85+ Musicals About Death – The Full List of Shows
These musicals about death explore grief, mortality, and the impact of loss on the living. The list includes shows where death is central to the story or plays a significant role in at least one major character’s journey.
Musicals About Death
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1994)
Creators: Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens, and Mike Ockrent
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Creators: Edward Kleban, Linda Kline, and Lonny Price
Genre: Biography
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman
Genre: Comedy / Mystery
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
Creators: Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen, Rachel Axler, and Kait Kerrigan
Genre: Mystery
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Jill Santoriello
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Joshua Schmidt and Jason Loewith
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Duncan Sheik and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1990)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
Genre: Drama / Historical
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1978)
Creators: Billy Goldenberg, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Jerome Kass
Genre: Drama / Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Creators: Eddie Perfect, Scott Brown, and Anthony King
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Michael John LaChiusa
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Andrew Lippa and John August
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1983)
Creators: Willy Russell
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn, Don Black, and Ivan Menchell
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Creators: Buddy Holly, Alan Janes, and Others
Genre: Biography
Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)
Creators: Vernon Duke, John La Touche, and Lynn Root
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)
Creators: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Genre: Drama / Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Rupert Holmes
Genre: Mystery
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Creators: Jule Styne, Yip Harburg, and Nunnally Johnson
Genre: Comedy / Satire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Creators: Julia Mattison, Noel Carey, and Marco Pennette
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn, Jack Murphy, and Ivan Menchell
Genre: Fantasy / Thriller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Creators: Maury Yeston, Peter Stone, and Thomas Meehan
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton
Genre: Fantasy / Horror / Thriller
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Creators: Janet Hood and Bill Russell
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Creators: George Reinblatt, Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, and Melissa Morris
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror / Parody
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Genre: Biography / Drama / Historical
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1990)
Creators: William Finn and James Lapine
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: William Finn and James Lapine
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1994)
Creators: Adam Guettel and Tina Landau
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, and Michael Mitnick
Genre: Dark Comedy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Creators: Tom Kitt, Michael Korie, and James Lapine
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Creators: Stuart Ross and Others
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Mark Baron and Jeffrey Jackson
Genre: Drama / Horror / Thriller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Creators: Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard, and Bruce Joel Rubin
Genre: Fantasy / Romance / Thriller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Dave Malloy
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Anaïs Mitchell
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Creators: Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy
Genre: Dark Comedy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and David Ives
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Satire
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1986)
Creators: Rob Bowman and David H. Bell
Genre: Comedy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Larry Buttrose, Kathryn Riding, and Others
Genre: Comedy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Creators: The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher
Genre: Autobiography
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Foster
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson, Susan Birkenhead, and George C. Wolfe
Genre: Biography
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Creators: Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1995)
Creators: Andrew Lippa and Tommy Greenwald
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Frank Galati
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)
Creators: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, and Jean-Marc Natel
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Creators: William Finn and James Lapine
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1982)
Creators: Alan Menken and Howard Ashman
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Creators: Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Creators: Howard Goodall and Stephen Clark
Genre: Drama / Romance
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1988)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
Genre: Comedy / Mystery
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Creators: George Stiles, Paul Leigh, and Claire Luckham
Genre: Drama / Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Creators: Jeff Blim, Nick Lang, and Matt Lang
Genre: Comedy / Horror
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Creators: Jonathan Christenson
Genre: Biography / Horror
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Creators: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1985)
Creators: Dan Goggin
Genre: Comedy
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Creators: Charles Chilton, Theatre Workshop, Inc., and Others
Genre: Satire
Musical Type: Opera (1935)
Creators: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Dorothy Heyward
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Creators: Kate Diaz and Tina Landau
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1996)
Creators: Jonathan Larson
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond
Genre: Dark Comedy / Fantasy / Horror
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Leslie Bricusse
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1972)
Creators: James McDonald, David Vos, Robert Gerlach, and Ed Linderman
Genre: Comedy / Mystery / Spoof
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Creators: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Creators: Tom Kitt and John Logan
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1979)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: The Avett Brothers and John Logan
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman, and Rick Elice
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Timothy Allen McDonald
Genre: Drama / Historical
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Creators: Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen, and Mariana Elder
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Creators: Darren Clark and Jethro Compton
Genre: Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Creators: Martin Silvestri and Joel Higgins
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1974)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Nathan Lane
Genre: Fantasy / Satire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Creators: Peter Rutherford and James Millar
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1983)
Creators: Galt MacDermot and William Dumaresq
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: John Kander and Greg Pierce
Genre: Drama / Fantasy
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Creators: Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Benjamin Scheuer
Genre: Autobiography
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Creators: Elton John, Tim Rice, Roger Allers, and Irene Mecchi
Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Ingrid Michaelson and Bekah Brunstetter
Genre: Romance
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Creators: Justin Levine, Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance, and Adam Rapp
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Creators: Stephen Schwartz and Philip LaZebnik
Genre: Drama / Religious
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1991)
Creators: Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Neil Bartram and Brian Hill
Genre: Drama
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Creators: John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Zippel, and Charlotte Jones
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Musical Type: Late 20th Century/Contemporary (1990/2001)
Creators: Jonathan Larson
Genre: Autobiography / Drama
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Creators: Maury Yeston and Peter Stone
Genre: Drama / Historical
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman
Genre: Drama