Bring Broadway-style shows to your ears with these 10 podcast musicals

Podcast musicals are Podsauce’s latest favorite genre combo platter (like funny true crime shows!) Blending narrative storytelling with killer tunes and musical arrangements, these highly bingeable podcast musicals bring you the beauty of Broadway to the comfort of your own headphones. On our list, there are comedies, dramas, and whimsical delights.

Tune in for a podcast musical by the creator of Hedwig & the Angry Inch. If you’re a fan of the “Modern Love” podcast and happen to like musicals, check out “36 Questions.” In another show, hear about a college student hoping to follow in Childish Gambino’s footsteps. If a podcast opera is more your jam, check out “Buick City 1AM.” Check out some of our favorite podcast musicals. We dare you not to rewind and re-listen to some of these podcasts’ tunes.

The Flame – A Podcast Musical

Sparks start flying between two women, Jamie (Ellie Brigida), an LGBTQ bar owner, and Sam (Jasmin Savoy Brown) who is selling the bar’s building. Best friend Heather (Leigh Holmes Foster) and bar regular Jo (Jenn Colella) hope to save the bar. Sam’s friend, Mel (Valerie Rose Lohman), lends support to Sam who has “complicated feelings” about her father’s death and the building she was raised in. This series is presented by Lez Hang Out, and is 8 episodes long.

Anthem: Homunculus

From the creator of Hedwig & the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell, comes “Anthem: Homunculus.” The story picks up when a struggling and uninsured artist Ceann Mackay (Mitchell) launches a virtual, crowdfunding telethon to survive. Hear songs along the way as he raises money for brain surgery, shares nuggets from his “trailer home of secrets,” and recounts his character’s story featuring heavy-hitting co-stars like Cynthia Erivo, Glenn Close, Nakhane, and Patti LuPone. “Anthem: Homunculus” was written and composed by John Cameron Mitchell and Bryan Weller. Stream all 10 episodes now.

36 Questions – The Podcast Musical

“36 Questions – The Podcast Musical” is a 3-act show starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton. Using the 36 revealing questions designed to help strangers fall in love, a couple attempts to save their marriage. This podcast musical is presented by One Up, the same folks that produced “Limetown” and “The Wilderness.”

Fall of the House of Sunshine

The musical excursions kick off when Brushee Sunshine, a kids’ TV show host is murdered, and detective Dankent is tasked with solving the case with no shortage of suspects. The series brings listeners to a world of angry puppets, a tooth worshipping cult, a fuzzy elder god, and more magical craziness! Roi Gold Productions’ “Fall of the House of Sunshine” is a trip!

Childish: The Podcast Musical

“Childish: The Podcast Musical” is, at its core, a comedy. NYC college student, Dante, becomes an RA and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Childish Gambino. His grandiose delusions are shattered when his co-workers are intent on making his life terrible. We have a feeling you’ll re-listen to the podcast’s songs (they’re that good)! Stream all 4 episodes (and a bonus intermission), presented by Whale Bus.

The World to Come

“The World to Come” is a post-apocalyptic podcast musical by David Treatman Creative. This 2020 Webby Award Nominee transports listeners to a world without internet or electricity. The 5 distinct factions of Fiveboro compete to dominate the city with each tribe worshipping pop culture references from earlier years.

There are The Fansci Folk, living in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy cosplay kingdom. The Escandalistas take on Telenovelas’ drama. The Criterione Collective worships the Art Film. The Snookis love “reality,” while The Hepburners enjoy black and white stories. One day, The Cardinal calls all factions’ leaders for a meeting and threatens Fiveboro’s peace. You’ll have to tune in to find out what happens.

Sonic Leap

Hero the Band, a musical project of 4 brothers, wonder if they’ve missed out on golden opportunities. The global pandemic derailed the brothers’ debut record release and summer festival tour. Suddenly, a musical mentor shows up, played by Anthony Anderson, and transports them to 1985. Hero the Band are ’80s rock gods, and they find out one song could change the group’s life forever. This podcast’s original score features Trippie Redd and Blanco Brown. “Sonic Leap” is produced by Audio Up.

Buick City 1AM

Jason Cady’s “Buick City 1AM” is a podcast opera with standalone reprised songs in the podcast’s feed. The story is about a woman time traveling from 2018 to 1984 to stop her father, Wayne Collins, from getting murdered in a parking lot on the night of Reagan’s re-election. Wayne was an auto-worker in Flint, Michigan. We meet his daughter Elena and her brother Skip, and Elena realizes she can leap back to 1984, go undercover months before he was killed, and meet with family.

The Ballad of Anne and Mary

In 1721, pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read were in London’s Newgate Prison and struggling journalist Nathaniel Mist senses an opportunity. He is going to ghostwrite a history of pirates and hopefully cash in on the public’s ravenous appetite for pirate gossip. London’s citizens spin stories around “the blood-thirsty, perverse lady pirates” and Mist deals with Bonny and Read in person. This series stars Christina Bianco, actress/comedian Sooz Kempner, Karl Queensborough (Hamilton), drag legend Le Gateau Chocolat, and more.

Live! From Tomorrow

The Podglomerate’s “Live! From Tomorrow” heads to the future and chats with innovators. Host Matt Hooper combines interviews, comedic skits, and hilarious insight on tech, business, politics, entertainment, and more. Episodes look at battling online misinformation, creating more inclusive workplaces, and a timeline for hover cars. According to the podcast’s description, this series is a cross between “The Ezra Klein Show” and Black Mirror, so fans of sci-fi, culture, and news will not be disappointed.