Musical Lists

25+ Non Linear Musicals – The Full List of Shows

Nonlinear musicals break away from a traditional “start-to-finish” narrative. These musicals may use techniques like moving backward in time, jumping around between different points in the timeline, or blending past and present. Whether you’re researching or exploring new musicals, here’s a comprehensive list of nonlinear musicals, sorted alphabetically.


Non Linear Musicals

The following musicals are broken down into the following types of storytelling:


Back and Forth Timelines

The following musicals alternate between two or more timelines, jumping back and forth to reveal connections between them.


Bright Star

Music/Book: Steve Martin  Music/Lyrics: Edie Brickell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Timeline: Back and Forth


Fly By Night

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Timeline: Back and Forth


Follies

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: James Goldman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Timeline: Back and Forth


If/Then

Music: Tom Kitt  Lyrics/Book: Brian Yorkey

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Timeline: Back and Forth


Backwards Timelines

These musicals tell the story in reverse, starting at the end and moving backward, or incorporate this technique as part of the plot.


Merrily We Roll Along

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: George Furth

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Timeline: Backwards


The Last Five Years

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jason Robert Brown

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Timeline: Backwards/Forwards


Circular Narratives

These shows end the same way they began, suggesting the story is about to repeat itself.


Avenue Q

Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx  Book: Jeff Whitty

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Timeline: Circular


Chicago

Music: John Kander  Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb  Book: Bob Fosse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Timeline: Circular


Hadestown

Music/Lyrics/Book: Anaïs Mitchell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Timeline: Circular


On the Town

Music: Leonard Bernstein  Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)

Timeline: Circular


Collage-Style Musicals

These musicals are told through a fragmented collage of ideas, where the scenes are not necessarily in chronological order but come together to form a cohesive narrative.


Assassins

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Timeline: Non-Linear


Ghost Quartet

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Timeline: Mixed


Retrospective Narratives

These musicals begin towards the end of the story, where a character reflects on the events that led to that moment. The rest of the plot then unfolds linearly from the beginning.


Aspects of Love

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Don Black, Charles Hart

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Timeline: Retrospective


Blood Brothers

Music/Lyrics/Book: Willy Russell

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)

Timeline: Retrospective


City of Angels

Music: Cy Coleman  Lyrics: David Zippel  Book: Larry Gelbart

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Timeline: Retrospective


Dessa Rose

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Timeline: Retrospective


Evita

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)

Timeline: Retrospective


Fiorello!

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Timeline: Retrospective


Grey Gardens

Music: Scott Frankel  Lyrics: Michael Korie  Book: Doug Wright

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Timeline: Retrospective


Love Never Dies

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics/Book: Glenn Slater  Book: Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Timeline: Retrospective


Sunset Boulevard

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)

Timeline: Retrospective


Swept Away

Music/Lyrics: The Avett Brothers  Book: John Logan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

Timeline: Retrospective


The Phantom of the Opera

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

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)

Timeline: Retrospective


Wicked

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: Winnie Holzman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Timeline: Retrospective


Vignette-Driven Musicals

These musicals feature a series of vignettes where the scenes are not strictly presented in chronological order.


Company

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: George Furth

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Timeline: Vignette-Driven


Working

Music/Lyrics/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz  Music/Lyrics: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor  Adaptation: Nina Faso

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)

Timeline: Vignette-Driven


You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Music/Lyrics/Book: Clark Gesner  Additional Songs: Andrew Lippa

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)

Timeline: Vignette-Driven


Want to stay in the loop with all things related to musical theatre?

Sign up for Theatre Thursday.


Which of these non linear musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above non linear musicals? 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!


Stacy Karyn, Author of Non Linear Musicals.
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.


 

Leave a Reply