75 LGBTQ+ Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Looking for a musical that brings LGBTQ+ stories to life? From journeys of self-discovery to the fight for equality, these shows celebrate the resilience, joy, and spirit of the queer community. Here’s the full list of LGBTQ+ musicals, sorted by time period.
Contents:
Pre-1970s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Romney Brent, Steve Mackes, Michael Whaley
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
1970s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Genre: Comedic Horror / Spoof
1980s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black, Charles Hart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Genre: Drama
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Genre: Drama
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
Music: Janet Hood Lyrics/Book: Bill Russell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Genre: Song Cycle
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Michel Legrand Lyrics: Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer Book: Schönberg, Kent, Boublil
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Genre: Drama
1990s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Semi-Autobiography
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Trask Book: John Cameron Mitchell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Genre: Romance
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Robert Schrock
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Genre: Comedic Revue
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Peter Allen Book: Nick Enright, Martin Sherman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics/Book: Andrew Lippa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Genre: Drama
Music: Henry Mancini, Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse Book: Blake Edwards
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Dick Gallagher Book/Lyrics/Concept: Mark Waldrop Concept: Howard Crabtree
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Genre: Comedic Revue
Music/Lyrics/Book: Howard Crabtree, Charles Cantanese, Mark Waldrop, Dick Gallagher, Phillip George, Peter Morris
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Genre: Revue
2000s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker Book: Kevin Del Aguila
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx Book: Jeff Whitty
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Genre: Comedy / Parody
Music/Lyrics: Kath Gotts Book: Maureen Chadwick, Ann McManus
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Drama
Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Pet Shop Boys Book: Jonathan Harvey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Nick Blaemire Book: James Gardiner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Genre: Drama
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Gertrude Stein Adaptation: Frank Galati
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics: Ricky Ian Gordon Lyrics/Book: Richard Nelson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Stephan Elliott, Allan Scott
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Phillip George, David Lowenstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: John Du Prez Music/Lyrics/Book: Eric Idle
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Genre: Comedy / Spoof
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Boy George Music: Kevan Frost, John Themis, Richie Stevens Book: Charles Busch
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Genre: Semi-Autobiography
Music/Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: David Yazbek Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mel Brooks Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa Book: George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Contemporary (1990/2001)
Genre: Semi-Autobiography
Music: Joseph Zellnik Lyrics/Book: David Zellnik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Genre: Drama
2010s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Max Martin, Various Book: David West Read
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Tom Kitt Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda Lyrics: Amanda Green Book: Jeff Whitty
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Irene Sankoff, David Hein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Drama
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Scott Frankel Lyrics: Michael Korie Book: Richard Greenberg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Meredith Stepien, Mark Swiderski Book: Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Stuart Brayson Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Bill Oakes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Drama
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Lisa Kron
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: The Go-Go’s Book: Jeff Whitty, James Magruder
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Fat Mike, Soma Snakeoil, Jeff Marx Book: David Goldsmith
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Drama
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics/Book: Brian Yorkey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Barbara Anselmi Lyrics/Book: Brian Hargrove
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Alanis Morissette Music: Glen Ballard, Guy Sigsworth, Michael Farrell Book: Diablo Cody
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Book: Matt Gould Lyrics/Book: Carson Kreitzer
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics/Book: Justin Huertas
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Fantasy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Joe Iconis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Dark Comedy / Horror
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe Book: Elliot Davis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Genre: Satire
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Greg Pierce
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Drama / Fantasy
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Book: Bob Martin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Max Vernon
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Comedic Horror / Murder Mystery
Music/Lyrics/Book: Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Documentary
2020s LGBTQ+ Musicals
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Emerald Fennell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Genre: Fairy Tale
Music: Jeff Richmond Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Book: Tina Fey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Kate Diaz Lyrics/Book: Tina Landau
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Matthew López, Amber Ruffin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Genre: Chamber
Music: Julianne Wick Davis Lyrics/Book: Dan Collins
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Genre: Comedy
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Which of these LGBTQ+ musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above LGBTQ+ musicals? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you enjoy exploring these lists, check out the musical database, where you can discover musicals organized by composer, theme, setting, and much 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.
