Musical Lists

70+ Obscure Musicals That You Might Not Know

Looking for a musical that’s off the beaten path? From hidden gems to lesser-known productions, these shows are not the most widely known in the theatre community. But that doesn’t make them any less remarkable—some are even my own personal favorites! Here’s the full list of obscure musicals, sorted by time period.


Post Contents:

Obscure Jazz Age Musicals

Obscure Golden Age Musicals

Obscure 1960s Musicals

Obscure 1970s Musicals

Obscure 1980s Musicals

Obscure 1990s Musicals

Obscure 2000s Musicals

Obscure 2010s Musicals



Happy End

Music: Kurt Weill  Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht  Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Michael Feingold

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)

Genre: Melodrama


Jumbo

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Lorenz Hart  Book: Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1935)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Kitty’s Kisses

Music: Con Conrad  Lyrics: Gus Kahn  Book: Philip Bartholomae, Otto Harbach

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Life Begins at 8:40

Music: Harold Arlen  Lyrics: Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)

Genre: Revue


The Girl Friend

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Lorenz Hart  Book: Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Through the Years

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

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1932)

Genre: Romance



A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green  Music: Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, André Previn, Saul Chaplin, Roger Eden, Morton Gould

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)

Genre: Revue


Bloomer Girl

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)

Genre: Dramedy


By the Beautiful Sea

Music: Arthur Schwartz  Lyrics/Book: Dorothy Fields  Book: Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Chrysanthemum

Music: Robb Stewart  Lyrics/Book: Neville Phillips, Robin Chancellor

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)

Genre: Melodrama


First Impressions

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Romance


Hans Christian Andersen

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)

Genre: Fairy Tale


Happy Hunting

Music: Harold Karr  Lyrics: Matt Dubey  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Lock Up Your Daughters

Music: Laurie Johnson  Lyrics: Lionel Bart  Book: Bernard Miles

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Farce


Look Ma, I’m Dancin’!

Music/Lyrics: Hugh Martin  Book: Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee

Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)

Genre: Farce


Magdalena

Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos  Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Homer Curran

Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)

Genre: Adventure


New Faces of 1952

Music/Lyrics: Various

Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)

Genre: Revue


New Girl in Town

Music/Lyrics: Bob Merrill  Book: George Abbott

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)

Genre: Romantic Dramedy


Oh, Captain!

Music/Lyrics: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans  Book: Al Morgan, José Ferrer

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)

Genre: Comedy


Seventh Heaven

Music: Victor Young  Lyrics/Book: Stella Unger  Book: Victor Wolfson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Simply Heavenly

Music: David Martin  Lyrics/Book: Langston Hughes

Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)

Genre: Dramedy


Take Me Along

Music/Lyrics: Bob Merrill  Book: Joseph Stein, Robert Russell

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Dramedy


Texas, Li’l Darlin’

Music: Robert Emmett Dolan  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: John Whedon, Sam Moore

Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)

Genre: Dramedy


The Body Beautiful

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Joseph Stein, Will Glickman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


The Nervous Set

Music: Tommy Wolf  Lyrics: Fran Landesman  Book: Jay Landesman, Theodore J. Flicker

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Dramedy


Valmouth

Music/Lyrics/Book: Sandy Wilson

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)

Genre: Dramedy


Whoop-Up

Music: Moose Charlap  Lyrics: Norman Gimbel  Book: Cy Feuer, Ernest Martin, Dan Cushman

Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)

Genre: Dramedy / Western



Bajour

Music/Lyrics: Walter Marks  Book: Ernest Kinoy

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Dramedy


Baker Street

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

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)

Genre: Adventure / Mystery


Golden Rainbow

Music/Lyrics: Walter Marks  Book: Ernest Kinoy

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)

Genre: Dramedy


I Had a Ball

Music/Lyrics: Jack Lawrence, Stan Freeman  Book: Jerome Chodorov

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Illya Darling

Music: Manos Hadjidakis  Lyrics: Joe Darion  Book: Jules Dassin

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)

Genre: Dramedy


Jimmy

Music/Lyrics: Bill Jacob, Patti Jacob  Book: Melville Shavelson

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)

Genre: Semi-Biography


Kean

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

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Let It Ride!

Music/Lyrics: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans  Book: Abram S. Ginnes

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Genre: Comedy


Now Is the Time for All Good Men

Music: Nancy Ford  Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)

Genre: Drama


The Fig Leaves Are Falling

Music: Albert Hague  Lyrics/Book: Allan Sherman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)

Genre: Romantic Dramedy


The Likes of Us

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

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

Genre: Drama


The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Music: Leon Carr  Lyrics: Earl Shuman  Book: Joe Manchester

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Fantasy


The Zulu and the Zayda

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Howard Da Silva, Felix Leon

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)

Genre: Dramedy


Tovarich

Music: Lee Pockriss  Lyrics: Anne Croswell  Book: David Shaw

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)

Genre: Comedy


What Makes Sammy Run?

Music/Lyrics: Ervin Drake  Book: Budd Schulberg, Stuart Schulberg

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Dramedy



Ballroom

Music: Billy Goldenberg  Lyrics: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman  Book: Jerome Kass

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Cyrano

Music: Michael J. Lewis  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Burgess

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)

Genre: Romantic Drama


I Remember Mama

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Martin Charnin, Raymond Jessel  Book: Thomas Meehan

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

Genre: Dramedy


Lorelei

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics: Leo Robin, Adolph Green, Betty Comden  Book: Anita Loos, Joseph Fields, Kenny Solms, Gail Parent

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

Genre: Comedy


Over Here!

Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman  Book: Will Holt

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

Genre: Social Commentary


Philemon

Music: Harvey Schmidt  Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Genre: Drama


Prettybelle

Music: Jule Styne  Lyrics/Book: Bob Merrill

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Genre: Dark Comedy


The Grass Harp

Music: Claibe Richardson  Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Genre: Dramedy


Thomas and the King

Music: John Williams  Lyrics: James Harbert  Book: Edward Anhalt

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Genre: Historical



Beehive: The 60’s Musical

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Larry Gallagher

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Genre: Revue


Charlotte Sweet

Music: Gerald Jay Markoe  Lyrics: Michael Colby

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)

Genre: Melodrama


Doonesbury

Music: Elizabeth Swados  Lyrics/Book: Garry Trudeau

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Grind

Music: Larry Grossman  Lyrics: Ellen Fitzhugh  Book: Fay Kanin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Genre: Drama


Late Nite Comic

Music/Lyrics: Brian Gari  Book: Allan Knee

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)

Genre: Romantic Drama / Semi-Autobiography


Legs Diamond

Music/Lyrics: Peter Allen  Book: Harvey Fierstein, Charles Suppon

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)

Genre: Semi-Biography


Mayor

Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse  Book: Warren Leight

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Genre: Revue / Satire


My One and Only

Music: George Gershwin  Lyrics: Ira Gershwin  Book: Peter Stone, Timothy S. Mayer

Musical Type: Jazz Age/Pre-Contemporary (1983)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Sarafina!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema  Additional Songs: Hugh Masekela

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)

Genre: Historical


Sherlock Holmes: The Musical

Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Genre: Dramedy / Mystery


Starmites

Music/Lyrics/Book: Barry Keating  Book: Stuart Ross

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)

Genre: Science Fiction


The Biograph Girl

Music/Lyrics: David Heneker  Lyrics/Book: Warner Brown

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

Genre: Drama



A Grand Night for Singing

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II  Concept: Walter Bobbie

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Genre: Revue


First Lady Suite

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Genre: Dramedy


Hannah…1939

Music/Lyrics/Book: Bob Merrill

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Genre: Drama


Jolson

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Francis Essex, Rob Bettinson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)

Genre: Biography


Lucky in the Rain

Music: Jimmy McHugh  Lyrics: Dorothy Fields, Harold Adamson  Book: Sherman Yellen

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Moll Flanders

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics: Paul Leigh  Book: Claire Luckham

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Play On!

Music/Lyrics: Duke Ellington, Various  Book: Cheryl West

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)

Genre: Romantic Dramedy


Spend Spend Spend

Music/Lyrics/Book: Steve Brown  Lyrics/Book: Justin Greene

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Dramedy


The Fields of Ambrosia

Music: Martin Silvestri  Lyrics/Book: Joel Higgins

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Genre: Drama


The Fix

Music: Dana P. Rowe  Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Genre: Satire


Triumph of Love

Music: Jeffrey Stock  Lyrics: Susan Birkenhead  Book: James Magruder

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Wings

Music: Jeffrey Lunden  Lyrics/Book: Arthur Perlman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

Genre: Drama



All the Fun of the Fair

Music/Lyrics: David Essex  Book: Jon Conway

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Bernarda Alba

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Drama


Bubble Boy

Music/Lyrics/Book: Cinco Paul  Book: Ken Daurio

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Genre: Comedy


Captain Louie

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: Anthony Stein

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Theatre for Young Audiences


Desperate Measures

Music: David Friedman  Lyrics/Book: Peter Kellogg

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Genre: Comedy / Western


Everyday Rapture

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Dick Scanlan, Sherie Rene Scott

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Genre: Semi-Autobiography


Happy Days

Music/Lyrics: Paul Williams  Book: Garry Marshall

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Genre: Comedy


My Life with Albertine

Music/Lyrics: Ricky Ian Gordon  Lyrics/Book: Richard Nelson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Genre: Romantic Drama


SHOUT! The Mod Musical

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Phillip George, David Lowenstein

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Dramedy


The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Music/Lyrics: David Nehls  Book: Betsy Kelso

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Comedy


The Lord of the Rings

Music: A.R. Rahman, Christopher Nightingale, Värttinä  Lyrics/Book: Matthew Warchus, Shaun McKenna

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Fantasy


The Thing About Men

Music: Jimmy Roberts  Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Genre: Romantic Comedy



A Minister’s Wife

Music: Joshua Schmidt  Lyrics: Jan Levy Tranen  Book: Austin Pendleton

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Drama


A Night With Janis Joplin

Music/Lyrics: Janis Joplin, Various  Book: Randy Johnson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Biography


Lend Me a Tenor

Music: Brad Carroll  Lyrics/Book: Peter Sham

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Comedy


Love Birds

Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Genre: Fantasy


Placebo

Music/Lyrics: Danny Abosch  Book: Joshua Borths

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Drama


Queen of the Mist

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Biography


Venice

Music/Lyrics: Matt Sax  Lyrics/Book: Eric Rosen

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Science Fiction



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

Sign up for Theatre Thursday.

Which of these obscure musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above obscure musicals? 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 ListShe holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.

Photo of Stacy Karyn

Leave a Reply