35+ Dark Musicals That Will Give You The Chills
Dive into the world of dark musicals, where stories take a mysterious turn. If you love intense dramas and thrilling narratives, this list is for you. Below you’ll find a full list of dark musicals that will take you on a theatrical journey into the shadows of what’s normally expected.
To enhance your experience, pop on Theatre Trip’s playlist – “Musical Theatre’s Dark Side”➝.
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Dark Musicals
Music/Lyrics/Book: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Jason Loewith
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Music/Lyrics: Duncan Sheik Book: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Horror
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Music/Lyrics/Book: Willy Russell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Genre: Drama
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Don Black Book: Ivan Menchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Genre: Drama
Music: Michael Gore Lyrics: Dean Pitchford Book: Lawrence D. Cohen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Genre: Horror
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Bob Fosse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Genre: Drama
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Fantasy
Music/Lyrics/Book: George Reinblatt Music: Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Genre: Parody
Music/Lyrics: Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard Lyrics/Book: Bruce Joel Rubin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Genre: Romance/Thriller
Music/Lyrics/Book: Laurence O’Keefe, Kevin Murphy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Paul Gordon Lyrics/Book: John Caird
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Genre: Fantasy
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Greg Pierce
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Drama
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Drama
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Genre: Comedic Horror
Music/Lyrics: Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt Music/Lyrics/Book: Tim Maner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Genre: Thriller
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Drama
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Music: Marvin Laird Lyrics/Book: Joel Paley
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema Music/Lyrics: Hugh Masekela
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)
Genre: Historical
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Jon Kaplan, Al Kaplan Book: Hunter Bell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Genre: Parody
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Genre: Horror
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Simon Lyrics/Book: Derek Walcott
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Biography
Music: Martin Silvestri Lyrics/Book: Joel Higgins
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Genre: Drama
Music: Peter Rutherford Lyrics/Book: James Millar
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Genre: Drama
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Charles Hart Lyrics/Book: Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Music/Lyrics: John Kander, Fred Ebb Book: David Thompson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Historical
Music/Lyrics/Book: Max Vernon
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Genre: Drama
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Music/Lyrics/Book: Andrew Lippa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa Book: George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Genre: Drama
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Charlotte Jones
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Murder Mystery
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Genre: Drama
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music/Lyrics: David Yazbek Book: Jeffrey Lane
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Dramedy
Other blog posts you might like:
• Musicals Set in New York City
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Which of these dark musicals is your favorite?
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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.