Musical Lists

Musicals of the 1950s – The Full List of Shows

The musicals of the 1950s played a huge role in popular culture at the time. A few of the popular musical theatre trends included feel-good shows, book musicals, Rodgers & Hammerstein, comedies, love stories, French culture, and big dance numbers.

The 1950s is also a part of the “golden age” of musical theatre. Here’s the full list of musicals that premiered during the decade. And to enhance your researching experience, you can pop on Theatre Trip’s Spotify playlist while scrolling – “The Best Musical Songs of the Golden Age”➝.


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Contents:

1950 Musicals

1951 Musicals

1952 Musicals

1953 Musicals

1954 Musicals

1955 Musicals

1956 Musicals

1957 Musicals

1958 Musicals

1959 Musicals


1950 Musicals

Call Me Madam

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)


Guys and Dolls

Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser  Book: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)


Out of This World

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Dwight Taylor, Reginald Lawrence

Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)


1951 Musicals

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Music: Arthur Schwartz  Lyrics: Dorothy Fields  Book: George Abbott, Betty Smith

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


Flahooley

Music: Sammy Fain  Lyrics/Book: Yip Harburg  Book: Fred Saidy

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


Paint Your Wagon

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


Seventeen

Music: Walter Kent  Lyrics: Kim Gannon  Book: Sally Benson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


The King and I

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


Top Banana

Music/Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Hy Kraft

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


Two on the Aisle

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)


1952 Musicals

Hans Christian Andersen

Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser  Book: John Fearnley, Beverly Cross, Tommy Steele

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)


New Faces of 1952

Music/Lyrics: Various

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)


Three Wishes for Jamie

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Blane  Book: Charles O’Neal, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)


Two’s Company

Music: Vernon Duke  Lyrics: Ogden Nash, Sammy Cahn  Sketches: Charles Sherman, Peter DeVries

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)


Wish You Were Here

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Arthur Kober, Joshua Logan

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)


1953 Musicals

Can-Can

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


Hazel Flagg

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics: Bob Hilliard  Book: Ben Hecht

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


Kismet

Music: Alexander Borodin  Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Charles Lederer, Luther Davis

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


Me and Juliet

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


The Boy Friend

Music/Lyrics/Book: Sandy Wilson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


Wonderful Town

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)


1954 Musicals

By the Beautiful Sea

Music: Arthur Schwartz  Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields  Book: Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


Fanny

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: S.N. Behrman, Joshua Logan

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


House of Flowers

Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen  Lyrics/Book: Truman Capote

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


Peter Pan

Music: Moose Charlap, Jule Styne  Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, Adolph Green  Book: J.M. Barrie

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


Salad Days

Music/Lyrics/Book: Julian Slade  Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Reynolds

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


The Girl in Pink Tights

Music: Sigmund Romberg  Lyrics: Leo Robin  Book: Jerome Chodorov, Joseph Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


The Golden Apple

Music: Jerome Moross  Lyrics/Book: John La Touche

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


The Pajama Game

Music/Lyrics: Richard Adler, Jerry Ross  Book: George Abbott, Richard Bissell

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)


1955 Musicals

Ankles Aweigh

Music: Sammy Fain  Lyrics: Dan Shapiro  Book: Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


Damn Yankees

Music/Lyrics: Richard Adler, Jerry Ross  Book: George Abbott, Douglass Wallop

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


Saturday Night

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Julius J. Epstein

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955) / Pre-Contemporary (1997)


Pipe Dream

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


Plain and Fancy

Music: Albert Hague  Lyrics: Arnold Horwitt  Book: Joseph Stein, Will Glickman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


Seventh Heaven

Music: Victor Young  Lyrics/Book: Stella Unger  Book: Victor Wolfson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


Silk Stockings

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)


1956 Musicals

Bells Are Ringing

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


Candide

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)


Chrysanthemum

Music: Robb Stewart  Lyrics/Book: Neville Phillips, Robin Chancellor

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


Happy Hunting

Music: Harold Karr  Lyrics: Matt Dubey  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


Irma La Douce

Music: Marguerite Monnot  Lyrics/Book: Alexandre Breffort, Julian More, David Heneker, Monty Norman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


Li’l Abner

Music: Gene de Paul  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


Mr. Wonderful

Music/Lyrics: Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George Weiss  Book: Joseph Stein, Will Glickman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


My Fair Lady

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


The Most Happy Fella

Music/Lyrics/Book: Frank Loesser

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)


1957 Musicals

Free As Air

Music/Lyrics/Book: Julian Slade  Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Reynolds

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


Jamaica

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics/Book: Yip Harburg  Book: Fred Saidy

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


New Girl in Town

Music/Lyrics: Bob Merrill  Book: George Abbott

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


Simply Heavenly

Music: David Martin  Lyrics/Book: Langston Hughes

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


The Music Man

Music/Lyrics/Book: Meredith Willson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


West Side Story

Music: Leonard Bernstein  Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Arthur Laurents

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)


1958 Musicals

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)


Flower Drum Song

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II  Book: David Henry Hwang, Joseph Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


Goldilocks

Music: Leroy Anderson  Lyrics: Joan Ford  Lyrics/Book: Jean Kerr, Walter Kerr

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


Oh, Captain!

Music/Lyrics: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans  Book: Al Morgan, José Ferrer

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


Say, Darling

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green  Book: Abe Burrows, Marian & Richard Bissell

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


The Body Beautiful

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Joseph Stein, Will Glickman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


Valmouth

Music/Lyrics/Book: Sandy Wilson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


Whoop-Up

Music: Moose Charlap  Lyrics: Norman Gimbel  Book: Cy Feuer, Ernest Martin, Dan Cushman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)


1959 Musicals

Destry Rides Again

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Leonard Gershe

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Fiorello!

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


First Impressions

Music/Lyrics: George Weiss, Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton  Book: Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Gypsy

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Arthur Laurents

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Juno

Music/Lyrics: Marc Blitzstein  Book: Joseph Stein

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


King Kong

Music/Lyrics: Todd Matshikiza  Lyrics: Pat Williams  Book: Harry Bloom

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Little Mary Sunshine

Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Besoyan

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Lock Up Your Daughters

Music: Laurie Johnson  Lyrics: Lionel Bart  Book: Bernard Miles

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Once Upon a Mattress

Music: Mary Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Marshall Barer  Book: Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Pieces of Eight

Music/Lyrics: Laurie Johnson  Sketches: Peter Cook

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Redhead

Music: Albert Hague  Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields  Book: Herbert Fields, Sidney Sheldon, David Shaw

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Saratoga

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Morton DaCosta

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Take Me Along

Music/Lyrics: Bob Merrill  Book: Joseph Stein, Robert Russell

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


The Nervous Set

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


The Sound of Music

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)


Other Decades

Musicals of the 1920s

Musicals of the 1930s

Musicals of the 1940s

• Musicals of the 1950s → You are here!

Musicals of the 1960s

Musicals of the 1970s

Musicals of the 1980s

Musicals of the 1990s

Musicals of the 2000s

Musicals of the 2010s

Musicals of the 2020s


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Which of these musicals of the 1950s is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of these 1950s 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!


Stacy Karyn, Author of Musicals of the 1950s.
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.


 

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