Sci-Fi on Broadway

Who says music and science fiction don’t mix? Essay. 800 words, 4-minute read.

Jul 17, 2025

Image : https://people.com/little-shop-of-horrors-cast-where-are-they-now-8362989

Sci-Fi on Broadway

By Ray Tabler

Science fiction, and fantasy, are usually associated with serious media. Whether hard SF, dystopia, cyberpunk, epic or dark fantasy, tough subject matter, dealing with the perils of new technology or the merciless battle between good and evil hog the limelight. Well, occasionally, all of that can be set to music. Although there’s not all that much of it around, the sci-fi musical is a sub-genre worth diving into.

By its very nature, a musical, movie or stage show, is a lighter-hearted undertaking than the typical science fiction tale. To be honest, it’s tough to maintain a somber tone, when the cast periodically busts out in a rockin’ tune. And, comedy dominates in sci-fi musical theater.

Little Shop of Horrors is probably the best-known science fiction musical. Seymour works in a flower shop, and encounters a carnivorous plant which feeds on human blood. Although racked by moral qualms, Seymour supplies the plant, and it grows bigger and bigger. It turns out to be an all-consuming endeavor. Despite the grisly plot, Little Shop of Horrors is a surprisingly upbeat story.

Giving Little Shop of Horrors a run for its money in terms of popularity, is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. A teen-aged couple is trapped inside the creepy castle of an alien mad scientist, on a dark and stormy night. There’s a lot of singing, dancing, and shenanigans involved. The plot of Rocky Horror is complex, and confusing, while still being entertaining. I won’t attempt to recount the tangled timeline here. But the songs linger in your head like a fever dream.

More obscure is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. During a writers’ strike, a bored Joss Whedon produced this 45-minute musical for pocket change (for him), and posted it on-line for free. Dr. Horrible (Neal Patrick Harris) is a likeable mad scientist/villain, who falls in love with a girl while at a laundromat. He pursues her (romantically, not physically), but she falls for his nemesis, a narcissistic and morally-bankrupt super hero called Captain Hammer, Nathan Fillion. Tragedy ensues Dr. Horrible is heart-broken, and the irony is that the circumstances allow him to become the true villain he always longed to be. Good songs.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a 1970 movie musical about a woman, Barabara Streisand, who reveals her scandalous past incarnations in previous centuries while under hypnosis by her psychotherapist, played by suave Frenchman Yves Montand. They fall in love, but Streisand isn’t sure whether her Frenchman loves her or one of her past selves. Somehow, hypnotized Streisand knows that she and the therapist will be married in a future life, around 2038.

Unrequited love, if not nekked lust, appears to be a recurring theme in these sci-fi musicals. Hmm…

Fantasy seems to be even more underrepresented in musical theater than science fiction. I am only aware of two examples, Camelot and Man of La Mancha. And even those are marginally fantasy. Camelot is arguably myth, not proper fantasy. Man of La Mancha is a story about an addled old man, but it feels like fantasy. Many operas are based upon myths. Wagner, for instance wrote his Ring Cycle from Germanic and Scandinavian folklore.

There are no doubt numerous examples I’ve failed to mention. Surely someone has staged a Klingon opera or two. A Supernatural episode featured a musical based on the saga of Sam and Dean Winchester. I’ll put a link to Wikipedia’s list of sci-fi musicals below or in the comments. Creative people are always putting their favorite stories to song, whether they ever see the stage or not. Jorge Rivera-Herrans adapted The Odessey as an online musical, called Epic, which has millions of audio downloads since its debut. Maybe Epic will someday find its way to Broadway, blazing the trail for other fantasy musicals.

The deficit in fantasy musicals need to be addressed. I know! A sword and Sorcery extravaganza, Conan, the Musical. The opening number could be a duet with a boyhood Conan and his father, The Riddle of Steel. Then, a droning dirge while Conan pushes the big mill around and around. Upbeat, brassy song as Conan hits the big time in the arena. Blue Woman Blues about the encounter with the witch. Big dance number for sneaking into the temple and the fight with the giant snake. Second Riddle of Steel duet, Conan and Thalsa Doom. Battle among the ruins: Ya Listnin’ Crom? Final confrontation between Conan and Thalsa Doom: Getting A Head in the Barbarian Business.

There, I got the ball rolling on Conan, The Musical. You go write up the rest of it, rope in some backers, rent a theater, cast it, rehearse it, and send me tickets for opening night.

END.