60+ Fascinating Musicals Based on True Stories
Do you ever watch or listen to a musical and wonder whether it was based on something that really happened? Well you’re in luck! Here’s a full list of all of the musicals based on true stories from every decade.
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Contents:
Jazz Age Musicals Based on True Stories
Jazz Age Musicals (1920-1939)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
What It’s Based On: American Revolutionary War/Mary Lindley Murray
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
What It’s Based On: The 1925 uprising of the Riffs in Morocco
Golden Age Musicals (1940-1959)
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)
Who It’s Loosely Based On: Annie Oakley and Frank E. Butler
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)
Who It’s Loosely Based On: Perle Mesta
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Jerome Weidman, George Abbott
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Who It’s Based On: Fiorello La Guardia
Music/Lyrics: Todd Matshikiza Lyrics: Pat Williams Book: Harry Bloom
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Who It’s Based On: Ezekiel Dlamini, aka “King Kong”
Post-Golden Age Musicals (1960s)
Music/Lyrics: Sherman Edwards Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
What It’s Based On: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lionel Bart Book: Joan Maitland
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
What It’s Based On: Lionel Bart’s Memories of WWII
Music: André Previn Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
Who It’s Based On: Coco Chanel
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Isobel Lennart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Who It’s Based On: Fanny Brice
Music/Lyrics: George M. Cohan Lyrics: Mary Cohan Book: Michael Stewart, John Pascal, Francine Pascal
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Who It’s Based On: George M. Cohan
Music/Lyrics: Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz Book: Arnold Schulman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Who It’s Based On: Jennie Malone and James O’Connor
Music/Lyrics: Bill Jacob, Patti Jacob Book: Melville Shavelson
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
Who It’s Based On: NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker
Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Who It’s Based On: Edmund Kean
Music/Lyrics/Book: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss Book: Morton DaCosta
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
What It’s Based On: The New York Draft Riots of 1863
1970s Musicals
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Who It’s Based On: Eva Perón
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Sidney Michaels
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Who It’s Based On: Joan of Arc/The Dauphin of France
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Who It’s Based On: Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Who It’s Based On: King Henry VIII
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager Book: Neil Simon
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Who It’s Based On: Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch
Music: John Williams Lyrics: James Harbert Book: Edward Anhalt
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Who It’s Based On: Thomas Becket and Henry II
1980s Musicals
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Michael Stewart Book: Mark Bramble
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Who It’s Based On: P. T. Barnum
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Richard Nelson
What It’s Loosely Based On: The 1972 Fischer-Spassky Chess Match
Music: Henry Krieger Lyrics/Book: Tom Eyen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
What It’s Based On: R&B success stories of the 1960s/70s
Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse Book: Warren Leight
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
Who It’s Based On: NYC Mayor Ed Koch
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema Music/Lyrics: Hugh Masekela
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)l
What It’s Loosely Based On: The Soweto Uprising in South Africa
Music/Lyrics: David Heneker Lyrics/Book: Warner Brown
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
What It’s Based On: The Silent Film Era
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Who It’s Based On: The Rothschild Family
1990s Musicals
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
What It’s Based On: William Finn’s experiences
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
What It’s Loosely Based On: First Ladies Throughout History
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel Book: Tina Landau
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
What It’s Based On: The story of Floyd Collins
Music: Barry Manilow Lyrics/Book: Bruce Sussman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Who It’s Based On: The Comedian Harmonists
Music: Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson Lyrics: Susan Birkenhead Book: George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Who It’s Based On: Jelly Roll Morton
Music: Taliep Petersen Lyrics/Book: David Kramer
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
What It’s Based On: The memories of Salie Daniels
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
What It’s Based On: Leo Frank’s 1913 Trial
Music: Henry Krieger Lyrics/Book: Bill Russell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Who It’s Based On: Daisy and Violet Hilton
Music/Lyrics/Book: Steve Brown Lyrics/Book: Justin Greene
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Who It’s Loosely Based On: Viv Nicholson
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
What It’s Based On: The RMS Titanic
Music/Book: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Jack Murphy Book: Gregory Boyd
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
What It’s Based On: The American Civil War
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
Who It’s Based On: Will Rogers
2000s Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: Linda Kline, Lonny Price
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Who It’s Based On: Edward Kleban
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Don Black Book: Ivan Menchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Who It’s Based On: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Who It’s Based On: Frank Abagnale
Music/Lyrics/Book: Christopher Curtis Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Who It’s Based On: Charlie Chaplin
Music: Scott Frankel Lyrics: Michael Korie Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Who It’s Based On: Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith Bouvier Beale
Music/Lyrics: Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt Music/Lyrics/Book: Tim Maner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Who It’s Based On: Lizzie Borden
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Various Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
What It’s Based On: The lives of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya
Music/Lyrics: David Bryan Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
What It’s Based On: Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Who It’s Based On: Addison and Wilson Mizner
Music: David Pomeranz, David Friedman Lyrics/Book: Kathie Lee Gifford
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Who It’s Based On: Aimee Semple McPherson
Music: Peter Rutherford Lyrics/Book: James Millar
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Who It’s Based On: Amber Murray
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Contemporary (1965/2005)
Who It’s Based On: Thomas John Barnardo
Music/Book: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: John Dempsey Lyrics/Book: Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Who It’s Based On: Gráinne O’Malley
2010s Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
What It’s Based On: “What I Did For Love” from This American Life
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jay Kuo Book: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
What It’s Based On: World War II/Internment of Japanese Americans
Music/Lyrics/Book: Christopher Smith Book: Arthur Giron
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Who It’s Based On: John Newton
Music/Lyrics: Gary Barlow Book: Tim Firth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
What It’s Based On: The Fundraising of the “Calendar Girls”
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Hodge Book: Michael Hodge
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
What It’s Based On: The presidency of Bill Clinton
Music/Lyrics/Book: Irene Sankoff, David Hein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
What It’s Based On: The town of Gander on September 11, 2001
Music/Lyrics: David Bryan Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Who It’s Based On: Diana, Princess of Wales
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Who It’s Based On: Jamie Campbell
Music/Lyrics: Michael John La Chiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
What It’s Loosely Based On: First Daughters Throughout History
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Book: Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
What It’s Based On: The New Jersey Nets’ first 60+ dance team
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
What It’s Based On: The Life of Alexander Hamilton
Music: David Arnold Lyrics: Richard Thomas Book: Richard Bean
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
What It’s Based On: The 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike
Music: George Fenton, Simon Chamberlain Lyrics: Don Black Book: Terry Johnson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
What It’s Based On: Laura Henderson and London’s Windmill Theatre
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Christenson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Who It’s Based On: Edgar Allan Poe
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Jack Feldman Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
What It’s Based On: The 1899 Newsboys Strike in NYC
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Who It’s Based On: Annie Edson Taylor
Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Who It’s Based On: The six wives of Henry VIII
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
What It’s Based On: The 1963 Profumo affair
Music/Lyrics: John Kander, Fred Ebb Book: David Thompson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
What It’s Based On: The Scottsboro Boys Trial
Music/Lyrics/Book: Max Vernon
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
What It’s Based On: The 1973 attack at the UpStairs Lounge
Music/Lyrics/Book: Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
What It’s Based On: Matthews and Gould’s experiences
2020s Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Neil Diamond Book: Anthony McCarten
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Who It’s Based On: Neil Diamond
Music/Lyrics: Bob Marley Book: Lee Hall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Who It’s Based On: Bob Marley
Music: Jacob Yandura Lyrics/Book: Rebekah Greer Melocik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
What It’s Based On: The documentary How to Dance in Ohio
Music/Lyrics: Nick Butcher Lyrics: Tom Ling Book: Joe White
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Who It’s Based On: Henry Fraser
Music: William Patrick Harrison Lyrics/Book: Maryhee Yoon, Cara Baldwin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Who It’s Based On: Iva Toguri D’Aquino
Music/Lyrics: Ari Afsar Book: Lauren M. Gunderson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
Who It’s Based On: Jeannette Rankin
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Do you know of any other great musicals based on true stories?
Or have you seen/listened to any of the musicals based on true stories above? Let us know 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.