Musicals of the 1970s – A Complete Ordered List
The musicals of the 1970s showed off a larger range of music genres and plots than the musicals that came before them. A few of the popular trends at the time included rock/folk music, Sondheim shows, religious themes, slightly experimental plots, and emerging cultural diversity.
The 1970s marked the beginning of the pre-contemporary musical theatre time period. 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 1970s”➝.
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Contents:
1970 Musicals
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: George Furth
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Arthur Marx, Robert Fisher
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Gary Geld Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Gary William Friedman Lyrics: Will Holt Book: Bob Livingston, Herb Schapiro
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
1971 Musicals
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: David Thompson, Norman L. Martin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Micki Grant
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Goldman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music: Helen Miller Lyrics: Eve Merriam
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music: Claibe Richardson Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics/Book: John Guare Book: Mel Shapiro
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
1972 Musicals
Music/Lyrics/Book: Melvin Van Peebles
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Roger O. Hirson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Music/Lyrics/Book: James McDonald, David Vos, Robert Gerlach Music: Ed Linderman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
1973 Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music: Michael J. Lewis Lyrics/Book: Anthony Burgess
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music: Judd Woldin Lyrics: Robert Brittan Book: Robert Nemiroff, Charlotte Zaltzberg
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Michael Bennett
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
1974 Musicals
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Leo Robin, Adolph Green, Betty Comden Book: Anita Loos, Joseph Fields, Kenny Solms, Gail Parent
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman Book: Will Holt
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music: Gary Geld Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell Book: Philip Rose, James Lee Barrett
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Bob Randall
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Charlie Smalls Book: William F. Brown
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
1975 Musicals
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Alan Ayckbourn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Bob Fosse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Sidney Michaels
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, Michael Grace
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Robert Waldman Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: John Williams Lyrics: James Harbert Book: Edward Anhalt
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
1976 Musicals
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: Various Book: Loften Mitchell Concept: Rosetta LeNoire
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Paul Williams Book: Alan Parker
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Tommy Butler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: David Shire Lyrics: Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
1977 Musicals
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: George Furth
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)
Songs: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor Songs/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz Adaptation: Nina Faso
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)
1978 Musicals
Music: Thomas “Fats” Waller Lyrics: Various Concept: Murray Horwitz, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Music: Billy Goldenberg Lyrics: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman Book: Jerome Kass
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Elizabeth Swados
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Music/Lyrics: Carol Hall Book: Larry L. King, Peter Masterson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart, Mark Bramble
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager Book: Neil Simon
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
1979 Musicals
A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine
Music: Frank Lazarus, Various Lyrics/Book: Dick Vosburgh
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin, Raymond Jessel Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music/Lyrics: Various Concept: Vernel Bagneris
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle, Mary Kyte
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Other Decades
• Golden Age Musicals (1940 – 1959)
• Post-Golden Age Musicals (1960 – 1969)
• Musicals of the 1970s → You are here!
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Which of these musicals of the 1970s is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of these 1970s 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.