48+ Musical Revues – A Full List of Shows
Whether you’re auditioning for musicals, 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 list for you! The most notable musical revues of all time are included below.
Also, there are of course some other musical revues. But I’ve made sure to only include the most widely-known ones that also have music samples available online for your convenience!
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Musical Revues
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Concept: Walter Bobbie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
What’s Featured: The music of Rodgers and Hammerstein
A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Music: Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, André Previn, Saul Chaplin, Roger Edens, Morton Gould
Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)
What’s Featured: The musical lyrics of Comden and Green
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman Music/Lyrics: Al Sherman, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
What’s Featured: The music of the Sherman Family
Music: Thomas “Fats” Waller Lyrics: Various Concept: Murray Horwitz, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
What’s Featured: The music of Fats Waller
Anything Can Happen in the Theater
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Concept: Gerard Alessandrini
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
What’s Featured: The music of Maury Yeston
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Moss Hart
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
What’s Featured: Newspaper headlines of the day
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Larry Gallagher
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
What’s Featured: Female voices of the 1960s
Music/Lyrics: Various
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
What’s Featured: Black music in Paris between WWI and WWII.
Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1928)
What’s Featured: The music of McHugh and Fields
Music/Lyrics: Various Concept: Sheldon Epps
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
What’s Featured: The complexity of relationships
Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk
Music/Lyrics/Book: Daryl Waters, Ann Duquesnay, Zane Mark, George C. Wolfe, Reg E. Gaines
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
What’s Featured: Black history
Music: Various Book: Loften Mitchell Concept: Rosetta LeNoire
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
What’s Featured: The music of the Harlem Renaissance
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Sketches: Arnold Auerbach
Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)
What’s Featured: Sketches by Rome and Auerbach
Music: David Shire Lyrics: Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
What’s Featured: The music of Maltby and Shire
Music/Lyrics: Micki Grant
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
What’s Featured: Black history and experience
Music/Lyrics: Louis Jordan Book: Clarke Peters
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
What’s Featured: The music of Louis Jordan
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Stuart Ross
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
What’s Featured: Close-harmony quartets of the 1950s
Music/Lyrics: Various Concept: Chet Walker, Ann Reinking, Richard Matlby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
What’s Featured: The choreography of Bob Fosse
Music/Lyrics/Book: John Forster Book: Delia Ephron, Judith Kahan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
What’s Featured: Songs about childhood
Music/Lyrics: William Finn
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
What’s Featured: The music of William Finn
Music: Helen Miller Lyrics: Eve Merriam
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
What’s Featured: A celebration of urban life
It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues
Music/Lyrics/Book: Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor, Dan Wheetman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
What’s Featured: The history of blues music
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Music/Lyrics: Jacques Brel Book: Eric Blau, Mort Shuman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
What’s Featured: The music of Jacques Brel
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Various Book: Dick Vosburgh
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
What’s Featured: The music of Jerome Kern
Music/Lyrics: Various
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
What’s Featured: Music from shows directed/choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Concept: Larry Alford, Wayne Cilento
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
What’s Featured: The music and lyrics of Jerry Herman
Music/Lyrics: The Beatles
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
What’s Featured: The music of The Beatles
Music: Harold Arlen Lyrics: Ira Gershwin, E.Y. Harburg
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
What’s Featured: The music of Arlen, Gershwin, and Harburg
Music/Lyrics: William Finn Concept: Rob Ruggiero
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
What’s Featured: The music of William Finn
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Concept: Craig Lucas, Norman Rene
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
What’s Featured: Cut songs from Sondheim shows
Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse Book: Warren Leight
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
What’s Featured: Stories about former NYC Mayor Ed Koch
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Will Holt, Linda Hopkins
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
What’s Featured: Various songs/Tribute to the career of Bessie Smith
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Robert Schrock
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
What’s Featured: Vaudeville-style music performed naked
Music/Lyrics: Various
Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)
What’s Featured: Songs and comedy skits
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Chad Beguelin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
What’s Featured: Walt Disney Songs
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jerry Herman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
What’s Featured: The music of Jerry Herman
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Various
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1937)
What’s Featured: Current events of the time
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: David Thompson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
What’s Featured: The producing career of Harold Prince
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
What’s Featured: The music of Sondheim
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
What’s Featured: The music of Sondheim
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
What’s Featured: The music of Leiber and Stoller
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Concept: Michael Scheman, David Stern
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
What’s Featured: The music of Stephen Schwartz
Music: David Shire Lyrics: Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
What’s Featured: The music of Maltby and Shire
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Paul Kelly
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
What’s Featured: Swing music of the 1930s-1940s
Music: Arthur Schwartz Lyrics/Book: Howard Dietz Book: George S. Kaufman
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1931)
What’s Featured: The music of Schwartz, Dietz, and Kaufman
Music: Mary Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Larry Siegel Lyrics: Marshall Barer, Steven Vinaver Book: Stan Hart Additional Song: Stephen Sondheim
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
What’s Featured: Mad Magazine
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
What’s Featured: The music of Jones and Schmidt
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Concept: Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, David Thompson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
What’s Featured: The music of Kander and Ebb
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin
Musical Type: Golden Age (1942)
What’s Featured: Morale boosting for WWII
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle, Mary Kyte
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
What’s Featured: History/WWI
Music/Lyrics: Tom Lehrer Adaptation: Cameron Mackintosh, Robin Ray
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
What’s Featured: The music of Tom Lehrer
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
What’s Featured: The music of Styne, Comden, and Green
Music: Vernon Duke Lyrics: Ogden Nash, Sammy Cahn Book: Charles Sherman, Peter DeVries
Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)
What’s Featured: Music and sketches related to show-business
Music: Dick Gallagher Book/Lyrics/Concept: Mark Waldrop Concept: Howard Crabtree
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
What’s Featured: Comedic sketches
Music/Lyrics/Book: Howard Crabtree, Charles Cantanese, Mark Waldrop, Dick Gallagher, Phillip George, Peter Morris
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
What’s Featured: Sketches designed to showcase extravagant costumes
Music/Lyrics: Various
Musical Type: Revue Series (1907-1957)
What’s Featured: Songs, skits, and dance numbers
Revue Hybrids
A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
* Only the first act counts as a revue in this musical.
Music: Frank Lazarus, Various Lyrics/Book: Dick Vosburgh
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
What’s Featured: Hollywood songs of the 1930s
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Which of these musical revues is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above musical revues? 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, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.