Thanks to that one rather popular historical musical, history geeks have come out of the woodwork and are having their day. So we’d like to share five other awesome historical musicals like Hamilton.

History is usually the domain of straight plays, so we had to pick some pretty obscure musicals for this list. But our scrounging has turned up quite a few gems!

1776

Takes place during the: 1770s

The best-known musical about American history prior to this year, 1776 musicalizes John Adams’ efforts to get the Declaration of Independence signed by the Continental Congress. With a score by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, 1776 opened on Broadway in 1969. It went on to win Tony’s for Best Musical, Best Direction, and Best Featured Actor, and ran for three years.

1776 is an oddity of a musical, with a very mellow Act 1 closer, and a 20-minute climax completely devoid of song. American history buffs should check out the movie while we wait for another Broadway revival, or at least listen to such gems as “Piddle, Twiddle,” “The Lees of Old Virginia,” and “Molasses to Rum.”

In this insane political climate, remember these words of wisdom: “I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress!”

‘The Underclassmen’ a.k.a. ‘The Pursuit of Persephone’

Takes place during the: 1910s

If you are a fan of The Great Gatsby, this musical is everything you ever wanted — a look at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s years at Princeton, and his relationship with Ginevra King (who provided the inspiration for Daisy). The show premiered in 2005 in the East Village as The Pursuit of Persephone, and was heavily revised into The Underclassmen in 2014, playing at a larger off-Broadway theatre.

Aside from the captivating story, the biggest selling point is the music by Peter Mills — one of the most exciting new composers around, whose Death for Five Voices (another historical musical, about composer Carlo Gesualdo) just closed off-Broadway. The Underclassmen can lay claim to one of the best 11 o’clock numbers this writer has ever seen. Unfortunately, there was no cast recording, but there are a few songs available on the composer’s website.

‘Atomic’

Takes place during the: 1940s

The short-lived off-Broadway musical with an epic rock score was about the Manhattan Project, and specifically the scientists who worked on it — their race against time, and the moral dilemmas of designing the atomic bomb. It featured Jeremy Kushnier (Footloose, Rent) as scientist Leo Szilard, the conflicted protagonist of the piece. It was quite accurate both from a historic and scientific perspective, at least based on our research after the fact. You may remember it from our Top 10 Shows of 2014.

Unfortunately, a show like Atomic is a rather tough sell on Broadway, so its post-off-Broadway life has been almost nonexistent, though apparently it was produced in Michigan two months ago. There is no cast recording (alas!), so YouTube is the best we have to work with. This writer recently asked Jeremy Kushnier if he expected there to be a future for Atomic on Broadway, and the answer was negative.

‘The Pirate Queen’

Takes place during the: 16th century

Can a mega-musical be a cult classic? Oh yes! Boublil and Schonberg, the duo behind Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, crafted a musical about Grace O’Malley, the Irish pirate who led rebellions against Queen Elizabeth I. Grace was played by this writer’s favorite Broadway actress, Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, Edwin Drood, 9 to 5). The musical was short-lived, playing for a few months before theatre politics and lukewarm reviews forced it away, but it has lived on in fans’ hearts. The show was preserved with a cast recording, worth a listen for its epic duets and sweeping ballads, which helped foster the cult following it currently enjoys.

Pirate Queen was one of the most overtly feminist musicals ever made, perfectly encapsulated by the early musical number “Woman.” Grace defiantly proclaims, “Look at this face, does it deceive? Do I look made to milk and to weave? I will be damned to hell if that is my life!” Fans of Tudor history, Les Miz, and female empowerment should all listen through the cast album — and just try not to get chills during “A Day Beyond Belclare!”

‘Evita’

Takes place during the: 1930s-1950s

The life story of Argentinian leader Eva Peron was musicalized by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in one of their earlier efforts. The musical premiered in London in 1978, starring Elaine Paige (Chess, Cats), and ran for almost eight years. It began the British Invasion of the 1980s when it opened on Broadway in 1979 starring Patti LuPone (Les Miserables). Evita swept the 1980 Tonys, becoming the first British musical to win the Tony for Best Musical, and continued running for almost four years.

The score for Evita has been one of Lloyd Webber’s most enduring. The show has spawned a revival on both sides of the Atlantic with Elena Roger — the Broadway one, in 2012, co-starring Ricky Martin. There was also a movie in 1996 with Madonna as Evita, opinions on which range from “not bad” to “an affront to all of musical theatre.” So either brave the film, or just listen to your choice of cast album while waiting for the next revival!

What historical events or figures do you wish would be made into a musical?

This article is a part of Hypable’s inaugural Broadway Week in celebration of the 2016 Tony nominations. For more theater features, click here!