Musicals Set in the 1900s – The Full List of Shows
Whether you’re auditioning for musicals, setting up your rep book, or simply looking for some 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! Here’s the full list of musicals set in the 1900s.
The following list is broken down into two categories – “Musicals Fully Set in the 1900s” and “Musicals Partially Set in the 1900s”. Each category is sorted alphabetically.
* This post includes the years 1900-1909. For more recent dates, see the list at the bottom of the page.
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Musicals Fully Set in the 1900s
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Music/Lyrics: Steven Lutvak Lyrics/Book: Robert L. Freedman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Andrew Lippa Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Arthur Schwartz Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: George Abbott, Betty Smith
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: Norman Campbell Lyrics/Book: Donald Harron, Elaine Campbell, Mavor Moore
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Arthur Schwartz Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg Book: Nunnally Johnson
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: David Heneker Book: Beverley Cross
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz Book: Arnold Schulman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: 1944 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1989)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Albert Hague Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields, Sidney Sheldon, David Shaw
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Walter Kent Lyrics: Kim Gannon Book: Sally Benson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music/Lyrics: Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz Book: Fay Kanin, Michael Kanin
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Steven M. Alper Lyrics: Sarah Knapp Book: Mark Harelik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Music: Lucy Simon Lyrics/Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
When It’s Set: The 1900s
Musicals Partially Set in the 1900s
Music: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics: Jan Levy Tranen Book: Austin Pendleton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1940s
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1920s
Music/Lyrics: Paul Gordon Book: John Caird
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1900s
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1940s
Music: Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson Lyrics: Susan Birkenhead Book: George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1940s
Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Besoyan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Glenn Slater Book: Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Gertrude Stein Book: Frank Galati
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1930s
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Arthur Marx, Robert Fisher
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1920s
Music/Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: George Abbott
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1900s
Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston Book: Arthur Kopit
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1920s
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1930s
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
When It’s Set: 1880s-1920s
Music/Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray Book: Marsha Norman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1930s
Music: Jerome Moross Libretto: John Latouche
Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music/Lyrics: Meredith Willson Book: Richard Morris
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
When It’s Set: 1900s-1910s
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle, Mary Kyte
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
When It’s Set: 1890s-1900s
More Musicals by Setting
• Musicals set in the 1900s → You are here!
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Which of these musicals set in the 1900s 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 List. She holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.