Musical Lists

The 57 Most Underrated Musicals of All Time

Looking for musicals that deserve more recognition? From hidden gems to overlooked masterpieces, these shows, in my opinion, have flown under the radar. Here’s the full list of underrated musicals, sorted by time period.

And here are my personal lists of favorite cast albums and top musicals!


Contents:

Underrated Jazz Age Musicals

Underrated Golden Age Musicals

Underrated 1960s Musicals

Underrated 1970s Musicals

Underrated 1980s Musicals

Underrated 1990s Musicals

Underrated 2000s Musicals

Underrated 2010s Musicals



Nymph Errant

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Romney Brent, Steve Mackes, Michael Whaley

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


The New Moon

Music: Sigmund Romberg  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Laurence Schwab

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)

Genre: Adventure


The New Yorkers

Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter  Book: Herbert Fields

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1930)

Genre: Satire



Allegro

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)

Genre: Dramedy


House of Flowers

Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen  Lyrics/Book: Truman Capote

Musical Type: Golden Age (1954)

Genre: Romantic Drama



Golden Boy

Music: Charles Strouse  Lyrics: Lee Adams  Book: Clifford Odets, William Gibson

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Drama


Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

Music/Lyrics: Jacques Brel  Book: Eric Blau, Mort Shuman

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)

Genre: Revue


Kean

Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest  Book: Peter Stone

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Genre: Romantic Drama


Robert and Elizabeth

Music: Ron Grainer  Lyrics/Book: Ronald Millar

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)

Genre: Romantic Drama


She Loves Me

Music: Jerry Bock  Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Joe Masteroff

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


The Zulu and the Zayda

Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome  Book: Howard Da Silva, Felix Leon

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)

Genre: Dramedy


Zorba!

Music: John Kander  Lyrics: Fred Ebb  Book: Joseph Stein

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)

Genre: Romantic Dramedy



Cyrano

Music: Michael J. Lewis  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Burgess

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)

Genre: Romantic Drama


The Robber Bridegroom

Music: Robert Waldman  Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Genre: Fairy Tale / Western


Working

Music/Lyrics/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz  Music/Lyrics: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor  Adaptation: Nina Faso

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)

Genre: Dramedy



Chess

Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus  Lyrics: Tim Rice  Book: Richard Nelson

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

Genre: Drama


La Cage aux Folles

Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman  Book: Harvey Fierstein

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1983)

Genre: Dramedy


Merrily We Roll Along

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: George Furth

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Genre: Dramedy


Pump Boys and Dinettes

Music/Lyrics/Book: John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel, Jim Wann

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Genre: Dramedy


Sarafina!

Music/Lyrics/Book: Mbongeni Ngema  Additional Songs: Hugh Masekela

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1987)

Genre: Historical


Tomfoolery

Music/Lyrics: Tom Lehrer  Adaptation: Cameron Mackintosh, Robin Ray

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)

Genre: Comedy / Revue / Satire



A New Brain

Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Semi-Autobiography


Floyd Collins

Music/Lyrics: Adam Guettel  Book: Tina Landau

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)

Genre: Drama


Parade

Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown  Book: Alfred Uhry

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Drama


Ragtime

Music: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens  Book: Terrence McNally

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)

Genre: Drama


Ruthless!

Music: Marvin Laird  Lyrics/Book: Joel Paley

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)

Genre: Dark Comedy


Sunset Boulevard

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics/Book: Don Black, Christopher Hampton

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)

Genre: Drama


Titanic

Music/Lyrics: Maury Yeston  Book: Peter Stone

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Genre: Drama


The Capeman

Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Simon  Lyrics/Book: Derek Walcott

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Genre: Biography


The Life

Music/Book: Cy Coleman  Lyrics/Book: Ira Gasman  Book: David Newman

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Genre: Drama



A Year with Frog and Toad

Music: Robert Reale  Lyrics/Book: Willie Reale

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Genre: Theatre for Young Audiences


Bernarda Alba

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Drama


Closer to Heaven

Music/Lyrics: Pet Shop Boys  Book: Jonathan Harvey

Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)

Genre: Drama


Grey Gardens

Music: Scott Frankel  Lyrics: Michael Korie  Book: Doug Wright

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Biography


Lizzie

Music/Lyrics: Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt  Music/Lyrics/Book: Tim Maner

Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)

Genre: Horror


Passing Strange

Music/Lyrics/Book: Stew  Music: Heidi Rodewald

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Dramedy


Sweet Smell of Success

Music: Marvin Hamlisch  Lyrics: Craig Carnelia  Book: John Guare

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Genre: Drama


The Lord of the Rings

Music: A.R. Rahman, Christopher Nightingale, Värttinä  Lyrics/Book: Matthew Warchus, Shaun McKenna

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Fantasy


The Story of My Life

Music/Lyrics: Neil Bartram  Book: Brian Hill

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

Genre: Drama


The Wild Party (LaChiusa)

Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa  Book: George C. Wolfe

Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)

Genre: Drama



Alice by Heart

Music: Duncan Sheik  Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater  Book: Jessie Nelson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Genre: Fantasy


Allegiance

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jay Kuo  Book: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Genre: Drama


American Psycho

Music/Lyrics: Duncan Sheik  Book: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Horror


An American in Paris

Music/Lyrics: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin  Book: Craig Lucas

Musical Type: 1951 Film/Contemporary Musical (2014)

Genre: Romantic Comedy


Doctor Zhivago

Music: Lucy Simon  Lyrics: Michael Korie, Amy Powers  Book: Michael Weller

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Genre: Drama


Fangirls

Music/Lyrics/Book: Yve Blake

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Genre: Dramedy


Honeymoon in Vegas

Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown  Book: Andrew Bergman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Comedy


Hundred Days

Music/Lyrics/Book: The Bengsons  Book: Sarah Gancher

Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)

Genre: Semi-Autobiography


Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Genre: Drama


Nevermore

Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Christenson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Horror / Semi-Biography


Preludes

Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Genre: Drama


Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future

Music/Lyrics/Book: Andrew R. Butler

Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)

Genre: Science Fiction


Ride the Cyclone

Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Genre: Dark Comedy / Horror


The Bridges of Madison County

Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown  Book: Marsha Norman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Genre: Romantic Drama


The Dolls of New Albion

Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Shapera

Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)

Genre: Science Fiction


The Last Ship

Music/Lyrics: Sting  Book: Brian Yorkey, John Logan, Lorne Campbell

Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)

Genre: Drama


Venice

Music/Lyrics: Matt Sax  Lyrics/Book: Eric Rosen

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Genre: Science Fiction



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Which of these underrated musicals is your favorite?

Or have you ever played a role in any of the above underrated musicals? 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.

Photo of Stacy Karyn

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