The 7 Best Movies Based on Tony Award-Winning Musicals

I love going to the theater and seeing a musical. In Los Angeles, we have lots of choices to see something new, and to check out older prints of famous musicals.

Today, I wanted to pick out some of my favorite musicals that are actually based on Tony Award-winning shows and rank them.

Let's dive in.

1. The Sound of Music

Original Musical Tony Win: Best Musical, 1960

I had to put my wife's favorite movie number one. Mostly because I also love it and because it's the quintessential movie musical for generations. It's a Rodgers and Hammerstein tale of the von Trapp family singers set against the backdrop of WWII Austria.

Robert Wise's film adaptation takes it further, using breathtaking Austrian landscapes as its backdrop and getting Julie Andrews to belt out bangers. She delivers an iconic performance as Maria.

The movie won the Oscar for Best Picture, and the film is arguably more famous than the stage show that inspired it, with songs like "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Me," and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" becoming timeless tunes.

2. My Fair Lady

Original Musical Tony Win: Best Musical, 1957

Here's a movie I don't think enough people have seen. It's really fun and full of tropes that have been used in many movies since.

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, Lerner and Loewe's musical about phonetics professor Henry Higgins transforming Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle was a Broadway smash.

George Cukor's film adaptation is a witty and visually stunning affair. Seriously, some of the best cinematography of all time is in here, sweeping cameras and lots of longer takes.

Rex Harrison reprises his Tony-winning stage role as Higgins, perfectly embodying the character's snobbery and vulnerability.

You also get Audrey Hepburn, who didn't sing but held a dominant presence. Her singing was famously dubbed by Marni Nixon, but her charismatic performance as Eliza is unforgettable. The score has a ton of classics ("I Could Have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain"). The film swept the Oscars, including Best Picture.

3. West Side Story

Original Musical Tony Nomination: Best Musical, 1958 (Note: It lost to The Music Man)

I could have gone with the Spielberg version here, but I wanted to stick with the classic. I had to add this movie, even though the original stage production didn't take home the top Tony prize.

This adaptation is widely considered one of the greatest movie musicals ever made. Transferring Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the turbulent streets of New York City's West Side, Leonard Bernstein's electrifying score and Jerome Robbins' groundbreaking choreography are brilliantly captured on film.

Directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, the movie crackles with energy, passion, and tragedy. It won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and its powerful story and unforgettable songs ("Maria," "Tonight," "America").

4. Fiddler on the Roof

Original Musical Tony Win: Best Musical, 1965

Most of this list was just me having songs stuck in my head and then tracing their origin. And whenever I hear the word "tradition," I can't help but sing it.

This beloved musical tells the story of Tevye, a Jewish milkman in pre-revolutionary Russia, trying to maintain his family and religious traditions amidst changing times and growing antisemitism.

Norman Jewison's film adaptation masterfully balances warmth, humor, and heartbreak. Topol delivers a definitive performance as Tevye (having played the role on the London stage), earning an Oscar nomination.

The film beautifully captures the spirit of the shtetl and brings classic songs like "Tradition," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "Sunrise, Sunset" to life.

5. Cabaret

Original Musical Tony Win: Best Musical, 1967

I was at a show from Epic Players last night, and they did Cabaret, and it really cooked. If you have some spare cash, it's a great organization to look into and to donate to.

But aside from that, Bob Fosse's cinematic take on the Kander and Ebb musical is a stunning, darkly brilliant masterpiece. Set in decadent 1931 Berlin as the Nazis rise to power, the film uses the Kit Kat Klub as a metaphor for the era's moral decay.

I'm not sure there is a role more synonymous with one person than Liza Minnelli in her Oscar-winning performance as Sally Bowles.

Fosse restructured the musical for the screen, confining most musical numbers to the stage of the club, creating a grittier, more cinematic experience. Cabaret won eight Academy Awards (famously beating The Godfather for Best Director) and redefined the possibilities of the movie musical.

6. Chicago

Original Musical Tony Nomination: Best Musical, 1976 (Note: The 1996 revival won Best Revival of a Musical Tony)

After a long drought for movie musicals, Chicago burst onto the scene and dazzled audiences and critics alike. I actually think this might have been the first musical I saw in theaters, because I was in like 8th Grade when it came out.

Based on the Kander and Ebb satire, director Rob Marshall cleverly staged the musical numbers as fantasies inside the characters' heads.

Renée Zellweger (Roxie Hart) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma Kelly, in an Oscar-winning role) are sensational, alongside a stellar supporting cast including Richard Gere.

The film's stylish visuals, energetic choreography (inspired by Bob Fosse), and razor-sharp wit made it a huge hit, ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Picture – the first musical to do so since Oliver! in 1968.

7. The Music Man

Original Musical Tony Win: Best Musical, 1958

I watched this movie a lot when I was a kid. I think it was because I played the trombone, but maybe I just really liked con men.

The story follows fast-talking con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer to swindle the naive folks of River City, only to find himself falling for the town librarian Marian Paroo. Morton DaCosta, who directed the original Broadway production, brings infectious energy to the film adaptation.

You can't watch it without tapping your feet.

Robert Preston triumphantly reprises his iconic Tony-winning role as Harold Hill, delivering a performance bursting with charisma and rapid-fire talking. Shirley Jones is lovely as Marian. Featuring enduring tunes like "Seventy-Six Trombones" and "'Til There Was You," it's a classic.

Summing Up The Best Movies Based on Tony-Winning Musicals 

These films prove that the magic of a Tony-winning musical can shine just as brightly on the big screen. They capture the essence of their stage counterparts while utilizing the unique power of cinema to create unforgettable experiences.

Let me know what you think in the comments.