"Broadway Musical inspiration for games" Topic

On the radio this morning, I heard "Can You Hear the People Sing" from the musical of Les Miserables, and remembered reading of a game inspired by it, as reported here on TMP. Then there's the Skull and Crown wooden soldiers ready to replicate battle between the Mouse King's army and the Nutcracker's toy soldiers. That got me thinking of other themed games that could be inspired by musical theatre, opera or even just standalone songs.

Some ideas:
-Les Mis – "Can you hear the People Sing"; 1832 rebellion in Paris and the battle at the barricades
-From Grease, "Greased Lightning" for a 1950s car racing game.
-Johnny Horton's Battle of New Orleans, for (natch) the Battle of New Orleans
- "West Side Story" – "Tonight" and "The Rumble" for a gang fight between Jets & Sharks
-"The Son of God Goes Forth to War" from The Man Who Would be King for NWF battles.

I know that I can propose all the rules and restrictions I want and know that they will be followed only at the whim of you who choose to respond to this post 😊 but nonetheless, please include a specific song with your recommendation, not an entire musical.

I'd consider music such as The Nutcracker (battle of the toys and the mice) or Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (for the Battle of Borodino) not quite as ideal for this purpose as ballets and overtures don't have lyrics for gamers to belt out at the tops of their voices, but if you want to add them in, go right ahead! (and in that vein, how about ‘Non nobis, Domine' from Branagh's Henry V for the Battle of Agincourt!).

Gold fever & Best things in life are dirty from paint your wagon for a mining game.

Oklahoma for a land rush game.

Got to pick a pocket or two from Oliver for a thief victorian game.

Belly Up to the Bar, Boys from unsinkable Molly brown for a western Bar room brawl.

Tradition from fiddler on the roof for the Host lovers in the HMGS.

I'm not into Musicals but there must be something from Miss Saigon that you could game to?

I've not seen Miss Saigon. I figure Hamilton will likely have something as well, but I haven't seen it either!

Paint Your Wagon has some great inspiration for Western Games, I'm sure that so does The Ballad of Cat Ballou (been a while since I last saw CB, so I'd need a refresher on Nat King Cole's singing).

Sharks And Jets, the board game:
link

Does "Blazing Saddles" count?

Does "Blazing Saddles" count?

Everything counts! Even Count Basie counts :)

Stand alone songs and auto racing. "Thunder Road" ( YouTube link ) and the genre of "Dead Teenager Songs" e.g "Tell Laura I Love Her" ( YouTube link ) & "Won't Come Back From Deadman's Curve" ( YouTube link ) .

I'm not sure it is a musical*, but didn't someone around here do a game based on Shrek? That looked like loads of fun!

* There might be a musical version of the film.

Country Joe's "War" album provided background music for a WWI game derived from Necromunda.

"Guys and Dolls". There has to be at least a couple scenario ideas here for the pulp era. Floating crap games and all.

I can't stop myself from thinking about a game when I hear Godsmack's I stand alone.

or Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory or Young Guns

or too many Manowar songs to keep track of

Here's the six annual musical wargames that my son and I have run at Historicon

The Song of Angry Men (Les Miserables)
link

Find Your Grail (Spamalot)
link

Fa, A Long Long Way to Run (The Sound of Music)
link

No Place Like London (Sweeney Todd, Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde, Mary Poppins)
link

Comedy Tonight (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
link

Into the Woods/Allstar (Into the Woods, Shrek)
link

And great fun they all were, too.

And you forgot that No Place Like London included Pippin.

thanks for the suggestions, some great inspiration there!

(I was certain there'd be a way to fit in 'A Funny thing Happened on the way to the Forum'!)

"We're Men In Tights" from "Robin Hood;Men In Tights"