Musical Lists

45+ Religious Musicals – The Full List of Shows

From biblical epics to contemporary stories of faith, religion has long been a source of inspiration for musical theatre. Whether based on sacred texts, historical figures, or spiritual themes, these musicals explore faith, devotion, and belief in many forms. Below is a full list of religious musicals, sorted alphabetically.



A Minister’s Wife

Music: Joshua Schmidt  Lyrics: Jan Levy Tranen  Book: Austin Pendleton

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Drama


A Strange Loop

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Genre: Dramedy


A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant

Music/Lyrics/Book: Kyle Jarrow

Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)

Genre: Satire


Altar Boyz

Music/Lyrics: Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker  Book: Kevin Del Aguila

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Genre: Satire


Anything Goes

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Bare

Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo  Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere

Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)

Genre: Drama


Black Nativity

Music/Lyrics: Traditional  Book: Langston Hughes

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Genre: Religious


Bonnie & Clyde

Music: Frank Wildhorn  Lyrics: Don Black  Book: Ivan Menchell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Genre: Drama


Brigadoon

Music: Frederick Loewe  Lyrics/Book: Alan Jay Lerner

Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)

Genre: Fantasy / Romance


Cabin in the Sky

Music: Vernon Duke  Lyrics: John La Touche  Book: Lynn Root

Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)

Genre: Fantasy


Carousel

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Carrie

Music: Michael Gore  Lyrics: Dean Pitchford  Book: Lawrence D. Cohen

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)

Genre: Horror


Children of Eden

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: John Caird

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)

Genre: Religious


Children’s Letters to God

Music: David Evans  Lyrics: Douglas J. Cohen  Book: Stuart Hample

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Genre: Theatre for Young Audiences


Everyday Rapture

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Dick Scanlan, Sherie Rene Scott

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Genre: Autobiography


Fiddler on the Roof

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Joseph Stein

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Drama


Footloose

Music: Tom Snow  Lyrics/Book: Dean Pitchford  Book: Walter Bobbie

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Dramedy


Godspell

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: John-Michael Tebelak

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Genre: Religious


Gutenberg! The Musical!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Scott Brown, Anthony King

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Comedy


Guys and Dolls

Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser  Book: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows

Musical Type: Golden Age (1950)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Happy End

Music: Kurt Weill  Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht  Book: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Michael Feingold

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1929)

Genre: Melodrama


Jerry Springer: The Opera

Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard Thomas, Stewart Lee

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Genre: Fantasy


Jesus Christ Superstar

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Genre: Religious Drama


Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1968)

Genre: Dramedy


Leap of Faith

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Glenn Slater  Book: Janus Cercone, Warren Leight

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Romantic Dramedy


Les Misérables

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

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

Genre: Drama


Magdalena

Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos  Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Homer Curran

Musical Type: Golden Age (1948)

Genre: Adventure


Meshuggah-Nuns!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Genre: Comedy


Myths & Hymns

Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Song Cycle


Nativity!

Music/Lyrics: Nicky Ager  Lyrics/Book: Debbie Isitt

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Genre: Comedy


Nuncrackers

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Comedy


Nunsensations!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Comedy


Nunsense

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)

Genre: Comedy


Nunsense II

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

Genre: Comedy


Nunsense A-Men!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Comedy


Nunsense Jamboree

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)

Genre: Comedy


Nunset Boulevard

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Genre: Comedy


On the Twentieth Century

Music: Cy Coleman  Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1978)

Genre: Comedy


Philemon

Music: Harvey Schmidt  Lyrics/Book: Tom Jones

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Genre: Drama


Pippin

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: Roger O. Hirson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)

Genre: Dramedy


Purlie

Music: Gary Geld  Lyrics/Book: Peter Udell  Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Genre: Dramedy


Reefer Madness

Music/Book: Dan Studney  Lyrics/Book: Kevin Murphy

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Comedic Horror / Satire


Scandalous

Music: David Pomeranz, David Friedman  Lyrics/Book: Kathie Lee Gifford

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Biography


See What I Wanna See

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)

Genre: Drama


Shucked

Music/Lyrics: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally  Book: Robert Horn

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

Genre: Comedy


Sister Act

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Glenn Slater  Book: Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Dramedy


Spring Awakening

Music: Duncan Sheik  Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Drama


Sweeney Todd

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Hugh Wheeler

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)

Genre: Horror


Swept Away

Music/Lyrics: The Avett Brothers  Book: John Logan

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

Genre: Drama


Tenderloin

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

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)

Genre: Dramedy


The Apple Tree

Music/Book: Jerry Bock  Lyrics/Book: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Jerome Coopersmith

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

Genre: Romance


The Book of Mormon

Music/Lyrics/Book: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Comedy / Satire


The Color Purple

Music/Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray  Book: Marsha Norman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)

Genre: Drama


The Grass Harp

Music: Claibe Richardson  Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)

Genre: Dramedy


The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: James Lapine, Peter Parnell

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)

Genre: Drama


The Likes of Us

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Tim Rice

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age/Contemporary (1965/2005)

Genre: Drama


The Prince of Egypt

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz  Book: Philip LaZebnik

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Genre: Religious Drama


The Sound of Music

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

Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Two by Two

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Martin Charnin  Book: Peter Stone

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)

Genre: Dramedy


Violet

Music: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Genre: Drama


Whistle Down the Wind

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Jim Steinman  Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)

Genre: Drama


Witness Uganda

Music/Lyrics/Book: Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Genre: Documentary



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Which of these religious musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above musicals about religion? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you enjoy exploring these lists, check out the musical database, where you can discover musicals organized by composer, theme, setting, and much 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 ListShe holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.

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