Musicals by Leonard Bernstein – The Full List
Last Updated: May 7, 2025
Leonard Bernstein was not only a successful musical theatre composer, but also a pianist, lecturer, lifelong humanitarian, and internationally known conductor. He won 11 Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, 17 Grammys, and the Kennedy Center Honor. Here’s a full list of the legendary musicals by Leonard Bernstein, sorted chronologically.
Musicals by Leonard Bernstein
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)
On the Town premiered on Broadway in 1944 and resonated so much with audiences that a film adaptation quickly followed. The show’s popularity continued with several major revivals over the following years.
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Book: Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
Wonderful Town was a huge success for Leonard Bernstein and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. There were also a handful of major revivals of the show over the following years.
Music/Lyrics: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Richard Wilbur, John La Touche, Stephen Sondheim*, Dorothy Parker Book: John Caird*, Hugh Wheeler*, Lillian Hellman
* Writers who worked on the 1974/1999 revivals of the show
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Based on the 1759 novella, Candide initially opened to underwhelmed audiences. However, this operetta’s popularity ended up growing significantly over the years.
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
West Side Story was one of Bernstein’s biggest successes with six Tony Award nominations and an initial run of 732 performances. This was also Stephen Sondheim’s debut as lyricist. The musical continues to be incredibly popular to this day with seemingly non-stop revivals.
A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Music: Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, André Previn, Saul Chaplin, Roger Eden, Morton Gould
Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)
A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green is a musical revue featuring material written by Comden and Green. Music was provided by a handful of notable composers, including Leonard Bernstein.
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Unfortunately, Leonard Bernstein’s last Broadway show turned out to be a legendary flop. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ran for just seven performances, but a concert version of the score (A White House Cantata) was later recorded after his death.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring a wide range of showtunes written by Stephen Sondheim. “A Boy Like That/ I Have a Love” is included in the revue, which features music by Bernstein.
Additional Work by Bernstein
1943: A Cycle of 5 Kid Songs➝
1950: Peter Pan (play with music)➝
1951: “Silhouette”➝
1952: Trouble in Tahiti (opera)➝
1971: MASS (A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers)➝
1979: “Piccola Serenata”➝
1983: A Quiet Place (opera)➝
1988: “Arias and Barcarolles”➝
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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.
