Musicals Set in Italy – The Full List of Shows
Last Updated: May 6, 2025
From the canals of Venice to the streets of Rome, Italy has been the backdrop for many musicals over the years. Whether a show is entirely set in Italy, partially takes place there, or mentions the country in song, you’ll find it below. Here’s a full list of musicals set in Italy.
Post Contents:
Musicals Partially Set in Italy
Musicals Fully Set in Italy
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Setting: Italy (Rome)
Music: Milton Schafer Lyrics: Ronny Graham Book: A.J. Russell
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Setting: Italy (Rome)
Music: Burton Lane Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Setting: Italy
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Peter Stone, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Setting: Italy
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Setting: Italy (Venice)
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Arthur Kopit
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Setting: Italy (Venice)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Setting: Italy (Milan)
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel Book: Craig Lucas
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Setting: Italy
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics/Adaptation: John Guare Adaptation: Mel Shapiro
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Setting: Italy (Milan, Verona)
Musicals Partially Set in Italy
Music/Lyrics: Max Martin, Various Book: David West Read
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Setting: England, France (Paris), Italy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jay Kuo Book: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Setting: France, Italy, USA (California, Washington, D.C., Wyoming)
Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics: Dan Shapiro Book: Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Setting: Africa (Morocco), Italy, At Sea
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black, Charles Hart
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Setting: France, Italy
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)
Setting: Argentina, France (Paris), Italy, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, At Sea
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Gertrude Stein Book: Frank Galati
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Setting: France (Paris), Italy, USA (California, Illinois, Maryland)
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Romney Brent, Steve Mackes, Michael Whaley
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Setting: England, France (Neuville, Paris), Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey
Music: Edvard Grieg Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Milton Lazarus
Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)
Setting: Denmark, Italy, Norway
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Books: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Setting: France, Italy
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Matthew White, Howard Jacques
Musical Type: 1935 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Setting: England (London), Italy (Venice), USA (NYC)
Musicals That Mention Italy
Anything Can Happen in the Theater
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Concept: Gerard Alessandrini
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Song That Mentions Italy: “Cinema Italiano”
Music: Brad Carroll Lyrics/Book: Peter Sham
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Song That Mentions Italy: “Facciamo L’Amor”
Music/Lyrics: Billy Joel Concept: Twyla Tharp
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Song That Mentions Italy: “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Joseph Stein Revisions: David Thompson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Song That Mentions Italy: “Meet an Italian”
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Song That Mentions Italy: “To Build a Home”
Music/Lyrics/Book: Frank Loesser
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Song That Mentions Italy: “Sposalizio”
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Which of these musicals set in Italy is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above musicals set in Italy? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you enjoy exploring these lists, check out the musical database, where you can discover musicals organized by composer, theme, setting, and much 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 and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
