15+ Detective Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Whether dramas, thrillers, or straight-up mysteries, plenty of musicals feature a detective among their characters. If you’re drawn to darkly mysterious plots or subplots with a detective in the mix, here’s a complete list of detective musicals, sorted alphabetically!
Detective Musicals
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Norman L. Martin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
The Detective: Detective Callahan
Music: Jason Howland Lyrics: Nathan Tysen Book: Rachel Axler, Kait Kerrigan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
The Detective: Detective Case
Music/Lyrics: Duncan Sheik Book: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
The Detective: Donald Kimball
Music/Lyrics: Marian Grudeff, Raymond Jessel Book: Jerome Coopersmith Additional Songs: Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
The Detective: Sherlock Holmes
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Larry Gelbart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
The Detective: Stone
Music/Lyrics: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Lyrics/Book: Rupert Holmes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
The Detective: Lieutenant Frank Cioffi
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Jack Murphy Book: Ivan Menchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
The Detective: L
Music/Lyrics: Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard Lyrics/Book: Bruce Joel Rubin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
The Detective: Detective Beiderman
Music/Book: Joe Kinosian Lyrics/Book: Kellen Blair
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
The Wannabe Detective: Marcus Moscowicz
Music/Lyrics: Jeff Blim Book: Nick Lang, Matt Lang
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
The Detective: Detective Shapiro
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Richard Maltby, Jr. Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
The Detective: Nick
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
The Detective: Detective Starnes
Music: Albert Hague Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields, Sidney Sheldon, David Shaw
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
The Detective: Inspector White
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
The Detective: Sherlock Holmes
Music/Lyrics/Book: James McDonald, David Vos, Robert Gerlach Music: Ed Linderman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
The Detective: Miss Tweed
Music/Lyrics/Book: Rupert Holmes
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
The Detective: Dick Datchery
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Which of these detective musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above detective 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 and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
