Musical Lists

25+ Amazing Gospel Musicals – A Full List of Shows

Whether you’re producing a show, 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 gospel musicals for you below, sorted alphabetically.

The following musicals showcase a wide range of music styles. There aren’t many purely gospel musicals, but the following shows have at least some elements of gospel to them. And at the end of the page, you’ll find a list of musicals with a featured gospel song.


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Gospel Musicals

A Strange Loop

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Music Genres: Pop/Gospel


Black Nativity

Music/Lyrics: Traditional  Book: Langston Hughes

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Music Genre: Gospel


Cabin in the Sky

Music: Vernon Duke  Lyrics: John Latouche  Book: Lynn Root

Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)

Music Genres: Jazz/Swing/Gospel


Children of Eden

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: John Caird

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Gospel


Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope

Music/Lyrics: Micki Grant

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Music Genres: Pop-Rock/Soul/Gospel


Don’t Play Us Cheap

Music/Lyrics/Book: Melvin Van Peebles

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)

Music Genres: Blues/Jazz/Gospel


Dreamgirls

Music: Henry Krieger  Lyrics/Book: Tom Eyen

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Music Genres: Disco/Gospel/Soul/R&B/Pop


Fugitive Songs

Music: Chris Miller  Lyrics: Nathan Tysen

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Music Genres: Country/Pop/Gospel


Godspell

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: John-Michael Tebelak

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Music Genres: Folk/Gospel


Golden Boy

Music: Charles Strouse  Lyrics: Lee Adams  Book: Clifford Odets, William Gibson

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Jazz/Gospel


Grind

Music: Larry Grossman  Lyrics: Ellen Fitzhugh  Book: Fay Kanin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Music Genres: Jazz/Blues/Gospel


Hands on a Hardbody

Music: Trey Anastasio  Music/Lyrics: Amanda Green   Book: Doug Wright

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Music Genres: Country/Rock/Soul/Gospel


Hot Mikado

Music: Rob Bowman  Lyrics/Book: David H. Bell

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)

Music Genres: Swing/Jazz/Blues/Gospel/Scat


Leap of Faith

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Glenn Slater  Book: Janus Cercone, Warren Leight

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Music Genres: Gospel/Soul/Pop/Rock


Me and Bessie

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Will Holt, Linda Hopkins

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

Music Genres: Jazz/Gospel/Soul/Blues


Memphis

Music/Lyrics: David Bryan  Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Music Genres: Rock & Roll/Soul/Gospel


Myths and Hymns

Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Gospel/Jazz/Pop


Pippin

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: Roger O. Hirson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Pop/Gospel


Purlie

Music: Gary Geld  Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell  Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Music Genres: Gospel/Folk/Funk/Disco


Raisin

Music: Judd Woldin  Lyrics: Robert Brittan  Book: Robert Nemiroff, Charlotte Zaltzberg

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)

Music Genres: Jazz/Pop/Blues/Gospel


Scandalous

Music: David Pomeranz, David Friedman  Lyrics/Book: Kathie Lee Gifford

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Gospel/Jazz/Mixed


Sister Act

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Glenn Slater  Book: Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Music Genres: Musical Theatre/Disco/Gospel/Soul


Starlight Express

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alistair Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Richard Stilgoe, David Yazbek, Nick Coler

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

Music Genres: Pop/Rock/Rap/Gospel/Blues/Country


The Fix

Music: Dana P. Rowe  Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Music Genres: Rock/Musical Theatre/Gospel


The Last Session

Music/Lyrics: Steve Schalchlin  Lyrics: John Bettis, Marie Cain  Book: Jim Brochu

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Music Genres: Pop/Musical Theatre/Gospel


The Life

Music/Book: Cy Coleman  Lyrics/Book: Ira Gasman  Book: David Newman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Music Genres: Jazz/Gospel/Soul


The Wiz

Music/Lyrics: Charlie Smalls  Book: William F. Brown

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

Music Genres: Soul/Gospel/Disco


Musicals With a Featured Gospel Song

Adding Machine

Music/Lyrics/Book: Joshua Schmidt  Lyrics/Book: Jason Loewith

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Gospel Song: “The Gospel According to Shrdlu”


Bat Boy

Music/Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe  Book: Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Gospel Song: “A Joyful Noise”


Big River

Music/Lyrics: Roger Miller  Book: William Hauptman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Gospel Song: “Free At Last”


Bonnie & Clyde

Music: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics: Don Black  Book: Ivan Menchell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Gospel Song: “God’s Arms Are Always Open”


Fame

Music: Steve Margoshes  Lyrics: Jacques Levy  Book: José Fernandez

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)

Gospel Song: “Mabel’s Prayer”


Hairspray

Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman  Lyrics: Scott Wittman  Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Gospel Song: “I Know Where I’ve Been”


The Civil War

Music/Book: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics: Jack Murphy  Book: Gregory Boyd

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Gospel Song: “River Jordan”


The Color Purple

Music/Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray  Book: Marsha Norman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Gospel Song: “Hell No!”


The Prom

Music: Matthew Sklar  Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin  Book: Bob Martin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Gospel Song: “Love Thy Neighbor”


Urinetown

Music/Lyrics: Mark Hollmann  Lyrics/Book: Greg Kotis

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Gospel Song: “Run, Freedom, Run!”


More Musicals by Music Genre

• Classical

• Country

• Disco

• Folk

• Gospel → You are here!

• Piano-Only

• Pop

• Pop/Rock

• Rock


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Which of these gospel musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above gospel 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!


Stacy Karyn, Author of Gospel Musicals.
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.


 

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