entire production
00:50the crew meanwhile needs to make its various transitions feel seamless there are costume
00:54swaps scenery changes and a huge score to get through with a show this epic the audience isn't
01:00off the hook either you know no matter how noble eventually mrs you just get sick and tired of
01:05hearing that score night after night shut up work it out between its long ballads epic romance
01:16heartbreaking deaths and roughly three hour runtime it can be taxing even if you're just
01:21sitting in the dark watching it in the darkness the trees are full of starlight
01:30and all i see is him and me forever and forever number nine a chorus line
01:45no this lauded musical about a group of dancers desperate to book a chorus part was once the
01:52longest running show on broadway the thing about a chorus line is that its themes demand a high
01:57level of conformity in its group numbers at a certain point the dancers and the show aren't
02:02really meant to stand out
02:16the movements must be a near perfect match fortunately there are enough
02:20solos that some of the performers manage to get a few breaks in
02:32it was fun i was happy i would love to but those are often some of the most emotionally
02:41wrenching parts of the story then it's back to dancing number eight spider-man turn off the dark
02:58tonight ahead of its official opening night in june 2011 the insanely expensive spider-man musical
03:04was already raising eyebrows more controversial than its unconventional source material was
03:09its highly involved and often dangerous choreography turn off the dark is a full-out
03:14spectacle but your strength will be a vision beyond visibility and the gift i've woven for you
03:24will give you new eyes to see every night its team was expected to make gravity defying
03:31high wire stunts look effortless it takes a lot of core strength to do aerial work as intricate
03:37as this and the original broadway production became notorious for the amount of injuries
03:41its ensemble sustained i'd have a bunch of um you know screws in my back right now
03:48but the moment i'm gonna as aggressively as i can go through my physical therapy
03:52and the moment i feel like i'm good i'm back in the show i can't wait after a while it probably
03:58took a lot of effort just to work up the courage to step out on stage number seven newsies
04:15even marketing images for newsies showcase performers in mid-air so you know this is a
04:20high octane production this crowd pleaser about a group of newspaper boys trying to unionize
04:25probably has one of the fittest ensembles ever to hit a broadway stage
04:36but this cast doesn't just have to dance they spend almost the entire time twirling
04:41jumping and racing up and down fire escapes while maintaining crystal clear diction
04:57and they have to do all that while often still keeping their hats on the amount of money these
05:01newsies spend on gym memberships alone could probably fund a whole other show number six
05:07anything goes
05:23cole porter's seafaring comedy is one of the few holdovers from the early days of musical theater
05:27it's been revised a lot since then one thing that hasn't changed much since its premiere is how
05:33difficult it is to do it justice full of breezy songs and fancy footwork the trick to selling the
05:38production is making it look easy of course it's anything but the title number alone is a nightmare
05:53the actress playing rino sweeney has to honor each and every one of porter's fast-paced lyrics
05:58all while holding her own with a chorus of tap dancers there's a lot of sweat behind all that
06:02smiling number five cats
06:14it may have a reputation as one of the more confusing and borderline nonsensical broadway
06:18mega hits but there's a reason cats is so beloved since its premiere audiences have been dazzled by
06:23the show's agile and furry footed ensemble the creative team behind the original west end
06:28production knew that the dancing was essential in making it work
06:41so it was designed as a massive showcase for artists who could master all sorts of styles
06:46and perform the steps in a way that also mimics the distinct way a cat moves
06:50no one said being jellicle was easy
06:59for jellicle cats number four the lion king
07:15disney's tony winning adaptation of the 1994 animated classic is one of the biggest musicals
07:21ever in almost every way not only is it the most financially successful production in broadway
07:26history it also has an incredibly large creative team it takes 50 performers and about 100 crew to
07:33make a performance happen every night throughout its ensemble must sing and act while donning huge
07:39masks and costumes how many puppets are in the actual performance so in in the actual show is
07:46232 the choreography by itself would be challenging but many of its ensemble members
07:54must also give life to on-stage animals in the form of intricate puppets this illusion requires
07:59superhuman precision flexibility and dexterity they live in you they live in me they're watching
08:13go number three hairspray
08:33considering how peppy and positive the dance crazy tracy turnblad is for the entire story
08:38hairspray has got to be one of the hardest productions to carry given that it's about
08:42a teen dance show you can bet that the grooving is a major high point here and there's a whole
08:47lot of it in fact it's almost wall-to-wall upbeat songs it's got 60s novelty dances galore and big
09:05hair that look like they weigh a ton then after hours of all that the cast is on hand for one of
09:11the most breathless most energizing finales ever it is not for the weak
09:25number two starlight express
09:33are you real yes or no there are a few reasons this andrew lloyd weber extravaganza is not as
09:42well known as some of his other efforts this story of anthropomorphic trains falling in
09:47love and facing extinction by the modern diesel engine is a musical romance and light show all
09:52in one it's most famous and challenging requirement of its cast is that they must all
10:04perform in roller skates to top it all off it also features costumes that are bulky and heavy
10:10to lug around with some productions featuring garments that can weigh anywhere between 35 and
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10:39west side story
10:51the original conceit behind this musical was to blend the timeless love story of romeo and juliet
10:56with a modern sensibility jerome robbins's west side story choreography skewed towards ballet
11:02employing jazzier movements for the more dangerous scenes between its rival gangs
11:10yes hey yes
11:16through the years it's been updated and reinterpreted to make way for different
11:20styles of dance but it's always a show where movement is integral to the storytelling
11:32so
11:37its legendary choreography combined with its runtime and the tragic love story at its center
11:42makes west side story an endurance test for its cast which of these shows looks
11:46like the biggest workout tell us in the comments
11:50we did
11:57do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from ms mojo
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