17 Musicals Set in Africa – The Full List of Shows
Whether you’re doing some research, putting on a show, or simply looking for new musicals to get into, it’s good to get familiar with what’s out there. And that’s why we’ve put together this list for you! A full list of musicals set in Africa are included below.
This list is broken down into three categories – “Musicals Fully Set in Africa”, “Musicals Partially Set in Africa”, and “Musicals Set in Egypt“. Each category is sorted alphabetically.
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Musicals Fully Set in Africa
Music/Lyrics: Fela Kuti Book: Bill T. Jones, Jim Lewis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Setting: Africa (Nigeria)
Music: Taliep Petersen Lyrics/Book: David Kramer
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Setting: Africa (South Africa)
Music/Lyrics: Todd Matshikiza Lyrics: Pat Williams Book: Harry Bloom
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Setting: Africa (South Africa)
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Setting: Africa (South Africa)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema Music/Lyrics: Hugh Masekela
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)
Setting: Africa (South Africa)
Music/Lyrics: Phil Collins Book: David Henry Hwang
Musical Type: 1999 Film/Contemporary Musical (2006)
Setting: Africa
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Setting: Africa (Northern)
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Rodger Allers, Irene Mecchi
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Setting: Africa
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Howard Da Silva, Felix Leon
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Setting: Africa (South Africa)
Musicals Partially Set in Africa
Music: Andrew Lippa Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Setting: Africa / England (London)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Christopher Smith Book: Arthur Giron
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Setting: Africa / England
Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics: Dan Shapiro Book: Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Setting: Africa (Morocco) / Italy / At Sea
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Peter Stone, Timothy S. Mayer
Musical Type: Jazz Age/Pre-Contemporary (1983)
Setting: Africa (Morocco) / USA (NYC)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Setting: Africa (Uganda) / USA (Utah)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Setting: Africa (Uganda) / USA (NYC)
Musicals Set in Egypt
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, David Henry Hwang
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Setting: Egypt
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1968)
Setting: Egypt / Canaan
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Philip LaZebnik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Setting: Egypt
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Which of these musicals set in Africa is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above musicals set in Africa? 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 holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.