The Ahrens and Flaherty Musicals – A Full List
Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are an extremely successful songwriting duo who have been working together since the 1980s. They have together won multiple prestigious awards, including Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Oscar Hammerstein Lifetime Achievement.
They’ve also been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, and four Grammys. And for your convenience, here’s our list of all of the Ahrens and Flaherty musicals, sorted chronologically.
* The featured photo above is by Nathan Johnson.
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Musicals by Ahrens and Flaherty
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Lucky Stiff was the first collaboration between Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty to make it to the mainstream. (To see the actual first collaboration between Ahrens and Flaherty, scroll down to the “additional works” section below!) It was initially performed Off-Broadway and won the Richard Rodgers Award in 1988. It later moved over to London’s West End in 1997.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Once on This Island opened on Broadway in 1990 and won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical for its 1994 West End production. And in contemporary news, it is currently being adapted into a feature film by Disney +!
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Joseph Dougherty
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Based on the 1982 film, My Favorite Year premiered on Broadway in 1992 and received mixed reviews. It closed in 1993 after just 36 performances.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Ragtime was a massive success for the duo. The show won multiple Tony Awards and was nominated for Best Musical in 1998. There have been numerous revivals since.
Music/Book: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
This Dr. Seuss-inspired musical premiered on Broadway in 2000. Although it wasn’t an immediate success, it turned out to be a great show to revive through children’s theatre. It is still frequently produced by smaller companies today.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
A Man of No Importance was initially produced at Lincoln Center in NYC. And it won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical in 2003.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Similar to A Man of No Importance, Dessa Rose also began Off-Broadway and later moved to London’s West End. It was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical in 2005.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Books: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
The Glorious Ones made its debut in Pittsburgh, followed by a production Off-Broadway that same year. The show was nominated for five Drama Desk Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Thomas Meehan, Sylvester Stallone
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Rocky is unique in that it originally premiered in Hamburg, Germany under the name Rocky: Das Musical. It moved to Broadway two years later and received nominations and wins for multiple awards.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Based on the 1997 film, Anastasia premiered on Broadway in 2017. It was nominated for multiple Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Circle Critics Awards. Ahrens and Flaherty were also nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for the music in the animated film.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary/ Song Cycle (2020)
These two song cycles were actually written much earlier in 2004, but were not released until we were amidst the COVID pandemic. It was during this time that the duo felt these song cycles were at their most relevant, which led to a remastering of the works as well.
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Frank Galati
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Originally set to premiere in 2020, Knoxville had its delayed world premiere in 2022 due to the pandemic. The premiere took place at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida.
Additional Work by Lynn Ahrens
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens Book: Mike Ockrent
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
A Christmas Carol premiered at NYC’s Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in 1994 for a nine-year run. The show has seen numerous regional and school productions since.
Additional Work by Stephen Flaherty
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Gertrude Stein Book: Frank Galati
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Loving Repeating is a lesser-known one-act chamber musical that premiered in 2006 at the About Face Theatre in Chicago. Flaherty co-orchestrated the music for the show with Brad Haak.
Additional Work by Ahrens & Flaherty
These musicals were written by Ahrens and Flaherty, but don’t have cast albums or a large amount of information available online. The following shows are listed in our Musical Archive.
1985: The Emperor’s New Clothes *Technically the first collaboration between Ahrens and Flaherty!
2005: Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life
2014: Marie, Dancing Still
* Here’s where you can learn more about Ahrens and Flaherty➝
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Which of these musicals by Ahrens and Flaherty your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of these Ahrens and Flaherty musicals? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you like these types of lists, check out the musical database. That’s where you’ll find musicals sorted by composer, theme, setting, and more!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.