Musicals of the 1920s – A Complete Ordered List
The musicals of the 1920s boasted glamorous showgirls, light-hearted shows, and larger-than-life dance numbers. A few of the popular trends at the time included jazz, Gershwin, Cole Porter, and romantic comedies.
The 1920s marked the beginning of the “jazz age” of musical theatre, which the pre Golden Age era of shows. And the most notable musicals of the decade are included below.
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Contents:
1920 Musicals
Music: Jerome Kern, Victor Herbert Lyrics: Grey, De Sylva, Wodehouse, Caldwell Book: Bolton
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1920)
1921 Musicals
Music: Eubie Blake Lyrics: Noble Sissle Book: F.E. Miller, Aubrey Lyles
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1921)
1922 Musicals
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: George Grossmith, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1922)
1924 Musicals
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1924)
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Donnelly
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1924)
1925 Musicals
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1925)
Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics/Book: Irving Caesar, Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
1926 Musicals
Music: Con Conrad Lyrics: Gus Kahn Book: Philip Bartholomae, Otto Harbach
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach Book: Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1926)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
1927 Musicals
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Paul Gerard Smith, Fred Thompson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics/Book: B.G. DeSylva Lyrics: Lew Brown Book: Laurence Schwab
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Laurence Schwab
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Operetta (1927)
1928 Musicals
Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Revue (1928)
Music: George Gershwin, Romberg Lyrics: Ira Gershwin, Wodehouse Book: McGuire, Bolton
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1928)
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Bertolt Brecht
Musical Type: Play with Music (1928)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Fred Thompson, Vincent Lawrence
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1928)
1929 Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)
More Musicals by Year
• Musicals of the 1920s → You are here!
• Golden Age Musicals (1940 – 1959)
• Post-Golden Age Musicals (1960 – 1969)
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Which of these musicals of the 1920s is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of these 1920s musicals? 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 has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.