Three recording artists ventured beyond album releases to create award-winning stage musicals, each drawing on their existing strengths whilst tackling new creative challenges. Sara Bareilles adapted the drama Waitress into a musical stage production, eventually performing in the cast herself; Cyndi Lauper translated the English film Kinky Boots into a Broadway show featuring a shoe factory owner and drag queen protagonist; and Pete Townshend's rock opera Tommy was reimagined as a 1990s stage musical, bringing the dark narrative of its protagonist's psychosomatic affliction to theatrical audiences with renewed impact.

These projects showcased that accomplished songwriters could succeed in theatrical storytelling, crafting narratives as compelling as their recorded work. Bareilles' melodic sensibilities elevated her adaptation, whilst Lauper proved power pop could animate a full narrative arc on stage. Townshend's Tommy demonstrated that unconventional subject matter—a story about trauma and disability—could resonate with theatre-goers when supported by strong music and stagecraft, broadening each artist's creative legacy beyond their core recording fanbase.