35+ Great Political Musicals – A Full List of Shows
Since politics is probably on everybody’s mind at the moment, I thought it would be an appropriate time to pull together a list of powerful and interesting political musicals. Politics play a very important role in and run in the background of many additional musicals, like Cabaret, Ragtime, The Sound of Music, and Miss Saigon. But the following list is for musicals that center around politics as a theme.
The following list is broken down by time period, and then sorted alphabetically.
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Political Jazz Age Musicals
Dearest Enemy (1925)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Knickerbocker Holiday (1938)
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics/Book: Maxwell Anderson
Leave It To Me! (1938)
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Samuel & Bella Spewack
Let ‘Em Eat Cake (1933)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: George S. Kaufman
Of Thee I Sing (1931)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind
Pins and Needles (1937)
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Various
Shuffle Along (1921)
Music: Eubie Blake Lyrics: Noble Sissle Book: F.E. Miller, Aubrey Lyles
The Cradle Will Rock (1938)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Marc Blitzstein
Golden Age Political Musicals
Call Me Madam (1950)
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Call Me Mister (1946)
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Sketches: Arnold Auerbach
Fiorello (1959)
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Jerome Weidman, George Abbott
Li’l Abner (1956)
Music: Gene De Paul Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Book: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Lock Up Your Daughters (1959)
Music: Laurie Johnson Lyrics: Lionel Bart Book: Bernard Miles
Louisiana Purchase (1940)
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Morrie Ryskind
Silk Stockings (1955)
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Kaufman, MacGrath, Burrows
Up in Central Park (1945)
Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields
Post-Golden Age Political Musicals
1776 (1969)
Music/Lyrics: Sherman Edwards Book: Peter Stone
Anyone Can Whistle (1964)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Ben Franklin in Paris (1964)
Music: Jerry Herman, Mark Sandrich, Jr. Lyrics/Book: Sidney Michaels
Hair (1967)
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics/Book: Gerome Ragni, James Rado
Jimmy (1969)
Music: Bill Jacob Lyrics: Patti Jacob Book: Melville Shavelson
Mr. President (1962)
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Pre-Contemporary Political Musicals
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976)
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Assassins (1990)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Evita (1976)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Fela! (2008)
Music/Lyrics: Fela Kuti Book: Bill T. Jones, Jim Lewis
Les Misérables (1980)
Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel Book: Schönberg, Boublil
Mayor (1985)
Music/Lyrics: Charles Strouse Book: Warren Leight
Pacific Overtures (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978)
Music/Lyrics: Carol Hall Book: Larry L. King, Peter Masterson
The Civil War (1998)
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Jack Murphy Book: Gregory Boyd, Wildhorn
The Fix (1997)
Music: Dana P. Rowe Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey
Contemporary Political Musicals
Allegiance (2012)
Music/Lyrics: Jay Kuo Book: Marc Acito, Jay Kuo
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (2008)
Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman Book: Alex Timbers
Clinton (2012)
Music/Lyrics: Paul Hodge Book: Michael Hodge, Paul Hodge
Gutenberg! The Musical! (2005)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Scott Brown, Anthony King
Hamilton (2015)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Soft Power (2018)
Music/Lyrics: Jeanine Tesori Book/Lyrics: David Henry Hwang
Soho Cinders (2011)
Music: George Stiles Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe Book: Elliot Davis
Spamilton (2016)
Music: Various Lyrics/Book: Gerard Alessandrini
Urinetown (2001)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Greg Hollmann, Greg Kotis
New Contemporary Political Musicals
We Won’t Sleep (2020)
Music/Lyrics: Ari Afsar Book: Lauren M. Gunderson
Want a weekly list of stagey surprises?!
Know of any other great political 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!
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 has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
