100+ Popular Musicals That You Should Know
Do you ever feel the pressure of not having experienced certain musicals or cast albums, fearing the judgment of super fans? Fear not! Just use this list to ensure you’re well-versed in the most iconic musicals from every decade, keeping the musical aficionados at bay.
Disclaimer: This is not a list of what I personally believe to be the best musicals, but a compilation of widely acclaimed ones that often provoke the exclamation, “WHAT!? You haven’t seen/listened to [THIS MUSICAL]?” These are the iconic productions that have left a mark on musical theatre and are considered must-knows by many.
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Contents:
Popular Jazz Age Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, John McGowan
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1930)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1924)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Libretto: DuBose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward
Musical Type: Opera (1935)
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Popular Golden Age Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1946)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Douglas Carter Beane
Musical Type: 1957 Film/Contemporary Musical (2013)
Music/Lyrics: Richard Adler, Jerry Ross Book: George Abbott, Douglass Wallop
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Leo Robin Book: Joseph Fields, Anita Loos
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows
Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Music: Alexander Borodin Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Charles Lederer, Luther Davis
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Bella Spewack, Samuel Spewack
Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)
Music: Mary Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Marshall Barer Book: Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Music: Moose Charlap, Jule Styne Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, Adolph Green Book: Sir J.M. Barrie
Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Joshua Logan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Meredith Willson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Book: Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
Popular 1960s Musicals
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Isobel Lennart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Music: Galt MacDermot Lyrics/Book: Gerome Ragni, James Rado
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1968)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lionel Bart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Neil Simon
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Popular 1970s Musicals
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Bob Fosse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: George Furth
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Goldman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Roger O. Hirson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Music/Lyrics: Charlie Smalls Book: William F. Brown
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Popular 1980s Musicals
Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer Book: Michael Stewart, Mark Bramble
Musical Type: 1933 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1980)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Music: Henry Krieger Lyrics/Book: Tom Eyen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Music: Steve Margoshes Lyrics: Jacques Levy Book: José Fernandez
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Music/Lyrics: Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed Book: Adolph Green, Betty Comden
Musical Type: 1952 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1983)
Sunday in the Park with George
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Charles Hart Lyrics/Book: Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg Music: Herbert Stothart Book: L. Frank Baum, John Kane
Musical Type: 1939 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1987)
Popular 1990s Musicals
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, David Henry Hwang
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice Book: Linda Woolverton
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Music: Tom Snow Lyrics/Book: Dean Pitchford Book: Walter Bobbie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Music/Lyrics: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Book: Catherine Johnson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Rodger Allers, Irene Mecchi
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Pete Townshend Book: Des McAnuff
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Popular Musicals from the 2000s
Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx Book: Jeff Whitty
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Music: Elton John Lyrics/Book: Lee Hall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Anaïs Mitchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: David Simpatico
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda Book: Quiara Alegría Hudes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Music: Bob Gaudio Lyrics: Bob Crewe Book: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles, Anthony Drewe Book: Julian Fellowes
Musical Type: 1964 Film/Contemporary Musical (2004)
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics/Book: Brian Yorkey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Chris D’Arienzo
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Music/Book: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Music: John Du Prez Music/Lyrics/Book: Eric Idle
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Music/Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Book: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jason Robert Brown
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: 1989 Film/Contemporary Musical (2007)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mel Brooks Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: 1967 Film/Contemporary Musical (2001)
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Dick Scanlan Book: Richard Morris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Contemporary (1990/2001)
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Winnie Holzman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Popular Musicals from the 2010s
Music/Lyrics: Max Martin, Various Book: David West Read
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Music/Lyrics: The Legendary Motown Catalog Book: Dominique Morisseau
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Lyrics: Tim Rice, Howard Ashman
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Music/Lyrics: Joe Iconis Book: Joe Tracz
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music/Lyrics: Eddie Perfect Book: Scott Brown, Anthony King
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Irene Sankoff, David Hein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Music/Lyrics: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul Book: Steven Levenson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez Book: Jennifer Lee
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Lisa Kron
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Laurence O’Keefe, Kevin Murphy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Music/Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Music/Lyrics: Tim Minchin Book: Dennis Kelly
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Berry Gordy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: John Logan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Jack Feldman Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Karey Kirkpatrick Music/Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick Book: John O’Farrell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Music/Lyrics/Book: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Jeff Blim Book: Nick Lang, Matt Lang
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Book: Bob Martin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Music/Lyrics: Sara Bareilles Book: Jessie Nelson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
All Musicals:
• Golden Age Musicals (1940 – 1959)
• Post-Golden Age Musicals (1960 – 1969)
You Might Also Like:
• Musicals About New York City
Looking for more? Check out these DIY Rep Books for EVERY vocal type!
Which of these popular musicals is your favorite?
Have you seen or performed in any of these popular musicals? Make sure 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 holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.