Legit Musicals – The Complete List
The following list includes 60+ legit musicals, featuring shows that incorporate classically trained singing in their score. Additional musical lists are available in the musical database.
On This Page:
Golden/Post-Golden Age Musicals (1940s–1960s)
Late 20th Century Musicals (1970s–1990s)
Contemporary Musicals (2000s–Current)
Pre-1940 Legit Musicals
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Michael Feingold
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Libretto: DuBose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward
Musical Type: Opera (1935)
Music Genres: Blues / Jazz / Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Clifford Grey Book: Guy Bolton Additional Music/Lyrics: Victor Herbert, Anne Caldwell, Buddy DeSylva, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1920)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music Genres: Blues / Jazz / Musical Theatre / Operetta
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: George Grossmith, Jr., P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1922)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Laurence Schwab
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Arthur Sullivan Lyrics: W.S. Gilbert
Musical Type: Opera (1879)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Edward Heyman Book: Brian Hooker
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1932)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Operetta
Golden / Post-Golden Age Musicals
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics: Tom Jones Book: N. Richard Nash
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Richard Wilbur, John La Touche, Stephen Sondheim, Dorothy Parker Book: John Caird, Hugh Wheeler, Lillian Hellman
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Georges Bizet Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Operetta
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Moss Hart
Musical Type: Golden Age (1941)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Operetta
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Music Genres: Blues / Opera
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Ogden Nash Book: S.J. Perelman
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Ron Grainer Lyrics/Book: Ronald Millar
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Edvard Grieg Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Milton Lazarus
Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Joshua Logan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Langston Hughes Book: Elmer Rice
Musical Type: Opera (1947)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music/Lyrics: Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz Book: Fay Kanin, Michael Kanin
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Operetta
Music/Lyrics: Noël Coward Book: Harry Kurnitz
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
The Happiest Girl in the World
Music: Jacques Offenbach Lyrics: Yip Harburg Book: Fred Saidy, Henry Mayers
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Music Genre: Operetta
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
Music Genres: Classical / Jazz / Latin / Musical Theatre
Late 20th Century Musicals
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1973)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Operetta
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black, Charles Hart
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Gerald Jay Markoe Lyrics: Michael Colby
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1982)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1973)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Polly Pen Lyrics: Peggy Harmon
Musical Type: Late 20th Century(1985)
Music Genre: Classical
Music/Lyrics: Paul Gordon Lyrics/Book: John Caird
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1995)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1999)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1978)
Music Genres: Jazz / Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1994)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Arthur Kopit
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1991)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Sunday in the Park with George
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1984)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Charles Hart Lyrics/Book: Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1986)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Lucy Simon Lyrics/Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1991)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: John Williams Lyrics: James Harbert Book: Edward Anhalt
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1975)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Jeffrey Lunden Lyrics/Book: Arthur Perlman
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Music Genres: Classical / Experimental
Contemporary Legit Musicals
Music: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics: Jan Levy Tranen Book: Austin Pendleton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music Genres: Classical / Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jill Santoriello
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel Book: Craig Lucas
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Music Genres: Jazz / Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Peter Stone, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Lucy Simon Lyrics: Michael Korie, Amy Powers Book: Michael Weller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music: Scott Frankel Lyrics: Michael Korie Book: Richard Greenberg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Music Genres: Jazz / Musical Theatre
Music: Scott Frankel Lyrics: Michael Korie Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Music Genres: Jazz / Musical Theatre
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Glenn Slater Book: Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Various Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Music Genres: Musical Theatre / Opera
Music/Lyrics: Ricky Ian Gordon Lyrics/Book: Richard Nelson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Music Genres: Classical / Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Music Genre: Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Music Genres: Classical / Country / Musical Theatre
Music: Peter Rutherford Lyrics/Book: James Millar
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Music Genres: Classical / Musical Theatre
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel Book: Craig Lucas
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Music Genres: Classical / Musical Theatre
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Charlotte Jones
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Music Genres: Classical / Musical Theatre
Last Reviewed: September 8, 2025