Musical Lists

27+ Musicals About New York City – The Full List

Sometimes it just feels good to watch or listen to a musical that’s emitting those NYC vibes. So we’ve put together a list of our favorites! And sure there are many other musicals that are set in New York. But the following are musicals about New York. These are ones that fully capture the vibe of the city’s past and present, sorted alphabetically.

Here’s Theatre Trip’s matching Spotify playlist – “Broadway’s Ode to NYC”➝.


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Musicals About NYC

42nd Street

Music: Harry Warren  Lyrics: Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer  Book: Michael Stewart, Mark Bramble

Musical Type: 1933 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1980)

Songs About NYC: “42nd Street”, “Lullaby of Broadway”


A Bronx Tale

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Glenn Slater  Book: Chazz Palminteri

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Songs About NYC: “Belmont Avenue”


Annie

Music: Charles Strouse  Lyrics: Martin Charnin  Book: Thomas Meehan

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)

Songs About NYC: “NYC”


BKLYN: The Musical

Music/Lyrics/Book: Mark Schoenfeld, Barri McPherson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Songs About NYC: “Brooklyn in the Blood”, “Madison Square Garden”


Company

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: George Furth

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Songs About NYC: “Another Hundred People”


Hamilton

Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Songs About NYC: “Alexander Hamilton”


Hello, Dolly!

Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman  Book: Michael Stewart

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Songs About NYC: “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”


In the Heights

Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda  Book: Quiara Alegría Hudes

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Songs About NYC: “In the Heights”


In Transit

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Songs About NYC: “Deep Beneath the City”


Jimmy

Music/Lyrics: Bill Jacob, Patti Jacob  Book: Melville Shavelson

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)

Songs About NYC: “The Darlin’ of New York”, “Riverside Drive”


Legacy – Two Song Cycles

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)

Songs About NYC: “Columbus Circle”, “Windy Day on Coney Island”


Mayor

Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse  Book: Warren Leight

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Songs About NYC: “You Can Be a New Yorker Too!”, “The Last I Love New York Song”


New York, New York

Music/Lyrics: John Kander, Fred Ebb  Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda  Book: David Thompson, Sharon Washington

Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)

Songs About NYC: “Morning in New York”, “New York in the Rain”, & Others


Newsies

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Jack Feldman  Book: Harvey Fierstein

Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)

Songs About NYC: “King of New York”, “Brooklyn’s Here”


I Love You Because

Music: Joshua Salzman  Lyrics: Ryan Cunningham

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Songs About NYC: “Another Saturday Night in New York”


If/Then

Music: Tom Kitt  Lyrics/Book: Brian Yorkey

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Songs About NYC: “A Map of New York”, “Ain’t No Man Manhattan”


On The Town

Music: Leonard Bernstein  Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)

Songs About NYC: “New York, New York”, “Times Square Ballet”, “The Real Coney Island”


Ordinary Days

Music/Lyrics: Adam Gwon

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Songs About NYC: “Saturday at the Met”, “Hundred Story City”, “Calm”


Seesaw

Music: Cy Coleman  Lyrics: Dorothy Fields  Book: Michael Bennett

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)

Songs About NYC: “My City”


Subways Are For Sleeping

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Songs About NYC: “Ride Through the Night”


Tenderloin

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: George Abbott, Jerome Weidman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

Songs About NYC: “Little Old New York”


The Nervous Set

Music: Tommy Wolf  Lyrics: Fran Landesman  Book: Jay Landesman, Theodore J. Flicker

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Songs About NYC: “New York”


The New Yorkers

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1930)

Songs About NYC: “I Happen to Like New York”, “Take Me Back to Manhattan”


Thoroughly Modern Millie

Music: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: Dick Scanlan  Book: Richard Morris

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Songs About NYC: “Only in New York”, “Not For the Life of Me”


Tick, Tick…BOOM!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Contemporary (1990/2001)

Songs About NYC: “Boho Days”, “No More”, “Sunday”


[title of show]

Music/Lyrics: Jeff Bowen  Book: Hunter Bell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Songs About NYC: “Two Nobodys in New York”


Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Barne, Kit Buchan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Songs About NYC: “New York”, “This Is The Place”


Wonderful Town

Music: Leonard Bernstein  Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green  Book: Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)

Songs About NYC: “Christopher Street”, “Conquering New York”


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Do you know of any other great musicals about New York City?

We would be excited to hear about them in the comments below! And if you’re now craving some extra New York City feelings, you should check out our new “Broadway New York City Vibes Spotify playlist”! It’s filled with amazing musical numbers that capture those big city vibes.


Stacy Karyn, Author of Musicals About New York.
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.


 

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