21+ of the Most Amazingly Weird Musicals
Weirdness is subjective, and that makes this list different from a lot of Theatre Trip’s other blog posts. I’ll be defining “weird” as musicals that are unusual, surprising, or difficult to understand/explain. Here’s a big list of what I consider to be weird musicals. If you have anything you’d like to add, feel free to comment below!
Also, weird doesn’t equal bad. A few of the musicals below happen to be my favorites!
Musicals
A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Genre: Satire
Music/Lyrics/Book: Joshua Schmidt Lyrics/Book: Jason Loewith
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Genre: Drama
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Genre: Drama
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Genre: Fantasy
Music: Gerald Jay Markoe Lyrics: Michael Colby
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Genre: Melodrama
Music: Robb Stewart Lyrics/Book: Neville Phillips, Robin Chancellor
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Genre: Melodrama
Music/Lyrics/Book: Melvin Van Peebles
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Genre: Fantasy
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Goldman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Genre: Fantasy
Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics/Book: Yip Harburg Book: Fred Saidy
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Genre: Fairy Tale / Satire
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Genre: Song Cycle
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard Thomas, Stewart Lee
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Genre: Fantasy
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Genre: Comedic Horror
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Genre: Avant-Garde
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Roger O. Hirson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Genre: Dramedy
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics/Book: Bob Merrill
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Genre: Dark Comedy
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alistair Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Richard Stilgoe, David Yazbek, Nick Coler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Genre: Fantasy
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Hugh Wheeler
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Genre: Horror
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Shapera
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Genre: Science Fiction
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Genre: Fantasy/Satire
Music: Claibe Richardson Lyrics/Book: Kenward Elmslie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Genre: Dramedy
Music/Lyrics/Book: Richard O’Brien
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1973)
Genre: Comedic Horror
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: David Spencer Book: Alan Brennert
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Genre: Science Fiction
Want to stay in the loop with all things related to musical theatre?
Which of these weird musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above weird 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 List. She holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.