51+ Great Political Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Let’s take a musical journey into the world of politics! Below you’ll discover a full list of powerful, comedic, and thought-provoking political musicals. The following list is broken down by time period, and then sorted alphabetically.
By the way, politics play a very important role in many additional musicals, like Ragtime, The Sound of Music, and Miss Saigon. But the following list is for musicals that center around politics as a theme.
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Contents:
Political Jazz Age Musicals (1920s-1930s)
Golden Age Political Musicals (1940s-1950s)
Post-Golden Age Political Musicals (1960s)
Pre-Contemporary Political Musicals (1970s-1990s)
Contemporary Political Musicals (2000s-2020s)
Political Jazz Age Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Moss Hart
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Genre: Satire/Revue
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Genre: Sequel/Satire
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1931)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Various
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1937)
Genre: Revue
Music/Lyrics: Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle Book: F.E. Miller, Aubrey Lyles, George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1921)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Marc Blitzstein
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)
Genre: Drama
Golden Age Political Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Sketches: Arnold Auerbach
Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)
Genre: Revue
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Jerome Weidman, George Abbott
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Genre: Biography
Music: Gene De Paul Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Book: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Genre: Satire
Music: Laurie Johnson Lyrics: Lionel Bart Book: Bernard Miles
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Genre: Farce
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, Abe Burrows
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Genre: Satire
Post-Golden Age Political Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Sherman Edwards Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Genre: Satire
Music: Mark Sandrich, Jr. Lyrics/Book: Sidney Michaels Additional Songs: Jerry Herman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Genre: Semi-Biography
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Genre: Drama
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: George Abbott, Robert Russell, David Thompson
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics/Book: Gerome Ragni, James Rado
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Bill Jacob, Patti Jacob Book: Melville Shavelson
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)
Genre: Semi-Biography
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Cyril Ornadel Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse Book: Wolf Mankowitz
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Genre: Dramedy
Pre-Contemporary Political Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Richard Nelson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Genre: Drama
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Genre: Semi-Biography
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse Book: Warren Leight
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
Genre: Revue
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema Music/Lyrics: Hugh Masekela
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)
Genre: Historical
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Music/Lyrics: Carol Hall Book: Larry L. King, Peter Masterson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Book: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Jack Murphy Book: Gregory Boyd
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Drama
Music: Dana P. Rowe Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: David Bryan Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy/Comedy
Contemporary Political Musicals
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jay Kuo Book: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman Book: Alex Timbers
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Hodge Book: Michael Hodge
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Fela Kuti Book: Bill T. Jones, Jim Lewis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics: Michael John La Chiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Biography
Music: Fatboy Slim Music/Lyrics: David Byrne
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Biography
Music: David Arnold Lyrics: Richard Thomas Book: Richard Bean
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: David Henry Hwang
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Genre: Metamusical
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe Book: Elliot Davis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Genre: Satire
Music: Various Lyrics/Book: Gerard Alessandrini
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Genre: Parody
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Mark Hollmann Lyrics/Book: Greg Kotis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Comedy/Satire
Music/Lyrics: Matt Sax Lyrics/Book: Eric Rosen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Science Fiction
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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.