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. And the most notable musicals of the decade are included below.
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1970 Musicals
Applause (1970)
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Company (1970)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: George Furth
Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Minnie’s Boys (1970)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Arthur Marx, Robert Fisher
Purlie (1970)
Music: Gary Geld Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose
The Last Sweet Days of Isaac (1970)
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
The Me Nobody Knows (1970)
Music: Gary William Friedman Lyrics: Will Holt Book: Livingston, Schapiro, Joseph
The Rothschilds (1970)
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Two by Two (1970)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Peter Stone
1971 Musicals
70, Girls, 70 (1971)
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Norman L. Martin
Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Micki Grant
Follies (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Goldman
Godspell (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Grease (1971)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
The Grass Harp (1971)
Music: Claibe Richardson Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971)
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics: John Guare Book: John Guare, Mel Shapiro
1972 Musicals
Don’t Play Us Cheap (1972)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Melvin Van Peebles
Pippin (1972)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Roger O. Hirson, Bob Fosse
Sugar (1972)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Peter Stone
1973 Musicals
A Little Night Music (1973)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Cyrano (1973)
Music: Michael J. Lewis Lyrics/Book: Anthony Burgess
Gigi (1973)
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Raisin (1973)
Music: Judd Woldin Lyrics: Robert Brittan Book: Robert B. Nemiroff, Charlotte Zaltzberg
Seesaw (1973)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Michael Bennett
The Rocky Horror Show (1973)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
1974 Musicals
Lorelei (1974)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Adolph Green, Betty Comden Book: Solms, Parent
Mack & Mabel (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Over Here! (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman Book: Will Holt
Shenandoah (1974)
Music: Gary Geld Lyrics: Peter Udell Book: Udell, Philip Rose, James Lee Barrett
The Frogs (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane
The Magic Show (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Bob Randall
The Wiz (1974)
Music/Lyrics: Smalls, Graphenreed, Wheeler, Faison, Vandross, Walzer Book: William Brown
1975 Musicals
A Chorus Line (1975)
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood Jr., Nicholas Dante
By Jeeves (1975)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Alan Ayckbourn
Chicago (1975)
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse
Goodtime Charley (1975)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Sidney Michaels
Philemon (1975)
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Snoopy!!! (1975)
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Lockhart, Whitelaw, Grac
The Robber Bridegroom (1975)
Music: Robert Waldman Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry
1976 Musicals
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976)
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Annie (1976)
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Thomas Meehan
Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Loften Mitchell
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Paul Williams Book: Alan Parker
Evita (1976)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Pacific Overtures (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Side by Side by Sondheim (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne
Starting Here, Starting Now (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Richard Maltby Jr., David Shire
1977 Musicals
I Love My Wife (1977)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Michael Stewart
The Act (1977)
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: George Furth
Working (1977)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Schwartz, Carnelia, Grant, M. Rodgers, Taylor, Birkenhead, Faso
1978 Musicals
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978)
Music: Fats Waller Lyrics: Various Book: Murray Horwitz, Richard Maltby Jr.
Ballroom (1978)
Music: Billy Goldenberg Lyrics: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman Book: Jerome Kass
I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road (1978)
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
On the Twentieth Century (1978)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Runaways (1978)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Elizabeth Swados
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978)
Music/Lyrics: Carol Hall Book: Larry L. King, Peter Masterson
The Grand Tour (1978)
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart, Mark Bramble
They’re Playing Our Song (1978)
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager Book: Neil Simon
1979 Musicals
A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine (1979)
Music: Frank Lazarus Lyrics/Book: Dick Vosburgh
One Mo’ Time (1979)
Music/Lyrics: Various Conceived by: Vernel Bagneris
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Tell Me on a Sunday (1979)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black
Tintypes (1979)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle
Other Decades
• Golden Age Musicals (1940 – 1959)
• Post-Golden Age Musicals (1960 – 1969)
• Musicals of the 1970s → You are here!
Want a weekly list of stagey surprises?!
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.
