35+ Classical Musicals – A 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 classical musicals for you below.
The following list is broken down into five categories – “Chamber Musicals”, “Contemporary Classical Musicals”, “Experimental Classical Musicals”, “Operatic Classical Musicals”, “Operettas” and “Operetta/Musical Theatre Mixes”. Each category is sorted alphabetically.
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Chamber Musicals
First Daughter Suite
Music/Lyrics: Michael John La Chiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
First Lady Suite
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Octet
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Contemporary Classical Musicals
A Minister’s Wife
Music: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics: Jan Levy-Tranen Book: Austin Pendleton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
My Life with Albertine
Music/Lyrics: Ricky Ian Gordon Lyrics/Book: Richard Nelson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
The Bridges of Madison County
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
The Light in the Piazza
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel Book: Craig Lucas
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
The Hatpin
Music: Peter Rutherford Lyrics/Book: James Miller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Experimental Classical Musicals
Adding Machine
Music/Lyrics/Book: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Jason Loewith
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Preludes
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Operatic Classical Musicals
Carmen Jones
Music: Georges Bizet Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Chu Chin Chow
Music: Frederic Norton Book: Oscar Asche
Musical Type: Pre-Jazz Age (1916)
Happy End
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)
Lost in the Stars
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
LoveMusik
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Various Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Love Never Dies
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Glen Slater Book: Webber, Elton, Slater, Forsyth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Phantom
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Arthur Kopit
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
Porgy and Bess
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Libretto: DuBose Heyward
Musical Type: Opera (1935)
Show Boat
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
The Cabaret Girl
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: George Grossmith, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1922)
The Cradle Will Rock
Music/Lyrics/Book: Marc Blitzstein
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)
The Golden Apple
Music: Jerome Moross Lyrics/Book: John Treville Latouche
Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)
The Most Happy Fella
Music/Lyrics/Book: Frank Loesser
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
The Phantom of the Opera
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe Book: Stilgoe, Webber
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
The Threepenny Opera
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Bertolt Brecht
Musical Type: Play with Music (1928)
Operettas
Candide
Music: Bernstein Lyrics: Wilber, Latouche, Parker, Hellman, Sondheim Book: Hellman, Wheeler
Musical Type: Golden Age/Operetta (1956)
Dearest Enemy
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1925)
Knickerbocker Holiday
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1938)
Robert and Elizabeth
Music: Ron Grainer Lyrics/Book: Ronald Millar
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Operetta (1964)
Song of Norway
Music/Lyrics: Edvard Grieg, Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Lazarus, Curran
Musical Type: Golden Age/Operetta (1944)
The Desert Song
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics: Otto Harbach Book: Hammerstein, Harbach, Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1926)
The Happiest Girl in the World
Music: Jacques Offenbach Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg Book: Fred Saidy, Henry Mayers
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Operetta (1961)
The New Moon
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Laurence Schwab
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1927)
The Student Prince
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Donnelly
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1924)
Through the Years
Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Edward Heyman Book: Brian Hooker
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1932)
Operetta/Musical Theatre Mixes
Bravo Giovanni
Music: Milton Schafer Lyrics: Ronny Graham Book: A.J. Russell
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Kean
Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Lady in the Dark
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Moss Hart
Musical Type: Golden Age (1941)
Magdalena
Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Brennan, Curran
Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)
Promenade
Music: Al Carmines Lyrics/Book: María Irene Fornés
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
The Gay Life
Music: Arthur Schwartz Lyrics: Howard Dietz Book: Fay Kanin, Michael Kanin
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Want a weekly list of stagey surprises?!
Which of these classical musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above classical 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.
