45+ Religious Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Whether you’re producing a show or simply looking for some new musicals to get into, it’s always good to get familiar with what’s out there. In recent years, there’s been a bit of an uptick in churches and local theaters producing Christian musicals or shows featuring religion as a main point of topic. So here’s the full list of religious musicals, sorted alphabetically.
The following musicals feature a wide range of religious themes, from Bible stories to general spiritual existential questions.
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Religious Musicals
Music: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics: Jan Levy Tranen Book: Austin Pendleton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Musical Genre: Dramedy/Metamusical
A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Musical Genre: Satire/Avant-Garde
Music/Lyrics: Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker Book: Kevin Del Aguila
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Musical Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Musical Genre: Rom-Com
Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Traditional Book: Langston Hughes
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Musical Genre: Religious Drama
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Don Black Book: Ivan Menchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)
Musical Genre: Romance
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)
Musical Genre: Rom-Dram
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John Caird
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
Musical Genre: Religious
Music: David Evans Lyrics: Douglas J. Cohen Book: Stuart Hample
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Musical Genre: Theatre for Young Audiences
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Dick Scanlan, Sherie Rene Scott
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Musical Genre: Autobiography
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music: Tom Snow Lyrics/Book: Dean Pitchford Book: Walter Bobbie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Musical Genre: Religious
Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows
Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)
Musical Genre: Melodrama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard Thomas, Stewart Lee
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Musical Genre: Fantasy
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Musical Genre: Religious Drama
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1968)
Musical Genre: Religious
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Janus Cercone, Warren Leight
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Musical Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest Book: Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Homer Curran
Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)
Musical Genre: Adventure
Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Musical Genre: Song Cycle
Music/Lyrics: Nicky Ager Lyrics/Book: Debbie Isitt
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)
Musical Genre: Comedy
Music: Harvey Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Musical Genre: Period/Historical
Music: Gary Geld Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music/Book: Dan Studney Lyrics/Book: Kevin Murphy
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Musical Genre: Satire
Music: David Pomeranz, David Friedman Lyrics/Book: Kathie Lee Gifford
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Musical Genre: Biography
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: George Abbott, Jerome Weidman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music/Book: Jerry Bock Lyrics/Book: Sheldon Harnick Book: Jerome Coopersmith
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Musical Genre: Romance
Music/Lyrics/Book: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Musical Genre: Satire/Comedy
Music: Claibe Richardson Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Contemporary (1965/2005)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Philip LaZebnik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Musical Genre: Religious Drama
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Musical Genre: Dramedy
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Musical Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Musical Genre: Documentary
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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.