From Detroit to Broadway, a Top Ten Countdown: Part Two (the Final 5)
- John Sloan III
- Oct 28
- 3 min read
Our countdown concludes with five more legendary musicals — and one
Welcome back to Encore Michigan’s countdown of Broadway shows that began right here in the Mitten!
Last week we started a Top 10 Countdown of the best Broadway musicals to get their start in Michigan.
Between the 1950s and the 1990s, more than 30 Broadway musicals got their start in Michigan before moving to New York.
Most launched at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre, which was a top “out-of-town tryout” destination for producers fine-tuning their shows before the big Broadway opening. But other venues got in on the fun, including the Shubert-Lafayette and Detroit’s Music Hall. Even Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids joined in, hosting tours of High Spirits and Maggie Flynn before those shows moved to NY.
Between the 1950s and the 1990s, more than 30 Broadway musicals got their start in Michigan before moving to New York.
So, this week, we wrap up our countdown with the Final Five (no, it's not March). Here are the Top 5 Broadway shows (and one honorable mention) that got their start here in Michigan.
5. Golden Boy
Detroit Preview: Aug–Sept, 1964
Director: Arthur Penn
Book/Music/Lyrics: Clifford Odets & William Gibson / Charles Strouse / Lee Adams
Stars: Sammy Davis Jr.; Paula Wayne
Popular Songs: "Night Song", "This Is the Life", "I Want to Be With You"
Broadway Run: 568 performances, Oct 1964 - March 1966, The Majestic Theatre
Why it Mattered: Detroit’s audiences helped refine this bold, socially‑charged show about fame and race ahead of Broadway—it was an experiment that paid off.
4. Sweet Charity
Detroit Preview: Dec 1965–Jan ,1966 Director/Choreographer: Bob Fosse
Book/Music/Lyrics: Neil Simon / Cy Coleman / Dorothy Fields
Stars: Gwen Verdon; John McMartin
Popular Songs: "Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See My Now", "I'm a Brass Band"
Broadway Run: 608 performances, Jan 1966 - July 1967, The Palace Theatre (revivals in 1987 & 2005)
Why it Mattered: Detroit witnessed the birth of “Big Spender” and other Fosse‑signature dance moves—showing the Fisher (and Detroit) as a creative lab for dance musicals and one of the most popular Broadway shows of all time.
3. Fiddler on the Roof
Detroit Preview: July 27–Aug 22, 1964
Director/Choreographer: Jerome Robbins
Book/Music/Lyrics: Joseph Stein / Jerry Bock / Sheldon Harnick
Stars: Zero Mostel; Maria Karnilova
Broadway Run: 3,242 performances, Sept 1964 - July 1972, The Imperial Theatre (revivals in 1977, 1981, 1991, 2006, 2016)
Popular Songs: "If I Were A Rich Man", "Tradition"
Why it Mattered: Detroit audiences helped smooth out this iconic piece of musical theatre; it became one of Broadway’s longest‑running and most loved.
2. The Wiz
Detroit Preview: Nov–Dec 1974
Director: Geoffrey Holder
Book/Music/Lyrics: William F. Brown / Charlie Smalls
Stars: Stephanie Mills; Hinton Battle
Popular Songs: "Ease on Down the Road", You Can't Win", "No Bad News", "Home"
Broadway Run: 1,672 performances, Jan 1975 - Jan 1979, The Majestic Theatre. (Revivals in 1984, 2024)
Why it Mattered: The Detroit try‑out proved the viability of a major Broadway musical led by Black creatives and cast—paving the way for diversity on the Great White Way with one of the biggest hits in musical theatre history.
⭐ Honorable Mention: Pousse‑Café
Director: Noel Willman
Book/Music/Lyrics: Marshall Barer / Duke Ellington / Charles Tobias
Stars: Theodore Bikel
Popular Songs: "The Spider and the Fly", "Someone to Care For", "The Good Old Days"
Broadway Run: 3 performances, March 1966, The 46th Street Theatre
Why it Mattered: While it wasn't a commercial success, this new show featured music by the legendary Duke Ellington t flopped—but even the failures ran through Detroit first, cementing the city’s role as Broadway’s proving ground.
1. Hello, Dolly!
Detroit Premiere: Nov 18 1963
Director/Choreographer: Gower Champion
Book/Music/Lyrics: Michael Stewart / Jerry Herman / Jerry Herman
Stars: Carol Channing; David Burns
Popular Songs: "Hello Dolly", "Put on Your Sunday Clothes", "Before the Parade Passes By", "It Only Takes a Moment"
Broadway Run: 2,844 performances, Jan 1964 - Dec 1970, The St. James Theatre. (revivals in 1975, 1978, 1996, 2018)
Why it Mattered: Detroit’s Fisher Theatre wasn’t just a stepping‑stone—it helped launch this gleaming, classic musical comedy that became a Broadway landmark. One of the most successful musicals of all-time, Hello Dolly reached the type of critical and commercial success reserved only for best-of-the-best.
Well, that's our list! Think we got it wrong, or think we missed something? Then okay, give us your Top 10 -- show us what you got!
From Hello, Dolly! and Fiddler on the Roof to The Wiz and Sweet Charity, Michigan audiences helped shape some of the most iconic hits in American musical theatre history — proving once again that Detroit wasn’t just a stop on the road to New York… we helped build Broadway!
