Musical Lists

55+ Short One-Act Musicals – The Full List

Are you planning a production without an intermission or researching one-act musicals for a project? From intimate storytelling to fast-paced narratives, these shows make the most of their shorter run time. Here’s the full list of one-act musicals, sorted alphabetically.



13

Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown  Book: Dan Elish, Robert Horn

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Cast Size: 11+


21 Chump Street

Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Cast Size: 6


35mm: A Musical Exhibition

Music/Lyrics/Book: Ryan Scott Oliver

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Cast Size: 5+


A Catered Affair

Music/Lyrics: John Bucchino  Book: Harvey Fierstein

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Cast Size: 10


A Chorus Line

Music: Marvin Hamlisch  Lyrics: Edward Kleban  Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Cast Size: 26


A Christmas Carol

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

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

Cast Size: 18+


A New Brain

Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Cast Size: 10


A Strange Loop

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Cast Size: 7


A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kyle Jarrow

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Cast Size: 10


Alice by Heart

Music: Duncan Sheik  Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater  Book: Jessie Nelson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Cast Size: 12+


Altar Boyz

Music/Lyrics: Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker  Book: Kevin Del Aguila

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Cast Size: 5


American Idiot

Music: Green Day  Lyrics/Book: Billie Joe Armstrong  Book: Michael Mayer

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Cast Size: 10+


Assassins

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Cast Size: 12+


Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman  Book: Alex Timbers

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Cast Size: 12+


Come From Away

Music/Lyrics/Book: Irene Sankoff, David Hein

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Cast Size: 12+


Descendants

Music/Lyrics: Various  Lyrics/Book: Nick Blaemire  Adaptation: Madeline Smith

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Cast Size: 25+


Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

Music: Janet Hood  Lyrics/Book: Bill Russell

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Cast Size: 30+


Evening Primrose

Music/LyricsStephen Sondheim  Book: James Goldman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

Cast Size: 10


Falsettoland

Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Cast Size: 7


Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World

Music/Lyrics: Miranda Cooper  Music: Jennifer Decilveo  Lyrics: Chris Bush

Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)

Cast Size: 5+


Finding Nemo

Music/Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez  Book: Lindsay Anderson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Cast Size: 25+


First Date

Music/Lyrics: Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner  Book: Austin Winsberg

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Cast Size: 7


Forever Plaid

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Stuart Ross

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Cast Size: 4


Fun Home

Music: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: Lisa Kron

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Cast Size: 11


Grand Hotel

Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest, Maury Yeston  Book: Luther Davis

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)

Cast Size: 15+


Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Trask  Book: John Cameron Mitchell

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Cast Size: 2


Hello Again

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

Cast Size: 10


Here Lies Love

Music/Lyrics: David Byrne  Music: Fatboy Slim

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Cast Size: 10+


How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Music: Mel Marvin  Lyrics/Book: Timothy Mason

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

Cast Size: 8+


How to Eat Like a Child

Music/Lyrics/Book: John Forster  Book: Delia Ephron, Judith Kahan

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

Cast Size: 20+


In Transit

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Cast Size: 11


In Trousers

Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

Cast Size: 4


It Shoulda Been You

Music: Barbara Anselmi  Lyrics/Book: Brian Hargrove

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Cast Size: 13


Junie B. Jones

Music: Zina Goldrich  Lyrics/Book: Marcy Heisler

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Cast Size: 6-15


Kid Victory

Music: John Kander  Lyrics/Book: Greg Pierce

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Cast Size: 9


Leader of the Pack

Music/Lyrics: Ellie Greenwich & Friends  Book: Anne Beatts

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

Cast Size: 15+


Little by Little

Music: Brad Ross  Lyrics: Ellen Greenfield, Hal Hackady

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)

Cast Size: 3


Love Story

Music/Lyrics: Howard Goodall  Lyrics/Book: Stephen Clark

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Cast Size: 7


Love’s Labour’s Lost

Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman  Book: Alex Timbers

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Cast Size: 17+


March of the Falsettos

Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Cast Size: 5


Marry Me a Little

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Concept: Craig Lucas, Norman René

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

Cast Size: 2


Maybe Happy Ending

Music/Book: Will Aronson  Lyrics/Book: Hue Park

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Cast Size: 4-7


Murder for Two

Music/Book: Joe Kinosian  Lyrics/Book: Kellen Blair

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Cast Size: 2


Now. Here. This.

Music/Lyrics: Jeff Bowen  Book: Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Cast Size: 4


Once on This Island

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Cast Size: 10+


Ordinary Days

Music/Lyrics: Adam Gwon

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Cast Size: 4


Passion

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

Cast Size: 12+


Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Hip-Flores

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Cast Size: 15+


Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical

Music/Lyrics: Douglas Lyons  Music: Greg Borowsky  Book: Melvin Tunstall III

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Cast Size: 4


Redwood

Music/Lyrics: Kate Diaz Lyrics/Book: Tina Landau

Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)

Cast Size: 5


Ride the Cyclone

Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Cast Size: 7


Schoolhouse Rock Live!

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: George Keating, Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hall

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Cast Size: 6


See Rock City and Other Destinations

Music: Brad Alexander  Lyrics/Book: Adam Mathias

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Cast Size: 7+


Six

Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Cast Size: 6


Tell Me On a Sunday

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Don Black

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

Cast Size: 1


The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

*Can be performed as either a one act or a two act musical

Music/Lyrics: William Finn  Book: Rachel Sheinkin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Cast Size: 9


The Band’s Visit

Music/Lyrics: David Yazbek  Book: Itamar Moses

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Cast Size: 15+


The Burnt Part Boys

Music: Chris Miller  Lyrics: Nathan Tysen  Book: Mariana Elder

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Cast Size: 10


The Last Five Years

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jason Robert Brown

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Cast Size: 2


The Mad Ones

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kait Kerrigan, Bree Lowdermilk

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Cast Size: 4


The Story of My Life

Music/Lyrics: Neil Bartram  Book: Brian Hill

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Cast Size: 2


The Theory of Relativity

Music/Lyrics: Neil Bartram  Book: Brian Hill

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Cast Size: 8, 13, or 16


The View UpStairs

Music/Lyrics/Book: Max Vernon

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Cast Size: 10+


The Wild Party

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa  Book: George C. Wolfe

Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)

Cast Size: 15


Three Houses

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)

Cast Size: 6


Tick, Tick … BOOM!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Contemporary (1990/2001)

Cast Size: 3


[title of show]

Music/Lyrics: Jeff Bowen  Book: Hunter Bell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Cast Size: 4 + 1 Pianist


Violet

Music: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Cast Size: 11


Wings

Music: Jeffrey Lunden  Lyrics/Book: Arthur Perlman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

Cast Size: 7


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)

Cast Size: 6+


Xanadu

Music/Lyrics: Jeff Lynne, John Farrar  Book: Douglas Carter Beane

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Cast Size: 9+



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Which of these one-act musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of these short 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.

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