20 Inspiring Rags to Riches Musicals – The Full List of Shows
These rags to riches musicals feature characters who rise from poverty, obscurity or difficult circumstances into success. The list includes stories that focus on ambition, reinvention, and the pursuit of a better life.
Rags to Riches Musicals
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)
Creators: Harry Warren, Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer, Michael Stewart, and Mark Bramble
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Creators: Alan Menken, Chad Beguelin, Tim Rice, and Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)
Creators: Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Douglas Carter Beane
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1976)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, and Isobel Lennart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, Clifford Odets, and William Gibson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Creators: Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Creators: Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1981)
Creators: Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Creators: Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Creators: Lionel Bart
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Creators: Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson, and Dean Fuller
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Creators: Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Garry Marshall, and J.F. Lawton
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Creators: Steve Brown and Justin Greene
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Creators: Stephen Schwartz and Lindsey Ferrentino
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Creators: Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Creators: Meredith Willson and Richard Morris