Broadway is a dynamic community, with theatres almost constantly being emptied and filled as shows close and open. In addition to new musicals and plays, Broadway tends to have at least a few revivals of past shows -- often with a new production twist -- playing at any given time. Here are nine of the musicals that most deserve a spot in a Broadway theatre in the coming year:

9. INTO THE WOODS
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
BROADWAY RUNS: 2
CLOSED: December 29th, 2002

Though less socially and politically relevant than most of the other shows on this list, Into the Woods is a solid, classic Sondheim musical that recently proved its enduring power via a 2014 film adaptation. Despite its premise -- a mash-up fairy tale involving Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack (of beanstalk fame), and more -- Into the Woods is a potent and moving tale about loss, responsibility, nostalgia, sentimentality, and moral ambiguity. It delivers an entertaining story and litters it with double and triple entendres: while younger audience members might appreciate the victory of Little Red’s defeat of the hungry wolf, the adults will be compelled by the obvious metaphor pertaining to teenage sexuality and rape culture. And, of course, there are the masterful lyrics: who but Sondheim could pen the line in which Jack’s mother laments the aging of their only milk cow: “There’s no time to sit and dither / While her withers wither with her!”

8. NEXT TO NORMAL
WRITTEN BY: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
BROADWAY RUNS: 1
CLOSED: January 16th, 2011

Since the explosion of recent Tony award winner Dear Evan Hansen onto the Broadway scene, there has been an uptick in discussion about themes of mental illness in the theatre community. But Dear Evan Hansen is far from the first musical to tackle these issues. Suffused with potent emotion and ignited with haunting, harmony-laden songs that lean more towards alternative rock than Evan’s light pop tone, Next to Normal was a hit on Broadway during its original production. The show tells the story of Diana Goodman, a woman living with bipolar disorder, and her struggling family, none of whose lives are anywhere near easy -- and all is not as it seems, either, but elaborating further would spoil one of the most magnificently and heartwrenchingly executed plot twists in Broadway history. Suffice to say that Next to Normal is a strange, wonderful, potent, and uplifting story about mental illness -- and with the soaring popularity of Dear Evan Hansen as well as the general increase in popular concern pertaining to neurodivergence, the time is perfect for a revival.

7. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
WRITTEN BY: William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin
BROADWAY RUNS: 1
CLOSED: January 20th, 2008

It’s easy to glance at the title or synopsis of Putnam and dismiss it as a mediocre kids’ show, but this wacky masterpiece of William Finn’s is anything but. Recently in the spotlight for the revival of Falsettos, Finn upends all the conventions of musical theatre in Putnam, a show that seems designed, above all else, to make the audience uncomfortable. The show is explicit, ruthless, hilarious, and shockingly emotional as it delves into the troubled lives of the six children competing for the title of Spelling Bee winner. Audience interaction is integrated into the script itself, allowing an opportunity to keep the show fresh from night to night. Putnam genre-hops from belty ballads to gentle harmonious reprises to a quasi-tap number. The show deals with issues of child abuse, homophobia, sexual discovery, and the emotional damage incurred by chronic overachievement. Its balance of dark themes and bright humor would be right at home in a Broadway theatre right now.

6. LES MISERABLES
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
BROADWAY RUNS: 3
CLOSED: September 4th, 2016

Alright, so Les Mis did close less than two years ago, but it shouldn’t have. London has the right idea: across the pond, this soaring epic of love, revolution, and justice has been running since its opening in 1985. Simply enough, it’s one of the most brilliant and popular musicals ever written, and deserves to be as permanent a fixture on Broadway as The Phantom of the Opera. Not to mention the fact that themes of political revolution are all too pertinent right now -- there are few things we all need more than to hear the people sing again.

5. NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
WRITTEN BY: Dave Malloy
BROADWAY RUNS: 1
CLOSED: September 3rd, 2017

If the closing of Les Mis feels recent, it’s nothing compared to that of Great Comet. Dave Malloy’s classical-techno-fusion adaptation of Tolstoy’s War & Peace was on Broadway less than half a year ago, and just about everyone can agree that it still should be. Great Comet is not only a masterwork of creative genius, but also served as a hotbed of sexual and racial diversity in the Broadway scene. The premature closing of Comet wasn’t a simple matter of falling ticket sales, but rather the result of a controversial move on the part of the show’s producers, who replaced rising black star Okieriete Onaodowan with established white actor Mandy Patinkin in the title role. The exchange occurred without Onaodowan’s permission, and Patinkin decided to turn down the job upon learning as much. This left Comet without an actor to play the title role of Pierre, and therefore the show -- a staggering spectacle of light, sound, and orchestrated chaos that certainly had a high budget to maintain -- had no choice but to close. By all rights, Great Comet and Okieriete Onaodowan should still be on Broadway. The inevitable revival can’t come soon enough.

4. HADESTOWN
WRITTEN BY: Anais Mitchell
BROADWAY RUNS: --
CLOSED: --

Including Hadestown in this list is a bit of a cheat, considering that it’s never been on Broadway in the first place -- but it should be. Adapted from Anais Mitchell’s 2009 concept album, Hadestown reimagines the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as an atemporal, vaguely postapocalyptic tale, rich with indie folk and steampunk flair. In this version of reality, Hades is the businessman at the head of a hyperindustralized town, the River Styx is an ever-growing brick wall, and a disenchanted Persephone runs a bar, where she sells raindrops and literal intangible moonshine to her husband’s thirsty workers. The show stands out for its creativity and score, but is perhaps most significant for its politicization. Though Mitchell initially wrote Hadestown in response to the Bush administration, its relevance right now is hard to miss: the growling call-and-response progression of the Act One finale, “Why We Build The Wall,” feels hauntingly prophetic.

3. RENT
WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Larson
BROADWAY RUNS: 1
CLOSED: September 7th, 2008

RENT, like Les Mis and Comet, is a show that never should have closed in the first place. Despite its setting at the closing of the 20th century, it remains a touching and relevant portrayal of the colorful brilliance of bohemian life, as well as a tear-jerking tribute to the countless queer lives lost to AIDS. While far from a perfect show (Jonathan Larson died himself before he could finish refining it), RENT makes up for its rawness by bursting with authentic, impassioned, gritty energy. The diverse cast and themes of marginalized power are essential and beautiful, and the focus on disenfranchised characters is a good slap in the face for the typical wealthy, white Broadway audience.

2. IN THE HEIGHTS
WRITTEN BY: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes
BROADWAY RUNS: 1
CLOSED: January 9th, 2011

Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past two years is well aware that Miranda’s most recent show, Hamilton, is all the rage. But it’s far from his first success, and many fans will insist that his first Broadway musical, In the Heights, is even better. Unlike Hamilton, which revisits white history and populates it with people of color, In the Heights is a story about the actual Latinx community of Washington Heights, New York. It features Miranda’s signature blend of hip-hop with conventional Broadway, but also contains significant salsa influences. The main character, Usnavi, is the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, and one showstopping number is belted by supporting character Abuela Claudia, as she narrates the hardships of her journey from Havana to New York -- it’s almost needless to say how welcome the stories of immigrants would be on Broadway right now. The vast variety of experiences encapsulated in the musical -- no two characters have the same background, and all of them face unique and realistic struggles -- makes for a rich, beautiful, inspiring story that deserves a place in a Broadway theatre at least as much as Hamilton.

1. RAGTIME
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally
BROADWAY RUNS: 2
CLOSED: January 10th, 2010

It’s hard to listen to Ragtime, a musical from 1998 set at the beginning of the 20th century, because it feels too pertinent to our present reality. The show -- which addresses xenophobia, anti-Semitism, racism (both violent and casual), police brutality, white feminism, disenfranchisement, and the toxicity of the American dream -- feels less like a piece of history and more like a direct commentary on current times. The story follows three characters: Coalhouse, a black piano player, “Mother,” a white woman constantly overshadowed by her husband, and “Tateh,” a Jewish immigrant seeking safety and comfort for his young daughter. This exquisitely beautiful and moving show is unlikely to leave a dry eye in the house, and that’s important -- the most important thing that artworks can do is move their audience towards action, and Ragtime, boasting chillingly powerful anthems including “Make Them Hear You,” “Till We Reach That Day,” and “Wheels of a Dream,” is sure to do so. It not only deserves a revival: it needs one.