Musical Lists

Political Musicals

The following list includes political musicals, featuring works about government or political systems. Additional musical lists are available in the musical database.


On This Page:

Political Jazz Age Musicals

Political Golden Age Musicals

Political 1960s Musicals

Political 1970s-1990s Musicals

Contemporary Political Musicals



As Thousands Cheer

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Moss Hart

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)

Genre: Satire


Dearest Enemy

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

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)

Genre: Comedy / Historical / Romance


Knickerbocker Holiday

Music: Kurt Weill  Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)

Genre: Comedy / Romance


Let ‘Em Eat Cake

Music: George Gershwin  Lyrics: Ira Gershwin  Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Of Thee I Sing

Music: George Gershwin  Lyrics: Ira Gershwin  Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1931)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Pins and Needles

Music/Lyrics/Book: Harold Rome  Book: Arthur Arent, Marc Blitzstein, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Charles Friedman, David Gregory, Arnold Horwitt, John La Touche, Joseph Schrank

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1937)

Genre: Satire


Shuffle Along

Music/Lyrics: Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle  Book: Flournoy Miller, Aubrey Lyles

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1921)

Genre: Comedy


The Cradle Will Rock

Music/Lyrics/Book: Marc Blitzstein

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1938)

Genre: Drama



Call Me Madam

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Call Me Mister

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Sketches: Arnold Auerbach

Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)

Genre: Revue


Fiorello!

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Biography / Comedy / Historical


Li’l Abner

Music: Gene de Paul  Lyrics: Johnny Mercer  Book: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank

Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)

Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Satire


Lock Up Your Daughters

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Comedy


Louisiana Purchase

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Morrie Ryskind

Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Silk Stockings

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Texas, Li’l Darlin’

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)

Genre: Comedy


The Sound of Music

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance



1776

Music/Lyrics: Sherman Edwards  Book: Peter Stone

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Anyone Can Whistle

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Arthur Laurents

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Ben Franklin in Paris

Music: Mark Sandrich, Jr.  Lyrics/Book: Sidney Michaels  Additional Songs: Jerry Herman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Biography / Historical


Cabaret

Music: John Kander  Lyrics: Fred Ebb  Book: Joe Masteroff

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

Genre: Drama


Flora, the Red Menace

Music: John Kander  Lyrics: Fred Ebb  Book: George Abbott, Robert Russell  Revisions: David Thompson

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)

Genre: Comedy / Drama


Hair

Music: Galt MacDermot  Lyrics/Book: Gerome Ragni, James Rado

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)

Genre: Comedy / Drama


Jimmy

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

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1969)

Genre: Biography


Mr. President

Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin  Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)

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


Pickwick

Music: Cyril Ornadel  Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse  Book: Wolf Mankowitz

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)

Genre: Comedy / Drama



1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Music: Leonard Bernstein  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)

Genre: Historical


Assassins

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1990)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Chess

Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus  Lyrics: Tim Rice  Book: Richard Nelson, Danny Strong

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1984)

Genre: Drama


Evita

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)

Genre: Biography / Drama / Historical


First Lady Suite

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Historical


Les Misérables

Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg  Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)

Genre: Drama


Mayor

Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse  Book: Warren Leight

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1985)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Miss Saigon

Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg  Lyrics: Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1989)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Pacific Overtures

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: John Weidman

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Ragtime

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens  Book: Terrence McNally

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1996)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Sarafina!

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

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1987)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Shenandoah

Music: Gary Geld  Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell  Book: Philip Rose, James Lee Barrett

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1974)

Genre: Drama


The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Music/Lyrics: Carol Hall  Book: Larry L. King, Peter Masterson

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1978)

Genre: Comedy


The Civil War

Music/Book: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics: Jack Murphy  Book: Gregory Boyd

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)

Genre: Drama / Historical


The Fix

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

Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)

Genre: Satire



Allegiance

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jay Kuo  Book: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman  Book: Alex Timbers

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Genre: Biography / Historical / Satire


Clinton: The Musical

Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Hodge  Book: Michael Hodge

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Genre: Comedy / Historical / Satire


Fela!

Music/Lyrics: Fela Kuti  Book: Bill T. Jones, Jim Lewis

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Genre: Biography


First Daughter Suite

Music/Lyrics: Michael John La Chiusa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Historical


Hamilton

Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Genre: Biography / Historical


Here Lies Love

Music/Lyrics: David Byrne  Music: Fatboy Slim

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Biography


Made in Dagenham

Music: David Arnold  Lyrics: Richard Thomas  Book: Richard Bean

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Historical


Soft Power

Music/Lyrics: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: David Henry Hwang

Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Soho Cinders

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe  Book: Elliot Davis

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Comedy / Romance / Satire


Spamilton

Music: Various  Lyrics/Book: Gerard Alessandrini

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Parody


Stephen Ward

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

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Drama / Historical


Suffs

Music/Lyrics/Book: Shaina Taub

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

Genre: Historical


The Toxic Avenger

Music/Lyrics: David Bryan  Lyrics/Book: Joe DiPietro

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror


Urinetown

Music/Lyrics: Mark Hollmann  Lyrics/Book: Greg Kotis

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


Venice

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

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Science Fiction