Musical Lists

Musicals Set in the 1800s – The Full List of Shows

Last Updated: May 25, 2025

Musicals set in the 1800s bring history to life with sweeping stories, rich period details, and timeless themes. From grand romances to political revolutions, these shows capture the spirit of the 19th century. Here’s the full list of musicals set in the 1800s.


Post Contents:

Musicals Fully Set in the 1800s

Musicals Partially Set in the 1800s



A Christmas Carol

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens  Book: Mike Ockrent

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Annie Get Your Gun

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Baker Street

Music/Lyrics: Marian Grudeff, Raymond Jessel  Book: Jerome Coopersmith  Additional Songs: Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Barnum

Music: Cy Coleman  Lyrics: Michael Stewart  Book: Mark Bramble

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Beauty and the Beast

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice  Book: Linda Woolverton

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Big River

Music/Lyrics: Roger Miller  Book: William Hauptman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Bloomer Girl

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics: Yip Harburg  Book: Sig Herzig, Fred Saidy

Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Calamity Jane

Music: Sammy Fain  Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster  Adaptation: Ronald Hanmer, Phil Park

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

When It’s Set: The 1870s


Can-Can

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Carousel

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)

When It’s Set: The 1870s-1880s


Charlotte Sweet

Music: Gerald Jay Markoe  Lyrics: Michael Colby

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Desperate Measures

Music: David Friedman  Lyrics/Book: Peter Kellogg

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

When It’s Set: The Late 1800s


Dessa Rose

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

When It’s Set: The 1840s


Destry Rides Again

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Leonard Gershe

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Doctor Dolittle

Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Dracula

Music: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Ernest in Love

Music: Lee Pockriss  Lyrics/Book: Anne Croswell

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


First Impressions

Music/Lyrics: George Weiss, Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton  Book: Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

When It’s Set: The 1810s


Hans Christian Andersen

Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser  Book: John Fearnley, Beverly Cross, Tommy Steele

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)

When It’s Set: The 1830s


Hello, Dolly!

Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman  Book: Michael Stewart

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


I and Albert

Music: Charles Strouse  Lyrics: Lee Adams  Book: Jay Presson Allen

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Jane Eyre

Music/Lyrics: Paul Gordon  Lyrics/Book: John Caird

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Jekyll & Hyde

Music: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Kean

Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Peter Stone

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Les Misérables

Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg  Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Little Women

Music: Jason Howland  Lyrics: Mindi Dickstein  Book: Allan Knee

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Lizzie

Music/Lyrics: Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt  Music/Lyrics/Book: Tim Maner

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Maggie Flynn

Music/Lyrics/Book: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George Weiss  Book: Morton DaCosta

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Marie Christine

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Miss Liberty

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Robert E. Sherwood

Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)

When It’s Set: The 1880s


Moulin Rouge!

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: John Logan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

When It’s Set: The 1810s


Nevermore

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Christenson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Newsies

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Jack Feldman  Book: Harvey Fierstein

Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Oliver!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Lionel Bart

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Pacific 1860

Music/Lyrics/Book: Noël Coward

Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Pacific Overtures

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)

When It’s Set: The 1850s-1860s


Paint Your Wagon

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)

When It’s Set: The 1850s


Passion

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Pickwick

Music: Cyril Ornadel  Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse  Book: Wolf Mankowitz

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)

When It’s Set: The 1820s


Robert and Elizabeth

Music: Ron Grainer  Lyrics/Book: Ronald Millar

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

When It’s Set: The 1840s


Saratoga

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Morton DaCosta

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

When It’s Set: The 1880s


Scrooge!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Music/Lyrics: Gene de Paul, Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Lawrence Kasha, David Landay

Musical Type: 1954 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1982)

When It’s Set: The 1850s


Shenandoah

Music: Gary Geld  Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell  Book: Philip Rose, James Lee Barrett

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Song of Norway

Music: Edvard Grieg  Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Milton Lazarus

Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


Spring Awakening

Music: Duncan Sheik  Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


St. Louis Woman

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen

Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Sweeney Todd

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Hugh Wheeler

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

When It’s Set: The 1840s


Tenderloin

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: George Abbott, Jerome Weidman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


The Civil War

Music/Book: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics: Jack Murphy  Book: Gregory Boyd

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


The Count of Monte Cristo

Music: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics/Book: Jack Murphy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


The Girl in Pink Tights

Music: Sigmund Romberg  Lyrics: Leo Robin  Book: Jerome Chodorov, Joseph Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


The Hatpin

Music: Peter Rutherford  Lyrics/Book: James Millar

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


The King and I

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


The Likes of Us

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Contemporary (1965/2005)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Music/Lyrics/Book: Rupert Holmes

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

When It’s Set: The 1860s


The Phantom of the Opera

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Charles Hart  Lyrics/Book: Richard Stilgoe

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)

When It’s Set: The 1880s


The Pirates of Penzance

Music: Arthur Sullivan  Lyrics: W.S. Gilbert

Musical Type: Opera (1879)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


The Threepenny Opera

Music: Kurt Weill  Lyrics/Book: Bertolt Brecht

Musical Type: Opera (1928)

When It’s Set: The 1830s


The Trail to Oregon!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jeff Blim  Book: Matt Lang, Nick Lang

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

When It’s Set: The 1840s


The Woman in White

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: David Zippel  Book: Charlotte Jones

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

When It’s Set: The 1800s


Three Wishes for Jamie

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Blane  Book: Charles O’Neal, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Tuck Everlasting

Music: Chris Miller  Lyrics: Nathan Tysen  Book: Claudia Shear, Tim Federle

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

When It’s Set: The 1890s


Walking Happy

Music: James Van Heusen  Lyrics: Sammy Cahn  Book: Roger O. Hirson, Ketti Frings

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

When It’s Set: The 1880s


Where’s Charley?

Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser  Book: George Abbott

Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)

When It’s Set: The 1890s



Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman  Book: Alex Timbers

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

When It’s Set: 1770s-1830s


Chaplin

Music/Lyrics/Book: Christopher Curtis  Book: Thomas Meehan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

When It’s Set: 1890s, 1910s, 1930s, 1950s


George M!

Music/Lyrics: George M. Cohan  Lyrics: Mary Cohan  Book: Michael Stewart, John Pascal, Francine Pascal

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)

When It’s Set: 1880s-1930s


Gigi

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1910s


Hamilton

Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

When It’s Set: 1700s-1800s


I Do! I Do!

Music: Harvey Schmidt  Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1940s


Jelly’s Last Jam

Music: Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson  Lyrics: Susan Birkenhead  Book: George C. Wolfe

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1940s


Legacy – Two Song Cycles

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)

When It’s Set: 1850s, 1940s, 1950s


Loving Repeating

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics: Gertrude Stein  AdaptationFrank Galati

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1930s


Parade

Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown  Book: Alfred Uhry

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

When It’s Set: 1860s, 1910s


Road Show

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1930s


Romance/Romance

Music: Keith Herrmann  Lyrics/Book: Barry Harman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)

When It’s Set: 1800s, 1980s


Show Boat

Music: Jerome Kern  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)

When It’s Set: 1880s-1920s


Sunday in the Park with George

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

When It’s Set: 1800s, 1980s


Swept Away

Music/Lyrics: The Avett Brothers  Book: John Logan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

When It’s Set: 1880s, 1900s


The Rothschilds

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Sherman Yellen

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

When It’s Set: 1700s-1810s


The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Music/Lyrics: Meredith Willson  Book: Richard Morris

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

When It’s Set: 1880s, 1910s


Through the Years

Music: Vincent Youmans  Lyrics: Edward Heyman  Book: Brian Hooker

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1932)

When It’s Set: 1870s, 1910s


Tintypes

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle, Mary Kyte

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

When It’s Set: 1890s-1910s


Wuthering Heights

Music/Lyrics/Book: Bernard J. Taylor

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

When It’s Set: 1770s-1800s


Zorro

Music: Gipsy Kings, John Cameron  Lyrics/Book: Stephen Clark  Book: Helen Edmundson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

When It’s Set: 1790s-1810s



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Which of these musicals set in the 1800s is your favorite?

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Author: Stacy Karyn

Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album ListShe holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.

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