Avant-Garde Musicals
The following list includes avant-garde musicals, featuring works with unconventional theatrical approaches. Additional musical lists are available in the musical database.
* Some works on this list were considered avant-garde at the time of their premiere but may now be viewed as more conventional within the context of contemporary musical theatre.
On This Page:
Musicals That Mention Avant-Garde Art
Avant-Garde Musicals
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Creators: Kyle Jarrow
Genre: Comedy / Satire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Joshua Schmidt and Jason Loewith
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Creators: Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1981)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber, T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, and Richard Stilgoe
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
Creators: Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1972)
Creators: Galt MacDermot and Gerome Ragni
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Creators: Brendan Milburn, Valerie Vigoda, and Joe DiPietro
Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Dave Malloy
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1985)
Creators: Polly Pen and Peggy Harmon
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Creators: Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, and James Rado
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Creators: Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and David Ives
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Satire
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Creators: Jacques Brel, Eric Blau, and Mort Shuman
Genre: Revue
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Genre: Drama / Religious
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: David Bowie and Enda Walsh
Genre: Science Fiction
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Creators: Dave Malloy
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1975)
Creators: Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1972)
Creators: Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson
Genre: Dark Comedy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Dave Malloy
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Creators: Al Carmines and María Irene Fornés
Genre: Comedy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1978)
Creators: Elizabeth Swados
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Creators: Michael John LaChiusa
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1984)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alistair Lloyd Webber, Richard Stilgoe, David Yazbek, and Nick Coler
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Creators: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Paul Shapera
Genre: Science Fiction
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Creators: Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1974)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Nathan Lane
Genre: Fantasy / Satire
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Creators: Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1973)
Creators: Richard O’Brien
Genre: Comedy / Horror / Science Fiction / Spoof
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Genre: Drama
Musicals That Mention Avant-Garde Art
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally
Mentioned In: “Paris Holds the Key”
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Creators: David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr.
Mentioned In: “Like a Baby”
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Creators: Bob Merrill and Nunnally Johnson
Mentioned In: The plot
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1981)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
Mentioned In: “Opening Doors”
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Dave Malloy
Mentioned In: “The Opera”
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1996)
Creators: Jonathan Larson
Mentioned In: “Today 4 U”