48+ Upbeat & Feel-Good Musicals to Boost Your Mood
Looking for a musical that will get you in a good mood? Then check out this list of the most happy and feel-good musicals out there! Whether you’re feeling down or just need a little pick-me-up, these musicals keep things light and upbeat for the entire performance.
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Contents:
Upbeat Jazz Age Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, John McGowan
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1930)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics/Book: B.G. DeSylva Lyrics: Lew Brown Book: Laurence Schwab
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Con Conrad Lyrics: Gus Kahn Book: Philip Bartholomae, Otto Harbach
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1924)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Harold Arlen Lyrics: Ira Gershwin, E.Y. Harburg
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Genre: Revue
Music: Noel Gay Lyrics/Book: Douglas Furber, L. Arthur Rose
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1937)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Irving Caesar Lyrics/Book: Otto Harbach Book: Frank Mandel
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1925)
Genre: Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Herbert Fields, Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1933)
Genre: Satire/Farce
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)
Genre: Political Satire
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Herbert Fields
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1926)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Upbeat Golden Age Musicals
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Leo Robin Book: Joseph Fields, Anita Loos
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Morrie Ryskind
Musical Type: Golden Age (1940)
Genre: Satire
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics/Book: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Musical Type: Golden Age (1944)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Meredith Willson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh Book: N. Richard Nash
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Harold Rome Book: Arthur Kober, Joshua Logan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1952)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Betty Comden, Adolph Green Book: Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
Genre: Comedy
Upbeat 1960s-70s Musicals
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: David Thompson, Norman L. Martin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Jerry Herman Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Music/Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, Willie Gilbert
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Joe Masteroff
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Mel Marvin, Gary Pearle, Mary Kyte
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Genre: Revue
Upbeat 1980s-90s Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Larry Gallagher
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
Genre: Revue
Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Dorothy Fields, Harold Adamson Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Book: Catherine Johnson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1985)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dan Goggin
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed Book: Adolph Green, Betty Comden
Musical Type: 1952 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1983)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison Book: Bob Martin, Don McKellar
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Bean
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Genre: Comedy
Upbeat Contemporary Musicals
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Lyrics: Tim Rice, Howard Ashman
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Genre: Fairy Tale
Music/Lyrics: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin Book: Craig Lucas
Musical Type: 1951 Film/Contemporary Musical (2014)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics: Chad Beguelin Book: Bob Martin, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Gordon Greenberg, Chad Hodge
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Andrew Bergman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe Book: Heather Hach
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Nicky Ager Lyrics/Book: Debbie Isitt
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin Book: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Whitehouse, Jim Sullivan Music: John Sullivan, Chas Hodges
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally Book: Robert Horn
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Genre: Dramedy
The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes
Music: Michael Kooman Lyrics/Book: Christopher Dimond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2018)
Genre: Comedy
The Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Bean
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Genre: Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Genre: Comedy
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Dick Scanlan Book: Richard Morris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Matthew White, Howard Jacques
Musical Type: 1935 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Music/Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: David Ives, Paul Blake
Musical Type: 1954 Film/Contemporary Musical (2000)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Looking for more? Check out these DIY Rep Books for EVERY vocal type!
Which of these upbeat and feel-good musicals is your favorite?
Have you seen or performed in any of these happy 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.