75+ British Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Whether you’re auditioning for musicals, setting up your rep book, or simply looking for some new musicals to get into, it’s good to get familiar with what’s out there. And that’s why we’ve put together this full list of British musicals for you below, sorted alphabetically.
The following list is divided into three categories: “British Musicals“, “Musicals That Premiered in England” (without featuring a British writing team), and “Musicals With British Composers” (without having premiered in England).
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British Musicals
The following musicals had their premiere in England/West End and have been composed by writing teams with at least one British member.
Music/Lyrics/Book: The Heather Brothers
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Music/Lyrics: David Essex Book: Jon Conway
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black, Charles Hart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Music/Lyrics: Kath Gotts Book: Maureen Chadwick, Ann McManus
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Music: Howard Goodall Lyrics: Charles Hart Book: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics: Anthony Drewe Book: Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music: Elton John Lyrics/Book: Lee Hall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lionel Bart Book: Joan Maitland
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Willy Russell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Music/Lyrics: Buddy Holly, Various Book: Alan Janes
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Alan Ayckbourn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music/Lyrics: Gary Barlow Book: Tim Firth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music: John Hawkins, Richard Hill Lyrics/Book: Nevill Coghill Book: Martin Starkie
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Music/Lyrics: David Heneker, John Taylor Book: Hugh Williams, Margaret Vyner, Ray Cooney
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Music: Frederic Norton Book: Oscar Asche
Musical Type: Pre-Jazz Age (1916)
Music/Lyrics: Pet Shop Boys Book: Jonathan Harvey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Sandy Wilson
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Ben Adams, Chris Wilkins
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Gary Barlow, Eliot Kennedy Music: Scott Frankel Lyrics: Michael Korie Book: Allan Knee, James Graham
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Music/Lyrics: Richard Taylor Book: Rachel Wagstaff
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Music: Stuart Brayson Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Bill Oakes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Music/Lyrics: David Heneker Book: Beverley Cross
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Music: Jim Fortune Lyrics: Rufus Norris Book: Tanya Ronder
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard Thomas, Stewart Lee
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Francis Essex, Rob Bettinson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1968)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Music: Laurie Johnson Lyrics: Lionel Bart Book: Bernard Miles
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Music/Lyrics: Howard Goodall Lyrics/Book: Stephen Clark
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Music: David Arnold Lyrics: Richard Thomas Book: Richard Bean
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Music/Lyrics: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Book: Catherine Johnson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Music/Book: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics/Book: Alain Boublil Lyrics: Edward Hardy, Stephen Clark
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Music/Lyrics: Tim Minchin Book: Dennis Kelly
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert Longden, Hereward Kaye
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Music: George Fenton, Simon Chamberlain Lyrics: Don Black Book: Terry Johnson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music/Lyrics: Nicky Ager Lyrics/Book: Debbie Isitt
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Joan Littlewood & Theatre Workshop
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lionel Bart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Whitehouse, Jim Sullivan Music: John Sullivan, Chas Hodges
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Music/Lyrics: Madness Book: Tim Firth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Music: Cyril Ornadel Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse Book: Wolf Mankowitz
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Bob Carlton
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Music: Ron Grainer Lyrics/Book: Ronald Millar
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Julian Slade Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Reynolds
Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe Book: Elliot Davis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black, Richard Maltby Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Steve Brown Lyrics/Book: Justin Greene
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alistair Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Richard Stilgoe, David Yazbek, Nick Coler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Stop the World – I Want to Get Off
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Music/Lyrics: Ray Davies Book: Joe Penhall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
Music/Lyrics: Boy George Music: Kevan Frost, John Themis, Richie Stevens Book: Mark Davies Markham, Charles Busch
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Ben Elton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Music/Lyrics: David Heneker Lyrics/Book: Warner Brown
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Sandy Wilson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
The Great British Bake Off Musical
Music/Lyrics: Pippa Cleary Lyrics/Book: Jake Brunger
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Contemporary (1965/2005)
Music/Lyrics: Nick Butcher Lyrics: Tom Ling Book: Joe White
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Charles Hart Lyrics/Book: Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾
Music/Lyrics: Pippa Cleary Lyrics/Book: Jake Brunger
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics: Anthony Drewe Book: Julian Fellowes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Charlotte Jones
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Barne, Kit Buchan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Music/Lyrics: Queen Book: Ben Elton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Musicals That Premiered in England
The following musicals premiered in England but were not written by British composers.
Music/Lyrics: Max Martin, Various Book: David West Read
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Alexander Dinelaris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Music/Lyrics: Tori Amos Lyrics/Book: Samuel Adamson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Musicals With British Composers
The following musicals were written by British composers, but did not premiere in England.
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure
Music: George Stiles Lyrics: Anthony Drewe Book: Willis Hall
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Music/Lyrics: Sting Book: Lorne Campbell, John Logan, Brian Yorkey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Rodger Allers, Irene Mecchi
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
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Which of these British musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above British 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 holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.