50+ Musicals Set in California – The Full List of Shows
These musicals set in California take place fully or partially within the state, from Los Angeles and San Francisco to smaller towns and coastal communities. The list includes shows that use California as a central setting or feature the state in part of the story.
On This Page:
Musicals Fully Set in California
Musicals Partially Set in California
Musicals Fully Set in California
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
Creators: Alan Silvestri, Glen Ballard, and Bob Gale
Setting: California (Hill Valley)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Creators: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Setting: California
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)
Creators: Cy Coleman, David Zippel, and Larry Gelbart
Setting: California (Los Angeles)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Peter Duchan
Setting: California (San Francisco)
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green
Setting: California (Hollywood)
Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)
Creators: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, David Henry Hwang, and Joseph Fields
Setting: California (San Francisco)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1979)
Creators: Richard Rodgers, Martin Charnin, Raymond Jessel, and Thomas Meehan
Setting: California (San Francisco)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Lynn Nottage and Others
Setting: California (Los Angeles)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Creators: Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and John O’Farrell
Setting: California (San Francisco)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1991)
Creators: Charles Strouse, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Arthur Laurents
Setting: California (Hollywood)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Dan Goggin
Setting: California (Hollywood)
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Creators: Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner
Setting: California
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Creators: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Setting: California (Monterey)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Creators: Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Garry Marshall, and J.F. Lawton
Setting: California (Hollywood, Los Angeles)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2023)
Creators: Joy Huerta, Benjamin Velez, Lisa Loomer, and Nell Benjamin
Setting: California (Los Angeles)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Creators: Chris D’Arienzo and Others
Setting: California (Hollywood)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1983)
Creators: Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Adolph Green, and Betty Comden
Setting: California (Hollywood)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1986)
Creators: Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman
Setting: California (Santa Rosa)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1991)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton
Setting: California (Los Angeles)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1983)
Creators: Galt MacDermot and William Dumaresq
Setting: California
Musical Type: Contemporary (2026)
Creators: The Rescues, David Hornsby, Chris Hoch
Setting: California
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Creators: Frank Loesser
Setting: California (Napa, San Francisco)
Musicals Partially Set in California
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1985)
Creators: Michael Rupert and Jerry Colker
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1979)
Creators: Frank Lazarus, Dick Vosburgh, and Others
Setting: Ukraine, USA (California)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Jay Kuo, Marc Acito, and Lorenzo Thione
Setting: France, Italy, USA (California, Washington, D.C., Wyoming)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and Douglas McGrath
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan
Setting: England (London), USA (California)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Michael John LaChiusa
Setting: USA (California, Maine, Washington D.C.)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Creators: Tom Kitt, Michael Korie, and James Lapine
Setting: USA (California, Connecticut, Washington, D.C.)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Creators: Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman
Setting: Denmark, Germany, USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson, Susan Birkenhead, and George C. Wolfe
Setting: USA (California, Illinois, Louisiana, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe, and Heather Hach
Setting: USA (California, Massachusetts)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Creators: Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer
Setting: France (Paris), USA (California)
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Creators: Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh, and Neil Simon
Setting: France, Monte Carlo, USA (California, Illinois, New York)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Creators: William Finn and James Lapine
Setting: USA (California, New Mexico)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Kurt Weill, Alfred Uhry, and Others
Setting: Germany, USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty, Gertrude Stein, and Frank Galati
Setting: France (Paris), Italy, USA (California, Illinois, Maryland)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1974)
Creators: Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1981)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Berry Gordy and Others
Setting: Caribbean, England, France, USA (California, Michigan)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Miami Sound Machine, and Alexander Dinelaris
Setting: England (London), Spain, USA (California, Florida, Nevada, NYC, Washington, D.C.), Vietnam
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Creators: Guy Dubuc, Marc Lessard, and Andreas Carlsson
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Setting: Germany (Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), USA (California)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Creators: Kate Diaz and Tina Landau
Setting: USA (California, The Road)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
Setting: USA (California, Florida, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Creators: David Pomeranz, David Friedman, and Kathie Lee Gifford
Setting: Canada, China, USA (California)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Matthew López, and Amber Ruffin
Setting: Mexico, USA (California, Illinois)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1982)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Richard Maltby, Jr.
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Creators: Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Paul Jabara, Colman Domingo, Robert Cary, Des McAnuff, and Others
Setting: Germany, USA (California, Massachusetts, NYC)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1979)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)
Creators: David Heneker and Warner Brown
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Creators: Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz
Setting: USA (California, New Jersey, NYC), Fictional
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1978)
Creators: Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, and Neil Simon
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Ervin Drake, Budd Schulberg, and Stuart Schulberg
Setting: USA (California, NYC)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Jeff Lynne, John Farrar, and Douglas Carter Beane
Setting: Greece, USA (California)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Creators: Joseph Zellnik and David Zellnik
Setting: USA (California, Midwest)
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Creators: Gipsy Kings, John Cameron, Stephen Clark, and Helen Edmundson
Setting: Spain, USA (California)